North's Journey Journal

Greetings,

Given that we are made in the image of God/dess, I believe we each have within our core fiber the essence of divine character. In our actions, we have the choice of beaming those qualities or hiding them. Of course, the first step is to know and understand what "character traits" are about, and which ones uniquely define us. Yet, to know them does not mean we act with them. Often it takes a life-altering event to force us to our knees in surrender. I am finding even in surrender it can take time to change, but with Love and Forgiveness we make progess.

In 1999, the Gallup Organization introduced an assessment for Character Strengths in the work place. You may have heard of it or even taken it. Two years ago, Stef and I graduated from a coaching program for called Authentic Happiness, which includes a more personal assessment for one’s Signature Strengths. (Go to VIA test at authentichappiness.com.) It was developed Dr. Chris Perterson, Psychology professor from the University of Michigan. He has researched the world’s great teachings. He sites character as “A family of individual differences: in principle distinct strengths that people possess to varying degrees.” In all great spiritual teachings, virtues or “right” character traits are taught. For example:

Thomas Aquinas’s Virtues (Saint, philosopher, theologian, doctor of the Church)

Cardinal Virtues: Prudence; Justice; Fortitude; Courage; Temperance

Theological Virtues: Faith; Hope; Charity; Love

During surrender we are given grace to see both the places within us and around us that need forgiveness. By forgiveness, I mean letting go of attachment and allowing God/dess or whatever you call a Higher Source to be in charge. In that place, we are also given the opportunity to discover the treasure of who we are, as our true character will often be discovered or tempered.

Yesterday, my son Zach faced the first in a series of trials, also known as High School Senior Finals. The first final was in Bible Literature. This class had focused on the Bible from a literary/ philosophical perspective. In as such he had to read and be able to converse about the conceptual intent of several of the better know chapters in the Book- such as Genesis and Psalms. Zach, like most of us, waited until the last minute to get ready. He had been very preoccupied with all the social fun that occurs before Graduation. For his final he and a classmate had to pick one and spend an hour or so discussing it with his teacher. I had never seen him so stressed.
Zach chose the Book of Job. (Pictures of statue of JOB in Chrystal Cathedral Gardens) His reason for that choice, as he told his teacher- “because my Dad is going through cancer and I can relate to that story.”

I am so proud to say that he got an A on the final. I am even more Joyful to say that in getting that A, he also found some of his own treasure- He has the gift of being able to sit with anyone and engage at a very deep and rich level of connection. During the final he discovered his ability to converse about his worldview and be positively recognized. He was beaming as he told us the story! It was a divine beam.

What Zach did was focus the best he could and as a final step of preparation he surrendered the results to a Higher Source. How he did that is his alone to share. The key is that he did just that. Once again, he has become my teacher.

Another great teacher that has influenced my life is Rumi. Below is a story that sums up Zach’s experience as a teenager that sometimes stumbles into great difficulty and then has to face the music. The story works just as well for anyone facing what is perceived as an impossible event. My friends Will and Liz Smith called my attention to it last night as we were talking about the power of surrender. Rumi was a mystic and a poet in Afghanistan (1207-73). He is known for founding what are called the “whirling dervish” in Sufism. Their spinning dance represents the turning of planets on their journey to spiritual fulfillment. The following story is from “The Masnavi of Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-12073). It is a massive poem of some 25, 000 rhyming couplets divided by its author into six books, and called by the poet Jami 'the Koran in eh Persian tongue.' By common consent ranks among the world's greatest masterpieces of religious literature.” (Source: http://www.khamush.com/tales_intro.htm)

61-The mouse and the camel, a warning against spiritual pride

A LITTLE mouse once caught in its paws a camel's head-rope and in a spirit of emulation went off with it. Because of the nimbleness with which the camel set off along with him the mouse was duped into thinking himself a champion. The flash of his thought struck the camel.

'Go on, enjoy yourself,' he grunted. 'I will show you!'

Presently the mouse came to the margin of a great river, such as would have cast down any lion or wolf. There the mouse halted, struck all of a heap.

'Comrade over mountain and plain,' said the camel, 'why this standing still? Why are you dismayed? Step on like a man! Into the river with you! You are my guide and leader; do not halt half-way, paralysed!'

'But this a vast and deep river,' said the mouse. 'I am afraid of being drowned, comrade.'

'Let me see how deep the water is,' said the camel, and quickly set foot in it.

The water only comes up to my knee,' he went on, 'Blind mouse, why were you dismayed? Why did you lose your head?'

'To you it is an ant, but to me it is a dragon,' said the mouse. 'There are great differences between one knee and another. If it only reaches your nee, clever camel, it passes a hundred cubits over my head.'

'Be not so arrogant another time,' said the camel, 'lest you are consumed body and soul by the sparks of my wrath. Emulate mice like yourself; a mouse has no business to hobnob with camels.'

'I repent,' said the mouse. 'For God's sake get me across this deadly water!'

'Listen,' said the camel, taking compassion on the mouse. 'Jump up and sit on my hump. This passage has been entrusted to me; I would take across hundreds of thousands like you.'