Posted by giveawayboy on October 07, 2001 at 08:42:40:
i just realized that there are ways we can impact each other by how we think. i know john mcgee helps me with this alot. he shows me different ways, instrumentalities, that i can employ to get outside my own box and into more constructive ways of thinking. one dynamic that i can share with you is what i have shared in previous posts and in my recent post. there are many different forms of prayer and meditation. one way you can meditate is this. take any object or person and think about it long enough until you can see it clearly in your mind. a salt shaker for instance. then think about what that salt shaker is telling you. what is it suggesting to you, etc. think about salt and the meaning of salt. think about alternate uses for salt shakers, think about that salt shaker in different contexts. for instance, salt is a healing agent, apply this locally, universally, etc. i'm trying to act a little nerdy and brainy in this post, but i'm also being totally serious. if you want a huge spiritual life, you really should invest in the ordinary where God is hidden so perfectly. Father Philip used to say that every square inch of earth is crammed full of heaven, but it takes silence and time to discover it since we need to hear god's still small voice and see his subtle craftsmanship. you need to do this. i'm not saying you need to meditate on salt specifically, but you need to quiet your life down long enough to chose a dynamic that will get you started in prayer and spiritual thinking. this is all about renewing your mind too. Jesus teaches us to pray wout ceasing. The New Testament speaks of many different types of prayer. i apply this to what i am sharing about meditating. i am picturing a huge salt shaker in the sky. inside is god's grace. his healing. the world is literally covered. did you know that pretzels, which are covered with salt, are actually made to recall arms arms folded in prayer? they are. from now on everytime you eat a pretzel you can recall the healing power of god in the salt, and you can recall that every time you see a pretzel it is a call to prayer. this is the same with conch shells. in hinduism the conch shell represents a call to prayer. as a child did you ever pick up a shell and listen to the ocean? well, shells are telling us something. they are saying that god's voice is like an ocean constantly crashing into our shore, but we need to acknowledge it. the ocean is always there but we are not always aware. we need to answer the call to prayer. everything talks. everything shows forth god's glory, we need to answer that call. we need for all the salt shakers in the world to stand up inside of us and point. we need to see god in everything, even that salt shaker. i mean it, next time you go to a restaurant or your kitchen, and you see a salt shaker remember this. this is just a dynamic. but you can do it with people too. stop and think of someone who has been a blessing in your life. then start to meditate on them, rehearsing the ways that person has touched you. if you do this with god's help you will be so appreciative and grateful. i mean it. it can transform you. and if you take that time, invest that time, you will see it impact all your relationships with other people. it's not an end in itself, just a tool, a springboard into prayer and meditation. here's the clincher. everythingn lives, moves and has its being inside of god. we don't need to pysch ourself into some spiritual state, or read a million scriptures or pray for six hours to get there. we are there. but what we need is to train our spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear him in everything around us. when the phone rings, it is not just a phone call from a friend, it is god calling us. when we encounter a friend we love, it is christ who we rush to embrace. when we see and smell the homeless man with the bedraggled beard, god is courting us. will we answer his call? everytime you see that salt shaker it is god saying i want to heal you, body, soul and spirit. i want you entirely whole. complete. but salt is also a seasoning. this means that it helps add flavor to our food. we also can become salt. with god's help we can bring a new flavour into ordinary situations in our life. so now we are not only agents of healing but people who bring up the taste level as well. what about the connection between ghandi and salt. ghandi led many indian people to make their own salt, which was forbidden by the government. so he walked with them to a beach far away from that region and they made their own salt there at the ocean. it was a symbol of freedom for them. so, everytime you see the salt shaker remember ghandi's message of freedom. these are just thoughts about a dynamic. the dynamic is restated as us taking time to ponder any object or person in relation to god and everything else. if you practice this on a moment by moment basis it can actually transform your life. and you can do this with anything from washing machines, to tobasco sauce (nods to hornbeck)....and from ferrets to your best friend. remember everything in creation is telling you a story.
god bless, in christ, bill