A Perfect World

I have many fond memories from my growing up years of a place called Camp Bountiful. It's a camp owned by the church I grew up in, settled in the hills of southeastern Ohio. I used to spend a couple of weeks there every summer, attending family camp (affectionately known as Reunion) and any youth camp I was either eligible to attend or old enough to help/volunteer with. Although it is a beautiful place and I participated in a lot of fun activities there, it was not those things that kept me coming back. What kept me coming back was the spirit I found there--the connection to God and the love that surrounded me.

I was twelve the summer I became conscious of it. I was attending one of my first Junior High camps. Because I was extremely outgoing and had been attending camps here since I was a toddler, I was in my element. I was good at making friends. In fact, I often had friends that didn't like each other. As it happened, two of my good friends that week were enemies. Both of them asked me individually why I liked the other one. I proceeded to talk about the best qualities of the other, although I could tell I wasn't believed. I ignored the friction between the two, but I could feel it just the same.

One of the best things about youth camps were the campfires held at night. There were lively songs and funny skits in the first part of campfire that would slowing transition into a much more mellow place of calm and peace. Usually toward the end of the week, campfires would open to periods of reflection and people were encouraged to share what they had learned throughout the course of the week.

The final campfire that week was a magical one. The experiences people shared spoke of great love, which ultimately binds us all. My two friends who had been in conflict that week apologized to each other and forged the beginning bonds of friendship. The presence of God was powerfully present--so much so I began to see the images of angels among the trees that were the backdrop of our campfire. Everything was perfect at that time in that place.

A soft misty rain fell the following day as we left camp. It almost felt as though God was a little sad that we had to leave this place of connection to go back to our lives in the "real" world. While the goal of camp is to take such feelings back into the world with the hope of growing them there, it was difficult to leave the perfection of that place--the perfection of that feeling.

That is the world I envision. While many would say it is a pipe dream that could never happen in the real world, I beg to differ. I have been there. I have seen it. I have experienced it. I know it can exist in this plane. This is the life I work toward every day as I struggle to find my place in this world.

As we open our hearts to love, we open ourselves to a whole different place--a whole different state of BEing. Our hearts don't come from a place of logic. Our hearts come from a place of feeling, and feeling is what manifests in the real world. The closer we come to thinking first with our hearts, the closer we come to establishing this peaceful more perfect world.

I am looking for people who also see this vision of the future. Join me?

~CSE

       

The Gateway To The Divine

My first experience with the Divine happened when I was twelve. I was at church camp in the hills of Ohio--Camp Bountiful to be more precise--a place I had been coming to with my family from the time I was a small child. It was a place I loved. It was way out in the country, so none of the distractions of my daily life were there. It had cabins nestled in the hills, a large shelter house for services and campfires, a dining hall to eat and fellowship in, and a pool for recreation. A creek traveled through much of the property, water meeting earth in a beautiful union. It was definitely one of my happy places.

I had been attending a Junior High Camp that week. Classes and activities had been fun, and I enjoyed hanging out with my friends. As usual, I was friends with everyone. Also as usual, I had a couple of friends who didn't like each other. In fact, I can remember both of them asking why I liked the other one that week. I had the same answer for both: because they were nice! They were nice to me (just not to each other).

The last campfire we had for the week took place on a Friday night. While campfires started out boisterous, they always ended on a quiet, thoughtful note. At this final campfire, they gave people the opportunity to stand up and share experiences and thoughts they had of the week. Some people stood up and shared problems. Some people talked about how God had touched them personally in their lives. What touched me most though was my two friends that spent the week not liking each other. They apologized to each other for the way they had acted. As I sat in this atmosphere of caring and love, I felt the whole Universe open up in a way I had never experienced before. All of a sudden, I became aware of the presence of angels. I could even seen the outlines of them standing in the leaves of the trees on the other side of the creek.

There was no doubt in my mind that God loved me. I could feel the love emanating from those angelic beings. I could feel the love in my friends. All barriers between us came down as love was given place in our hearts. Love had become the gateway to the Divine. Even though I was limited to this time and space, my heart allowed me the freedom to explore and expand in ways I never dreamed possible.

As I look back at that time so long ago, I understand the place of the heart even better now. All the blessings I've received in my life were from those times I was open to love. At those times when I allowed my heart to be fully opened, I became fully engaged, fully enlightened. Nothing was held back from me. Love is the state where energy flows freely. 

Love is the gateway to the Divine. When we can break down the barriers that stand between us, energy is free to flow. We allow ourselves to access the knowledge and wisdom of the Universe. It is this in this process of connection we finally find our place of acceptance and power. It is in this place we truly find ourselves.

~CSE!!!