Cole Goodwin 5/8/22 Cole Goodwin 5/8/22

What is God? A Sufi Perspective

In this installment of the the Spiritual Roundtable Bobbie Harlow Combe, a writer and Prineville resident shares what Allah means to her.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to the The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Each week, spiritual leaders and learners will share their take on some of humanity's biggest questions, starting with: What does your spirituality mean to you? And ramping up into discussions about the nature of existence, the soul, the divine, and of course…a question as old as time itself: why are we here?

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday morning of the month.

Now take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore one of the many diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What is God (collective consciousness, deities, the divine, the beloved, the source, the sacred, the mother, the father, the world, the one power)? How can we have a relationship with this power? What does this power want/need/desire?

Why this question was chosen: This question asks us to examine the basic principles and values that guide our Spirituality and expand our understanding of the many paths one can walk to live a Spiritual life.

**About Bobbie Harlow Combe**
This past March, I moved with my husband from Tygh Valley, OR to take up residence in Prineville, OR. Most of my 72 years I’ve been on a spiritual journey beginning as a child, attending churches throughout my youth and adult life, that eventually led to the Shadhiliyya Sufi path in 2001. **What is Sufism?** Sufism is a spiritual teaching that leads to Oneness or Unity with God’s Presence. The meaning of the word Sufism is “to purify one’s heart”.

A Sufi Perspective

by Bobbie Harlow Combe

Allah, the One Mighty All-encompassing Love, is neither masculine nor feminine. As much as It has a divine masculine side, so It has an awe-inspiring feminine aspect. The references for this article often refer to Allah as He. Out of integrity and respect I have preserved the masculine in the quoted references.

What is God? How does one answer this question when Its vastness is all encompassing, incomprehensible, with no beginning or ending, having no constraints by time or space, an unfathomable mystery? I approach this question from my experience of walking the path of Sufi Mysticism.

The second chapter of the Quran, Sura al-Baqarah, Ayat al-Kursi, verses 238-255, offers a description of Allah.

Allah—there is no deity save Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being. Neither slumber overtakes Him, nor sleep. He is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Who is there that could intercede with Him, unless it be by His leave? He knows all that lies open before men and all that is hidden from them, whereas they cannot attain aught of His knowledge save that which He wills [them to attain.] His eternal power overspreads the heavens and the earth and their upholding wearies Him not. And he alone is truly exalted, tremendous.

The ancient, sacred Arabic name Allah corresponds to the name God. The name Allah opens a doorway into the Divine Reality of the One and the experience of “what is God.”

The best way for me to know Allah is to experience what occurs within my heart when reciting this holy Name while focusing on my spiritual heart (this practice is called Remembrance).

(Remembrance can also be done with any sacred name for God, including the name God. Names such as the Aramaic name Alaha, used by Jesus, Yaweh, Elohim, Om, and others. The “ah” sound resonates in the heart area and helps to open the heart.)

The sounds that make up the name Allah carry light, vibration and tone that radiate serenity, sublimity, and mystery while transmitting Qualities of Oneness and Unity to my heart.

I may also choose to refer to Allah as the One, the Source, the Divine. Over time, referring to Allah as the Beloved came naturally.

What does Allah want? Allah wants to be known.

My Sufi guide Sidi wrote in Music of the Soul, “As Allah has said, ‘I was a hidden treasure that desired to be known. So I manifested all the creation to reveal the essence of the deep secret knowing of Myself. He who I created to reveal the treasure carries within himself this treasure, but he must explode the mountain of his existence to discover the treasure which is hidden within.’”

This treasure within my deep heart is the Divine Essence which includes the Divine Qualities of Allah. In “exploding the mountain of our existence”, that is, letting go of my beliefs, worldly attachments, egoic identity, I may discover this treasure.

How can I have a relationship with this One Mighty All-Encompassing Love”?

Allah’s Prophets of the Abrahamic tradition and other spiritual saints and guides have laid out signposts, directions, and guidance to show the way to experiencing, embracing, and embodying this Divine Essence. Love and longing for the One grows stronger over time through my spiritual practices. In this process, my human attributes are transformed by Allah into the Divine’s Qualities, whereby I come to know my true self and know Allah, for there is only One Essence. A Sufi saying is “To know yourself is to know your Lord”.”

This journey also includes my relationship with others, with all creation. “In relationship to others, God says, ‘Be My reflection in everything that you do. I have given you Myself and you can see Me in every human being. Give anyone love and mercy, if that is what he wants, and know you are giving it to Me.’ When you find the love, you find yourself. The secret of God is in the love.”

How do I sustain this relationship with the Divine while maintaining my practice of Remembrance along with other spiritual practices? For me it is a matter of continually returning my attention to the One and turning away from the distractions of this world. (Similarly Jesus said, quoting 1 John 2:15, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.”)

The word for heart in Arabic is qalb, or compass, that is either pointed toward the world or toward the One. A Compassionate way has been provided for me to turn back my heart and attention to the One.

To return, I first need to catch myself when my attention has been drawn in by the many forms of worldly distraction. With love and compassion I acknowledge what I am experiencing. Next, if possible, I allow myself to feel the sadness that comes with experiencing separation from the Divine. I allow my longing and prayer to restore my connection. Sometimes I am immediately in touch with my regret for turning away, and my heart’s longing to return. At other times it takes reciting, silently or out loud, the Divine Qualities that transmit Love, Forgiveness and Mercy.

Some Forgiveness Qualities in Arabic have a form of the root that means “a substance bees make that the Arabs used to fill in the cracks of a dried-out, old leather water skin, so that it no longer leaks.” As my heart softens with the recitation of these Qualities, it can hold the Light and Love that brings me back over and over into the Presence of my Beloved. This experience is inevitably accompanied by immense Gratitude and Peace. It is from this place I continue my journey.

Through uncovering and realizing the Divine Qualities, my relationship with the Divine develops. “Neither My heavens nor My earth can contain Me. Only the heart of My faithful servant contains Me.” reads Physicians of the Heart, A Sufi View of the Ninety-Nine Names of Allah.

There are an infinite number of Divine Qualities, addressing every circumstance and need. In my Sufi tradition we work with ninety-nine. I recite these Qualities as part of my Remembrance practice.

To increase my knowledge of the Divine, I find it important to hear the Divine’s voice, to witness the Divine in all, and to receive Divine Guidance. To help me with this, I have found it essential for me to recite and seek understanding of the Divine Qualities As-Sami’ – The One who hears, the All-Hearing, the Listener; Al-Basir – The All-Seeing, the One who sees everything; and Al-Alim – The Omniscient, the absolute Owner of wisdom.

Another beautiful name is Al-Waliy, The Protective Friend, the close One. “Allah is the intimate friend of those human beings who live in surrender to Him.” said Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi, in Divine Names The 99 Healing Names of the One Love. To know Allah, that is the objective of this Journey of Love.

““And when the journey to God comes to an end, comes the beginning of the infinite journey in God.”
”

— Igbal

Shadhiliyya Sufi Resources:

Institute of Spiritual Healing: https://instituteofspiritualhealing.com/what-is-sufism/
University of Sufism, https://sufiuniversity.org/
Shadhiliyya Sufi Communities, https://suficommunities.org/
PNW Sufi Newsletter: To subscribe, email Bobbie at bjharlowcombe@gmail.com

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

This is not a place for arguing about dogma.
This is not a place for ‘hating on’ or putting other belief systems down.
This is not a place for excluding, discriminating, or promoting fear or violence towards other people based on their race, color, ethnicity, beliefs, faith, gender, sexuality, ability.
This is not a place for hatred.
This is not a place for fear.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

This IS a place for hope.
This IS a place for joy.
This IS a place for comfort.
This IS a place for big questions.
This IS a place for learning.
This IS a place for sharing.
This IS a place for caring.
This IS a place for sharing what is special about your beliefs.

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 5/1/22 Cole Goodwin 5/1/22

How does practicing your Spirituality impact those around you? An Interfaith Perspective from Nana I Ke Kumu

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Imma Royal and Theo Ward share how practicing their Spirituality impacts those around them.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: How does your spirituality impact those around you? How does your spirituality encourage healthy relationships with other people, animals, and the earth? What is love? How can we be more loving?

**About Imma Royal and Theo Ward**
Imma Royal began her journey with 15 plus years in the mental health field. A near death experience propelled her to seek the occult, that which is hidden, with fervor. She found peace at a Buddhist meditation retreat before meeting her kindred spirit, Theo. In 2004, Imma and Theo joined to form a partnership where they studied Astrology, Tarot and Meditation. Imma continued her studies to receive a Master of Social Work and became a Registered Yoga Instructor in 2018. She brings a focus that is trauma informed with a lens of attachment theory.
Theo Ward began his journey on the largest family owned ranch in the United States, where he spent most of his life on a horse, herding sheep. He learned to walk with the Earth and understand the rhythm of the seasons as it relates to the life and birth cycles of the sheep. His gentle nature found another purpose after retirement from ranch life, when he stumbled upon an experience of continuous peace for six hours. From this point forward, he began to study the ancient wisdom to articulate that experience. His studies brought him to Hawaii for six years, where he studied Neuro Linguistic Programming, wisdom of ancient Hawaii from the lineage of Kahunas and the natural rhythm of death through hospice work. Theo holds certification in Neuro Linguistic Programming, Timeline Technique, Master Hypnosis and Huna.

An Interfaith Perspective

by Imma Royal and Theo Ward

I met a Dog Yesterday…

Love is a practice of self. Unconditional is a presence. Think of your relationship with your dog. Spelled backwards. Hello? Are you paying attention.

Extend this loyalty, joy, compassion, patience, attention to self.

From here you can lead. The decision to be present is a choice.

I met myself. It wasn’t fun or pretty. But because I can accept all unconditionally. I can love humanity.

Sometimes I am afraid. Sometimes I act out. At the end of the day I come back to my practice. I love to serve. It fills me up.

Our non-profit at Nana I Ke Kumu offers an open door. We will commit to your journey. This is an offer for you to journey with us for one year with the common purpose to know oneself as a perfect and magnificent part of creation manifest here on earth for the sole purpose of having an experience.

If this intrigues you, visit us at our space, call or email.

Nana I Ke Kumu

413 E 2nd ST
The Dalles, OR 97058
indigotravellers.net
immaroyal@gmail.com
(541) 980-7286

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 4/24/22 Cole Goodwin 4/24/22

What is God? Thoughts from Reverend Lea Mathieu

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Reverend Lea Mathieu shares her perspective on one of the biggest metaphysical questions of all time: what is God?

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to the Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What is God (collective consciousness, deities, the divine, the beloved, the source, the sacred, the mother, the father, the world, the one power)? How can we have a relationship with this power? What does this power want/need/desire?

**About Reverend Lea Mathieu:** Reverend Mathieu is the minister of The Dalles United Church of Christ Congregational. She is also a farmer’s wife, mom, musician, teacher, and world traveler. She enjoys volunteering with public health, social services, and the arts. She may be contacted at *revleamathieu@gmail.com*

God Is Love

by The Reverend Lea Mathieu

The ocean, the “empty” space in every atom, the miracle of spring, anything by Bach, and so much more shout “Holy!” to me. But my bedrock, overarching image of God comes from scripture: “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them” (1 John 4:16b). As God is in the world, so are we called to be.

The great 13th century Sufi poet Rumi once said, “I belong to no religion. My religion is love.” Likewise, American transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson claimed, “Religion is to do right. It is to love, it is to serve, it is to think, it is to be humble.” My bumper sticker says it a bit more succinctly: “Love God + Love People.”

That’s it, really. It does make preaching every Sunday a bit challenging when the truth is so simple. Thankfully, I have the Gospels to draw from, and that gives me enough material for weekly 10-minute talks. And to be honest, the call to love in this broken and violent world sometimes takes some talking through to make sense.

Like Rumi, I do not “belong” to a religion; I belong to God. I am a Christian because I strive to follow the extraordinary example of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, to walk with God regardless of circumstance and to love unconditionally.

Easter is my favorite day of the year because it testifies to my firm belief that, as I say in the prayers of the people every Sunday, “a mighty love is the source of all being.” I do not believe Jesus died for our sins: He died because of them - because of our species’ evident inability to accept the holiness of life and each other, because love is just too hard for many of us much of the time. We would even kill God - or try to. And yet, despite all we do, despite the seduction of evil, God in an outpouring of love gifts us with resurrection: new life, calls to service, grace and peace, life without fear in the eternal embrace of the divine. To which I say, yes.

I have been told that I am not “really” a Christian because I don’t believe in hell, the substitutionary atonement theory, religious exclusivism, or judgmentalism. A woman once told me she feared going to hell just for listening to me preach, since I happily officiate same-gender weddings. All these tests of faith, divisions, and exclusionary tactics just get in the way of loving God and God’s creation.

