This newsletter is a publication of the Mystical Order of the White Rose, a multi-faith devotional and spiritual support organization.  We support and share information about mystical, monastic, contemplative and creative ways of living.  We encourage prayer, the reading of sacred scripture(s), lectio divina, meditation, journaling, solitude, fasting, silence, kindness, hospitality, worship, simplicity, creativity,active involvement in spiritual and religious communities, and  loving service to others.  You can view past issues here and you can subscribe to it here .

This Month's Theme:  Marriage As A Spiritual Path and Sacred Romantic Partnerships

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 Table of Contents

--  Onward and Upward (Update) by Cynthia Kiteley Lee, Founder & Administrator, Mystical Order of the White Rose

--  June Quotations for for Gardeners, Walkers, and Lovers of the Green Way compiled by Michael P. Garofalo

-- "Marriage As a Spiritual Path" by Stephen Muse, Ph.D., LMFT, an Orthodox Christian View

--   Two Love Poems by Rumi - a Sufi perspective

--  "The Hierosgamos Theme in the Images of the Rosarium Philosophorum," by Karen-Claire Voss, an Alchemical View

--     Yin-Yang Symbolism and Philosophy - an Asian View

--    Two Kinds of Love, excerpt from an article by Mark Matousek -  a Psychological Perspective

--    "Sacred Relationships:  A New Paradigm Unfolding" by Arttemis and Krystalle Keszainn - a Modern Metaphysical Commentary

--   Links of Interest

--  June 2010 Multi-faith and Multi-Media Daily Devotionals

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Onward and Upward  (Update)

by Cynthia Kiteley Lee

     It started with the rubble of home renovation and having every item in two bedrooms being moved and strewn about our home.

     Instead of simply enjoying the post-renovation newly revealed and varnished wooden floors and fresh paint on the walls and havng things moved back into their familiar places, I was seized by a compulsion to purge my worldly goods.  Not just your average, everyday purge where you occasionally toss this and that into a large black plastic trash bag destined for the Salvation Army, but a major purge. 

      First, it was clothes; half a dozen black bags of them, along with some ornamental knick knacks.  Then I tackled my library.  Thirty-five small plastic bags of books, each holding 6-10 books, were carried off to the local library. Magazines were also sorted through and several bags full were also delivered to the library, where they are placed on a rack of giveaway items.

      Then, there were three waves of out of town visitors and a thorough redecorating of the living room, prompted to a great extent by their imminent arrival.  New lamps, new cushions, new curtains, new decorative touches, different paintings on the walls, new positions of furniture and the emptying and removal of three bookcases from our home.

       All of this breaking up and elimination of old energies, not surprisingly, resulted in an influx of new energies in areas other than the decor of the living room. 

 

Affiliation With A New Religious Community

       I have decided to go ahead and begin what had been a "maybe someday" undertaking:  joining an Episcopalian contemplative order as an associate (also called oblate).  I have had a casual (reading the newsletter) relationship with the Order of Julian of Norwich for several years, and now plan to join them as an associate.  The mother house is located in Waukesha, Wisconsin and is home to fewer than a dozen monks and nuns.  There are 200 associates. 

      A few years ago I contacted some oblate groups in the Benedictine tradition, both regional and far-flung.  I was advised at the time to affiliate myself a regional abbey or convent, all of which were Catholic.  As an Episcopalian, I prefer to be connected with an Episcopalian contemplative community.  Then too, I have always had an intense appreciation of Julian of Norwich's writings and theology. 

 

New Logo for the Mystical Order of the White Rose

        When I first launched the Mystical Order of the White Rose (MOWR), I had the good fortune to discover a lovely and powerful mandala image of the White Rose created by David Bookbinder.  We worked out a formal licensing arrangement whereby, for an agreed upon price, I could use his image in the template of the MOWR website, on MOWR business cards, and so on.  David was not willing to give me "exclusivity" on the use of the White Rose Mandala for several very legitimate reasons, and I happily accepted that condition.

