Midweek Faith Lift
December 1, 2021
“Sit Down and Look Around! What??”
Rev. Deb Hill-Davis
Daily Reflection
November 23, 2021
“The soul has been given ears to hear things that mind does not understand.” – Rumi
Affirmative prayer: Infinite Spirit, today I practice lowly listening, placing my heart and mind in a divine current of power, love, and wisdom. My understanding is inborn, and I am open and available to be rejuvenated, inspired, and guided. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.
We are at the 6th Condition of a Miracle, having explored emptiness, alignment with the Divine, the process of asking, the energy of maximizing, and last week the energy of giving. Now we explore what it means to be grounded. Sometimes we confuse being grounded with being insulated. Imagine yourself in the basement, standing on a wooden stool, wearing thick rubber boots, and sticking your finger in a light socket. It is not likely that you would feel a jolt of electricity go through your body because you are so well insulated, right? The insulation stops the flow of the current because it has nowhere to go. Now imagine if you stood on the damp, bare concrete floor in your bare feet and did the same thing! Quite a jolt you would feel, right?!? This time you are grounded, so the energy flows through you.
That is how the physical power and flow of electrical energy works and feels. If we understand the physical process and the conditions necessary for the flow of electricity, then we can also understand more clearly how the metaphysical power of spiritual energy flows. What are the conditions for miracle-making spiritual energy to flow through us? Well, just like the electricity, we have to be spiritually grounded. And that is the very next line in the Scriptural story about the Loaves and the Fishes: it is about being grounded. What is it that happens next?
We are to the point in the story where the disciples have brought the 5 loaves and two fish to Jesus. What happens next is at face value kind of strange because why is this necessary? In the scriptural passage, Matthew 14: 19 “And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass.” It also is part of the second story in Scripture about Jesus feeding the multitudes. Jesus directs them, and 5000 people all sit! Well, there is a reason for this “grounding” process because as Dr. Todd Michael notes on p. 97-98 of Twelve Conditions of a Miracle,
The miracle worker (Jesus) knew that the requisite degree of energy could only flow out of him and through the hungry people if they were properly grounded. Throughout nature, flow goes to the lowest point. Water flows to the lowest point in a watershed….Air masses flow from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure….Heat flows from areas of high temperature to low temperature….Grounding is the act of connecting a high point to a low point so that a process of flow can take place.
We use grounding to increase the flow of any kind of energy and it is an essential part of connecting with miracle-working energy. We have to be grounded for the spiritual energy to flow through us, we cannot be insulated or nothing flows! It is also true that the energy of the Universe will not just flow to us unless we position ourselves to receive it, kind of like a radio has to tune to the correct frequency to broadcast the signal. The act of grounding is to intentionally position ourselves to receive all the energy we need from Source.
We have asked, which is Condition Three; now we are at Condition Six, which is actively working to prepare and position ourselves to receive the energy needed for a miracle, a condition of grounding, or connecting the high point to a low point. It is critical to recognize what it looks like to be at that “low point” whereby we lie down on the grass. On reflection, I will say that in my personal history, it has been when I have been at an incredibly low point in my life that I have been able to open to Spirit and receive a continuous stream of divine energy, healing energy, creative ideas and all the resources which I needed to take every action, every step I needed to take. I continually prayed to be open and receptive to my highest good, not even knowing how that would look. It was a journey of complete faith!
We have another powerful example this Sunday of the faith needed to connect a high point to a low point in the story of how Mary, the mother of Jesus received the news that she was going to have a baby, she was to call him Jesus, and he would be a savior of all the people. The angel, Gabriel, a messenger from God appears to her to give her this news. It doesn’t say exactly what she did, but my hunch is that when she heard the news, she had to sit down, look around and just be with it. It is truly astonishing that when she hears this news, she does say, how can this be? I am a virgin, betrothed to be married, but not yet married! What in God’s name will happen to me now? And then, she listens to what the Angel tells her about how this will happen and her response at the end is reported in Luke 1:38 reads as this:
38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
That is what it sounds like to be connected from a place of pure humility to a higher source!