When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus quoted the Torah: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ All of the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). That’s all you need to know, it’s all you need to do.

“If we love one another, God lives in us, and God’s love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12).

Let it be.

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 4/17/22 Cole Goodwin 4/17/22

What is God? A Magdalene Path Perspective

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Claire Sierra, author/founder of The Magdalene Path, an Expressive Arts Therapist, Soul Alchemist, Spa Priestess, and Reiki Master shares her perspective on one of the biggest metaphysical questions of all time: what is God?

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to the Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What is God (collective consciousness, deities, the divine, the beloved, the source, the sacred, the mother, the father, the world, the one power)? How can we have a relationship with this power? What does this power want/need/desire?

**About Claire Sierra:** Claire Sierra, MA, LFT, author/founder of The Magdalene Path, is an Expressive Arts Therapist, Soul Alchemist, Spa Priestess, and Reiki Master on the path of awakening Feminine Soul since 1989. She shares intuitive, creative, spiritual practices through the lost wisdom of Mary Magdalene. Claire sees clients on-line and at Spa Sanctuary at the Balch Hotel, an elegant, award-winning inn in Dufur, Oregon, where she lives with her hotelier husband.
Learn more and access free resources for Feminine Soul at MagdalenePath.com. She can be reached at Claire@MagdalenePath.com

A Magdalene Path Perspective

by Claire Sierra

Pondering the essence of the divine is serious navel gazing. Such a vast concept, exploding the imagination, making words seem petty and insufficient. After 33 years of study and exploration, down more spiritual tunnels and religious pathways than I can count, there are so many ways to express who or what Spirit is. (*a note on pronouns: to avoid the ponderous “he/she/it,” I’ll use “they” in a singular, not collective sense of the word)

Ideas about spirit vary by culture and tradition. Coming up with one answer eludes concrete terminology. And it’s a very personal experience for anyone who’s cared to look. (Which makes sense, in a way.) Western culture teaches that God is a he; and yet creation, birth is feminine. So I tend to refer to God as Divine, or Source. You use whatever words spark your soul to light.

How to express the infinite without bumbling into left brain concepts? Poets express it better with their images and essences. (See: Rumi, Mary Oliver, Sappho, Rilke, Maya Angelou) From what I’ve gathered and experienced (because that is the only true way of knowing the Divine) this expansive emanation of love and light hums through the cosmos and is the Source of all being.

It is the creative spark of creation. The energy and essence within and behind all things. (Now using poetry makes more sense, doesn’t it?) It’s both what made us (and everything) and what we are made with. (Confusing, huh?) The divine is the spirit or energy of matter, as well as the form it takes. Scientists in quantum physics speak of matter as waves and/or particles. This starts to sound similar.

Source wants joy, love and bliss everlasting. It wants that for us all, as the ground of our being. Every day. Connecting with Source is like tapping a living river of love. And it’s always free. But we need to remember it, and go there. From this an awareness, understanding and relationship develops.

Having a relationship with Divine is as unique as each soul. Just as human relationships vary widely, our relationship with Spirit does also. Source is fully available for relationship, but we are the initiators. This is where spiritual practice comes in, as a means of direct access and connection. Some paths don’t encourage this, but it is the tried-and-true way of the mystic, in all religions.

The simplest way to engage with this benevolent creatrix is through conversation, aka Prayer. And for listening, meditation. There are countless ways to pray but remembering to ask for help is a key.

Spirit cannot help without our permission, it’s divine law. We need to expressly ask for what we need. Many people think, “but it’s so obvious what I want.” But really, is it? How clear are you on your heart and soul desires? How often do you change your mind, or truly ask for what you really want, instead of what you think you deserve or are willing to settle for?

God cannot be expected to know the hearts, minds, and desires of everyone 24/7, that would be impossible. But this power wants us to connect. It’s a huge untapped gift, just waiting to be unwrapped.

In a free will universe, we need to ask in our hearts for the presence and support of the Divine. And it comes, freely. Not always in the time or way we expect, but often with far more grace and magic than we expect. This power wants to flow love, light and divine goodness to us. It’s just waiting for our go-ahead.

If this is something you want to explore more of, explore ways to get support, access free resources and join our upcoming Magdalene Path Program at www.MagdalenePath.com

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 4/10/22 Cole Goodwin 4/10/22

How Does Buddhism Impact Those Around Us?

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Reverend Scott See shares how practicing buddhism impacts those around him.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Each week, spiritual leaders and learners share their take on some of humanity's biggest questions, starting with: What does your spirituality mean to you? And ramping up into discussions about the nature of existence, the soul, the divine, and of course…a question as old as time itself: why are we here?

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday morning of the month.

Now take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore one of the many diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: How does your spirituality (faith, practice, belief system, philosophy) impact those around you? How does your (faith, practice, belief system, philosophy) encourage healthy relationships with other people, animals, and the earth? (Platonic, romantic, etc) What is love? How can we be more loving?

Why this question was chosen: This question asks us to examine how choosing to live a spiritual life can impact those around us.

**About Scott See:** Scott first became curious about Buddhism in 1983 in Ladakh, India where he met people living in primitive and challenging conditions whose smiles shone so bright that Scott wanted to learn more about this Buddhist culture. Fast forward to 2015, Scott approached Thay Kozen at the Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple with an offer to barter website services for Buddhist teachings. Scott was ordained as a student of the Lay Novice Buddhist Ministerial program at Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple in April of 2019 and was given the Dharma name, Minh Tự. (Pronounced: min-dun — with the final n very muffled.) Scott also maintains a personal blog that reflects on his journey on the Path.

How Does Buddhism Impact Those Around Us?

by Scott See

In our meditation services, we at Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple often begin with a Chant of Compassion which starts with, “May we surround all forms of life with infinite love and compassion.” And we end with a Dedication of Merit which includes, “May the merit of this penetrate into each thing in all places so that we and every sentient being can realize the Buddha’s way.” These beginning and ending phrases set the intention of our practice–to become the best version of ourselves so that we can be better able to serve others. Those last two words are key–”serve others.” The teachings at Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple emphasize that, all our efforts, while they are directed at our own spiritual health, ultimately is to benefit all people. I should say, to benefit all people, all sentient beings, and the world we live in including our environment. Buddhism teaches us to let go of the differences between our self and others. If we do something to help ourselves, we are indirectly doing something to help others. If we do something to help others, we are indirectly doing something to help ourselves.

A Buddhist meditates by the water in Trout Lake, WA

Not 2

Human beings are very good at categorizing and labeling things. I am American/German/Chinese/etc. I am Buddhist/Christian/Jewish/Muslim/etc.. I am Caucasian, Hispanic/Asian/Black/etc. The lists go on and on. And yet every label to which we become attached puts us in harms way of disharmony with everything around us. Think of any of the big crimes against humanity and you’ll find that the crime began with a single thought: I am [fill in the blank] and they are [fill in the blank]. Perhaps no war would ever begin if world leaders focused on how we’re all the same and how we all have the same wants and needs for wellness, happiness, love, and peace. It’s not that labels don’t exist. It’s just that when we become too attached to them, harmony suffers. The world of “we vs. them” is fraught with conflict. The world of “we’re all in this together” has none of this conflict. It’s interesting to note that when the Dalai Lama gives a presentation to a large crowd, he will often begin by introducing himself as a simple monk, who, though he hasn’t met most of the people in the audience, still feels a connection; a sameness with everyone in the audience. This humility and this focus on the sameness leads to harmony and peace in the world.

Metta, or Loving Kindness

May you be well;
May you be happy;
May you know love;
May you know peace.

This is called the Metta Mantra. Metta is a Pali word that means loving kindness. And a mantra is a word or phrase that is repeated to help us concentrate on the message of the mantra. This mantra is one of the Metta practices that are an important part of our path. We repeat this mantra five times. In the first repetition, we dedicate the mantra to ourselves; in the second, we dedicate it to someone easy to love; in the third we dedicate it to someone we don’t know; in the fourth, to someone difficult to love; and lastly, we dedicate the mantra to ourselves again. Including ourselves in our Metta practice speaks to the idea that we shy away from focusing on differences between ourselves and others. As Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche said, we strive “to practice a friendliness towards ourselves that is so strong it radiates out to all people.” In other words, we work on our own stuff so we can be in a better position to help other people with their stuff.

Many gather at Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple in Trout Lake, WA.

Relationships

As the song by The J. Geils Band goes, “Love Stinks.” Romantic love often leads to heartbreak. The same can be said for the love between family members, or any strong attachment. The idea that love leads to pain is as controversial now as it was at the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, our historical teacher. This is not to say that Buddhists avoid relationships. Far from it. Rather, as Thích Nhất Hạnh, the Vietnamese Buddhist teacher, tells us that true love comes from understanding. And when a relationship does lead to heartbreak, we don’t avoid it. We embrace the pain and look at it closely. And in observing the pain, the pain loses its strength. We can’t necessarily eliminate it, but we can soften the pain by contemplating the impermanent nature of everything. As our fourth precept says, “I resolve not to engage in improper sexuality, - but to lead a life of purity and self-restraint.” (The precepts are guidelines that, for the most part, deal with relationships with other people.)

The Ten Cardinal Precepts

I resolve not to kill

- but to cherish all life.

I resolve not to take what is not given

- but to respect the things of others.

I resolve not to engage in improper sexuality

- but to lead a life of purity and self-restraint.

I resolve not to lie

- but to speak the truth.

I resolve not to cause others to take substances that impair the mind, nor to do so myself

- but to keep the mind clear.

I resolve not to speak of the faults of others

- but to be understanding and sympathetic.

I resolve not to praise myself and disparage others

- but to overcome my own shortcomings.

I resolve not to withhold spiritual or material aid

- but to give them freely where needed.

I resolve not to indulge in anger

- but to exercise restraint.

I resolve not to revile the three treasures (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha)

- but to cherish and uphold them.

Interbeing

Thích Nhất Hạnh teaches about interbeing, a word he coined to mean the interdependence of all people and all things. When you think of it, we’re all here due to an infinite number of factors. There are all the people involved with the mere fact of your existence. Your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on. There are all the environmental factors. The sun, the rain, the earth itself, all were necessary for you to be. In fact, our simple existence and what we’ve become are inextricably linked to other people, places, and things. We can live in harmony with the world if we acknowledge that we depend on a multitude of things for our very existence. It’s when we think of ourselves as separate or independent, that we begin to feel special and entitled. This entitlement leads to attachment which often leads to suffering.

Sangha

The Sangha, or Buddhist community, is one of the Three Refuges of Buddhism. Early on in our Buddhist practice, one has the opportunity to take a vow of the Three Refuges or 1. Taking refuge in the Buddha (the historical teacher), 2. The Dharma (the teachings of the Buddha), and 3, The Sangha (Buddhist community.) So from the very beginning of one’s experience with Buddhism, you will be immersed in a community of members who are well practiced in Metta and equanimity. This makes for a very loving and non-judgmental community.

Equanimity

As briefly mentioned before, when we do Metta practice, we include those who are challenging to love. It’s common to offer well wishing prayers to those who cause suffering. That does not mean Buddhist condone behavior that causes suffering, but rather we acknowledge that all people want to be well, to be happy, to know love, and to know peace. It is in this spirit of well wishing for all that promotes harmony.

In Summary

Buddhist practice serves to reduce suffering for ourselves so that we are better equipped to help reduce suffering for all. As the Dalai Lama says, “My religion is kindness.” Many Buddhists take a Bodhisattva vow, the first of which is as follows:

“Sentient beings are innumerable, I vow to free them all.”

Free them all from suffering, from attachments that cause suffering and from delusions or ignorance that cause suffering. So in answer to the question, “How does Buddhist practice impact others?” I might be flattering myself if I thought that I am helping all sentient beings, but I can say for sure that this is my intention with every breath I take.

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 3/27/22 Cole Goodwin 3/27/22

How does practicing your Spirituality impact those around you? An Interconnected Spirit Perspective

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Cole Goodwin, CCCNews Spiritual Roundtable facilitator shares how practicing their Spirituality impacts those around them.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: How does your spirituality impact those around you? How does your spirituality encourage healthy relationships with other people, animals, and the earth? What is love? How can we be more loving?

**About Cole Goodwin they/them/theirs**
Cole is a facilitator of the CCCNews Spiritual Roundtable writers group and journalist for CCCNews. They are a deeply spiritual, genderfluid, and eclectic human, that seeks to cultivate connection where ever they go. Their spiritual beliefs center around the collective Spirit present in all beings and the Spirits ability to evolve and to connect all beings.

An Interconnected Spirit Perspective

By Cole Goodwin, CCCNews Spiritual Roundtable Facilitator
Honestly, it depends on how consistently I practice.

