Druid's Prayer Part V: Love of All Existences

[Alferian]

Well, I wanted to let the Love of Justice stew in discussion for awhile because it seems like something to think about long and hard.

But here's the next line. The sequence goes:

And in the knowledge of justice, the love of it
and in the love of it, the love of all Existences.
and in the Love of all Existences, the love of God and all Goodness.

So, here again bearing in mind the substitutions allowed for the name of the Divine Principle. God has the advantage of one short syllable.

This is the knotty bit where Frank was leading us into the question of whether "love of all existences" means that we should just tolerate anything and forgive people their faults for all eternity.

is the "love of all Existences" similar to the Pillar of Mercy I mentioned in the last part, which the Kabbalists say balances the Piller of Justice or "Severity"? Do you think that's what the prayer is saying? That true love of Justice leads not to cruelty or harshness but to compassion and empathy? Or that these two qualities must be wisely intertwined in the preservation and protection of life and goodness?

[Donata]

For me, "the love of all existences" has always been a reminder of the Web of Life, of which we are only one part, and which connects all of us, all beings. Whatever one being on this web does, affects each and all other beings on the web. We are truly all part of one another.

Does this mean not setting our personal boundaries? Not in my opinion. It does mean, again IMO, being aware of all our actions, as much as we can, and how they affect others. In the Native American traditions, think of each action and how it may affect the seventh generation in the future. Also, the idea, 'We do not inherit the earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children', so leave it as we would wish it to be for them. The 'mindfulness' of the Buddhist tradition encourages the same attitude of awareness.

As in all things, balance leads to harmony. The Middle Path, the MIddle Pillar, and so on. All our Druidic teachings lead us to walk the middle path of balance and harmony, so that yes, we can enforce justice when necessary, and at the same time, see it as an expression of love of all existences. When I disciplined my children, it was love for them,done to set them on the middle path of their own lives. I don't see any contradictions in the Druid's Prayer.

BB
Donata

[Gwydion]

This seems to be a question that has been in my life lately. A Love of All Existences........to honor and respect all things that exist............
Not all that exists is seen as pleasant, and much that exists posesses beauty beyond words. This balance, itself, exists and is therefore worthy of Love. In the Love of this balance we may then Love the two truths that create it, the light and the dark. How does one truely Love Life while they deeply despise Death?
Every front has a back....Order is one side while Chaos is the other, by what other way would we recognize Order? This very idea is played out in our relationships with other people, we know of no perfect person, yet we Love our friends and families. One of the things that I had to learn is to allow others to love me. Since we are raised with these relationships in our lives it is, sometimes, easy for us to accept one. In learning that we have the same relationship with the whole of creation, and accepting it, we can come to know Nature and her children in a new way.

cheers,
Gwydion

[Unikorn]

One can honour and respect the right of anything to exist. One does not have to like it. I found a way through this for myself by meditating on the concept of 'compassion'. I can have compassion for the sexual offender I work with. I can love their right to be in existance. I do not like them nor what they have done nor do I really want to have to have them in my reality. But they are........in compassion I can offer my work to try and support this person to find a more healthy way to exist in the world as we know it - my dream would be that they never offend again.....the love of all existences....

[Lily]

Here's a lesson I learned a while ago...

respect for all existences, to me, implies trying to understand why a person might have done whatever - committed a crime for example.

As one friend related to me the central myth of the Feri tradition of wicca (correct me if I am wrong, and I am just bringing this up as a fitting metaphor-y'all know I am an agnostic), the goddess emanated the universe in order to more fully experience herself. She also experiences herself in the innumerable facets of human existence, including suffering and humans making other people suffer. Now this still does not truly solve the problem of theodicy, but it gives an interesting viewpoint on the line in the prayer. If all existence is a part of the Sacred, and all human experience a part of divine experience, then we should seek a way to understannd and respect all walks of life.

respect for all existence... sometimes it ends for me at a wasp or something... is that bad???

