Category: religion

Where Is My Church?

I left my faith two years ago.  Before that time I was very committed to the faith of my birth, Unitarian Universalism.  Ever since my children were born I served my church in various roles: teacher, membership chair, governing board member and past president, personnel committee chair, leadership facilitator, and docent of its historic site.

Unitarian Universalism is described as a liberal religion characterized by a “free and responsible search for truth and meaning”, open to all persons, and without a creed.  Long before gay marriage became legal, we affirmed this right of passage and performed many of these unions. Born out of the Judeo-Christian traditions, the faith now preaches that Love is their doctrine.

I have come to see that my church has lost its way during this time of racial upheaval and that it is trapped in today’s climate of identity politics.  It started after the 2017 presidential election when the Unitarian Universalist Association began to promote the “Resistance”.   During that time the Faith in Action Committee became heavily focused on social justice issues like the Black Lives Matter movement and White Privilege re-education.  Now they march for the Poor People’s Campaign, everyone’s right for employment, and sustainable living wages.

A918F5E5-993C-42D9-9538-5F8653F6E5B5

The members of Unitarian Universalism have a long tradition of being inclusive and justice seeking which aligns well with the faith’s democratic governance structure.  This method of “doing church” helped me to ground myself in governance models that are inclusive and sensitive to just action.  These models I easily applied to my role as a city councilor, and I was able to create needed change in my community of diverse hearts and minds.  However, “doing church” and “creating communities of justice” is not the same as “worship”.

Worship is the feeling and expression of reverence for a deity.  One should not worship money, a privilege, or a social cause in place of God…this will cause emotional suffering when one comes to understand that the object replacing the worship of God is fallible.  I see this happening in our larger cities…Government is expected to solve all of humanity’s problems.  The more troubling thing is that most if not all churches now are misguided in their worship practice.

Like Jesus turning the tables of the greedy and manipulative money changers at the Temple, we must shake ourselves awake to our true purpose as caring individuals spreading the Good News that God wants us all to know; our Creator loves us and our prayerful good deeds lead directly to Him.  This would be my church and my proudest affiliation.  Does this worship experience exist for me here on earth without racial creeds or social justice dogma?  Like Jesus, each of us must find our direct link to  The ever loving God.

Peace always.

Shrew View: Homelessness and the Thin Blue Line

Identity politics has been stripping us of our humanity.  The latest case in point aligns with how the homeless population has been allowed to grow unchecked in many urban centers.  Homelessness has been a plight since the dawn of civilization.  Circumstances create personal problems for people in a myriad of ways.  Hopelessness becomes all consuming to the point where personal responsibilities which were once manageable suddenly are too much to handle.  Some would argue that it’s a money problem and tell us, “If only we all had a basic income, free health care, and free higher education, then homelessness would not exist!”   Responsibilities with this model of free stuff inevitably shift to an administrative group.  This group identifies money sources, collects the money, distributes it with a system that is “fair”, and employs a means of enforcement.  But would this progressive formula actually mitigate the personal problems inherent to human nature?  Think about it!


If I allow an administrator to take control of my basic neccessities and to educate me, will they also be able to control my dreams, wishes and choices?  What will be expected of me from this administrative state?  And what about morality?  Who defines morality and enforces this paradigm?

Now consider our police force…The men and women who are employed by municipalities to protect and serve its citizens.  It seems to me that their functions are slowly being eroded by an over zealous political class.  Lately the main stream news programs and social media fixate on police brutality as though it was more commonplace than the smuggling happening daily on our boarders.  Angry attitudes against the police along with the dangerous aspects of the job itself are causing many municipalities hardships to find new police recruits.  Is this by design and does this define a new mindset whereby law enforcement is now seen as the bad actor?  To be sure, policing will need a newly defined mission in order to help a controlling administrative state enforce their “fair and progressive” systems.


Judeo – Christian principles were once the sphere of moral precept in our country.  As these priciples erode and secular laws replace them, the human capacity for obtaining  higher consciousness will decrease and dependency on the administrative state will increase.  Each one of us is then acting as a cog in the wheel of an interdependent system and is replaceable if we are not being “perceived” as doing our part.

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive” – Sir Walter Scott, 1808

We can see how the deception is forming the web, but do we know WHO IS THE SPIDER?

America, All You Need Is Within You…

How should we use higher consciousness in our secular world?

Secularism has no religious or spiritual basis and therefore refers to the so-called “separation of church and state”.  The state, or more precisely the government, is a system of people in charge of making and implementing laws for a country.  There are many forms of government, but in this blog I will focus on the democratic republic of the United States.