Like most people, I live in the flow of a life.

And as I’m sure you know…life can do things to you. You can’t underestimate life.

So I’m not always as consistent in living my values and beliefs as I’d like to be. Sometimes there are external societal and cultural forces that try to poison my Spirit with fear, hatred, anger, and shame. Sometimes my thoughts and actions are imperfect and my inner critic gets busy thinking unpleasant and self-esteem destroying thoughts.

I accept this as a part of my journey.

When I abandon my practice, I am often weak, depressed, anxious, and fearful.
I feel untethered from myself, the Spirit and the beings around me. And as a result I feel as though I have lost everything. I forget my intrinsic worth. My Heart retreats from me and I feel abandoned. My demons rush forward to fill the emptiness. I become jealous and judgmental. I fear the worst will happen and feel powerless. I feel heavy with regrets. These emotions spill out of my being and onto those around me. The resulting suffering is born of my own lack of self-respect.

I accept this as a part of my journey.

When I am inconsistent in practicing my spirituality I am often in a state of swinging from one mood to the next, caught in a cycle of feeling helpless and then empowered once more.

In a burst of energy I will feel I am accomplishing so much only to have it evaporate a moment later. In this state it is as if I have built my trust in myself and the universe on rickety stilts. It stands upright, but it doesn’t take much to bring it crashing down. My Heart then develops an understanding of scarcity and learns to take it’s nourishment when it can but is quick to withdraw at the first sign of danger. Others experience me to be untrusting, inconsistent and chaotic. This suffering is born of my own lack of self-discipline.

I accept this as a part of my journey.

However, when I am consistent in my Spiritual practice I feel strong, happy, curious, peaceful, and connected.

I live in the present moment and am aware of the needs of my body, mind, and spirit. I trust these needs to be of vital importance and I take care of myself. I am well resourced to face celebration or difficulty. And I am gentle with others and with myself as a result. I feed my authenticity and embrace the authenticity of others. Others feel accepted, comforted and loved in my presence. And others share their stories and their secrets with me with a light heart as a result. I call this thriving state of being ‘a blooming of the heart’, it is a path to living with the door open, always, and accepting anything that may walk through.

I accept this as a part of my journey.

If my goal is to participate in the collective enlightenment of all beings, then it seems obvious that consistency in my Spiritual Practice is best for all beings.

But what about life? What about all the challenges that get in the way of spending 30 minutes a day meditating, eating three meals, drinking a glass of water, praying, and connecting with others?

To journey with the Spirit is to meet difficult circumstances as a challenge rather than an obstacle. Every moment is a chance to practice interconnectedness. Every moment is a chance to have honest mindful interaction with other beings and to show love to myself and others.

When I practice the values of my spirituality

Accepting that there are many Spiritual paths.

Being in the NOW.
Living in relationship.
Caring for all beings.
Caring for the mind, body and Spirit.
Caring for nature.
Connecting from the heart.
Practicing intuitive listening.
Meditating.
Practicing Metta and praying.

I am naturally kinder and more loving to all beings.

This is a prayer for those who wish to share in it.

My belief in the Interconnected Spirit is a gift to those around me.
For when I am Spiritually connected
So to are all those around me

The Spirit manifests my thoughts into actions.
Actions manifest into outcomes.

When I think loving thoughts about others
they become loving.

And when I think unkind thoughts about others
they become unkind.

My judgements create my internal world
and my internal world creates the mindset with which
I experience the outer world.
Therefore it is kindest to myself and others
to hold all beings in my heart
with love and kindness.

Therefore I think kind and loving thoughts about myself
and delight in watching myself bloom
into a paradise of my own making.

Therefore I think kind and loving thoughts
about my friends, family, coworkers, and partners
and delight in their being.

Therefore I let go of sorrows and resentments
while they are still fresh,
for it is not the sorrow that pulls me down
but the act of carrying it for too long
that makes it feel
so
heavy.

Therefore I turn to the Spirit to teach me
how to let go of my seriousness,
and embrace a life free of suffering.

When the Enlightened relates to others
they relate from their whole being.

Therefore I open my mind, my heart and my spirit.
I ask instead of assuming
I listen instead of talking or thinking
I feel instead of repress
I walk instead of run towards a solution
feeling each step as I go

I am a better leader when I learn to
loosen my grip on others.

The best leader is the one that let’s others govern themselves
when an Enlightened Spirit reigns
others hardly know they exist
and yet all in their orbit exist in harmony

An Enlightened Spirit has no need for
prohibitions, weapons, or subsidies
for without such things Universal law takes over
and all flows effortlessly into place

Therefore I embrace my gentleness
and watch with gratitude as my thoughts manifest actions
which bring about an effortless state of
curiosity, acceptance, peace, and love
for myself and all beings

The Spirit accepts moments as they come
it is the mind that twists them
making decisions becomes easy
if one can sit and wait for the right answer to come along

Not being in a rush is key
One cannot rush truth
And therefore I take care of my mind
as this benefits myself and all beings.

The Spirit connects all beings
therefore I am never disconnected from Spirit or from all beings,
if I am outcast, if I do wrong, still I am connected to the collective spirit.
Therefore I am kind to all,
even if they have done something wrong
let’s try to include them
and do the best we can.

I am love.
I am free.
I am forgiven.
I am doing my best.

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 3/20/22 Cole Goodwin 3/20/22

How does your Spirituality impact others? A Sufi Perspective

In this installment of the the Spiritual Roundtable Bobbie Harlow Combe, a writer and Prineville resident shares how practicing Sufiism can impact those around you.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to the The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday morning of the month.

Now take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore one of the many diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: How does your spirituality impact those around you? How does your spirituality encourage healthy relationships with other people, animals, and the earth? What is love? How can we be more loving?

A Sufi Perspective

by Bobbie Harlow Combe

Bismi’llah ir-rahman ir-rahim
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate

SUFISM, A JOURNEY OF LOVE

Guide Sidi wrote—

“Stand inside the doorway of love all the time. Do not go left and right, or to any side. Know that you are not lost if you remember the name of God all the time, inside or outside.”

“The heart must be very clean for Allah’s love. You cannot reach the secret of the love if you do not change every quality to be like the qualities of your Beloved.”

“Love everything because when you love all things, you are loving God.”

(Note: This is the third of three articles written on Sufism.)

Sufism is a journey of Love, a love affair with the Beloved, Allah. A yearning for this Love of the Beloved
leads to Oneness or Unity with God’s Presence. The transformation along the way is far reaching and priceless.

My husband is also on the Sufi Path. I came to our marriage, second for both of us, aware of my lifelong strategy of being “nice” to feel safe. I had not yet experienced a breakthrough that would allow me to be in touch with what was true for me, much less be able to speak it. In response to my niceness and accompanying inauthenticity, my husband’s not-so-nice behaviors began to show up, leading to declining self-esteem, lack of trust, and unhappiness for us both in our marriage.

I thought about leaving the marriage, but when I went to my heart with the idea, there was no Light. It is a Sufi practice to go to one’s heart seeking Divine Guidance. For me, an experience of increased Light and a sensation of heart expansion is a yes, decreased Light and contraction is a no, both often accompanied by an insight. Guidance was clear, this was my chance to work through this old issue within the marriage.

In Sufism, the world is a mirror for me to see myself more clearly, if willing. I began to see that my inauthentic “nice” behaviors were a big part of what was going on in my marriage as well as in my other relationships. I continued the practice of Remembrance, turning to the Divine for support by reciting the Divine Name, Allah (One Mighty All-Encompassing Love), and the Divine Qualities of Mercy and Compassion into my spiritual heart and into places where I felt emotional pain. Relief and guidance consistently came time and again.

My husband and I continued our varied Sufi practices supported by therapy. We also relied upon a mutual practice we came to call “holding feet” that guides us in our relationship. When a need arises to communicate with each other regarding something significant, we sit on the opposite ends of the couch with our feet in each other’s lap while looking into each other’s eyes. We say the Fatiha, The Opener, followed by a prayer, allowing our hearts to connect and create a container of love, trust, and safety. We then express our question, concern or request followed by each of us going to our heart seeking and waiting for Divine Guidance and sharing what we receive. This process can go several rounds.

Several months of intense emotional discomfort went by. Then, unexpectedly, I found myself for the first time in my life blurting out my truth with clarity during our communications and standing firm in my Divine guidance. My delivery wasn’t perfect and continued to improve. We kept “walking” in the Sufi way, our love and trust deepening. As I changed, so did he. Our relationship blossomed and continues to do so.

Finding my voice along with self-acceptance and love also had a positive effect on the relationships with my three children. Over time, as I became less defensive and reactive, mutual trust developed. I became a better listener, letting go of my agenda and communicating with greater authenticity. I reflect to them the Divine Qualities I experience inside myself (as I am a mirror for them as they are for me). Today, I feel immense gratitude for the quality relationships I have with my children and the resource I have become for them. They have taken up some of the Sufi practices for themselves.

The impact my Sufi practices have on others, even strangers, amazes me. Several years ago we were traveling by bus in Turkey. A handsome young man sat across the aisle from us and although we did not speak Turkish and he spoke only a little English, my husband moved across the aisle and struck up a conversation with him. As it was difficult to follow their conversation, I pulled out and started to read a paperback novel I had with me, Snow by Orpha Pumak. Little did I know this was a highly controversial book in Turkey. The young man noticed what I was reading. Refusing to look at me he turned to my husband emphatically requesting that he tell me to stop reading the book because it was a bad influence. Overhearing the commotion, I paused, looked at them, and began to seethe with anger. I was already struggling with the cultural differences I was encountering on our trip.

That evening I said to my husband that I was not coming to bed until I found peace in my heart. I sat in Remembrance into the night. At some point I experienced my heart opening and filling with compassion for this young man and the ways his culture had formed him and his behaviors. Likewise, I found compassion for myself and my reactions. I sat in this space overflowing with compassion until I was overcome with a deep sense of peace. The remainder of my trip was amazing. A shopkeeper came out of his shop to give me a gift. An Imam (a leader in a Muslim community) gave me a set of prayer beads from Mecca. Women in the mosque surrounded me with smiling faces, lovingly assisting me with my scarf. Inn keepers were gracious and connecting, referring us to relatives at our next place of stay. It became a magical trip.

These types of transformative occurrences are not uncommon. I’ve had them with my sister, friends, and strangers in many situations. Transformation is not limited to human relationships. On this journey of love, I find it easy to fall into communion with the many aspects of our physical world, experiencing the Oneness of All.

La ilaha illa’llah, there is no deity except the One Mighty All-Encompassing Love.

“Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find
all the barriers within yourself
that you have built against it.”

― Rumi

Shadhiliyya Sufi Resources:

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 3/13/22 Cole Goodwin 3/13/22

How does practicing spirituality impact those around you? A Magdalene Path Perspective

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Claire Sierra, author/founder of The Magdalene Path, an Expressive Arts Therapist, Soul Alchemist, Spa Priestess, and Reiki Master shares how practicing her Spirituality impacts those around her in the context of a globally interconnected world.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to the Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: How does your spirituality impact those around you? How does your spirituality encourage healthy relationships with other people, animals, and the earth? What is love? How can we be more loving?

A Magdalene Path Perspective

by Claire Sierra

When this month’s theme was developed I’m sure there was no imagining what would be happening in the world right now. This really is the most crucial question: how does our spirituality make a different in the world around us: at home, in our community and around the world?

Can we have an effect on planetary healing and well-being? I believe we can.

And with the global focus on the invasion of Ukraine, it’s perfect timing. Humanity appears to finally be tiring of war. In war, no one wins, (barring a very elite and distanced few.)

As this war unfolds in real time, I’ve seen an unprecedented outcry of a different type. While typically “anti-war” sentiments would be common, something different is happening. Across electronic platforms of news and social media, there is a global outcry of support, calling for prayers of peace.

I’ve seen an unprecedented invoking of the divine mother, with prayers to Mother Mary, our Lady of Ukraine, and goddesses of the old tradition (like Berehynia, Mokosh and Baba Yaga). Invitations to prayer vigils constantly fill my newsfeed.

As someone who moves in the world of the awakening Divine Feminine, my view could be biased—confirmation bias, I suppose. But others who are not similarly desposed have noted it also, and we’re delighted at this change of heart.

It makes sense that this would occur. As the feminine awakens—which we’ve seen in the #metoo, #neveragain, Vagina Monologues and other pro-female movements—there’s a growing sense of feminine presence and empowerment.

The divine feminine is rising because it’s time. We’ve had 3000 years of patriarchy—hierarchical power over, domination and force, suppressing women, the poor or marginalized while abusing the resources of the Earth for the gain of the few.

