Songs and Stories of the Unknown on KKRN Radio

On Friday October 20, I had the opportunity to participate in taping a radio show “Songs and Stories of the Great Unknown at KKRN Community Radio 88.5 FM in Round Mountain. The Show was hosted by Craig Boyer as a part of a regular series he does called “Dig This: Music With a Message.”

The one-hour  show was broadcast at 9 a.m. on Saturday October 21. The entire broadcast can be heard on KKRN.

With Halloween approaching, Craig selected several songs and readings that deal with aspects of the Great Unknown. He invited singer-songwriter Sarah Hoxie, poet Larry Harris, and storyteller Jim Dowling from Redding and myself to join him as guests on the broadcast. Interspersed amongst the music, poetry and readings we discussed what we had listened to. This blog contains a few videos of our discussions and links to videos of some of the music we listened to.

After opening the program with the theme from the Twilight Zone played by the Cosmic Orchestra.

Then Craig played the Monster Mash by the Crypt Masters followed by his reading of a story “Christenstein” by an anonymous author. The story is a parody of the Frankenstein story recounting the attempts of a mad scientist to create a perfect spiritual being. He neglects to include love and so his creature turns out to be a monster.

The story was followed by the song, “God in a Drawer” by Berkley Hart.

After these selections, we shared our thoughts.

The next musical selection was Welcome to My Nightmare by Alice Cooper. Craig then shared a nightmare he had had recently after which we continued our discussion.

The next selection was Ghost Riders in the Sky by Sons of the Pioneers followed by discussion and a poem by Larry Harris.

Then Sara Hoxie sang an original song she wrote about bigfoot.

Craig read the “Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe and we concluded the program listening to “Let the Mystery Be” by Iris Dement.

 

Salvation Through Love

In 1986 (or maybe 1985) when I was studying Church History at the Unification Theological Seminary, I had a course in Modern Church History. One of the things we studied was the Reformation.

The Book

The seminary was a wonderful experience. Barrytown, New York was a beautiful site along the Hudson river. In a prayerful environment I was able to study and discuss sacred texts and the writings of thinkers and scholars of many religions. Sometimes, thanks to the grace of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, I experience illumination as I read certain works.

Such was my experience when I read some of the works of the “young” Martin Luther, especially his work “On Christian Liberty,” which he addressed to Pope Leo X in 1520.

Much study is wearisome to the flesh. So one day during this time, as I was waiting for a shuttle to take me into nearby Red Hook, I decided to rest my eyes for a few moments. I slipped into that state between waking and sleeping.

As I was sitting there, with my eyes closed, still conscious but not fully aware of my external surroundings, I sensed a man standing just behind my right shoulder. The visual aspect was very vague.  I could see him but not clearly.

There was a mutual acknowledgement that this was Martin Luther. It wasn’t a question for me as to whether this was really Martin Luther or not. It was an interesting non-ordinary phenomena.

“Ah, Martin Luther,” I thought.

Then the mental apparition spoke.

“When I was on earth, I taught salvation by faith, but if I were alive today, I would teach salvation by love.”

Was this really Martin Luther? I don’t know, but the message makes sense.

Jesus taught people to “love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind” and to “love others as yourself.” He said that all the law and all the commandments are summed up in these two.

Jesus also taught “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”

At a church pot luck on Sunday, I asked the woman across from me “What does it mean to be pure in heart”

She answered that she felt that it meant to be loving

That reminded of a time I was sitting in a hot springs by the Pit River at Big Bend on a beautiful day gazing at the river streaming by.

“Let love flow through you so that you’re heart may be pure,” the river said.

Let love flow  through you
so that your heart may be pure
so that you may see God and experience the oneness
so that you may love others as yourself

Then you will know the Truth
and the Truth will set you free.

Salvation through Love.

Liberation from the evil one

In the Lord’s prayer as I was taught to say it one line goes, “Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil.” I shared some brief ruminations previously on Lead me not into temptation…

The New Living Translation of the Bible says, “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”

This translation is a bit more satisfying to me because it is asking for divine help not to give into temptation. In my mind I may like to rephrase my prayer, “Help me to resist temptation, and deliver me from the evil one.”

James says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” That’s pretty optimistic. I find that these devils can be pretty persistent.

What am I talking about? Who are these devils, and demons, and evil spirits? Who is the evil one? Why are we under the power of the evil one?

I am no expert on this. I see through a glass darkly. My experience of spiritual reality is very limited.

The Divine Principle taught by Sun Myung Moon gives an explanation of the fall of man and also of the spirit world and how spirits influence us. Other Christian denominations have varying explanations of the Fall. Other religions as well have a variety of stories and explanations. Islam talks of Iblis and evil jinn. Buddhism of maya and attachment to desire. The world of religion and shamanism is full of demons.

In modern psychology and humanism, these demons are seen as figurative manifestations of addictive tendencies, archetypes, or biochemical, emotional, mental or psychic imbalances and complexes.

Whatever the explanations, in the existential reality of life we all face challenges. We all experience temptation to indulge in destructive behavior. We all have our personal demons. To different degrees we have periods when we lose control and do things that we regret.

I encourage everyone to seek the truth. To try to understand the nature of reality, physical, psychic, and spiritual. The Buddha says that right understanding precedes right thinking and right action as well as all the other of the eight paths. So seek understanding. It is a lifetime journey. If you think you know the answer, you don’t. When you find the Way, it will be an experience, not a concept.