[Donata]

Lily said:
"If all existence is a part of the Goddess, and all human experience a part of divine experience, then we should seek a way to understannd and respect all walks of life. "

Exactly! I believe I am part of the God/dess, and God/dess is both within and without me, and the same for all beings. This is another way to explain the Web of Life that connects us all. Love of all existences, for me, is respect of all even when I don't like or agree with them. Well said Lily!

Unfortunately I also need to set boundaries, so that I swat a mosquito that's trying to bite me, and - very reluctantly - set traps for mice because otherwise they ruin things (mice destroyed the insulation of my stove to create a nest and I had to have it repaired) and are germ spreading. I can 'love' the mice yet ban them from my home.

I don't think love of all existences means allowing harm to myself. I also love myself as part of the web of life.

Bright Blessings,
Donata

[willowmist]

"love of all existances" to me means hold no grudges nor anger towards anything. All things have a reason for existing. It is better to show love even when it is so very hard to do so. When love is forgoten, one is consumed by the darker emotions and in turn will radiate these emotions. The gods themselves test us dayly with this, as there are times when everything seems to go wrong. But in the end things are better off. As a person, I can dislike something yet I overcome that by reminding myself what I dislike is a part of nature and there for a part of me. It is through understanding and love that I come to work and co-exist with other existances. I have seen many things in my few years, but all has been a molding and refining process. I would not have made it to this point in my life if I did not hold on to a greater love of life and spirit. It is through this greater love that I have learned a good deal of patience.

I would also have to say that my patcients that comes through this greater love can make me phisicaly sick (If I alow it to go that far). But that is still something that I am dealing with, always trying to improve myself by finding my point of balance. I am starting to take this off topic and begining to ramble so I will leave it at this.

Many Bright Blessings.

[Lily]

I dunno... all love and understanding, sometimes, is not healthy.

I believe that healthy disagreement with some people you deal with on a daily basis, is much more fruitful than being sweet all the time. But that's just my experience. I notice that I feel all the sicker for not telling my opinion to certain people. This does not mean that I don't respect their existence. Just that I don't waste my capability of love on someone who gets under my skin. Sometimes, I think, it helps them understand themselves much better, and they learn to behave. Thus making my life with them, and respect for them easier.

[Night Hawk]

I feel that "love of all existences" means standing firm in what you believe in & fighting for the rights/needs of others.

[DaRC]

For me it's a bit like a responsible farmer who loves all parts of the land he tends. The weeds and pests are loved as much but with that understanding of the cycle and balance required to keep harmony.

The tradition I was brought up in is that you don't own land you're merely a caretaker for the future.

Cheers, Dave.

[EarthWard]

[Merlyn]

And in the knowledge of justice, the love of it
and in the love of it, the love of all Existences.
and in the Love of all Existences, the love of God and all Goodness

Greetings Alferian,
I would have liked to enter this discussion earlier, but it's been a very busey time.

After some reflection on the meanings of "the love of god" and some insights to the way Justice is mentioned in the Druid's prayer, I see a very humble but explosive passion for life. I do not see the love of all existence meaning "to forgive" or "human passion".
IMO the term Justice refers to the balance of nature's law, and the embrace of our earth mother (mother earth). I see justice in this use as meaning nothing about "law" in the human legal sense.
In the love of Justice is acceptance. Acceptance for who we are, our fate and our own responsibility to ourselves balanced with our understanding of all we know.
The "Love" of justice means the true birth of this from within our own spirit and soul. I see this also because of how "love" is used in the very next line. The love of God/dess is truly a rebirth. The love of God is often considered the highest form of love. It is IMO the embodiment of spirituality and faith in God/dess. In the love of god/dess then we have the understanding and love of all creation. This of course includes "all goodness" and the divine.

