New Year Resolutions 2

Last time I wrote somewhat facetiously about my New Year resolution to be conscientious in shredding all the old financial documents that had been accumulating in the “paperless society” which we had been promised.

Today, I have a more serious resolution which will not be so easy to keep.  It is to live according to the rule to do unto others as I would have them do unto me i.e. the Golden Rule as it is commonly called.  In some ways this makes perfect sense.  After all, who doesn’t have a clear idea of how they want to be treated by others?  The ideas may differ from person to person, but it seems to be a universal truth that all people know when they haven’t been treated as they believe they deserve to be treated.  So, it seems to make perfect sense that we should treat others the same way.  However, in practice it certainly is not that easy. 

Take a simple example.  You are walking along a city street and are approached by someone who has a somewhat disreputable appearance.  You know pretty well what is going to happen next.  They are going to ask you for some spare change or enough money for something to eat.  Your defenses automatically go up and you wonder what you should do.  Perhaps you should ignore them and walk on by quickly.  Or perhaps you wonder if this person is really in need or is it a scam?  Or perhaps you wonder if they will just use the money for something less appropriate than food such as cheap wine or other drugs.  You ask yourself if they are deserving of your help. 

Lorna and I were in a Tim Horton's in London last week in a part of the city that has a strong representation of homeless people.  While in line I was asked by someone nearby for money to buy a muffin.  I did give him a Toonie, but I haven’t delved into the thought process in coming to that decision.  That is just a small example of what should be a relatively straightforward case.  I do not always respond that way to such requests for various reasons as I noted above.  If we want to make the Golden Rule our way of life, it truly will complicate things. 

C.S. Lewis addressed the challenge of a Golden Rule New Year resolution:

I may repeat ‘Do as you would be done by’ till I am black in the face, but I cannot really carry it out till I love my neighbour as myself; and I cannot learn to love my neighbour as myself till I learn to love God: and I cannot learn to love God except by learning to obey him. 

So, I guess the best way is to start with the small things – small steps in keeping my resolution at least some of the time.  Something to consider on your Journey through 2025.

New Year Resolutions

Happy New Year to all.  I am not one who usually makes New Year Resolutions, and I was not intending to do so this year.  However, looking at the accumulation of financial records in various places, I decided that I should make a resolution to make a concerted effort to shed many of the old ones and recycle the results.

 I have not done much in this area i.e. shredding files, for about two years since Lorna’s foundling cat Trixie gave birth to kittens and discovered that shredded paper makes great bedding for kittens.  Well, you can imagine how the files have been collecting since then.  I remember when computers first arrived on the scene and there was a lot of talk about our lives being paperless.  This proved to be less than prophetic for many years as computers actually seemed to increase the use of paper.  In any case, there are signs that the paperless era of this may actually be coming to fruition as the smartphone and other advances take hold.  Banks etc. are doing all they can to have you sign up for electronic records.  However, I am stubbornly holding firm with the cohort that likes to have a printed record of such things as well as resisting reading books and other documents on-line. 

This does mean that files do keep piling up and filling the available space.  Ergo, the need to use that paper shredder we bought some years ago for documents which have personal information we don’t want to end up in the wrong hands.  So, I will make a conscious effort to be more faithful in taking care of old records.  I was inspired on New Year's Day to start on this journey of keeping resolutions and began making good use of the shredder which, I am happy to say, still works well.   I have a green garbage bag full of the results so far which I will put out for recycling this week.

I realize that, as New Year's Resolutions go, this is a less than inspiring one.  However, that is where inspiration has landed at the beginning of 2025.

May all your resolutions be fruitful on your journey through this New Year.

Happy New Year to all and to all a good day – with apologies to Tiny Tim. 

 

The Twelve Days of Christmas

 On Boxing Day, we got together with family in London (Ontario) and had dinner in the hotel restaurant.  The music playing in the background was some of my favourite songs from the and 70’s and 80’s such as the Walk of Life by Dire Straits.  As enjoyable the music and the company were, it was a sad reminder that for the secular world Christmas ends on December 25^th.  Of course, for Christians, Christmas only begins on the 25^th – or rather, Christmas Eve – and goes until Epiphany on January 6^th or this year on the 5^th if it is celebrated on Sunday – sorry to get into the weeds of the liturgical year.

