June 8: Day 159

STONE TEN CONTINUED
 
Harmonize: I look for the harmony in all spiritual belief systems and seek to add my voice to the music of the Earth. I seek peace with myself and with all people.

Instruction: Seek harmony even in disharmony.
Some of our life experiences are not pleasant and don’t seem meaningful. If we were to dissect the score of an orchestra piece, we might find that the role of some of the instruments, taken out of the greater context of the score, seems boring, listless, and uneventful. It might even seem that our notes are out of harmony with the rest of the orchestra. Sitting in the orchestra and trying to understand our purpose can leave us questioning our contribution to the whole and whether or not we want to continue with our somewhat boring, and seemingly meaningless, performance. Those seated in the audience often hear differently than those who make the sound. You could say that they, especially those in the balcony, are hearing, (pardon the pun), from a “higher” perspective. They don’t just hear one instrument’s contribution, but they hear all the instruments working together to create something far above what one could accomplish alone.

When we have been raised in a religious belief system that we believe disappointed, hurt, or even abused us, it can be difficult to see how that religious belief system could have anything positive to contribute to the harmony of spiritual life. We might feel as if that system was out of time or out of tune with the symphony and should be removed from the orchestra, but even those religions that don’t seem to have anything to contribute to the harmony of the song of the Universe somehow have a place. We don’t have to understand that place, appreciate their contribution, approve of their seeming discord, accept their abuses, or overlook without reporting illegal activity such as child abuse or molestation, but it helps to believe that all things work together to create the masterpiece of music that moves us emotionally from the common every-day cares of life to the heavenly — from realms of boredom to realms of ecstasy. Often it is in knowing the negative that allows for appreciation of the positive. When we come out of a place of judgment, condemnation, guilt, and shame, we bask in the triumphant strains of the symphony as it proclaims our freedom. By leaving our home and sojourning in a dark and barren land we can more fully appreciate our return Home. By losing ourselves in the disharmonies of life, we relish the harmonious way our lives come together in the end.

Today’s Assignment is to consider the times in your life when you haven’t been able to hear the music of the Universe. Consider that even though things seemed to be out of sync and out of tune, you might not have been able to hear the overall effect of the orchestra because you were too overwhelmed with your own contribution and how it seemed uneventful or even painful. Look for the higher perspective, close your eyes and listen intently to the overall sound and give the symphony a chance to play out to the end.