Carol Meyer's blog

I’ve gone to a psychic fair, used colored stones to help balance my chakras, applied flower essences to improve my mood, participated in a sweat lodge, listened to a channeled message, had my astrology chart done, read a book on past lives, and done a lot more things labeled “new age.” And no lightning bolt from heaven has struck me down for daring to stray into what some would think is dangerous territory, inconsistent with being a good Catholic.

Here is the simple premise of this blog. We don’t have to be afraid of all these varied methods and paths to finding self-realization, spirituality, and wholeness. We are not betraying our Christian heritage or consorting with the devil by exploring them. Yes, there are some things we need to be careful and discerning about but on the whole we can benefit from new age (whatever that means) experiences if these things appeal to us. And even if they don’t we can still respect them. And it might even broaden us to learn something about them.

Part 2: How to meditate successfully

The one feeling that is common to most people who undertake meditation is that they are not doing it well. A comment in one of my meditation classes expresses the experience and frustration of many: “I tried doing it, but my mind kept jumping all over. I just couldn’t still it. I guess I’m not cut out for meditation.”

My first item of business in this blog is to clear up an almost universal error about meditation—that the objective is to have a still mind (or a focus on God with no distractions) and that anything short of that is flawed. If any of us start out with an expectation that high and unrealistic, no wonder we are doomed to failure, discouragement, and eventual abandonment of this prayer form altogether. Meditation is not designed to make people feel bad about themselves.

Let me tell you about my surprising visit to St. Francis of the Earth Catholic Church last Sunday while I was traveling.

Upon arriving, I notice that the parking lot is only half full of cars, but the bike racks, on the other hand, are crowded with colorful bikes of all sizes. People are streaming in on foot too, talking and laughing with their neighbors who made the jaunt from home with them.

As I enter the church, I am bathed in natural soft light from the sky lights and the many windows. What additional illumination is needed comes from LED lights.

The church furnishings are made from natural products and no carpets can be seen anywhere. Plants and seasonal flowers grown by parishioners adorn the sanctuary.

To prepare for the opening hymn, I reach for a hymnal, only to find none in sight. When I look around puzzled, a parishioner leans over and explains that they are as paper-free as possible and that the music will be projected on a big screen at the front of church. She says they do have a few booklets with the order of the Mass for those who need one and not to expect a bulletin, because everyone reads it online.

Part I: The living gifts of meditation

This is part one of a three-part series: 1) The benefits of meditation 2) Instruction and tips in how to meditate and 3) Meditation in daily life.

I’m starting with the benefits because motivation is what gets us started on this path in the first place and keeps us on it. These words of Antoine de Saint Exupery express it well: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” So we are beginning with the goal in mind.

I have been teaching meditation classes called Peace Within: Learning to Meditate for over 12 years and a steady stream of people come primarily to learn how to relieve stress. The first thing I tell them is what their expectations are way too low.

Most people don’t realize that the regular practice of meditation can positively impact every aspect of their lives, and has the potential to transform their lives quite radically. If you are seasoned in meditation or some type of centering or contemplative prayer, you know this to be true, and I invite your testimonials.

I’m guessing that many of you have never heard of Tom Brown, Jr. He’s not a well-known name in Catholic or ecology circles. He’s not a scholar, theologian, or environmentalist per se. His claim to fame is that he knows the ways of nature at a level not even fathomed by most people.

Tom has written 16 books on his personal experiences of tracking and surviving in nature, and operates the Tom Brown Jr. Tracker School in New Jersey.

I happened upon Tom’s first book, The Tracker, some 25 years ago and was immediately hooked. His adventures were new and exciting to me and resonated with some deep part of my soul. In the course of the next few years, I read all of his books, except the field guides to survival, and they made a deep impact on me and I remember them still.

Most of us don’t realize just how much we need the Earth for our spiritual vitality and wellbeing. Because the natural world is “always there,” we take it for granted and seldom connect it to our spirituality. We think we need the church for our spiritual lives, but not nature. We assume our spirituality is independent of what is happening in nature.

