Calm in the Eye of the Storm

A mystical experience in the form of a vision shared by Lola Georg.
This vision was revealed during silent meditation in a group setting.

In my mind’s eye, I am swirling, flying, round and round in circles. I am caught in a tornado, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. I see every kind of human event. Births, deaths, marriages, graduations, funerals, moving into a new home, moving away form home, traveling, families, birthdays, arguments, military conflicts, tenderness, caring at the beginning of life, caring at the end of life, caring in the middle of life, children stomping their feet, toys, games, destruction, construction, building up, tearing down, loving, hating, apathy, drug addiction, bereavement, alcohol abuse, military might, peace movements, . . . it goes on and on, round and round and round.

In my mind, I think, “There must be another way,” and instantly I am transformed out of the swirling circle and into the center. I watch, doe-eyed, as events, and people, and places swirl around me. I am in a giant cyclone that has no end and continuously circles around me. TV anchors, game shows, preachers, parents, children, presidents, politicians, love, hope, despair, all of it continues to circle round me. Like a hurricane whose life force increases, or a whirlwind that has no end, round and round it goes.

Slowly, I notice next to me, on my right, stands Jesus, in the calm of the eye of the storm. He smiles at me, and takes my hand. Together we watch the swirling, whirlwind of human existence with an observer’s curiosity, and an observer’s fascination. Round and round it all goes, never ending.

After a while, I begin to notice others. Each one says, “there must be another way.” And each time someone says it, they are instantly moved to the center of the cyclone with Jesus and me. They keep coming, one at a time. It is getting more crowded in the center. I am pulled away and loose the touch of Jesus’ hand. Eventually, there are more of us in the center than those that are swirling around in the circle. The circle begins to wobble with a lack of cohesiveness and structure. It bobbles, and fluctuates, and looses its momentum, until those of us in the center – those that have thought there must be a better way – have generated a new central structure that is strong, secure.

And then, in one blinding light, the center that held is transformed into a bright, clear pillar of radiant light – into space without time. In the flash of a holy instant, it is all dissipates into nothingness.

Lola’s Reflection:
This vision is very interesting to me, because it begins with me in the midst of a swirling cyclone and ends with a flash that dissipates into nothingness. I noticed that when I was swirling in the cyclone, I felt anxious, unstable, tense, chaotic, flying round and round, until I experienced a sense of ‘Enough!’ The only way out of the circle of turmoil was through the center. The center, in this instance, represents the ‘calm in the eye of the storm’ that I can return to at any time. Yet in turning towards the center, I also develop a an observer’s stance. No longer anxious or tense, I am at peace, observing with a sense of curiosity, quite like watching a train wreck where one can’t look away.

And slowly, after noticing Jesus, others join the center of the circle, until the critical mass of our numbers shifts the momentum. The whirlwind wobbles and collapses. The center becomes stronger and more stable. A critical mass of individuals questioning the status quo, actually changes the status quo from out there to in here. This vision gave me hope that humanity can change by shifting focus from the whirlwind of chaos to the peace within.

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Doves of Peace

A mystical experience in the form of a vision shared by Lola Georg.
This vision was revealed during silent meditation in a group setting.

In my mind’s eye, I see a beautiful, white dove flying over the ocean. The dove turns and flies towards land. As it flies away from the ocean and further over the land, it comes upon a war-torn countryside. Death and destruction loom below, and what was once beautiful is now horrific. A huge military gun on the ground shoots at the dove (which seems like a bit of over kill), hits it, and the dove falls to the ground, dead.

But, it does not stay dead. It becomes alive again and starts to fly. Immediately, a person on the ground with a rifle shoots the dove. The dove is struck a second time, and falls to the ground, dead. Once again, the dove becomes alive and starts to fly. This time, another dove flies in from the ocean. Both doves are shot down, and both fall to the ground, dead, only shortly thereafter to fly again.

More doves are coming from the ocean. The people on the ground fire multiple rounds into the sky, shooting the doves, which drop to the ground, dead, only to come to life and fly again. This scenario plays out over and over again, until there are thousands of doves in the sky. Eventually, there are so many doves that the original dove is lost in the throngs.

