Author: DrToni
Perennial Philosophy
Timeless Wisdom
by Martin Boroson © 2000, rev 2020.
Becoming Me is based, in part, on the collected wisdom of the great spiritual pioneers and visionaries—all those who have looked deeply within themselves for the answers to timeless questions, questions such as: Why do we suffer? Is there “something more”? What is our true nature?
On face value, all the world’s religions seem to be radically different, and have sometimes been quite hostile to one another. So, the idea of “collected wisdom” might seem odd. But in fact, scholars have identified something called the “perennial philosophy”—a term made popular by Aldous Huxley—that is a set of beliefs at the core of most religions, yet is beyond any particular religious tradition.
Philosopher Ken Wilber calls it the “worldview that has been embraced by the vast majority of the world’s greatest spiritual teachers, philosophers, thinkers, and even scientists. It’s called ‘perennial’ or ‘universal’ because it shows up in virtually all cultures across the globe and across the ages. And wherever we find it, it has essentially similar features, it is in essential agreement the world over. We moderns, who can hardly agree on anything, find this rather hard to believe.”
in order to understand the perennial philosophy, it’s important to understand the difference between the “outside” and “inside” of religion. The “outside” refers to things such as customs, myths, rules, language, organization, etc. The “inside” refers to the inner spiritual questions, direct experiences, and illuminations of individuals. These inner experiences generally emerge via a discipline or practice, such as meditation, contemplation, yoga, shamanism, or prayer. Such practices challenge you to know yourself deeply. You look inside yourself for answers, instead of simply following external rules. Ultimately, this leads you to direct, personal experience of higher levels of reality.
Broadly speaking, this is the difference between religion and spirituality. “Religion” refers to the outside, and “spirituality” refers to the inside. And although the world’s religions have disagreed, often violently, about the outside, if we look to the source, the heart, or inner core of each religion, we find broad agreement. In other words, we find the perennial philosophy—timeless truths that appear and reappear, no matter how local traditions, politics, and language may limit their meaning.
What are they, briefly?
Here is how Ken Wilber summarizes the seven major points of the perennial philosophy, in his book Grace and Grit:
1. Spirit exists.
2. Spirit is found within.
3. Most of us don’t realize this Spirit within, however, because we are living in a world of sin, separation, and duality—that is, we are living in a fallen or illusory state.
4. There is a way out of this fallen state of sin and illusion, there is a path to our liberation.
5. If we follow this path to its conclusion, the result is a rebirth or enlightenment, a direct experience of Spirit within, a supreme liberation, which—
6. Marks the end of sin and suffering, and which—
7. Issues in social action of mercy and compassion on behalf of all sentient beings.
Wilber goes on to explain these seven points in detail, in the form of an interview, conducted by Treya Killam Wilber. read this interview.
“Timeless Wisdom” © Martin Boroson, 2000, rev. 2020.
Excerpts from Grace and Grit, by Ken Wilber (c) 1991, 2000 by Ken Wilber, by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston, www.shambhala.com
The 19 Best Julian of Norwich Quotes
Julian of Norwich’s popularity has skyrocketed over the past century. Yet she spent most of her life literally entombed in her church-side cell. What has made her so compelling, that nearly every modern contemplative teacher speaks of her?
Julian’s teachings begin and end in joy. She knew that this was our origin, and this was our destiny. Yet she lived in the middle of incredible suffering and instability:
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The Black Plague killed 50% of Europe
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The Hundred Years War killed even more
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Heretics were regularly burned at the stake (and her cell was within smelling distance of her town’s stake!)
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The economy was in depression and there were huge labor strikes and riot
Yet unlike many who panicked in her time and either blamed the plague on their sins (and set up flagellation clubs to beat themselves for their sins) or scapegoated the Jews and “heretics,” Julian stayed deeply grounded in her intimacy with God.
Rather than a fierce, judgmental God, Julian knew the Divine Mother was tender and loving. (Her theology of the motherhood of God more richly developed than any writer’s up to the late 20th century!) Her spirituality revolved around the concept of one-ing: “Prayer oneth the soul to God,” she said. Rather than needing a fix for every ill (they are too many), Julian invites us to rest in the mystery of life.
Here are her 19 best quotes.:
1. “Prayer oneth the soul to God.”
2. “God is all that is good, and God has made all that is made, and God loves all that he has made.”
3. “I am Ground of your longing.”
4. “God, of your goodness, give me yourself; you are enough for me, and anything less that I could ask for would not do you full honor. And if I ask anything that is less, I shall always lack something, but in you alone I have everything.”
5. “For when the soul is tempested, troubled, and left to itself by unrest, then it is time to pray, to make ourselves supple and buxom to God.”
6. “If there is anywhere on earth a lover of God who is always kept safe, I know nothing of it, for it was not shown to me. But this was shown: that in falling and rising again we are always kept in that same precious love.”
7. “I saw him and sought him. I had him and lacked him. And this is, and should be, our ordinary undertaking in this life.”
8. “Pray inwardly, though you think it does not help you; for it is profitable, though you feel nothing, though you see nothing; indeed, even if you think you cannot. For in dryness and in barrenness, in sickness and in feebleness, then is your prayer well pleasing to Me, though you think it helps you but a little.”
