Stewardship: Part 2 of 3

This is the 2nd of 3 Discourses on Stewardship.  Part 1 was a brief attempt to Inform the Public.  Part 2 discusses The Spiritual Aspects of Stewardship, and Part 3 will provide some action steps we can take to be better Earth Stewards.

Part 2: The Spiritual Aspects of Stewardship

The Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh was asked
what we need to do to save our world.
“What we most need to do,” he replied,
“is to hear within us the sound of the earth crying.”

Around the world, leaders of the great religious/spiritual traditions respect and care for Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.  These spiritual leaders have been taught that, despite diversity in teachings and traditions, it IS our spiritual duty to care for Mother Earth and all her inhabitants. 

The Scriptures very clearly state our human responsibility to the Creator/God for the care of Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.  Over and over throughout the bible, starting at the beginning of Genesis through the end of Revelation, mandates regarding our role and responsibility as Earth Stewards are clear.

Despite the clearness of these scriptures, Earth-based spirituality was banned by the early Christian Church in Rome.  As a result, many modern-day Christian and Jewish spiritual leaders have not heard or read this teaching; just as often, those that have heard or read it, have dismissed and/or forgotten the teaching.

“… the ox knows his duty, but humans have forgotten their Lord.” Isaiah 1:3

The Bible tells us that Mother Earth was created with humans in mind. We were created from the dust of the earth. 

”The first man is out of the earth and made of dust …” Corinthians 15:47

“And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul.”  Genesis 2:7

“In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken.  For dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3: 19  

“For he himself well knows the formation of us, remembering that we are dust.”  Psalm 103:14  

“All are going to one place.  They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust.”  Ecclesiastic 3:20

Being but a speck of dust, in the cosmos, at large, connects us to the earth. 

“God . . . did not create it (Mother Earth) simply for nothing [but] formed it even to be inhabited.”  Isaiah 45:18 

The Creator/God endowed Mother Earth with everything that her inhabitants needed, not just to exist, but to joyfully flourish.  Many micro-ecosystems enable life to flourish.  

 Early on in the bible, humans were given stewardship of Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.  To tend and keep the garden is one of the first mandates in the bible regarding the care of Mother Earth and her inhabitants.  

“And Jehovah God proceeded to take the man and settle him in the garden of E′den to cultivate it and to take care of it.” Genesis 2:15

We were also given dominion over creation and charged with stewardship of its bounty.

“Further, God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.” Genesis 1:28

“For every species of wild beast as well as bird and creeping thing and sea creature is to be tamed and has been tamed by humankind.” James 3:7  

All who serve the Creator/God are Earth Stewards.  To tend and take care of Mother Earth and all her inhabitants is a great honor and privilege.  To be entrusted to tend and take care of Mother Earth and all her inhabitants is also a great responsibility. 

 As Earth Stewards for the Creator/God, we are allowed to utilize Mother Earth and her inhabitants.  We are not, however, given a license, or free reign to abuse, rape, ravage, pollute or ruin in any other manner, any part of her or her inhabitants. 

“We … do not destroy the harmony of nature … We care for and nurture our environment, trying to be all-forbearing like Mother Earth.  This gives us union with all existence, all the creatures which live in the world: wild animals, little crawling things, even men.” (San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico)

As a whole, humans are not living up to the spiritual responsibility we were mandated to fulfill.  Rather than cultivating Mother Earth and taking care of her, and all her inhabitants, we abuse and desecrate our environment to such a degree, that sacred substance has all but disappeared. 

The way that we treat Mother Earth and her inhabitants, reflect our individual and collective values.  The second mandate given by the Creator/God, to humans, is to love our neighbors as ourselves. Ignoring and/or neglecting our spiritual responsibility to care for Mother Earth and all her inhabitants, directly contributes to the suffering of our human and non-human brothers and sisters. 