The divine feminine is returning now to balance the toxicity that emerges when the masculine way of being has been epitomized as ideal, and the feminine has been seen as inferior, soiled and unworthy. This kind of hierarchy leads to imbalance. Not that men or the masculine are bad, but by removing the equal and opposite energy of the feminine, the planet has teetered out of control.

By reconnecting with the divine feminine we access forces of Love and compassion. We can set healthy boundaries, care for our neighbors, earth citizens regardless of race, religion, or borders. We can honor ourselves, each other and the land we live on/with. We can create a world that works for everyone, not just the privileged few. This is how it’s worked in my world and my practice.

And the dominant shift, that the world is edging towards is accessing the power of Love.

Love is a vibration, a frequency—not always a sweet romantic emotion. Love is a force to be reckoned with, that moves mountains when needed.

When we connect with this Sacred Feminine in and through love, we open to an expansiveness and possibility. Then magic and manifestation can happen in our life with family and friends, at work, even in business…

Connecting with the frequency of Love, we tap our feminine essence. Life can flow, full, fluid, easy, and graceful. Tap into magic and possibility, of divine timing—not always on clock or calendar time. Living from Feminine Soul creates an embodied sense of life as sacred, the divinity that is within and all around us.

When we awaken the Divine Feminine, we naturally strive to balance and integrate with the Sacred Masculine, knowing we need both energies within and around us for wholeness. In doing this, we start to know ourselves as sacred: our bodies, minds, and hearts. We live our days connected to the forces that surround us, human and otherwise..

When we access this frequency we can’t help but care for all life. The earth itself becomes sacred as we sense it giving us this beautiful life. How can we not want to protect, honor, and celebrate it? So we care for the planet, our environment, the workers who toil in the fields, and our planetary neighbors. We know, in our hearts that when one suffers, we all suffer. We feel this Truth of connection in our bones.

And from that Truth we honor the sacred all around us, and we too are blessed. The circle of life is turned. And so it is!

*David Eisenstein

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 3/6/22 Cole Goodwin 3/6/22

How Do You Practice Your Sprituality? A Buddhist Perspective

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Reverend Scott See shares what his Spirituality means to him.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday morning of the month.

Now take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore one of the many diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What is your belief systems basic belief structure? What are some of the major celebrations or rites of passage? What are some of the core beliefs and major practices?

A Buddhist Perspective

by Scott See

Siddhārtha Gautama

To explore Buddhism’s basic belief structure, it’s interesting to begin with the quest Siddhārtha Gautama undertook to find a cure for suffering.

Siddhārtha Gautama, otherwise known as Shakyamuni Buddha, or more commonly as The Buddha, grew up in India 2,500 years ago and lived within the confines of his father’s palace. His father was a king and insulated Siddhārtha from the harsh realities of the world outside the palace walls. As life inside the palace was stifling, Siddhārtha managed to travel outside where he was confronted with the realities of sickness, old age, and death. This sparked a quest to discover the cause of suffering and how to alleviate suffering. He began to study various spiritual philosophies of the time. At one point, he practiced asceticism (severe physical deprivation) which almost killed him. The practice that helped Siddhārtha find the nature of and cure for suffering was meditation.

Here’s a passage that illuminates the role of meditation in the Buddhist practice:

“Continuously explore the presence of desire and aversion in the mind, and see living meditation practice (in which the development of insight pervades every aspect of our life and not just the hours devoted to meditation) as a ‘lifelong process of constant observation and continuous investigation.’”

Source: https://oaor.org/about-us/

Meditation is a key part of Buddhist practice.

Eventually, Siddhartha meditated long enough and deeply enough to find the answer to his fundamental question: “how does one alleviate suffering?” His answer is as follows:

Four Noble Truths

The truth and existence of suffering. (the diagnosis)
The causes of suffering. (the cause)
The truth that one can be liberated from suffering. (the prognosis)
The Path that leads to liberation from suffering. (the remedy)

The Truth of Suffering

We all suffer.

This seems obvious, but it was not long ago that I misunderstood the word suffering from a Buddhist perspective. To me, suffering was something horrible that happened to other people–extreme poverty and sickness, such as what you see in the TV commercials soliciting donations for starving families in Africa. I thought that my first-world problems don’t warrant classification as, “suffering.” Within Buddhism, “suffering” is an approximate (and perhaps unfortunate) translation of the Sanskrit word duhkha which can also be translated as unsatisfactoriness or unpleasantness. Understanding suffering this new way, I came to realize just how much I do, in fact, suffer. Seeing something for what it is is the first step in dealing with it. Accordingly, the truth of suffering is the first of the four noble truths.

The Cause of Suffering

Suffering is caused by our ignorance which leads us to become attached to things. All things are impermanent, so there’s no way to avoid being separated from “all that is dear to me and everyone I love.”

The Truth of Liberation from Suffering

Since everything is impermanent, suffering too must be impermanent. And suffering has causes; it does not exist independently and in isolation. So there must be a way to alleviate suffering.

The Path of Liberation from Suffering

The way is known as the Noble Eightfold Path which I will address next.

The Noble Eightfold Path

1. Right View

2. Right Intention

3. Right Speech

4. Right Action

5. Right Livelihood

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration

This list begs the question, “What is ‘Right View, Intention, Speech, and so on?’” That question is worthy of a lifetime of study, but here are some thoughts. Before taking action, consider “does this action promote compassion, contentment, and wisdom, or does it promote anger, attachment, and delusion?” Being guided like so avoids thinking in terms of right/wrong or good/bad, and as a result, helps us not become judgemental. By the way, the word, “right” is often replaced with “wise,” “skillful,” or other similar words. Buddhists avoid thinking in terms of right and wrong, so in this context, please understand that the word, “right” means promoting compassion, contentment, and wisdom.

Implicit in The Eightfold Path is the idea of “The Middle Way.” The Middle Way cautions us to avoid extremes. Just enough–not too much; not too little–is a good guideline. And this applies to our thoughts as well as our actions. As Shakyamuni Buddha found in his spiritual quest, asceticism and deprivation do not alleviate suffering, and an extravagant lifestyle also does not alleviate suffering. Living modestly and simply is The Middle Way.

Again, a big part of The Noble Eightfold Path is meditation. It is through meditation (seeing things as they are without our filters, preconceptions, or likes/dislikes) that we are able to use The Noble Eightfold Path as a guide throughout life.

Letting Go

Buddhism is more a spirituality of letting go, rather than acquisition and attainment.

Someone once asked the Buddha: “What have you gained through meditation?”
The Buddha replied, “Nothing at all.”

“Then, Blessed One, what good is it?”

The Buddha said: “Let me tell you what I have lost in meditation: sickness, depression…

This brings us back to the second of the Four Noble Truths.

The cause of suffering is our attachment to things and outcomes. Letting go of our attachment to things and outcomes is easier said than done, but such is the path of Buddhist teachings. The good news is, once you’ve learned how to let go of one thing, you will feel a lightness, a liberation, that makes it easier to continue letting go of attachments. Do not think for a moment that this non-attachment is the same as inaction or apathy. You will find that Buddhist practitioners work hard, but despite great ambition and determination, are not attached to the outcome. Rather, they accept whatever happens and adapt their efforts accordingly. In theory… The Buddhist path is simple, but not easy. It takes persistence. (The comic, though intended to be humorous, illustrates the Buddhist teaching that if we become attached to Buddhism, that can also lead to suffering. We learn to let go of even attachment to letting go.)

Emptiness (Impermanence and Interdependence)

Emptiness is a central theme in Buddhist teachings.

It’s easy to misunderstand the concept of emptiness and interpret it as non-existence.

Good news… you don’t have to stop existing to practice Buddhism.

By emptiness it’s meant that things don’t exist in isolation; they are dependent on other things. Everything is interdependent. By emptiness it’s also meant that things are impermanent and inevitably change. By emptiness it’s meant that all of our “notions” about things are not the same as the things themselves. We tend to view things through our filters. For example, I may look at a bacon-cheeseburger and drool. Another may look at it in disgust. We all bring our pre-conceptions and judgements along when we view things, people, ourselves. And when we view things through our colored glasses, we are not seeing things as they are, and this can make life difficult for us and those around us. When we realize the interdependent nature of things; when we realize the impermanence of things; when we realize that things just are, not necessarily as we perceive them, then we let go of our fears.

Core Daily Practices

Venerable Thich Minh Tinh (Thay Kozen), the Abbot at Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple, tells us, “I recommend that your daily practice include three things: 1. Compassion, 2. Devotion, 3. Meditation.” Compassion is not only for others, but equally importantly, for ourselves. Devotion involves an act of appreciation for something outside of ourselves. And meditation is the process by which we learn about calming the mind and seeing things as they are.

Getting Started

The 3 steps of starting a Buddhist Practice

Quit reading and start sitting
Find a teacher
Continue sitting

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Columbia Community Connection 2/27/22 Columbia Community Connection 2/27/22

How do you practice your Spirituality? A Bahá’í Perspective

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Rene Weiler, a member of the Bahá’í Faith shares how she practices her Spirituality.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What is your belief systems basic belief structure? What are some of the major celebrations or rites of passage? What are some of the core beliefs and major practices?

Rene Weiler lives in Lyle, Washington where she raised her family with her husband Bill. She is a recently retired physical therapist, and loves building community in any way she can!
Learn more at: gorgebahais.org. We also have one public and one private Facebook group for Bahá’ís in the Gorge.

The official website sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’í Faith in the United States is Bahai.us, and the official Website of the Worldwide Bahá’í Community is Bahai.org.

A Bahá’í Perspective

By Irene Weiler

I vividly recall the very first time I ever encountered the word Baha'i or the name Baha'u'llah. I was a young college student suddenly encountering a world of new ideas. On my way to class that day I passed a display which featured a large diagramatic planet earth, with the text from Baha'u'llah: "The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens."

Despite the loving nature of this quotation, embracing all humanity as one family, I recall that in my youthful immaturity I scoffed with disdain at this idea, especially because it proffered the words of someone other than Jesus. But although my initial reaction was negative, I now remember that moment as THE watershed moment in my life; exposure to the sacred words of Baha'u'llah. I imagine many of you readers, just like my 18 year old self, may not have heard of the Baha'i Faith, as it had its origins only a little more than 150 years ago in a part of the world (Persia) obscure to many of us. But perhaps you have heard of Baha'i, as it is the second most geographically widespread religion (second only to Christianity) and chances are that in whatever village or city you reside on whatever continent, it is likely you have some Baha'i friends or neighbors. Yes even in little Lyle, where I live! In fact, all of us here in the Gorge have a surprising and historic connection with the Baha'i Faith, as the first royalty to fully align herself with this Revelation was Queen Marie of Romania to whom the Maryhill museum was dedicated by Sam Hill.

I look back on the decades since I first saw that world embracing display at Boston University, and I see with eyes of gratitude how the practices and core teachings of this Faith have completely shaped my life. I thank God that I grew past the hard shell of rigid thinking to embrace a faith that is for me living, real, growing. My little acorn self began to break open into a tender seedling and then into a tree that hopefully bears fruit not only for the transformation of my own inner being but also for the betterment of the world around me.

"Let your vision be world-embracing rather than confined to your own self." -Baha'u'llah

Baha'u'llah taught that all of the great world religions spring from one Divine Source. You can think of religion as a Sacred Book with many chapters, each with the purpose to advance humankind spiritually and materially. Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Muhammad, Christ, Baha'u'llah and others from time immemorial into the the unknown future are bringers of great Educatting religions expressing the eternal love the Creator has for us in sending continual guidance for our well-being. Each chapter of this one Holy Book is suited to the time in which it appeared, each prophesied by the previous, each building and adding to the spiritual and social teachings of theTeacher who came before.

"This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future."

Just as I, and each of us, grew and developed from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, so do all living things, and religion too is a growing living thing. Baha'u'llah's central message for the time in which we live is that of unity. There is but one God, humanity is one family, and all the religions are one. It is now time to step into this inherent oneness, to recognize the eternal fact that we are one human family.

"Baha'u'llah has drawn the circle of unity. He has made a design for the uniting of all the peoples. and for the gathering of them all under the under the tent of universal unity. This is the work of the Divine Bounty and we must all strive with heart and soul until we have the reality of unity in our midst." Baha'i Writings.

Baha'u'llah wrote over 100 volumes of sacred text. Because His Revelation is so vast, I cannot even "scratch the surface" in what I am able to share here, but please permit me to offer just a simple list to give you a brief sampling of some of the core teachings and practices.

What do Baha'is strive to do in their daily lives?

1.Pray

2. Offer their work in a spirit of service.

3. Forgive

4. Be humble

5. Be generous.

6. See the good in each and all.

7. Root out all prejudice.

8. Be honest and trustworthy.

9. Live a life of service to others.

We have a calendar of 19 months of 19 days each and on the first day of each Baha'i month we gather as a community. There is no clergy, but there are elected bodies of nine that guide the affairs of the community at the local, national and international levels.

