The Mystery of the Two Trees



No, I am not talking about the two trees described in the Garden of Eden; that is another story.  On the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 tragedy I like to reflect on two other trees.  This story came to my attention just recently after reading a book called “The Harbinger.” The book is a novel but some of the events mentioned are more than fiction.  They happened on 9-11-2001 and thereafter.

 

 

“The bricks have fallen down,
but we will rebuild with (hewn) dressed stone;
the fig trees (sycamore) have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars (pine).”

~ Isaiah 9:10

 

 

As the story goes, when the World Trade towers fell, some debris hit a sycamore tree which had stood nearby St. Paul’s Chapel.  The branches of the 100-year-old tree protected the chapel which became a center of peace and rescue in the aftermath.  It is the same church where in 1789 newly inaugurated President George Washington worshipped after he gave a prophetic warning at Federal Hall in New York City. He declared that America’s prosperity and protection were dependent upon its adherence to God. Later, the political leaders of the young nation gathered at St. Paul’s Chapel to commit the nation’s future to God’s purposes.

 

As by Divine guidance the sycamore tree was replaced by a pine tree (of the cedar family).

 

 

What is the significance of the sycamore tree?

 

Traditionally, the sycamore symbolizes protection, divinity, eternity, and strength. It appears in the Egyptian "Book of the Dead," and the Bible. The Lafayette Sycamore that towers over Brandywine Battlefield Park in Pennsylvania was already 168 years old when it sheltered the troops of Generals Washington and Lafayette at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777.

 

 

A Sycamore Saves St.Paul's Chapel

On September 11, 2001, an ancient Sycamore tree stood between the small Saint Paul's Chapel of 1766, and the World Trade Center. The brunt of the forces released by the collapsing Twin Towers caused the 100-year-old tree to fall. The tree fell in such a way that its spreading branches created a shield which absorbed shock waves from the seeming nuclear impact and preserved the historic 18th century Saint Paul's Chapel of Trinity Church and its ancient tombstones from falling debris, including a direct hit from an I-beam, and what should have been certain destruction.

Though the tree itself did not survive, the sycamore's role as the chapel's protector has been memorialized by Pennsylvania artist Steve Tobin. Tobin cast the tree's remaining stump and root system in bronze to create a 20-foot-long, 12-foot high life-like sculpture. The piece was installed in the Trinity courtyard and dedicated on Sept. 11, 2005.

 

 

The Tree of Hope

 

On November 22, 2003 a 21-foot Norway spruce was planted in the northwest corner of St. Paul’s chapel’s churchyard. An inaugural lighting ceremony was held one week later.  It was planted in place of the destroyed sycamore tree which was hit by debris from the collapsing WTC towers.  It became known as Tree of Hope and was decorated with lights during the Christmas season.

 

Are the trees part of God’s judgment on America? Are they the visible fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy? 

I know one thing for sure: America is not following God’s will at this time.  If we take God out of our schools, out off our government, and everywhere else in everyday life, how can we expect Him to continue to protect us, not to think of blessing this country any longer? 

 

I came to America in the 70s to participate in public speaking tours of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon who spoke on the New Future of Christianity and New Hope for America. He proclaimed that God is leaving America because of the way people are seeking to solve their problems without God.

 

“Let us for a moment look at the world we face today.  All the problems of the world really stem from the problems of people.  Our troubled world is the visible expression of the troubled mind of men.  And the problems of men come from the absence of God in their hearts.  This is the real cause of ills of our world—the absence of God in men’s hearts.  Today men are seeking solutions to their problems without seeking God.  But without God there can be no solutions.”

~ Rev. Moon speaking September 18, 1974 in Madison Square Garden

 

 

 

In 1789 New York City was the capital of the new United States.  It was also the year when the new elected president, George Washington, was inaugurated as the first president of these United States. On April 30, 1789 George Washington took the Oath as the First President and gave his acceptance speech at Federal Hall.  To this day the statue of George Washington stands in front of the new building on 26 Wall Street.  After the official business the new president and all present Senate and House of Representatives walked to St. Paul’s chapel and bowed their heads together in prayer to consecrate the new nation’s future into the hands of God.  St. Paul’s Chapel is the very ground where our nation was committed to the Almighty and one could call it “Holy Ground.”

 

When we commemorate this September 11, let us pray to our God that we can bring him back to this country.  Let us align ourselves with our Forefathers and the founders of this nation to bring God back by giving Him his proper place in our everyday lives.

