My dear God, thank you for all of the blessings and gifts that I have; that I have had; and that I may have in the future.
But most of all, thank you for your love and compassion, not just for me, but for all of your human children.
May each person strive to love all people around the world without prejudice, fear, or favoritism.
Explosion of Beauty
Copyright 2020
An explosion of beauty radiating hope, love, and compassion in all directions.
Open your mind, absorb it, and let it give your spirit sustenance!
Background
This is a guava tree blossom that I stumbled upon by chance. The flower is less than three centimeters in diameter. I have walked past this tree often over many years and this is the first blossom I have seen. The blossom quickly withered to an unrecognizable form within 24 hours. I could not find any others on the tree. Apparently, its bright radiance could not be sustained for very long. But if its uncommon beauty is fully absorbed by the observer, its affect on the spirit will be lasting.
Spiritual Radiations
Source: iamavatar.org
It seems likely that most people would consider love and compassion as universal qualities of a spiritual person. At the same time, study of the life of prominent spiritual figures such as Jesus and Buddha demonstrate other important attributes of a spiritual being.
The Four Immeasurables, also known as the Four Perfect Virtues, or as I prefer to call them, the Divine Virtues, are part of a more expansive integrated and intertwined spiritual wholeness. In my view, they are the four pillars of spirituality. The Divine Virtues can be seen as composing the “body” of the spirit. They are “internal organs” of the spirit. They keep it healthy, alive, and functioning the way it is intended.
The Divine Virtues of love, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity interact with, and inform one another. They are mutually inclusive. There is no need to reconcile one with the other; they all comprise a single being and a singular way of being.
Our personal joy and happiness arise naturally from practice of the Divine Virtues. Empathetic joy refers to joy in us arising from witnessing the special talents, successes, and good fortune of others. Empathetic joy radiates our love for the person being observed, and our gratitude for their God-given gifts.
Equanimity is mental calm, composure, and even temper in all situations. In the context of spirituality, it is a state of inner peace from which we are able to view the world objectively, without prejudice, judgement, or emotional reaction. It is a place from which love and compassion radiate.
The inner peace that fosters equanimity can be achieved through meditation, prayer, and for some, through Chinese internal energy arts such as qigong which incorporate mindfulness into the practice. All of these serve to calm and nurture the spirit, mind, and body.
Love and compassion go hand-in-hand and lead to joy and happiness. There can be no compassion if the element of love is missing and vice versa.
How can one have empathetic joy for the happiness and special gifts we see in others without love?
How can one have love, compassion, or joy in the midst of one’s own anger, hate, jealousy, greed, fear, or emotional reaction to difficult situations?
Through equanimity, we tame our emotions and reactions so that we can clearly and objectively hear and see what is before us, and seek understanding and appreciation through patience, love, and compassion. Equanimity provides the peaceful environment within which the other three Divine Virtues thrive, grow, and radiate.
As discussion of spiritual radiation can be found here
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Copyright 2020
Where beauty, hope, and joy abide…look deeply and see one of the myriad faces of God!
Background:
These little flowers are less than a centimeter in diameter. They sprung from a weed growing in my backyard. I have been struggling with weeds in my yard for some time. I was totally disarmed by these guys. This was a reminder to me that, although oftentimes overlooked or unappreciated, there is beauty everywhere around us and in all things.
My dear God,
I pray for mercy and healing for all who suffer around the world.
May the healing we receive give us the strength to endure, overcome, and transcend our pain and suffering, and where appropriate our circumstances.
And may it lift our sprints and strengthen our hope and faith in a better future, not just for ourselves, but for all of humanity.
Amen
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Background: Crab Nebula
Composite by Blair Atherton
What is time? Does it exist? Most of us would say that it does, but could it be an illusion, construct, or artifact of our physical existence? Perhaps it is all of these.
