The requirements for our evolution have changed. 

Survival is no longer sufficient. 

Our evolution now requires developing spiritually: 

To become emotionally aware and make responsible choices. 

It requires us to align with the values of soul – 

harmony, cooperation, sharing and reverence for Life. . . 

-Gary Zukav- 

The path of transformation always involves the path of descent. This path leads us through great love and great loss, serenity and suffering. It teaches us that life is not an either/or path but a both/and path that leads and follows us along the way. The secret to our human existence is the awareness that what we think we know is only a partial knowing. The further we travel along the paths of life the more opportunities we have to know what we don’t know. The more we come to know our not knowing, the more we can know, grow and awaken to life’s infinite possibilities. 

One of my favorite stories is Alice in Wonderland. In it we are taken on a journey into our own inner landscapes, the mysteries within our unconscious mind. It’s a land where anything is possible, where caterpillars are sages, flowers sing, cats talk, the unknown becomes known and what is abnormal becomes normal. It’s an inner look at our unconscious mind where up is down and down is up; a place of wonderment where physical reality is fluid and unpredictable. It offers us opportunities to march on into the soul of our hidden and repressed inner lives. 

Eventually Alice emerges from her ‘dream’ to realize the lies of her culture. In so doing, she makes different choices that change the trajectories of her life. This allegory points to the truth of our own unconsciousness and lack of inner knowing which, when awakened, changes everything. Discovering we are integral parts of the One, I Am, opens us to the Holographic Universe where the Whole is greater than the sum of its parts and where each part contains the Whole. How does this translate into your spiritual tradition and understanding? How does it in-form you? 

As darkness and light, love and loss, serenity and suffering continue to enter our spheres of influence; how are you to re-evaluate your survival strategies? What responsible choices do you want/need to make that align with your soul? Where do you find harmony? How do you share who you truly are with the world? What kind of cooperation is necessary for you to live more fully into the Who that is truly You? How are you reverencing Life, engaging, witnessing, bringing healing and wholeness into your spheres of influence, bringing Life to Life for yourself and others? 

These questions beg our answers as we enter the ‘brave new world’ that’s birthing all around us. The answers lie deep within us, in the depths of our souls, in the spiritual presence that’s alive within us here and now. Our task is to align with the inner values of soul, with the divine guidance that’s speaking through the still small voice connected to the soul of every season. It’s our choice. There’s no more business as usual. Rather, it’s our time to act with clarity, purpose and reverence. The time is now! The place is here to March On; to discover our eternal Spring in everything! 

• Take a few moments throughout the day to stop and March On into new ways of being more soulful. Ask yourself why you’re here, what this moment is asking of you and how you can more fully engage this journey of harmony and reverence of Life. . . 

• Notice your habitual patterns of thinking and acting and as you do; change one thought from discord to harmony, from selfishness to sharing. Also, hum a soulful tune and March On into a whole new way of being and doing. . . Hmm. . . What are you sensing?

Fr. Rick Meyers+