Spiritual Things Matter

Study the heart and the mind of man, and begin with your own. Meditation and reflection must lay the foundation of that knowledge, but experience and practice must, and alone can, complete it. ~Lord Chesterfield

The older I become, the more I realize what is meant when I hear people say that youth is wasted on the young.  So much energy is put into finding ones way in life, creating careers by polishing ourselves through a good education, or specializing in some deed, and than promoting ourselves at every turn.  Although it is very necessary for all these steps to be taken to live a relatively happy and successful life, especially for young people, necessary indeed to have goals in life and pursue them with vigor and relative success,  I can’t help but wonder, how much true self-understanding is developed during this process.  Perhaps it is an unfolding of knowledge into wisdom by those who go past this stage, by those who choose to seek greater meaning and real honesty for their existence.  Chronological age has little to do with this decision.

Some who have been tremendously successful in their careers and have gained unprecedented financial freedom have also given us some honest insight into their lives.  While they have found rewards in the material world, they often find themselves lacking joy and happiness,  or, even lacking a true connection to who they really are.  That is a tragic way to live.  Yet, it is certainly not impossible to change no matter what their age or where they are at in life.  That is the beauty of being human.  We can change our minds about ourselves and our lives as many times as we see fit.

Any kind of discovery takes a lot of work.  Discovering your own profession, be it as a laborer, a healer, an architect, a scientist, an artist, an actor, or an educator, takes a lot of work through pursuing the skills and education needed to make that dream come true.  No less important, and perhaps even more so,  is the pursuance of understanding oneself and ones own existence.

I love what St. Augustine once said:

“People travel to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and then pass by themselves without wondering.”

We have been given a gift:  Ourselves!  This gift is worth exploring.  The possibilities of its discoveries holds no end.

Some might be tempted to call this journey of true self-discovery, narcissistic.  I can not disagree more.  It is the key to great thinkers and great human beings.  It is a journey not filled with self adulation’s but rather a deeper look into oneself; a look of honesty and true introspection. It is a journey of true humility.

On this path of discovery, it becomes clear that human beings are multifaceted and immensely complicated.  Within each of us resides a vast amount of light – the potential to create good and love in this world, and at the same time, within each of us lies unlimited amount of darkness – that which causes humans to inflict pain, hate, and destruction on each other and on this world. It takes enormous courage to want to discover oneself to its fullest.  It takes vast amount of strength and bravery to look  into the darkest corners of our hearts and minds, without trying to cover up or hide.   Through looking at the darkest parts of who we are we can make a choice to change, or not.   I have the highest regards for those who see themselves as they are.  Moving along in life they find ways to harness and change that dark part of themselves into something good; something that is supportive of who they are and want to be; something that is life giving and not destructive.

When one embraces faith as part of their journey, they will come to believe that the light, the good in them, the ability to create and built instead  of destroying, is greater in them than the darkness that wants to display itself in and through us.  Conscientiously a choice is made which way to project ourselves into the world.  The choice is always deeply personal and always our own.  Always, our own!

Bruce Lee once said that, “All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability.  The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.” This is not only true in the martial arts but also true about the human spirit, soul, and character.  Anyone, who wishes to grow and change,  no matter how young or old they are, can do so by being open minded, flexible, and most of all deeply honest with themselves.   It is the truth of ourselves to ourselves that will set us free from self imposed prisons and torments of restricted believe systems and ill managed relationships.

Knowing your own strength comes with the discovery of who you are.  Truly knowing yourself gives you the perspective you need to learn from your mistakes as well as your successes.   Being yourself allows you to grow and explore;  through understanding yourself comes a greater understanding of the potential that lies within.  I  believe this kind of life lends itself to truer happiness and much greater satisfaction.

It is never too late to become what you might have been.  ~George Eliot

Beauty is truth, truth is beauty, that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. ~John Keats (1819)

What is truth? Where is truth to be found? How do we go about finding truth? What is beauty? Who can make the assumption to label something “beautiful”? These are questions that will haunt an individual that desires to understands the meaning of “truth” to its fullest.

Truth is fact and yet the truest and purest form of truth is something that cannot be measured. It is beyond our knowing and beyond our understanding. Time and again we see that something has been discovered or invented, only to find out a short while later that it has become obsolete because even greater truths have been found and better inventions have been made.

The search for truth is a continual cycle of growth – expanding far beyond what it started out to be. One of the most dangerous things a human being can do is to become arrogantly certain of their “knowledge”… no matter what field they are in. In one blink of a moment that knowledge can prove to be false, incomplete and vastly limited. The greatness of a human being is not in what he knows but in who he becomes. The human mind is astonishing and yet most of us only use such a minute part of it, never understanding its full capacity. Feel free to watch this amazing clip, as well as this short clip.

One of the silliest things we can do, in my opinion, is to make sweeping and unequivocal statements about who God is, what one should believe and how one should worship. Some religions and denominations have damaged so many people because of their harshness, condemnations and their insistence on strict adherence to man-made rules and regulations and ideologies. In many instances, love plays little or no part in the “business of church,” and “religion”. Yet, it stands firm and true that love still remains and always will remain the most powerful force to effectively and permanently change the heart of a human being.