Around the world, more than 50% of all of the problems humans currently face can be directly and/or indirectly linked to environmental issues. Polluted drinking water, genetically modified seeds and food, toxic chemicals via agricultural herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, growth hormones, etc., are all major causes of death and disease. Barren soil and poor crops play a significant role in urbanization, poverty and hunger. The list goes on and on.

When we act as good Earth Stewards, we care about Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.  This includes, but is not limited to:  the trees, the fields, the plants, the air, the rivers and oceans, the hills and mountains, the wild animals, the livestock, the domestic animals, the birds, the fish, the reptiles, the insects, etc.  We recognize that each has an intrinsic value which does not include being a resource/raw material to be exploited for human consumption and/or commerce. 

Mother Earth and her inhabitants exist for all of us, as well as for future generations. We must not destroy it to meet our immediate wants.  We each have a spiritual duty to leave the world in a better state.  When our actions show respect for Mother Earth and all her inhabitants, we are exhibiting love for the Creator/God, which is the first mandate given to us. 

“Let all creation rejoice before the Lord.”  Psalm 96:13 

Let us fulfill the mandates to love the Creator/ God, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to care for Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.

Let us Pray:

The manifestation of each of your children is beautiful and each contributes to your beauty. A clear lake, a green pine, a pink cloud, a snow-capped mountain top, a fragrant forest, a white crane, a golden deer... these miraculous manifestations of life are all your children and each one of them enhances and magnifies your beauty. Your children include millions of species, each with its own language. Since you are our Mother, you understand all these languages, including the languages of humans. You are a planet, Mother of all beings, not just of humans, therefore we feel very at ease every time we talk to you and offer you our prayer. We are all your children, and at the same time, we are you, for you are fully present in each one of us.

There are those of us lacking right thinking, who consider this place on which we live to be separate from the Pure Land. They advise us to reject this land and to aspire to be reborn in a faraway Pure Land. They do not know that if their minds are calm and pure, filled with love, if they have the capacity to transform compost into flowers, to use mud to grow lotuses, then they will see that their afflictions are in fact realizations and that this very land is already the Pure Land. They do not know that their way of perceiving has a lot to do with whether or not this is the Pure Land. Each physical manifestation on your body, such as a floating cloud or a falling leaf is sufficient for us to see the no-birth and no-death, no being and no non-being nature of reality. We then can appreciate and enjoy life fully, without being fearful or worrying about being or non-being, having or not having, increasing or decreasing, being the same or being different.  (Thich Nhat Hanh, Intimate Conversations with Mother Earth: The Earth is Not the Environment—the Earth is Us)

 

So it is, sealed in trust, faith and truth, in the Sacred Divine Light/Jesus. Amen.

Please join us next week as we outline some action steps we can take to be better Earth Stewards.

Please leave comments to this post on our Facebook Page.  Thank You!

The Tetragrammaton

The Creator’s/God’s name appears almost 7,000 times in the original Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament). It appears 8 times, just in the 10 Commandments.

One of the most fundamental and essential features of the biblical revelation is the fact that God is not without a name:  he has a personal name, by which he can, and is to be, invoked.”  (The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology.  Vol. 2. p. 649)

According to Biblical Scripture, the Creator’s/God’s name was used by Adam and Eve, and they knew how to pronounce it.



I have produced a man with the aid of 

 Genesis 4:1






By the time Moses was born, the scriptures imply that no one remembered the Creator’s/God’s Name.  In the original Hebrew Scriptures, the Creator’s/God’s name was given to Moses on Mount Sinai, as being  .   

 (Exodus 3:14).   These 4 letters make up what is called the Tetragrammaton. 

Christians later changed the Tetragrammaton to 

(YHWH) 

And God proceeded to speak all these words, saying:“I am 

 

your God, who have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves. You must not have any other gods against my face.  Exodus 20:1-3

Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM that I AM".  And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, YHWH has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I Am, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you': this is my name for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. When Moses first spoke with God, God said, 'I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai  (El: One of God’s earliest names; Syrian tablets with this name have been traced back to 2300 BC; “I AM”), but I did not make myself known to them by My Name YHWH.  Exodus 3:13-15, 6:3.