The life of a Baha'i and the Baha'i community is vibrant and service oriented, outward looking instead of congregational, embracing all neighbors, friends and protagonists who share the desire to work together for the betterment of the world through spiritual means. There is so much to learn and do and each person has something unique and powerful to bring to the table. Life on this earth is a special time to learn, grow closer to our Creator, and serve our fellowman. Lovely to be with you all today here on these pages. Thanks for reading these humble thoughts. If you would like to explore further, I encourage you to talk to a Baha'i neighbor, check out a book in the library, or go to www.bahai.org or bahai.us.

"Do not be satisfied until each one with whom you are concerned is to you as a member of your family. Regard each one either as a father, or as a brother, or as a sister, or as a mother, or as a child. If you can attain to this, your difficulties will vanish, you will know what to do." - Baha'i Writings

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 2/20/22 Cole Goodwin 2/20/22

How do you Practice your Spirituality? A Sufi Perspective

In this installment of the the Spiritual Roundtable Bobbie Harlow Combe, a writer and Prineville resident shares the core tenants of Sufisism and how she practices her Spirituality.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to the The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday morning of the month.

Now take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore one of the many diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What is your belief systems basic belief structure? What are some of the major celebrations or rites of passage? What are some of the core beliefs and major practices?

A Sufi Perspective

by Bobbie Harlow Combe

Bismi’llah ir-rahman ir-rahim
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate

For some, Sufism may evoke the image of whirling dervishes or remembrance of beautiful verse from well-known Sufi poets such as Rumi and Hafiz. I may have read a Rumi poem, but I had no idea about Sufism when I came upon it twenty years ago.

In America there are at least 17 Sufi orders and hundreds worldwide, attracting people from all walks of life. Each order has its own distinct practices depending on its lineage, geographical and cultural roots, guides, and teachers. Most orders have at least one Sufi guide, one who has traveled far along the path, who’s role is to spiritually guide and verbally instruct the disciple on the Sufi path. I am privileged to have as my Sufi guide Shaykh Muhammad Sa’id al-Jamal ar-Rifa’I, affectionately called Sidi.

In 2001, I unexpectedly crossed paths with my soon-to-be Sufi guide. He beckoned me without a word, revealed to me a glimpse of where I would be heading, opened the door and I entered. Little did I know what I would be asked to give up.

Surrender is an oft heard word in Sufism. As a follower of Sufism, in my journey towards the One, I am asked to surrender everything. Surrender is a process of emptying myself of beliefs, identity, memories, concerns, emotions, thoughts, …; completely trusting in the One. Surrender is to bring acceptance and love, over and over, to whatever arises in my consciousness from moment to moment, acknowledging it is from the One and returns to the One, thus setting me free.

“The word Sufism means to purify one’s heart” with “the goal of living closely with God and to live in the eternal experience of this Oneness … Sufism is a spiritual teaching that leads to Oneness or Unity with God’s Presence” says the Institute of Spiritual Healing.

Rosina-Fawzia al-Rawi writes “The core of Sufism is to allow us human beings to discover the Divine that we carry in our heart and take us to that which is sacred, thus transforming the world of manifestations into a place filled with the living experience of the Divine.”

I was immediately attracted to Sufism’s basic tenant that there is no deity but the ONE; no one, no thing exists outside of the One. I was familiar with the expression “we are all connected”, but I did not understand its deeper meaning until I entered this path: Every person and thing are from the Divine Essence of the One All-Encompassing Love -- everything is sacred, holy, and connected.

Sufism is a form of Islamic mysticism, yet it transcends religion. “There are as many paths to God as there are people,” is a well-known Sufi saying. My beloved guide Sidi wrote, “When you find the love, you find yourself. The secret is in the love. You are the love, not another. Everything is in the love, and everyone needs the love…this love knows no differences. If the Muslims, Jews, Christians, and the people of any other religion, knew their religion well, there would only be one religion, the religion of love, and peace and mercy.”

Sufism’s roots go back to and beyond the Prophet Abraham of the Bible. The belief is that Prophets were sent to humanity by God to turn the peoples’ hearts back toward the One, including the last Prophet, Muhammad. Sufism also acknowledges Jesus as a Prophet of God, that he was born of a virgin as recorded in the holy Quran. My relationship with both Jesus and the Prophet Muhammad, may God’s peace and blessings be upon them, continues to become richer and more meaningful.

My Sufi path is with the Shadhiliyya Sufi world-wide order. It is an order that places emphasis on “spiritual healing”. (Sufi whirling is not one of our practices.) It was the spiritual healing that attracted me to a workshop where ancient Sufi healing practices were taught.

I follow a well-worn Sufi path that has been preserved for centuries. Along this path are guideposts, the four “Stations of the Way” representing the four layers of the heart: Ego/Personality, Heart, Soul, and Secret. Within each layer are seven stations. Each station contains guidance and instructions for clearing the coverings over the heart that keep me in separation from All, the One.

Purifying the heart has many healing benefits. It is not a replacement for medical healing. This purification, or washing of the heart, involves a practice called Remembrance, reaching out to Divine support and guidance, surrendering to the Love, Compassion, and Wisdom of the One Love.

In application, Remembrance can be reciting the Name of the One and Names of the Divine Qualities (e.g., Love, Mercy, Strength, Protection), silently or out loud, with focus on one’s spiritual heart. I recite these names in Arabic, which is one of the sacred languages that carry specific qualities of tone, vibration and divine light. I allow my heart to be “washed” of meanings, beliefs, and experiences that can create doubt, confusion, sadness, pain, . . . This recitation also reveals the beautiful Divine Qualities I carry within.

Sidi wrote, “When anyone wants to live with God, he must wash with the holy water of truth. Each time he washes, he returns himself to be his real self, but he must open his heart and his ear, to be washed in the water that takes him from this earth and this body to the world of the soul and the heart of God—to the light.”

I am humbled by this effort to communicate some knowledge of Sufism in a few words. May I receive forgiveness for any errors. I am also honored by this privilege and acknowledge that only the surface has been scratched.

“And when the journey to God comes to an end, comes the beginning of the infinite journey in God.” -Igbal

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 2/19/22 Cole Goodwin 2/19/22

How do you practice your Spirituality? A Magdalene Path Perspective

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to the Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What is your belief systems basic belief structure? What are some of the major celebrations or rites of passage? What are some of the core beliefs and major practices?

A Magdalene Path Perspective

by Claire Sierra

For as long as I can recall, Soul is the key. Feeding, caring for, and connecting with my own soul or guiding that process in others - whether as a psychotherapist, soul coach, or spa priestess - has guided my life. (Our soul steers our life and when we don’t heed it, we suffer.)

Self care is soul care, and in recent years we’ve all seen and felt the importance. Being connected to Spirit is not something I’ve tried to do, to be “good”, it’s just simpler that way. I’ve found that spiritual practices are necessary for mental, emotional and physical well-being. If not, we risk anguish, upset, and pain.

What practices help you to maintain (or regain) balance, ease, and connection?

I’ve developed a core of simple practices that inspire, awaken, and align me with the Divine. On daily and weekly basis, I tap into prayer, meditation, yoga or movement, walking in nature, writing, and painting.

I was raised Catholic, and my strong mystical streak inspired my quest for authentic, embodied experiences of the Sacred. Since I’m in a female body, I’m drawn to reflections of divinity that mirror my own, the Goddess, reminding me that I, too, am a spark of the Divine. I explored many wisdom traditions, healing modalities, and the earth-based spirituality of my European roots. I found myself on path of the priestess, returning home to a Christianity I was never taught, including the Sacred Feminine wisdom of Mary Magdalene.

As a priestess of the Divine Feminine in the Avalon and Magdalene traditions, my life is rooted in connection: with self, soul, Source (or Spirit) and sisters (community). I’m particularly attuned to the rhythms of nature and acknowledge the seasonal cycles our lives revolve around. Some of these holy days may be vaguely familiar: Solstice as Christmas, Spring Equinox as Easter, May Day, Hallowe’en (All Souls & Saints days).

These seasonal markers every 6 weeks help us mark, move and flow through the year. Being tuned in to the rhythm of the earth & moon, even vaguely, helps us feel connected to the monthly cycles we all seem to experience, even if unacknowledged.

Most of the temples and holy places of the ancient earth-based traditions of the Goddess were destroyed by new religions wanting power. In the Avalon and Magdalene traditions, we’ve had to scavenge from ancient texts and oral tradition, spiritual insight and creative imagination to create new traditions and rituals.

The same is true of the Way of Love, the path taught by Jesus and Mary Magdalene, which was almost completely eradicated by the church of Rome.

Now we find growing interest in the lost wisdom of Mary Magdalene—someone who was far more important than we were led to believe. My decades of research and spiritual connection with Magdalene have confirmed her role as a leader and healer in the early church. The path she taught in France and other parts of Europe, Jesus called the Way of Love & Light.

Connection with her is my primary inspiration, which I do through meditation, writing, and prayer. Recently I received a new way to pray the Rosary—to Mary Magdalene, which brings a deep state of peace and spiritual connection. (I’m delighted to share this practice in our monthly prayer circle, see the link in my bio!)

Receiving this connection with the Divine Feminine through Mary Magdalene has ignited my soul’s purpose. Awakening Feminine Soul to balance with masculine power is the primary task of our time. Without it our society and planet teeter towards collapse. “A more beautiful world that our hearts know is possible*” awaits us. We must find a way to a new story, that is beyond hate and divisiveness, a path of hope, love and light. Find yours.

*David Eisenstein

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 2/13/22 Cole Goodwin 2/13/22

How do you practice your spirituality? An Interfaith Perspective from Nana I Ke Kumu

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Imma Royal and Theo Ward share how they practice their spirituality.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question:

An Interfaith Perspective

by Imma Royal and Theo Ward

Everything one needs to know about is in a little book called the Tao Te Ching. You are never far away but you are close. If you understand this… It is the basis of our philosophy.

The Master arrives by non-doing. By living the Tao, you are lived by it. A great leader leads by following.

Navigating the Tree of Life is a rite of passage. Starting a Kether, navigating to Malkuth and rising back up through the abyss “Da’ath”.

Our practice is quite simple. A verse of the Tao Te Ching daily before meditation. A randomly selected verse from Stephen Mitchell’s interpretation of the Tao, sets the template for the day. Noticing how things shift. A perspective that has been and will always be.

Discussion and study of the Qabalah/Tarot is the structure that guides our practice. It is about preparing the vessel as one integrates Conscious Energy navigating the 32 paths of the Tree of Life. Within these 32 paths are 22 Major Arcana of the Tarot and the 10 Sephiroth. It is represented in four planes of existence: The Archetypal World, The Creative World, The Formative World and The Material World. From these four worlds the ten Sephiroth forms the ten aspects of Universal Conscious Energy. The 22 Major Arcana represent all the archetypes of humanity. When combined form infinite possibilities. This one reality is unnamable because it is infinite.

There is much freedom to our practice beyond this foundation. Everything else is extra, icing on the cake. I like Mantra and Yoga embodying consciousness through sound, breath and movement. Theo practices dancing with the Earth through gardening and creating ecosystems. Through connection with self, we have the ability to live the joy of being human.

Our core belief, Creation exists. All we have to do is tap in. From here, one can understand the ALL.

The how to is knowledge of the Esoteric. The Ancient Wisdom. One can enter through the language of symbols. The infinite cannot be articulated. It is experienced as Conscious Energy.

Lethargy… We remember 9/11. Theo’s successful practice of Network Marketing tanked. COVID. Humanity is stuck.

We have a way. Our non-profit at Nana I Ke Kumu offers an open door. We will commit to your journey. This is an offer for you to journey with us for one year with the common purpose to know oneself as a perfect and magnificent part of creation manifest here on earth for the sole purpose of having an experience.

If this intrigues you, visit us at our space, call or email.

Nana I Ke Kumu

413 E 2nd ST
The Dalles, OR 97058
indigotravellers.net
immaroyal@gmail.com
(541) 980-7286

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 2/13/22 Cole Goodwin 2/13/22

How do you practice your Spirituality? An Interconnected Spirit Perspective

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Cole Goodwin, CCCNews Spiritual Roundtable facilitator shares how they practice their Spirituality.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What is your belief systems basic belief structure? What are some of the major celebrations or rites of passage? What are some of the core beliefs and major practices?

An Interconnected Spirit Perspective

By Cole Goodwin, CCCNews Spiritual Roundtable Facilitator

If you ask me what I believe I will tell you ‘nothing’ and ‘everything’.

