Stolen or Lost

As often happens, I'm jumping off from something someone said who may actually read this.  If that's you, or you know who it is, please note that I am being careful to divorce the statement from the person.  As I've stated before, I'm dealing with ideas in this blog, which are the things the internet is made of, and not attacking people.  Truthfully, the statement is nothing more than a point of departure that got me thinking.  So I'm thankful for that and move on in the spirit of healthy salonic discussion and the "you" I address below is not that person, but a strawman I've set up for express purposes of tearing down. (that's actually what 'strawman' means, though people rarely use it correctly.)

So what is this now much anticipated statement?  That God wants his church back.  Yeah, that's it.  If you're let down, you obviously don't read this blog much.  At first, my reaction was "Who took it?"  Who could take it?  Is That-Than-Which-Nothing-Greater-Can-Be-Conceived so easily thwarted that anything which is His could be taken, stolen, or lost?

Now, of course, I get the statement.  I know how it was intended: as a clever way to describe a truth.  So no big deal.  But it lingered.  So as I pondered why, I came to see this as a symptom of the very kind of thinking which has led to the problem being addressed in the first place.  That problem is a lack of true relationship, true following of God's Reality.  See, I know several people right now who are on this journey away from the institutionalized church.  They call it different names, but this has been a grand revelation for them.  I'm happy for them and supportive.  I really am, because I am quite frankly tired of being out here in the woods by myself...both metaphorically and physically.  But more importantly, as one who came through this path myself, I get it.  I know the jaw dropping joy and boundless, sometimes sickening freedom of it.  Come on and catch up so we can move on together!  I hope these thoughts help.

But it's important to recognize that this is not a new thing.  It's not a "move of God."  Honestly, you gotta drop that kind of vocabulary altogether, bro.  God doesn't move like that.  Isn't that what you're waking up to?  His work hasn't been constrained to the various human institutions that come and go.  Sure he's moved through them, but not because of any thing they were.  Not because of anything they 'got right'.  To say so is just a deeper layer of the Pharisaical doctrines that Jesus was so against.  They'd taken the truth and twisted it to their own purposes.  Blind guides.

No God only moves one way.  It's the same way he always moves.  It's the way that Jesus came to show us, and the reason so few in his generation got it.  What were they expecting?  A hero.  A Warrior King.  A Righteous Ruler to wield true Divine Authority and set right all that was wrong.  They got this from their scriptures, just like we get our fallacies.

But what was Jesus?  Not that!  He said over and over, the Kingdom of God is not what men think.  It's within.  It's spiritual.  It's unseen.  He didn't overthrow society, he stepped out of it while staying right in it.  He crossed planes and walked right by those who thought they had it figured out.  The ruler who failed; that's him on the surface.  Just another radical who died.

You see where I'm going with this?  But what he did was change people on the inside.  He made them different.  He healed what was broken at the deepest levels.  I'll say it again, God only moves one way.  And that way is the way he's always moved: in the hearts of each individual person.  In those deep places where our own internal eye can barely see.  That's where he does his work.

Everything that occurs on the physical level is just a manifestation of this change.  A projection of a mutlidimensional existence into 3 dimensions.  It all comes from that.  On our own, we can't keep from getting the cart first.

So, remember that while this may be new to you, and the greatest thing ever.  It is...to you.  But you aren't the first, not even the early generation, man.  We had these same 'movements' in the mid '90's.  Right down to the house churches and all, bro.  I'm not saying their bad.  Walk your walk out.  You can't be expected anywhere on the path but where you are.  But realize things are just well in God's Kingdom.  They've never been shaken by winds of change in the world.  No one can take God's church, man.  He can't lose it either.  What was lost is us.  What's coming back is you.  What he's changing is your mind, not the world.  you thought you knew how it worked, but you've learned better now.

Read more old books.  Rome had it.  18th century France had it.  19th century England had it.  Early 20th century Europe had it.  Same abuses, same institutions painted in the fashions of the day.  And the same people realizing what's real and what isn't.  The same people awakening to what you are feeling now.

I know it's tough to shed old habits, and you'll probably get it wrong for many more years.  I'm just a little further down the path myself, so I'll be a different person soon too.  But one thing I can see from my view of the bend that you haven't gotten to yet is the lack of the preachy interaction.  Man, everything you learn isn't a revelation for everyone else.  Heed it.  Share it for sure.  But know, you aren't always gonna be at the head of the charge.  In truth, you never really were.  You just thought so, bro.

Now, jog on up here and let's go further up and further in together!

Capitalized

Our minds are not as secure as we like to think.  No...I will phrase that personally since I don't know anything about anyone else's mind.  My mind is not as secure as I like to think.  It doesn't help to live with someone who has an uncanny and reproducible ESP.  But that isn't what I mean either.

I mean the ability for Satan (yes I wrote it finally) to use my mind against me.  I'm sure there is a deep sanctuary somewhere that no but me and God have access to...perhaps a place even I don't have access to.  But then there are the surface activities of my mind which are only slightly less public than spoken words.  These are the thoughts that are available to ESPers and other beings with the appropriate senses to perceive them.

But this is a given for me.  What brought me to this blog entry is the recent occurrence of very good objects of my thoughts being capitalized upon to make me miserable.  Of course I could just be doing this to myself, but there is no way to tell the difference so it really doesn't matter.  The fact is things which I care about are easy prey for my fears.  It doesn't take much to turn a beautiful thing into a misery of anxiety.  I have been facing this all week.

I am hoping to stop it now.  Just by recognizing it for what it is and refusing to be victim to it, I can gain ground.  I also have to focus on what is true and what is outside of my mind.  Inside is a terrible mine field of shifting unrealities.  I must focus on that which is not me.  That which exists whether I will it, know it, or understand it.