The Torah conveyed the proper name of the Creator/God distinctly as YHWH to the Israelites; however, in ancient Judaism, the Tetragrammaton, was considered to be so sacred that it was not permitted to be pronounced aloud, even in prayer, without first receiving special permission. Whenever they saw YHWH in the Torah, they replaced it with the descriptive title:  "Sovereign Lord” or “The Lord" (Adonai or Adho-nai). In more recent history, this belief system has been challenged, and the prohibition of guarding the use of the Creator’s/God’s name has become much more relaxed.

Most modern day translations render the Tetragrammaton  as either YHWH or JHVH.   

The truth is, no one knows for sure how the Creator’s/God’s name is/was originally pronounced.  Although much confusion remains as to the correct English pronunciation, most modern day Bible translators render the pronunciation of  the Creator’s/God’s name as "Yahweh” or “Jehovah.” 

The Church of Yahweh renders the following paraphrased hypothesis:

Originally, Hebrew did not have vowels. Eventually the Hebrews felt it was wise to insert little dots (called vowel points) around the letters to remind the reader of the exact pronunciation. When they came to YHWH in the text, they added the vowel points for Adonai ("Lord") to remind the reader that the Divine Name was not to be pronounced. In the Middle Ages, around 1500, translators misunderstood that the vowel points were for "Adonai", not "Yahweh".  Thus, they combined the letters of YHWH with the vowels of Adonai. The result was "Jehovah" … the etymological fact is that "Jehovah" is a mistranslation based upon a historical misunderstanding.  In our modern Bibles, then, whenever YHWH is found, we usually "translate" it as LORD or Jehovah. Both are wrong, though Jehovah is certainly preferable to LORD.

Jehovah’s Witnesses support this hypothesis. 

When it came to God’s name, instead of putting the proper vowel signs around it, in most cases they put other vowel sounds to remind the reader that he should say ‘Adho-nai’.  From this came the spelling Iehouah, and, eventually, Jehovah became the accepted pronunciation of the divine name in English.  (The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.  The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever. 1984. p. 8)

Does it really matter whether we pronounce the Creator’s/God’s name as Yahweh or Jehovah?  Not at all; if it, the pronunciation, really mattered, the Creator/God certainly would have seen to it that it was preserved by at least one prophet!  The important thing is to know that the Bible does indeed, tell us that the Creator/God has a personal name and we should not only be aware of it, but also use it and share it with others.

Those knowing your name will trust in you … Psalm 9:10

Let your name be sanctified.  Matthew 6:9

I have made your name known to them and will make it known, in order that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in union with them.  John 17:26

So it is, sealed in trust, faith and truth, in the Sacred Divine Light of Jesus.   Amen

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The Lost Art of Discernment: Part 1 of 2

We can not have lasting Unity if we do not Develop Spiritually enough to break through our "egoic" illusions, which are often too painful for many to "see."  With few exceptions, we can not Develop Spiritually enough, if we do not "Consciously" strive to Personally Grow through/from our beliefs/perceptions/experiences/traumas/etc.​

As we Personally Grow, we "let go" of what is no longer beneficial to us .  As we "let go" of our beliefs/perceptions/experiences/traumas/etc., we begin to be grateful for our pain, as we recognize it is a great teacher.  (Of course, we usually do not like it, while we are going through it.).   With this recognition, we can begin to break through our "egoic" illusions and Develop Spiritually …or perhaps it would be more accurate to say Develop Religiously.

Whoa there … Wait a Minute … Hold On … Develop Religiously?  Why would we want to do that?  Afterall, religion is tragically and shamefully responsible for a lot of pain and suffering … Isn’t it?

The answer to that question is NO … It is Religions themselves (note the plurals here), that are tragically and shamefully responsible for a lot of pain and suffering in the world.  As we learned last week, mainstream religion assists the (D)evil by functioning as the wild beast. (FMI: please refer to last week’s post: “Where are YOU Marked?”)