9. “God desires not only to be known, but that we be lovingly united to him.”
10. “He said not ‘Thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not be dis-eased’; but he said, ‘Thou shalt not be overcome.'”
11. “The Goodness that is Nature is God. He is the ground, He is the substance, He is the same thing that is Naturehood. And He is very Father and very Mother of Nature.”
12. ”The fruit and the end of our prayers is that we be oned and like to our Lord in all things.”
13. “The more the soul sees of God, the more it desires Him.”
14. “He draws us unto Himself by love… and then we can do nothing but behold Him, enjoying, with a high, mighty desire to be all oned unto Him—centered to His dwelling—and enjoy His loving and delight in His goodness.”
15. “And in this he showed me a little thing, the quantity of a hazelnut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed. And it was as round as any ball. I looked upon it with the eye of my understanding, and thought, ‘What may this be?’ And it was answered generally thus, ‘It is all that is made.’ I marveled how it might last, for I thought it might suddenly have fallen to nothing for littleness. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasts and ever shall, for God loves it. And so have all things their beginning by the love of God.”
16. “Everything that God inspires us to search for, is God’s own eternal desire.”
17. “Thus in [our] Very Mother, Jesus, our life is grounded… He feeds us and nurtures us as childhood requires.”
18. “The greatest honor we can give Almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love.”
19. “Do you want to know what your Lord meant? Know well that love was what he meant. Who showed you this? Love. What did he show? Love. Why did he show it to you? For Love. Hold fast to this and you will know and understand more of the same.”
And, of course, you cannot forget her most famous: “All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well
Kelly Deutsch specializes in audacity. Big dreams, fierce desires, restless hearts. When seekers are hungry for unspeakably more, she offers the space to explore contemplative depths and figure out where they fit in the vast spiritual landscape. She speaks and writes about divine intimacy, emotional intelligence, John of the Cross, trauma-informed spiritual practice, and neuropsychology. Kelly offers spiritual direction, coaching, contemplative cohorts, and retreats. She is the bestselling author of Spiritual Wanderlust: The Field Guide to Deep Desire. When she isn’t exploring the interior life, you might find her wandering under Oregonian skies or devouring red curry.
Julian of Norwich: 8 Things You Didn’t Know
Julian of Norwich is becoming a wildly popular mystic. Yet she lived as a recluse in a forgotten corner of England in the 14th century. What has made her so compelling, that nearly every modern contemplative teacher speaks of her?
Here are 8 things you probably didn’t know about Julian!
1. Julian is not her real name!
She is known as Julian because her anchorage, or cell, was attached to the Norwich church of St. Julian’s.
2. Julian had a cat.
The anchoress’s rule of life, which Julian followed, allowed for pets. She would talk about her kitty often in her letters.
3. Julian has the most in-depth theology about the motherhood of God prior to the 20th century.
While others mentioned God as feminine, Julian called Jesus Mother, called the Father Mother, and the Holy Spirit too!
4. Julian was the first woman to write a book in the English language!
Prior to that, nearly everything in Europe was written in Latin. This is striking not only as a “first,” but because of how dangerous it was. Since Protestants and “heretics” were writing in vernacular languages, those who did so were sometimes burnt at the stake. Julian’s open window was within smelling distance of the stakes in Norwich.
5. Julian survived the worst pandemic Europe has seen.
Sometimes it’s helpful for us modern folks to gain perspective. The Black Plague wiped out nearly HALF of Europe! She knew what it meant to shelter in place.
6. Julian likely lost her husband and children to the Black Plague or the Hundred Years War.
It is unlikely she was a nun before becoming an anchoress, as her text has a glaring lack of imagery or mentions of the convent life. However, it is rife with mentions of motherhood, loss, and intimacy. And due to the combination of the plague and the war, the male population of England was decimated.
7. Julian was literally entombed in a cell.
The ritual for becoming an anchoress includes your own funeral service, in which you are ceremonially buried in the dirt before you are bricked into a room with no door for the rest of your life.
8. Julian was a spiritual director.
From her cell, she had one window that faced the church and one window that faced the street. There, villagers and pilgrims would seek her counsel about marital problems, prayer, and any number of desires.
Kelly Deutsch specializes in audacity. Big dreams, fierce desires, restless hearts. When seekers are hungry for unspeakably more, she offers the space to explore contemplative depths and figure out where they fit in the vast spiritual landscape. She speaks and writes about divine intimacy, emotional intelligence, John of the Cross, trauma-informed spiritual practice, and neuropsychology. Kelly offers spiritual direction, coaching, contemplative cohorts, and retreats. She is the bestselling author of Spiritual Wanderlust: The Field Guide to Deep Desire. When she isn’t exploring the interior life, you might find her wandering under Oregonian skies or devouring red curry.
