No Greater Love Than This

Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

Everyday many I take for granted treat me as one of their friends. They love me with the greatest love of all. They lay down their life for me. More accurately, like Jesus, their life is taken from them. They die that I might live.

I'm talking about the sacrificed plants and animals I eat, wear, and take shelter in.

I live because of their ultimate life-giving sacrifice. Because of them my heart swells with gratitude. To them my lips speak words of heart-felt thanks and praise. I owe my life to these my taken-for-granted friends.

The Inherent Eroticism of Spirit

Spirit, that which animates, is life itself. Some believe life is inherently eternal. I do not know how they can know if it is or isn't. All I know is what I myself see and what rings true in my heart.

As far as I can see the spirited, living universe always has been. I do not see a time when it was not. I cannot imagine a time when there was nothing and then there was the universe. That might say more about me than the universe.

As far as I can see the spirited universe is infinite. I cannot imagine anything outside of or beyond the universe of which I know. The universe is everything that is. Regardless of what "everything" actually is, the word I use to name it is the universe.

It also seems to me that the spirited universe is potentially eternal. I say potentially because I do not think life is inherently eternal. What I see is spirit, life itself, sustaining itself by its own inherent eroticism.

Life is erotic. In flowers, trees, birds and all animals, including us humans I see the spirit of the female desiring to receive and join with the male. I see the spirit of the male desiring to penetrate and join with the female. They naturally attract and are attracted to each other. In their erotic union seed is planted and life, spirit, sustains itself.

Consider, for example, the mutual attraction and union between Earth and Sun. They awaken with the dawn of every new day. Earth lays naked before the naked Sun. Sun awakens and begins to rise as he adores his love. Earth slowly warms in the ascending presence of Sun's shining adoration. The more Sun rises, the more Earth warms. She wets with dew and opens to receive his penetrating warmth. He gladly caresses, kisses and penetrates. Their spirits, their joined breath is the wind. At the climax of noon, Sun releases his the fullness of his power into Earth. She rejoices, takes it in, conceives, and gives birth to all their children: glistening stones, plants, animals and all animate beings. Having released his power, Sun gradually descends and sets. Earth cools. They both, still together, rest and sleep in preparation for more erotic living and loving the next day.

By their daily erotic embrace, Earth and Sun sustain the spirit, the life, of all their children. All their children, flowers and trees, birds and bees, Jane and John, live erotic lives. They join, conceive, give birth, and make eternal life not a given but potential.

Love: Nourishment for the Spirit

"Love is something you and I must have. We must have it because our spirit feeds upon it. We must have it because without it we become weak and faint. Without love our self-esteem weakens. Without it our courage fails. Without love we can no longer look out confidently at the world. We turn inward and begin to feed upon our own personalities, and little by little we destroy ourselves.

With it we are creative. With it we march tirelessly. With it, and with it alone, we are able to sacrifice for others," Chief Dan George

At this time in the US we live in deep division and strife. We are divided and strive against each other on moral, cultural, religious, economic, political matters and more. Public and private expressions of hatred are common place. Such division and strife nourishes more of the same.

Some choose apathy and depression instead of expressions of hatred . Perhaps more accurately, some of us turn our hatred inward. This feeds apathy and depression. Apathy and depression lead to victimization and breed more of the same.

I find deep wisdom in the words of Chief Dan George. His words ring true in my heart. We must have love. Our spirit is nourished by love. When our spirits lack love and are malnourished we become weak, our self-esteem weakens, our courage fails, we lose our confidence, turn inward, feed on ourselves, and in the end destroy ourselves.

When our spirits are nourished with love, we grow strong, esteem ourselves, have courage and confidence, we have strength and endurance, create beauty, and are able to pour ourselves out for great accomplishments.

What nourishes spirit? Love. What helps a spirit grow strong? Love. What heals a broken or wounded spirit? Love. Yes, we must have love. We must receive it from and give it to ourselves and others.

What is true for our human spirit is true for all spirits- the spirits of all other animals, the spirits of all plants, all the spirits of this earth. Every spirit needs love.