“Religions are an organized collection of belief systems, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values.”  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion)

Religion itself (note the singular here), has nothing to do with religions (plural).  Religion is simply man's way of having a conscious relationship with the Creator/God, as opposed to the Creator/God having a relationship with us (which is Spirituality).

“Religion is man relating to God and doing so in his terms of reference.  Spirituality is God reaching out to man in love and man responding.”   Kenneth Meyers, Berea Teologiese Kollege

So how do we learn to develop and/or improve our conscious relationship with the Creator/God? 

The key to this answer can be found in the Sacred Holy foundational texts.  These foundational texts serve as conceptual reference bricks in our very own, personal Spiritual Foundation, and Religious Development.  
   

In order for a Sacred Holy foundational text to serve as a conceptual reference brick, it needs to be completely inspired by the Creator and free of dogma (a definite authoritative point of view put forth without adequate grounds).  

These books were not written by humans, and their own interpretations, but through the inspired wisdom of the Holy Spirit which guided their tongues when they spoke and their hands when they wrote.​​

​For it was not through any human whim that men prophesied of old;  men they were, but, impelled by the Holy Spirit, they spoke the words of God.  2 Peter 1:21

These Sacred Holy foundational texts TEACH the same conceptual  “WORD of the CREATOR/GOD,”and were given to us by the same Creator/God.  Unfortunately, we often get caught up in the meaning or translation of words.  If we step out of our own individual box of definitions, and look at the overall concepts these books teach;  if we stop looking at the individual trees, and look at the forest, we will find that the Sacred Holy foundational texts have stood the test of time; they have proved themselves to be the “WORD of the CREATOR/GOD.”

Which Sacred Holy foundational text we use is irrelevant. Throughout history, religions (plural) have drawn on each others texts for material. No text is more or less true than another.  What is important, is that we pick one that resonates with us; one that will assist us in building our own, personal Spiritual Foundation, and ultimately well lead us into conscious union with the Divine Light/Jesus and the Creator/God.   

Whereas we KNOW that the Holy Bible is but one of MANY Books that TEACH the same conceptual “WORD of the CREATOR/God, we have chosen to use the Holy Bible.
  
Regardless of which text we use personally, it is wise to seek out others who are familiar with the text we have chosen.  Do not be afraid to seek advice, ask questions or ask for clarification.   

​"It is excellent to seek advice about everything, but only from those with experience. It is dangerous to ask questions of the inexperienced, because they do not possess discrimination." Saint Peter of Damaskos

Anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word, but the shrewd one considers his steps.  Proverbs 14:15

 

This where Teachers come into play … Teachers strive to uphold the pure language of truth, without dogma … Teachers help us learn “how” to think critically, by presenting more than one side of an issue and encouraging us to evaluate and scrutinize any/all information presented, make up our own mind regarding what to accept as truth, or reject as false … Teachers show us, through devotion, how to create a bond of unity with the Creator/God, and each other, that is impossible to break.

“Real devotion is an unbroken receptivity to the truth. Real devotion is rooted in an awed and reverent gratitude, but one that is lucid, grounded, and intelligent.”  The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

To be such a teacher is a heavy Spiritual Responsibility.  The words teachers use, both spoken and written, guide people’s thinking.  It is all too easy, for teachers to succumb to their own, imperfect, “egoic” perceptions (beliefs and biases) and offer explanations based on these perceptions.

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment. For we all stumble many times.  If anyone does not stumble in word, this one is a perfect man, able to bridle also [his] whole body.” James 3: 1-2

When this happens, the teacher stops being a teacher, and becomes a propagandist.  Propagandists sift through, distort and twist facts, and ‘delude us with persuasive arguments.’  (Colossians 2:4), by only presenting facts that will support their view(s).   Once they have convinced us to support their slanted view, it is easy to then tell us “what” to think.

