Sacred Breeze Ministries - Introduction Insight April 4th 2024

Insight for 240407

The video of this insight can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KwUBdI3e3k

For our first gathering, I just thought I would introduce Sacred Breeze Ministries and what we are all about. 

If you look at our website at Sacredbreeze.org, you may notice that we are not specifically Christian, not specifically Buddhist, in fact not specifically anything other than Spirit centered.  Our goal is not to build a new faith.  Our goal is to seek out and embrace the Spirit of unconditional inclusive love that is part of all faith traditions.  All faiths and traditions have words and scriptures that embrace inclusivity and unconditional love.  Words like Chesed in Hebrew, Ar Rahim in Islam, Dharma in Buddhism and Hinduism, and Grace in Christianity and even in secular humanism are used to characterize the inclusive unconditional love that is inherent in every interpretation of Divinity, the Universe, and within human hearts.  We encourage everyone to participate in each their own faiths traditions as a reminder of the Sacred Spirit of unconditional inclusive love that connects us all. 

It is essential for the very survival of the human race for every culture, philosophy, faith, and tradition to lift up Grace and Inclusivity over exclusion and violence.  Acts of exclusion, oppression, and violence may be attributed to individual faiths, but they are never inspired through the Sacred Spirit that gives life and love.   Exclusion, oppression, and violence are rather inspired through greed and quest for power that uses faith as justification. 

Speaking of Spirit, one might ask why this ministry is called Sacred Breeze.  In many languages throughout the world, a single word is used to describe breath, breeze, and Spirit as the source of life and breath in living creatures.  In Hebrew, the word is Ruach, in Greek Pneuma, in Sanskrit the word is Prana, and in Tibetan Lung.  In China and Japan, the words Chi and Ki are used to describe sacred energies that flow and sustain life.  Sacred Breeze recognizes breath and breeze as the Spirit that breathes life into the dust and clay and oceans and brings forth life in abundance. 

Sacred Breeze also recognizes that Spirit does not exert control on human events or circumstances.  Rather than exerting control, to borrow a phrase from Christianity, Spirit inspires the hearts of people to experience and share Love, Peace, Patience, and kindness.  Rather than grand demonstrations of miraculous manifestations, to borrow a phrase from Judaism Spirit uses a still, small voice, recognizable to those willing to listen with open hearts. 

Now that we’ve explained how the name and the purpose of Sacred Breeze are Spirit Centered, let’s take a minute and explain the identity statement recited at the beginning of the gathering. 

1. We are love centered and inclusive.  All who wish to be a part of our community are welcome.  This is self-explanatory.

2. We celebrate Divine Spirit, source of all life and consciousness. We believe that Spirit is always with us, inspiring love, healing, reconciliation, community, and creative gifts. This was explained earlier.

3. We celebrate the inherent sacred worth of every human being and every living creature. I think this is relatively self-explanatory as well.  Sacred Spirit that animates life is part of every living creature, making all life sacred. 

4. We celebrate our creative gifts.  We develop and share our gifts for the benefit of ourselves and others.  Creativity is an aspect that seems to be neglected in most faith traditions.  Just the word tradition demonstrates a desire to ignore or worse suppress creativity.  The reality is that every human being is given creative gifts. From connecting with others in nurturing and healing relationships, to science and art, to exploring and caring for nature and the universe, the spectrum of creative gifts is expansive.  And just as cultivating inclusive love is essential to the survival of the human race, cultivating creative gifts in every human being is just as essential.  Our challenges are many, and are gifts are many as well.  By cultivating our many gifts, we can meet those challenges and build a world where everyone has the opportunity to be healthy, happy, loved, and productive, for the benefit of all. 

5. We are a diverse community.  We celebrate the diversity of humanity, life, and creation on this planet and throughout the cosmos.   Just opening one’s eyes to the amazing expanse of beauty and life on this planet is enough to inspire a love for diversity.  The varieties of foods, and art, and music from all the different cultures in the world also inspire awe and love for diversity.  In the past, words like tolerance and respect have been used to describe how people get along in civil societies.  At Sacred Breeze, tolerance and respect are not enough.  We celebrate diversity, the diversity that makes each and every one of us unique and wonderful, and the diversity that comprises our humanity, our planet, and our universe.  We celebrate diversity. 

6. We celebrate diverse faiths and traditions from which humanity draws meaning and inspiration.  We lift up unconditional love and inclusivity in all faiths and traditions.

This has been described at great length in our opening questions.  We encourage everyone to participate in each their own faiths traditions as a reminder of the Sacred Spirit of unconditional inclusive love that connects us all. 

7. We are self-aware and resilient.  We accept that as human beings, we have limitations, we make mistakes, and our physical bodies will eventually die.  For those who may think we are a bunch of starry-eyed hippies floating in clouds of love, think again. The root of the word human is humus, or earth.  With humility we strive to remain grounded in the knowledge that our time in this universe is limited and precious.  While we are hopeful in Grace, we are also firmly grounded in the realities of this universe.  Anyone who has been to a therapist or is engaged in recovery of any kind understands that acceptance is the key and the beginning of all healing and reconciliation. We humbly accept our humanity, and strive every day for greater self-awareness. 

8. We are aware of predatory and destructive forces that work within ourselves and within others, therefore we maintain healthy boundaries for our own well-being and for the well-being of others.  We are not naïve.  We recognize that in addition to the healing and reconciliation we strive for, powerful forces are also at work within ourselves and others that seek control and domination without care for others.  We seek mindful self-awareness and wisdom as we negotiate the complex landscape in which we live.  We exercise healthy boundaries where we need to, and we respect the boundaries others place for their own health and well-being. 

9. We recognize that self-care is both our right and our responsibility. Our ability to develop and share creative gifts depends on maintaining our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.  Too often, spiritual traditions are cited as a reason to neglect care for self.  I’m reminded of the example of Saint Francis of Assisi, who neglected his own well being to the extent that he was crippled and in terrible pain toward the end of his life.  He has been quoted as apologizing to his own body for the injury and neglect he submitted himself to.  He recognized his body as a holy temple of Spirit, deserving of care.  While sacrifice of self on behalf of others is a tradition that is honored, maintaining one’s health and well-being is also recognized as an act of faith and sacrifice. 

10. We aspire to encounter others with patience and compassion, using our creative gifts to cultivate love, healing, and reconciliation when and where we can.  While its true that boundaries and self-care are necessary, it is also true that boundaries and self-care can be exercised with patience, kindness, and compassion.  We are reminded of our aspirations toward inclusive unconditional love that can bring about healing and reconciliation.

So, where do we go from here?  If you want to be a part of this ministry, congratulations, you already are.  No obligation, no solicitation, no actions required.  Sacred Breeze is a state of mind, after all.  Being aware of the gift and the sacred nature of life, cultivating compassion and seeking Grace, and cultivating and sharing creative gifts are all part of our hope and mission.   

Once again, our goal is not to create a new faith tradition, but to encourage people of all traditions to seek out Inclusive and Unconditionally Loving Faith from within.  The still small voice is still there for those with open minds and hearts willing to listen.  In our next gathering, we will explore the so-called “stages of faith” and how faith is experienced as a process in which people and societies develop and mature.