Do I believe in karma?
Of course.

Do I believe in God? Hekate? Love?
Yes.

Do I believe the teachings of the Buddha?
Without question.

Do I believe that animals and plants and rivers and oceans are as full of the Spirit as you or I?
Yes, I believe that with every vibrating fiber of my being.

My belief in the Spirit is not tied to any one religion, philosophy or belief system.
For me the Spirit is a connecting point between all beings,
it is a sacred, eternal, and evolving life force.

I find my Spirit loves to be expressed through meditation,
art, poetry, music, dance, sex, and love.

I find that when I listen to the Spirit, it always knows the right thing to do.
I find that when I am held close to another’s heart,
I can feel the Spirit listening and vibrating inside of them,
Each beat in harmony with my own.

Tending to my belief system, to my Spirituality
is like tending a tapestry woven from light itself,
It is formless, yet with form,
a reflection and the mirror
meant to cherish the unexplainable experience of
the presence of the Spirit
in all things.

My core belief is simply this:

I believe in the simultaneously collective and individual nature of Spirit.

The Spirit has evolved into multiple consciousness, yet its sentient presence lies within all things. It is collectively shared and yet individually experienced. Although those that achieve enlightenment may also touch the Collective Consciousness.

I believe that the Spirit wants to experience connection…for life not only enjoys the presence of other life but needs it to survive.

The Spirit connects all beings in all of existence in order to create a state of harmony.

Therefore living in the flow of interconnectedness, and understanding our individual impact on the flow of consciousness is key to living well.

Our connectedness holds the key to the collective enlightenment of all beings.
I believe that the Spirit is always evolving and that it is neither all good nor all evil.
It simply is.

I also believe that the Spirit evolves in the direction we choose as individuals and as a collective.

I believe the individual Spirit can achieve meaningful connection with and flow within the Collective Consciousness of the Spirit. By recognizing our individual role in the collective Spirit we learn how to let others reach us…And we evolve our understanding so that we may reach for others.

Interconnected Spirit Practices

There are many means to experiencing the Spirit including meditation, prayer, magic mushroom journeying, cannabis ceremony, and dreams.

There is an infinite and expansive wisdom available to each of us in this conscious Spirit state. In this other dimension of reality and consciousness we can see our whole lives as collective and individual beings. In this state of connectedness we are capable of knowing anything that needs to be known. In this state of consciousness we can know our thoughts, our feelings, our bodies, as well as the thoughts, and feelings, of others. In this state we can expand past our lifetimes to see the beginning and end of time, and the life and the death of all things. It is through this connection that the highest wisdoms, the greatest truths, and the true nature of all things are revealed.

Accept that there are many Spiritual Paths.

I believe the highest wisdom lies in following an individual path to connection with the Spirit.

It is my core spiritual belief that each person, each unique sentient being, all 7 billion people, and 8.7 million animals, and 390,900 thousand species of plants have their own unique connection to the collective spirit. And that the only being that can decide the ‘right’ path to Spirit, enlightenment, nirvana, heaven, for each being is that unique being itself.

There are many different philosophical paths that can lead you to the same doorstep.

There are many crossroads and open doors, and winding forest paths that can take you there. Some find their path in Christianity, others in the Tao, Islam, Buddhism, Shamanism, or Wicca. Some find that their path is as multilayered as a wedding cake, and they layer teaching after teaching. One sugary, one savory, one Christian, one Taoist, one on top of the other until they reach a peak understanding of their values.

Each path is as unique as the individual that follows it, embrace this.

Be in the NOW.

Every moment matters.
Say hello to birds, to cats, to flowers and breezes.
Smile at your neighbors.

The Spirit, whatever it is, whatever it’s becoming, wherever it’s going, whatever it’s fate may eventually be, is here in the NOW.

This is how I have come to believe that celebration and awareness of the NOW, the present moment, and it’s ever shifting nature is a key practice to living in connection with the Spirit. To achieve this state, one can practice meditation. Learn how to simply sit and observe the breathe, the body, mind, and spirit. To achieve enlightenment in the present moment one must practice a state of loving kindness and non-judgmental awareness of all that is. The acceptance of that which is, increases our curiosity and understanding of the world, and puts us on the path to connection.

Live in a relationship.

The Spirit is in all beings, and therefore every relationship you have is a relationship with the Spirit. Treat yourself and others with kindness. Be curious about other beings, ask them open-ended questions and listen for their response.

Care for all beings.

Separateness is an illusion.
All beings make up a part of the Spirit.
All beings are your family.
Every human, alien, plant, animal, and ocean is a part of you.
You can never be separated from this family, even in death, even in rebirth.
They belong to you as you belong to them.

When we harm another being, we harm ourselves.
When we love another being, we love ourselves.
It is best to be gentle with other beings when we can.

Even as you float in loneliness amongst the stars
The Spirit knows the radiance of your heart.

To live in relation to others with kindness, curiosity, love and acceptance,
is to walk the true path of living as an interconnected spirit.
For all beings are truly one being,
and therefore to care for others is to care for ALL others.
And therefore to care for the self, is to care for all beings.

Each being is a part of your spirit.
They are the source from which you have sprung,
and the source to which you will return.
The Spirit is home to all beings.

Think of it like this: You are like a single cell in the body of an infinite universe bursting with possibilities. What you choose to do will impact the whole universe. And the way you choose to treat the mind, heart, spirit, and body of the universe will determine the outcome of the collective being.

Care for your mind, body, and spirit.

The Spirit is also inside you. Care for it. Notice it’s rhythms. Embody your emotions. Engage your mind. Honor your body’s limits and stretch its potential.

Care for nature.

The Spirit lives inside all beings.

It is in the rivers, the oceans and the clouds. It is is the skies. It is in the soil. It is in the forests, prairies, savannahs. Every being, every plant, every animal is a part of the Spirit. Therefore speak to your plants, your dog, and your crops with love in your heart.

To live sustainably in harmony with nature is to respect the body of the Universal Spirit. Developing a deep intimate connection with the natural world will reveal to us all the secrets of balance we need to survive and thrive in the Universe.

To willfully engage in unsustainable living is to disrespect and degrade the body of the Spirit.

Such violence poisons paradise. In the modern day world, plants and animals are disappearing from the face of the Earth forever. And for what? For money? For microchips? So that we could conveniently carry home our takeout food in a styrofoam cup? Humans must be fools, absolute fools to not see what we have done to our planet to our Spirit and to the beings on this world that once outnumbered us ten to one.

Therefore to walk the Spiritual path of an interconnected Spirit in authenticity we must care for nature.

Connect from the heart.

There is a difference between simply walking in the woods and knowing the woods in which you walk.

What is the difference?

It is having a heart connection to the world you live in and the beings you are surrounded by.
It is knowing someone not by their name, or their identity, or their achievements but by their heart.

Other beings will reach for you.
Let them.

Let your heart be known
Let the golden thread of Spirit connect you to highest wisdom.

When we neglect our connection,
we bring dementia to the Universal mind.

In forgetting what we are,
an interconnected Spirit,
we are lost to ourselves.
We lose sight of our Universal story,
one history, one face at a time.

Practice Intuitive listening.

To understand the Spirit’s wisdom, power, and purpose requires poetry beyond what I can speak. The highest wisdom is only known to me when I cease all chit chat and simply listen.

Listening intuitively will teach you how to communicate across any perceived divide of language, politics, religion, or even species. Intuitive listening teaches us that we do not need to speak the same language to understand one another.

In fact, we do not need to speak at all.
We can communicate simply by listening and attuning to one another.

To listen with your intuition means you must learn to listen with more than your ears.
You must learn to listen with your whole body, your senses, your heart, and your spirit.

When you listen intuitively the beings and people around you will tell you what they need.
So do not squander your time trying to solve things by talking.
Instead be still and listen.

Note: Intuitive listening also means refraining from giving advice the moment someone tells you about a problem. Rushing to a conclusion without fully hearing the other person can lead to misunderstanding and potentially even harm. Listen first and focus solely on listening. Know that there is no need to waste time formulating your advice or a solution when all you need to do is listen. When the listening is done, if there is something to say, you’ll know what it is. The Spirit will guide you to the wisdom you seek. Plain and simple. To seek Spiritual wisdom all you have to do is ask: what does Spirit want you to know?

How to do it: To listen intuitively requires taking a step back from the ego and into a non-judgemental awareness. In this state one can simply listen to another, without needing to attach any specific bias, meaning, or prior emotional state onto that being and what that being is communicating to you.

In this way you can understand the wants and needs of anyone or anything. You can know what your dog is saying, what your houseplant needs, and what kind of touch your romantic partner(s) want.

If you learn to listen intuitively, a day will come when you ask yourself why you ever thought whipping a horse and ‘breaking’ him was the way to success when you could have simply asked him…please may I ride on your back? And listened for his response.

Meditate.

There are many ways to meditate. Each individual must find the way that works best for them. I personally love transcendental meditation, body scan meditation, and moving meditation.

Practice Metta & Pray

There are many ways to pray. Each individual must find the way that makes them feel the most connected to their purpose.

I personally love to practice the following Buddhist metta prayer.

Place your hands on your heart.

Say to yourself:

May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I be safe.
May I know love.
May I know peace.

Place your hand outstretched in front of you as if you are holding a gift and imagine a being that is easy to love (you dog, your partner, your child) hold them in your mind and say to them:

May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you know love.
May you know peace.

Put your hands out wider and imagine another being that is an acquaintance (someone you passed on the street earlier, or a friend of a friend) hold them in your mind and say to them:

May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you know love.
May you know peace.

Put your hands out even wider and imagine another being that you may be having some difficulty with and hold them in your mind and say to them:

May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be safe.
May you know love.
May you know peace.

Put your hands out even wider until they are completely outstretched and imagine all the beings in all of existence and say to them

May all beings be well.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings know love.
May all beings know peace.

My Interconnected Spirit Celebrations and Rites of Passage are always evolving.

I believe that in life there must be celebration, enjoyment, suffering, mourning, and reflection to give our lives structure, meaning, and to encourage interconnectedness.

It is my belief that experiencing these cycles of spacetime, nature, ego, and the higher self can help us to find connection in the whole and ultimately will lead us to evolve into our highest selves over many millennia.

Therefore I celebrate the movements of the Spirit,
the seasons, the planets, the body and the mind.
I celebrate the first bloom of Trillium, the birth of children,
the turning of the Tamarack and the first fall of snow.

I give thanks to the sun and the moon for their unique gravitational pull.
I celebrate health and pray that sickness and suffering will cease.
I celebrate the joy of living a life in a human body with a human mind.

When death comes, I mourn the death of the individual
But celebrate the turning wheel of time,
that will return that spirit to life once more.

For I believe death is but another rebirth;
a transformational process we cannot begin to comprehend
and yet which can and will be experienced nonetheless.

The ever evolving Spirit lives forever
and even once the memory of our individual identity fades,
the Spirit endears as a golden thread
woven throughout the long memory of the quantum multiverse,
imprinted upon every dimension of space, time, and reality
carrying us with it, holding us within it, experiencing us as we have experienced it.

The Spirit is like water
It is pervasive, expansive, ever flowing, and ever transforming
from dripping iceberg, to trickling stream,
from peaceful pond, to wild river
to deepening ocean, to lake mist,
to fluffy cloud, to the falling rain,
to hurricane.

So, oh best beloved,
you might as well smile at those that pass you by on your path,
for everywhere you look,
there you are.

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Columbia Community Connection 2/6/22 Columbia Community Connection 2/6/22

What Does Your Spirituality Mean To You? A Bahá’í Perspective

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Jessica Waggoner Hoff, who has been a member of the Bahá’í Faith for about twenty years shares what her spirituality means to her.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What does your spirituality mean to you?

Why this question was chosen: This question asks us to examine what purpose and function our (faith, practice, belief system, philosophy) can serve in our lives. As well as how spirituality can guide our actions and way of walking in the world.

Jessica Waggoner Hoff is from White Salmon. She has been a member of the Bahá’í Faith for about twenty years, which is about the same amount of time that she has been a mother to her two grown sons. She lives in Husum with her husband Gary Hoff and dog Hilda. Jessica and Gary are bilingual, language teachers (English and Spanish).
Learn more at: gorgebahais.org. We also have one public and one private Facebook group for Bahá’ís in the Gorge.

The official website sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’í Faith in the United States is Bahai.us, and the official Website of the Worldwide Bahá’í Community is Bahai.org.

A Bahá’í Perspective

By Jessica Louise Waggoner Hoff

I have believed in God for as long as I can remember.

Maybe that was the influence of relatives who lived next door. They are Protestants and very loving people. I am sure that all made quite a positive impression on me in my early childhood.