God is beauty and truth in absolute perfection. As a kaleidoscope, each tiny twist reveals yet new dimensions, new profundity of expressions and new shapes and colors of beauty and truth. So it is with Deity. No matter how one desires to do so, God cannot and will never be able to be explained. The closer that one comes to the light of truth, the more it is realized, it is of a certainty that He/She/It, is nothing at all like what one had previously thought. His multi-faceted and multi-dimensional being is beyond our human comprehension and it is in that realization where absolute truth and beauty are found.

Each person can find beauty in their own, very intimate and personal journey.

One might find beauty in the wings of a butterfly or the fluttering of a hummingbird. Another might find it in the strokes of a great painter or the form of an exquisite sculpture. One might find their beauty in the absolute harmony of musical notes orchestrated to perfection and the graceful dance of a ballerina, while another finds it in the dimensions of architecture or the words and lyrics of poetry and songs. Then there are those who embrace beauty in the simplicity of nature with its array of colors in landscapes, flowers, mountains, and the seas. Certain personalities will even embrace a new culture which is different from his own. He admires their simpler way of life and strives to understand it…as well as himself.

However one meets beauty matters only when it is certain that the encounter of beauty has enriched their reality of truth. Embracing that which deeply speaks to us will often pierce through this linear world of ours and touch the world of the unknown. It grabs ahold of our hearts and with certainty we can know that life is still fuller, still greater than ourselves and our, so very limited, views.

When a human being truly encounters beauty and truth, it will prove to be a mystical and deeply spiritual experience for them, far removed from what so many call “religion.”

I look within my own heart once more
Wondering, Am I all that I can be?
I look within to find the answers
To elusive questions tucked away silently.

Deeper, yet, I dare to look
Knowing the answers are there to be found.
I long to know the truth in full
Plowing through fears of rejections and doubts.

All too often, masking is easier
No one will discover the pain, you see.
Even a temporary cloak leaves us behind
Losing our truth and our identity.

Hardening our hearts will keep us from feeling
The beauty and love, the pain and the fears.
Becoming someone we are not is safer
No one can hurt us – comforting with timidity.

The truth! The truth! I long for it!
Where is it to be found?
Within my own heart, I am certain of that.
Do I dare listen? Yes, it is safe and it is sound.

Be not afraid, oh heart of mine.
Life is full of mysteries so profound.
Be not afraid to feel and to love
For deeper wells are yet, to be found.

~Viola M. Jaynes
March 2008

Truth is the secret of eloquence and of virtue, the basis of moral authority; it is the highest summit of art and of life.
~Henri Frederic Amiel

I’ve given much thought to suffering and what it means to suffer in this life. Suffering is very real to so many people and it comes in such various forms. One must never make light of someones suffering lest more pain be added by virtue of undermining their pain. To do so would add a great wound to the heart. There are many in this world who still suffer from extreme poverty. After returning from a business trip to Africa, my husband once said to me, “I’ve never seen such poverty.” It makes one grateful. Hopefully, we shall never take anything for granted, not even a piece of bread.

Many in the western world, though, who have plenty of food, nice homes, jobs, cars and all that comes with living in the west, suffer greatly in other ways. Families are broken up, drug problems on the rise, sexual promiscuity with devastating results of STD’s and shame, physical and emotional abuse, especially towards women and children, abductions and even murder at its worst extreme. However, I surmise that one of the greatest sufferings that takes place in the hearts of men, is an extreme sense of loneliness. So many people feel that they have no place to go, no place to turn. They feel trapped in their deep and secret pain of aloneness. This to me, is one of the greatest sufferings that has afflicted man kind. In short, it is a lack of genuine community, a lack of connectedness with God, ourselves and others.

To really be able to grow spiritually, one must be willing to look at their pain in the most honest way possible. There is a vast difference from suffering and from feeling like a victim.
Victimization carries with it its own reward but those rewards are very short lived. Victimization tears away at one’s very soul. It undermines who one is and it degrades one to a level of desperation and shame.

Suffering, on the other hand, makes one strong. It can be transcended into opportunities and creativity. One can stand strong and with dignity. Turning pain over to God and allowing Him to heal a situation, letting Him bring a miracle, and letting Him transform us to do the impossible. That is what a spiritual journey is all about. Letting God reveal himself.

As we practice this kind of truth for ourselves, and as we are willing to look at each and every pain with a critical and discerning eye, I ask one thing and that is to please embrace everything! The discoveries that are made of one’s heart, are never meant to shame or embarrass, thus, no judgements are necessary. The discoveries are there, only to facilitate opportunities for growth and greater understanding. Genuine honesty is a path that will lead to greater ease with oneself. It makes way for many things that seemed impossible before. It makes one’s relationship with God sweeter.

Let us embrace each other with love and compassion as we continue to grow on this journey. Above all, let us have the courage and the strength to embrace truth.

I bow in honor before all those who take up such a courageous journey!

Viola Jaynes