Can a teacher avoid becoming a propagandist?  Can we, individually, avoid being fooled by propaganda?  Thankfully the answer to these questions is YES.  We are not left on our own. The Creator/God  trains us by giving us wisdom, knowledge, and discernment. (Proverbs 2:6, Acts 1:8)  

This training can be provided in two ways. The first way is via the receipt of the spiritual gift of the holy spirit. (Acts 20:28;  Galatians 5:22, 23, 1 Corinthians 12:10). The second way is via discernment of one or more Sacred Holy foundational text.

These conceptual reference bricks  provide great wisdom and serve as guides for our thinking.  By keeping an open mind to receive new information,  and weighing such new information against the Sacred Holy foundational text(s) we have chosen, we let go of old knowledge that is no longer valid, and attract new experience and knowledge  As we attract new experience and knowledge, our truth changes accordingly. 

While truth itself does not change, our perception of what is true changes.  This is because truth can only be  perceived/understood within the context of experience and knowledge.  Throughout the centuries, “truths” of all sorts, have been accepted by the masses, only to be proved wrong later. What is true today, may not be true tomorrow.  As our truth changes, we adjust our “current” pattern of thinking.

EXAMPLE:  The Teaching of Purgatory:

The doctrine of Purgatory evolved as a clarification concerning the state of souls between death and the judgement  (… humans are responsible and accountable for their thoughts and actions, and that in different ways their thoughts and actions now will affect their future outcome. [The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, 1997, p. 514]).  The doctrine of purgatory was openly rejected at the Reformation (early 16^th century ) and Protestants denied it as unscriptural. (Ibid. p. 777). 

Catholics, however, adopted the doctrine.  In the 1960’s, their own research (experience & knowledge) proved to them that the doctrine of purgatory is not, in fact, based on scripture.  As a result of this new-found truth, they humbly adjusted their pattern of thinking.

After reviewing what Catholic writers have said... the New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967, Vol. XI, p. 1034) acknowledges: “In the final analysis, the Catholic doctrine on purgatory is based on tradition, not Sacred Scripture.”  “The church has relied on tradition to support a middle ground between heaven and hell.” U.S. Catholic, March 1981, p. 7.

Let this example serve to remind us to not follow popular opinion …  Let us not be brainwashed by propaganda … Let us not be fools … Instead, let us come back next week and begin to learn the lost art of discernment.

So it is, sealed in trust, faith and truth, in the Sacred Divine Light (Jesus Christ). Amen 

The Great Holy Anointing Oil Debate: Calamus or Cannabis?

This post has formatting problems; thus far, have not been able to fix them.

In the Sacred Law, the Creator/God gave Moses a recipe to make the Holy Anointing Oil.  The recipe consisted of: myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, cassia, and olive oil.  This Holy Anointing Oil was so sacred, that it became a major offense for anyone to make it, or use it, for common or unauthorized purposes.

Exodus 30:23-25 tells us:

As for you, take to yourself the choicest perfumes: myrrh in congealed drops five hundred units, and sweet cinnamon in half that amount, two hundred and fifty units, and sweet calamus two hundred and fifty units and cassia five hundred units by the shekel of the holy place, and olive oil a hin. Then you must make out of it a holy anointing oil, an ointment, a mixture that is the work of an ointment maker.  It is to be a holy anointing oil.

Once the measurements are converted, the recipe seems pretty straightforward; so what’s all this debate about?  The oriental plant Calamus, is Latin for cane; in Hebrew, the word is Kaneh.  It is one of the ingredients in the Holy Anointing Oil.   When we linguistically trace the Hebrew word Kaneh, we are introduced to the idea that the term Calamus was mistranslated in the earliest Greek Bible, the Septuagint.

Dr. Sara Benetowa, a Polish anthropologist (1903 – 1982), asserted that the word kaneh-bosm actually referred to cannabis. In 1980, Israel’s Hebrew University, confirmed her linguistic explanation as being a valid interpretation. 

