Conspiracy

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.  (John 1:1-2)

Not "a" beginning, "the" beginning. No multiple beginnings. Only one beginning. What existed before the beginning? Ex-ist means to come out of. What did the beginning come out of? We have no words. If we do, they are not enough.

The Word began at the beginning. Word: an exhalation of creative energy. Ex-hale. Hale: healthy, as in hale and hearty. Exhalation: breathing out hearty healthiness. At the beginning, there was a breathing out of healing heart. 

"The Word was with God and the Word was God." The Word and God were both separate and the same. What/Who is God? God is That which was in the beginning. We do not know God's history. There was no history. We can make up history (and we do). But God has no history. 

What we know is that the Word, God, and the beginning co-occur, are simultaneously present. Trinity is here and yet is one outbreathing. A conspiracy (con-spire: to breathe together) to create. A conspiracy of creation.

That Plow Thing

Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand on the plow and looks back is fit for God’s kingdom.” Luke 9:62

This verse has been coming to me as I take stock of my life and see my various failings and shortcomings. I suppose the darkening of winter and the move toward a new year has helped prompt this semi-melancholia.

The more aware part of me knew that to get entangled with those images and feelings is fruitless except for a resolve to do better. What is done is done.

This saying of Jesus kept bopping me on my head. Looking back makes me unfit, makes us unfit. We become weakened spiritually. We stare into the abyss of our failures and spiral down into a blob of depression.

"Hey!" Jesus says. "You have your hand on the plow here! Snap out of it!"

We wake up and see that we are beginning to create another failure (through our plow wobbling) for some future depressive episode. We put our full attention on this present moment and our plowing forward. We become fit again. Here we go!

What is God's kingdom? Why this, of course! This! This ever unfolding moment. This eternal ever-changing Now. This breathing out and breathing in. This facing forward into the openness and opening of new adventure.

So I laugh. Simple enough. The old Be Here Now thing that has been said so many different ways.

I thank you, Mister Jesus, for saying this and, Higher Consciousness, for repeatedly bringing it to my attention as I was making myself unfit.

On the road again!