Now many of us have stories of “hitting bottom” whereby we, like Mary, are literally grounded and open to grace, the flow of God energy of the Universe. That is the whole premise of all 12-step groups! The real question is how do we stay grounded so that we don’t wait for the next catastrophic event to bring us to our knees again. I think it is possible and so does Dr. Todd Michael. He says, on p. 99 that “You will ground yourself by waking up in the present moment, by seeing a positive outcome, and by trusting.” He also notes that the Greek words for “sit down on the grass” do not literally translate to that. It is a strange word to use when speaking to people in the arid climate of the Middle East.
The Greek word for “grass” is chortou, which actually means garden. This metaphysically takes us back to the Garden of Eden, which is a state of innocence, a state where human self-consciousness was not an issue. In that Garden state of innocence, we are able, as children, to just “sit down and look around and see what is there!” It is a state of anticipation where we can be enchanted and open and receptive to our highest good without attaching a lot of questions, fears, shame, and guilt. It is in this open, grounded, innocent state that we are powerful channels to attract our highest and best good. We are grounded and open to the full flow of good!
Now, remember the image we had at the beginning, of wearing thick rubber boots and standing on a wooden stool so that we were well insulated against the flow of electricity? So what do we use to insulate us from the flow of our good, the miracle-making energy of the Universe, of Spirit? What gets us “out of position?” Well, our good can only flow to us in this now moment. When getting caught up in worry, in fear, or anxiety we are focusing on the future, aren’t we? What if the delivery is late and what I ordered for my spouse for Christmas doesn’t arrive? What if they don’t accept my credit card? What if it is the wrong color, size, kind…..worry takes us right out of the flow of our good, doesn’t it! What an insulator! Never thought of worry or fear as insulation against receiving my highest good, but it really is!
We can also get “out of position” when we get caught up in the past, the energy of shame and guilt. As long as we are distracted by blame, whether we are blaming ourselves or someone else, we are caught in the past and we miss out on the good that is here right now! When we are paralyzed by shame, we are tied to the experience and events that keep us there, regardless of how or what happened. Shame, guilt, and blame are very effective insulators blocking the flow of our good!
So what is the antidote to all these “insulators?” Sit on the grass, sit down, look around you and truly see what is there in this now moment. Look with eyes of appreciation and wonder, much like a young child on Christmas morning. When the insulators of past and future attempt to grab your attention, take a moment, breathe, and actively remind yourself where you are right now, in this moment. What happened in the past is over; it is no longer happening in this now moment. Yes, it mattered, but it is not what is present now. So to be in the now, go literally sit on the grass outside and feel your backside anchored to the earth. Take off your shoes and feel the ground on your feet, if only for a moment. And make a practice of doing this regularly!
We most often live in our heads, so practice being in the present moment, FULLY IN YOUR BODY. The whole point of meditation is to take us out of our head and into the body! Yoga, Tai Chi, and other mindful physical activities take you into your body, so when you get there, notice how it feels, because that is how it is to be truly grounded. And when you are there, state clearly, out loud, “I am open and receptive to my highest good! I am a channel of the whole power of the Universe to flow in and through me!” When we are in this state of Being-ness, we are in the grounded place, a “lowly” place where the full power and Presence of Spirit can be made present to us.
While our minds and emotions are very powerful, they can also serve as powerful insulators, blocking the full flow of our good. The direction from Jesus was to sit down in the grass, look around and see what delights you! Don’t do, just be and open your mind, body, heart, and soul to receive your highest and best good! And then just enjoy the surprises Spirit has in store for you! It is as Rumi said: “The soul has been given ears to hear things the mind does not understand!” Listen, lean in, and rejoice!
Blessings on the Path,
Rev. Deb