To help us ascertain which herb was actually used, let us look quickly at what the resultant oil was used for. The Holy Anointing Oil was used during sanctification rites and/or ceremonies, e.g.,  to designate and/or dedicate something as sacred and holy, baptismal, ordination, and/or unction (healing) ceremonies.

When a person was anointed with the Holy Anointing Oil, the oil was poured onto the top of his head and allowed to run down his beard, to his collar.

It is like the good oil upon the head, That is running down upon the beard, Aaron’s beard, That is 

running down to the collar of his garments. Psalm 133:2

And you must set the turban upon his head and put the holy sign of dedication upon the turban.  

And you must take the  anointing oil and pour it upon his head and anoint him  Exodus 29:6-7

And you must take … some of the anointing oil, and you must spatter it upon Aaron and his garments

and upon his sons and the garments of his sons with him, that he and his garments and his sons and 

the garments of his sons with him may indeed be holy. Exodus 29: 21 

After that Moses took some of the anointing oil …and spattered it upon Aaron and his garments and upon his sons and the garments of his sons with him. Thus he sanctified Aaron and his garments and his sons and the garments of his sons with him.  Leviticus 8:30

Things dedicated as sacred and holy were also anointed with this oil.  The Creator/God gave Moses the following directions for its use:

And you must anoint with it the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, and the table and all its utensils and the lampstand and its utensils and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils and the basin and its stand. And you must sanctify them that they may indeed become most holy. Anyone touching them is to be holy. And you will anoint Aaron and his sons, and you must sanctify them for acting as priests to me.  Exodus 26-30

Last, but not least, the apostles, under the direction of the Divine Light, personified as Jesus, greased many that they had healed, with the Holy Anointing Oil.  Although the oil did, in fact, possess some beneficial healing properties, it is important to remember that it was the Creator’s/God’s Holy Spirit that actually healed people, not the oil.

and they (the apostles) would expel many demons and grease many sickly people with oil and cure them.  Mark 6:13

Jehovah’s spirit is upon me, because he anointed me to declare good news to the poor, he sent me forth to preach a release to the captives and a recovery of sight to the blind, to send the crushed ones away with a release, Luke 4:18

Then he (Jesus) called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to cure sicknesses  Luke 9:1 

 

So he approached him and bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine upon them. Then he mounted him upon his own beast and brought him to an inn and took care of him.  Luke 10:34

Now let us briefly look at each herb in question.  

CALAMUS

To date, there is an increasing interest in Calamus as a hallucinogenic recreational drug.  Fresh or “recently 

dried” Calamus root is held as a sacred herb, by many Native Americans, and is often used in religious 

ceremonies as a Spiritual Hallucinogen. It has been said that it helps one see/enter the Spiritual World/Realm.

The structure of alpha and beta asarone molecules, found in Calamus, bear some resemblance to the structure 

of "ecstasy,"   commonly known as "Adam." Ecstacy often produces an altered state of consciousness which   

promotes contemplation of divine things, introspective personal insight and self-disclosure, together with a deep 

love of self and others. 

According to The Shulgin Rating Scale, the affects of Ecstacy produce:

A rare and precious transcendental state, which has been called a 'peak experience', a 'religious experience,' 'divine transformation,' a 'state of Samadhi' and many other names in other cultures. It is a state of bliss, a participation mystique, a connectedness with both the interior and exterior universes, which has come about after the ingestion of a psychedelic drug, but which is not necessarily repeatable with a subsequent ingestion of that same drug. 

If Calamus and Ecstacy share the same transcendental state of consciousness; it is  entirely logical to assume 

that Calamus, is indeed, the herb used in the Holy Anointing Oil.  

CANNABIS

No plant comes to mind that has been as maligned and persecuted as Cannabis (marijuana, hemp).  In present day, many/most people believe that Cannabis only has medical, industrial and/or recreational applications, but the use of Cannabis has a long history in religion/spirituality. 

