by Larry Krantz
A friend who knew I would be speaking this morning reminded me to have fun. That is good advice, which I pass along to all of you. The world is a mess—some say on the verge of destruction—and trying to do something about it is serious business. Yet, just being alive, in human form, is a miracle. We can see colors and taste food and have creative conversations and enjoy the glory of a sunset. We may be thankful for many things. And, that lightens the load and makes the heart merry. Life is to be enjoyed.
Another friend sent me a poem recently which I found moving. The poet wrote this piece when he was of advanced age. He recalled when, as a child, he won a box of sweets and plowed through the candies—until he got down to the last few. Then he realized they were about to be gone. So he slowed down and savored the last few. It echoed his own life. He had galloped through the years and the sand was running out of the hour glass. He wanted to savor whatever time he had left and saw anew the importance of living with integrity and honor, and the worth of connecting at a deeper level with other people.
It is commendable when anyone reevaluates their life and thinks in terms of quality rather than quantity, and sees things from a new perspective. It is even better if that happens when we are young, so there is a longer road to travel, time to pierce more layers of understanding. I remember being at an Ivy League college, wanting nothing more than to be like everyone else. I even wore a sports jacket with patches on the elbows and smoked a pipe, to fit in with my image!
What was I thinking?!
Then, one day, it flipped. I do not know what pushed me over the edge. All that I thought mattered suddenly seemed trivial and superficial. I felt compelled to reevaluate my life. It led me to drop out of school and the life I knew and take a desperate journey across the country, where I stumbled upon a spiritual community in Colorado I hadn’t known existed, where I discovered people who helped me find my true Self. Somehow, one thing led to another and my life was re-directed. Clearly, there were forces guiding me, probably in spite of myself as I was then, so I take no credit in how things worked out. Somehow, I was given a rare opportunity to awaken spiritually and I understand the responsibility that carries.
Afterwards, thinking I knew more than I really did at the time—which is clear to me now— I gave Art of Living classes at a few colleges. I really enjoyed talking to students. It is such a vibrant time of life, when young people have curiosity and confusion in equal parts. I did not want to sound like a philosophy teacher offering another paradigm for them to chew on, not some mental alternative to put on a shelf, for it was so much more than that. I had to shock them out of their customary ways of looking at the world. One approach I took was to have them take several deep breaths and exhale as slowly as possible. As good college students used to following instructions, they gave it a go. I then told them to let go of everything from the past, their last class, their parents’ concerns, even relationship challenges. Next, I told them that the future would probably not happen as they imagined, so it was not worth worrying about exams and papers yet to come or what they would do over the summer, to just be in the moment, in that classroom. They did this as best they could.
Then, I asked if they felt a change in the atmosphere of the group from when they entered the room until that moment. This is such a simple thing, yet none of their professors had spoken to them about perceiving atmosphere, being sensitive to what is not seen. Many of them got it. Out of the chaos when they had shuffled in, had come order and calmness, and even a feeling of oneness to some degree. It felt different. This led to further conversations, and some were intrigued by seeing from a new perspective.
While I wouldn’t have used these words at the time, what I was hoping to inspire was a transformational leap in consciousness. It is a shift from seeing with the outer, human eyes, to seeing with an inner vision, from Being, the true Self.
Another ploy I used was to write something provocative, or evocative, on the whiteboard like, “You are perfect,” or, “You are beautiful.” Without saying a word, I would turn to the class, waiting, and let the silence build. Inevitably, someone would blurt out, “I’m not perfect,” or “I’m not really beautiful.” They would point out their flaws and warts and so on. Then, I would ask them if at their core they did not feel there was a perfect or beautiful person inside, no matter the exterior appearance of things. Some would get it. Some did not.