I remember that after I had learned to write, I once composed a prayer on paper and then delivered it to God by putting it in the yard with some dirt on top. I did this all on my own accord.

My parents had grown up attending Mass regularly as well as Catholic school. Before I was born, Mom prayed each day for Dad to return from his deployment to Vietnam. Around the same time as his return, however, prayer disappeared from the family. My older sisters had been baptized but I was not. We had no affiliation with any religion as a family.

At age 15, I had an out-of-body experience in the course of a minor accident on a bicycle. I flew over the handlebars and just popped out of my body. Without my actual eyes, I peacefully watched myself falling. Then, I re-entered my body upon impact to the ground. I was banged up but conscious and just lied on the ground for a while to reflect on what had occurred.

Like the rest of my immediate family members, I was not affiliated with a religion at the time. When I later joined the Bahá’í Faith, I learned that 15 is the beginning of the age of spiritual maturity. I don’t think this is why I had the out-of-body experience; I think this could happen at any age. I do remember contemplating matters of the world more deeply at this age and onward though.

I believe all young people wake up to the world and all of its issues at this age. They begin wanting to make a difference in meaningful ways. Like many youths, unfortunately, I did not feel very powerful to initiate change in the world.

When I encountered the Bahá’í Faith in my late twenties, hope grew in me. I saw a Faith that was inclusive of all people and of other Faiths. Children and adults were actively working for positive changes in their own hearts and studying and teaching how to have good character. I know this can be done in all religious traditions and even in secular settings but this is where I saw people most active in the process.

One of the simple ways that I do this is with the aid of technology. I have an app, which was created by The Virtues Project® and is available to anyone for free: virtuesmatter.org. The material for all books, apps, and other programs created by The Virtues Project was mined from all the world’s religions, both from sacred texts and from oral traditions. How ironic to use a modern mobile phone to access the teachings from all the ages. It works though! These teachings guide me each day.

For these two decades, I have appreciated reading and reciting the prayers written by three central figures of Faith: The Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. SHOULD BE: For these two decades, I have appreciated reading and reciting the prayers written by three central figures of the Faith: The Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

My spirituality also gives me a framework to come to terms with the deaths of my friends and family as well as with my own eventual death. Both the out-of-body experience and my religion have helped me embrace a belief in the existence of an everlasting soul.

While I am still here, my Faith helps me live a better life. There are some vicious strains of anxiety running through my family lines. I was not able to dodge them in this life. My Faith helps me cope as an individual living well in this world and accompanying my sons as they strive to do the same.

I humbly offer this article as an individual and as a Bahá’í.

For more information on this religion, I encourage people to explore the websites below as well as the works written by the central figures of the Faith mentioned above: The Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Also, I encourage you to contact the administrative body called the Local Spiritual Assembly (LSA) of the Bahá’ís of Klickitat County at this email address: bahaiklickitat@gmail.com. We are here to serve all people residing in this county regardless of religious affiliation.

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Columbia Community Connection 2/6/22 Columbia Community Connection 2/6/22

What Does Your Spirituality Mean To You? A Meshing of Science and Spirit Perspective

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Rhiannon Griffith who’s had a long and complicated life, loves science and writing and her granddaughter, writes about what her spirituality means to her.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Look forward to new installments every Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What does your spirituality mean to you?

About the Author: Rhiannon Griffith has had a long and complicated life, but the current version of her lives in The Dalles and works at MCMC in the lab. She loves science and writing and her granddaughter, who lives in Portland.
“My spirituality is a patchwork quilt of different religions and beliefs threaded together by personal experiences and a belief in the power of truth and love,” said Griffith

A Meshing of Science and Spirit Perspective

by Rhiannon Griffith

According to the Pew Research Center, about 30% of Americans between 18 and 65 identify as "spiritual but not religious." I am one of them.

Although the words "not religious" are kind of deceiving.

I don't lack for religious experience.

I have worked with practices from a few different religions. I’ve read about and studied even more. I've also grown spiritually from some powerful experiences not usually considered religious: my work with healing from severe childhood abuse; some profound experiences using psychedelic drugs (in my hippie youth); a near-death experience in my early 50s; and a lifelong study of science and enthusiastic appreciation of the way it opens windows into Truth for me.

The immensity and complexity of the Universe fills me with awe and delight and wonder.

There is the observable, visible universe. The visible universe is all the stars and galaxies whose light has had time to reach us in the last 13 to 14 billion years or so, traveling at the speed of 186,000 miles per second. There are a lot of seconds in 14 billion years; I'll let you do the math, because that's too many decimal places for my comfort zone.

Then there is the size of the actual universe, which is a whole lot bigger, since the universe has been expanding that whole time and there is a lot out there that's moved so far away the light will never reach us (Earth is middle-aged after all, only has about another 5 billion years to go.) Author Timothy Ferris, says in The Whole Shebang, that the ratio of the size of the visible universe to the actual-now universe is about the same as the ratio of the size of a single atom to the size of our planet.

And yet, as big as all of that is, if you go down in scale--if you look into smaller and smaller sizes, the cells of your body, then the molecules that make up those cells, then the atoms that make up those molecules, then the subatomic particles, then the quarks and other bits that make up those particles--there is as much Universe inside us as there is above us.

In fact, as far as we can tell, the size we are (that is we, the life forms on this planet, and also the planet itself) looks to be about in the middle of the scale of the Universe, from its smallest bits to its largest expanses.

Is that not amazing? Doesn't that give you chills? This is what we are made of! This!

On the one hand, we are just funny little bags of molecules that take shape and die and take shape and die rapidly and repeatedly, evolving in form as we go; made from a very thin layer of minerals covering the surface of a small, pretty and wet but otherwise unremarkable planet; which is orbiting around a smallish star that lies about two-thirds out on one spiral arm of a galaxy containing about 100,000 million stars; and which is in turn part of a galaxy cluster that is one of about 100,000 million galaxy clusters, give or take, that we know of. That is to say-- we aren't very big and we are definitely not nearly as significant as we think we are.

On the other hand: whatever all of that is made of--that is what we are made of.

The molecules that are the Lego blocks of our little meat bodies were forged in the fires of dying suns far, far away. This little planet that is our home swirls through space driven by the same gravity that bends the light of galactic superclusters. The energy of distant supernovas pours through our bodies just as it floods the stars around us. We are the living, leaping flames of Reality, just as much as the atoms and the stars. We are the Universe expressing itself in an infinite number of forms. We are majesty, we are wonder, I would say that we are God; but I don't talk about God much, because the God that I hear most people talk about seems much, much too small to me.

And I find that comforting.

I had a particularly tough childhood. Life has been a struggle for me. Overall, humans haven't really made the best impression. I can't say that I find the idea of a Divine Being that is shaped like a human being, designed for humans by humans, to be particularly inspiring or appealing. I am very grateful that our universe is a whole lot bigger than our species. And I am profoundly grateful for the great luck of being born in a time when we have the tools and insight to get a glimpse into the massive, amazing, unimaginably beautiful Existence we are part of.

I believe that this immense universe is made, essentially, of consciousness. (It's science, honest. Google "panpsychism." There's a SciAm article.) When I contemplate the idea of All That Is, it's the only thing that makes sense. What could "All That Is" (i.e, the universe) possibly be made of, other than its own self? The stuff of the universe must, at its deepest base, be the stuff of Is-ness: pure, benign, joyous Being.

The popular Western notion that everything in the universe is dead and unconscious except for the minds of human beings is ludicrous in the extreme (not to mention mathematically impossible.) It also, as it happens, comes from the same roots in Western philosophy that give rise to the idea that certain men deserve to own and run the world and everyone else (of either gender and any species) exists to be used and be colonized. That's not a paradigm I want to reinforce or follow, and I think too many religions do both. So I probably am not going become religious. But I'm never going to not be spiritual.

My spirituality is what has gotten me through this challenging life. I've drawn on practices from Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Christianity. I've also gotten a ton of therapy and a lot of hugs, and listened to a lot of waterfalls, and conversed with a lot of trees. All of these practices have helped me hold onto a sense of meaning in life and to navigate through my days.

And what I've learned from science has helped me to see my time in history and my own suffering with a sense of proportion and excitement and wonder. I'm not just a scared and damaged child, not just another member of a species that seems determined to ruin its own home, not just another overworked cog in the capitalistic machine. I am very, very small, but also immense. I'm a vibrant strand in a massive, kinetic tapestry of Being.

And I find that magnificent.

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 1/30/22 Cole Goodwin 1/30/22

What Does Your Spirituality Mean To You? An Interconnected Spirit Perspective

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Cole Goodwin, CCCNews Spiritual Roundtable facilitator shares what their spirituality means to them.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What does your spirituality mean to you?

An Interconnected Spirit Perspective

By Cole Goodwin, CCCNews Spiritual Roundtable Facilitator

Spirituality, for me, is about recognizing that there is a part of our sentient existence-that is wholly unexplainable by logic’s standards. It is a place where up can be down and left can be right. Where contradictions of logic are left behind so that we can embrace the unknown sacredness of all that is, and hold it close to our hearts.

I believe in the Spirit. For me the Spirit is a connecting point between all beings, it is a sacred and evolving life force that lives always and perishes never. The Spirit is both a collective consciousness and individual experience.

If you ask me how my Spiritual beliefs guides my actions I will say it guides me to live from a place of curiosity, acceptance, and love.

In embracing the Spirit I have found all sentient beings to be of the same family, each life a thread in the weaving of a great tapestry. This is how I come to accept that all beings are truly of one being, one energy, one life essence, split into billions of bodies and forms, living separately, so that they may experience the joy of connection.

By dissolving the illusion of separateness in favor of a spiritual connectedness I can see others as reflections of myself and vice versa. It is through the Spirit that I learn that here is nothing I can hate or love about another person that I cannot also hate or love about myself. This understanding leads me to act from a place of curiosity, acceptance and love.

And it is through my Spiritual belief that I come to see what I share in common with all beings, no matter how different from me.

For we are connected by the Spirit, the shining spark of consciousness, the light, the breathe, the source or our sentience. When I look deeply into myself and others to the shared light of the spirit I find a secure and unshakable belonging and connection.

I am guided by the Spirit to practice loving kindness and living in the flow of my awakened self.

For loving kindness seeks to understand the complete truth of life free from judgement or delusion. Loving kindness simply accepts what is, the good and the bad. And so, everyday I practice loving all beings, including myself. I say a daily a prayer offering love and compassion to myself, to those in my life that are easy to love and to those that are not, to those that have harmed me and to those that have treated me with kindness, and to all the beings across space and time.

In this way, Spirituality serves as a connecting, stabilizing, and gentling force in my life.

It guides me to awakening. And it guides me into becoming a more curious, accepting, loving, and kinder version of myself. In this way, I come to recognize my own merit and lovability. In this way I can come to own and hold accountable my actions and their consequences with love and compassion.

It is my Spirituality that has held me when no one else would.
It is the Spirit that loved me when I felt most unloved.
It is within the Spirit that I have found wellness, happiness, ease, and peace.

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 1/30/22 Cole Goodwin 1/30/22

What Does Your Spirituality Mean To You? A Magdalene Path Perspective

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to the Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What does your spirituality mean to you?

A Magdalene Path Perspective

by Claire Sierra

Connection to, and with Divine is everything.

While I can and do focus on the day-to-day activities of daily life--running a business, having a healing practice, being a wife, friend and community leader--my spirituality is the essence of who I am and therefore guides my life.

It’s so intrinsic to who I am, it’s hard to separate into words. My perception that we are all linked through Spirit, is what guides and navigates my life. It also is crucial in weathering the storms of daily reality.

This has been true for many decades, as I embarked on a spiritual path in my 20s. But in the last 2 years, I find it even more crucial as we navigate a global pandemic with social/political upsets and breakdowns. The sense of being connected to a larger whole, of being guided and loved by a force greater than myself, is what I turn to daily at times—to keep aligned in a time of intense challenges. It’s why I think of myself as an “everyday priestess.”

As a priestess (a term that’s perhaps unfamiliar to you, as it’s totally missing in our current culture) I seek every day to be in tune with the larger forces of nature and energy around me (people, places, situations, etc.) to be a conduit for healing and wholeness as I walk through the world. This can look as simple as a kind word, smile, or healing gesture when out in public, or engaging in spiritual practices to seed peace, joy and light in the world. I use my art, training, and skill in wellness settings: for many years as a counselor or art therapist, more recently as a soul coach, Reiki Master, Esthetician and wellness priestess at Spa Sanctuary in Dufur at the Balch Hotel (a boutique, historic destination inn, which I co-own with my hotelier husband.)

