A Pastor, a Psychic, and Psychologist Walk into a Bar

The Power of Lived Experience

Photo by Jonas Jacobsson on Unsplash

And order a beer. Then, with hunched shoulders to shut the rest of the world out they reflect,

“This has been quite a ride these eighty years. What the hell has happened to us?”

“Us?”

“You mean me!”

Yes, I am all three of them rolled into one skin.

And by the way, my name is not Sybil, the patient depicted in a movie who suffered from a dissociate identity disorder (once named a multiple personality).

The Insane Diagnosis

The psychologist, for fifty years now, after a few more beers, looks at the rest of the “terrible trio” and pontificates, “You’re all nuts!” The under-developed psychic, with a sly grin retorts, “I’ve knew you were that way all along.” The pastor has mixed feelings about what to believe.

I know that some in the scientific profession would say that my experiences with the ‘other’ side indicate that I have a few screws loose. (But then science is not the last word on the nature of reality. There are other ways of knowing truth including lived experience.)

Add to that comments by right-wing Christians, who tell me that talking with the dead is the work of the devil. How can we navigate fears or misconceptions about engaging with the ‘other side’ while honoring our spiritual experiences?

They also tell me that my heart is “wicked” and that I should not trust subjective experience.

They get the jitters when I tell them I no longer believe in a God the way my Evangelical tribe did. God does not exist as a person nor does he live in a place called heaven and most certainly does not sit on a throne sending folks to hell.

But why does that same heart (my lived experience) tell me I’m on track with my spiritual destiny? How can I discern whether my gut knowing (my expanded brain) is authentic guidance or influenced by other factors?

And how do my chats with archangel Ariel, messages from my deceased mother, and mystical experiences align with my theological and scientific training?

Here’s how I integrate the three guys at the bar, especially with Bible passages that still rattle around in my head and my scientific training.

Yes, I may have only been a pastor for five years in my late twenties, but I still impersonate clergy with the occasional wedding and funeral and my head still filled with memorized Scripture.

Putting The Pieces Together

I’ve been reading “Autobiography of a Yogi,” by the Indian guru Yogananda, lately.

His whole life was the pursuit of direct experience with the Divine within. He captured his spiritual journey with the phrase.

“I am He.”

When we realize our divine nature, all of life comes together, inspiring hope and a sense of purpose. The challenge for most of us is that we forget who we are. We are too wigged out by the small stuff that we sweat.

Franciscan Priest Father Richard Rohr expresses the same truth when he speaks of the highest stage of spiritual development described in the words I am who I am.

“I’m just me,” warts and all. We are now fully detached from our own self-image and living in God’s image of us , which includes and loves both the good and the bad. We experience true serenity and freedom. This is the peace the world cannot give (see John 14:27) and complete resting in God.”

Making the Shift

The three of us — pastor, psychologist, and sort-of mystic/psychic — are beginning to shift toward realizing our true nature of oneness and love. (About time after eight decades).

We no longer need to be a role as we realize our soul self.

What a relief.

I don’t have to live out the story of my false self or ego identity. I don’t have to be overwhelmed by my weaknesses or by my ‘shadow’ self, which views life as one big performance. I can follow the divine in me and live at peace in a world without comprehension.

I don’t have to chase fame and fortune compulsively..

I can reject the story my culture tells me about what a man is supposed to be: unemotional, always in control, and fact-driven.

Look what happens when I am in the place of “Be still and know that I’m God.”

With a muted rational brain,

I’m amidst boundless creativity.

Where everything is possible.

Or, in the words of Jesus, “Nothing is impossible to the person who believes.”

As a result of his Divine connection, Jesus was able to raise the dead, heal the sick, and speak truth to power fearlessly. Maybe I can settle for a miracle of getting up in the morning without being grumpy.

Our old story is so limiting and, quite frankly, boring. It’s framed by “I can’t, “I should not try,” or “What will people think?”

When we make the shift to our spiritual self, connected directly with the Divine, we move from something that was a distant experience. It was unknown while we were dead in the ego. We had to shift from

I to us.

The Source of Wisdom

When we make the shift, we embrace Wisdom. It’s on tap all the time.

James 1:5 tells us that if you ask for Wisdom, God will give it generously without finding fault:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

I used to believe that the source of Wisdom was concrete, drawn from an intellectual understanding of the world. I now see that it comes directly from the Spirit World.

As per James’ challenge, how do we ask for Wisdom, and who exactly comes to the rescue?

Today, I see that the whole universe, as well as those beyond the veil (unemployed angels, archangels, ascended masters, Spirit guides, and ancestors), are waiting for my call.

The phone rings on the corner of the bar.

I (at least all three of me) pick it up.

It’s now become an ET “phone home” moment.

I am not there just yet. I can glimpse the lamp in the window, smell the fresh bread, and hear a whisper of the welcome to the prodigal, “My child who was dead has come home.”