Touching that inner reality makes all the difference. It gives a person a new view of themselves and the world. Once touched, it is not easy to go back—although some do. Eternal Self is perfect and beautiful and wise. It is not separate, alone and fearful, but knows love and oneness with all things. Sometimes, all it takes is a glimpse to see other possibilities, which challenge the conventional views, all they assumed to be true. This is our job, isn’t it?—to allow ourselves to be lifted up, and help others know the truth of themselves. It is the only way our messy, dangerous world can change and become a garden once again.
Along these lines, here are some words from Genesis Chapter 2: These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
These are words about the original creation, but they relate to any creation, including the continual creation happening now. Of note, it speaks of a design before plants and herbs took form—an intermediate step. Rain, while it can mean an initiation of a cycle, here it mostly refers to a kind of substance required before physical matter can take shape—a mist that covered everything. The essential piece to make it all work is man. When true man is not present, as is the case now, it all goes awry. Man is needed, male and female, to provide divine understanding and direction, to let the design move through an intermediate step, and appear accurately in form.
When a field is not tilled and cared for, it goes wild. There is nothing wrong with the disintegrative part of the cycle, or disorder; forms need to break down to component parts, to be recombined in new creations. The cosmos is the ultimate recycler. The Hindu tradition speaks of Brahma as the creator and Shiva as the destroyer—both necessary. Man is meant to be the Creator, not the destroyer—which is mostly a kind of subconscious function. As it is now, there is much destruction on earth, pollution and population run amok, things left wild and chaotic, for there is no man to till the ground, to tend the garden and provide divine direction.
We are here to bring order out of chaos, as an essential link in the divine machinery. I recently saw a show about this young Japanese woman named Marie Kondo who does what she calls: Tidying Up. She is a delightful person, buoyant and wise beyond her years. In the episode I watched, she went to a home where there was a considerable mess; it was a young family with two small children. Dirty dishes were piled up and clothes and boxes strewn all over the place. It was difficult for them to find anything in the mess and the tension in the air was palpable.
Marie began by bringing the family to a room, where she asked for quiet. Then, she had them join her in offering thanks for the home and the shelter it provided—which was a very good starting point! She showed them how to roll clothes and put them away efficiently. They made a game of it, which even the children played. Marie had them decide which clothes still “sparked joy” in them, and they kept those. The rest they gave away, but rather than just throw them in a box, she did a little ceremony with each piece, instructing the couple to give thanks for the use they once had and wish they be passed on to someone who could still use them.
So it went with dishes and the mess in the garage. When they were finished, the family had more time to be with each other. They could find things, which saved a lot of time, and their relationships improved. They had gotten rid of clutter and their lives were lighter and easier.
We all have clutter. Not just physical things, but mentally and emotionally. I might not use the measure of what sparks joy, but rather what is useful spiritually in our creative work. If thoughts wander into areas that are not helpful, we can provide direction to our minds and point them to the task at hand. If emotions wobble, we do not need to deny what we feel, but find a central emotion that is generative and helpful. We provide a focus for our worlds and are responsible for what comes to us. We can bring order out of chaos, which includes trimming down the clutter within and without. When there is less blockage, the flow of the spirit of life comes through more fully, and the radiance of life extends out unhindered.
We are here to let the design of heaven be translated into the earth, into our earth, and out into the world. This divine design is a form of governance, set from above. In mankind’s present state, we have very little experience of how this should work. History tells us about two main approaches to governing. One is the democratic approach— whether it’s representative government or some other form, stretching back to the ancient Greeks. Sometimes it becomes governing by consensus or by committee. It may work well, or it may get bogged down by dissention, as it is now in this country, where there is division and accusations back and forth, and it seems nothing can be accomplished, given the paralysis and disagreement. The other main form is one-person rule, as in dictators, emperors, kings, czars, or so-called “strong men.” There have been a few benevolent rulers over the ages, and quite a few malign ones, who led their nations into war and ruin.
