January 2022 - Compassion Group Notes
Pilgrimage 2014
December 26th, 2021 - Happy New Year
"We may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low."
Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s physical body died on Sunday, 26th December 2021. A beacon of light and hope in the world died, to become a beacon of light and hope in the universe. He joined the infinite, interconnected network of saints that shine and inspire at levels we cannot comprehend on earth. This gives me comfort.
Archbishop Tutu loved humanity - no matter the color, creed, race or sexual orientation. He had a vision for a rainbow nation in which all peoples could live with differences in peace, harmony, love and truth. As long as I have known him, and of him, his vision and work has been informed by a deep inner connection of soul to spirit. His soul is truly a servant and conduit of Spirit. He has tirelessly, with boundless energy, with immense devotion, dedication, submission and joy served God. Above all Desmond Tutu loved God, with all his heart, all his mind and all his strength. It is this connection that allowed him to find within himself connection to every aspect of his humanity with courage, humility, love, reverence, and wisdom.
He did not shy away from facing the inner demons of rage, shame and fear that are the inevitable experience of being born to a vicious human regime of hatred. He learned to understand and befriend these aspects of self and help them submit to a greater vision for himself, his country and all the people of his country. Understanding with compassion, the inner experience of being a victim and not turning to revenge, enabled him to extend this inner relationship to encouragement for all people experiencing both oppression and being the oppressor. He understood that oppression is essentially an inner dynamic of relationship within each human soul and that the way to freedom is through reconciliation internally with the parts of self that want to act out fear and rage. He called himself to account with gentleness and kindness as he did anyone else. His plea to Winnie Mandela to repent came from an inner heart broken open with love - recognizing her greatness even in her fallen humanity. This can only happen if we have done it internally for ourselves. He brought a fierceness and demand for being in right relationship with oneself, others and God. He did not hesitate to move into a violent fray and stop violence. He faced into his fear, and massive threat to his life, by dancing, and brought the masses to a new inner state of passion for justice through dance instead of violence. He knew the experience of pride within and the difficulty of taking responsibility, apologizing and being present to ones shame with forgiveness, mercy and humility - and so he knew it in others too. Because he knew the way through this, he encouraged and guided others through this treacherous and difficult psychic terrain. He brought to every situation an unbounded humor and joy - he had perspective, because he got things in proportion within himself. His human self became smaller and smaller as his Godly self got bigger and bigger and with it came nothing but joy. Inner reconciliation, became outer reconciliation in every way, with every person. Forgiveness and reconciliation were his mission and his life. He saw God in the face of everyone and his presence demanded that everyone live into their godliness.
May you all make your New’s Years resolution as big as the vision this man had for you all. May your year be filled with inner awareness of every aspect of yourself and may you meet what every you find within with complete truth, dignity, reverence, fierce limit, compassion, humor and love for yourself, so that you too can become a peace maker in the world and be part of creating a rainbow world.
“Forgiving and being reconciled to our enemies or our loved ones are not about pretending that things are other than they are. It is not about patting one another on the back and turning a blind eye to the wrong. True reconciliation exposes the awfulness, the abuse, the hurt, the truth. It could even sometimes make things worse. It is a risky undertaking but in the end it is worthwhile, because in the end only an honest confrontation with reality can bring real healing. Superficial reconciliation can bring only superficial healing.” ~Desmond Tutu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui7E8i7IopY
Paradox of Shame
“As a child you were shamed for having feelings and needs and learned pride in your defenses that concealed from your awareness, your feelings and needs. Shame was used to divide the inner being.
As an adult, it is now correct to feel shame for using defenses, instead of knowing and reconnecting to your feelings and needs. Shame of defense is an indication of the division and a call to unity.” ~L.J.
Do you understand the principles outlined above? if not seek to find the question within you that needs answering.
