We continued with Love from last week ([#topicd=20040318#]) hoping the absent promoter of this topic could make it to the meeting. She did — with her daughter — and chaired, of course.

Readings both this week and last were from Jesus' final sermon to his disciples. They draw attention to God's unity with man and our oneness with each other — the real meaning of Love.

The chairperson quoted a poem by Rumi (as translated by Deepak Chopra):

Both light and shadow are the dance of Love.
Love has no cause —
It is the astral law of God's secrets.
Lover and loving are inseparable and timeless.
Although I may try to describe Love,
When I experience it, I am speechless.
Although I try to write about Love,
I am rendered helpless,
My pen breaks,
The paper slips away,
At the inevitable place where
Lover, loving and loved are One.

A member then read an email from another member who was unable to attend: "Love is the life force that flows through us; we, the form, grow in whatever way we can to allow this force to express. We are the vessels of Love, of Life, of Principle. Self-love is the only love existing, since it's God loving God. We don't love others as much as we reach out and mingle in each other's life force."

In a follow-up conversation the absent member emphasized the need always for Self-love, which is not to be confused with propping up one's ego belief but is actually cherishing our divine being.

Our chairperson exclaimed, "While I can't plan for or expect feelings of love to come through, they do quite often, suddenly, for no apparent reason. And when I feel love for myself or someone, I'm in total bliss."

We next turned to an article in the March/April issue of Yoga Journal, "What Is love?", where three aspects of love are set forth: Absolute Love, individual love and love as practice. We were particularly interested in the last aspect.

"I'm always suspicious of pasted on smiles and gushing protestations of love, but given conditions in the world today, I'd like to see us all 'fake it till we make it' — or just figure out intellectually, if necessary, how love would look and do it, even if I don't feel it. Maybe the feelings would then catch up."

"The article has some good points — about getting past ego dualities to the source of love and letting that rule."

"I remember when I went to Date Bait (a gathering of strangers looking among themselves for dates). I entered the room and looked at all those strangers and felt fear and panic. After mixing a bit and talking to some of them, I felt fine. There was no sense of separation and I started having fun relating to people."

"That reminds me of something that happens to me. Has anyone else had the experience of feeling cut off or alienated from someone — maybe just because you're both busy and have lost contact — and then started building up paranoid fantasies about the other, how they no longer care for you — or worse? Then you run into them or talk — and the whole thing goes up in smoke and you find you're still on very good terms."

"Sure. I've had that. Maybe the solution is to stay ahead of the game and use periods of separation to focus on their divinity — and our own. That way the apartness becomes an active, healing and blessing time."

We turned next to a letter written by Larry Dossey, MD to the March-May issue of Shift (from the Institute of Noetic Sciences). He introduced a term "non-local mind"in 1989. Others have added their own versions like "non-locatable". He says, "The implications for consciousness are profound — for, if something is non-local or infinite in space, it is omnipresent; and if non-local or infinite in time, it is eternal or immortal."

Some have linked Dossey's insight to quantum physics. He doesn't disagree but points out that physics is a late arrival on this scene. Non-locality has been a major part of metaphysics (including Christian Science) for millennia.

One member added, "At my most elated moments I feel like a clear transparency for God. I'm at-one with everyone and everything."

"Wayne Dyer was on TV the other night and said that if we took an egg and a sperm down to their smallest constituents, eventually there'd be nothing. He said, 'We come from nowhere to now here.'"

"Wow! That's great. When I wake up in the morning I come from nowhere to now here. And I often have the feeling of immense gratitude that God is living me and supporting me. I didn't do anything to get all the joy and love He provides."

A newcomer asked about the healing potential of Love. We read this from Mary Baker Eddy: "If the Scientist reaches his patient through divine Love, the healing work will be accomplished at one visit, and the disease will vanish into its native nothingness like dew before the morning sunshine."(Science and Health, pg. 365:15)

A couple of current examples were described.

1) "I woke up in the middle of the night last week having arguments with and bad feelings about some people in my life. I couldn't go back to sleep until I insisted that each of them and I myself were the reflection of Love. Love alone was there and everywhere. I became calm and loving — soon I was asleep again. Love, God, had healed me in one visit."

2) "A very dear old friend contacted me recently about a serious problem. We hadn't talked in some time, so it was an opportunity to restore our friendship. We agreed to support each other in prayer and acknowledged our uninterrupted love."

Another member added, "I've been looking at the patterns in my relationships where I constantly shoot myself in the foot. Instead of just blaming others for the problems, I'm now willing to take responsibility for my own failings — many of which are based in old unhealed hurts and pains — but also ridiculous attitudes I've allowed myself to get away with. There's no need to track anyone down or get an apology and no need to put myself through a lot more suffering for my sins."He read us a passage from Mrs. Eddy's Message to The Mother Church of 1901 about sin and its healing (see the Readings). He ended with, "Love is the liberator."(Science and Health, pg. 225:21-22)

A couple of members found that their pets were healers and soothers of frayed feelings. One man particularly loves dogs and — according to two of those present — took on the look of one of his dogs as he talked.

A member asked, "Does anyone have a healing thought about the assassination of the paraplegic Muslim cleric in Gaza or the 9/11 hearings?"

"The reverse of error is true. So no matter how something looks, Love can make it an angel entertained unawares. But we have to find and live the fact underlying the appearance — and Love will reveal it, if we listen."

"When I listened to the hearings I got very worried. Our safety seemed so fragile. Then I thought of those translators at the UN who keep up a running conversion of what's being said in one language into another. I just started translating dualistic worry-speak into absolute God-speak. 'We could all be blown up at any moment' translates into 'We are completely safe because God is in charge.'"

A member is reading The Man Jesus Loved, by Theodore Jennings (Pilgrim Press). It's pretty clear that Jesus was homosexual and had a male lover — i.e., the "beloved disciple"who may not be John. "The thing that interested me so far in my reading is that this man's role in Jesus' life was mainly to be his lover — he did not get any special teaching or place among the disciples. Jesus' teachings were open and for all. And Jesus' personal life did not interfere with his mission as Savior of the World."

"Hmm. Have you ever speculated that after the mission was finished — after the passion and resurrection — Jesus and the beloved disciple retired to Patmos to live out their days as an ordinary loving Gay couple?"

With that we decided to take on Passion as our topic for next week.