March 2021 – Journaling Life's Sojourns

Where Truth Abides

There, Truth & Love Never Fail

A common definition of Truth is this: “The property of being in accord with fact or certainty. In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that represent the reality in beliefs, propositions, or declarative sentences. Truth is usually held to be the opposite of falsehood.”

Yet where do the essences of Truth actually abide? And by what means are they sustained?

The words truth and fact are seen often as being interchangeable. And yet they are not …

A fact is defined as something that is known, proven to be true, then able to be agreed upon. Or, in select instances, it is information used for reporting news, for evidence, or as a part of a publication.

Yet after remarkably short spans of time and repeating, facts may well get blurred into fiction — beliefs or statements (often inadvertent) that are false, yet still accepted as truth.

As you saw in our previous blog post, “Care with Origin Myths”, what seem like factual answers come to you in various forms, including myths that, over time, become entrained sources of legends, folk tales, or other determinant patterns of concept.

Actually, Truth is of quite a different nature than fact. It is a powerful element that sublimely imbues a Soul’s deep feeling realm, self-governed thought, and honed physique with currents of Love and Life.

Being constantly and contently aware of Truth is by no means dependent upon external fact-finding for assurances of verity in one’s ongoing experiences. Rather, the Spirit of Truth bestows Divine Illumination that compels a uniquely deep love for the Source Energy within one’s Highest Self.

Here follows two meditative exercises that I originally generated and have found useful in my Energy work, specifically with “Emanation-Actuated Resonance” (i.e. “EAR” training).

The first mediation, taken from 1 Corinthians 13, beautifully describes those Essences of Love. I suggest that you meditate, morning and evening, with the following text in front of you:

“Love is patient, Love is kind.
Love does not envy, It does not boast, It is not proud. It does not dishonor others.
Love is not self-seeking; It is not easily angered; It keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with Truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

This second exercise introduces a simple, down-to-earth (yet telling) set of questions for you to ask yourself alone, in privacy and meditative quietude. Eight questions await you (herein below):

— What is your earliest memory?
— When did you first fall in love? With whom, or with what – a lifestyle, pursuit, vision? What?
— How has your life been different from that which you envisioned earlier on?
— Who has been kindest to you in your life?
— What are the most important lessons you have learned in life? From whom (if applicable)?
— If you could forever hold onto the most treasured memories in your life, what would they be?
— What does your future hold?
— How would you like to be remembered?

The Ever-Sustaining Field of Your Respected, Protected Soul with Your Highest Self Is …
Where TRUTH Abides

Care with Origin Myths

Where the Truth Abides

Life on earth requires translation, interpretation, mitigation, organization, fortification …. Then again, does it really? Why would it?

Life’s requirements, along with its rewards, have been “scribed” (journaled in writing) down through the ages. And the writers had imaginations that could overflow into “origin myths” — myths that, over time, become entrained sources of legends, folk tales, fairy tales and the like, with icons — heroic and villainous. All were written in a multitude of languages and dialects.

Origin Myth
Photo Credit: David Vives on Unsplash

And all the while, countless words have been spoken by millions, if not billions, of people every day, with but a fraction of understanding shared and acknowledged.

An initial origin myth for mankind involved Adam & Eve. Fear and confusion beset Adam when he beheld the Garden of Eden in the cool of the Day, yet he could only glimpse it through the narrowed view of time/space limitations that he & Eve had manifested by and for themselves.

Another origin myth, familiar to avid Old Testament readers, is the Tower of Babel. According to the story, a united human race in the generations after Noah & the Great Flood, who spoke a single language, migrated to the land of Shinar. Once there, they decided to build a city with a tower they thought was tall enough to reach to heaven.

At this point in the narrative, a telling element surfaces: At some later date, this (soon to be enduring) origin myth was altered to depict a “God” now personified and strikingly similar to a younger strain of human Beings.

Although fraught with opinions and attitudes susceptible to external factors — such as, in this instance, the crowd of idol worshippers gathered at the foot of their lofty tower! — this vengeful god was a supreme authority who could summon ranges of power far beyond mere mortals!

As the story culminates — “God”, frowning down upon their untoward city and tower, confounds their speech so that they can no longer understand one another, and then scatters them across the world. In the end, the legendary title for this realm was changed to “Babel” — emulating the babble of the people’s incomprehensible attempts to even communicate together, much less agree.

So, hold on for a second: Where does Truth actually abide, and by what means is it sustained? Mercifully, the truly eternal Present Moment inherently expresses everlasting (hence outlasting) Patience with human Being, and nothing closely akin to vengeance. And hence, it waits for Truth to be manifested and expressed on earth by willing and able human Beings like us.