After awhile, the people start to realize the futility of it all. Yes, they can shoot and kill the doves, but the doves come to life and fly again. In fact, there are millions of doves in the air, and very few on the ground, and the ones on the ground are getting up to fly.

Eventually, the people stop shooting, as the whole exercise is pointless. Upon this realization, the doves band together, flying as a cohesive group. They form a river of doves and begin to circle the planet. I see the earth from a point in space and there are doves orbiting the planet in unison.

Lola’s Reflection:
This vision does not seem to apply to me personally, as some other visions have. I notice that doves are a traditional symbol of peace, and the first dove leaves the ocean to fly over a battlefield. What is the point in shooting a solitary dove? And with a machine gun, no less? However, the theme of resurrection is here, as each dove that is shot resurrects to fly again. It is interesting to think about the miracle of the first dove’s original resurrection. Eventually, the doves resurrect so often and consistently that it becomes commonplace, and killing becomes futile. A solitary person (or dove) may not be able to effect change, but how do the dynamics of a situation change when there are thousands instead of one or two? How long does it take for people to realize the futility of their actions?

At the end, the doves band together and my perspective rises above the world, or above worldly concerns. In flying above the world, I have a view of the whole planet encircled by doves. A planet encircled in peace replaces the battlefield of death and killing.

Photo by James Wainscoat from Upsplash

The Blue Velvet Box

A mystical experience in the form of a vision shared by Lola Georg.
This vision was revealed during meditation in a group setting.

In my mind’s eye, I am driving my car and it is a beautiful sunny day. I have the sunroof open, and the windows are down, enabling a soft breeze to encircle me. I drive to a local hiking trail and park my car. I start walking up the trail, which winds back and forth in the woods, steadily rising upwards towards the summit. The walk is easy at times, and quite difficult at others, causing me to breathe hard and travel more slowly. After a while, I reach the top, above the tree line and take in the view. The sky is brilliant blue, the air is pleasant and warm, and the tree-lined valley below is beautiful to behold.

Then I notice him. Jesus is standing by my right side. He smiles at me, and gives me a warm embrace. “I have a present for you”, he says. He pulls from his pocket a small, square, blue, velvet box. The kind of box one would expect to find jewelry in. “Is that what I think it is?” I ask him. He nods. We embrace again, but this time we are dancing in a little circle of joy. We slow down, stop dancing, and sit upon a rock in silence, observing the valley below us. I feel very calm and peaceful in his presence.

After a while, I stand up. “I’ve got to go”, I tell him. He nods again. One last hug and I start back down the trail to my car with the blue box in my pocket. When I get back to my car, I see a trashcan. I am going to throw the box in the trash. But first, I have a nagging thought of doubt, “He said it was what I thought it was, but is it really?”

I open the box, and sure enough, it is exactly what I thought. An empty box; nothing. I do not need a precious gift from Jesus. I have everything that I need. There is nothing – no thing – that he could give me, no matter how precious it would seem, that I could ever want. I throw the box away, get into my car, and drive away humming a merry tune.

Lola’s Reflection:
In this mystical experience, I am hiking, which can be a metaphor for the spiritual journey. The trail is sometimes easy and sometimes not, and reaching a summit can represent obtaining a goal. Once I have reached the summit, I receive a gift from Jesus. The jewelry box represents the epitome of what women are supposed to want, something precious and expensive. However, the true gift is something very different – a sense of peace and contentment after a dance of joy.

Yet, in a very human way, doubt creeps in. Even though Jesus confirmed that what I thought was in the box was true, doubt made me check for myself. This vision made me consider ways I have doubted the guidance of spirit, or conversely, had faith despite my doubts.

Also, Jesus is also a common figure in my visions (see Give Unto Caesar or Fireworks of Forgiveness or Walking on Water). Along the spiritual journey, it is often helpful to have a guide or mentor, someone who knows the way and can provide wisdom and counsel. In my visions, Jesus is not a savior, nor does he do anything for me. He is there for support, like an elder brother who has traveled the road before me and is more experienced. He is not critical, nor judgmental, and he seems to have the kind of patience that transcends time.

