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1 Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.
4 But not the wicked!
They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
Sinners will have no place among the godly.
6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
*Psalm 1, NLT
In English "sink" and "sync" sound the same. Sink means to go down or under, be submerged, or fall gradually. We could say of a person, "She is sinking." We could mean, "She is losing hold on herself, her life, slowly."
The word sync we often use to speak of more than one thing being in harmony. To be in sync implies this harmony, while to be out of sync denotes to be in contradiction, disharmony, discordant.
David Aaron, in Endless Light, posits the question: "How does one sail the seas of life not sinking but syncing?" Aaron's answer is: "[By] anchoring myself in the ocean of Hashem [Hashem is Hebrew for "the Name," and is a way in mystical Judaism of referring to God reverently, acknowledging God is beyond all thought].
Aaron relates of his students often telling him about their friends hearing of their studying Torah. A friend will, then, nervously caution, like, "I hope you won't get trapped. I hope you won't lose yourself. I hope you won't lose your sense of humor."
The Hebrew mystics speak of tshuvah. Of this important Jewish concept, writes Debra Nash:
Tshuvah (pronounced ti-shoo-vah) is a complex notion. It is common to translate it into English as "repentance", but repentance carries with it ideas about sin and evil that ... are only marginal to modern Jewish theology. Tshuvah is less about transgression than it is about return. The Hebrew verb literally means "a turning". One returns to the right path, the path that has always been present in the commandments of the Torah and in the work of seeking justice.
*"The Path is Always Present: Tshuvah, Habit and the Idea of Direction," www.shalomctr.org (accessed July 13, 2008).
Writes Aaron, on this repeated turning as means to anchor us in Divine Presence, to keep us syncing, not sinking:
Tshuvah at its height not only is a process of tapping life energy and empowering us with the freedom to change, the freedom to be our true selves. It also anchors my self in the Great Self, which gives me the equilibrium to stand my ground against the stormy winds of life's challenges. Otherwise, I become a victim of circumstances. If what's happening around me is distressful, I am in distress. If what's happening around me is sad, I become depressed. If happy events come my way, I am exuberant.
Mystically, religion is a means, literally, to connect us to the Source of Love, Joy, and Generosity. The word religion means "to bind, to tie." The Latin root of religion is, also, the root of the English "ligament," a sinew that joins muscles. So, re-ligion is the means to rebind, reconnect, or rejoin us with the Divine Presence. To be re-ligion-ing is to be in a disciplined life of constantly re-connect-ing to the Holy Other.
Being creatures of embodied-spirit, religion provides practices to keep us re-ligion-ing. This means the same as tshuvah: to keep joining again with Source, turning and re-join-ing over and over.
The Psalm 1 passage contrasts persons who engage in "actions" that turn them from the Source of Blessing and others that turn one toward It. How one is turned determines the fruit that will arise in her life. Your turning makes all the difference in the consequences in your life.
In the Psalm 1 text, meditation daily and nightly on the Torah is a tshuvah, or turning, or re-ligion-ing act. To practice acts contrary to Torah, the Teaching of Divine Wisdom, is to receive a different array of consequences.
When we look at religion and spirituality in this way, we see that such is a very natural process. This process entails that we each have creative power to shape our inner and outer lives, and help heal the world. There is a harmful side to the power of choice, however, for we can turn in a wrong direction, not turn toward the Light.
Now, we see that Scripture meditation is a re-ligion-ing Means of Grace. There are many others. One of the most powerful is speech. Either what I say about someone is toward the Light or not.
So, religion and spirituality is about getting us in sync. We do this by synching. Classical Means of Grace, as well as the little daily means of attitude, word, and action either draw us toward the Light or not, and the Light toward us or not. With these choices come the fruit.
I do not believe in God handing out rewards and punishments that we have not invested in by obedience, endurance, and work. I believe in Presence, Whom we cooperate with to produce the fruit of our lives. This is an organic process. This is far from the "Santa-Claus God" many believe in.
Here is a little love letter from "God," that I write, as spirit within me speaks...
Brian, long ago you discovered that turning to the Light would not mean you would get an easier life. Certainly not. Indeed, you could have found a much easier Path ~ still could ~ than the one I keep giving you and you keep choosing. I appreciate that you choose such a Path out of love for Me and others. I will honor you for that, and I will strengthen you in all times, even now, and whatever may come. I will bless your faithfulness. Just wait a little longer, for time is drawing near for that blessing to become more apparent, more clear to you. But, the hardship is part of your tshuvah, the re-peat-ing of the choice of the direction you turn yourself. You choose dignity or indignity. I am proud of you for choosing dignity and honor for Me, the Path, and the people I have given you to serve now and in the future. I will honor you. You have endured and lost much by your Path. Yet, see, has not your life been wonderful? Have you not found deep meaning and peace ~ even now as you have been unjustly placed into one of the most challenging moments of your life? If you died, today, would you not feel dignity and honor? So, have you really lost anything? In one way, yes; in another way, nothing. There you sit, writing, rejoicing, and connecting to the Light. Your life is getting stronger and more enriched as you keep turning toward Me. Anyone who thinks to harm you is only making you stronger, for as you draw Me closer to you, I am drawn to your heart, and you to Mine. Any person can only be a blessing to you; this means, as long as you choose any person to be a blessing, he or she can never be other. He or she is powerless to bring cursing upon you, to destroy you, to separate you from My love, joy, and peace ~ and the fellowship of My Church ~ to succeed in diminishing you in any manner, as long as you rest on my breast, like my beloved John. Remember, I do love you. I chose and choose you. I cannot withhold blessing from anyone who turns to Me, when the person turns to receive to give. Be My vessel of Light, and I will keep pouring Myself out for and through you. I will love you to the extent you allow Me to love you, and I will repair the breaches in your life that have been opened by the heartlessness of any others over the years or now, for I am stronger than them all. Remember, I love you, dearly, and, today, that is all that matters. Now, go, rejoice, enjoy peace, and be strong in trust. Play with your dogs. Play with life. Play in the right way, have fun, and my blessings are about to be poured abundantly upon you, for you have trusted Me amidst it all. You will give even more than in the past, for I will bless you even more than in the past. Just keep turned to Me. Give. Give. Give.
How do you keep turning to the Light? What are some ways you could better practice tsuvah?
* * *
*Brian's book of mystical love poetry, An Ache for Union, can be ordered through major booksellers.
*Brian K. Wilcox lives with his two beloved dogs, St. Francis and Bandit Ty, in Southwest Florida. He serves the Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL. Brian is vowed at Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a contemplative life and inspires others to experience a more intimate relationship with Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused Christianity and renewal of the focus of the Church on addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons, along with empathic relating with other world religions, East and West. Brian has an independent writing, workshop, and retreat ministry, for all spiritual seekers.
*For replies and biographical information, as well as booking retreats or workshops, fill out the following form:
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