07/08/2020

01

Remember, or look up, the coalitions of 3-5 people 
I spoke of on 6/30/2020,
and think of them as Circles of Sincerity.

Think of them as Communities of Innocence.

Think of how you might put one together.

Circles of Sincerity are 3-5 people
coming together to be sincere
with one another.

That's all.

That is all we need.

A Circle of Sincerity listens us to the heart
of who we are
by giving us a place that guards our heart
as though it is their own.
The freedom--and safety--to be free
is the freedom to say what is true.
To say what is so.
When we hear ourselves saying what is so,
we know it to be so,
perhaps for the first time.

We speak before we think.
Spontaneously.
Straight from the heart.
Revealing for all to see--
for us to see ourselves--
who we are
and what matters most to us.

Saying is seeing is knowing.
Is doing.
Is living.
Is being.
Sincere.
Truthful.
Real.
A Real Human Being.

Circles of Sincerity produce Real Human Beings.
By listening/hearing one another
to the truth of who we are.
And by enabling each other
to live out the implications
of that revelation--
of that hermeneutic--
by incarnating it
within the time and place,
here and now,
conditions and circumstances
of our life
in each situation as it arises
in ways that are appropriate 
to the occasion
in response to what is called for
by the occasion--
which you can now understand
because the Circle of Sincerity
has conditioned you to sense Sincerity
and respond to Sincerity 
when you sense it,
see it,
know it to be there.

And that
will make all the difference.

But.

There is a catch.

No mothering.
No advice giving.
No being the expert
(Although you probably will not
want Those Who Know Best
in your Circle of Sincerity).
No preaching.
No telling.
No catchy sweet little internet
inspirational thoughts for the day.
Even if they ask for advice,
say only,
"Sit still.
Be quiet.
And wait
for reflection
to lead you to realization.
And then wait to see what you do."

02

The Non-Subscribing
Church of What’s Happening Now Blog
is offered in light of its absolute necessity
in the work that we are to be doing–
the work that is ours to do–
here and now,
moment to moment,
situation by situation,
day in and day out,
because being both
involved/immersed in,
and aware of,
what’s happening now
is more that any of us
can do alone.

There have always been
communities of the now–
I call them “communities of innocence”
because they are completely sincere
about their work–
and of all the institutions
that have been developed
through the ages of our accession,
they alone stand apart
by having nothing to gain
and nothing to lose,
beyond helping the individuals
they serve in living as those
who, themselves, have nothing to gain
and nothing to lose.

“Sincerity without contrivance”
is the motto of all communities of innocence.
Alcoholics Anonymous separates itself with its
“Attraction not promotion” slogan
and its recognition of “a higher power”
with no theology or doctrine to cloud and conceal
the essence of “that which has always been called God.”

For me, “The Non-Subscribing Church of What’s Happening Now”
is AA without the Alcohol (or the substance Abuse) part,
helping us to stay focused on being  here, now,
doing what is ours to do–
what needs to be done–
what the situation is calling for,
throughout the “Eternal Now” of our existence.

As I say in the introduction to this page,
“The Non-Subscribing Church of What’s happening Now
is intently focused on,
and involved with,
the present moment,
which, of course, is eternal and unending
because it, in fact, never ends.
It evolves, morphs, transitions
forever into nothing more
than the present moment
right here,
right now,
forever.

The Non-Subscribing Church of What’s Happening Now
is a Community of Innocence
dedicated to helping its members
maintain their focus and clarity–
their balance and harmony–
while walking two paths at the same time,
being involved with the conditions and circumstances–
the “just so-ness”–
of the present moment,
while being intently aware
of the “also is-ness”
that connects this moment
with all those that have preceded it
and those that will flow from it.

Lawrence Tribe has said,

“Every possible future points back to
and is contained in
this moment in time and space,
and every possible past
culminated in this moment.
So all that ever was or will be
is right here right now
with you and with me.”

The present is eternal.
It is the fulcrum,
the pivot point,
“the still point
of the turning world” (Eliot).

It is the place of our acting,
or of our failing to act,
in the service of what needs us to do it
with the gifts/genius/daemon/virtues
that are ours to share
as blessing and grace
out of filial devotion
and liege loyalty
to the good of the whole.