While I relate to Jesus, you may not. Perhaps you have other spiritual guides such as an ancestor, an angel, an animal, or signposts that indicating what road to take. Regardless of the form they take, spiritual guides are common metaphors along the journey of life.

Nature

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” – Rachel Carson

“We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills, and winding streams with tangled growth as ‘wild’. Only to the white man was nature a ‘wilderness’ and only to him was the land ‘infested’ with ‘wild’ animals and ‘savage’ people. To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery. Not until the hairy man form the east came with brutal frenzy heaped injustices upon us and the families we love was it ‘wild’ for us. When the very animals of the forest began fleeing from his approach, then it was that for us the ‘Wild West’ began. – Chief Luther Standing Bear of the Oglala Lakota

For the last few years, I have been traveling throughout North America, visiting a wide variety of places -> from oceans, lakes, and rivers to mountains, deserts, and forests. I have hiked craggy peaks, spent time with tide pools, wandered through desert slot canyons, crossed vast plains, and witnessed the destruction of fires, floods, and droughts. I have delighted in the myriad of colors in the sky, at sunrise, at sunset, and craned my neck under the milky way of deep, dark nights. I’ve had conversations with trees, and waterfalls, and birds. It hasn’t all been pleasant, as I have had my share of bugs, torrential rains, unwavering winds, dust storms, and icy snowfalls.

What I have learned about myself is that when I spend significant time in nature, it is good for me. It is good for my physical health, my emotional health, my spiritual health, and my mental health. This is not surprising as many scientific studies recount the benefits of time in nature. I have also learned a bit about myself, such as I can tolerate more discomfort than I thought, and my relationships are better when I spend time in communion with the natural world. And I also must say that many of my mystical experiences have happened when I was surrounded by nature.

Perhaps you would like to spend more time in nature? If so, you could start with this spoof advertisement for prescription strength Nature. It may be right for you:

Photo from Snow Canyon, Utah as the sun was setting.

Mother Ann Lee

“Put your hands to work, and your heart to God.” – Mother Ann Lee

Film Recommendation: The Testament of Ann Lee, directed by Mona Fastvold and staring Amanda Seyfried

Many years ago, I was vacationing in Maine on a bike-riding adventure. When I found out that we would be near the Shaker village, I knew I wanted to visit and learn more. I was really interested in the simplicity and beauty of Shaker woodworking and basket making. So I visited the community at Sabbathday Lake, where at the time, the last three Shakers lived (now there are two remaining).

The Shaker community in the United States was begun by Ann Lee. Born in Manchester, England in 1736, Ann Lee became a member of a sect commonly known as the Shaking Quakers due to their similarities to the Quaker faith, but also their practice of cleansing from sin through chanting and dancing. The Shaker form of ecstatic dance in worship features prominently in the film The Testament of Ann Lee, and follows their belief that the communal indwelling of the divine caused them to shake, dance, and sing with ecstatic love.

Ann Lee was a mystic, visionary, and leader who founded the Shakers (also known as the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing). Known as “Mother Ann,” she received divine revelations in prison, and performed a number of miracles, including miraculous healings. She was charismatic and traveled as a preacher, believing in gender equality as God created both male and female. The Shakers also welcomed African Americans, orphans, and converts into their self-sustaining agricultural communities. You can learn a little more about the Shakers in this short (less than 10 minutes) film by the Center on Religion and Culture.

Photo by The Maker Jess on Unsplash

Walking on Water

A mystical experience in the form of a vision shared by Lola Georg.
This vision was revealed during a guided meditation in a group setting.
The mediation was an exercise of imaging oneself in a biblical story. In this case, the story is often titled Jesus Walks on Water.

In my mind’s eye, I find myself sitting in a boat rocking on the sea. I sit with my knees drawn up to my chin, and my back against the side of the boat. My arms are folded across my knees. I raise my head and look around. It is very early in the morning and there is a mist in the air. Things are foggy. There is a person on either side of me, also sitting like me with their backs against the side of the boat. If fact, as a look around, the boat is fairly crowded. There are lots of people on this boat.

