Friday, February 7, 2014

Finding Your Way Home to the Source



  

 Finding Your Way Home to the Source

By 

John Potts (Arriving Home at the Source)

   I was and still am reading several books which have been the most intriguing ones on spirituality I have ever studied, and believe me, there have been a lot over my 75 years looking for deeper personal meaning of spiritual reality.  Since, up until 1989, most of my search involved Biblical writings as I was heavily into evangelical fundamentalist Christianity, which would take many blogs telling about all of that history.  Then, while working as an addictions counselor in a Maryland State inpatient addiction treatment program, I discovered that my boss was using philosophy from "A Course of Miracles" (without exposing his source) as we led a discussion group three times a week.  Reading that source immediately expanded my spiritual search away from Biblical fundamentalism leading to where I am today which is quite liberal and inclusive... but never more humbly spiritual than now. When I received my Buddha Dharma name at an induction ceremony in Virginia in January 2013, I was searching for a meaning of the name, "Arriving Home at the Source".  It took several months before it began to make sense.  
   One might think that since I have a Buddhist name that I am deeply entrenched in Buddhism as the path all should follow for fulfillment, but this is not the case.  I am actually a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, Maryland which is probably the most all-inclusive liberal church there is.  In fact, my Zen Buddhist meditation meets at the church twice each week and our church has Christians, Jews, atheists, agnostics, gays, lesbians, etc on our church rolls. The UU denomination focuses on activism outside the church walls and raising the young people to make their own choices about religious/spiritual beliefs by freely telling them what is out there in the world.  Our church focuses on love, compassion and inclusion and there are no better sermons preached anywhere by our three ministers.
   So practicing Zen meditation helps me to look inside myself to where reality can be found in this very moment leading to a real connection to universal truths and relief of suffering in this world of ours.  You do not have to become a Buddhist to follow where I am going in this blog, not at all.  However, my Buddha Dharma name, "Arriving Home at the Source", does give us an intriguing phrase to wrap my storyline around.
   Now let me see if I can define the "Source" spoken of in the title/name above.  The Source is from whence your physical body comes from as it is conceived and begins growing inside the womb.  Some would name the Source as Christ Spirit, I AM, Universal Spirit, God, Light, Holy Spirit, All Knowing, etc.  At some point in time inside the mother's womb, the Source takes up residence inside the fetus/baby connecting him/her with the all-knowing Source in a Spiritual, non-physical way.  This is a very special event and the new-borne baby and young toddler/child perhaps senses this special presence.  Many very young children still have memories of past lives which their soul or spiritual connection remembers.
   This next information comes from many various avenues (I will elaborate on these in future blogs) which indicate that the Source (Christ Spirit, I AM, Universal Spirit, God, Light, Holy Spirit, All Knowing, etc) dwells within each of us during our entire lifetime readily available to impart love, knowledge, healing, compassion, understanding, love, love, love and more love... if our mind conditioning and ego don't block the path for our Source resident to impart the aforementioned positive traits.  The more each of us conditions our egos, thoughts, minds to remove road blocks conditioned over the years of our earthly existence, the more Source can affect our lives in positive loving ways and the lives of others whom we allow the Source to touch through us.
 

  If more and more individuals would allow the Light within to shine out into the world, Earth could be positively transformed!  We are all the SAME inside!  Even the hardened criminal, rapist, grouch, impaired, ill, haughty, hateful, pious, murderer, etc, etc all have the same Light within!  But they have built up a hardness on the outside which won't let the miraculous Source Light shine forth to heal.
   A good point to note here is that we are ALL the SAME inside... goodness, love, compassion, health, knowledge... we all came from the SAME Source and are returning to the SAME Source!  We have no justification to look down upon anyone else for their outward state of affairs; inside the hardened and downtrodden are all the same as you and I on the inside - the SAME Source!
   We came from the same Source and are heading toward the same Source which is Universal healing and rejuvenation.  NO one is going to hell... there is no hell after death... only the hell that an individual may create while residing on Earth.
   All of us are worthy of each other's love and compassion and NO one deserves to be looked down on.  Each one deserves whatever love and compassion a more enlightened person can emit from the wonderful Source within.
   So... the title of this post is "Finding Your Way Home to the Source".  The Source is within us all the time.  That in itself should be a great comfort.  When our bodies expire, we are released completely into the Source for a refreshing experience in the Universe with guides to refresh our memories of what spirituality un-tethered in the Universe is really like!  Then, after much planning and forethought with the Source, when the time is right and not a second before, most will have a part in choosing our next life and be reborn in a mother's womb.
   Thus, we will have come full-circle from being born in a womb with the Source inside of us, living a bodily existence hopefully releasing more of the Love Light within than before... and eventually leaving our earthly body behind to reunite with the Universal Source of total love for our life between lives... "Arriving Home at the Source".
   It is only normal if you come away from this post skeptical wondering "who is this 75 year old man whom I never heard of... how does he know all this?"  Well, it is my intention in future posts, to provide excerpts from the many books by authors who have been exposed to much knowledge of seemingly credible sources to justify my words given in this post.  During my 75 years in this lifetime, I have experienced many hints of the above summary and read many words expounding on the subject.  I am not recommending any particular religion or organization to justify my words... only Spirituality.  I am ok... You are ok... She is ok... He is ok... regardless of religion, belief, lack of belief, bad deeds, good deeds, no deeds... all have the Source within and deserve our love and compassion... not hate, nor disdain... love...


   More to follow... please return!
John Potts
Arriving Home at the Source

P.S.  You are invited to follow me on two other blogs, as well as Facebook (John Potts).
http://spiritsailing.blogspot.com/ 
http://photographic-art-by-johnpotts.blogspot.com/ 
Also, a head start on my next post can be obtained by exploring the following:
http://acourseoflovecommunity.com/welcome-3/about-acol/