(no subject)
Jun. 14th, 2003 04:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sophiaserpentiaHere is the text of the pulpit essay I am reading tomorrow at church.
Perfect Love and Perfect Trust
T. Roberti, June 15, 2003
First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans
In traditional Wicca, a circle is cast which represents a finite piece of the universe set aside for interaction with the divine -- or, if you prefer, representing the individual self in relation to the cosmos, to the sense that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves. Setting space aside -- by which we mean both physical space as well as space within one's psyche -- for sacred purposes is a timeless human ritual that can be found in all cultures. So the simple act of casting a circle represents a link not just to the cosmos as a whole, but to all of human history and to the simple universal nature of human spirituality. Wicca itself may or may not be an "ancient tradition," but it springs from the same spiritual well that gave the Native Australians their shamanistic dreamtime and the Hindu and Christian and Muslim their temples, churches, and mosques.
Entering the circle means becoming mindful of this sacredness -- and so, one cannot simply waltz into the circle as one might enter a convenience store. Typically you are met at the entrance to the circle by a priest or priestess who purifies you with incense called "smudge" and one who sprinkles you with water. Again, this is a reflection of the kinds of body purifications you are likely to encounter in every spiritual practice.
Traditionally you are also challenged by a guard who asks, "How do you enter this circle?" The correct response is, "In perfect love and perfect trust." Upon giving this response, you are welcomed into the circle with a smile and a kiss and a hug.
This phrase, "in perfect love and perfect trust," is very evocative, which is why I have chosen to speak about it this morning.
No human endeavor achieves perfection, because humans are limited and imperfect. We always miss the mark in some way. And so the use of the word "perfect" indicates right away that the phrase communicates an ideal.
To my way of thinking, perfect love and perfect trust suggests an ideal way for humans to live in harmony with one another. The fact that harmony is so rare among humans is especially familiar to the spiritual refugees who find their way to paganism. Just like Unitarian Universalism, paganism becomes a home for the dissatisfied, the ostracised, the self-exiled, the sceptic, the seeker, the non-conformist, the iconoclast. Both have also become homes to people of different sexual orientations, gender identities, and even alternate relationship preferences.
Pagans agree only that they cannot agree on what we might call absolute truth. Some are atheists or agnostics; some believe the gods and goddesses are literal, whereas others take them as metaphors for elements of the human subconscious. Some practice ritual or magic, some do not. Some simply want to feel a sense of peace and harmony with the earth; others want to probe and understand the workings of the cosmos. Some are mothers and fathers; some are childless. Some are politically liberal; others are conservative. Even a small gathering of such a disparate group of people is bound to see disagreement on the particulars, and probably on the big questions too.
There are other ways to bring people together, though, than by insisting on uniformity of belief. This kind of fellowship rests not on the idea that people must think alike, but rather, on the idea that each of us brings something unique to the table, something to contribute of value. We flip over the idea of uniformity as strength and see that diversity is strength, too. If we listen openly to what the other has to say, it can often help us to grow, not only in our understanding of the world and of human society, but also in our own beliefs, even if we are not convinced to change them. Listening respectfully to the view of someone you disagree with, even growing perhaps closer to understanding why people think and do things differently from ourselves, helps us to grow spiritually. It brings us closer together on a level that transcends thought.
There is a Mayan greeting that translates to, "I am another you." Put simply, the message here is that though we may look through different eyes, remember different experiences, choose different paths, these differences are superficial. We are simple reflections of the same universal human self, with small differences that result from slight emphasis or de-emphasis.
Sufi mystics describe this unity of spirit using the Aramaic word ruha, which is related to a Hebrew word familiar to some of you, ruach. Ruha, or ruach, means air or breath. Air is breathed in and breathed out by all living things and so can be thought of as a kind of glue that binds us all together. It is a single breath, a single ruha, a single spirit, that animates all of us.
Unitarian Universalists recognize this fundamental unity of human spirit as "the inherent dignity and worth of every human being." This, like the idea of perfect love and perfect trust, indicates an ideal. Ideals serve to remind us that there is always work to be done; there is always improvement to be made; there is always some greater state of harmony that can be achieved.
So it is with perfect love and perfect trust. This phrase reminds us that there is always a greater state of harmony that can be achieved, a greater state of cooperation, a greater state of peaceful integration. For some of us this serves as a call to work for social betterment, for social justice. For others it is a call to lead in the community and contribute what we can as facilitators. For others it serves as a call to simple mindfulness, for attention to the everyday moments where we are called upon to stand up for principles of compassion and justice.