Yesterday at my parish church of St. John the Evangelist, Strathroy, we had a wonderful service of Christmas Lessons and Carols.  Such services are often before Christmas Day, but it is quite appropriate on the Fifth Day of Christmas (which was yesterday).  For the liturgical purists (which I am not) Christmas Carols should not be sung until the Christmas Eve midnight service and then sung throughout the Christmas season i.e. until Epiphany.  Of course, the hotel restaurant was only being a good secular organization and moving on from Christmas carols on the 26^th.  Like the observation of Advent, I know I am whistling down the wind and fighting a losing battle in the non-church world, but I do wish that people wouldn’t move on from Christmas after Christmas Day.

Here are some suggestions I found online for keeping the season of Christmas throughout the 12 days:

Take time to enjoy the delights of the season.

• You may have to clock back into work on the 27th. However, you can leave the Christmas decorations up for the season at home (or on your desk).
• Before you start planning to cut calories (or carbs or fat) for the New Year, enjoy the Christmas cookies your aunt made for you!
• Many cultures have treats unique to Christmastide, and this is a perfect time to explore those traditions.
• Continue giving gifts or doing acts of kindness and service for others; generosity doesn’t have to end at 11:59 pm December 25th.
• Additionally, many churches will include special services during Christmastide. This is a great opportunity to participate in the “story services” of the liturgical calendar. Personally, I’m looking forward to attending our first Epiphany service this year!

In short, take time to savor the season after all of the holiday-related busyness. Throw open the doors of hospitality to welcome in Our Savior and the stranger. 

To this I say Amen and would add, keep wishing others a Merry Christmas throughout the 12 days.

So, a Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night on this 6^th day of Christmas.   

We Think With our Hearts

On Friday night, I Zoomed in to a lecture given by the Jung Foundation of Ontario, We Think with Our Hearts, Reading Jung through Native Eyes, presented by visiting Indigenous Jungian Analyst Jeanne Lacourt.  I found the lecture to be an engaging exploration of the challenges of using a Jungian approach to indigenous cultures.

In retrospect, what came to mind were the lyrics by Van Morrison in his song, I Forgot that Love Existed:

If my heart could do my thinking
And my head begin to feel
I would look upon the world anew
And know what's truly real.

The lecture explored Jung’s assessment on indigenous cultures in North America and his assessment of the “Primitive” as he called the native people.  His assessment of Indigenous cultures was not positive in a number of ways.  He decided that Indigenous people were less conscious and lacked free will and were in a prelogical state.  My understanding of the thesis by the presenter, Jeanne Lacourt, critiqued Jung’s assessment as being flawed due to Jung’s cultural biases and his lack of engagement with the North American indigenous culture. 

The lecture explored the understanding of the Participation Mystique – a theory developed by anthropologist Lucien Lévy-Bruhl and adopted by Jung.  One source described this:

Jung’s central notion of participation mystique – namely that in participation mystique experiences there is a blurring of psychological boundaries between individuals, between individuals and their environment, and in some instances between individuals and objects.

This approach, in my understanding, was criticized by Jeanne Lacourt in that the object in the Participation Mystique was passive and played no active role in the encounter between subject and object.  In the indigenous culture, there is a spiritual connection between subject and object.  The spiritual dimension is opened.  For example, in Jungian psychology, if we encounter an animal such as a bear in our dreams, the bear is not a symbol.  It is the spirit of the bear which the dreamer is connected to.

I realize that I am getting into the weeds of this to a greater extent than usual in my reflections.  However, I wanted to give this background in response to the lecture and the idea of Participation Mystique.  The participants were asked to share experiences they might have had with the phenomenon of Participation Mystique.  I shared my experience of encountering a piece of art - a mask by an indigenous artist of a wolf-man. 

 

I encountered this in 2002 when Lorna and I were on a trip out west.  While in Vancouver, we visited an art gallery.  I was completely engaged with the mask when I saw it, but it was quite expensive, and I hesitated to buy it even though I certainly considered it.   I had the opportunity to return to the gallery, I believe, two more times and the force of my engagement, if anything, increased.  I succumbed to the apparent inevitable and purchased it and it sits on the wall in my office where I see it most days.

The Participation Mystique of this for me is the wolf.  I haven’t had a direct encounter with wolves; however, I have encountered on a traditional aboriginal teaching which has resonated with me.  

A wise elder is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old man simply replied, “The one you feed.”

That mask spoke to me in a way that is beyond language.  I believe it was the spirit of the mask speaking to my spirit.  I hope you are blessed with the Participation Mystique on your journey.