Suddenly, there is a commotion. People are up and shouting and pointing out to sea. What is it? I spring up and cross to the other side of the boat. The boat is tilting with all of the people on one side. Then I see what all of the fuss is about. I can’t believe my eyes, and I rub them with my fists. Am I really seeing, what I think I’m seeing? Its Jesus, and he is walking on the water towards the boat!

He calls to Peter to come join him on the water. Peter is shaking his head.“No,” he seems to say. But eventually, Peter climbs over the side of the boat and starts to walk on the water towards Jesus. But something happens, and Peter is now flailing and floundering in the water. Everyone is shouting! The other people help Peter back into the boat.

Jesus looks straight at me and says, “Come.” Suddenly, my heart is racing fast and my mouth is dry and sticky. My heart is pounding in my ears, muffling my hearing, but I sense that all the commotion has quieted as everyone is staring at me.The mist seems to surround us and I cannot see the shore, nor the sun. Everything is gray and shrouded. I feel disoriented.“Okay,” I tell myself, “I can do this.”

I start to climb over the side of the boat, straddling it, with one foot firmly on the deck, and one foot dangling above the water. Doubt creeps in as I wonder if I can actually do this. I look at Jesus and he looks at me, with his arm outstretched and his fingers curling towards himself. His fingers wiggle in a ‘come here’ motion. “Well’, I think, “if Jesus says I can walk to him, who am I to argue?” I carefully ease myself down the side of the boat, tenderly tapping my toe on the water. It’s firmer than I expected. I take a step or two. “I’m walking!”, I think. I look up at Jesus and he nods his head. Tentatively I walk, slowly gaining confidence. Eventually, I stride across the water towards Jesus. When I get to him, he takes my hand in his and tells me, “Salvation is not of the body, it is of the mind, and it is of the spirit.” I think to myself, what a strange thing to say.

Lola’s Reflection
This vision is all about faith, doubt, and trusting. There is lots of water in various forms: the sea, the mist, the fog, the clouds. Water, which is often a metaphor for spirit, is the foundation upon which the boat rocks and Jesus walks. Yet, fog and mist represent an inability to see clearly, and it appears that I am being asked to have faith even when things are obscure or uncertain. I wonder, what does it take to have faith when another before you seems to have lost their faith? Is it possible to have confidence amongst uncertainty? Can I trust someone who asks me to do the impossible?

As I released my own doubt, and had a little willingness combined with trusting Jesus, I was able to walk on the water, and eventually, with confidence. The ending is strange, however, and I am left ponder the meaning of salvation. The message seems to be, that the body is not in need of salvation, but my mind and spirit are.

Painting by Rik Berry of Brush The Wind Gallery

“Look here.”

An experience of hearing a guiding voice, shared by Viv Hawkins

I was finding my job extremely difficult. I loved the mission of the organization with which I worked. The workplace setting, commute, and benefits were all pretty good. Given those factors, the compensation was acceptable. I valued almost every one of my colleagues.

And then there was my supervisor – a new director with a penchant for micromanaging and a tendency to undervalue his direct reports. He had hired a fantastic staff for our start-up office. But, one-by-one, we were walking away from work to which we were devoted because it felt our wings were continually being clipped.

I carried my distress to Quaker worship one Sunday and, during the mostly-silent waiting worship practiced by unprogrammed Friends, wrestled with what to do career-wise. I was at a loss, having tried repeatedly to talk with my supervisor and feeling no change. Do you know that sense when everything you know to do leaves you unresolved?

Sometimes for me that state of extreme frustration carries me through a desperate search, into a place of lamentation, and leads to an ultimate surrender. A giving over more than a giving up. A willingness to release whatever I think I know to something greater. A feeling reminiscent of Jesus’ words, “Into your hands I commit my spirit,” his last words on the cross.

That was the journey I underwent that Sunday during worship.

And the words that I heard in response were few but clear, as if whispered into my ear, “Look here.”