For the most part I have spoken here of love, but have said little that pertains obviously to trust. Trust is just as important in this equation as love, because trust provides the potential for the workings of love to work. Trust, like hope, is like leaping off the abyss -- it is a conscious action we take with the full knowledge that it might be met with disappointment. Trust means the acceptance of offered love. Placing trust completes the circuit of love and binds two people together. Without willingness to trust, there is no openness to the full potential of the workings of spirit. Love is stunted, limited, hindered from truly flourishing.
I have come to think of the divine presence as infinite potential for becoming and unfolding. In the Tao Te Ching we are told that the Tao is that which never acts, yet leaves nothing undone. What this tells me is that Tao is the potential for things to happen, by which all things happen.
Consider for a moment the downhill flow of water. Water flows downhill always until it reaches a state of rest. The downhill pull of gravity provides the potential for water to continue running instead of sitting stagnant. I like to think of the divine as a bottomless downhill well and the cosmos as water continually running into the potential provided by the divine.
So the Tao, or divine infinite potential, never acts, but it provides the means whereby all things occur.
I took this little aside because I wanted to use this as an example to illustrate what I mean when I say that trust creates the potential that allows the circuit of love to complete. It creates within the trusting human heart a well into which love can run. Without trust there is nowhere for love to go.
When you bring two people together, who have love to give, and trust to offer, what we find is that there is no limit to the amount of love that can flow back and forth between them when they are able to trust. Each of us, by entering the circle in perfect love and perfect trust, open ourselves to a potentially endless flow of give and take.
I suspect that many of you are thinking that this all sounds very good, but that trust has to be earned, and both love and trust bring with them a price, sometimes a heavy one. That is certainly true -- and it is the reason why unconditional love, and unconditional trust, -- perfect love and perfect trust -- are such precious gifts. They should never, of course, be given freely or lightly.
But certainly, when a group of people come together and offer these gifts, what you have created is a sacred circle. This is true whether you are a Unitarian Universalist, a Pagan, a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Buddhist, an agnostic, or an atheist. Or are part of a group that, like this congregation, contains people who are all of the above.
Fellowship on this level allows the Spirit to work within us as a whole, in harmony and rhythm together like the members of an orchestra. Fellowship on this level transcends simply uniting around a shared belief or a shared political view -- even in the presence of considerable diversity, perfect love and perfect trust bring us to a deeper unity that represents perhaps the best hope for the human race to overcome the limitations and obstacles it faces, both the external dangers as well as the self-imposed threats.
Perfect Love and Perfect Trust
T. Roberti, June 15, 2003
First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans
In traditional Wicca, a circle is cast which represents a finite piece of the universe set aside for interaction with the divine -- or, if you prefer, representing the individual self in relation to the cosmos, to the sense that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves. Setting space aside -- by which we mean both physical space as well as space within one's psyche -- for sacred purposes is a timeless human ritual that can be found in all cultures. So the simple act of casting a circle represents a link not just to the cosmos as a whole, but to all of human history and to the simple universal nature of human spirituality. Wicca itself may or may not be an "ancient tradition," but it springs from the same spiritual well that gave the Native Australians their shamanistic dreamtime and the Hindu and Christian and Muslim their temples, churches, and mosques.
Entering the circle means becoming mindful of this sacredness -- and so, one cannot simply waltz into the circle as one might enter a convenience store. Typically you are met at the entrance to the circle by a priest or priestess who purifies you with incense called "smudge" and one who sprinkles you with water. Again, this is a reflection of the kinds of body purifications you are likely to encounter in every spiritual practice.
Traditionally you are also challenged by a guard who asks, "How do you enter this circle?" The correct response is, "In perfect love and perfect trust." Upon giving this response, you are welcomed into the circle with a smile and a kiss and a hug.
This phrase, "in perfect love and perfect trust," is very evocative, which is why I have chosen to speak about it this morning.
No human endeavor achieves perfection, because humans are limited and imperfect. We always miss the mark in some way. And so the use of the word "perfect" indicates right away that the phrase communicates an ideal.
To my way of thinking, perfect love and perfect trust suggests an ideal way for humans to live in harmony with one another. The fact that harmony is so rare among humans is especially familiar to the spiritual refugees who find their way to paganism. Just like Unitarian Universalism, paganism becomes a home for the dissatisfied, the ostracised, the self-exiled, the sceptic, the seeker, the non-conformist, the iconoclast. Both have also become homes to people of different sexual orientations, gender identities, and even alternate relationship preferences.