The use of marijuana is as old as the history of man and dates back to the prehistoric period.  Marijuana is closely connected with the history and development of some of the oldest nations on earth.  It has played a significant role in the religions and cultures of Africa, the Middle East, India, and China.  

There are many ancient religious and spiritual uses of cannabis.  Indigenous healers (medicine men/women/shamans/shamanesses), utilized Cannabis during Sacred rites, rituals, and healings.  Sometime between 550 & 600 BC, the Zend-Avesta, a sacred text, listed Cannabis 1st out of 10,000 herbs; the Assyrians used Cannabis as an incense as early as the ninth century B.C. It appears that these healers were concerned with the hallucinogenic, trance and medicinal value of the plants. 

Researchers claim that in the 5th century BC, Siddhartha consumed only hemp seeds for six years, prior to becoming the Buddha. Cannabis continues to play a significant role in the meditation ritual of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, and has been a practice since 500 BC when cannabis was regarded as a holy plant.  A fairly recent archeological discovery of a shamanistic tomb, scientifically dating back 2,500 years ago, revealed a leather basket, containing almost 1.75 pounds of well-preserved cannabis, as well as a wooden bowl containing traces of cannabis.

Ancient spiritual healers employed the ritualistic burning of Cannabis leaves, seeds and flowering tops.  Shamans, in the Zambesi Valley, performed a ceremony in which participants inhaled Cannabis smoke; the Tepecano Indians of northwest Mexico occasionally substituted Cannabis for Peyote; some Mexican Indians performed a communal healing ceremony with a plant called Santa Rosa, also known as Cannabis sativa. This Sacred incense served as a Shamanic tool for spiritual exploration, and provided an opportunity for the user to “Commune” directly with the Creator. 

Hmmm … now things are getting a bit tricky.  Both Calamus and Cannabis can be seen as gateway drugs; that

 is, gateways for spiritual exploration, and Communion with the Creator/God; for thousands of years; both have 

been a trade item, within and across cultures.

At this point, some of you may be thinking, if both herbs are gateways for spiritual exploration, and Communion 

with the Creator/God, either one would be an appropriate ingredient to use in the Holy Anointing Oil, right? 

For the answer to this question, we must dig deeper, as there is some confusion regarding the taxonomy of  

Acorus calamus; two species have been identified: Acorus calamus, an introduced species and Acorus 

calamus americanus, the native Sweet Flag, which is often mistakenly identified as Acorus calamus.  There 

is a big difference between Acorus calamus and North American calamus (Acorus calamus americanus). 

Despite some minor safety concerns, Acorus calamus americanus, is used for a variety of conditions, e.g., as both a stimulant and a sedative, a hallucinogen, a diaphoretic, gastrointestinal disorders, and as a topical to treat some skin conditions.  Additionally, it is used as a spice.

Neither Acorus calamus americanus  nor Acorus calamus  are native to Palestine;  the Calamus used in Palestine was Acorus calamus; it was imported from either Arabia Felix or India.   

Acorus calamus is not used as a  gateway for spiritual exploration or Communion with the Creator/God. 

Acorus calamus does not share the same transcendental state of consciousness as Acorus calamus

 americanus and Ecstacy; furthermore, Acorus calamus is generally not considered to be safe. This Calamus 

does not have any alpha asarone molecules; beta asarone molecules alone are poisonous.

Typical adverse reactions to Acorus calamus include: fever/flu like sympoms, e.g., feelings of shakiness, 

weakness, headache and/or shivering, combined with repeated vomiting (every 5-15 minutes) for 4 or more 

hours.  Some become severely dehydrated from excessive vomiting and wind up in the hospital for a few days.   Additionally, beta-asarone has been shown to cause cancer in experimental lab animals.

Food for thought:  Do you believe that the Creator/God would give Moses a recipe for the Holy Anointing Oil, which was to be poured over someones head to designate and/or signify sacredness and holy dedication to the Creator/God, and also used in healing, that contained an ingredient that hampered spiritual exploration or Communion with the Creator/God, made people sick and was carcinogenic? 