A relatively recent origin myth centers around Saint Patrick, who became one of Christianity’s most widely known figures, as well as the namesake of “St. Patrick’s Day”, which was celebrated this week (on March 17), both in Ireland and America.

An intriguing element, in this general vein of origin myths, is as follows: Whereas Saint Patrick has been ongoingly acknowledged as the Patron Saint of Ireland, the alive Patrick was not actually Irish. He was born in Britain, not Ireland, to wealthy parents in the fourth century AD.

Yet, at the age of 16, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family’s estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity — until he managed to escape and disappear by living like a roving shepherd in the remote fields of others.

Lonely, afraid, and turning to religion for solace, he reportedly heard a voice — which he believed to be God’s — speaking to him in a dream compelling him to become a missionary and to convert all willing people of Ireland to Christianity.

Much that has been written about his rather surreal experience, and others of St. Patrick’s ensuing visions and miracles have been seen as mythic. Thus, St. Patrick is still regarded as iconic and a model of the proud bearing of other Irishmen made whole by real-life examples.

In that wise, half (23 out of 46) of the Presidents of the United States boast some measure of Irish heritage. Among them were Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, and Harry Truman. The Presidents in my lifetime have included JFK, LBJ, Gerald Ford, the two George Bushes, Ronald Reagan, Barak Obama, and our current President, Joe Biden.

As to our original question earlier in this post: “Where does Truth actually abide, and by what means is it sustained?”

Often, such depth of longing for truth is sincerely queried with skepticism (yet with care to avoid being suspicious or cynical) in light of a worldview that might appear to be saturated with highly-managed misinformation that flatters its “pros” and disparages its “cons” — all, loudly unleashed far ahead of accurate fact-finding — nevermind being even close to ways that would help one discern Truth.

In light of the posturing of other present-day “pseudo-myths” continually laid out for mass attention and hardy consumption, is there enough time and space for careful consideration of the effects of potential origin myths on the rational, self-governed thoughts, attitudes, and actions of those in generations here now — alive, growing, maturing, and envisioning being character-driven leaders in the World’s future?

Well now, let’s take a deep, deep breath … Such mental and philosophical calisthenics (as are those with which we just exercised in the last two paragraphs) will not spasm into paralyzing conundra, IF you and I each simplify any questions we have for “the World” — simplify them to do what?

To answer, for our own individual selves, two (2) straightforward questions:

What, in this present moment, is most needed in my world? and …
What must I do now to be able to provide for that world — no more, no less?

NOTE: These can come off like trick questions, or actually be easy to traverse …
The “lead line” to the latter, easy-to-traverse approach might sound like this:

“In each present moment — with each deep, deep breath —
I will let the Currents of Life appear to my Highest Awareness
In Their own good time, rhythm, style, and magnitude.”

In next week’s blog post, we will further explore “Where Truth Abides”
Best Regards for now … — PenDell

Longings of the Heart

Full Release to the Core

After more than a year now, a worldwide pandemic still makes way for a “mass ascension” with more than an estimated 2.5 million souls entering the non-physical realms. Now, I wonder, how could there not be deep longings of the heart in as many relatives, friends, and lovers still alive on earth, helplessly grieving loss and separation from dearly departed loved ones?

There is, by universal design, the natural thinning of a vibratory “veil” between the earthly realm which we see and know and the invisible realms in the cosmos beyond — a range of Source Energy that I myself encountered at close range, when faced with a “Near-Death Experience” (a more accurate and descriptive term that I, for one, know to be a “near-ascension experience”.

When a close friend asked me about it, I heard myself briefly say, “Returning to earth after glimpses of heaven, I no longer fear death”. After a few moments of serene silence, my friend met my gaze and said (in his few words), “You just said all what matters, dear friend.”

He then told me of his own experience with a life-threatening “close call”, after having spent several years as a grief care counselor with “accidental caregivers” (ones suddenly obliged to care for others). Thus, he knew firsthand the dynamics of “care-receiving” as well as caregiving.

While at it, he confided that the deepest longing of his heart was to be of true service to others. And, to be effective, that service had to start with being of service to his own cogent mind, clear heart, and clean hands. His humble, kind words reminded me that:

“Self Care” is an everyday discipline that is indeed caregiving of a crucial nature. Just as airlines advise parents to be sure, in case of an emergency, to don their own facemask prior to the child’s, the most self-sustained person there is the caregiver.
Grief counseling is important. For grief to be healed and released, it must be faced. And nowadays, grief is seen as, not a thing to be denied in oneself or ignored by others, but seen as being in urgent need of quick, safe, and successful team efforts.