So, is divine governance more like democracy or dictatorship? The answer is—none of the above. It is something completely different and can only be known when divine man is present. I think of it as vibrational government. The word, vibration, implies oscillation or pulse. The definition I found mentions a tuning fork as an example, which produces a tone—something we have spoken about recently. It also means a kind of pervasive life force or energy. The universe has cycles. It is periodic—day and night, seasons, one following another, breathing in and out, the heart pumping, then resting. So, it is with the movement of spirit into the space/time dimension. There is a rhythm to life, pulsations, cycles long and short, extending control into earthly and cosmic matters.
Vibrational government is a flow of this pervasive life force. The design is incredibly detailed and perfect, all parts in harmony with all other parts, in ways no human mind could conjure. Our job is to translate these essences that flow down from the unformed and let them find creative expression in ways that are uniquely ours, and to discern what is needed in the moment. It begins with the Lord, the focus for this world. If there is love for Him, we are willing to do whatever it takes because that love overwhelms any other concerns. It flows through points of coordination in a natural sequence. When there are no human egos involved, only cooperation and oneness of purpose is known. No one would object to who happened to coordinate a creative endeavor. Each person is exactly where they need to be. There follows a returning cycle of appreciation for the magic of creation. Love flows back and forth. A divine pulsation.
These days, people are very concerned about their leaders, especially with their deficiencies and misdeeds, which tend to be splashed over the headlines. There is an outcry for better behavior. Some of the characteristics being put forth for an ideal leader include honesty, transparency, the ability to delegate, integrity, skill in communicating, being inspirational, yet steady in the face of success or failure, empathy, commitment, projecting a positive attitude, accountability, and empowerment. Yes, these are fine qualities, whether in a world leader, a CEO, or the head of the library committee.
Mostly, I think what is needed is someone trustworthy, someone dependable and non-judgmental, someone you would feel safe sharing anything with, your deepest secrets, even your life. There is nothing more trustworthy than the flow of spirit. Someone who represents that, as a divine man or woman, is that person. All other attributes will be there as well.
As an aside, I know how we trust GPS systems these days to get us from one place to another. Sometimes it tells us to take a turn that seems to be going the wrong way, but eventually that little voice from our phones or cars gets us there. Maybe it knows about road closures or has determined a faster route. Anyway, it seems to work. Even more so, we should trust that voice within, which sees things we do not, and puts it in a context that includes everything happening everywhere at that moment. If we let spirit guide us, allowing forms to take shape out of the mist, in the most practical ways, and in ways not immediately apparent, even that seem to be going the wrong way, we will be steered in exactly the right direction. Even better than Google Maps!
In this, we are not alone. If we trust the Lord completely, we will find ourselves with the right people, sometimes unexpectedly so. If they share the same orientation and are unshakeable in their connection to spirit, we may build a trustworthy container, wherein the pressure can rise without the whole thing exploding. That is what is needed now—a safe, sacred place, which ultimately should be the entire world. But, we can only start where we are. Even a few people who are really trustworthy, who have a deep sense of their true Self, is remarkable these days. This allows for the magic of creation, and if held steady, forms may emerge we could not imagine now. True governance should be natural, light and easy, a flow that passes through us, outward, in concert with others. In that way, order may appear out of the chaos of the world. That is fun. That is joy.
The world is a messy place and there are destructive forces loose right now; there is no telling which way things will go. But we can play our parts in extending divine control, to represent the Creator. We are not alone. Many people are rising up in consciousness, making that transformational leap, each in their own way, connected by the flow of spirit, beginning to see from the perspective of their inner Selves. It does not need to conform to any preconceptions we might have about how they should express this new vision or what words they should use.
We may trust spirit, which is absolutely reliable. So, it is great to be with all of you today, to share in the Tone of Life, and know agreement in what really matters. Life is not meant to be tedious or difficult. When obstructions and rigidities in consciousness are allowed to dissolve, we move from the destructive phase to being part of the Creator, from hardship to ease, from darkness to light. We are privileged to share this understanding and I am thankful for each and every one who allows this divine, vibrational governance to be known in their lives.