So it is, sealed in trust, faith and truth, in the Sacred Divine Light (Jesus Christ). Amen

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FORGIVENESS: Part 2 of 2

It is impossible to maintain successful relationships without forgiveness.  Without forgiveness, resentments and mistrust grow.  Resentments and mistrust act as toxic poisons and kill (destroy) relationships. Be quick to forgive.

Let the sun not set with you in a provoked state.   Ephesians 4:26

What if we are unable to forgive quickly?  Emotional wounds take time, love and patience to heal.  Love and patience help us to forgive someone whom we perceive is really trying.  

It serves us well to remember to ask the Creator/God to cultivate a forgiving spirit toward any offender who makes an honest effort to alter their thoughtless, unkind, harmful words and/or actions, and sincerely asks for our forgiveness. 

Hmmm … We ask for a forgiving spirit … What does that mean?

When we are on the receiving end of thoughtless, unkind, harmful words and/or actions, it can be difficult for us to allow these words and/or actions to pass through us,.  This is  due, largely in part, because reactions to personal offenses are usually emotion based reactions.  Emotional responses to perceived offenses can range from mild to strong; it is not uncommon for us to feel angry or betrayed; we may even desire justice or revenge. 

When we are hurt by others,  we often want to retaliate and hurt them back in some way, as pay back.   We can reduce anger and other negative emotions with understanding, open-mindedness, a willingness to forgive, and love for one another.  

When others offend us, being willing to forgive, out of love, keeps us from automatically assuming that anothers motives are bad.    

Above all things, have intense love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.  1 Peter 4: 8

Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another freely if anyone has a cause for complaint against another. Even as Jehovah freely forgave you, so do you also. But, besides all these things, [clothe yourselves with] love, for it is a perfect bond of union.  Colossians 3:13-14

Determining why we are upset reduces our emotional responses.  Using our rational mind to analyze offensive words and/or actions, and understanding the reason(s) for our reaction, allows us to consider what would be the most appropriate response. 

Do not hurry yourself in your spirit to become offended, for the taking of offense is what rests in the bosom of the stupid ones.  Ecclesiastes 7:9  

Taking time to calm down and view the situation from the position of an “objective observer” helps us to remain open-minded and respond more appropriately. When we remove our subjective, emotional selves from the picture and examine the scenario as objective observers, we find that many negatively perceived words and actions flow right through us.  The more  we practice taking our subjective, emotional selves out of the picture, the more we will see that most of the things that are said or done to us, is not personal; it is not about us.   This objectiveness helps us see that others typically are not being deliberately hurtful or thoughtless; our offenders are simply being their imperfect human selves. 

He that is slow to anger is abundant in discernment, but one that is impatient is exalting foolishness.  Proverbs 14:29 

The insight of a man certainly slows down his anger, and it is beauty on his part to pass over transgression  Proverbs 19:11  

Know this, my beloved brothers. Every man must be swift about hearing, slow about speaking, slow about wrath; for man’s wrath does not work out God’s righteousness.  James 1:19-20  

By maintaining a positive view of our offender, in spite of what they are saying or doing to us, we build them up, rather than tear them down.  When we reflect back to them what we perceive they are putting out, we give ourselves, and them, an opportunity to clear up misunderstandings; each is also given the opportunity to gain/maintain control over their own behavior.  What a gift!

Therefore keep comforting one another and building one another up, just as you are in fact doing.  1 Thessalonians 5:11

We each have that power within us to create love, joy, peace and contentment, within our own hearts.  Learn to forgive.  If anybody upsets us, don’t take it to heart, forgive them.  If we have any ill-feelings, any grudges, please forgive them.  Forgive them,  that's the only way we can go forward and go on with our life. Grandmother Agnes (13 Indigenous Grandmothers) 

 

So it is, sealed in trust, faith and truth, in the Sacred Divine Light (Jesus Christ). 

Amen