Sacrifice and Energetic Reciprocity

 

Topic: Sacrifice and Energetic Reciprocity

Before we get into this week’s topic, I do want to address the fact that it is the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on American soil in history. We lost over three thousand lives when the World Trade Center collapsed, and it irrevocably changed us and the way we view the world. To refer back to a previous sermon, the attack immediately moved many to classify anyone of the Muslim faith as Varelse; those so alien that meaningful communication is impossible. They became no longer human to some eyes. In order to move forward, we must first separate the extremists who committed the attacks from the majority who practice Islam peacefully. While the faith may seem foreign to us, most Muslims are decent, honest people, doing the best they can with what they have, just like everyone else. Once we are all able to acknowledge that, we can begin to heal. The terrorists who committed the acts were, in a way, sacrificing their lives to their idea of god, along with the lives of everyone they took down with them. Today’s sermon deals with sacrifice, energetic reciprocity, and the things you are encouraged to let go of when following the Path.

The concept of energetic reciprocity, especially in the form of sacrifice, has been around ever since humans began believing in spirits. The things we sacrifice in the name of our faith range from human life to tithes to milk and honey for the fae folk, but the give-and-take of energetic reciprocity is a constant in most spiritual practices. Christianity started with a human sacrifice and now just asks for money. Many religions have a list of things you must not eat, or wear, or do, or even think. This is also a form of sacrifice; giving these things up is presented as the cost of salvation. This list of prohibitions differs, some being more extreme than others. Mormons can’t drink coffee. Catholics can’t eat meat on Friday. Most Christians are forbidden to even think about premarital or extramarital sex.  

The Path has few prohibitions: doing harm, treating others as things, mis-gendering or dead-naming a trans person, and judging other people just for being different. That’s pretty much it, and there are no celestial consequences for slipping up. You are accountable only to yourself. It’s up to you to determine how much of a sacrifice those prohibitions are. (If you just really, really like being a mean person, then the Path probably isn’t for you.)

As more of a philosophy than a religion in the classical sense, the only things the Path requires anyone to give up are destructive thought patterns and toxic ideation, because those things are obstacles to Serenity. However, the very practice of the Path, and Mindfully observing the Virtues and Tenets, will itself help you to evolve beyond those toxic thoughts and ideas. It takes Effort, of course. That’s the sacrifice: your mind can only change if you recognize destructive or toxic thoughts and purposefully reject them. Sometimes this is easy, such as when you defeat a stereotype by getting acquainted with a new person. Other times, you may find yourself so emotionally attached to a toxic idea or belief that you have a hard time letting it go. But if it is destructive, or based on falsehood, or otherwise preventing you from finding your Serenity and growing in your journey toward Enlightenment, move past it. Always give yourself room to grow and learn and change. Let the pursuit of Truth and Enlightenment guide you in all things, and you will find your own Serenity within yourself.

The Path encourages you to use its lessons to become a better person, which should be the ultimate goal of any religious or philosophical practice. Do you think you can use the lessons of the Path to grow into a better person? Are there any teachings in particular that you have found useful or Enlightening?