My Spiritual Journey

Presented by Beryl Lawson November 30, 2008 Uncle Murray was a hobo. Well that's not really true. He was a hobo but he wasn't really my uncle. He was my mother's boyfriend and I called him that even after they married and until he became Grandpa Murray when the kids were born. But he was a hobo during the depression. He rode the rails mostly in search of a spiritual home. He said he tried everything in his spiritual journey: Christian science, vegetarianism and who knows what else. One evening he found himself at a lecture in San Francisco. After the lecture a man came up to him and handed him a card. It said “United Lodge of Theosophists." The man indicated that Uncle Murray might be interested. He asked: will I see you there. No, replied the man, this is for you. Well to make a long story short he went, found what he was looking for and took the first box car home. Theosophy is a philosophy which offers ancient teachings about the universe and ourselves in terms that the western world can understand. Its three fundamental propositions state that there is One Life, one inclusive Cause of all that exists, its nature far surpassing any human concept. That there is law in the universe which is cyclic and which pertains to all within the universe both animate and inanimate. and that all life is on a progressive march to greater and greater perfection. That there are those great beings such as Buddha, Jesus and Krishna, who, through great effort, have come to see the true nature of things and are willing to devote their efforts to helping humanity in its evolution. To be part of this great effort to help is a goal to be striven for. The moral implications of these ideas greatly appealed to my mother, a single mom : care and respect for all of life, responsibility for one's actions and a never ending possibility of greater growth and understanding of life and our place and duty in it. Thus began my spiritual journey. I came to Theosophy School before I was three years old and have considered myself a student of Theosophy ever since. We were taught many things: respect for living things, including the stones. Punctuality, the value of conscience, responsibility for our actions, helpfulness to others and most of all to question. We were not taught what to think, but how to think. When I express my belief in karma and reincarnation some have said “of course you believe these things, you've been indoctrinated just as if you were a Christian." I guess as a child this was so but when I was around 19 I began to question these ideas. Were they true, did they make sense to me? And then I went around in little circles; What if I hadn't been brought up in Theosophy what would my life be? But then it was my karma to be born into this situation so around and around I went. Since then I've done a lot of reading and thinking. I've taken classes in eastern religions, which came naturally to me as so much of Theosophical ideas are couched in eastern philosophical terms, classes in the bible, studied Judaism and considered the scientific outlook on life and its origins. Everything I've studied has much to offer but all fall short of the complete explanations that Theosophy offers me. I do not say I understand all of its concepts, which can be very deep and beyond my understanding. But it does not contradict itself and seems logical and reasonable to me . I try to live my life as a student of Theosophy to the best of my present ability. So that brings me to UU. Why am I here? I come to UU and particularly to HUU for the sense of community that offers me the freedom to express and believe the things I do. HUU offers me friendship in a foreign culture of conservative Christian beliefs. I often wish that more UU's were willing to explore the great questions of life but I need to be satisfied that each one of us is wherever we are on the search for truth and meaning. Hopefully, I bring to HUU not only my inherent convictions but whatever skills I have garnered through the years. I often feel I have fallen short of my youthful ideals but I realize that in this lifetime I have only been able to accomplish a small part of what needs to be done. UU principles summarize a portion of my beliefs and I'm happy to devote whatever I have to the cause, knowing ultimately its cause is the cause of all of humanity.