Despite the fact of hearing such a voice being a new, unexplainable experience for me, I felt the calm that comes with a release of pent-up emotion and received the guidance as some form of divine instruction.

Leaving the worship space soon afterward, when those present moved to the social room for refreshments, I found myself standing at a table of printed announcements. The top sheet was a job description for a position for which I subsequently applied, was hired, and in which I served for the next five years.

Twenty-five years later, I do not know the source of that voice. But, if we define “mystical experience” as Lola does as “an intangible aspect of life,” this was surely one.


Post-script:
Were I still as connected to scripture and/ or less doubting than the Apostle Thomas, I might close with a later portion of that psalm begun by Jesus: “Yet you heard my cry for mercy/ when I called to you for help.” Perhaps, that closing works for you?

Among Old-growth

An experience of the vast harmony of nature during self-led forest bathing, shared by Viv Hawkins.

There among the old-growth redwoods of northern California. Massive. Towering. The tallest trees on this awe-inspiring planet.

We had been on this trail before today. And I had been on it for some time that day.

And then, out of the blue, it hit me.

An immense gratitude for these beings. Helping to balance the simultaneously resilient and fragile ecosystems on which we and all life on earth depend. Breathing in what we breath out. Standing here for centuries, growing both taller and wider in circumference. So tall they need to drink from both their roots and their foliage that catches clouds.

Scarred by fire how many times?! Fire sometimes caused by human activity, whether that be setting the fire inadvertently or not offering the controlled burn care practiced by Indigenous people before colonizers tried to suppress all natural fire.

Alive even in their death after their shallow roots, intertwined with others of their species surrounding them, give way and the giant topples BOOMING. How does that koan go? If a tree falls in a forest and there is no one there to hear, does it make a sound? I have no doubt they do.

My feet feel the shudder still vibrating in the ground beneath the silent softness of redwood needles and cones as small as grapes, each containing countless seeds of giants.

Even fallen, they give, as their bodies are offered up to sword fern spores and sorrel seeds, that explode from fruit which forms from the sorrel flower, only the leaves of which I’ve seen.

I stood there with tears streaming down my face, my heart as full as I’ve known it, and a gratitude that I sensed was MASSIVE but, at the same time, could never somehow match the scope of these trees in size, abundance, longevity, or criticality to the ecosystem of which they, no we, are together a part.

In that HUGE love I experienced the wonder of the universe; the incomprehensible, mysterious, complexity of life; the grace that surrounds us every single moment; and a sense of connectedness to All-in-All.

Forgiveness

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to practice it.” — C.S. Lewis

“When you forgive, you in no way change the past – but you sure do change the future.” – Bernard Meltzer

My therapist once said to me, that forgiveness is like putting someone in a cage. Once put in the cage, they must be watched by a guard to ensure that they do not escape. I can stand guard as long as I want, but if I truly want to be free – to be liberated, I have to relinquish the role of guard, for it also keeps me chained to the cage. Forgiveness, therefore, becomes my release from the past, in order to liberate the future.

Forgiveness can be a difficult practice, extremely difficult. For decades, I have had a practice of attempting to forgive the harms of the day as I drift off to sleep. Starting with the harms of the day, enabled me to slowly forgive the bigger traumas in my life. Over time, I’ve become better at forgiving myself, other people, and my sense of injustice that the world is not as I believe it should be.

In the news of late, there has been talk of preemptive strikes, where one nation believes it is justified in attacking another nation. The idea is to use violence as a deterrent to violence. In this context I was thinking about the opposite of a preemptive strike, and words from beyond entered my consciousness with the phrase, ‘preemptive forgiveness.’

I began to explore the idea of ‘preemptive forgiveness‘, and have been practicing it for the last few years in two contexts, with groups, and with individual people.