How to Love Oneself

As I was preparing for my blog to be published on Monday I received the news that the one person who taught me how to love myself had passed to the spiritual world.  My life-long spiritual teacher, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, has ascended on Sunday, September 02, 2012 (Korea time Monday morning 9-3-12) after weeks of illness.  Considering his age of 93, it was still a shock and will take some time to digest and mourn. 

Rev. Moon has impacted my life profoundly.  He has taught me the love of God as a parent and has been a guiding example together with his wife; in fact we call them the “True Parents.”  Knowing that God loves me, has giving me confidence, raised my self-esteem, and has shown me how to be responsible for my life and ultimately for my destiny.

Only in the love of God can we find acceptance, peace and success.  In that experience we discover our true self, learn all the lessons we are here on earth to learn and can share this love with others.

 

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

~ Matthew 22:36-40

 

How do we learn to love ourselves?

First, I have to know who I am.  I am the child of God, a spiritual being here on earth to learn to love.  I have divine, unique and cosmic value.  My spirit is eternal and indestructible.  I have nothing to fear.

Man has been living in ignorance about his true origin; and therefore, has been conditioned by fear to feel unworthy, weak, and unloved.  Rev. Moon teaches about the breach of humans in the Divine Principle.

 

 

 

 

“I was teaching them the motto that I had followed as a young man, which was ‘Before seeking to rule the universe, first perfect your ability to rule yourself.’  America had great wealth and had become obsessed with material goods.  I stood in the midst of this material civilization and talked about matters of the mind and heart.  The mind cannot be seen with the eye or held in the hand.  Yet, we clearly are ruled by our minds.  Without our minds, we are nothing.  Then I talked about true love, God-centered love, which should guide the mind.  I said that true freedom can be enjoyed only when we have a clear understanding of ourselves based on the foundation of true love and are able to exercise self-control.

I taught them the value of labor.  Labor is not suffering but creation.  The reason a person can work all his life and be happy is that labor is connected to God’s world.  The labor that people perform is nothing more than taking things that God created and shaping them in different ways.  If you think that you are making something to give to God as a memento, then labor is not something to think of in a negative way.  Many young people were so steeped in the affluent life provided to them by their materialistic civilization that they didn’t know the joy of working.  So I taught them to work with joy.”

From the biography of Rev. Moon “As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen”:
~ page 177-178 (Rev. Moon, Seed for a New American Revolution)

 

I think these words are also very appropriate for this Labor Day.  I was just reading an article by an American parent who made this observation: It all starts in the family.

 

Work builds confidence, self-esteem and eventually character.  Work also allows us to discover our life’s purpose.  I am grateful to the Rev. Moon for his teaching, and most of all showing me how to love myself.  Love is not only a noun but a verb which requires actions.  Our father, the Rev. Moon has been a person of action all his life and never in his wildest dream thought of “retiring.”  Now God has called him home, and I pray that he can find peace in the bosom of God while continuing his work from the heavenly realm.  His wife, Hak Ja Han Moon, our true mother, together with their children and all of us will carry on the work to build the "heavenly kingdom."  I will miss him very much.

 

Let Your Light Shine like a Lighthouse



Big Bay Lighthouse from the East
 

During our summer vacation we spend one night at a historical lighthouse.  I enjoyed very much the beautiful evening and morning we spend at the Big Bay Lighthouse.

Original Fresnel Lens
 

The lighthouse has a grand view of Lake Superior and is located about 25 miles north of Marquette in Michigan.  The lighthouse was still in use until 1950’s and still shines its blinker every night into the vastness of the lake.  I went up the tight spiral staircase unto to the platform and enjoyed the gorgeous view.  Later I watched the tower from the ground shining its beacon and competing with the full moon.

Lighthouses in the 19^th century and even until GPS navigation systems became popular had a very important role of safeguarding the coasts and bringing the ships home out of harm’s way.  At the lighthouse which is now a bed-and-breakfast inn we saw a replica of the  3^rd Order Fresnel Lens.  It is a special lens which can project light in all different directions with a wide reaching beacon.

Small Sculptor on the grounds
 

For the keeper of the lighthouse and their families it was a lonely job, far away from any town or other neighbors.  It was not an easy life with many dark winter nights; and some people just couldn’t handle the loneliness or other struggles.  It is therefore not surprising that a gruesome murder was committed there which was recorded in a book and movie “Anatomy of a Murder.”