Think for a moment how the major Catholic feasts are timed to coincide with events in nature. Look how much Christmas is built on the natural world. The winter solstice and symbolism of light overcoming the darkness mirrors Christ the light coming to remove the darkness of sin. The shepherd saw angels in the night sky and the magi followed a star (which we can hardly imagine because we can’t see the stars where most of us live!) And wouldn’t the story lose a lot if Jesus had been born in a run-down shelter in the inner city instead of a stable? The animals lend texture, earthiness, and warmth to the event.

When I get stopped for speeding and the cop is sauntering to my car, I always pray like the dickens -- God, please let him have mercy on me and give me a warning instead of a ticket! In my powerlessness, every part of my distressed being pleads for leniency, which I usually don’t get, but I can’t help trying.

We all know what it’s like to be the one asking for mercy, the feelings of fear and desperation and the humbling bargaining and begging. And we know what it’s like being asked for a break. (If we’re parents, we’re probably on that side of the fence fairly often!) We know the feeling of a hard-hearted refusal to an anguished request, and also the grace of softening our stance and granting an undeserved favor.

The idea of mercy is not simple. It’s similar to pity, compassion, and forgiveness, but not quite the same. It has its own depth, nuances and flavor. I think it is clear, though, that it is a virtue to be courted. The scriptures state that God’s mercy reaches to the heavens, recount how Jesus granted mercy to sick and sinner alike, and admonish us to be unstinting in showing mercy.

Movie stars with flawless complexions, populating magazine pages and TV ads, lure the unsuspecting into buying numerous beauty products that promise miracles. The hope is that the creams, lotions, scents, and make-up will compensate for the Creator’s flaw in making them lacking and imperfect.

Most of us, women and men alike, succumb to this advertising pressure without a thought about whether these endless products are necessary or good for us and the Earth.

This issue really hit home to me when a health practitioner once asked me, “Aside from the bad taste, would you be willing to ingest these products that you put on your body?” I was repulsed, instinctively knowing they were not made from natural, harmless food sources

Most of us don’t realize that whatever is put on our skin is fully absorbed into our bodies. It ends up in our blood stream, cells, and organs, and eventually in the larger ecosystems, as a benign or malign presence.

As stewards of our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit and of the Earth as the numinous home of God, we would do well to re-evaluate our choices in regard to these personal products. So let’s look beneath the surface a little.

The question we might profitably ponder this Easter is: What profound reality is God trying to communicate through the resurrection and how can that have significance and power for us today? God knows our world is a mess, so surely a reality this central to Christianity has something vital to say, some great grace to impart. It's not just something that happened once and for all in the past.

Most of us come back from Mass on Easter feeling uplifted from the experience. The full church adorned with colorful decorations, bright flowers, soaring Alleluias, the presence of family members usually absent, and perhaps an egg hunt for the kids, leaves us feeling as warm as the sunny spring morning.

After Mass is over, we generally move on to a special meal, watching TV, munching lots of candy, and interacting with the family (if we’re fortunate in that line).

This year, before Easter comes and goes as usual, I invite you to think about ways to fashion your home festivities more in harmony with the life-giving values of the Risen Lord.

Let’s start with Easter dinner, usually the highlight of the day. Often it’s a very unhealthy meal, built around meat, rich and fatty foods, and lots of sweets, all the things the doctor tells us to avoid. Many times it’s served on plastic plates because no one wants to wash dishes. Then there’s the rest of the paper, plastic, and bottles thrown into the trash or perhaps recycled.

Humans versus animals. Humans superior to animals. Humans exploiting and killing animals. It’s not a pretty picture. What has gone wrong? Why are we at enmity with our closest kin in creation?And what is it doing to the health of the earth and of our souls?

The wellbeing of animals is rarely talked about in religious or environmental circles. Only a few animal rights groups seem to care, and they are often deemed radical and excessive in their concern. After all, people are hurting and our priorities clearly ought to reside there. What most fail to see is that the welfare of animals is tied to our own. We can’t mistreat them without harming ourselves in the process, both physically and spiritually.

St. Paul’s analogy of the body and its parts all needing to work together because they suffer together (1 Corinthians 12:12-26) fits beautifully here.

