Keeping the Sacred Flame

I am a Temple
My feet go down to the roots of the earth
My hands hold up the stars
My heart is the twinned Flame of the Divine
Dark and Light
Obsidian and Gold
Creation flows through me
As I flow through creation
I am a Temple of the Divine
I anchor creation
I hold back uncreation
I am sacred
And so are you.

Once, in Egypt, temples were built to mirror creation.  They went down to the groundwater and were positioned in line with the stars.

We can be these temples.  Not literally, of course, or we would never move and our feet would be buried in water.  But we can anchor creation through ourselves, and live as forces for goodness and proper living.  We can let the Divine flow through us as we flow through the Divine.

This is not an easy task.  It is a call to action, to be the world we wish to see.  To act for justice and rightness in the world.  It is a call to fix what we see is wrong, not to stand aside.  We can be temples.  We can anchor the Divine in this world.

The Egyptian term for this is ma’at.  FlameKeepers refer to it as Improving the Universe.  By any language, it is a call to be that which we wish to see in the world around us.

Questions:
How are you a temple?
What does it mean to let the Divine flow through you?  Do you do it?
How do you bring about creation?  Are you aligned with the world around you?  Do you anchor the world against that which is wrong?

We are all gateways for each other to the Divine.  I allow you into the Divine through me, and you allow me into the Divine through you.

It is easy to see ourselves as separate, individual.  This god comes to me and not to you, that one comes to you and not to me.  We are separate.  But if I open my heart, and open my soul, I become a gateway for the gods into the world of humanity.

This is not self-abnegation.  It isn’t destroying the self to serve.  It is opening the self and being more.  It is finding the power inside yourself to open, even knowing that it will lead to hurt.  Our souls are flowers, and a flower can only live if it unfurls.  We can hold tight to what we are, petals curled over our tender innards, and never let anything near them.  Or we can open to the sun and those that pass by, and I can enrich you, and you can enrich me.

It’s easy to deny, to curl ourselves into balls on our stems and hold what we have for ourselves.  But it is the nature of a flower to share.  When we hold to ourselves, we rob ourselves and others of what we can be.

Open to the sun, and let the world in.

Questions:
Do you keep yourself contained, or do you allow yourself to be open?
What is the risk of being open?  What is the benefit?
How are you a gateway for the Divine?

Humans make laws, and then they break them. People frequently say that the punishment given is insufficient or even too much – especially too much in the case of a death sentence.

The purpose of a punishment is threefold, which are most simply described as Revenge, Recompense and Deterrence.

The three principles need to balance, as closely and fairly as possible in every case but what guides should we look at when enforcing our rules? (I’m assuming that none of my readers are judges or otherwise enforcing law directly, but the same principles apply to smaller groups rule sets where judgment requires more finesse.)

When looking at deterrence and revenge, the punishment needs to let people know what they are facing and ensure that they do not feel that “its worth the chance”. It’s easy to go overboard and hand out an excessive punishment regardless of the severity of a crime simply to deter and gain revenge.

Recompense therefore becomes key – what is fair? The punishment for theft should attempt to ensure that the person stolen from gets their goods returned if possible, but how to you repay someone for the damage they suffered in an attack?

Care must be taken to be moderate, which is why it is always a Flame-Keeper’s responsibility to judge rather than blindly seek revenge. Once society says a person has been rehabilitated we must accept them back into society instead of attempting to extend their punishment.  This does not mean we forget to think, of course: one does not give a former thief one’s wallet and walk away!  Still, if we do not allow a person to rejoin society, we stifle rehabilitation and encourage more lawbreaking.

Questions:
Do I seek to punish excessively? Do I seek a just punishment?
Do I evade my responsibility to judge? Do I seek to continue punishment by refusal to associate?
Am I willing to take responsibility for my own law-breaking, be those societal laws or smaller group mores?

I’ve recently made a big thing of social rules (“laws”) and punishment. However there is another social contract that we need to accept.

We have to share the work of maintaining our society, especially in the small areas. This is easy – but I often overlook it, and end up forcing others to do my share of the work.  This is both unfair and against the Flames of the other people.

In a small, shared house there are a number of jobs that need to be done, and some have to be your responsibility. In a town or village people are needed for social committees and to look after children (and endless other tasks). You may not have time to take part in everything, but you should be able to say “I do THIS for my community.”

I work 7 and a half hours then go home and collapse, and my own community contributions are often limited to those I can arrange through work time – but taking an active role in organizing or participating in just those events helps your bright flame AND the flames of those around you.

Questions

Do I contribute to my home? Do I often allow myself to let the flames of those I live with suffer from my laziness?
Do I contribute to my community? Do I allow myself to be open to helping my neighbors?
What are the costs incurred when I don’t do my fair share?

When 2 people are in the same place working on the same thing they need to co-operate, and so they make agreements about how they will behave. The more people there are the more they need to co-operate and the more force those agreements take.

In a small society the rule may not be explicit but they are present and if broken can result in expulsion from that group. In a larger group the rules must be clearly defined and accepted in order for the group to continue working together. Laws are the backbone of a society, stressing behaviors that MUST not be allowed for the society to function.

As Flame-Keepers we have responsibilities to our groups, adhering to the rules that allow our societies to function and develop. We do not follow those rules blindly – understanding WHY a rule is in place is important, and making value judgments may well be necessary.

When we are developing new rules we need to ensure that they are consistent with those already in place. Without consistency a person can be punished multiple times for the same wrong doing or slip through a gap between those rules.

Questions:

Do I assault society? Do I take part in behavior that damages the groups of people around me?  Why?
Do I follow blindly? Do I obey a law without ever asking if it is just or needed?
Do I insist on arbitrary justice? Do I wish to use the rules as a weapon against people who have wronged me?  Why?