In our secular society we all exist among people of various religious faiths, spiritual beliefs and humanist followings.  Some people show their religious faith or spiritualism by wearing particular garments, jewelry or even body art.  Other people might not display their religious faith or spirituality at all on the outside, believing that it is their personal choice and therefore no one else’s business to know.  Either way, the display or non-display is accepted and is a civil right.

It is compassion that forms the basis of meaningful negotiation for most anything. 

Do not confuse religious beliefs with ideology…To equate the two will lead to a very slippery slope.  Ideology is a system of ideals forming the basis of economic or political theory.  A religion is only concerned with Devine nature and typically has its own rules or laws.  Spirituality is a frame of mind in relation to nature and emotional experience, sometimes with or without the use of a God or Higher Power.  It is easy for humans to put much time, energy and money into an ideology because the results are typically concrete.  It is less easy for most humans to put forth a similar effort toward religious beliefs because the results are far less tangeable.  Interestingly, when the two systems intersect the implementation of secular laws and systems can be difficult to negotiate.  But we must negotiate them within the context of our Constitution.

In the United States the majority of people whether they are citizens or not are using civility to live among eachother.  Sensationalist politicians and media would have us believe otherwise.  It is therefore important to develop a personal sense of higher consciousness to put human needs into perspective…This awareness helps us to tap into true compassion for our fellow humans.  It is compassion that forms the basis of meaningful negotiation for most anything.  And, higher consciousness will never require you to apologize for past experience since it’s only concern is for the present good and a mindfulness toward future possibilities.  Emotions are separated from facts, yet both are honored in the negotiation process.  We know we have lost this ability because we see the break down of communication among our governmental leaders, within much of the  mainstream media, and in protested campus debate.  Pure and simple, the ideologies of Socialism, Nazism, ecologism, and tribalism do not work easily in our system of governance.

However, what is wonderful about our system of government is that privately run civic organizations are allowed to operate and fill this intersection of need where secular government is unable to please everyone.  Unfortunately we are allowing ourselves to forget about this important aspect of secular engagement…Blanket solutions by government elites using commingled tax dollars do not solve all issues fairly.  Civic involvement can.

Ideology alone should not form the basis of government policy and law.  Where ideology intersects with religious beliefs, civic organizations should step in with their compassionate approaches.  Our Constitution provides for this if we are able to see the wisdom within it.

You Came To Earth…

Higher consciousness is the place in your mind where you find the transcendent power of your soul.  You get to this place (or should I say “space”) by being in full awareness of your actions and affections.  You can’t reach this state of mind unless you have been born into our earthly reality which is a powerful act in and of itself!

Why is the transition to higher consciousness important, and when is the right time to act on it?  There is no easy answer.

To start, you must live an earthly existence and experience your life with all its joys and sorrows.  To have experience is what makes you human, and the daily choices you make relate to who you are becoming.  Education is a very big part of this phase; reading and studying all you can on both sides of the spectrum, asking questions, testing theories, observing the actions of your elders.  Along with education is your ability to acquire a respect for those things you are unable to control; other’s words and actions, the weather, an animal’s instinct.

Next, you must understand how your own emotions relate to your experiences.  You must feel each of these emotions deeply.  Cry when you’re feeling the tears move you, laugh when the outcome of your own oddness is funny, be angry when disappointed, be humble when you’ve disappointed another.  Along with these expressions comes a practice of letting go which is hard to do at first, but becomes easier as you figure out that life does indeed come with its ups and downs.   Everyone has these internal mood regulators which generally come up against your external influencers.  Accept it all and find comfort in a Higher Power that loves you for your unique soul.  This will help you to know who you are and to find the strength for improvement in your earthly endeavors.

Finally, practice makes perfect!  Be intentional with positivity.  Let mindfulness be consistent with your daily interactions and you will touch upon the unconditional Love which is required for the transformation to higher consciousness.  You can honor this ability by your practice of it because it shows through in your authentic purpose and gives meaning to your life, enriching everyone around you.

How does this spiritual capability work within our secular systems?  This is the topic of my next blog post…

A Religion for Our Time

Religion is a practice.  Belief in core Priciples along with rituals of song, prayer and symbolism help to engage an individual in spiritual growth.  The world’s major religions are practiced by many people, however there are just as many people for whom these religions do not resonate.  This does not mean that non-religious people do not desire a spiritual anchor.  Many find great meaning in nature, music, movement, and volunteerism.  Given today’s active lifestyles there should be a religious practice that would work for most anyone who wishes to engage meaningfully with Devine inspiration, spiritual healing and God.  If there was such a practice, how would it be taught?   And, would it be necessary to commune with others in a physical church to make it truly a religion?