 

Things Hoped For

For those of us who do not jump into the Christmas season early and often, we began the season of Advent a week ago.  Yesterday was the second Sunday of Advent.  I believe that Advent is more important than ever.   The secular Christmas season is well under way in our society.  I haven’t been to a mall recently, but I imagine that Christmas carols are being played to encourage people to buy, buy and yes, buy more to honour the child that was born in a stable with a manger for a bed.  It is, all in all, the height of irony that Christmas bacchanalia has the world - at least the Western world - in its death grip.  Sorry – I am being rather over the top here.  I promised myself that I wouldn’t indulge in my annual Christmas/Advent rant, but I seem to have broken it – and it wasn’t even a New Years resolution.  There will be lots of opportunities to not live up to any New Year's resolutions that I might rashly make in about a month’s time.

Back to Advent which is supposed to be the topic of today’s rant, sorry, – reflection.  In the worship service I was part of yesterday, we celebrated the Second Sunday of Advent.   We had the ritual of the lighting of the first and second of four Advent candles on the Advent Wreath.  Each of the four candles represent a theme, or value, or virtue which we can reflect on during Advent in our preparation for the coming (the advent) of the Christ Child.  There can be some variation in the themes but generally they are, Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.  The order may vary but we lit the first candle representing Hope and yesterday, Peace.  Peace is what many people associate with Jesus as he is often named the Prince of Peace, so, let me reflect on Hope. 

Hope, generally, means a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.  We can hope for many different things.  If you reflect on what you may have hoped for in the past or what you hope for today, what things would they be?  I can think of times when I hoped for fame, fortune, happiness and generally the fulfillment of what I happened to desire.  This could vary greatly depending on my circumstances.  However, they were usually focused on what I thought would fulfill my life.  There was an element of being like the kind of person I admired at that time. 

If I examine what I hope for these days, what comes to mind is things like good health and happiness for me and for my loved ones.  , I also think of hope that our leaders will be wise and bring a sense of right purpose to the decision they make – although, with the re-election of Donald Trump as President of the United States at times that seems like a very faint hope.  However, if I turn my thoughts to more spiritual things which does seem appropriate when we consider Advent, there are many possibilities of what we can hope for.  One source noted that in the Bible, hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised, and its strength is in His faithfulness. Turning to one of the sources I depend on, Richard Rohr writes, “Hope, it seems to me, is the fruit of a learned capacity to suffer wisely and generously. The ego needs success to thrive; the soul needs only meaning.” (Daily Meditation December 3, 2014)

On reflection, much of what I have hoped for in my life have been ego driven.  The ego does not want to have to suffer, even when the suffering will bring us to a better place – which is not true of all suffering.  What doesn’t kill us does not necessarily make us stronger.  But we can (appropriately) hope that we will be able to see that God is with us even, or especially in our suffering.  We can hope for soul work in our lives that will open us more fully to God.  That is something to be devoutly hoped for.

Blessings on your Advent journey.

 

Is Donald Trump the Antichrist?

Donald Trump has been held up as a man ordained by God to lead the Untied States out of the wilderness of wokism and other far left ideologies.  This has been promoted by some elements of Evangelical fundamentalist Christianity, especially those who proclaim themselves to be Christian Nationalists.  Now in my view Christian Nationalist fall into the same category as the Holy Roman Empire when Voltaire joked that it was not Holy or Roman or an Empire.  Christian Nationalists are neither Christian nor Nationalist.  Well, perhaps that doesn’t quite fit as they are Nationalists of the worst variety; a Nationalist being defined as “a person who strongly identifies with their own nation and vigorously supports its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.”

Those Christians who support Trump dismiss criticism of his moral failures and narcissism and generally unchristian behaviour to maintain that, if he is not the “second coming of God”, he is being used by God to fulfil God’s purpose just as God used a non-Israelite, King Cyrus, to return the exiled Israelites back to the Promised Land. 

What Christian commentators seem to have overlooked is the possibility that Trump can be seen as the Antichrist who’s coming is foretold in the Bible including the so-called Trump Bible which Donald Trump is hawking for $59.99.  Let’s explore the concept of the Antichrist and see if Donald Trump fits the bill.  Note, I have had the able assistance of ChatGPT in this exposition.