Existence in God's creation is too astounding for you to be a bystander. Here is my modest proposal and challenge to you this spring and summer: Intensify your bond with creation and see what this does for your soul, your health, your happiness and more. I’m willing to bet if you take more walks, look at the moon more often, putter in the soil, sit by a lake, or some similar outdoor activity (or non-activity), it will serve you well.

Sipping coffee and leisurely reading the paper are nice, but what’s a Saturday morning without a visit to the local farmers’ market? It is THE place to be these days. If you aren’t in the habit of regular shopping at a farmers’ market, here’s a reminder of why, as an ecology-minded Catholic, you might want to do so.

1) The locally-grown food has come to your table from probably less than a 50-mile radius. This saves a lot of precious energy normally used to ship grocery-store produce halfway across the country.

2) You are supporting local farmers rather than corporate food conglomerateswho care little for the welfare of the land and greatly for profit at any price. You can feel good knowing you are helping some industrious family stay on their farm and earn a decent living.

3) The food is much healthier, retaining its nutrients since it was picked fresh, so you are nourishing your body as a temple of the Spirit, which enables you to have more energy to work for justice and sustainability.

The bracelet slogan, WWJD, popularized the notion of asking what Jesus would do in various situations. I think it’s worth pondering what his response might be to the critical issue of Earth care were he in the flesh today.
Because environmental degradation wasn’t a problem in his day, Jesus said very little about the human relationship to the natural world. But we can certainly make some assumptions based on his values, teachings, and actions. And since the church seeks to act in his name under the guidance of his Spirit, I would like to think we are listening to Christ as our church leaders make pronouncements about the urgency of caring for the Earth.

Unfortunately, many Christians see little connection between the health of the Earth and the mission of Christ. Historically, much theological and spiritual emphasis was given to fleeing the world and putting one’s sole hope in life after death. Thus the world had little value in itself. It was merely the backdrop for the great drama of personal salvation, a purely spiritual endeavor.

Earth Day is too good an opportunity to pass up. With the environmental crisis growing daily, God knows we need to take every opportunity to educate and motivate our church members to care for creation.

Everyone is already hearing about Earth Day in the community, so why not take advantage of the collective awareness and momentum?

Growing up in my rural Catholic family, we always went to church on Sunday and refrained from work. My dad never even harvested wheat, our main source of income, on Sunday when many of the neighbors did. Talk about a witness of faith! I grew up knowing in my bones that Sunday was “different,” a day of rest dedicated to God, family, and leisure.

Once in talking with a group of friends, we got on this topic, and almost everyone said Sunday was like any other day. I was stunned. I just assumed everyone else observed the Lord’s Day like I did. My feeling was, “Oh, what a loss. You don’t know what you are missing.”

I wouldn’t even think of discarding the practice of observing the Sabbath, asI find it so valuable and critical to rest from labor on Sundays. I can lay aside my “to-do” list with nary a twinge of conscience, and enjoy my favorite renewing activities. Besides church and meditation, that usually means taking a nap, reading, exercise, time in nature, visiting with family or friends, and perhaps watching a movie. It would never enter my mind to cut the grass, do laundry, pay bills, go shopping, or do other chores, no matter how busy I am.

We haven’t even caught up with Galileo. How pitiful is that? It’s been 400 years since scientists learned that the earth rotates around the sun, and yet we talk and act like we don’t know this fact. Our language—the sun “set” and “rose” -- still keeps reflecting the outdated and illusory view that the sun is moving around the earth. Thus our consciousness is stuck there, depriving us of a real and exciting engagement with the planet as it really is.

To give you a better understanding of what has shaped my views expressed here, I would like to tell you more about myself and my passion for the Earth.

My childhood was lived on a farm close to nature and to the Catholic church. At age 20, I joined the Adorers of the Blood of Christ in Wichita, finished my education degree and began elementary teaching. After four years, I became a DRE and eventually a Pastoral Associate. I completed an MA in Theology from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

Feeling called to other ministry, I left the community after 15 years, got married, adopted 3 children all at once (ages 3,4 and 6), worked for National Catholic Reporter Publishing Co., started a women’s center for personal and spiritual growth, was Director of Christian Formation for an Episcopal church, and was self-employed for the past 13 years doing education, spiritual direction, and massage.