In seeking to restore balance and harmony in myself, others, and the larger world around me, I’ve been called to the awakening of the Divine Feminine—the absence of which has created many of the ills of the world. My soul path has led me to a strong spiritual connection to Mary Magdalene and Mother Mary that’s quite different from the Catholic perspective I was raised in. I’ve found a new Rosary practice that has afforded profound depth and connection, a sense of sacred stillness that is beyond words.

We’re in a difficult moment these days. I find the times we are in to require us to deepen into our own self-care—it’s no longer frou-frou, it’s soul care survival right now. Soul care practices are priority #1 right now for personal alignment and balance. It’s crucial to find ways to connect with God/Goddess. I spend my mornings sipping tea, meditating, praying, and connecting to Spirit. To do this, I use a meditative journaling practice I call Listening To Spirit, a way to receive Divine guidance through writing. The practice settles my heart and mind when I’m weary and troubled, finding answers and hope that’s often unexpected and always helpful. I honestly don’t know how others cope without this connection—it’s that essential for me. And while it may sound quite esoteric, it’s quite easily learned.

In our fast-paced, device driven world it’s important to be in our bodies, as they’re the vessel of our spirit. Daily walks are key. It doesn’t require a huge getaway or loads of time--even 20 minutes in nature can nourish at a deep level that resets one’s perspective. Allowing myself to wonder and wander in the fields or woods near our rural village home allows a great reset that is balm to my world-weary spirit.

It’s these moments when Spirit is very tangible and present, that I remember the Truth of who I am and why I’m here—aside from all the dithering, toil, angst, and strife. Regardless of our faith path, religious ideology, or spiritual perspective, at the root is the desire for connection with a guiding loving force larger than ourselves. Feel the unnamable essence of Spirit and peace that passes all understanding. You might access that in ways that are totally foreign to me, and I you. That’s the beauty of it: many paths, and practices that support us. Whether you stick with what you’ve been taught or explore outside your heritage until something in your soul feels home, it’s all good. It’s all God.

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 1/29/22 Cole Goodwin 1/29/22

What Does Your Spirituality Mean To You? An Herbalist & Animist Perspective

In this installment of the Spiritual Roundtable Keath Silva, trans herbalist, bodyworker, medium, animist and poet shares what his spirituality means to him.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!

Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What does your spirituality mean to you?

**About Keath Silva: (he/him)** Keath Silva is a trans herbalist, bodyworker, medium, animist and poet of Germanic and Celtic descent. Keath offers private healing sessions, mentorships, poetry and community workshops for personal healing and collective change. Keath brings his 30 years of experience and training along with a deep intuition to his work in supporting people to awaken and step into their authentic expression and thriving.
Learn more about Keath: Keath Silva Website Herbal Instagram Poetic Instagram Poetry Book Keath Transcribed

An Herbalist & Animist Perspective

by Keath Silva

Have you ever taken a sip of Chamomile tea and then suddenly felt flooded with a sense of calm and a memory of your grandmother's smile?

This embodied connection with plants and the physical, spiritual and emotional healing it offers, in essence, is my spirituality. My relationship with spirit comes through the plants; their aroma, their flavor, their colorful blooms, the way they sway in the wind, how they drop their seeds, send their energy into their roots and die back in the winter, arising anew each spring. This is what inspires me and guides my actions in the world.

Just as I bring full awareness to the practice of preparing soil, planting seeds, tending, pruning, thinning, harvesting, seed gathering and composting, I bring presence and careful thought to preparing the soil of my life; with clearing, introspection, meditation, time in nature, fallow time and nourishment. I pause and reflect when choosing which "seeds" such as, projects, relationships and ventures I will push into the fertile ground, what aspects of my life need pruning and when the time comes to harvest the fruits of my labor and pass them around the community table.

When I walk out into my herbal garden and when I step into a forest on a dewy morn, I pause and breathe in deeply. With my in-breath, I accept that I am breathing in and receiving the plants and that I depend on them for my life. As I exhale I send my love, my gratitude and my life energy back to the plants, knowing they are breathing me in, as we intertwine our energies and honor our interdependence on one another.

Each morning, I pause and feel into my body, mind and spirit. I ask myself how I am feeling and what needs may be arising. I then call upon the plants to support me for the day. Drawing on my 3 decades of plant study, the wisdom of my plant loving ancestors and my own intuition, I choose herbs to blend into my infusion. One day it may be Hawthorn for healing my heart, Yarrow for protection, Fennel to support my digestion, violet leaves to help me move through grief and Rose hips for love and an immune boost. Another day it may be Rosemary to help me focus, Dandelion to support my liver, Linden to calm and soothe my nerves and Nettle for nourishment. No two blends are alike because they arise in the moment based on what is needed right now and on which plants I have available. I thank the plants, my own ancestors and the Indigenous ancestors and their living descendants of the lands where these plants grew. I carry my brew around with me all day and each sip reminds me that I am just one small person, in a vast and mysterious universe which is full of love and support, just waiting to be tapped.

Another spiritual practice I engage in with plants is to spend time with a particular tree or plant in a precise location. I notice how it grows, what rocks, waterways and animals are sharing its environment. I notice the plant's color, aroma and growth patterns. I peek under its leaves and deep inside the blossoms. I sit next to the plant or lean up against the trunk of the tree, sensing into it's being-ness and how it's essence touches me, moves me. I then return to this location during all the seasons of the year. I watch how the plant grows, blossoms, sets seeds, lets go and dies back. As I observe the plant's life cycle, I consider how my soul and my life are mirrored in the seasonal changes that the plant so beautifully mirrors for me.

Consciously engaging with plants and the living environment around them, respecting the water, the mountains, the sky, the wind, the rocks as my living teachers is my way of life. I come by this naturally as some of my recent and ancient ancestors were plant tenders, arborists, herbalists and natural healers. I also honor the Indigenous people over the years who have helped me remember who I am and have assured me that my way of being is not insane and that many many people for countless generations have felt the way I do about plants as my loving family and dearest friends. I thank in Particular Miss Beatrice Torres Waight for supporting me in deepening my spiritual relationship with plants and I thank and honor the Yakama people whose land I am living on, for they have known and tended these local plants for countless generations and hold the wisdom for how to truly connect with and honor them.

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com

Cole Goodwin 1/22/22 Cole Goodwin 1/22/22

What Does Your Spirituality Mean To You? A Buddhist Perspective

Welcome to the first installment of The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community. In this installment Reverend Scott See shares what his Spirituality means to him.

Introduction by Cole Goodwin

Welcome to the first installment of The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.

Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday morning of the month.

Now take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore one of the many diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.

This Month's Question: What does your spirituality mean to you?

A Buddhist Perspective

by Scott See

What Spirituality Is For A Buddhist

While attending a dharma talk, (the Buddhist equivalent to a sermon) I once asked, “What is spirituality from the Buddhist perspective?” The monk contemplated for a moment, “Emotional maturity,” he answered. Emotional maturity, “what a wonderful answer,” I thought to myself. Buddhist teachings emphasize the truth of suffering and the path to alleviate suffering. We’ve all experienced pain and suffering by letting our emotions get the better of us. Emotions can grab a hold of us and drag us down. So if spirituality means learning how to regulate our emotions to better help us be happy and at peace, then sign me up.

Listening To Our Intuitive Side

I’ve come to learn that spirituality is more than just regulating emotions. It’s also learning to tap into our intuitions. Before learning about Buddhism, I would tackle big life events with lists of pros vs cons. I would Google, “How does one decide about: [big life decision]?” Such cognitive decision making methods were successful—successful at making me miserable. After my introduction to Buddhist teachings, I learned that when confronted with big life decisions, setting aside the pro & con lists and quietly sitting with the question and observing what answer surfaces is much quicker and far less agonizing. The switch from a busy brain-centric approach to a silent heart-centric approach has proven helpful

Putting Down Our Judgements and Preconceptions

Spirituality involves having the mindfulness to see things as they really are, as opposed to seeing things through the haze of our judgements and preconceptions. Judgements are all the extra “stuff” we add to an observation. A car speeds down a street to which I think “what an irresponsible person!” The sight of a car driving over the speed limit is the observation; the accusation, label and assumption is the judgement. Judgments sometimes manifest as preferences and aversions. We all get caught up in our preferences and our aversions, both of which cause suffering. We might engage in passionate arguments about Ford vs. Chevy, delicious vs disgusting, right vs wrong. Such strong attachments to our opinions can lead to discord. Spirituality involves having the mindfulness to see everything, just as it is. This includes ourselves, to see ourselves as we really are in this moment. The teachings encourage us to look deeply into ourselves and if we do, we might find that any labels to which we have attached ourselves, American, male, Democrat, Buddhist, etc. simply vanish. Spirituality allows us to let go of these labels which cause divisions between ourselves and others.

Cessation Of Suffering

Siddhārtha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha or “awakened one”, began his spiritual quest to understand suffering–the nature of it, the cause of it, and the path to cessation of suffering. This journey led to Siddhārtha Gautama embracing The Four Noble Truths:

1. The truth of suffering. We suffer. The first step to dealing with this is to see it for what it is.
2. The cause of suffering. Suffering does not exist independently. We cause our own suffering with our attachment and delusions.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. The path to the cessation of suffering is the eightfold path.

The Noble Eightfold Path ⨁

Right View
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

And how are we to know what is the, “right” view, intention, speech, and so on? That is the subject of much more in-depth study, but if you approach life’s decisions with a heart of kindness and a mind clearly seeing this as they are, without our filters and judgements, then you won’t stray from the path. As the Dalai Lama once said, “My religion is Kindness.” Or as my teacher, Venerable Thay Kozen, often says, “When in doubt, love more.”

Buddhist Spiritual Practices

Three elements form the core of our practice at Mt. Adams Buddhist Temple:

Meditation
Devotion
Metta (loving kindness)

Meditation can be done in the traditional seated style, or it can be done while walking, lying down, or even while conducting our day-to-day activities. Meditation allows us to calm and train our minds to observe without judgements that cloud our perceptions. Devotion involves acknowledging and showing gratitude to something outside ourselves. And it comes as no surprise that a crucial part of Buddhist practice is compassion. Our daily practice includes offering Metta (loving kindness) to ourselves, to those who are easy to love, to those we don’t know, to those difficult to love, and then once again, to ourselves.

Letting Go

Buddhist practice does involve studying the teachings of Siddhārtha Gautama as well as many of the teachers that followed him. And yet Buddhist practice is not about accumulating knowledge like a school student accumulates knowledge. Buddhist practice is about wholly experiencing liberation from suffering. We flourish when we experience the liberation of letting go. We all cling to labels–good/bad, right/wrong, American/foreigner, Christian/Jewish/etc., and so on. Labels are not all bad. After all, they keep us from driving against traffic. But attaching to labels can lead to untold suffering. How many wars have started because of people clinging to nationalist or religious pride? How many relationships have been broken by thoughts of, “I am right, and you are wrong?” Once we begin letting go of ideas once thought to be sacrosanct, we begin to realize that we all have far more in common than we have differences. As we work on letting go of our cherished labels we camouflage ourselves with, think of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, when asked the question, “Who stands before me?” replied, “I don’t know.”

Self Or No-Self

A discussion of Buddhism and spirituality would not be complete without addressing the idea of no-self. In the words of Master Dogen…

To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things of the universe. To be
enlightened by all things of the universe is to cast off the body and mind
of the self as well as those of others. Even the traces of enlightenment are
wiped out, and life with traceless enlightenment goes on forever and ever.

It’s not that we’re non-existent. Siddhārtha Gautama made it very clear that his teachings are not annihilism. We do exist. But as we become attached to labeling ourselves or categorizing ourselves, we stray further from knowing the self. We are ever changing and impermanent. We do not spontaneously and independently appear. We are interdependent on an infinite number of causes. And in the words of Thích Nhất Hạnh, we interbe with everything else.

A Spirituality Of Action

Buddhist practice involves meditation, yes, but it is at heart a spirituality of action. Siddhārtha Gautama tells us to remember, “My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.”

A Spirituality Of Refuge

One of the formal steps a Buddhist practitioner can take is, dedication to the Three Refuges:

Buddha - The Awakened One and founder of Buddhism
Dharma - The teachings of the Buddha
Sangha - Those with whom we share our practice

This is an acknowledgement of appreciation for the historical teacher, Siddhārtha Gautama

Buddhist Spirituality, In Summary

As the Dalai Lama said, “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”

Learn More About Buddhist Spirituality

All are welcome to join us for our services which occur weekdays at 6:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and also on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. The Zoom number is always on the homepage of https://www.mtadamsbuddhisttemple.com/ No experience is needed, and those of all faiths are welcome. And expect much laughter. As Venerable Thay Kozen says, “If you’re not laughing, you may be doing something wrong.”

Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.

The Roundtable Mission and Vision

The goal of these roundtable writings is to:

Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.

The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…

The Spiritual Roundtable IS..

CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.

If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com