Delivered at UUP by Rev. Lisa A. Wiggins on August 2, 2009

There is a cartoon of somebody calling up to heaven, “Is anybody up there?” A voice thundered down from the clouds, “Yes, my child, I am here.” Then the person asked, “What should I do with my life?” The answer came, “I want you to live an honest and chaste life.” The person paused,

and then asked, “Is anybody else up there?”

Ah, this could be the story of Unitarian Universalism which believes that a complex life requires more than one dogmatic response. Last year I participated in a “Build Your Own Theology Course” with about 30 other UUs. This group lined themselves up in the room along a theological continuum. On the one end were a few who sought guidance from direct revelations of a personal God. On the opposite end were those who found meaning solely from direct truths which can be empirically proven. And most were somewhere in between these dialectic poles. I expected this range. But what I didn’t anticipate was that once someone mentioned intuition, the vast majority of the class agreed that intuition also influenced their beliefs and actions. Even though it was difficult for anyone to clearly define it, they knew deep in their hearts that this shadowed intuitive partner in their religious dance is very important. What a wonderful twist for seekers who have a long history of dancing through our religious patterns in front of the altar of rationality and analytic discourse. I could imagine that there in the shadows of the room Abraham, Moses, Mohammed and Mary who all claimed a similar deep source of wisdom, were smiling. Rumi with his second knowledge, the “fountainhead flowing from within to the outside” would be applauding. Alongside them the first century Chinese wu who received guidance from inner voices, could be heard saying: “For such intelligent beings, it took them long enough to become wiser!” Raised within this Unitarian Universalist religious tradition, which highly values progressive education and the intellect, I have often wondered: “How do we come to know and learn who we are and our relationship to existence? And can this knowledge help us to learn to live together better with greater wisdom?”

In our modern culture we’ve been trained in techniques of rational awareness in which knowledge is primarily based on our direct experience with our surrounding universe. We receive input from our senses that then, like a good scientists, or a jigsaw puzzle aficionados, we examine, dissect, and analyze the input and apply our knowledge to weave these bits of information into a useful pattern or a craft. With the marvelous capacity of the left side of the human brain, we are like competent mapmakers, using assessed information to plot the direction, point by point, toward life’s goals.

The challenge for this beautiful mind of ours is that we can get caught within the in the linear process as we efficiently travel from point A to B to C. Certainly, as we seek the next step in line, point D, we might imagine or dream of the open possibilities of E, F, G. But what about the unperceived option of Q floating undetected off the page, out there somewhere in space?

“There’s a story of a man who died and went to heaven. St. Peter was showing the newcomer around, and took him to what was called the “heavenly junkyard.” This was the place where all the things that had been rejected by people on earth were collected. After seeing some wonderful things there, the man said in amazement, “This isn’t possible! Look at that Rolls Royce over there! Who would reject such a thing?”

“St. Peter said, “It’s interesting that you should ask about that, because the person who rejected it once was you!” The man was shocked. “That’s impossible! What do you mean?” St. Peter replied, “Well whenever you asked for a car, you always visualized a Volkswagen.”"

There is more at stake here than a fancy car. Educating ourselves by amassing great amounts of linear information is a useful commodity to navigate our environment. But in the words of Tobin Hart, a professor of psychology, we have become “passive consumers who have stayed too long in the mall of education.” I look at the setting sun on the vast ocean and sense that life is more than facts or figures. When our young children take immeasurable delight in blowing about dandelion seeds, we sense that life is more than material substance. Even modern research is playing beyond old boundaries of knowledge. Quantum physics (in which light behaves as both a particle and a wave) can relate to Indian philosophy which recognizes the multitude of dimensions of the universe.

And how much of ourselves have we “each hidden in our own secret chamber”? I now don’t have to feel embarrassed when I talk about a surprising link between my twin sister and me. We can occasionally sense each other’s pain, even when we have an ocean that physically separates us. When we can’t otherwise trace the root of a particular current difficult emotional state, we give each other that “Would-you-please-get-your-act-together,-because-you’re-affecting-me!” phone call.

Or how often have you appreciated your unconscious when you can’t remember the last 30 minutes of driving because you have been thinking about your dwindling financial reserves or a disagreement you have had with a dear friend?