        I have been working with Claudia Beck for a couple of months in connection with creating a logo and new website for the Christian Home Business Association, Inc., which I founded in the autumn of 2008.  The new website will also automate the management of memberships for Internet-user members.  It also has members who do not have or do not wish to use computers. 

        Claudia's artistic talent and techno-wizardry have stimulated my desire to create--and to have her create--a logo for the Mystical Order of the White Rose that will be for the exclusive use of the Mystical Order of the White Rose.  It will probably be a few months yet before she can undertake this new project.

 

New Structure for the Mystical Order of the White Rose

      I recently experienced an "upwelling" of intuitive guidance about MOWR.  I feel guided to create two membership categories that will include but not be limited to a subscription to the MOWR monthly newsletter and daily devotionals.  I will charge a  fee for these two levels of membership.  A subscription to the MOWR Newsletter will remain free of charge to all who request it.

      One level of paid membership will involve a once a year annual fee and will include an ebook (and possibly printed hard copy book) of daily devotions, broken up into categories such as:  morning, noon, evening and night.  This book will offer the characteristic mix of poetry, holy texts, and quotations that find their way into MOWR's daily devotionals.  It would also include other materials; I'm still ruminating on what these will be.

        The other level of paid membership would involve a monthly fee and would offer members substantially more products and services as well as the opportunity to earn a supplemental income by referring new members to MOWR. 

         I will share the details of my vision and goals for this restructuring in upcoming newsletters.  I also plan to incorporate MOWR as a nonprofit organization and will seek tax exempt 501(c)3 status for it from the IRS.  I recently did this with the Christian Home Business Association, Inc.  It is a registered nonprofit in the state of Arkansas, but I'm still working on the tax exempt status paperwork.

 

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June Quotations for for Gardeners, Walkers, and Lovers of the Green Way

compiled by Michael P. Garofalo

Click here to stroll through this lovely garden of words.

 

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Marriage As a Spiritual Path

by Stephen Muse, Ph.D. LMFT

       The purpose of life is not to resist it or indulge in it, but to live.    As St. Ireneaus in the early second century observed, "The glory of God is a human being fully alive," as we see  in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Marriage as a spiritual path moves along the 'narrow path" that leads to life between these two extreme energies where the divine energies and the vital sap of daily life in the world converge.

       You can read the complete 7-page essay here:  http://www.ocampr.org/marriageSpiritual.pdf   It is written from an Orthodox Christian Perspective.

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Two Love Poems by Rumi

 

 

 

The Hiierosgamos Theme in the Images of the Rosarium Philosophorum

         by Karen-Claire Voss

   Both the texts and the iconography of the alchemical tradition of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are filled with allusions to ‘the chymical marriage, and some of the most beautiful and compelling images in the texts depict the conjunction of opposites as a royal marriage.These descriptions and images occur with sufficient frequency to warrant comparison with the hierosgamos (sacred marriage), as understood in the discipline of history of religions. 

      To read the complete essay click here. 

 

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Yin Yang Symbolism and Philosophy

The yin-yang symbol and concept of the Zhou period reach into family and gender relations. Yin is female and yang is male. They fit together as two parts of a whole.

From a philosophical standpoint practitioners of Zen Yoga see yin-yang as a flow.

The Yin/Yang symbol is one of the oldest and best-known life symbols in the world, but few understand its full meaning. It represents one of the most fundamental and profound theories of ancient Taoist philosophy. At its heart are the two poles of existence, which are opposite but complementary. The light, white Yang moving up blends into the dark, black Yin moving down. Yin and Yang are dependent opposing forces that flow in a natural cycle, always seeking balance. Though they are opposing, they are not in opposition to one another. As part of the Tao, they are merely two aspects of a single reality. Each contains the seed of the other, which is why we see a black spot of Yin in the white Yang and vice versa. They do not merely replace each other but actually become each other through the constant flow of the universe.

Hoopes, Aaron (2007). Zen Yoga: A Path to Enlightenment though Breathing, Movement and Meditation. Kodansha International. ISBN 9784770030474.