The concept of the Antichrist is rooted in Christian eschatology, primarily appearing in the New Testament and referring to a figure who opposes Christ and deceives humanity in the end times. Different traditions interpret the idea differently, but there are common themes in its description.  Biblical Characteristics of the Antichrist:

• Deception and Charisma: The Antichrist is described as a figure who deceives many through persuasive speech and charisma (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).
• Claims of Divinity or Authority: Often depicted as someone who exalts themselves above God or divine law (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
• Opposition to Truth: Promotes falsehoods and leads people away from Christian teachings (1 John 2:22).
• Global Influence: Exercises power on a large scale, often linked to political or economic authority (Revelation 13:7).
1. Criticisms and Allegations Against Donald Trump: Critics of Donald Trump who draw parallels to the Antichrist typically focus on his perceived characteristics or actions that align with some of these themes:
• Charisma and Polarization: Trump's ability to captivate a large following while deeply dividing public opinion has led some to see him as a figure capable of mass persuasion.
• Self-Exaltation: His frequent boasts and statements about his abilities or accomplishments have been interpreted by some as self-aggrandizing.
• Allegations of Deception: Critics often accuse him of spreading misinformation or prioritizing personal gain over truth.
• Political Power and Influence: His role as a prominent global figure with significant influence on political and social movements aligns with the concept of a powerful leader in some Antichrist narratives.

From my perspective, I believe that many charismatic leaders of all kinds are always appearing on the world stage.  This has occurred in the past and will undoubtedly occur in the future.  The archetype of the Antichrist reflects the possibilities that lie within people and wait to be activated by individuals with the abilities and perspectives and morals (or lack thereof) which will appear Antichrist like.  This has occurred in the past with people such as Napoleon, Hitler, and even Ronald Regan.  These claims often arise in times of political turmoil or division, reflecting societal fears rather than theological consensus.  Donald Trump does indeed have some or many of the characteristics of an Antichrist.  However, I don’t believe he will be on center stage beyond the next four years.  

Personally, the biblical prediction of an Antichrist is one which is a matter of belief and unbelief.  It may come to pass as the second coming of Jesus may come to pass.  I will let that mystery be and be concerned with how to live in this world as a Christian.   That is enough on my journey.  I hope you can navigate the possibility on yours.    

  

Synchronicity; More than Just Coincidence

 Have you ever wondered about things that might be considered coincidences in your life but are more than can easily be dismissed as mere chance?  Sometimes they seem to be significant - more than just coincidence – due to the timing or events that are very meaningful in your life.  On January 14, 2025, I will be presenting a Dreamwork Canada workshop that will explore this phenomenon which Carl Jung called synchronicity.

Below is the information for you to join us in exploring this most curious and meaningful phenomenon.:

Dreamwork Canada presents

 

an opportunity via Zoom to explore

our dreams as a means of deepening                

and expanding our spirituality.

 

WORKSHOP: Synchronicity and You: More than Coincidence led by Greg Little

 

Join us:
     Tuesday, January 14, 2025 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. EST  (two hours) 
     On Zoom
     Cost: $40, or pay what you can

 

In his essay, On Synchronicity, Carl Jung declares, “I have therefore directed my attention to certain observations and experiences which, I can fairly say, have forced themselves upon me during the course of my long medical practice. They have to do with spontaneous, meaningful coincidences of so high a degree of improbability as to appear flatly unbelievable.” Jung named these “meaningful coincidences” synchronicity. 
In this workshop, we will explore:

• Jung’s hypothesis for synchronicity,
• examples of synchronicity in Jung’s work and in our lives,
• outline how to differentiate between synchronicity and “mere” coincidence. 

Participants will have an opportunity to discuss their experiences of synchronicity and explore the impact in their lives. 
Since Dreamwork Canada believes that exploring our dreams is essential to our psychological health, participants will also have an opportunity to examine dreams in a group experience. We invite participants to being one of their dreams to share in the group experience. 

Led by Greg Little, an Anglican Priest and Honourary assistant at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Strathroy, Ontario. He is a Certified Dream Group Leader and spiritual director from the Haden Institute.

Registration deadline: January 13, 2025 

To register: 
Step 1  Send your name and e-mail address to dreamworkcanada104@gmail.com so we can forward the Zoom link to you.
Step 2  Send your payment by e-transfer to dreamworkcanada104@gmail.com or request an alternative method of payment.  E-transfers are automatically deposited, no passcode required.
 
Questions?  Contact the registrar at dreamworkcanada104@gmail.com