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Welcome to OneLife Ministries. This site is designed to lead you prayerfully into a heart experience of Divine Presence, Who is Love. I hope persons of varied wisdom paths will find inspiration here.
Blessings,
Brian Kenneth Wilcox
MDiv, MFT, PhD
Interspiritual Teacher, Author
You are invited to join Brian at his fellowship group on Facebook - OneLife Ministries – A Contemplative Interspiritual Fellowship.
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To know someone here or there with whom you feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts unexpressed – that can make of this earth a garden.
*Johann von Goethe
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Rarely, if ever, will you see Spiritual Friendship listed among spiritual practices. Yet, this spiritual practice is vital to spiritual evolution. And discernment in whom to trust as a spiritual friend is important. Much damage can be done by trusting the wrong persons with intimate spiritual experience, or trusting them to companion you along the Way when they are not prepared to do so. And, sometimes, if may be the other is simply not mature enough in the Path to do so, regardless of the character and sincerity of the person. The same applies to befriending religious or spiritual groups. The one constant advice to follow in such matters of trusting persons or groups is: wise discernment.
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A merchant was leading a caravan of heavily-laden camels through a jungle when one of them, overcome by fatigue, collapsed. The farmer decided to leave the camel in the jungle. Later, when the camel recovered his strength, he realized that he was alone in a strange jungle. Fortunately, there was plenty of grass, and he survived.
One day the king of the jungle, a lion, arrived with his three friends - a leopard, a fox, and a crow. The king lion wondered why the camel was in the jungle. He came near the camel and asked how he, a creature of the desert, had ended up in the hostile jungle? The camel tearfully explained what happened. The lion took pity on him, saying, "You have nothing to fear. Henceforth, you are under my protection and can stay with us.” The camel began to live happily in the jungle.
The lion was wounded in a fight with an elephant. He retired to his cave and stayed there for several days. His friends came to offer sympathy. They tried to catch prey for the hungry lion; but they failed. The camel had no problem as he lived on grass while the others were starving.
The fox came up with a plan. He secretly went to the lion and suggested the camel be sacrificed for the good of the others. The lion got furious, "I can never kill an animal who is under my protection." The fox humbly said, "But Lord, you have provided us food all the time. If any one of us voluntarily offered himself to save your life, I hope you won’t mind!" The hungry lion agreed to take the offer.
The fox went back to his companions and said, "Friends, our king is dying of starvation. Let us go and beg him to eat one of us. It is the least we can do for such a noble soul." So they went to the king, and the crow offered his life. The fox interrupted, and said, "You are a small creature, the master’s hunger will hardly be resolved by eating you. May I humbly offer my life to satisfy my master’s hunger." The leopard stepped forward and spoke, "You are not much bigger than the crow, it is me whom our master should eat." The foolish camel thought, "Everyone has offered to lay down their lives for the king, but he has not hurt any one. It is now my turn to offer myself. So he stepped forward and said, "Stand aside friend leopard, the king and you have close family ties. It is me whom he must eat." An ominous silence greeted the camel’s offer; then, the king gladly said, " I accept your offer, O noble camel." The camel was killed by the three rogues, the false friends.
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Friendship is one of the most beautiful of gifts we can give each other. Sometimes, friends can be as close to us as family, or closer.
Friendship, however, can, like family, be an occasion of great hurt. Likely, most persons have been deeply affected by the betrayal of a friend.
Friendship is essential to spiritual practice. Yet, friendship requires discernment in whom to trust, and at what level to trust. This trust especially pertains in two areas: trusting persons with your spiritual experiences, and allowing persons to be close spiritual companions with you.
©Brian Wilcox, and OneLife Ministries. 03/15/2010
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*OneLife Ministries is a ministry of Brian Kenneth Wilcox, SW Florida. Brian lives a vowed life and with his two dogs, Bandit Ty and St. Francis. Brian is a member of United Communities of Spirit: A Global Interfaith Initiative, for advancing the cause of understanding and peace among persons of different faiths and beliefs. OneLife Ministries seek to share this spirit of unity among all peoples of faith and humanity as a whole.
*Brian welcomes responses to his writings at briankwilcox@yahoo.com . Also, Brian is on Facebook: search Brian Kenneth Wilcox.
*You can order his book An Ache for Union from major booksellers.
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