Pagans agree only that they cannot agree on what we might call absolute truth. Some are atheists or agnostics; some believe the gods and goddesses are literal, whereas others take them as metaphors for elements of the human subconscious. Some practice ritual or magic, some do not. Some simply want to feel a sense of peace and harmony with the earth; others want to probe and understand the workings of the cosmos. Some are mothers and fathers; some are childless. Some are politically liberal; others are conservative. Even a small gathering of such a disparate group of people is bound to see disagreement on the particulars, and probably on the big questions too.
There are other ways to bring people together, though, than by insisting on uniformity of belief. This kind of fellowship rests not on the idea that people must think alike, but rather, on the idea that each of us brings something unique to the table, something to contribute of value. We flip over the idea of uniformity as strength and see that diversity is strength, too. If we listen openly to what the other has to say, it can often help us to grow, not only in our understanding of the world and of human society, but also in our own beliefs, even if we are not convinced to change them. Listening respectfully to the view of someone you disagree with, even growing perhaps closer to understanding why people think and do things differently from ourselves, helps us to grow spiritually. It brings us closer together on a level that transcends thought.
There is a Mayan greeting that translates to, "I am another you." Put simply, the message here is that though we may look through different eyes, remember different experiences, choose different paths, these differences are superficial. We are simple reflections of the same universal human self, with small differences that result from slight emphasis or de-emphasis.
Sufi mystics describe this unity of spirit using the Aramaic word ruha, which is related to a Hebrew word familiar to some of you, ruach. Ruha, or ruach, means air or breath. Air is breathed in and breathed out by all living things and so can be thought of as a kind of glue that binds us all together. It is a single breath, a single ruha, a single spirit, that animates all of us.
Unitarian Universalists recognize this fundamental unity of human spirit as "the inherent dignity and worth of every human being." This, like the idea of perfect love and perfect trust, indicates an ideal. Ideals serve to remind us that there is always work to be done; there is always improvement to be made; there is always some greater state of harmony that can be achieved.
So it is with perfect love and perfect trust. This phrase reminds us that there is always a greater state of harmony that can be achieved, a greater state of cooperation, a greater state of peaceful integration. For some of us this serves as a call to work for social betterment, for social justice. For others it is a call to lead in the community and contribute what we can as facilitators. For others it serves as a call to simple mindfulness, for attention to the everyday moments where we are called upon to stand up for principles of compassion and justice.
For the most part I have spoken here of love, but have said little that pertains obviously to trust. Trust is just as important in this equation as love, because trust provides the potential for the workings of love to work. Trust, like hope, is like leaping off the abyss -- it is a conscious action we take with the full knowledge that it might be met with disappointment. Trust means the acceptance of offered love. Placing trust completes the circuit of love and binds two people together. Without willingness to trust, there is no openness to the full potential of the workings of spirit. Love is stunted, limited, hindered from truly flourishing.
I have come to think of the divine presence as infinite potential for becoming and unfolding. In the Tao Te Ching we are told that the Tao is that which never acts, yet leaves nothing undone. What this tells me is that Tao is the potential for things to happen, by which all things happen.
Consider for a moment the downhill flow of water. Water flows downhill always until it reaches a state of rest. The downhill pull of gravity provides the potential for water to continue running instead of sitting stagnant. I like to think of the divine as a bottomless downhill well and the cosmos as water continually running into the potential provided by the divine.
So the Tao, or divine infinite potential, never acts, but it provides the means whereby all things occur.
I took this little aside because I wanted to use this as an example to illustrate what I mean when I say that trust creates the potential that allows the circuit of love to complete. It creates within the trusting human heart a well into which love can run. Without trust there is nowhere for love to go.
When you bring two people together, who have love to give, and trust to offer, what we find is that there is no limit to the amount of love that can flow back and forth between them when they are able to trust. Each of us, by entering the circle in perfect love and perfect trust, open ourselves to a potentially endless flow of give and take.
I suspect that many of you are thinking that this all sounds very good, but that trust has to be earned, and both love and trust bring with them a price, sometimes a heavy one. That is certainly true -- and it is the reason why unconditional love, and unconditional trust, -- perfect love and perfect trust -- are such precious gifts. They should never, of course, be given freely or lightly.
But certainly, when a group of people come together and offer these gifts, what you have created is a sacred circle. This is true whether you are a Unitarian Universalist, a Pagan, a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Buddhist, an agnostic, or an atheist. Or are part of a group that, like this congregation, contains people who are all of the above.
Fellowship on this level allows the Spirit to work within us as a whole, in harmony and rhythm together like the members of an orchestra. Fellowship on this level transcends simply uniting around a shared belief or a shared political view -- even in the presence of considerable diversity, perfect love and perfect trust bring us to a deeper unity that represents perhaps the best hope for the human race to overcome the limitations and obstacles it faces, both the external dangers as well as the self-imposed threats.