 

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

~ Matthew 5:16

 




my husband sitting in the library of the Lighthouse Inn with a replica of the lens on the table

Many thoughts went through my mind while we were over-nighting in the lighthouse.  The lighthouse has been a symbol of the Christian faith, as the blinker represents also a warning sign or to flash a special message.  This is certainly a time where we need to pay attention to the many warnings of everyday events.  When tragedy strikes we have the choice to take it as a wake-up call that we as humans have to change our ways.  We can’t just go back to our old habits which have contributed to the mishap in the first place.  Truth proclaiming prophets have always been rejected and laughed at but in times of disaster we better connect with the higher authority of our creator.  That's why I like the symbolism of the lighthouse because we all can be a shining light unto our fellow men.  This is the time for the “good news – the breaking news.”  Men has been living without the guidance of God for too long that’s why the world is in the shape it is now. 

 

In the past America has been the shining light for the world.  Immigrants came from all around the globe to find a safe haven in this country.  America had a status of opportunity and infinite possibilities for all those who decided to work hard and serve their fellow men.  At this point I feel very hopeful for this country if we walk with the ideas of the founding fathers to draw God into our lives and consult him in all of our affairs.
 

For me the Divine Principle has been full of the breaking news.  It not only explains about the historical time we are living in through parallels of historical events but it also gives a clear blueprint of human relationships and how we can create a better world.

 

With that I want to be a shining light and Lighthouse for those who are in darkness and loneliness.  This is a time where we don’t just have to accept current circumstances but rather ask and question the infinite intelligence of God for our purpose and greater fulfillment. 

 

 

Health Benefits of Kale

When I was a child, kale was one of my least favorite foods.  Because it was always cooked a certain way, it didn’t appear to me very much.  I now discovered some new recipes and I love kale with all its powerful nutrition.

Kale or borecole is a form of cabbage (Brassica oleracea) from the Acephala group and is related to broccoli, brussels sprouts, and collard greens. It comes in form of deep green or purple leaves (the center never forms a head).

Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin C and K, lutein, zeaxanthin and is rich in calcium.  Its sulforaphane contents are released when chopped or juiced and are full of potent anti-cancer properties.  See full nutritional data at Nutrition and You.

Here are my two favorite recipes:

Crispy Kale Chips

1 head kale, washed and thoroughly dried

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.

With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly; dry kale in between paper towels. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.

Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Kale Soup

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. Coconut oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 pound of sweet potatoes (2 large), peeled and cubed

2 cups of chicken broth

1 large bunch of kale, washed, and chopped

3 cups water

1 pound of smoked turkey sausage, cut into bite size

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the coconut oil and stir fry the onion and garlic until nice and brown.  Add chicken broth and water, sweet potatoes and kale and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.  Add the sausage pieces and cook for another 15 minutes. 

Makes 4-6 servings of delicious soup. 

Serve with bread and it makes a great meal.  If you can find all organic ingredients, you will know that it does the body even better.

As the days get cooler or if you just want a healthy snack, think of kale. When I went to Cosco the other day I picked up a bag of baby kale, containing already washed and small-sized leaves.  They are ready for the soup.  We really don’t have any excuse for living more healthy.

My favorite websites for recipes and information are:

Food Network, Whole Foods, and Health Diaries.

Why we Need a New Voice of America

On a beautiful summer day I felt inspired to visit the Voice of America Park in Butler County, Ohio.  Rather than going to the new main building of the recreation area, I went to a place I had never been before.  I discovered the foundations of the old radio towers of VOA Bethany Relay Station which had been torn down in 1997.  The radio station WLW was a major influence of broadcasting during the cold war and during WWII into Europe and beyond the Iron Curtain.  I remember that when we first moved to this part of Ohio that the towers (photo shows the remaing foundation of one of the towers) were still up; in fact the radio station continued to broadcast until 1995.

WLW was considered “theNation’s Station.”

Today the old building houses the National Voice Of America Museum of Broadcasting  and Bethany Relay Station.  (White building in the back of the photo)

In a time where we have wireless transmission, television, the internet, and can talk ourselves to anyone at the other end of the world, one cannot be moved by the efforts of the bygone generations of radio amateurs and engineers who depended on radio and short wave transmission and build this historical place at a time when the world needed it most.