Polarizing political climates are a symptom of needed spiritual intervention.  The focus of each individual must be diverted from physical needs and wants and placed squarely in  the hands of a higher power.  In my past writings I have pointed out that our mainstream dialogue is trending toward more order which is why more social justice initiatives and socialist programs are being pushed as necessary for equity in our U.S. Culture.  The political emphasis on centralizing government rather than respecting individual liberty has huge implications on the human soul.  This is patriarchy or what I call the Male Principle in action.  It amazes me that women who call themselves “Feminists” are buying into this patriarchal system.  The alternative, having a matriarchal system is no better.   The “male” symbolizes  confidence, protection and humor.  The “female” symbolizes passion, modesty, and creativity.  In this instance male/female does not connotate sex or gender, instead their meaning is purely related to human nature as order/chaos.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines human nature as the fundamental dispositions and traits of humans.  Taken together the male and female traits are present within all humans to various degrees, and our cultures are manifestations of these traits.  Witness now the physical focus on trans men and women, race, gender inequality (AKA intersectionality)…Why the need to physically transform oneself into a “category of traits”?  Why not instead accept your natural physical presence and utilize your fundamental human traits to transform your spirit and hence your life with all of humanity?  I believe the Bible is a guide for this transformation, however its religious message can be incredibly difficult for the average person to understand.  You cannot find yourself by expressing feelings through physicality.

Devine transformation occurs somewhere between the human traits of confidence/passion, protection/modesty, and humor/creativity.  The Genesis is hidden from the eye, but felt with the heart.  The transformation is fully physical in the form of good works not your identity of sex or race or even your material acquisitions.  The goal is love, of yourself and others.  And if God is Love, then our good works in our homes and communities make us into the image of our Creator.


Now for the teaching…Imagine the egg as a symbol of this transformation.   The yolk feeds the embryo (germinal disc) and is attached to the shell internally by a membranous strip (chalaza).  The egg white (albumen) cushions the yolk and supplies water to the growing embryo.   There is an air chamber that holds oxygen.  Inner and outer membranes form the protective layers between the eggwhite and the shell.  We know all this exists inside the shell and yet we are unable to actually view it unless of course we dissect the egg. Consider that your soul is the embryo and your human nature is the yolk.  The chalaza anchors your soul and human nature to a membrane that protects your emotional maturity.  The egg whites cradle your emerging soul and ensure that the oxygen remains removed from you until you are ready for the physical transformation to do good works in the physical world.  But the symbolism does not stop here.

Now consider the Easter Egg.  Let’s decorate the shell with symbols of the human capacity for love.  The diagram below shows the outer shell of the egg with a blue heart near the top, a red heart toward the middle and a purple heart near the base. Out from either side of the red heart internally are two more hearts, one orange and one green. Attached to the inside and opposite to the red heart is a large yellow heart, and the large yellow heart is connected to the blue and purple hearts almost directly like the chalaza of an egg.   Everything happening within the shell is not able to be seen, but if you can imagine the internal dimension then you can quite possibly connect to it’s deeper meaning.  This rainbow of hearts manifests Devine inspiration and offers a guide for spiritual healing and growth:


God (yellow), man (blue) and woman (red) are primary colors.  Chaos (orange) and order (green) are a blend of God with woman and man respectively.  Community is a blend of man and woman (as the color purple).  This image is very similar to a previous image I created from a previous blog. Order and Chaos balance with Transformational Suffering from which Good Works and Meaning emminate and ultimately connect to God or Christ…This is Devine transformation and can be achieved by anyone willing to believe in the process.


Both women and men must nurture new life and teach good works, doing this with guidance from their Creator.   Women and men carry on the traditions of Devine inspiration for their homes and communities to bring meaning.   The Judeo-Christian teachings are the basis of these traditions.   No matter what gender or race you are, it is human nature that drives your soul and God’s presence is the mystery  working in your soul.  You are in charge of doing the good in the world on God’s behalf.  Understand that each individual shares the same journey  of our human race….This is our church,  and at its core it is religious.

Hold an egg in the palm of your hand.   Sense the frailty of its mystery.  Consume the meaning of its message and put it to work in your life.