And then I am fond of telling the story of meeting my life partner, Chip. I was living in Washington, DC when in preparation for a ministers’ meeting in Berkeley I had a deep, sudden desire to purchase a particular opal bracelet. Opals are symbols of wellness and joy to me. Within an hour of the store’s closing I was able to pick up the bracelet which had to be FedEx-ed to me from 2 states away in order for it to arrive before my departure. When the saleswoman was writing up the bill, she asked, “Rev. Wiggins, what is so important about this bracelet that you went to all the extra effort and expense to get it in time for your trip?” I answered without hesitation, “Because the winds are going to be blowing in from the Northwest.” She replied, “But I thought you told me that the conference was in California? That is not the Northwest.” I was at a complete loss to explain my response. A few days later I came to understand. A friend at the conference introduced me to Chip, who had flown in from–Seattle.

Non-locused communication, the unconscious, premonitions, and intuition are all forms of understanding arising without reason or analysis. They are a simple knowing from within the shadowed chambers of human experience. Simple, yet very powerful. Listen closely to the people who have explored these intangible chambers, even the modern mystics, such as Deepak Chopra, Carolyn Myss or Meister Eckhart, and they will tell you that the gift of reason combined with intuition is but a pathway to a deeper understanding which allows us “to look through the eye of the heart, a way of knowing that serves character and community.” The secret chamber opens up to all “that space cannot hold, and time cannot measure.” Because we live as biological entities responding to external stimuli, and live as a part of an interior union with all existence, we can flow freely with deep compassion and empathy which can’t be contained. The stardust that we have in our bones can pull us into other forms or even galaxies, or beyond the present moment in time.

As our sense of self expands, so too does our potential to relate to the vagaries of living. In these states of expansion, we also participate in the flow of creativity. We produce great art, music, poetry or a wooden bench, not for their own utilitarian purpose, but because we are simply moved to create anew. Moreover, our creative challenges are seen as part of the solution. Likewise, the solution is a natural outcome of the challenge. Instead of pulling us apart we are drawn together in both form and function, a unity in the interconnected web of an ever expanding universe. Opening up to these moments certainly does not take away from the learned acquisition of facts and figures, but it makes our lives richer by giving us a meaningful and dynamic context. We feel more in the flow, more alive.

As you develop your identity and your unique part in the unfolding story, make a conscious effort to invite a deeper exploration of your inner life. Balance intellect with intuition, mastery with mystery. This will involve a whole range of experiences, from self-reflection, meditation, silence and solitude, or other techniques that encourage you to open to the depths of the intuitive. Before you get out of bed in the morning it is helpful to ask: “Am I leaving myself open to the unexpected?”

Or the next time you have a life challenge, consider directly inviting your intuition to partner with your rationality. For instance, you may have already rationally assessed a situation (I need a car) and entertained few or numerous possibilities of action or thought (a Volkswagen Bug, or maybe a new hybrid.) This helps frame what then becomes a question: What shall I do about my transportation? By asking the question instead of demanding a specific answer you respect the openness of the universe which might present those unseen Rolls Royce options. Then it is helpful to rest your rational mind through breathing exercises, or meditation, or engaging in another creative endeavor, or compassionate service. Then wait, receptive for an unfolding or sign.

And don’t be surprised if the answer doesn’t come in a blinding flash of insight but rather in a symbol, sometimes even as a pun on words which asks for you to grapple further with the question. I once asked “Which way should I go with my life now?” Falling silent, I waited for a response. The ‘voice still and small’ began chanting: “Listen, listen, listen to my heart song…” I got mad. I wanted a different answer. ‘Anybody else down there?’ But the chant continued: “Listen, listen, listen to my heart song….” Finally I caught on and laughed: it was exactly the right advice that I could have received. I had more listening of my heart to do.

In this day and age when we often look outside for answers we cut ourselves off from the very nourishing heart that feeds us. Indeed, there are some marvelous wonders out there which our analytic minds beg to explore. But our rational explorations are not an exclusive voyage, independent from all else. We are a part of an expanded world of relationships which embraces just as closely the trees, the oceans, the tiny protozoa and the massive elephants, as well as the unseen distant stars. When we recognize and honor the many dimensions of this voyage, we can update our “maps, the way we make our maps, and [even] the mapmaker” to be in much more resonance with the miraculous heart of the universe.

Therefore, as we gather in reverence before the wonder of life, touch and let yourself be touched by the shadowed awareness that we belong and that we can live in beauty and balance in this varied dance of life swirling around us. This morning the flowers twirled their heads toward the rising sun. Will we have the same courage and wisdom to do the same? Will our minds likewise turn and merge with that ancient vibrant energy of possibilities and newness which warms the heart of our common souls? Like the rest of universe we can–if we listen, listen, listen to our heart song.

Can you hear it?

Listen…

(Long pause)

Om. Peace. Amen. Salaam. Blessed Be.