The Inward Sea
Das Innere Meer
-von Howard Thurman
In jedem Menschen gibt es ein inneres Meer
Und in diesem Meer gibt es eine Insel
Und auf dieser Insel ist ein Altar
Und vor diesem Altar wacht
der Engel mit dem Flammenschwert.
Nichts kann an diesem Engel vorbeikommen, um auf den Altar gelegt zu werden
es sei denn, es trägt das Zeichen deiner inneren Autorität.
Nichts kommt an dem Engel mit dem flammenden Schwert vorbei
um auf deinen Altar gelegt zu werden
es sei denn, es ist ein Teil des fließenden Bereichs deiner Zustimmung.
Dies ist deine entscheidende Verbindung mit dem Ewigen.
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Kernfragen zum Nachdenken: Was halten Sie von der Vorstellung, dass wir unsere Heiligkeit nur mit unserer inneren Autorität und Zustimmung berühren können? Können Sie von einer Erfahrung berichten, die Sie gemacht haben, als Sie Ihrem inneren Altar ein Opfer darbrachten? Was hilft Ihnen, die Macht Ihrer inneren Autorität und Zustimmung zu erkennen?
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Bejubelt vom Life Magazin als einer der großen Prediger des 20. Jahrhunderts ; ein spiritueller Führer für Martin Luther King, Jr., Sherwood Eddy, James Farmer, A. J. Muste und Pauli Murray; der erste schwarze Dekan an einer weißen Universität; Mitbegründer der ersten interkulturellen Kirche in den Vereinigten Staaten, in der Pastoren zwischen den Rassen tätig waren; Howard Thurman (1899-1981) war ein Mann von durchdringender Weitsicht und erstaunlichem Charisma. Seine Vision von der Welt war die einer demokratischen, aus dem Glauben geborenen Kameradschaft, und im Hinblick auf die heutige globale Gemeinschaft von besonderer Bedeutung."
“Hailed by Life magazine as one the great preachers of the twentieth century; a spiritual leader to Martin Luther King, Jr., Sherwood Eddy, James Farmer, A. J. Muste, and Pauli Murray; the first black dean at a white university; cofounder of the first interracially pastored, intercultural church in the United States; Howard Thurman (1899–1981) was a man of penetrating foresight and astonishing charisma. His vision of the world was one of a democratic camaraderie born of faith, and in light of today’s global community, one of particular importance.”
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How do you relate to the notion that we can only touch our sacredness with our inner authority and consent? Can you share an experience you’ve had making an offering to your inner altar? What helps you realize the power of your inner authority and consent?
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14 Past Reflections
On Apr 12, 2024 Gururaj wrote :
Thurman's lines imply that the angel with the flaming sword obeys "me" and does not intervene when my consent ( "fluid" indeed , it often is ) permits any something to infuse my being. ( Whatever is placed on "my" altar, infuses my being). But who really is the deity of this temple/church ? "Me" or God ?.
It helps me to make the tough decisions , quickly, timely, if i consider ( worshipfully) that the deity is God and not me, though instinctively, most of the time , "me" gets served
It helps me to make the tough decisions , quickly, timely, if i consider ( worshipfully) that the deity is God and not me, though instinctively, most of the time , "me" gets served
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On Apr 9, 2024 Allie Middleton wrote :
Thank you for this reminder…- our shared path to our inner altars is also a sacred space of collective interconnectivity. We forget our responsibility to our own inner altar when we meet obstacles such as these last few years where “reality“ has shifted as if we were all living in a kaleidoscopic turbine of mixed forces. From the perspective of staying present, open and connected to what is emerging, I know I am passing through all sorts of release, where I welcome the flames of the sword as a purifying, an elemental initiation. Then I might be washed clean, perhaps more ready, entering that more fluid space of heart, and a deeper awareness from a different opening toward a Gladdened path of embodied joy & harmony. It is both solitary and multiply informed; these many dimensions and ways of knowing play us through time and space, shaping ‘the New’. Love matters most here.