In Catholic tradition there is a list of seven deadly sins: Pride, envy, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, and sloth. Each vice has a coTresponding virtue: humility, magnanimity, generosity, chastity, restraint, moderation, and optimistic diligence.

In Genesis 4, it says that when Cain’s offering was not accepted by God, Cain became upset. God said to him, “Why are you upset? Do you not know that if you do well, all will be well with you? But beware, for sin is crouching at your shoulder. It’s desire is to master you. But you must master it and subdue it.”

Each one of us is responsible in our individual journey. All religions tell us that if we call upon the supreme God he will guide us and free us from the particular evils that plague us. But also, with God’s help, we need to apply our mind to recognize the triggers of temptation in our own life and apply our will to resist them when we  recognize them.

Bob Marley wrote, “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can set us free.”

I would add, with God’s help.

Our Father who art in heaven, help to resist temptation. Help us to liberate ourselves from the evil one so that thy will can be done and thy kingdom can come. Amen

 

 

 

Heaven

Last week I started writing about “Our Father who Art in Heaven.” I only got as far as “Our Father…” Now I’m going to try to explore the rest “…who art in Heaven.”

In the last piece I looked at translations implying that Jesus was addressing The Lord’s Prayer to a loving parental being who was the source of all that is and breathes life into all being. The completion of this phrase indicates that this being is in Heaven.

So what is heaven and where is heaven? For the past few weeks I have asked a number of people where they think Heaven is. I haven’t gotten a lot of answers.

One friend of mine told me that he believes Heaven is an actual physical planet somewhere in the universe. Other than that, no one I asked had a definite answer.

So I decided to look it up in Wikipedia. The article is quite interesting and talks not only about the Jewish and Christian views, but other religions and even has the opinions of neuroscientists about more recent near-death experience.

The impression that I come away with is that Heaven is experienced as a place but not necessarily a physical place. As Saint Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago– whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows– such a man was caught up to the third heaven.

And I know how such a man– whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows–

was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.

So Paul attested as a fact that there is a heaven and it has at least 3 levels. It appears that this idea of multiple heavens is held in common amongst various religions. Often those who say they have had some like experience have done so “out of body.”

This challenges the present day materialistic view of reality. If these experiences are true, it suggests that there are dimensions of experience usually referred to as “spiritual.” There are beings, including ancestors and  angels, who inhabit these realms. The higher realms are referred to as paradise or heaven and the highest heaven is the realm of the Most High God.

So when we open The Lord’s Prayer we are addressing our prayer to the central being or source of being who dwells in the highest realm of love, truth, and unity that is the creative center of all realities. We are beginning our prayer with the expectation that we can enter into personal communication with God.

I find that very reassuring.

I encourage people to take time and reflect on the words, “Our Father who art in Heaven.” I also encourage people to talk with others and research the meaning of these words.

Sometimes when I start The Lord’s Prayer, I don’t get beyond the first line, thinking about God and thinking about heaven.

Amen

Where is the spirit world?

I’m going to assume for the present that there is a spirit world. I am not going to pretend that I understand it. I’ll just say that I don’t think that all life and intelligence is lodged in the physical

Mind Bending Experience

world. After all, in the world of the senses there is only light, sound, heat, cold, texture, motion,

taste, smell. That is what is perceptible to me as the physical world.

Also, as I am told there are all kinds of rays, particles and vibrations that I don’t really see. So what I called the physical world in the preceding  paragraph doesn’t really exist except as a hologram in my mind.

Nor do I see thoughts or feelings. The things that I perceive may all be manifestations of thoughts and

A thought

feelings but I do not perceive the thoughts and feelings themselves as a part of physical reality.

Then there are the realms of dreams and imagination. There is also the question of whether or not our personalities survive our death. Furthermore, there is a possibility that other beings such as jinn, angels, gods, demons, etc. also exist but that I do not perceive them with my physical senses.

Personally, I believe that such entities do exist. I haven’t met them, but I believe the testimony of many people who say that they have.

I like to take walks to the graveyard.

Sometimes I pray, addressing my prayer to the Most High God or Heavenly Father or Yahweh or Allah or Jesus or Brahma or Buddha or Shang Di or the Tao or the Great Spirit or Grandfather Spirit Are all of these the same or are they different beings? I don’t know. Whatever the answer is I like to think that there is One who is the source of all beings and all worlds.

In any case, I think the unseen reality is vast. I believe that it has many times of being. Perhaps the

Ancestors

closest to us the spirits of our ancestors and those who have lived in the geographical  area we have lived in or those who have had similar life paths and who have been working with us in some way.

I walked to the cemetery today. It is a white man’s cemetery dating from the late 1800’s to the present. I primarily go to talk with my mother, my grandfather, and my grandmother, but I also talk to others and to God. I express myself and I seek their guidance, help, and blessing.

So are they there? And if they are there, where is there?

Jung used to talk about the spirits of the land. Not just our ancestors, but the ancestors of the people who have lived here for thousands of years. In the case of my little town it is the Achomawi people. To be more exact, several bands of the Achomawi.

You Are Not Alone

Today at the cemetery I wondered what the spirit world around here is like if it is around here. If physical location is connected somehow to a spiritual realm, it seems that there would be many more Native American spirits than European American.  Are there separate realms for people of different cultures, religions, and languages. I would like to be on good terms with all of them and to help facilitate harmony between them.

What is the connection between the various realms and what is the connection between the spiritual world and the world I live in? These are some of the questions I ask

If anyone knows, please share your knowledge.