Tag Archive for: spirituality

Cheryl's Blog

What if we’ve had it backwards all along?

/in /by

I’m a passionate lifelong learner. I swear I came out of the womb with my nose in a book, and in my wisdom years, I find that this desire has only grown stronger.

Lately, I’ve been enjoying a deeper dive into science and the emerging work on the nature of consciousness within the scientific community. Right now, I’m reading a book by Federico Faggin, an Italian-American physicist called Irreducible: Consciousness, Life, Computers, and Human Nature.

Traditional science focuses on matter first, then the brain, then consciousness. Faggin’s theory challenges this view. After having had a profound spiritual experience, Faggin speculates that life is created from consciousness first, with the mind, and then matter following.

At the core of Faggin’s work is the belief that consciousness is love. Not in a touchy-feely, soft-skill sort of way, but as a powerful creative force from which everything is born and sustained. Love is a fundamental property or expression of consciousness; it’s what we’re made of and what connects us. When we are truly present to love, we experience the unified field of consciousness.

This week I had an experience of this. I woke up one morning feeling uninspired and blah, so I decided to get outside and run a few errands. I arrived at the pet store and noticed my friend Kimmie’s car in the parking lot. I hadn’t seen her in a while and was happy to have a chance to say hello.

Kimmie is like a sunflower. She beams with an electric exuberance that’s contagious. She cooks a meal and radiates joy. She tells a story and shines with delight. On this day, when I called her name in the dog treat aisle, she turned around and greeted me with a 500-watt smile. As we hugged and caught up, I felt wrapped in a delicious mix of warmth, aliveness, and yes, love.

I left the store transformed – happy, open-hearted, and grateful, and this feeling stayed with me. While shopping for groceries, I smiled at people. I chatted with clerks and helped a woman with her bags. I seemed to move within an atmosphere of love that connected me with everyone I encountered.

This is what Federico is talking about, I thought to myself as I drove home. This state, this energy, is us. It’s our natural operating system, but we forget. The experience of love doesn’t have to be a random event; it’s a practice of presence and remembering.

Later that day, as I thought about what happened, I had a vision of a vast web of electrical currents connecting every human being on the planet. Each time someone became present to the frequency of love (field of consciousness), the entire grid grew more loving, vibrant, and strong.

This is what you need to focus on, I told myself. Figure out how to stay connected to the web.

This morning, while standing on my back deck watching a Monarch butterfly drift through the yard, I spotted an eight-point buck in the field behind our home. He looked up when I said hello, and we stared at each other for several minutes. He was majestic, jaw-dropping, an unexpected blessing. Once again, love flooded my body. You’re strengthening the field, I told myself as I did my best to stay present to the experience. Everything you, humanity, and the planet need is right here in this web, this field of consciousness. You just have to keep returning to love.

I hope this makes sense. It’s an experience that’s hard to put into words and one I’m continuing to explore.

Let’s enjoy the web together this week during a Zoom gathering on Wednesday, July 29th at 3pm ET/12pm PT. Bring your thoughts on consciousness, the wisdom years, or questions about prior Zoom gatherings (including the Enneagram!). We’ll have a chance to connect without an agenda. You’ll get an invite if you’ve joined us before. If not, you can sign up here.

Love,

Cheryl

 

Photo by Shannon Potter on Unsplash
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Cheryl's Blog

A blessing I didn’t see coming

/in /by

Happy Easter to you and yours. I’m taking the day off and thought I’d share a blog I wrote years ago.

~*~

This morning I went to church for the first time in years. I’d been thinking about going to celebrate Easter and a last-minute invitation from a friend sealed the deal.

Raised Catholic, I spent every Sunday morning at church with my family. We’d file in, one by one, all nine of us, and settle into the first pew at the front of the altar so we could watch the priest close up as he led Mass.

Today, sitting a little further back, as I stared at the coffered ceilings, the stained-glass windows, and the mighty arches overhead, I was transported back in time. My body knew the rituals by heart – stand, sit, kneel, stand. My lips remembered every prayer. My heart stirred as I listened to the thundering organ and the familiar hymns sung in unison by the congregation.

When we sat for the sermon, I stared at a young girl – maybe ten years old – sitting in a pew in front of me. She had long dark hair and wore a pale pink dress with a matching ribbon tied in a bow around her ponytail. Wiggling back and forth, doing her best to sit still, I smiled as I remembered my own restlessness as a kid in church, constrained by the fear of getting “the look” from one of my parents.

Watching this child, I felt emotion well up inside me. I quickly lowered my head and squeezed my eyes shut to keep tears from falling, unsure of what triggered this reaction. I took a slow, deep breath and became present to the experience.

This is where my spiritual life was born, I thought to myself, the place that introduced me to the sacred dimension of life, to the power of presence, and to an intimate relationship with God. The rituals of Catholicism assembled the spiritual backbone that, to this day, supports my life and work.

The church may also be where my love affair with beauty began.

As I sat quietly in the pew, head bent in silence, I thought about how I used to complain about going to church all the time as a kid, and now here I was, filled with gratitude for the commitment my parents made to instill in me a reverence for the sacred despite my resistance.

Though my spiritual life has expanded to include the rituals and teachings of many faiths, and I visit church less often, it felt good to be back. At the end of Mass, something beautiful happened to add to the experience. As I left the church, the priest who led the service smiled as I walked by. When my friend stopped to introduce us, he threw his arms around me before she barely had a chance to say a word.

Hugging me tight, he recited a blessing into my ear, asking God to fill me with love, to protect me, and to give me what I needed to continue making my way in the world. I returned his embrace, a little stunned by his warmth and informality.

Then, when he finished, he stepped back, looked me in the eye, and started laughing.

“You get it, right?” he said to me.

I started laughing, too.

Yes, I get it, I replied, without a second thought. My head unsure, but my heart and soul fully on board with his message. Despite my absence, I was still carried through life by the love of a Presence greater than myself. A love that will always guide and protect me. A love I can count on.

I smiled at the priest and thanked him for his beautiful Easter blessing.

May you feel this love, too, and a connection to the Presence in whatever form serves you best. Happy Easter!

Love,
Cheryl

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