I have found the Druid prayer is deeply steeped in spiritual lore. The meanings can be viewed simply, as legal and compassion. But I feel Lolo meant much more and was no simple man. The relationships weave in the druid prayer like a Celtic knot. Each line flowing through and interlaced with the next.

That's how I have found it to work for me

Light of Bel

[EarthWard]

I'm putting these in order real fast so I can read them.
Hope that is okay.

[Skylark]

I do think we scrutinise ourselves too closely when it comes to the love of all existences in relation to those personal bugbears, such as wasps and other phobias. My daughter told me that she simply cannot be compassionate with flies - but I pointed out to her that her way of dealing them is indeed compassionate - if she can't get them to go out of the window, then she kills them quickly. She doesn't trap them and pull off their wings, delighting in their agony! Similarly, I am terrified of wasps, but I'd rather avoid them than kill them, and if they are to be killed, I prefer swatting to the slow death of a spray. In this way I respect the creature that I absolutely detest. I know it has its purpose and function, its right to be here, but without denying my feelings: ("For God's sake!!! It's got all that sky to fly in - why does it have to fly right by my head?!!)

However, does "all existences" mean all creatures, in this narrow interpretation? What about evil spirits - they are existences - how can we love them? (I know this opens another can of worms about evil spirits...)

[Merlyn]

Hi Skylark,
I feel that the love of all existence is intertwined with the love of justice.
The Druid prayer is "disjointed and shallow" if we only seek a limited literal view.

But if we look at it as if we were reading Runes or the Tarot, it begins to tell a story of lore, and opens a life time of insights.

Blessings of light
Merlyn /|\

[Skylark]

Hi Merlyn - I know very little about runes or the tarot. I've been thinking of posting threads asking people to explain their use and value, but it might be more to the point if I just waited until these topics are covered in the course - when I can afford to start it!

[Alferian]

Hi Skylark,

Love of all existences does not necesarily imply a love of each and every individual being. That's always seemed to me a level of perfection that is a bit hard to achieve. I suspect Merlyn is right (though he's being rather cryptic again) that love of justice is the key to the meaning of love of all existences. I may have said this earlier, but I read a bit more karmically. In other words, justice is the karmic power of the cosmos that sends us hither and yon. Love of all existences is the proper response to living through all those existences.

A fly landed on me the other day and actually let me pet it, which I found surprising. As annoying as they can be, if we consider that we might one day be a fly or that we once were a fly in our evolutionary rise, then it is easier to get outside our annoyance. I myself hoever draw the line at pain. Biting flies and mosquitoes get swatted if they don't respond to the insect repellant. I don't want to share my blood or risk contracting a disease like lyme disease or gods know what.

Still, on the other hand, one's own children can be infernally annoying at times and can hurt one. Love is the only proper and best response, even if it has to sometimes be "tough love."

I have much more trouble with other adults. For example people who set out deliberately to defraud others or pollute the natural beauty of the world for their own profits. Those are the existences that I have a hard time dealing with compassionately!

Love and light,

Alferian

[SidheAingeal]

One can honour and respect the right of anything to exist. One does not have to like it. I found a way through this for myself by meditating on the concept of 'compassion'. I can have compassion for the sexual offender I work with. I can love their right to be in existance. I do not like them nor what they have done nor do I really want to have to have them in my reality. But they are........in compassion I can offer my work to try and support this person to find a more healthy way to exist in the world as we know it - my dream would be that they never offend again.....the love of all existences....

Well put.

Angel

[Gwydion]

So.........what of the Love of creation in its entirety? Which is the message that I recieved from Merlyn's post. A Love of the Wisdom that gave divine balance to Creation in its etirety, the way that all things in Nature dance together for the good of all beings.
What is it in the world that is not needed?

Gwydion

[Donata]

What is it in the world that is not needed?

MOSQUITOES!!!!
I hate being a blood sacrifice and lower on the food chain than a carnivorous insect!

Donata (scratching)

I don't mean to be frivolous - no offence intended. I simply don't see the balance in mosquitoes.