I get mail

It’s always a pleasure to get emails from Church of the Churchless visitors. Especially when they include such marvelous phrases as “love your writings” and “I absolutely love reading it [this blog].”

But there’s a lot else to like in what Elizabeth Wagner and Aaron Buss had to say. So here’s the sound of two voices other than mine that I’m pleased to share.

Both Elizabeth and Aaron referred to my “Become one to know the One” post where I talked about not seeing my name in print. Elizabeth also speaks poetically about mystery.

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Here’s Elizabeth’s message:

"re: mystery ( as this person sees it)

The very fact of our conscious existence is mysterious.
That we walk upright with rivers of a red liquid cruising through our bodies circulated by a pump.
Soft fragile organs.
A bony frame holding it all together.
A grey, mushy substance at the top
(not much different from what you can buy in a butcher's shop) governing this strange configuration that can by a thought embrace the universe or feel the tiniest prick of a thorn. This is extraordinarily mysterious.
The how and why do not exist.
We are possibilities
We are all just possibilities.

re: your name not mentioned (Plotinus)

It doesn't matter.
Your writing stands alone
uniquely and superbly written.
Why doesn't it matter? Why does it matter?:
1. Because nothing matters
2. Because everything matters.
3. Because your name is just a combination of letters with no intrinsic meaning
4. Because in true reality you only think you exist
5. Because in a few seconds we shall all be dead
6. Because our egotism is all we have to cling to
7. Because we seek to live forever
8. Because the idea of death is terrifying, horrific
9. Because we are what we are, incomplete.
10. Because of our yearning we are very, very worthy
11. Because we are conscious

Dear Brian:
All part of the absurdity. The JOKER is laughing.
Love your writings.
--Elizabeth Wagner"

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And here’s Aaron’s message:

"Have been busy the last couple weeks but finally got caught up on your blog. I absolutely love reading it. I think it's a silly rule that they don't print people's names on the articles. I can't say I've read every other spiritual magazine, but I think most of them do list the writers' names out of courtesy. I wonder what the purpose of this is really. Surely people who spend all that time writing deserve to be recognized for their contribution, and for people who don't know them it wouldn't mean anything anyway!

I suppose there could be a lot of reasons - fear that someone who writes really well will receive too much recognition...and become a competitor? I think that an 'organization' that is humble should certainly have no problem in praising others. It seems kind of contradictory to the precept that one should be humble. Certainly if someone is truly humble they should have no problem in praising others, so long as it is done in the right spirit.

Somehow that and the latest 'I' thing just feels... well, creepy. I am also Jewish and one thing I love about Judaism is that you are always absolutely supposed to credit someone else for their thoughts, work, comments, etc. It's a way of 'sharing the wealth' of a communal and combined knowledge and community experiences.

I guess that's what I have found to be most lacking in RS [Radha Soami]. Not that one shouldn't do what the guru is telling you, but there are really no other voices of the community, and when opinions or writings are allowed, they are forced to remain faceless and nameless. It's not a celebration of all our experiences and insights, but the older I get, feels strangely Karl-Rovian - I start to worry that it's all about spin control and information management.
--Aaron Buss"

Comments

[Aiendes]

I am trying to subscribe to your program but with no avail.
Please be kind enough to redirect me to some of your links...or to include my in your posting letters.
Thanks for...
Aiendes

[Brian Hines]

Aiendes, you're probably referring to the "subscribe" button in the sidebar. I can't make it work right either.

What I do, and recommend to you, is use a service like The Old Reader (there are many others) to keep up on blog posts:
http://theoldreader.com

I like The Old Reader. It has a look and feel akin to Google Reader, which is going away on July 1. Just copy and paste this blog's URL into the "Subscribe" box and you're in business.

http://hinessight.blogs.com/church_of_the_churchless/