It is said that the soul/spirit is eternal. Eternity by definition is never-ending. If we place our spirit-self in the context of eternity, does time have any meaning or importance? A period of incarnation of the spirit is vanishingly small on the scale of eternity. In fact, “scale of eternity” would seem to be an oxymoron.
Eternity confounds measurement just like infinity. To try to scale eternity with a measure such as this thing we call time would seem to make no sense. At the same time, during our very brief, finite period of incarnation, time and distance are useful measures within the physical life.
Does the concept of time make any sense or have any utility when we exist purely in spirit form after death? Likely there are many different views relating to this question. In physical form we know our lifespan is finite. Therefore, it seems natural to apply measures to our daily activities on Earth.
However, in spirit form we presumably know that we are eternal. Therefore, the length of any particular lifetime or the sequence or length of events on Earth likely does not matter to the spirit. The only thing that may matter is how the experiences of our physical life inform our spiritual growth and understanding.
You might like to see a related article titled On the Nature of God. The article describes God as enigmatic and paradoxical with attributes beyond our comprehension that conflict with our worldly notions of time, space, and form.
These are difficult topics and no doubt there are many different ways of thinking about them. I would very much like to hear your perspective.
One God, One People
Image Sources Unknown
One God, one people.
One people: with a singular origin.
All related by birth
One family: its members’ interconnections inextricable.
Be not estranged from your kin.
Embrace the interdependence among all members of humanity.
Look fondly upon all of your brothers and sisters.
Help those in need.
Show them kindness and compassion.
Express your inherited divinity!
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Dear God,
I am writing to ask that through your grace and the efforts of your Holy Spirits that the dark minds of the wicked and selfish be turned toward the light of goodness, love, and compassion. I ask that you give us world leaders and governments that are driven by a strong desire for the happiness, health, and well-being of their people and by a strong desire for a peaceful world.
I realize that transformation is a very slow process and that sometimes it is only through great suffering that change takes place; that sometimes it is only through great injustice that justice can finally be achieved; that sometimes it is only through darkness that the search for light and truth begins.
It appears that you have set into motion circumstances to motivate us to change as individuals and as a civilization. You have pointed the way, but I understand that it is up to each of us to contribute to the creation of a better world for ourselves.
I pray with all my heart that the majority of us will hear your call and respond to adversity, not with anger, aggression, or grasping, but rather with equanimity and a strong desire to help one another get through the trials and tribulations we face, and to find lasting happiness through continuing acts of love and compassion.
I am and forever will be your devoted servant.
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Girl in Water
Source: mrwallpaper.com
I can imagine that God is like water…
I am certain that I see Him moving in the flow and swirls.
I feel Him all around me gently embracing every part of me.
I am weightless in His arms as He buoys me up
so that I keep site of the destination ahead.
He carries me when I am tired.
He is forgiving as I move through His ethereal essence.
Turbulent when His natural flow is resisted.
He slows my forward movement
to assure my progress is deliberate and considered.
I am certain that I hear Him gently calling me
to surrender to the natural flow that will take me home at last!
Copyright 2016 by Blair Atherton
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Mysterious Landscape by lxrowe
From deviantart.com
Who or What is God? I wondered about the nature of God, and when I sat down at the computer the verse below is what came out. The qualities that we imagine God or a higher being would have are to some extent ineffable, a paradox, enigmatic, and most certainly beyond our limited awareness and understanding.
An Ineffable Paradox
I am the uncreated One.
I cannot be created or destroyed.
I exist apart from the bounds of space and time.
I am beyond beginning and end
For I have always existed and always will.
I am both the Creator, and that which I created
For I made everything in heaven, Earth, and the universe.
I am everywhere and in all things.
I can transform myself into countless forms.
Yet, I am without form.
I am unknowable and unseen, but everywhere you look.
I am Love which is testimony to my existence!
I am what I am.
Copyright 2014 by Blair Atherton
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Exploring Spirituality Beyond Religion 
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