^{Source:  Wikipedia}

 

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Two Kinds of Love

excerpt from an article by Mark Matousek

     There are two forms of attchment, apparently, both of which are known by the L word but which, in fact, are very different.  "There's ego-based love," he tells me, using ego not to denote the Freudian sense of self that's indispensable to negotiating daily life but to refer to the illusory armor that suffocates and cuts us off,  the self-obsessed  me that renders us so unspeakably lonely, stripped of  the feelings of belonging and  connection. 
     

      "That's the irony," Grayson says.   "First we imagine our separation from others, then we spend our precious lives trying, and failing, to bridge this false divide." 

       Spritual love works on an opposite principle, he continues.  Instead of the doomed attempt to "complete" ourselves through another person--the ego bing chronically hungry, unworthy, unsatisfied--spiritual relationships hinge on the knowledge that each of us alredy whole.  "We're complete," Grayson insists, joining his fingers to form a circle.  "We are made from the very same energy as the rest of creation--love, as it is called in the gospels--in its myriad forms.  Our essential nature is divine.  In other words, we are already this wholeness, this love, that we seek outside ourselves." 

           - excerpt from the article "Love:  It's All In Your Head" by Mark Matousek, published in Oprah Magazine in April, 2004. Matousek interviews Henry Grayson, a New York psychologist and author of Mindful Loving. 

Click here for a brief article by Henry Grayson, Ph.D. about Mindful Loving and Negative Thoughts.

Total Loving Kindness - Almost 7 minute long video with Buddhist perspective.

 

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Sacred Relationships: A New Paradigm Unfolding

by Arttemis and Krystalle Keszainn

     Years ago a couple who was celebrating their 50th anniversary shared their formula for success: "Relationships are ninety-ninety," Grandma Anderson said. To this day I still have no idea what that means, and at the time I couldn't help but notice that Grandma and Grandpa Anderson didn't really seem happy together. She did all of the talking and he sat silently at her side — until she left the room. Then he could speak freely without her interjecting or scolding him. When I looked at them I didn't see two people who were happy to be sharing their hearts and truths with each other. I saw two people who were living in the same house without physically harming each other.

     I've come to realize that there aren't many examples of sacred relationships on the planet — relationships where both partners genuinely love themselves and each other; relationships where both partners enjoy themselves, each other, and life together. Sacred relationships do exist, but they are so uncommon that the majority of us have yet to witness a true sacred relationship, let alone experience one. What is a sacred relationship? Why are we so challenged with finding our 'soul mate', our 'twin flame', or our 'true love'? Perhaps the answer lies in our perception of what true love is and what it means to be in a sacred relationship.

     The search for love often begins when a person realizes that he or she feels incomplete. Many people seek relationships to try to find love — to find their 'soul mate' or 'other half'. In other words, many seek to complete themselves through searching for love outside of themselves; love given to them by another person. Of course the missing piece that makes us whole is the discovery of our own infinite source of internal love, but we generally don't realize this at first.

     This search for love offers an opportunity to discover one of humanity's great spiritual truths: our most fulfilling and sacred relationship is the one we share with ourselves. Our first sacred relationship is with self and self-love is the basis for all sacred relationships.

     Does this make relationships with others a misguided distraction from developing an infinite love of self? Not at all. Relationships offer unlimited opportunities for self-growth, self-mastery, and self-love. When we enter a relationship we're forging a spiritual contract with our partner saying, "I'll be a mirror for you so you can see your divine reflection — all the attributes, light and shadow, that reveal who you are and who you are becoming — if you'll do the same for me."

      This spiritual contract allows relationships to act as catalysts for our spiritual growth and evolution. When another person acts as our mirror and reflects all of our attributes back to us so we can see ourselves more clearly, we enter the fast-track to finding true love in relationships — discovering our infinite potential to completely love ourselves. From this place of self-love we have a greater capacity to extend and share our love with others. The love shared in a sacred relationship is a gift reflecting the infinite self-love within each person.

