From the Bible:

Psalm 91

Psalm 91 (New International Version)

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [a]

2 I will say [b] of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.


16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

Footnotes:

Psalm 91:1 Hebrew Shaddai
Psalm 91:2 Or He says 


From Swedenborg:

But such are not intelligent but insane in spiritual things, because they do not will good but evil, consequently they are averse to knowing and understanding truths, for truths favor good and oppose evil. From all this it is clear that the first step in the new birth is a reception of truths by the understanding, and the second is the will to act in accordance with truths, and finally to practice them. No one, however, can be said to be reformed by mere knowledges of truth; for man is able to acquire these and to talk about, teach, and preach them through his ability to elevate his understanding, above the love of his will. But he is a reformed man who has an affection for truth for the sake of truth; for this affection conjoins itself with the will, and if it goes on it conjoins the will to the understanding, and then regeneration begins. But how regeneration afterward advances and is perfected, will be told in what follows.
True Christian Religion, #589

Additional Reading:

We are constantly being given opportunities to re-awaken; that is to remember who we are – divine children of God. Teresa  [of Avila] reminds us that this awakening occurs throughout our lifetimes and is not a once or twice only opportunity; rather, it occurs every day in our lives. 

Megan Don, Falling Into the Arms of God:  Meditations with Teresa of Avila.  page 17.



 

MESSAGE

Spiritual Insanity
 

Teresa reminds us that this awakening occurs throughout our lifetimes and is not a once or twice only opportunity; rather, it occurs every day in our lives.

What a profound concept – that we re-awaken spiritually every day; every moment.

In our linear society, we like to see clear steps taking us ever upwards. Then we can look behind, to see who has not yet reached our level. We can look ahead to see who has made it farther.

Such arrogance we have! We think we know what the steps involve and where we should go next.

Teresa suggests that God may not work that way.  One of the great classics of spiritual literature is Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle, where she shows how God leads us through seven rooms of a mansion until we reach complete union with the Divine. But she warns of the danger of being confident that God take us through room in succession.

Author Megan Don says:
Believing herself incapable of meditation after many attempts, Teresa [temporarily] gave up the practice. She warned against such nonsense and called for perseverance, saying that we need to release any expectation of what we think should happen and rely on God to guide us. There are many rooms in the castle, she reminded us, and we may be taken to any of these rooms at any time –it’s not up to us to decide where we need to go. Our meditations and prayers can take us into places of deep peace, or into longing or pain; unbidden memories may surface, or feelings of lightness and grace may pervade our soul. As we journey toward the center of our being, may we be open to visiting all the rooms of our castle. [p. 45 of Don’s book]


How disorienting to think that God might take us anywhere at any time; instead of up a neat and concise stair case! We often think of the spiritual journey as like the public school system of the U.S. We mostly all start in kindergarten or first grade. We know the exact status of every other student by grade – they are in the 4th grade, or the 8th or the 12th. We get a glance of the curriculum that’s ahead. We’re smug in knowing what the kids behind us will encounter.

Stages and steps ARE important on the spiritual journey. This year we focus on the 6 days of Creation with the 12 steps of AA. Some things have to come before others. God had to create the earth before he could put animals on it. One has to acknowledge their  addiction to alcohol before making amends for the harm it has caused.

But what if there is a Guiding Spirit leading each of us – not necessarily through neat stages, but through mazes and labyrinths and spirals? It’s reassuring to complete a program of study and get a diploma or degree. But God's curriculum isn't tidy with a definitive graduation point.  Teresa reminds us that at any point, God might take your hand and lead you into the 4th grade to review an old lesson that never registered. Or lead you into an advanced college seminar far beyond your ability, but contains people and experiences that you need.

The 2nd step of AA is:  "Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."

Grant Schnarr points out that accepting this step means we admit that we are insane and have been leading a life of spiritual insanity. He says, "Spiritual insanity is knowing what is right, is hearing what is right, but doing the opposite anyway.  In its purest interpretation, spiritual insanity is an aversion to or rejection of the truth.  It is freely choosing to believe and follow something false over what is true."  [p. 18].


The story of Henry is an example of this. [from the movie, Regarding Henry.] Henry was a powerful attorney who made a great deal of money. Yet he had little regard for ethics, or for relationships with others. He got shot in the head in a robbery, when he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Awakening from a coma, he had to learn again the basics of life – how to walk and to talk. In the process, he developed very different values about people and human relationships.  He was no longer powerful and well-to-do.  Yet, he came to see that life as one of insanity.


Pema Chodron, a Buddhist nun, writes:
The journey of awakening happens just at the place where we can't get comfortable. Opening to discomfort is the basis of transmuting our so-called negative feelings. We somehow want to get rid of our uncomfortable feelings either by justifying them or by squelching them, but it turns out that this is like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

According to the teachings of vajrayana, or tantric, Buddhism, our wisdom and our confusion are so interwoven that it doesn't work to just throw things out. By trying to get rid of negativity, by trying to eradicate it, by putting it into a column labeled bad, we are throwing away our wisdom as well, because everything in us is creative energy-particularly our strong emotions. They are filled with life-force.

On the first day of creation, God brought light into a dark world. God separated light from dark; day from night. The journey begins with dawn – when we see light and realize we are in darkness.

Awakening to the Divine also means awakening to our selves, and seeking for a true nature under the veneer of our social mask.

Here is a powerful poem by the Sufi, Rumi.

For years, copying other people, I tried to know myself.
From within, I couldn't decide what to do.
Unable to see, I heard my name being called.
Then I walked outside.

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.
The desire to go back to sleep can be intense.

In this translation, Rumi sounds like an adult child of an alcoholic, or other dysfunctional upbringing.  One can end up trying to copy others rather than finding one's true self.  You have to wake up and walk outside.

We must constantly fight the intense desire to go back to sleep.

Yet we can live with the reassurance that no matter how many times we drfit into sleep, into spiritual insanity; we are invited to awaken each moment of our lives.

John Newton wrote the words to Amazing Grace between 1760 and 1770.  For years, he had been captain of a slave ship.  He had a dramatic awakening during a turbulent storm.  He wrote amazing grace in celebration of God's transformation.  He became a pastor, and influenced many people -- including William Wilberforce who was a leader in Britain for the abolishment of slavery.

Stay awake, and rejoice in the return to sanity available to us every moment.