froginhotwater.com April, 2012Separation page 3
"I know that for many of you I am preaching to the choir, yet even at our level of understanding there is something which stops us from fully achieving our deepest connections to the world around us. Perhaps it would be too painful, too joyous, too intense an experience, or there is some other fear which keeps from fully engaging in our union. Will we loose our identities? Will we know who we are still? What I'm talking about here is a major shift in how we view ourselves, each other and the world around us. I know that belief systems don't change without a reason to change and without evidence to support the change to a new belief, and that even in the presence of overwhelming evidence, should we be so lucky as to achieve that, it still will be hard to change the fundamentals of what we believe."
"I do believe that at the fundamental level, most religious beliefs are ultimately consistent with a belief in our connectedness rather than our separateness, and that the world's oldest religions began as an attempt to reconnect us with each other and our world once our separations had begun. For many older religions the very definition of sin was simply separation from god."
"The concept of yin and yang, the paired electrons, the belief that all things exist in balance, and even the creation of particles and antiparticles which goes on constantly in the universe, are not concepts of separateness, they are concepts of connectedness, of being united with our apparent opposites in a intimate way in which one does not have one without the other. There really is no 'other' there are only aspects of the 'one'."
Elder Cynthia paused to let her assembly consider what she'd just presented to them. Presently she began again, "This grand experiment which I would like to embark on, is to see if a group of us, each with our individual skills, accomplishments, talents and ways of being, can connect with each other on such a deep level that we can become parts of a larger collective. Before we begin I want each of you to consider your personal feelings towards this and know that your participation at any level in the experiment is entirely your choice. I would like each of you to personally commit to following through with this once we begin, yet I also leave the door open and at any time you may choose to leave and even to return as your sprit moves you. It may be painful for the rest of us if any choose to leave, I don't know having never done this before, and it may be confusing or awkward to rejoin, again, I don't know. I do, however, fully trust each of you and know that your choices are yours to make and will be fully respected. Without full trust and respect we will not have a very fulfilling experience. So please take a few moments and consider what I am proposing and consider your feelings about it. When we're ready we can begin a discussion."
With that, Elder Cynthia closed her eyes and began a deep meditation, followed by the rest of the assembly. Maria felt a mixture of fear and excitement as she sat in meditation and wondered what her gift was that was so essential to the grand experiment.