I’m wondering what our forebears did long before plastic and paper bags were created. My educated guess is that they only bought a tenth as many things. And when they did, baskets, buckets, grain sacks, and aprons all made good totes with minimal environmental impact. Creative use of what was at hand seemed to be the order of the day. I have a feeling that determined shoppers have always found a way to get their purchases home!

So what are we moderns who care about the health of the Earth supposed to do? Here are my solutions in order of preference: 1) Take neither paper nor plastic bag if possible and put your hands and arms to good use 2) Use a durable cloth bag 3) Drop those purchases into a second-hand paper or plastic bag and 4) Ask for plastic. Let me comment on each choice.

Most people have never considered that they don’t need a bag for most purchases. Store clerks routinely chuck even the smallest or largest of items into an unnecessary plastic bag, but you can simply tell them you don’t need one. I’ve been doing this for several years and so far no one has forced a bag on me, nor has any over-zealous guard tackled me on suspicion of shop-lifting.

We love our organic vegetable garden at St. Pius X church in Mission, Kansas. Here’s why: 1) It is a great community-builder 2) We’re pleased we can use some of our unused land for good purposes 3) It motivates people to grow their own food which is good for the Earth 4) It’s a focal point for all our green efforts. Our garden has worked so well for us that I want to encourage you to consider it for your parish if you have the available land.

EAARTH
MAKING A LIFE ON A TOUGH NEW PLANET
By Bill McKibben
Published by Times Books, $16.95

No, it’s not a typo. McKibben spells it “Eaarth” to emphasize that we are not living on the same planet as we used to, thus its new name. It’s quite a sobering idea, but one you’ll find almost irrefutable after reading all of McKibben’s facts, figures, and stories. If you are new to McKibben, he is a journalist and the author of more than 12 books, including The End of Nature and Deep Economy, and is the founder of the environmental organizations Step It Up and 350.org.

In my zeal and enthusiasm for this book, I’d like to tell you every great thing I learned, but mostly I just want you to read it yourself. In fact, I’m begging you to PLEASE read this book, because we all need to get up to speed on the real state of the planet’s health, the factors at work, and what can be done about it. As an avid environmentalist, I thought I knew a lot about the planet’s woes. I was wrong. I had no idea how serious it is.

“Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment,” says Ellis Peters. Yes, most of us relish this season, especially after a cold and snowy winter like the one we’ve had, but it’s still easy to bypass its gifts out of busyness or complacency. So I invite you to enter into a deeper love affair with spring this year. Do it out of appreciation for the Creator’s genius, for the joy it sparks, and for your soul’s development.

Here’s what I most love about spring. The purple and light green colors of bud and blossom are a feast for my eyes. I know exactly where the dogwoods are on my street, and can’t wait to see the white and pink flowers burst forth. I get to look out my office window and see my redbud tree smiling at me with colorful delight. Forsythia branches, tulips, and crocuses adorn every room in my house. That magical time when color is fresh, new and vivid is brief, so I try to soak it in as fully as possible.

What would make your Lent the best ever? It’s worth pondering because it’s not going to happen unless you decide that is your goal.

We’ve got the advantage of a collective spiritual energy in Lent that can support our efforts, so it’s a perfect time to get more serious. And we never know when it’s our last Lent, so let’s seize the 40 days while we can.

Don’t underestimate Mother Nature. She may invoke images of a goddess-like maiden with flowers in her golden hair dancing in the fields, which seems harmless enough. But what if she’s really more like a determined matriarch, with her children behind her, wielding her broom, fire in her eyes, daring anyone to harm her brood? We’d know to steer clear, because her protective instinct once aroused, makes for a dangerous woman. How, then, did we fail to take into account just who or what we were dealing with when we plundered the Earth? It’s probably one more manifestation of the patriarchal mentality, dismissing the Earth as a powerless feminine reality.