In light of what is going on in this country I feel that we need a new Voice of America.  Not government censored, not sided by one or the other political party; rather a strong voice which reminds us every day of our founding principles.  I believe that our government is getting too powerful.  I like to share in this blog a warning which was given by one of the broadcasters of WLW, Paul Harvey (1918-2009):

This speech was broadcasted by legendary ABC Radio commentator Paul Harvey on April 3, 1965:

If I were the Devil . . . I mean, if I were the Prince of Darkness, I would of course, want to engulf the whole earth in darkness. I would have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree, so I should set about however necessary to take over the United States. I would begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: “Do as you please.” “Do as you please.” To the young, I would whisper, “The Bible is a myth.” I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what is bad is good, and what is good is “square”. In the ears of the young marrieds, I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution them not to be extreme in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct. And the old, I would teach to pray. I would teach them to say after me: “Our Father, which art in Washington” . . .

If I were the devil, I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull an uninteresting. I’d threaten T.V. with dirtier movies and vice versa. And then, if I were the devil, I’d get organized. I’d infiltrate unions and urge more loafing and less work, because idle hands usually work for me. I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. And I’d tranquilize the rest with pills. If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects but neglect to discipline emotions . . . let those run wild. I would designate an atheist to front for me before the highest courts in the land and I would get preachers to say “she’s right.” With flattery and promises of power, I could get the courts to rule what I construe as against God and in favor of pornography, and thus, I would evict God from the courthouse, and then from the school house, and then from the houses of Congress and then, in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and I would deify science because that way men would become smart enough to create super weapons but not wise enough to control them.

If I were Satan, I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg, and the symbol of Christmas, a bottle. If I were the devil, I would take from those who have and I would give to those who wanted, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. And then, my police state would force everybody back to work. Then, I could separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines, and objectors in slave camps. In other words, if I were Satan, I’d just keep on doing what he’s doing.

Paul Harvey, Good Day.

This speech was broadcasted in 1965.  WLW continued to carry Harvey's commentaries through all the changes, although after extended absences, Harvey was dropped by WLW in April 2008.  He died one year later.

There was another voice which just recently was published.  Its content was too controversial when it was first written more than 70 years ago.  Napoleon Hill wrote his script to “Outwitting the Devil” in the 1930s.  I just recently finished reading the now published book and was amazed by his insights.  According to the Napoleon Hill Foundation, Mr. Hill’s wife was too much involved in certain social circles, and she requested the manuscript not to be published because of its “hot” content.  It is most appropriate today as it was then, where we need to face certain truth about our society.

America was founded on righteous ideas and principles.  If we ever want to realize them we need to know who our enemy is.

Just a few weeks ago another message was given, most appropriate to our time.  It is called “Freedom Society.” The lecture was presented by the son of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Mr. Kook Jin Moon.  Mr. Moon Jr. has a very deep insight into the teachings of his father and showed in his presentation the true nature of government and what role it has been playing throughout history.  Once we understand some very simple principles of who is who and what role they are playing it becomes clear to see where the dangers are coming from and how we can protect and empower ourselves.

This is the age where we all have to become responsible citizens, not play the blame game and put our heads in the sand, but rather remind ourselves of our responsibilities given to us by God.  God gave us free choice and the rights to pursue LIBERTY, FREEDOM, and JUSTICE FOR ALL.  With that freedom comes responsibility, which mature adults are more than willing to take.  We don’t need any government to take that responsibility from us.  That's why we love America and that’s what made this country great, and that’s why people from all over the world want to come to this country to pursue the American Dream.

Do we need a New Voice of America? – you bet.  It can come from each individual citizen, taking responsibility for his own life, taking ownership and determining his own destiny.

In this day and age of the internet everybody has a voice.  With our freedom of choice we can direct our voice all over the world to wake people up from their “hypnotic rhythm” of indifference.  This is the time where we can be empowered by knowledge and truth which can only come from God himself.  We all have a direct line to Infinite Intelligence; it’s free of any charge.  

What is the Purpose of Time?

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to tear down, and a time to build up.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search, and a time to give up as lost;

A time to keep, and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together;

A time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;

A time for war, and a time for peace.”

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1–8

I chose the words from the Bible to start my blog for today.  In today’s world we cannot imagine to live without clocks, calendars, time zones, daylight savings time, time management, etc.  Some say time is another dimension others suggest that we can time travel.  We know that we live in a world of three dimensions.  As scientists have recently proven and religious people have known for ages we are not just living in this physical world but rather there is a spiritual world, unseen world all around us.  We cannot perceive it with our physical senses; that’s why it has been hidden, or at least for some of us who don’t believe in a sixth sense or intuition. 

In literature we talk about time in two ways, chronos and kairos.  One deals with the chronology of time, a continuation which moves forward and is quantitative while kairos means holy or God-given time, which has a more qualitative nature.  As we read in Ecclesiastes God’s time table has a deeper meaning and can signal a time of crisis and meaning.  