In that wise, grief over the loss of a loved one is an enduring theme of cinema, yet it is also one of the most complex human experiences captured on film. Such is often depicted amidst a larger story line.

Two TV series — long-standing Heartland and now-retired Council of Dads — deal with grief’s aftereffects, as does the movie Sleepless in Seattle with a happy ending had by a widower and his son. In contrast, the movie A Star is Born centers on a starlet who is utterly devastated by the suicide of her passionate, yet drug-addicted, one true love.

Now, I hasten here to include that treasured movie, Forrest Gump — one of Tom Hanks’ many hallmark roles. It is the self-narrated story of a simple-minded man who grows in wisdom, while close at hand for him is the passing away of both his “Mama” (the sole one who nurtured his early years), and “Jenny”, his free-spirited best friend who personified the love of his life.

Not only can films about grief and loss reflect the experiences one is going through; they can also give a new perspective on bereavement, and help those who haven’t experienced grief (with its shock, anger, despair, and renewal) to understand how it differs from any other kind of pain.

And above all, when one approaches lyrical content hearing what resonates with the “Invisible”, it becomes clear that — though sincere words may ostensibly address a human love interest — core longings of the heart and soul express an ineffable, uniquely personal surrender that spirals sublimely “Upward”.

Full release of pure longing is of an ageless, inherent nature — much more elemental than any habitual belief, faith, or hope could ever be. And it is, for certain, beyond emotional addictions or theological, even theosophical, persuasions.

Interestingly enough, such powerful longings can be fulfilled perfectly through humble and kind service outflowing to others.

Indeed, the heart sings when doing something for someone else makes for a beautiful day in the neighborhood …

Have a Beautiful Day!

Three R’s

Reading, Writing & Arithmetic

I remember now that the “Three Rs” were basic to one’s education when I was a new student in grade school. When my first teacher, Mrs. Heffington, stated “Reading, Writing & Arithmetic” are the “Three Rs”, I got nervous and confused about what I thought I already knew.

Actually, my 7-year-old mind felt captive to my realization that the first letters of the three words, “Reading, Writing and Arithmetic” are so obviously “R,W & A”.

After an early supper that evening, I was sitting with my father in his home office, drawing pictures until I asked him, “So, what are you working on, Dad?” His one-word reply, Research, had a ring of excitement in it, as if a discovery was about to be unveiled.

Then, when I asked Dad what research was, he replied, “It is searching out information with a desire to know the truth in something or someone.” Amidst my unseasoned experience, I had no set ideas as to what “knowing the Truth” meant — or with any other profundity, for that matter.

Moments later, Dad looked over at me, and asked, “What are you working on these days, son?” After a moment’s puzzlement, I answered, “At my new school? Oh yeah, the 3 R’s”.

“Oh, ok — What are the 3 R’s?” The twinkle in his kindly eyes told me what I already knew: To any question my father ever asked me (or most anyone else), he knew the answer already.

Instantly on a roll, I blew into a two-minute windstorm of a mini-speech with the impassioned finish line, “That’s Why I KNOW that the three R’s is a wrong word for those three words!”

In the moments after my last exclamation, the silence in the room was deafening, while I stared at my feet. I was so startled by my own catharsis that I felt suspended in motion.

When I finally looked up, I saw my father’s kind face with compassionate eyes enfolding me.

Whereas a man as brilliant as my father might have been apt to coldly patronize me —
Or a man not of such fine character as Dad embodying indifference or downright perfunctory dismissal —
Or a man occupied with an outlook so analytical as to ask questions like:
— Well now, are “the three R’s” one word or are they actually a phrase?
— Are they “wrong”, as in right vs. wrong, or are they merely inaccurate?
— Do you really know all this, or is it only your speculation or one of your assumptions?
— If you think that you really know, how could you really know?

When my father finally took a slow, deep breath, his gently spoken words were these:
“Well son, I realized today that my research — my reading and study with a desire to know the truth in something and someone — also has three primary R’s that anchor its meaning in words:

RECEIVING all elements of any situation without resistance or reserve;
RESPECTING the Truth of Life in other human Beings, as I respect my own True Being; and
RELISHING each and every precious moment of Life, as I fully Live each blessed Day granted.

The spirit of my Dad still abides with me and in me, and always will …
Thank You, Father …