Lance Robinson

04/03/2024

Full quote: “There is no going forward without a death of some kind: a death of who we thought we were suppose to be; a death of a map of the world we thought worthy of our trust and investment; a death of expectations that by choosing rightly we could avoid suffering, experiencing the love and approval of those around us and achieve a sense of peace, satisfaction, arrival home. But life has other plans it seems; indeed our own souls have other plans. And there is a terrible price to pay for ignoring or fleeing those intimations and summons to depth.” ~James Hollis, Living an Examined Life: Wisdom for the Second Half of the Journey

22/11/2023

What if spirituality is not so much a riddle to be solved but an adventure to be discovered? Therefore, whatever is discovered is celebrated and enjoyed rather than critiqued against what has been found meaningful in eras gone by—both can be understood as a part of the evolution of consciousness. They are a continuation of advances that build upon humanity’s delight in the discovery of the new as well as the cocreative divinity we all participate in.

Yes, it means yester years creeds may not be the best containers for today, but it does not mean they were not a part of getting to where we need to go and be—where we are now, as humanity chasing love, truth, and beauty. Not just chasing but discovering, participating, and yes, creating … what is better than before. A riddle to be solved paradigm pretends human consciousness is not advancing and it locks us into a mechanism of certainty to be achieved, rather than a playful advance of how things can continuously evolve—a participatory, creative adventure towards love and inclusion.

The frightening thing is it can go many directions—even backwards, but thus is our context. It’s up to us. No pie in the sky security, but also recognizing there is a sacred pull we all feel towards meaning and interconnectedness even in our dysfunctions.

Burying our dysfunction breeds contempt, wars, and hatred because we hate our own contempt and project it. Bringing it into consciousness is painful and eschews certainty, but is necessary to move into adventure, growth, goodness, and love.

10/11/2023

"And it hit me, like a wave pummeling over me, this was a metaphor of where I was in my life ... The dream was a wake-up call. Is this true of dreams in general? Aren’t dreams usually merely random leftovers and/or memories from our conscious life oddly getting mashed together and sorted out in our sleep? Or are dreams full of meaning for our lives?"

“There can’t be much to this and it feels a little embarrassing to even bring up,” I thought to myself a number of years ago as I entered my Jungian analyst’s office. I had only been coming to him for a month or so and he had encouraged me to write down my dreams and for us to discuss them. ...

09/11/2023

“As long as one is running from one’s own soul, no achievement, no compromise, no accommodation will satisfy.”
-James Hollis

01/11/2023

A poem that often comes to mind this time of year I wrote a few years ago …

27/10/2023

"The irony, of course, is the loving God who saves you from the wrathful God, is the same God. It is “God” who gives the same existential anxiety that he supposedly relieves. If we were to put this in human terms, God starts to look a lot like an abusive relationship."

“If you were to die tonight and stand before God and he were to ask you, ‘Why should I let you into heaven, what would you say?’” This was the question I asked people when attempting to convert them to my now abandoned, dogmatic, evangelical religion. I believed it was the most importa...

26/10/2023

"The irony, of course, is the loving God who saves you from the wrathful God, is the same God. It is “God” who gives the same existential anxiety that he supposedly relieves. If we were to put this in human terms, God starts to look a lot like an abusive relationship."

“If you were to die tonight and stand before God and he were to ask you, ‘Why should I let you into heaven, what would you say?’” This was the question I asked people when attempting to convert them to my now abandoned, dogmatic, evangelical religion. I believed it was the most importa...

04/10/2023

Reposting as many of you had trouble with the original post link:

“Over the years of pastoring, many things would bubble up and I would subsequently stuff them back down. The more I studied scripture, the harder it was to harmonize it … Additionally, the world wasn’t always black and white as we tried to make it. Still further, the church often seemed to be on the wrong side of history when it came to social progress and righting injustices. And then there was the narrow understanding of eternity that continuously plagued me through the years that just did not add up.”

Upon reflection of my spiritual journey, I recognize two interweaving trajectories; the existential one from within me and the communal one from without, both of which have profoundly shaped me. Memories go back to many days spent outside, imagination turning everyday into an adventure. The woods ne...

03/10/2023

“The good and needed process of questioning everything had given me the courage to disentangle from a life limited by dogma and narrow views about God and ultimate reality … But I seemed to be stuck again. The leaves of color had been fading from my life and I knew it. Meaninglessness was settling in and chilling me to the bone. I wasn’t trying to go there, it’s just not much was left.”

“I can’t catch my breath. What’s happening?” I sat in my office and for no apparent reason my heart was racing. I was short of breath and breaking out in a cold sweat. “Oh no, am I having a heart attack?” I stood up and felt dizziness. Then dread … deep, dark, dread began to overtake m...

28/09/2023

“Over the years of pastoring, many things would bubble up and I would subsequently stuff them back down. The more I studied scripture, the harder it was to harmonize it … Additionally, the world wasn’t always black and white as we tried to make it. Still further, the church often seemed to be on the wrong side of history when it came to social progress and righting injustices. And then there was the narrow understanding of eternity that continuously plagued me through the years that just did not add up.”