Suppose I have a meeting that I dread, or an event I feel obligated to attend. Perhaps I have a sports team I root for, legislation I like to see passed, or an upcoming holiday gathering. I have practiced forgiveness long enough to know that, no matter what happens with this group, tonight I will be offering forgiveness as I drift off to sleep. With the practice of preemptive forgiveness in mind, I can forgive before anything happens. This has changed my experience of one from leaving angry or irritated, to entering with curiosity. What will happen here that I have already forgiven? What irritant will surface? How many irritations will there be? I must say that I have found delight in playing this game of discovery. There it is! The first thing from this meeting that I have already forgiven! How many more will there be?

In a similar way, I practice preemptive forgiveness with people. What might she say during this phone call, that I will forgive later tonight? How might he treat me, that while rude, is also completely forgivable? How can they be so self absorbed, that they do not notice how their actions affected me? I could just as easily forgive before I engage, and shorten my end-of-day forgiveness list, which has been a pleasant side effect. In a similar way, preemptive forgiveness in relation to my partner has been a healing practice. A prayer of preemptive forgiveness in the morning as I rise – knowing full well that no matter what transpires today, I will forgive her tonight – allows me to have a sense of humor about life. “Oh! There it is! She said the thing, she did the thing, that I have already forgiven her for.” She knows that I engage with preemptive forgiveness, so these moments have gone from irritations and relational strain, to moments of humor and warm affection.

Of course, forgiveness and preemptive forgiveness are practices, more easily said than done. Forgiveness can be hard. Preemptive forgiveness can be a fun game. However, I am no longer interested in guarding cages. But the practice of forgiving, over and over again, will be with me for all of the days to come.

“Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” – Jesus, Luke 23:34

“Forgive what was, Accept what is, Love what comes.” – Lola Georg

Photo by Simon HUMLER on Unsplash

Forest Bathing

Forest bathing is the practice of immersing ourselves in natural settings, particularly but not exclusively, forests. It involves slowing down and paying attention to our natural surroundings with our full complement of bodily senses: smell, sight, hearing, touch, and taste. Here’s how:

1. Find a location in nature 

The ideal place is a quiet area surrounded by trees. Environments with greater tree cover and natural sounds may be especially effective at reducing human stress and mental fatigue. But any natural space, including urban parks, is suitable. 

2. Set aside time 

Forest bathing and spending more time in nature has been shown to contribute great benefits. Although two to six hours is considered ideal, as little as 15 minutes in a natural setting can help reduce stress and anxiety.

3. Aim to reduce your heart rate

Forest bathing is most effective when you move at a slow and gentle pace. Slower movement contributes to lower heart rate and blood pressure, and helps the nervous system settle. Instead of approaching this time as exercise, move slowly to invite your body to shift out of fight/flight mode into rest and recovery. 

4. Engage all your senses

Using all five of your physical senses helps deepen the restorative effects of forest bathing. You might ask yourself: What scents do I smell? What sounds can I hear? What textures do I feel beneath my feet or fingertips? In addition to what we see, paying attention to sounds, textures, and smells helps root the body and mind more fully in the present moment.

5. Take a moment to meditate

Pausing can help augment and complete the forest bathing experience. Find a quiet place to sit and practice simple meditation, such as gentle breathing exercises, journaling, self-affirmations, or quiet observation to allow your mind to slow and settle. Even a few minutes of stillness in nature can ease tension and deepen a sense of calm.

More about Forest Bathing

Forest bathing can be practiced individually or in the company of others who are open to engaging the practice together, including people of all ages.

This form of “nature therapy” offers a wide range of benefits for our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves, including decreasing undue stress and potential burnout and boosting your immune system.

This is an abbreviated description of three key steps in forest bathing. A 16 minute NPR episode tells more about the practice. If you wish to know more about the physiological and psychological effects of forest bathing, known as Shinrin-Yoku in Japan, see this review of scientific studies on empirical research. And, if you can’t get out to a forest, this Redwood Forest Soundscape video can offer the sound and sight experience.

Edward O. Wilson introduced and popularized human’s “innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes,” known as biophilia in his book Biophilia (1984). In it, he argued that “to explore and affiliate with life is a deep and complicated process in mental development. To an extent still undervalued in philosophy and religion, our existence depends on this propensity, our spirit is woven from it, hope rises on its currents.”