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On Apr 9, 2024 Mark wrote :
I've discovered my inner authority through the game of chess. There are many choices to made and it's necessary to discern the good moves. Often I've asked myself what move the chess engine (computer program) would recommend and this effort to "second guess" the best move has yielded spotty results. But if I trust my own gut and my (admittedly limited) ability to calculate the outcome of a move, then I play my own game and have much more success. I'm learning to do this in my life, too. Rather than think about what I "should" say or do, I go to my inner self and trust my guidance. I'm learning how it feels to really be myself and I'm enjoying life a lot more!
2 replies: Molly, Aj | Post Your Reply
On Apr 8, 2024 Molly wrote :
Knowing I have an inner authority (My I Am Presence) allowed me to consciously take authority of my life with the help of all the Masters, Angels, and Cosmic Beings helping us ascend. Free will took on a very different meaning. I was so lost until I woke up to this reality. Invoking light helps me remember the truth of this reality by how I feel. It is validation of how light energy is real right in the center of the heart. I give free will consent daily and often hourly.
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On Apr 5, 2024 David Doane wrote :
My thoughts: Our inner authority and consent can help us touch our sacredness, are important ingredients, but they aren't enough. Understanding "inner authority" to mean it's "my doing" to get to the altar is true, and it takes even more than that. That is, it takes my being truly sincerely into it, not just going through the motions. It also takes some good fortune. I've brought sincere study, reflection, discussion, openness to my inner altar resulting I feel in some growth in my spirituality. What helps me realize the power of my inner authority and consent is the sincere effort I'm referring to, along with some good fortune.
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On Apr 4, 2024 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
We all have the potential source of Inner Light to see the Reality, the Truth, the Sacredness. Such inner light shines when our eyes do not get blinded by the power of hungry and self-centered people in our life. We are witnessing such authoritarian, power hungry, and self-centered leaders in many parts of the world creating divisiveness, hatred and destruction. How do create a world where we can relate to each other as highly evolved human beings? How can we create light in darkness? We have been blessed to witness highly evolved leaders like Mahtama Gandhi, Howard Thurman, Martin Luther King Jr and others mentioned in the introdution of the passage. This is a call for all of us to wake up, to remain awake, to join hands with our brothers and sisters and take a firm and strong stand for peaceful coexitence.
Cultivating inner qualities of knowing the truth, listening to it with an open mind and open heart, and taking a courageous stand and joing hands with others is my way of goin... [View Full Comment]
2 replies: Barbara, Jo | Post Your Reply
On Apr 4, 2024 Michael wrote :
Beautiful! Howard Thurman certainly has many inspiring quotes to offer. This text reminds me a lot of Khalil Gibran´s Prophet, where he writes something similar "on freedom":
If it is an unjust law you would abolish, that law was written with your own hand upon your own forehead. You cannot erase it by burning your law books nor by washing the foreheads of your judges, though you pour the sea upon them.
And if it is a despot you would dethrone, see first that his throne erected within you is destroyed.
For how can a tyrant rule the free and the proud, but for a tyranny in their own freedom and a shame in their own pride? And if it is a care you would cast off, that care has been chosen by you rather than
imposed upon you.
And if it is a fear you would dispel, the seat of that fear is in your heart and not in
the hand of the feared.
This book (The Prophet) came to me as a present for the birthday of my older daughter and I kept it on my bedside table for 26 years. ... [View Full Comment]
1 reply: Gururaj | Post Your Reply
On Apr 4, 2024 Victoria wrote :
wow........what a beautiful reminder of the power we each have to make choices that support our heart, our work in the world and our sense of belonging. I needed to read this exactly this morning. I needed to be reminded to be conscious of my inner authority and the 'fluid area of my consent' . Thank you dear Awakin team! With much gratitude and appreciation....