TRICKY TERRITORY
I am no expert on what is and isn’t “Spiritual Law.” Even if I were, but especially because I am not, I want to make clear that I share my thoughts not because I know anything anybody else doesn’t, nor because I wish to tell others what the cold hard truth is, but rather simply because I am a full-fledged nerd who finds this stuff fascinating and enjoys talking about it.
IT’S LIKE MUSIC
It’s kind of like playing the guitar. I have heard all kinds of rules of thumb about how to play guitar or write a song. I find many of them valuable. But they are also dangerous. Putting a living thing like music and song into rules, while potentially helpful, can also be limiting. The same goes with Spiritual Law.
After years of playing guitar and writing songs, I have developed certain techniques and ideas that work well for me. And, the nerd that I am, I like to share them with others. Again, the same goes with Spiritual Law.
THE CAVEAT
I am careful to tell my guitar and songwriting students, “Here is what works for me. You may wish to try this.” And, “My experience tells me that this particular way you are approaching the art is going to open a bunch of new doors for you.” And, “that particular way is going to lead to trouble. Here’s why you may wish to consider a different approach.” I always couch my “tips” in the understanding that I could be wrong.
THE PARADOX
Both playing guitar and understanding Spiritual Law comfortably fit an often-mentioned paradox. On the “Paradox 101” level, it goes: “The more you know, the less you know.”
A slightly deeper understanding of this paradox - we can say it’s on the “Paradox 102” level - is: “The more you know, the more you realize that certain things work for you; that these things won’t necessarily work or not work for somebody else; and that if you continue to learn, what you understand today might suddenly flip and present itself in the exact opposite way tomorrow.”
ARE WE ALL JUST ENERGY?
This paradox can be illustrated by an idea I entertained many years ago that “We are all just energy.” When I first explored this, it made a lot of sense and opened new doors for me.
For a short time, I believed that my essential nature was energy. Strip away every extraneous element, and what is left is energy. I also believed that everyone else was a bunch of energy, too, and that this energy is the same, so we are all the same. We are equal in all ways, and we are all just cells in the body of the Universe.
Then, I learned the hard way that we have a certain amount of control over our “energy fields.” This means that there is a higher part of us making the calls. I learned through hard knocks, for instance, that a person can surround himself with light when approaching a dangerous situation, or when unsure what choice to make. The incident that led to this understanding is worth telling.
HENRY’S CAR GETS TOTALED
On May 2, 1986, while delivering pizza like a good aspiring musician, I was driving my friend Henry’s 1972 Mustang because, as was typical at the point in my life, my own car was on death row. It was about 2 A.M., so technically, it was May 3 – Pete Seeger’s birthday.
As I was returning to the pizzeria after my final delivery, I came to a stop sign before turning onto Easton Avenue, a county road. I looked both ways. I saw one car far to the left and none to my right. So, I proceeded to make a right turn onto Easton Avenue. About ten seconds after getting onto Easton Avenue, I put on my directional to turn left into the pizzeria parking lot.
THE CRASH
I didn’t see that the car that had been very far away was speeding toward me at about 55 miles an hour (in a 25 mph zone) and had crossed the double yellow line to pass me on the left (a blatantly illegal move). I began to turn, just as the other car sped up to get around me. Next, the young man’s car plowed into the side of the Mustang, totaling it and causing me injury.
In the Life and Times of Spook Handy, this event is of major importance and symbolism, but I’ll explain that another time. What’s important here is that the very last thought I entertained before the collision - I kid you not - was, “Do I have a right to surround myself with a protective light?”
I don’t know if there was a touch of precognition in the thought, but it’s not as strange as it may sound. How much of our destiny do we really have the ability to shape? Are we totally responsible not just for everything we do, but also for everything that happens to us? Or, is everything pre-determined? Do we have the right to “interfere” in “God’s plan?”
I didn’t know the answer to those questions. But at this point in my life, I was into the “We’re all the same. We’re all just energy. We’re all just a part of the Cosmic Dance” mindset. The keyword was “just.” The thoughts that “I have some kind of agency over my destiny,” and that “Nobody has a greater responsibility to watch out for my welfare than I have,” weren’t yet baked in.
TIME ALMOST STOPS
As many of us have experienced, when tragedy strikes, time has a way of slowing down, and we get to see every fine detail of what happens. When the speeding car struck the Mustang, as if from a distance, I saw my body get tossed to the right. The seat belt restrained me, and I soon reached the maximum stretch the belt would allow. I then ricocheted back to the left. Just before smacking my head into the driver’s side window, I heard a voice as clear as a bell say, “This is your answer.”
Now, it’s important to clarify that what I “heard” wasn’t really a “voice.” Perfectly sane people do occasionally hear “voices.” But much more often, they hear a “small still voice.” It’s a kind of inflow that the mind processes as a voice, when it might be better described as a knowingness. That’s what I “heard.”
{A line in my song “The Presence” goes: I hear you, (but) much more it’s a feeling than the words you say.}
Someday, I will share the full story of this incident and explain why, after a few weeks, I began to see it as both a gift and a turning point in my life. But, the point here is that what we learn today may flip tomorrow and present itself differently.
SPIRITUAL & PHYSICAL LAW
As I understand it, Spirit Law is exact, just like the laws of physics. But our understanding of it can change over time. And for that reason, I am cautious about sharing my ideas about how it works. I do plan to do so in a future post, but with a caveat written in big bold capital letters that I MIGHT BE WRONG.
Until then …
Keep the Flame Alive!
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Thanks Spook. I am continually questioning all sorts of things. Today one of my ponderings was looking at "what I should be doing?" to aid all those that are suffering. Or should I be doing anything? Is it the predetermined way other's lives are unfolding, as well as mine? Today I spent hours pruning, weeding and harvesting We have more produce than we can store at the moment. As I was in the kitchen cleaning all this, and prepping it for the next stages, I heard a news article on NPR. "43 people died of malnutrition today in Gaza" they reported, as I was standing in the midst of my bounty. How on earth do we know what to do? I certainly don't know the answer....
I am confused. Being right is not the same as choosing between a “right” answer and a “wrong” answer. Also, most of us are constantly growing, therefore what we knew yesterday was “incomplete” not wrong. What we know today is incomplete to what we know tomorrow. I am caught in a circular path with no way out