Sacred
Philosophy

The Creed of Still & Moving Meditation Fellowship

1.) Deep Presence

We open ourselves to the invisible, unexplainable vastness of the universe and ourselves, that richness beneath, behind and above that holds meaning, promise, and purpose, with all the past and all the future in one ever-present Now, thus allowing people of all faiths and no particular faith to find their own relationship with the pulsing heart of that One, deep presence. In Deep Presence we recognize our Unity.

Credit ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Bellini

6.) The Inherent Joy of the Universe

While our trials here on Earth beset us with suffering, we intuit that the underlying nature of the Universe is Joy. Within each of us is the innocent faith of a little child. Our light hearts sing as we behold the universal dance. Perhaps at dawn, or on a mountain peak, or under a star-filled midnight sky, we gaze in wonderment at the transcendent delight of the Universe, and we yearn to share that Joy with every living being. 

7.) Infinite Compassion

We believe that highly evolved beings of infinite compassion occasionally walk this Earth, seemingly as one of us, selflessly bestowing upon us their beneficent guidance and care, assuaging our sorrows with no thought for their personal selves. We see ourselves as ultimately capable of this same boundless compassion, and we seek to increasingly embody that benevolence in our lives. Believing that all humanity is fundamentally interconnected with each other and with the whole, divine Cosmos, we cultivate understanding, empathy, cooperation, and peace, seeing the well-being of every sentient being as inseparable from our own.

2.) The Law of Causality

We trust that all our intentions, thoughts, words and deeds make a difference in this cosmos in which each cause yields its effect, interwoven with all other causes and effects set into motion. We trust that each cause we put into motion will return back to us with exact appropriateness, teaching us to align ourselves with universal harmony and compassion. We understand that every event holds significance. 

3.) Humanity in the Evolving Cosmos

We believe that the purpose of life is to learn and to help others. We and all sentient beings are evolving with the cosmos. Human life is a school for learning soul lessons. Human evolution cannot rely on instinct - it depends upon self-determination. We need never be victims, for we can always choose our response to the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Suffering can be our teacher, for as we learn, we find the profound satisfaction of understanding. Our learning never ends. The Self never ceases to be. 

Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Kastner (RIT)

Credit NASA, ESA, STScI

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, B. Nisini

Credit NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

NASA/JPL - The Sounds of Earth Record Cover

4.) The Honor of being Human

We stand in awe at the human being’s miraculous potential for Self awareness. We hold that birth into a human body, with our human mind and our recognition of Selfhood, bestows upon us both enormous opportunity and tremendous responsibility. At the stage we hold on the evolutionary arc, our human consciousness and physical capacities make an enormous impact upon our world and its creatures.

5.) The Invisible

We acknowledge that the invisible is. Both science and spirituality point out that there’s more to the cosmos than our senses reveal. Before any thing can come into this universe, its invisible archetype or pattern must exist for the physical to be built upon - something like the architect’s plan that precedes the structure. It’s not just what we do that counts, but how we do it, and why. We are interconnected in untraceable ways. We affect one another and the outer world through our inner thought, intention, and love.

Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Credit (Above photo) NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-Hubble/Europe Collaboration | Acknowledgment: H. Bond (STScI and Penn State University)

Wisdom of the Divine 

The beliefs and sacred philosophy of theosophia underlie Still & Moving Meditation Fellowship. Theosophia translates as Divine (theo) Wisdom (Sophia - Greek goddess of wisdom). Teachers and devotees of theosophia believe that all the great religious, philosophical and even scientific traditions in the world’s history have appeared for the spiritual uplift and evolution of humanity. 

The Fellowship’s philosophy is deeply indebted to the Hawaiian tradition. To live with the spirit of aloha expresses an all-inclusive wish and will to think, speak and act for the benefit of all. Aloha arches over other, supportive Hawaiian concepts, such as: 

  • Akahai: Kindness, to be expressed with tenderness

  • Lōkahi: Unity, to be expressed with harmony

  • ʻOluʻolu: Agreeableness, to be expressed with pleasantness and grace

  • Haʻahaʻa: Humility, to be expressed with modesty

  • Ahonui: Patience, to be expressed with perseverance.

    -Pilahi Paki, and the Aloha Spirit Law

These concepts stand not only as human virtues, but also point to a philosophical framework of unity with a will to benefit the whole. That unity extends through and beyond the human sphere to all of life. The living, intelligent presence of the natural world seeps through all aspects of Hawaiian philosophy, beliefs and ways of living. The Hawaiian creation chant, the Kumulipo, describes evolution from a very familial perspective in terms of human beings' connection with every element in nature, starting with the tiny coral polyp!

Wisdom in Practice

  • In whatever guise they may appear, Theosophia reveres the great spiritual teachers: gurus, mahatmas, buddhas, christoses, avatars, and prophets from around the globe and throughout time. Several Hawaiian words recognize such beings: Naʻauao translates to "enlightened mind" or "learned person"; mea mālamalama poetically means "enlightened one" or "wise person”. Even the simple Hawaiian word for teacher, kumu, points deeply to “source”.

    All great Teachers of humanity espouse meditation as a way of realizing our Oneness with each other and with the Whole. Meditation leads to realizing our Self individually, and with the leavening of love and service, meditation leads us to realizing our identity with the Self of All.

  • Reverently approaching the universe with an appreciation for the invisible and seeking to understand its ways –  as ancients such as Pythagoras or traditional Hawaiians and indigenous peoples throughout the world have done – sacred scientists from the past and present also teach us our unity with this great cosmos.

  • Many if not all of the world’s religions engage in moving meditation: from the Sufi’s whirling dervishes, to Christians’ prayerful labyrinth walking, to Hindu bharatanatyam dancers dedicating their pieces to the god Shiva, to sacred Jewish circle dances at their weddings, to Cham dancing performed by Gelugpa Tibetan Buddhist monks, to the tai chi and qigong practices of Taoists, as well as a wealth of sacred indigenous ceremonial practices world-wide, such as the Sun Dance by the Plains Indian Nation tribes and hula dancing by the Hawaiians.

  • Various traditional subtly moving practices can clear the mind and elevate the soul when performed in a devotional manner, such as Japanese tea ceremonies and ikebana flower arranging, Hawaiian lomilomi, sacred weaving practices, as well as Buddhist mandala-making – to mention just a few. Sacred chanting and music-making - whether Hawaiian oli, Sanskrit manta, or devotional music can constitute another subtly moving meditation.

  • Still meditation, whether in prayer, or deep contemplation of the cosmos, or states of profound abstraction, bring meditators into a state of connection with That which defies all description, engendering an experience of Oneness, awe, and reverence.

    Devoted to the evolution of the human spirit, as well as all of Nature, the Fellowship’s reverent still and moving meditations constitute a living faith consistent with theosophia and the heart of Hawaiian philosophy.