Meditations on Teresa of Avila
Teresa of Ávila
March 12 – March 17, 2023
Sunday
Teresa’s life provides us with an exceptional example of bringing the contemplative and active life together; it displays both a profound internal depth and an exceptionally productive outcome. —Megan Don
Monday
Teresa teaches the way of perfection as practicing fraternal love, nonattachment to material things, and authentic humility. —Richard Rohr
Tuesday
Like us, Teresa of Ávila was petty or generous, irritable or unconditionally loving, attributing everything to her progress along the path of contemplative prayer. But she never ceased showing up for the spiritual work. —Mirabai Starr
Wednesday
You well know that I would gladly forfeit all the blessings you have given me and transfer them to these rulers. If they could experience what I have experienced, I know that it would be impossible for them to allow the violations they have been condoning. —Teresa of Ávila
Thursday
When we have trouble praying, Teresa recommends that we turn to nature: “Go to some place where you can see the sky, and walk up and down a little.” Since God is infinite and everywhere, sometimes we rejoice as much in meditating on creation as in meditating on the Divine. —Tessa Bielecki
Friday
The important thing is not to think much but to love much, and so to do whatever best awakens you to love.
—Teresa of Ávila
Week ElevenPractice
I Love You Prayer
We invite readers to join with the CAC community in this guided prayer experience led by CAC teacher James Finley. This brief practice of stillness, breath, and surrender to God’s unconditional love returns us to a deeper knowing of who we are in God and who God is in and with us.
James Finley, “I Love You Prayer,” Center for Action and Contemplation, January 24, 2023, YouTube video, 5:41.
Image credit: A path from one week to the next—Les Argonauts, Camino de Santiago, Unsplash. Jenna Keiper, Winter Bird. Jenna Keiper, Mystic. Used with permission. Click here to enlarge image.
Perched in solitude, in communion with the Beloved.
2023 Theme: The Prophetic Path
Jewish Mystics
Father Richard values how Judaism and the Hebrew Scriptures introduced the gift of self-critical thinking into one’s relationship with God:
The Hebrew Scriptures, against all religious expectations, include what most of us would call the problem—the negative, the accidental, the sinful—as the precise arena for divine revelation. There are no perfectly moral people in ancient Scriptures; even Abraham rather cruelly drove his second wife into the desert with their child. The Jewish people, contrary to what might be expected, chose to present their arrogant and evil kings and their very critical prophets as part of their Holy Scriptures. They include stories and prophecies that do not tell the Jewish people how wonderful they are but, rather, how terrible they are! It is the birth of self-critical thinking and thus moves consciousness forward. No other religion has been known for such capacity for self-criticism, down to our own time. [1]
The Jewish rabbi and noted theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel understood such self-critical thinking and dissent as central to Judaism and to all vibrant and healthy religion:
Inherent to all traditional religion is the peril of stagnation. What becomes settled and established may easily turn foul. Insight is replaced by clichés, elasticity by obstinacy, spontaneity by habit. Acts of dissent prove to be acts of renewal.
It is therefore of vital importance for religious people to voice and to appreciate dissent. And dissent implies self-examination, critique, discontent.
Dissent is indigenous to Judaism. The prophets of ancient Israel who rebelled against a religion that would merely serve the self-interest or survival of the people continue to stand out as inspiration and example of dissent to this very day.
An outstanding feature dominating all Jewish books composed during the first five hundred years of our era is the fact that together with the normative view a dissenting view is nearly always offered, whether in theology or in law. Dissent continued during the finest periods of Jewish history: great scholars sharply disagreed with Maimonides; Hasidism, which brought so much illumination and inspiration into Jewish life, was a movement of dissent. . . . Creative dissent comes out of love and faith, offering positive alternatives, a vision. [2]
Father Richard seeks a both-and approach that embraces self-criticism without falling into excessive intellectualism or despair:
Self-criticism is quite rare in the history of religion, yet it is necessary to keep religion from its natural tendency toward arrogant self-assurance—and eventually idolatry, which is always the major sin for biblical Israel. We must also point out, however, that mere critique usually deteriorates into cynicism, skepticism, academic arrogance, and even post-modernistic nihilism. So be very careful and very prayerful before you own any self-image of professional critic or anointed prophet! Negativity will do you in. [3]
References:
[1] Adapted from Richard Rohr, Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality (Cincinnati, OH: Franciscan Media, 2008, 2022), 14.
[2] Abraham Joshua Heschel, “Dissent,” in A New Hasidism: Roots, ed. Arthur Green and Ariel Evan Mayse (Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society, 2019), 174–175.
[3] Rohr, Things Hidden, 14.
Explore Further. . .
For an introduction to the mystics featured in this week’s Daily Meditations, watch Managing Editor Mark Longhurst interview Jewish mysticism scholar Arthur Green.
Image credit: Carrie Grace Littauer, Untitled 7 (detail), 2022, photograph, Colorado, used with permission. Menachem Weinreb, two Jewish boxes of tefillin unwrapped (detail), 2021, photograph, Jerusalem. Arthur Allen, Untitled 12 (detail), 2022, photograph, France, used with permission. Jenna Keiper, 2022, triptych art, United States. Click here to enlarge image.
This week’s images appear in a form inspired by early Christian/Catholic triptych art: a threefold form that tells a unified story.
Image inspiration: God, unveiled, in our deepest rituals and traditions as well as in the simplicity of light moving across stones and trees.