Unidentified

In spite of Congressional hearings to theoretically clarify matters, we’ve long known unidentified flying objects exist. In the days of my childhood a UFO frequently meant an errant softball crashing through a neighbor’s window. The unidentified part was mainly which of the rapidly disappearing neighborhood kids the ball belonged to and who threw it. American presidents have been briefed on mysterious objects seen in the skies. The same is true of unfamiliar beings, not just Big Foot but highly intelligent creatures, walking our earth with us. Those objects in the skies were not recognizably American, allied or enemy aircraft. The same is true of the creatures. As they were of unknown origin, they were immediately suspect. That remains true.

That leads to the current state of affairs. Along with it, there is the never-ending question from the ever longer list of persons asking, “Do you believe in UFO’s? Do you believe in aliens? What do you believe in?”

To take the questions out of order, I have seen some people who lead me to believe that they are doing their utmost to scare off the possibilities of beings from other planets, galaxies and universes from showing up on the streets where they live. Certain rock stars, artists and politicians among others — again, not necessarily in that order — make the possibilities of aliens absolutely desirable.

If nothing else, pictures from the Hubble and Webb telescopes ought to lay open the possibilities that life exists off earth.

For myself, I am certain there are non-native beings who visit or have acclimated themselves to Earth. I ought. Countless times I’ve been assured that I’m from outer space.

From a practical perspective, how often have I written about seeing God, angels and demons on a daily basis? They are most certainly not human. When people are condemning aliens, they ought to remember that God is an alien. The Creator is an alien. All of the species that have ever existed or ever will exist were not initially conceived of and formed by a human or another of their kind. They were formed by one sort of creative force or another, whatever one chooses to believe. Angels and demons are not human. However, I see them. I speak with them. I have spent a lifetime interacting with them.

Looking at all of those unidentified beings and things is wonderful. Interacting with them is fantastic. It takes us outside of ourselves in far better ways than spending a summer afternoon trying to decide whether we want an ice cream cone or a popsicle.

What is or ought to be of even greater importance to us, however, is that which is far too often left unidentified within us.

It’s normal for people to ask for my help with a particular physical ailment. What they all too often do not realize is that they don’t need my help. I listen to them. I think about what they say, although often not for too long since I’ve heard almost everything and there’s little new or surprising. Then I tell the person they don’t need me.

What they want is a cure. They don’t need a cure. What they need is not what they want.

They don’t need a cure from whatever they think ails them. They need to get busy with their spiritual lives. They need to stop wasting God’s time and mine. God is more tolerant than I. I have been known to tell people to stop whining and pull themselves together. You don’t need someone to pray for a cure if your body is just fine. More than once people have asked for exorcisms when what they needed was either a therapist or to cultivate a group of friends. Sometimes both.

We’re so busy looking for something outside of ourselves to cure us of our emotional and spiritual stubbed toes that we don’t look inside.

Go ahead.

Live wild.

Look at whatever it is that bothers you. Maybe it is a minor ache or pain. Why do you need a healer? I recently spoke with someone who did not ask for my help. She was a young woman who recognized the beginning signs of arthritis. She’s thinking of finding a physical therapist. That is an eminently sensible thing to do. Far more sensible than asking me to pray over her. Because she didn’t ask, I quietly prayed for her on my own time.

We humans being who we are and arthritis being what it is, I know from personal experience that a variety of specialties exist in traditional Western and other medicines which help alleviate arthritis and its symptoms.

What pain do you feel?

What are your symptoms?

Do you honestly need spiritual intervention or do you need to get outside of yourself? Stop thinking all about yourself and what you want?

Identify yourself. Go deeply inside of yourself. Find out who you honestly are and ought to become. Look at all the things you think you need. No, really think. Take some serious quiet time to yourself. Are those things you want or things you need?

Once you have finished identifying what it is you need, go back. Look for that which you may have left unidentified.

Identify the spiritual self you really are.