     The view of relationships as a catalyst also reveals why many relationships seem to become more difficult over time. As partners act as mirrors for each other, they reveal aspects of each others' self that were previously hidden from them. The "shadows" of each partner are gradually revealed. Here's a classic example of how hidden aspects emerge through the process of mirroring:

     Partner 1: "Why do you (fill in the blank — become defensive, argue, close off, deny responsibility, etc.) when we discuss this subject?"

     Partner 2: "I don't do that!"

     At this point, a number of paths can be explored — from arguing to exploring the issue further and finding a piece of self that was previously hidden. Regardless of the outcome, an aspect of one or both partners has been revealed that they have yet to discover about themselves. Here is an opportunity for both partners to explore self and grow in their awareness and self-love through the reflection they see in each other.

     Often, spiritual contracts and mirroring in relationships occur on an unconscious level. Perhaps this explains why we find relationships so challenging. Not only do we look for love from our partner that we can only find within ourselves, but we also attempt to change aspects of our partners that we are unwilling to address in ourselves because we are unwilling to admit they may exist in us. Many of us find it much easier to blame our partner for any challenges or discomfort in the relationship than to look within ourselves and accept responsibility for the disharmony we may be creating.

     The mirroring of our light and shadow attributes continues until there is no duality or polarity within us; until we are truly heart-centered in all ways and at all times. This is the ultimate potential of a sacred relationship.

     Imagine the potential for personal growth, awareness, and self-love that exists when we enter into the spiritual contracts of relationships on a conscious level! Imagine the amount of growth and mastery both partners can achieve when they are aware of the process of mirroring and when they accept their roles as mirrors with love and grace. Imagine the power of a conscious catalyst for growth, mastery, and self-love. This is a sacred relationship; a relationship where two sovereign divine beings choose to walk along side each other, sharing and reflecting their unique beauty, without judgment or expectation.

     We can enter into all relationships fully conscious and aware that they are catalysts for us to rediscover who we are. We can enter into relationships knowing that our partner does not complete us by giving us the love we think we're missing, but that our partner acts as a catalyst to help us find the love that already exists within us. And we do the same for our partner! We can even transform relationships we're currently in by agreeing to consciously acknowledge their true function of propelling our spiritual growth and self-love.

      Sacred relationships create no need and no dependency. Both partners simultaneously grow into higher and higher states of self-love. In a sacred relationship, partners grow along side each other while mirroring and reflecting each other's divine qualities.

       This is our potential now — today. On Earth we are creating a new paradigm of sacred relationships. Every relationship in our world may not be a sacred one, yet all relationships have the potential to evolve and grow into sacred ones. Imagine a world where all relationships are sacred relationships — from our most intimate partner, to friends, family, acquaintances, and even strangers!

  -- from The Spirit of M'aat, an online community and webzine presented by Drunvalo Melchizedek

 

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Links of Interest

 

Click here for a brief article by Henry Grayson, Ph.D. about Mindful Loving and Negative Thoughts.

Total Loving Kindness - Almost 7 minute long video with Buddhist perspective.

The Nature of Sacred Marriage

You and your loved one:  Union of the God and Goddess

Rosaries of Divine Union - Rosaries for the Contemplative Dimension of Prayer

Innanna and the Sacred Marriage

Introduction to Sacred Sexuality

Marriage Spirituality

 

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June 2010 Daily Devotionals

Petals from the Rose

 

  Each day we should expose ourselves to the inspiration of others.  Thousands of saints and wise men and women have left us messages of hope and encouragement.  Read what is honest.  Read the scriptures and the commentaries.  Read great literature and poetry.  Read the psalms.  Read that which expresses the anguish and the

      -  John McQuiston II,  p. 88, Always We Begin Again--The Benedictine Way of Living

These devotionals also serve as excellent "journaling prompts" for written reflections.

 

June 1        June 2      June 3     June 4     June 5     June 6      June 7      June 8

June 9        June 10      June 11      June 12      June 13      June 14      June 15

June 16      June 17     June 18     June 19     June 20     June 21     June 22

June 23      June 24      June 25     June 26      June 27      June 28      June 29

June 30