The following, lightly adapted for context from The Gospel of Joy, is during my transitionary period post-Christian beliefs (Dec 2012) to nature mysticism/Eastern explorations which led me to Interfaith-Interspiritual seminary (ordained 2018). These writings are similar to descriptions in Brother Wayne Teasdale’s, “The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World’s Religions,” revealing the fruits of unitive consciousness.
Summer 2016
There is no single path,
(The Gospel of Joy, from perched on a rock along the Alps mountainsides, near the Saint Bernard Hospice gazing at the Italian-Switzerland border crossing, Sept. 2016, age 39)
for we have all arrived here from different directions in time and space.
My inner fire burns with burden to know where I am to be led,
or where I am to lead.
There was more for me to do to be of service in the world, but to whose or what glory? The light that flowed within me was neither of Western nor Eastern origin, for it was all as one…
Setting aside this inner exploration, I returned to the nature surrounding me, in awe of how this dream come true came together…
After a corporate work meeting that I attended in Rome, I extended my stay in Europe, and traveled by train through Milan and up to Geneva, then across Switzerland to the great mountain pass of heroic rescues by St. Bernard dogs and monks who cared for the terrorized and distressed travelers in service to all; and then onward to Spain, and after quick jaunts in Madrid and the Cinderella-esque castle and Holy cathedral of Segovia, took a bus on pilgrimage to the Cathedral and Convent of St. Teresa in Avila.
I climbed the staircases of the medieval era town walls and looked across the rooftops of Avila and out to the outer lands in awe.
No wonder Saint Teresa’s mystical inspirations included depictions of castles and mansions and rooms, for she was from a town with walls and squares that seemed quite befitting for her writings.
It was her inner truth, just like every other mystic before or after in time.
The expression of how the light came bursting forth from her soul in the delight and joy in the presence of a power and energy of goodness, peace, and love. In unique and beautiful ways, her description and artistry showed through the lens of her faith and understanding, and in the ways of truth of how an experience is felt, none were the only one.
The truth itself is big enough to include our diversity of views. They are all based on authentic inner experience, and so are all valid.
Brother Wayne Teasdale, in The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World’s Religions
I saw truth as merely an illusion of the mind that was set into the framework and agreements of belief.
What made it true or what made it false? It was all in accordance with the belief held by the mind, which was deeper than thought, beyond the symbol that merely pointed to the object that was true.
For example, a tree. Was a tree always a tree? Yes, in its nature, but it was not always a “tree” in the spoken and written word. A tree was also a boom, pu, arbre, fa, crann, albero, medis, copac, árbol, strom, 木, ต้นไม้, पेड़, and δέντρο, among many other names.
Which then, was true?
This was also evident in an example of the color of the sky. Was the sky always blue? Not when it was grey and cloudy or brown with smog; further, for someone who was color deficient, the sky may not be any of these colors at all.
The way we described what an object looked like was based on how we observed it with our senses and with our eyes, combined with the knowledge we have from our experiences in life, each just as different as the names that were spoken and written in the many languages of the world.
No wonder our truths were all over the place!
I considered how clinging onto these beliefs created struggles that prevented us from moving on from experiences of suffering, even when they were no longer serving our greatest personal and collective good.
Humanity became static in the truth and manner of how we ascribed meaning to our story in history. We kept building from the past into the future without going back to resolve the wounds and divisions that cried out for healing.
I noted when I entered the mist and considered that which was in opposition to my truth or my belief, it did not mean I or the truth needed to change. What it did was allow me to bring back into wholeness, understanding received through the wisdom of having considered all sides. Including the entire truth contained in both polar opposites as one.
This sage-worthy understanding in the heart served to create common ground and a platform for harmony and peace in every instance when I encountered opposing ideas in life.
I wrote in my journal: the person who holds all together as one in nonjudgment was love and wisdom incarnate.
Many religious and wisdom traditions named and described this inner Divine light differently, but all truths were similar for they were expressions of the same light shining out of the darkness. The golden thread of brilliance connected them as One beyond all names.
I questioned, what was stopping us from ascribing attributes instead of names, such as peace, love, joy, and harmony, and call those Good? If it bore the fruit of anger, jealousy, envy, hatred, fear, or suffering, then it was the absence of Good, no matter what the name or spiritual practices looked like.
Asking whether it harmed or it healed was more important to me than any title or name that came with a teacher or spiritual tradition. For it was through the open-hearted exploration I discovered in understanding: there existed no one truth, just as much as one truth existed in All…
Interspirituality recognizes that many paths lead to the summut, and each one of them is valid. Yet each has its own unique perspective on the nature of the summit. Interspirituality is open to growth in perspective; it implies a commitment to always push forward toward a more adequate understanding of the source, the meaning of life, and the best methods of proceeding in our spiritual lives.
Brother Wayne Teasdale, in The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World’s Religions
For more about The Gospel of Joy, click here, for more about Shannon, click here, to connect, click here, to return to the home page, click here.