This is a great value in the structure of Christianity.  So many other religions focus inward.  But I know God as other, as beyond.  His most vivid revelation of himself was not in me, but in the physical world.  If it was in me, how could I be sure it was real?  No, I will recount facts and will trust in Him who is not me, who is other than me, yet permeates me as well.  I need to hear the voice of the real to see things as they are and to trust Him for what I can't see.  The alternative is to forever have my joys and victories usurped and capitalized upon for my undoing.

No more.

Pollenation

Well in the pollen aftermath, I learned a couple of things. I think they fit into the unmodify method quite well. But I still need to have the originator explain it to me better to be sure. Verdict is still out on that one. What I did learn is that we often need simple crutches to get us over those humps of will and belief. Or rather, belief and will go hand in hand so that I must believe something for it to be true, but can't just will myself to believe it. So sometimes we need crutches...but that's such a dirty word...points of faith, let's say, to get us over those humps.

For example, I know from experience that pollen bothers me. I can accept the possibilities that it doesn't have to, that it is harmless, and that I could somehow outgrow the allergy. But my experience has been so the other way, that subconsciously and consciously, I can't just stop thinking that it will affect me...so it usually does. Maybe it would anyway, but I inadvertently close the door on other possibility...it's a fine shade of difference. But when I have something that overrides the very latent worry about the pollen, the affect of the pollen goes down...not away, but down, and medicines even work better in lower dosages.

Further, if I find something that I do believe may help, and do not do it, the concern that that thing might have helped makes the condition worse. But if I give in to that help and accept it, the condition improves. So, say, if I think I have developed a sinus infection as a secondary effect of the allergy, but do not act on it because I am not sure, the doubt/worry makes the condition worse. But if I go ahead and take steps to relieve the sinus issue or confirm that it is not an issue in this case, the symptoms improve even before treatment has had time to work.

I think this further proves the mind-body connection and is more in line with the unmodify method of health management. It truly is an experience-based thing, and not wishful thinking...at least as I understand it.

I'm not out of the woods on it yet, but the trail is becoming clearer and I am starting to feel as if I might suddenly push out into one of those clearings where I will find others who came in by different bushwhacks already enjoying the sun of this enlightenment, just as happened with Parkour.

Parkour

I had mentioned this in an earlier post, just offhand. But I thought it noteworthy that at that time, I actually did start practicing Parkour. I researched it fully, like most things, to see what I was getting into and found that it was a whole world, so much more appropriate for me than I thought. I am constantly amazed when I feel that I am pressing through the dense jungle and finally break out into a clearing, only to find, it is inhabited by man other wanderers who came in by their own paths. I had tried martial arts. I had been intrigued by the whole-being aspect, particularly, aikido. But I was put off by the phony pomp and order. Why do I need those floppy black pants? Sweats work just as well, and when will I ever walk around in hakama anyway? Better to train as I will live! and the master-student paradigm put me off. There are many bad masters. Finally, was the cost. Granted, people need to make a living, but I feel these things should be accessible. So many schools are so costly! But in Parkour, I have found all the aspects I craved without the negatives. And even a few new aspects that fit me so well.

So what is Parkour? I get that all the time when I mention it to people. And I am far from expert. But this is what I have discovered. It was started about 20 years ago by David Belle in France. It takes the principles of the Natural Method of physical training and Hebertism, which use natural human movements to create a lithe physicality similar to what develops in native tribal people. You might have seen this physical training style in military commando training, obstacle courses, etc.

Parkour uses these principles of physical training, combined with a philosophy of freedom, (freedom of movement, expression, of thought) to create a discipline that functions very much like a martial art. In keeping with its philosophy and hiphop/punk roots, there are no masters, there are no ranks. It requires no equipment...in fact the less the better, some even shed shoes. It is an individual discipline, though people often practice in groups. The discipline was further refined when it started gaining popularity. As with any new sport, styles began to diverge as people put their own emphasis and spin on it. Soon merchandising became involved and there was talk of officializing the sport, much like skateboarding and snowboarding. That was when David Belle and other practitioners made a conscious distinction between Parkour and other schools, now known as Free-running, L'art du Deplacement, and others.

Parkour is about efficient movement. Traceurs, as practitioners are called, focus on moving efficiently, so as to gain ground toward or away from someone. They strive for personal improvement and freedom. Strive to overcome obstacles in every area of their life. And they must use their skills to aid others by helping to train others or by using them in real rescue situations. There are no formal schools. There are no leagues. There are no official anythings. We learn from each other, using the internet and personal contact. It is a whole-being discipline. There's nothing wrong with doing tricks and acrobatics. They can be incorporated into someone's style, but they are not Parkour.

Experientially, I have found this gruelling. My body has changed and muscles have begun developing in places that I didn't know they could. The workouts are not formalized. It's more like playing. A lot of it is about conquering my own mind, my own inhibitions. Everywhere becomes an opportunity for training. Best of all, I love the flow. I love the freedom of moving and feeling my mind focus in crystal clarity as my muscles work in precision. I love being able to find myself hitting a ten foot ceiling when I jump, running up and over a 10 foot wall, climbing a rope that seemed insurmountable. Even traversing a 10 foot high beam!

I have largely been in the conditioning phases so far. I mean that I physically couldn't do many of the required movements. But now I am slowly starting to discover the flow, the combinations. I'm not leaping across buildings and scaling rock faces, but this is a personal progression. One can start where one is and move forward.

Parkour has struck many chords in me and I feel that I have found a discipline that I will pursue all my life. Who knew that while I was dreaming of Tarzan and unable to abide unnecessary rules and orders, hating the money-making machine that absorbs and runs everything, loving wild raucous music, and studying natural philosophy, that there were others moving toward that same place. I am a Traceur, even if only an infant.