Primitive Christianity Revived, Again
The Witness that Stunned ...
I empathize with people who are come out of or who are coming out of a conscience and consciousness anchored in and informed by outward forms and are come into a conscience and consciousness anchored in and informed by the direct and unmediated impulse of immanent Presence itself in itself. Sometimes I find myself sharing the message of the sufficiency of the inshining Light itself in itself to guide and nurture human relationships on the street.
A few months ago, I was in a large American city sharing this message with individuals among a group of political activists. One characteristic of this particular group of activists is that the leaders will place themselves between a person (usually a person engaged in political argumentation and confrontation from an opposing political identity) and the activist group as a whole. Sometimes these leaders take on an intimidating posture to encourage the opposer to move on.
As I was speaking, one of those leaders interjected himself between me and the group and assumed a posture of intimidation and began to press himself forward forcing me to hold my ground, press forward against him, or relent. I held ground without pressing forward. Another person joined him and they persisted. Most of the people in the group were encouraging them. I kept repeating to them, "Their is another way to peace among people by coming into the presence of the inshining Light." And so on ...
By the way, I know. I know. I know. It is not easy for me to do this. It is that sometimes it just comes upon me to speak and I've learned that not doing so has a direct impact on the nature and experience of the inshining Light upon my conscience, that is, the direct experience of my self being identified with the Light itself in itself comes under a shadow. The impulse dims because I chose to mind and identify with my hesitation to speak the message "on the street." I do it for the sake of my conscience ruled and governed by the Light itself in itself.
... They pressed and pressed me. I held but was being nudged backward by the forward pressure of the two men. They were not pushing me violently. Just applying pressure against my body with their bodies and nudging me backward. And the group was still encouraging them.
Suddenly, I yelled these exact words. "I am the Light and you own me in you!!." People jeered and laughed. I was stunned. Did I just say that? No, it was not me but immanent Presence within me. One person screamed loudly, causing a hesitation from everyone. She then put down her sign and said. "I see it." And walked away. As she was walking, she turned and looked at me and gave me a subtle smile. I recognized that sparkle in her eye. The inshining Day Star. I walked away too and some people yelled things at me.
This experience has left me stunned by the Light. This was not Keith Saylor speaking. That which who I am spoke who I am and who she is. The Light itself owned me and I owned the Light and she owned the Light. The very gesture of her laying down the sign brought conviction in my conscience. This act was literal. She had laid down her identification with outward political ideology. She is the Light itself in itself and the Light shown upon me through her as it shown upon her through me. We both, in that moment, discovered "I am the Light and you are the Light and the Light is in our conscience" ... and we were in unity. No political, religious, or social ideological construct or institution can discover such unity to people.
She is come out of the process identification with the process of identifying with outward political constructs and is come into a different way that is discovered through direct experience inshining Light upon the conscience.
In that moment, it was discovered to us the eternal way of peace in human relationships. This way was not visible to others around us who sought peace through outward forms. In the chaos of human disaffection, we found and shared eternal Light itself in itself in our conscience so that we could speak the inward Name "I am the Light" and heaven itself manifested.
Do you anticipate witnessing soon to people who are seeking peace through dropping bombs on foreigners?
Perhaps you could go to places where people do politic for the construction and use of outward weapons of war? Sometimes they even say that using these weapons either directly or as means of intimidation is their way of making or keeping peace -- although clearly what is meant is something from Mose Allison's song: "Everybody's Crying Mercy [but they don't know the meaning of the word.]" -- specifically the line about "Everybody's saying 'Peace on Earth,' just as soon as we win this war."
I could suggest military bases, political offices and forums, newsrooms or the facilities of weapon manufacturers. Or you could give your message to the uniformed folks who come to take you away from those places.
Sometimes a person really does have to do what a person's got to do.
But if you're taking my words as 'counsel', please do remember that 1) Yes, God's presence is sufficient to guide and protect and/but
2) One needs must keep 'listening' with attention re "Am I receiving the meaning God intends here?"
'Following' God is something like this story, perhaps...
http://elizaphanian.blogspot.com/2006/03/moses-and-shepherd-rumi.html
Thanks for posting this. I am more of a recluse, but I can sense the impulse to communicate this to others is genuine. The technique you described has been used by certain groups (often self-identified as 'progressive') for a long time. Many years ago I heard about the same technique being used at protests at the Lawrence Livermore Labs. It is an odd combination of physical coercion and restraint. It seems designed to somehow make the person doing the pushing to feel they are not engaged in coercion, even though they are. It's better than pushing or shoving, and certainly better than punching, but I also find it kind of creepy and duplicitous. This tactic has also been used against the press, even small press reporters: there are several famous examples of this happening.
Speaking to the wider issue, I honestly don't know how to communicate the Presence to others. My feeling is that Presence is realized through Grace, rather than communicated from person to person. That was my own experience, but perhaps it is not universal.
Best wishes,
Jim
There is a very large thumb on this scale. Whose?
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