Here is another view from another blog I found:

No Time At All

In a world without time I will count experiences not minutes.
In a world without time a clock is a tool to coordinate with others.
In a world without time the moments with the Rompot will be enough.
In a world without time actions will take as long as they need to.
In a world without time I will never feel rushed or bored.
In a world without time a clock won't control me.

The Divine Principle

I like to introduce here another insight which I learned at a recent Original Substance of the Divine Principle seminar.  Our local presenter Wayne shared an interesting point on the purpose of time which inspired me to write this article. 

He was teaching on the meaning of growth and the time it takes for all creation to develop. All creatures and plants have to grow through the three ordered stages of formation, growth, and completion stage.  When created beings are in the growing period, God has regard only for the fruits of their growth which is based on the Principle (man needs to fulfill his portion of responsibility).  We call this growing period the realm of God's indirect dominion or the realm of dominion based on the accomplishments through the Principle. 

All things reach perfection after passing through the growing period by virtue of the autonomy and governance given by God's Principle.

Human beings, however, pass through the growing period and reach perfection by fulfilling their own portion of responsibility, in addition to the guidance provided by the Principle. Man’s physical body grows automatically, given that it has food, water, sunlight and life elements.  Since man is the only created being who lives in both worlds: the physical and the spiritual world, God gave man freedom and responsibility to grow by his own efforts toward maturity.  That time period here on earth gives us our true value as human beings where by our own choices we can take as long as it takes to reach oneness with God. This value gives us divine, unique and cosmic value. Therefore, man is an eternal being, and becomes a co-creator. It takes time for man to reach his true value.

http://www.unification.net/dp96/dp96-1-1.html 5.2.1 The Three Ordered Stages of the Growing Period

To me that was a real eye-opener in regards to the purpose of time.  For our physical life we need measured time as a tool, but for our spiritual life which will continue on for eternity once we transition after death, it is more important to measure events, experiences, adventure, true joy and purpose.  It is our experience in relationship with others, especially in the family that helps us grow, and mature our hearts to integrate all kinds of people and personalities. In the family we learn all different stages of relationships (child, brother & sister, husband & wife and parents) in order to create long term intimacy, security and connection.

Here are few other options on the purpose of time

“More powerful than all the armies of the world, is an idea whose time has come.”

~ Victor Hugo

“Time makes us uniquely human.”

~ Michio Kaku

“Time is a factor which will bring perfection.”

~ page 229 – Outwitting the Devil  by Napoleon Hill

"From the Buddhist perspective, time is the experience of being present right now, in this very moment. We in the West, however, like to measure things. In this way, clock time gives us a sense of coherence and stability. But in terms of our inner lives, no time exists except for what is happening in the present moment."

~ Deepak Chopra

“I’m trying to understand how time works. And that’s a huge question that has lots of different aspects to it. A lot of them go back to Einstein and space-time and how we measure time using clocks. But the particular aspect of time that I’m interested in is the arrow of time: the fact that the past is different from the future. We remember the past but we don’t remember the future. There are irreversible processes. There are things that happen, like you turn an egg into an omelet, but you can’t turn an omelet into an egg.”

~ Sean Carroll

 “Time drives every second of our lives in ways we can scarcely imagine. But what is time? This is the quest to understand time and our place within it. It’s a journey that starts with cutting-edge discoveries into what makes us tick and ends with the mind-boggling implications of cosmological time. It’s a journey that reveals something extraordinary: The more we understand time, the more we find that it is time that makes us uniquely human.”

~ Joan Halifax Roshi

Jesus also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, “It is going to rain”; and so it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time (the kairos)?”
~ Luke 12:54, 56

We can conclude that time is necessary to create value, for man to mature and become wise and most of all to learn to love.  As Sean Caroll suggested, time only goes forward.  We cannot change yesterday we can on learn the lessons and create a better tomorrow.  Why do we value time?  Is time money?  Yes – in this physical world we get compensated for our work and sell our talents and time for a paycheck.  On the level of experiences time is priceless.

“Time is free, but it’s priceless. 

You can’t own it, but you can use it. 

You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. 

Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.”

~ HarveyMcKay

To learn more about the Unification Church teachings, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwCgIo7OU68&feature=related

http://vimeo.com/31006375 3 kind of human value

http://vimeo.com/11177645 Becoming a Divine Spirit

http://vimeo.com/10490974 The 2 realms: Growing and Perfection

http://vimeo.com/10763294 The Physical and Spiritual Self (Nourishment)