Mystic Musings: Lent 3/05

“What a cruel act to be untruthful. Earthquakes happen in the heart that hears sounds that are amiss.

There are fields in the soul—lush organic meadows, though sounds and words that fall there can be, at times, a poison.

A plague is spread by one who cannot tell the truth.”

Meister Eckhart, a 13th-14th century Catholic mystic

Photo by Anastasia R. @mslightann

I am writing this just two days into the attack on Iran by U.S. and Israeli forces. I do believe that war is a very unfortunate reality of human existence. Sometimes it is simply unavoidable. At those times I often grieve, but also feel strangely at peace. I don’t feel that now. I was reminded of the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first of the Star Wars trilogy as he was trying to recruit Luke Skywalker to join The Resistance. With a pained look on his face he said, “I feel a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices had suddenly cried out and were silenced.”

We are all connected. Chief Seattle was known to have said, “What we do to one we do to all.” Love has a way of spreading like wildfire. So do lies and untruths. We can use words that heal and we can use words that kill. Either way they have a way of getting passed from person to person, generation to generation and nation to nation.

Sit quietly. Breathe deeply and let the events of the recent days pass through your body. Allow yourself to feel what you feel. Ponder these questions:

• What is showing up in your body? Grief, anger, rage, anxiety, worry, sadness, determination, empathy, compassion, recognition?

• What does this mean for how you negotiate the day ahead of you?

• What will be less important to you in this time? What will be more important to you?

• What values are you committed to spreading to others?

• How might this change or reinforce how you act in your sphere of influence?