I received my first comment on this blog. It came face to face. My article was described as "bogus" and "offensive". Well ... I get the point. Maybe I should at least have given the history.
It was on a drive from here in Woodbury down to Mystic for a day at the aquarium with Debbie and Carl and Jack and Jen and their kids. My lovely wife Robin, myself, and our friend Susie were in the van together, and I offered up the word "geocosmystic" as an apt title for the kind of spirituality that was being expressed among the folks we'd been connecting with. Robin and Susie liked the word. They shared it with Deb and Carl, and they really liked it. It seemed to fit with their shared interest (if not devotion to) celtic, native american, wiccan and pagan traditions, linked with fascination (if not devotion to) channeled wisdom from extra-terrestrial sources. Earth based + inter-galactic sources of inspiration, merged with deep trust in intuitive, revelatory sources of information = geocosmystic.
I get into trouble when I bring my "Christian minister" persona into the room and try to join the geocosmystic circle. And I should know better, I guess. If I mention that I love Jesus and the Bible, that makes me suspect. Christian ministers, as we all know, are charged with damning to hell anyone who thinks God isn't just what Christian ministers preach God to be. So, of course, we should be suspect. I want it to be known, however, that this Christian minister won't be ostracized by anyone's stereotyping. I'm more passionate about the wellfare of the planet, more heart-open to the wisdom of supernovas and quarks. and more hungry for fresh consciousness than the average Bible thumper. I humbly request that I be welcomed within the circle of geocosmysticism
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Bob, Thank you for clarifing the history of Geocosmysticism. I am an open minded and inclusionary being. I have ideas and beliefs that INCLUDE Christianity
ReplyDelete(definately not exclusively) and I am reluctant to BASE my Geocosmystism on any specific religion. This is what made the term "Geocosmystic" so very appealing to me. The first sentence in your blog describe how you define YOUR spirituality. This is a reflection of what myself and others have shared with you. I respect your Christian Ministry, and I think you respect my Paganism. I want to keep clear and appropriate moving forward...and onward.
Robin, you're welcome. I don't know what to make of the rest of this. Are you saying that for you to feel OK with my identifying as a geocosmystic, you want acknowledgement from me that you and your Pagan community were geocosmystics first?
ReplyDeleteand again, religion creates unnecessary arguments. why label ourselves? why seek approval? why let religion/labels define you? you try to sway from organized religion, when the result is just a smaller version. why argue over who was "geocosmystic" first? first of all, it's a made up term, second of all.. are you serious? i don't want to shit on a term that you apparently take great pride in, but jesus christ! (haha. get it?)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, paperwings. I agree that religious labels quickly become arenas for arguments, and when that happens, I'd prefer to let the labels go. God help me, I'm not interested in organizing a church (or cult) of GeoCosMysticism! To my mind, so much religious (and other) language becomes meaningless over time, and needs refreshment frequently. If I'm a genuine "geocosmystic", part of my mission is to "hold lightly the structures", including the language and especially the labels!
ReplyDeleteMy own beliefs are loosely formed, and are more agnostic than anything else. I love Bill Maher's statement, "I belong to the Church of 'I Don't Know'". I do say this; any system of religious dogma that says, "my way or the highway" has me heading for the open road on a fast bike.
ReplyDeleteAny person, group or government that uses any religion to justify its wars and violence and crimes should be taken down by the rest of the world. If the religion itself actually preaches such violence against "non-believers", then it too should be gone from the world. ... Read More
When I read the modern religions, and then look back at what we think of commonly as mythology, I wonder, "what's the difference?"
Hey GeoBro, I know exactly what you're talking about...been there...am there...a closet Christian driven from the ranks by the very doctrines and dogmas that are supposed to welcome me/us/everybody...BUT that doesn't detract from the wonder and joy of finding "GOD" (sic) in other languages, cultures, music, liturgy, et al...
ReplyDeleteRemember the story of the blind folks and the elephant...
Theo is anything but logical(by our definitions)...
Am digesting Matthew Fox's "One River, Many Wells" one sip at a time..should-be reading for anyone/everyone delving into GeoCosMysticism.
Have at it
Carl
Buddha said we are well served to cultivate a "beginner's mind" (thank you, Robin), which might be thought of in the same way as agnosticism. I have invested grand efforts in shaping the contours of my mind, as though sculpting a marble masterpiece. In fact, I was building sand castles on the floor of the ocean. When I began to wake up and shift attention away from ego-based endeavors, I noticed the world was a vastly more wondrous place, rich with moment to moment experiences that require nothing of me but to witness and delight in them. I still tend to superimpose my dense structures of meaning on them, but then I'm better able to smile at my foolishness.
ReplyDeleteWestern religion almost by definition has, like much of western culture, been characterized by a determination to vanquish whatever stands in the way of its hegemony. Sadly, the institutional church continues to pretend that it has not been (or continue to be) complicit in breeding a culture of violence, sowing anti-Earth, anti-life, and anti-evolutionary sentiment. I'm on my fast horse away from that stuff, too.
Most religions are certainly rooted in grand myths. These myths begin as stories, intended to pass along meaning from generation to generation. Seems at some point, somebody decides that these stories are literal descriptions of reality, comprehensive metaphysical maps of how the world works. Hence the continued nonsense about heaven and hell as destinations for dead folks.
First of all, Geocosmystic, Welcome. Welcome in to our Geocosmystic circle, which encompasses more than any of us know.
ReplyDeleteDo we not all come from the earth (geo)and the stars (cosmic)? Do we not all understand our deep connection intuitively (mystic) to both? Being a Geocosmystic is not just a "belief" system, certainly it is NOT a religion, but a way of Life. It is a Joy that runs through your body as you rejoice in that connection with all of Life. That is why it speaks strongly to out Pagan roots as Earth Keepers. It is something that we do every moment of every day, in deep gratitude for the gifts we have been given, and for the magic in our lives. In honoring all our teachers and lessons, no matter how uncomfortable or surprising they might be, in honoring and caring for the Earth who has so patiently nurtured us through the millenium, we come to an innate understanding that no matter what we might call ourselves, we are all connected, and we must all be responsible for the health of that connection. How we lean our preferences of belief is an individual right(and is to be honored as well). Our goal is the same, and that is where we come together as Geocosmystics. To be the be examples of Peace, Love, Compassion, Service and Community. To live in Joy, supporting each other unconditionally, with integrity and clear communication. This is neither bogus or offensive. We understand that we have impact and that we create through each choice that we make. We honor those with other beliefs, understanding that this is their choice, their path.
And so it is....Geocosmystics. Just another name for something older than time. A great name and pleasing to the ear, I might add.
So Geocomystic....you fit in quite well....Welcome!