As a result, we haven’t seen the connection between God and creation. We have been taught to “fear” God, meaning to take God seriously, to reverence God who clearly has power over us. But we never thought that applied to what God has created, even though creation does God’s bidding, is embedded with God’s characteristics, and partakes of the nature of God. Thus we are learning the hard way that we cannot get away with our transgressions against nature, so perhaps it’s time for some appropriate humility.

I’ve only been to a casino a couple of times, and to me, it was a bit of hell on earth — constant clicking and clacking of machines, loud music, bright lights, and frenetic energy everywhere. To me, this kind of a place with its constant noise and stimulation symbolizes what is wrong with our culture —glorifying incessant activity and sound. Even at home, many people have the television or radio on, lest that feared enemy — quiet -- should sneak in their doors. And apparently jogging or driving are only made tolerable by listening to music or NPR or talking on a cell phone.

A recent article in USA Today reported that the average American child spends 53 hours a week with electronic media. This alarming statistic means children aren’t getting anywhere near a comparable time outside. But we can be intentional about changing this for the children we influence. I encourage you to make this effort for several reasons: 1) Children need nature to be balanced and whole and we want what is good for them 2) If children know and love nature, they will be more zealous in protecting it 3) Kids have a natural affinity for nature and it brings out their joy and wonder and 4) We want them to know God revealed in creation.

We’ve probably all said to kids, “Do as I say,” when we weren’t modeling it. Yet we know that never works. Passing on a love of nature has to begin with ourselves. If we are couch potatoes, seldom venturing outdoors, the command to “Get outside and play” won’t hold much weight. So maybe it’s time to examine our priorities and how much we value the natural world, being out in it, and protecting it. The good news is that if we do, the children around us will probably pick that up naturally.

Most of us are ever alert to signs of physical ailments both in ourselves and in our children. Yet we rarely think about the widespread plague that is steadily growing in America: nature deficit disorder. This term created by Richard Louv in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods, referred to the increasing alienation of children from nature and its resultant negative effects. But I see no need to restrict the term to children, when most of us adults are just as removed from the pleasures and benefits of the natural world.

Numerous signs of nature deficit disorder could be listed, but I picked just a few: stress, boredom, depression, fatigue, loneliness, and sadness. I grant that additional causes might account for these feelings, but I know of no emotions that cannot be ameliorated by immersion in nature. Merely stepping outside, we encounter a different energy that is more peaceful, balanced and restorative. The beauty of a cloud-tinged sky or a stalwart, steady tree can push out the staleness of life cramped within four walls. It’s simply hard to feel bad when we’re bird-watching, hiking, lying on the grass, or planting flowers.

I wrote a previous blog about how we can opt out of factory farm animal cruelty by becoming a vegan. We can also opt out of cruelty to slaughterhouse workers by this choice. Cruelty may be a strong word, but when you look at the facts, that is truly what it is. In spite of the extreme secretiveness of slaughterhouse practices, the stories and data have leaked out anyway. And as Christians who are taught that what is done to the least of our brothers and sisters is done to Christ, we should care deeply about the welfare of the workers there. And especially when we are benefiting from their exploitation by eating cheap meat.

I had taken a bucket of mulch from my compost pile and was putting it around plants when I found a small newborn creature in it. I held it in my hand for a long time and studied it with awe. About the size of a pecan, it lay in the fetal position, eyes still unopened, its smooth skin translucent. The long tail was the only clue to what it was. It was so absolutely vulnerable and precious, I almost wanted to cry. I felt a deep sense of love, protection, and oneness with this sacred innocent being.

I doubt if any of you readers are inherently cruel or approve of cruelty. I’m sure you would intervene if you saw someone being cruel to another person or to an animal. And if you did nothing out of cowardice, indifference, or selfishness—and you easily could have—I’m sure you would consider this wrong, a sin of omission. What if I were to tell you that you have just such a choice right now?

As I write this, billions of animals on U.S. factory farms are suffering physical and mental pain. Considered mere commodities and “things” to satisfy the palate of meat-loving Americans, they receive no humane treatment (no matter how much smooth-talking PR agents of the industry deny this). Never mind that they too are created in the image and likeness of God, that they feel pain just as much as we do, or that they suffer mental anguish over separation from their offspring or never being able to romp freely.