Full Thunder Moon and Gateways to Obedience

The full moon of July is called ameku, the mid-summer moon, by the Kalapuya of our area, and the thunder moon by others. July days have the humming energy of a summer storm. The sun is at the peak of its power, lighting all corners with its radiance, and burning away all non-essentials. It's a month of passion and activity: I'm challenged to find integrity in my actions and expand into my Truth.

We are now at the peak of the strong-energy yang phase of the waxing moon, and will soon begin the quiet-energy yin time of the waning moon.

Agenda:

1. Read Testimony of Devotion

2. Celebrate integrity

1. Read Testimony of Devotion:

I've been reading Thomas R. Kelly's book "Testament of Devotion" (1941). I'm still in the second chapter - Holy Obedience. "The life that intends to be wholly obedient, wholly submissive, wholly listening, is astonishing in its completeness. Its joys are ravishing, its peace profound, its humility the deepest, its power world-shaking, its love enveloping, its simplicity that of a trusting child."

The second part of this chapter covers Gateways into Holy Obedience, the first being mystical experience. (We can tell that Thomas Kelly had a profoundly mystical life!) He calls this a passive route to obedience, because "our wills are melted and dissolved". 

Most of us must follow a more active route, wherein we must struggle all the way. We start with a "flaming vision of the wonder of such a life" that we get from reading (the Bible, biographies, journals, etc.) and through seeing others who live a life of Holy obedience. This vision is a flash of insight - "The God of Love is wooing us to (the) Holy Life." 

The second step is to begin where you are, and use whatever little obedience you are capable of; live this present moment in openness; keep up a silent prayer, offer yourself to God. "Such prayer of submission can be so simple. It is well to use a single sentence, repeated over and over and over again." 

The third step: "If you slip and stumble and forget God for an hour, and assert your old proud self, and rely upon your own clever wisdom ... begin again, just where you are."  

And a fourth consideration: Don't make this a battle of wills. Relax into it. "Learn to live in the passive voice -- a hard saying for Americans -- and let life be willed through you."

2. Celebrate integrity:

My theme ​this month ​is Integrity, and the call to Truth.

“The testimony of integrity calls us to wholeness; it is the whole of life open to Truth. When lives are centered in the Spirit, beliefs and actions are congruent, and words are dependable. … Living with integrity requires living a life of reflection, living in consistency with our beliefs and testimonies, and doing so regardless of personal consequences.” ~Pacific Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice

Today I remind myself of my intentions for the month, and then celebrate how far I've come, give thanks for the lessons learned and the blessings received, and reaffirm this theme for the next two weeks. Each month I choose a different way to celebrate the full moon, and today I am ready to celebrate integrity in these ways:

1. Carry this prayer mantra with me all day: Open, Listen, Love.
2. Show up for Quaker Annual Session with a spirit of open, listening love.