Having the Passion of Jesus

Jesus Christ was a spiritual Master. He affected the world in such a profound way that it is fair to say his impact on the world was possibly greater than any other single person in history. If one studies other Masters, it is also clear that much of what Jesus said was similar to or had the same message as what many other spiritual leaders had said prior to him, but his message had something different that made it resonate more powerfully. That something was passion .

Many great Masters and gurus before Jesus had a calm, "live and let live" approach to life, saying "let the universe take care of things", which was often evident in Jesus's teachings as well, in such ways as his focus on non-judgement...allowing others to live their lives without our imposed judgement, knowing that only each individual person can determine what is right or good for them, or what is God to them. But Jesus also had extreme passion in the challenges that he laid down, in his willingness to take on the religious thinking of the time, even in his frustration or anger when he could not get others to "get it". It seems to me that Jesus felt an intense responsibility to shake things up to get a new message across. He knew that his calling needed passion, and he believed so strongly that the spiritual ways of the times needed rethinking.

In that respect, I have to wonder how many of us, particulary those of us in the Christian faith who so cherish Jesus, have that same passion that he exhibited? Do we talk about him and evoke his name because it makes us feel holy, but never step outside of our fears to behave like him in any real fashion? Jesus taught that we are one with God, that we are healers in our own right, that we have within us all that we need. We have somehow, in our staid religious habits, become void of that passion that Jesus so readily exhibited, become so caught up in our own religious edicts that we will not really step outside of them and be like Jesus, always wanting and expecting more of God, rather than being content with messages of long ago, with religions that control those messages.

Often, when I speak of Reiki or other "hands on healing" practices with Christians, I see a fear rise in their eyes or hear it in their voices...a fear that something unusual could not be of God, when in fact, it is within the very teachings of Jesus, who proclaimed,

"Amen, Amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these because I am returning to the Source." (John 14:12)

It seems to me that those who have the belief - the faith - to practice healing in love, as Jesus did, are following him more so than those who shoot such practices and beliefs down. In my spiritual healing work, I have had some fearful individuals who have heard very limited information about the practice insinuate that it could be "evil", or that the mere suggestion that there might be some validity to it is blasphemous. I must also add that others of the Christian faith have welcomed and have had great experiences from it, although few are willing to speak openly about it for fear that they too will be looked down upon - that other Christians will judge them...ironically, judging them for having the very faith that Jesus told us to have, asked us to have, after he returned to the Source.

If you are a believer in the works of Jesus, either as a practicing Christian or simply as one who loves and admires the profoundness and passion of this man's message, consider that you could or should be doing the works that he did...and greater. Consider that we may have been taught that we are powerless only to hold us back from that power - by those who preferred to hold it for themselves. Consider that we have many opportunities in our enlightened world to learn and grow in areas that were previously less available to us. Consider opening your mind to allow you to be more and to experience more of God than you have ever known. Allow yourself to step outside the boundaries to believe , and from that belief, to do greater things, as Jesus told us believers would do. You have the power within you...if you will only remember and believe it.

Baseball, Apple Pie....and The Healing Island

My college age sons follow sports avidly. I enjoy sports myself, but I find myself following a little more closely because of their keen interest - it allows me a common ground that mothers sometimes lose with their sons. Athletics and sporting events have a way of inspiring us, of entertaining the masses on a level that few other things can. Many criticize this pre-occupation, but I understand it on a deeper level, a more spiritual acceptance, because I see that sports competition is one of the few places in our society that make us remember our ability for greatness. And although many negatives have arisen in sports, we can still draw inspiration from among those ranks. The stories of sports heroes uplift our souls because they remind us that we have a spark within. Sometimes they inspire us to find our own spark and ignite it -whether it be in physical or sporting competition, or in another area where we can identify our own passion.

Knowing the impact that sports figures can have, I was very pleased to see a recent story about Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker, who has come to rely on a special "healing island" in Hawaii for spiritual energy and enhancing his faith. Baker learned of this island when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and made an immediate visit there, knowing that he would be all right. According to the article, it had such an impact the he has returned there regularly ever since.

What encourages me most about this story is that if we are able to accept such possibilities into the mainstream, we will return to understanding the innate healing abilities and gifts within us. We will return to understanding that faith, energy balance, and natural approaches can be the key to overcoming our obstacles both physical and emotional. To have a prominent figure from something as mainstream as baseball, America's pastime, can help usher these thoughts into the mainstream. There are many locations on our earth that the ancients knew had tremendous healing energy. It would be amazing if we would re-visit and reconsider those options. Here is an excerpt of a recent article about Baker's visits to the islands (by Sportswriter Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati Enquirer):

The Renaissance manager of the Cincinnati Reds returns to northern California to tend his grapes (petit syrah) and his family. At some point, he will venture for two weeks to the Hawaiian Islands, as he has every year for at least a decade. Dusty Baker will go to the Lawai Valley on the south shore of Kauai, where he says he will "walk, think and pray."

...Baker first went to Lawai six years ago. He'd just been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Surgery was scheduled for two days after his return. On the flight to Honolulu, Baker read of "the healing island," and its epicenter, Lawai."

Let's change our plans," he said to his wife.

As Baker relays the story, he hands me a package of note cards. Each features a photo of the "Light of Lawai," an unaltered image of rainbow sunlight radiating through the trees. Lawai is where "first Hawaiians and then Asians built their sanctuaries of healing and hope," is what is written on the card.

"I went there and I knew I'd be all right,'' Baker says. "Been there 10 or 20 times since, mostly just me, to pray and think and give thanks to still being here. Heavy place."

How refreshing that this person relied on his gut to visit such a place, that he could recognize its power, and be willing to share the experience. For information about other ancient sites known for their healing (some much closer than Hawaii), see my blog post from June 28, 2008 on this site. Our embracing these energies can be an avenue to help change our lives and the world.