This week: Every Breath We Take Edited by: Sophy  
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Hi, I'm Sophy ~ your editor for this edition of the Spiritual Newsletter.
The Rev. Scotty McLennan, author of the book Finding Your Religion, compares humanity's innate need for spiritual searching to climbing a mountain. In his view, we are all endeavoring to climb the same figurative mountain in our search for the divine, we just may take different ways to get there. In other words, there is one "God," but many paths. I honor whatever path or paths you have chosen to climb that mountain in your quest for the Sacred.  |
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Every Breath We Take
Since humanity first began to create a way to communicate, we have tried to find a name for that infinite, mysterious, ethereal Sacred Mystery which has come to be somewhat universally known as “God.” But the name for “God” has been with all of us all along, from the moment of our first breath.
In his book Eyes Remade for Wonder, Lawrence Kushner writes that the letters that make up the name of God in Hebrew – yod, hay, vav, and hay – are frequently put together and pronounced, or more to the point, mispronounced as “Yavweh.” But in truth, he says, the name of God is unutterable – not because it is disrespectful to say the name of God out loud, but because the letters are considered Hebrew “consonantal vowels,” and, he says, “you cannot pronounce all the vowels at once without risking respiratory injury.”
He goes on to say that this Name of God is not so much a word as it is a sound - the sound of breathing. Rabbi Kushner writes, “The holiest Name in the world, the Name of the Creator, is the sound of your own breathing. That these letters are unpronounceable is no accident. Just as it is no accident that they are also the root letters of the Hebrew verb 'to be.'”
The very name of God, the essence of God, the word assigned to describe and name God by the earliest Hebrews, is not a word at all, but is the sound of our own breathing, the essence of existence itself. What a powerful truth to realize, especially these days. COVID-19 at worst causes people to stop breathing, and to a lesser degree, to experience difficulty breathing. George Floyd's cry of "I can't breathe!" echoes in our ears as protesters take of the cause of justice for his and countless other's sakes.
The name of God is our very own breath means that all of us, no matter where we live, what religion we practice, the color of our skin or the language we speak – whenever we breathe, we are uttering and experiencing the name of the Sacred. The Sacred Mystery, known by so many names, resides within us – in fact, that God is our very breath, our very being and being-ness. This means that every time we take a breath we are uttering and invoking the name and presence of the Sacred in our lives. And while we are certainly not aware or conscious of this every time we take a breath, there is something very life affirming about connecting our breath with the presence and very being of the Sacred.
Would that we could all realize this amazing spiritual oneness we share. How might the world breathe more freely if we only realized the amazing spiritual oneness we share?
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Here is a response to my last newsletter "Spiritual Newsletter (June 27, 2018)" about Life is Short:
From mykel 
The cones of some species of evergreen trees respond well to burning by fire. A calamity like this pandemic forces us to see and confront our core issues and the issues of the world we live in. We need to bring to an end the three-headed monster of militarism, racism, and economic inequality. Doing so will enable us to care for people, beings, and our planet. Standing with you in your question and search for a better way of living.
Amen! Thank you for these wise words.
      
From Mia - craving colour 
HI Sophy,
Though we may be traveling different roads, I’ve come around to a similar perception of the year 2020. It truly is one of challenges, both on a global and personal spectrum. And of course, challenges mark opportunities for change. Perhaps when we look back, we will discover that it has been a year characterized by a steep learning curve - recognizing our vulnerabilities, including our mortality, and coming to a place of appreciating a way of living we once took for granted. Slowing down may actually open up a natural space for contemplation/reflection.
Thank you for another thought provoking article.
Thank YOU for sharing these wise thoughts.
Please keep your comments and suggestions coming! Until next time! Sophy |
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Spiritual: July 22, 2020 Issue [#10286]
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