Solidarity.

I stand in solidarity

with

sexually active gay men.


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Heaven.

And so we endure.

Without retaliating.

Without bitterness.

But full of joy!

For our names

are written

in Heaven!


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River of Life.

I am Alpha and Omega - the Beginning and the End.

And as such I resemble a river.

If you follow a river downstream you reach the sea.

If you follow a river upstream to its source you reach the mountains where the rain falls.

If you follow the clouds to their source they rise from the sea.


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The Search for God.

I believe that the search for God includes the fields of: theology, mythology, history, language, astrology, astronomy, mysticism, mathematics, theoretical physics, politics, poetry, culture, art, and literature.....

In fact any field of study can lead to God.

God is everything and more.

God is everyone.

So follow the fields in which you see God.

And go downstream to the sea.


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Russia.

We pray for

Mother Russia.

That she overrcome

her corruption and

her homophobia.

And takes her place

at the fountainhead

of Aquarius.


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A Place 2.

Who has a place

at the

Table of God?

Do you?

Or I?

Do churchgoers?

Or Saints?

Or Martyrs?

Or Angels?

Everyone

has a place

at the

Table of God.


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A Place 1.

It is my job.

To create

for gays and lesbians.

A place

within

the Love of God.

That is safe

and respected.


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Empty Boxes.

As we set out in the world we are encouraged to seek the prizes of the world:

Fame, wealth, prestige, possessions, pleasure, achievement.....

But when we get these things we find that they are empty boxes.
There is no real satisfaction in them.

This is not the true purpose of life.

The cause and the purpose of life is love.

It is in love that we find true satisfaction.

To be loved is good but to love is even better.

And love is its own reward.

Love is intimately associated with God.

And God is the author and sustainer of life.

God is the Beloved.

And His purpose is Love.


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Daphne.

Amid

bare winter branches

bloom

clusters of

fragrant daphne

flowers.


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Water Jar.

The Water Jar

of Aquarius

is

a heart

full of Love.


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The Kingdom of God.

To what shall I compare

the Kingdom of God?

It is like a tiny seed

planted in the earth

which grows onto a

strong and sturdy tree.

It has many branches

heavy with fruit

from abundant waters.

And it brings forth

beautiful flowers

that delight the heart.


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Sex.

Sex is not a sin.

Sex is not punished by God.

Sex does not cause death to God.


Sex is part of our humanity:

Sex is a gift from God.

Sex should be celebrated.

Sex is Life.

Sex is good.


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Finding God.

In a recent television interview a prominent religious writer said that to find yourself is to find God.

I would agree and disagree.

The self, the soul. the divine spark, is in fact part of God .
But we can identify with this self without being aware of God.

We come to know God through prayer and study and contemplation.

In yoga there are three stages of meditation: concentration, contemplation, and trance-consciousness.

We can concentrate by quietening the mind and being totally in the present moment.

We become aware of God through contemplation of the Divine.

In this way we become connected to God in a way which we were not before.

The Divine has a certain nature - it is transcendent, sublime, wholly good.
It is Life, Light, and Love.

But this is not our self.

God is at once separate from us and connected to us.

After we have found the self it is our task to find God.

And when we do this we begin to reach the end.


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Seen and Unseen.

It seems to me that people confuse what can be seen with reality.

But there are things which cannot be seen that are real.
For example: electricity, sound waves, oxygen, radiation etc.....

God is real.

He may not be visible (except in dreams and visions) but He is real none the less.

Prayer, worship, supplication, gratitude, praise.....
All these things lead to God.

There is a Reality by which the seen becomes symbol and metaphor.

We live in darkness.

But God is the Reality.


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Dreams and Visions.

It seems astonishing to me that religious leaders have interpreted the Bible literally in the past.

Everything I learn of God is symbolic: from the poetry of the Old Testament to the parables of Jesus.

Even Revelation, so popular with the fundamentalists, could hardly be described as literal.

God is imaginative, artistic, subtle.....

"Then afterwards, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." Joel 2:28 (NRSV)

So I can no longer sustain a literal interpretation of the Bible.

The Bible is myth and metaphor, poetry and symbol.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Pray.

Alone

in your room.

The door

closed.

Kneel.

Bow your head.

And pray.


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Violence.

Violence is fear.

Dig down below the mask of violence and you will find fear.

And the greatest of these fears is fear of God.

But God is harmless (ahimsa), non-violent.

We have nothing to fear from God.

If we pray for peace we must overcome fear.

And make peace with our brothers and sisters.


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Harm.

It is our prerogative to point out if our brothers or sisters are causing harm to anyone.

The Eastern principle of ahimsa (harmlessness) is prominent in their religions.

This can also be translated as non-violence.

Why would God tell us to be non-violent if He was violent Himself?

This circular logic circumvents any idea of Divine violence or hell.

But most religions worldwide preach Divine punishment and some even take it on themselves to execute it.

It is our prerogative to point out the harm that they are doing to others.

And make peace with God.


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God is Love.

God is reliable.

God is trustworthy.

God is faithful.

God is good.

But most of all

God is Love.


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Beauty.

If you see beauty in the things that I write,

know that the beauty of these ideas and concepts comes from God.

It is God that is beautiful.


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Behind the Mask.

Behind

the mask.

Beneath

the surface.

Below

the conscious.

Lies

malice,

malevolence,

and evil.


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White Orchids.

White Orchids:

Innocent.

Elegant.

Exotic.

Erotic.

Symbol of

Reverence and Humility.

Native flower

of the sign of

Aquarius.


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The Way of God.

The way of God is Love.

And these are the attributes of Love:

Mercy, forgiveness, patience, faithfulness, truthfulness, honesty, reliability, trustworthiness, generosity, grace, care, and consideration.....


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The Way of The World.

This is the way of the world:

Profit, status, power, money, possessions, seniority, war, violence, punishment, and fear.....

But the way of God is Love.


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Rock Star.

He sold

his soul

for

rock and roll.

And a

rock star

reception.


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Make a Mistake.

Sometimes we are so afraid of making a mistake that we become stuck in a phase of our development.

But fear is never the answer.

It is better to make a mistake than to do nothing.

Sometimes when we make a mistake it can be a breakthrough in our development.

At the very least we will know more than we did before.

Of we are sincere we will always be forgiven.

So make a mistake and learn something.

It is better than being stuck.


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Spiritual Development.

When we begin to explore ideas of spiritual development the evil influences which work though the collective unconscious can attack us.

This can cause accidents or it can tempt us and corrupt us.

This is where we need the help of a spiritual community around us to help counteract any evil influences.

We also need help from the Divine which can be sought through prayer and supplication.

If these two elements are missing - i.e. we try to do it on our own - the chances are that the evil influences will overcome us.

But if we seek the help of like-minded people in a spiritual community and humble ourselves before God the chances that we will succeed are greatly improved.


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The Holy Grail.

What is

the Holy Grail?

The cup

which Jesus

shared

with his disciples.

The prize,

the goal,

the premiership cup?

It is

the reward,

the Covenant.

It is

Love.


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Look Up!

In a world

that is mired

in darkness

and in death.

Look up

towards

the Light

and Live!


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A Shot Across the Bows.

There was a Syrian freedom fighter whose brother was tortured and killed by the secret police.

Fearing for his life he fled the country and boarded a boat bound for Australia.
His companions were other young men, single women, and children.

As the leaking vessel approached Australian waters it was met by an Australian Navy vessel which fired a shot across its bows.

The shot punctured the vessel's hull and the boat began to sink.

The young men, women, and children were thrown into the sea.

As the Australian Navy vessel sailed away he could hear cries and screams as the cruel waters closed over his head.


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