April 18, 2009: Unity?

Unity?  Unity?

There probably are fewer words which have a definition more slippery than "Unity".  Especially where religion and spiritual matters are concerned, "unity" is one of those words batted around in some circles almost like patriotic words on a holiday that is patriotic in origin.  The problem is, "unity" seems to be a word that can have any number of meanings, depending on what is going on in the mind of the speaker.

So, what is unity?  Does it mean giving up your spiritual path for some supposed "greater good"?  Does it mean nitpicking, laughing at, and ostracizing those whose paths are at variance with the "authorized way" until they get themselves in line?  Does it mean "cafeteria spirituality" where you pick and choose which aspects of a path you will do?  Of course not!

As a matter of fact, if you have a tradition, you need to follow it.  That's one reason why some things might be all right if one person does it, but not if another does.  I am on a path that says that there are many paths, and so I say so.  Someone who is on a path in which there is supposed to be only one path is under a different set of rules.  Which does not mean that we can't give each other's paths mutual respect in the degree we would like to receive.  And there is the beginning.  And we can build from that.

And once we figure that out, there is no limit to what we can accomplish!

Blessed Be!