Wisdom's Cry

Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.– Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and EvilLetting go of our outrage against injustice is hard. Not gazing into the abyss doesn’t mean turning a blind eye to harm, it means not fixating on it. It means letting go of the performative anger and actually working for the better.Notice, I didn’t say the good or the best, but toward the better. Once we believe we know best or we are working for good, the focus becomes defeating evil or those who are wrong. What could be wrong with that?Change requires us to let goEveryone involved has to let go. If we are ever going to make progress against fascism, racism, sexism, homophobia, or transphobia, we have to let go of those qualities within ourselves and our society. If our focus is on those monsters who promote those qualities and not dismantling those systems, they win.It is so easy to be distracted by the words and actions of people working against justic

Pride is a protest, a riot, a celebration, a rite of mourning. Pride is not hubris, it is the truest act of humility.So many misunderstand the meaning and purpose of humility:Occupy a rightful space, neither too much nor too little. Focus neither on your own virtues nor the faults of others.Alan Morinis, Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar, p. 45LGBT Pride is humble. It inspires people to take up their rightful space, not too much or too little. In a culture that tells us we are worthless and lesser, it is a shout to inspire people to know their value. We have a right to exist, to be happy, to live our lives with no one telling us we are wrong.I grew up hating myself. The church taught me my existence was a sin and hated by their false God. They embraced the demonic urge to hate and attack people who reject the forced conformity and lust for control and power.Our duty to Christ and God is love. Love for God, for Christ, and for one another.This is my commandment, that you love one another,

At the dawn of creation, the big bang flared forth, carrying all the energy this universe would ever have. It flowed through the cosmos, transforming and cooling and giving rise to all the materials around us.We are all rooted in this flow. These are the Divine Energies that flow from God into the cosmos to gather, break down, create, and transform everything that is, was, and ever shall be. This flow forms the basic web of interconnectedness between God and nature. We are a part of nature and we are always connected to the Divine.Building a connection to this great underground flow of creative energy, even if only in our imagination, nourishes our spirit. This greening helps us to grow and transform the elements of our life into creativity.We are a process, an intricate web of interconnections. That doesn’t mean we are not whole in ourselves. It means that everything we are and ever shall be exists in relation to others. We are woven into the plants and animals we consume and the microscopic ones that live o

Christ has died.Christ is risen.Christ will come again.All my life, I have received mockery for my belief in Jesus. I understand why some conservative Christians have a chip on their shoulders over their belief in Christ. It is important to always remind my siblings, sisters, and brothers across the aisle that we should respond to this treatment with the grace, compassion, and humility of Jesus.What we have to remember is the frame Meister Eckhart gave us to understand our relationship with the life of Christ:What good is it to me that Mary gave birth to the son of God fourteen hundred years ago, and I do not also give birth to the Son of God in my time and in my culture? We are all meant to be mothers of God. God is always needing to be born.So let’s ask the question we need to answer every year:What is the Ascension happening today?It is easy to see the face of the crucified Christ in the refugees and those killed by the police and mass shooters. We strive for resurrection in our work for justice, healing,

I woke up this morning to the sound of screaming and it took a while for me to realize it was a nightmare. At least I think it was a nightmare, but the more I contemplate it the more I wonder if it wasn’t more a psychic scream I was just sensitive enough to hear.There is so much suffering in the world right now, and the more we cling to the lies of late stage capitalism, the more there will be. I live in what so many lovingly call the heartland… I’ve never been comfortable with that kind of language. It is a bit too self aggrandizing for my taste. It is also a misnomer.Jobs are going away because of the mismanagement and greed of the megacorps that run them. Government aid is restricted to make people desperate enough to take whatever job they can find. Climate change has brought more storms and flooding to the region. Women’s rights are under attack. Trans people are being outlawed. Suffering is a growth industry. I am still shaken by the experience. That scream haunts me. It wasn’t a singular voice, It bro

“So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”Jesus, Matthew 20:16That is a hard sentence to understand and accept: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” It has divided Christians for millennia. I never really understood it myself until I spent many years in Creation Spirituality and it took the help of Rabbi David A. Cooper’s wonderful book, God is a Verb, before I fully understood.As panentheists, God is in all things and all things are in God. So what does it mean for God to call or choose anyone or anything? Is this an expression of ego or something else?The CallThe word of God echoes through the cosmos, spoken a new in every moment as it continually makes, expands, and evolves creation. We can hear it in the stillness of meditation, the rush of the wind, the song of the birds, the trickle of water, and so many other places I could list them forever. Within this word is a call to wisdom, to justice, to co-create the world to come with God. This call rings ou

The DepartureWe left our house at 1 am Sunday morning to make the two and a half hour journey to St Louis to catch our flight. Maybe I should stop right here at the beginning and tell you I am terrified of flying. I was in a minor plane crash when I was a child and I have feared flying ever since. Our pilots did not realize the electrical system wasn’t on until we were in the air. It was a medium to small plane, and they had no means of contacting the tower or ensuring the landing gear was down, so we “landed” in a farm field.Oh, and did I forget to mention I have a fear of crowds and being around people, especially now with the rampant transphobia in the world. I am so used to being judged and harassed because of that I avoid the opportunity to receive such treatment. So, here I am in a car on my way to get on a plane to travel through crowded airports to meet a bunch of people that I have only ever met online. Terror would have been a kindness to the whirlwind of rumination and fear assaulting me. Why had I

This is a question of semantics. If I wanted to be pedantic about this I would also say its is a matter of semiotics, epistemology, and theology, but the real problem is the semantic question that we are struggling with today.So many people have defined themselves as “spiritual, but not religious” that we are driving a wedge deeper and deeper between the two modes of thinking, acting, and believing. This is a form of tribalism that does not serve the question at hand, but is very much at the heart of the issues facing people of faith.The catalyst for this post was a video by Foolish Fish about perennialism, religion, spirituality and Jesus. I need to say from the start that while I mostly agree with Denis and everything he says in this video, I cannot redeem the term Perennialism like he does, and in fact, I have similar feelings about the word Christian.If you want to see Denis’ video before we proceed, here it is. I want to stress that my disagreement with it is a semantic one, but when it comes to faith,

Join me and sign up for the newsletter and blog over on Substack (here).--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/support Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Do Justice, Love Kindness, and Walk Humbly before your God.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/support Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Black lives matter. Don't be deceived by those who seek money and power through religion and division. They are not from God.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/support Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

I included an abbreviated Metta practice as an example.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/support Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Let's end the fall redemption framework.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/support Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Applied Spirituality is tested beliefs and not simple acceptance of what we are told.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/support Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

There are too many idols made of words.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/support Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

The relationship of faith and power in a democracy.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/support Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Don't follow the Devil and jump from the pinnacle of the temple.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/support Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Let's talk about how to play with God.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/support Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/support Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Charlie discusses the Black Madonna and the origin of Wisdom.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wisdoms-cry/support Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe