Screwtape You

 I am rereading that great book by C.S. Lewis, that theologian for everyone, The Screwtape Letters.  The book is comprised of letters from an elderly senior devil, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood, an apprentice devil.  He is writing to advise his nephew on the best ways and means of securing his client for the realm of “their Father Below” (Satan).  God is referred to as “The Enemy”.  Lewis uses what might be described as reverse psychology and satire and other tropes to highlight the challenges of being a Christian and the failures of people in their attempts to live a Christian life.

It can be rather humbling to recognize in myself some of the characteristics that Screwtape encourages Wormwood to use of his client (victim) to ensure that he will come under the eternal thrall of Their Father Below.  The impact of the book on the reading audience was and remains quite significant.  This is shown in a quote from the introduction to the edition I am reading which tells of a country clergyman:

Who wrote to the editor of The Guardian, where The Screwtape Letters had appeared serially canceling his subscription on the grounds that ‘much of the advice given in these letters seem to him not only erroneous but positively diabolic.’  Lewis is reported to have roared with delight: he could not have asked for a better proof of the book’s triumphant strategy.

To give you a taste of Lewis’s style and effect I will delve into one ‘Letter’(number 3) in which Screwtape is writing to Wormwood about the relationship of the victim with his mother.  He advises his beloved nephew to take a number of approaches. 

First, Wormwood should keep the victim’s mind on his inner life.  That would keep his mind off the elemental day to day aspects of life i.e., keep it all theoretical and not on the day-to-day messiness of life. 

Second, the victim’s prayers for his mother should also be spiritual.  This keeps them focussed on the state of her soul and not her physical challenges.  This will keep him focussed on what he considers her sins which, with a little guidance will be those things about his mother which he finds annoying or irritating.

Third, Screwtape notes that when two people live together they invariably “have tones of voices and expressions of face which are almost unendurably irritating to the other.”   Screwtape encourages Wormwood to work on and emphasize this as much as possible.

Fourth, Screwtape notes that, “In civilized life, domestic hatred usually expresses itself by saying things, which would appear quite harmless on paper (the words are not offensive) but in such a voice, or at such a moment, that they are not far short of a blow in the face. 

 

Lewis, through the voice of Screwtape, is wonderfully aware of the challenges in relationships.  He is warning of how these can be used to plant seeds that may grow into something destructive.  This, of course, is the work of Our Father Below (Satan), and counter to the work of the Enemy (God).

The Screwtape Letters is a great read and one that would be a wonderful companion on your journey.  Blessings

The Tree of Life

I had a conversation recently with someone in which the image of a tree came up.  The image that the person had was of digging around the roots of the tree to care for it.  I want to take some time to explore this image and see where it leads.

Looking at the tree, we see the trunk which is the part of the tree which is grounded – it has sprouted from the original seed or shoot.  From the trunk we have the other parts which are visible – the branches, often in an intricate pattern growing out of the trunk, and if it is a deciduous tree, it will have leaves - if it is not winter.  Or if it is coniferous, it will be green year round and is one that can be used as a Christmas tree.  Trees can be inspirational, moving us to wax poetic and appreciate the grandeur of God’s creation.  Some trees can live to be of a great age.  I remember seeing the Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem.  They appeared as if they could have been the ones when Jesus was praying to his Heavenly Father asking to be spared from the cross.  Carbon dating has put the age of some at over one thousand years.  There were children who were selling olive branches to us tourists and charging what seemed to be rather steep prices for what could be found as part of God’s blessing freely given.  I digress – but that is what happens when you explore an image.

Of course, If we consider the root system of a tree, we know that it is for the most part hidden from us as we regard the tree itself.  Although it is hidden, we know – or are able to know if we investigate – that the root system of a tree can be extensive or even more extensive than the part that is visible above ground.  Although it is invisible to us, it is essential for the health and life of the tree.  The image of digging around the roots and digging in the fertilizer help ensure that the tree will survive and thrive.  

Following on that image, the question arises, what are the hidden things that are necessary to care for in our lives if we are to survive and thrive?  In the Anglican church we are coming up to the Annual Vestry meeting of congregations which will have many reports from various groups and aspects of the life of the church.  Some of these may seem to be less important than others.  You may think that the financial reports and other apparently dry aspects of church life are things to be gotten through as quickly as possible.  However, you can be sure that if you dig around them they can reveal much about the health of the church.  This is true of pretty much any organization.  It is often the hidden things which reveal the most. 

Of course, this is true for individuals as well as organizations – which are, of course, made up of individuals. What is hidden beneath, in the unconscious in the case of individuals, can reveal much about the health of the person and needs to be dug around and given fertilizer if it is to survive and thrive.  One way is to explore images which arise in us at various times.  Sometimes these will be unexpected and sometimes they will arise every night when we are asleep.  In any case, if we understand these images as exposing and exploring them,  we will be on the right road in our lives.  One of the sayings in dream work is that these images i.e., dreams, come for the health and wholeness of the dreamer.

May you be blessed to care and nurture your roots on your journey.

 

 

 

 

Magic in God’s Forgotten Language

 Some of you may be aware that I ascribe to the understanding that dreams are God’s Forgotten Language.  In biblical time – ancient times in general, dreams were considered to be ways in which God or gods spoke to people.  The Christian and Jewish scriptures are full of accounts of God speaking to people in dreams and visions. 

Both the Christian Old and New Testaments have accounts of God doing just this, speaking to people in this way.  By one count, there are 39 times in which God speaks to people in dreams and visions.  Can you think of any examples of this?

If we accept the understanding of dreams by those people in biblical times, does it follow that this is true for us today?  Today, dreams are generally not understood as a way that God speaks to us.  The understanding of dreams changed in the Enlightenment with the development of a scientific approach to the world and things had to be seen under a microscope or through a telescope or in a test tube to be believed.  Even the development of psychology puts dreams into a reductionistic, materialistic approach to understanding them. This began to change in the twentieth century through the work of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung among others. 

How then can we approach our dreams today to learn the language of dreams in which God or the divine is speaking to us?  The first step in this understanding is to realize that dreams come from a place in which our logical, rationalistic minds are not in control.  Dreams use the language of symbols.  In considering what our dreams are saying to us, we need to explore what these symbols mean for us.  The next step in the understanding is to be aware that in dreams it really is all about us i.e., the content of the dream is a representation of aspects of the dreamer.  A third step or understanding is that dreams come in the service of health and wholeness of the dreamer.

One effective way of exploring what the dream images is through a process that has been dubbed ‘the Six Magic Questions’.  This is not actually ‘magic’.  However, this was the way one participant described the process as it seemed to work like magic at getting to the meaning behind what can be rather puzzling aspects of dreams.  Here’s a brief introduction to the six ‘magic’ questions which can be used to explore images in dreams:

Six Magic Questions

 I am...X

1. My purpose as X        is...

2. As X                         I like...

3. As X                             I dislike...

4. As X                             I fear...

5. As X                             My greatest desire is...

6. As  x                            I would tell the dreamer..

 

I used this method on a recent dream in which there was a car with the paint job was on fire but apparently not consumed.  Here’s what the method revealed:

Six Magic Questions

 I am... car paint job

1. My purpose as a pain job is to protect the car from rust and to enhance the appearance of the car

2. As a car paint job I like how I look

3. As car paint job I dislike it when I am damaged by accident and become rusted

4. As car paint job I fear that I will not be cared for by the car owner

5. As car paint job my greatest desire is to appear perfect and spotless

6. As a car paint job I would tell the dreamer that it is okay not to be perfect. 

I am offering an opportunity to explore this method in a workshop in which the participants will be introduced more fully to the method and have opportunities to apply it to a biblical story and well as dreams of the participants. 

DREAMWORK CANADA is an ecumenical group (Anglican,
Mennonite, United Churches) that tries to reconnect, develop and
help carry on the vital Judeo-Christian dreamwork tradition which has
functioned in the Church from the time of the Old Testament. We are
offering two opportunities via Zoom to explore our dreams as one of the
ways God speaks to us. Each session will enable participants to explore
dreams from different approaches within a Christian context using the
concepts of Carl Jung.

 

Tuesday, February 28, 2023 6:30PM—8:30 PM ET
Exploring Dreams Through Six Magic Questions
Led by Rev. Greg Little
The participants will be introduced to the process for using the “six magic
questions” approach to exploring dreams. This approach can unlock
the meaning of dream images and the meaning of their dreams. The
participants will have opportunities to work with other participants in
applying the method to dreams in a small group setting.

Tickets and Information dreamworkcanada.squarespace.com/

May you have a blessed dream life on your journey.

 

Bearing One Another’s Burdens

 Recently, I was reading the current copy of our Diocesan Newspaper, The Huron Church News.  I did a double take when I saw what I thought was a picture of me with other clergy in a situation that I didn’t recall.  Then I realized it couldn’t be me as, the person I thought was me, was dressed in bishop’s vestments in a gathering of bishops.  No, it certainly was not me as I don’t have a secret life as a bishop (and don’t have any aspirations to be one).  However, I have one from an occasion in which I played one in a dramatic presentation – my double is on the top left and that's me in the picture on the bottom. 

There is the belief that everyone has a double or a doppelganger somewhere in the world and I guess in my case that is true.  There is also the legend or myth that meeting your doppelganger can bring your bad luck and even death.  I hope that this doesn’t apply to just seeing your doppelganger in a picture.  It hasn’t been a problem so far – knock wood.

This experience brought to mind one of the novels of Charles Williams, Descent into Hell.  In this story, one of the characters, Pauline, was deathly afraid of meeting her doppelganger which she had encountered at various times but had always managed to avoid a direct engagement with.  As these sightings became more frequent, her life become more controlled by the fear of the encounter.  In the story, Peter Stanhope, offers to carry her fear.  Pauline is doubtful of this working; however, she agrees and Stanhope takes and carries this fear on behalf of Pauline in a very concrete, envisioned way.  As a result, Pauline is able to meet her double without the fear which had become so much a part of her life.

In this story, Williams is illustrating his Doctrine of Substituted Love.  The exchange between Stanhope and Pauline is described by Helen Luke:

Peter Stanhope, the poet, offers to carry for Pauline the fear that has tormented her ever since childhood.  He explains to her wondering mind that it is like carrying a bag, a parcel, for someone, for a brief time – but not like carrying the actual person… The essential in such an exchange is that there must be enough real love in both people, so that and exchange is the one helped is willing to let go of his ‘parcel’ as the other is willing to bear it…Carrying someone’s parcel you do not relieve him of responsibility for that parcel and its content; you merely bear the weight of it for a while.  When you carry the burden of someone’s excessive fear or anxiety you do not take away his necessity to suffer, but you give him a chance to face the fact of which he is so desperately afraid…It was precisely because Pauline had been humble enough to accept Stanhope’s offer that, when her moment came, she was willing in her turn to carry, through her imagination, the torment of her ancestor’ fear of the fire.

 To be real love for Williams, “every expression of love is a ‘sacrifice’ of the ego through a simple acceptance of the facts.  A repression of resistance or of hatred is never love.  To speak of partial aspects is always too much or too little, for only the whole is meaningful. “

May you be blessed to carry one another’s burdens on your journey. 

A Jeremiad for a New Year

 jer·​e·​mi·​ad ˌjer-ə-ˈmī-əd. -ˌad. : a prolonged lamentation or complaint. also : a cautionary or angry harangue.

I am starting this year in a place where I don’t often go - but where I am finding myself more often than I would like.  It is a place where I find myself hooked i.e. have an angry reaction to what is happening in the world generally but especially in Canada.  What seems to be generating more reaction and energy is that which divides rather than what unites. 

On Saturday I listened to the CBC program The House, as I usually do on Saturdays.  It is a thoughtful and intelligent exploration of current affairs which I would recommend to anyone who might want to be engaged on current topics in Canada.  This edition focussed in the Trucker Convoy protest early this year and the hearing on the implementation of the Emergency Act by the Trudeau Government to deal with the protests primarily in Ottawa but at border crossings such as Windsor.

The program played excerpts of the testimony of some of the witnesses at the hearing.  There was much to consider from the testimony including the action and inaction of the police and the relationship between law enforcement and the government, to the less than stellar cooperation between federal, provincial and municipal leaders.  However, what did hook me and caused a strong reaction in me was the testimony of some of the convoy self-appointed or presumed leaders.  There was, what seemed to me, to be an attempt at self-justification which came down to the belief that because they were being treated unfairly by the governments, they had the right and even an almost holy ordained duty to impose their will on anyone and everyone regardless of who they were and whether or not they were involved in the decisions that they were protesting.

Let me give you a couple of examples to illustrate this.  There was one witness who was asked about the impact of the continual round the clock blaring of truck horns for weeks on the residents in the protest area.  He had laughed at this and said to the effect that what’s a few weeks inconvenience when he had to deal with the impact of the COVID mandates for two years.   When asked if he thought this was a laughing matter, he paused and back-tracked and said to my mind disingenuously that, no he was just the kind of person who laughed at everything (this is not a direct quote but my impression of his attitude).  There was also the general feeling by some of those protesting that they had the “right” to protest at the Capital regardless of what laws they were breaking or the impact on others and had at no time been told to leave despite the court orders and direction of the police to leave.  There was no apparent awareness or concern for the impact of their actions on people who had no involvement in what they were protesting including small businesses that had to shut down or people threatened for wearing masks – apparently a mask wearer was a dupe of government conspiracies intended to create fear in the public and had to be confronted.

There was also the case of the freedom loving convoy protesters swarming an Ottawa soup kitchen and demanding food.  Things like that – especially hypocrisy – truly hook me.  The protesters against vaccine and mask mandates apparently want to go back to a time before public health measures and lead a natural life without vaccines and health measure to prevent things such as diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis) as well as pasteurized milk which prevents such things as listeriosis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria, Q fever, and brucellosis.  I guess we could go back to a time when there weren’t rules against drinking and driving and wearing seat belts, and smoking in public places and on and on.  After all they are all rules which imping on our freedom and we can live our lives regardless of how it affects others.

I do try to understand the anger and resentment of the protesters and believe that from their perspective they believe they have legitimate complaints.  Perhaps some of the rules went too far and were not well thought out and were overreactions.  Governments do sometimes use a sledgehammer to kill a mosquito.  However, my main concern is two-fold.  First how do I respond as a Christian who is called to love my neighbour as myself respond to things which hook me and arose my anger in ways that are not helpful?  Second, how can I work to support the institutions and attitudes which have made Canada the wonderful country I have lived in all my life?  It is certainly been an imperfect union and needs to be held to high standards if it is to remain that way.  There are troubling signs that the fabric of this country is becoming seriously frayed if not breaking down.  We all need to work to strengthen and improve those things which make Canada a place we all want to live in.

I hope each of you have a blessed 2023.