Maxims and Aphorisms

This page will contain a complete record, as I post them, of my very short pieces of written ministry, which I term “maxims and aphorisms”. Each will also be posted as an image with text overlay, but the text of all of them will appear, unadorned, on this page. Click on a heading to go to the page with the image.
With 40 pieces now posted, I am taking a break from posting them. I am, however, posting reflections on those posted so far. These can be found via links saying (reflection) below, alongside those maxims and aphorisms that have had reflections posted.

Maxim 1

Always question everything; certainty is the enemy of spiritual growth. (reflection)

Maxim 2

The most important voice to speak and be heard is the lone voice. (reflection)

Maxim 3

No system of formal ethics can properly account for the range of human experience. (reflection)

Maxim 4

Fox is no greater authority than you or I, nor was his access to the true authority any greater than ours. (reflection)

Maxim 5

Each of us dies with our work incomplete. (reflection)

Maxim 6

Forgive as readily as you might, but do not be quick to forget. (reflection)

Maxim 7

Being who you are is never a sin. (reflection)

Maxim 8

In submitting our lives to the guidance of the Spirit, we choose – we are not chosen.

Maxim 9

Cruelty is wrong, and kindness is right – to yourself just as much as to others.

Maxim 10

Faith will not heal from illness or injury, but it can help to cope with them.

Maxim 11

Every one of us misses more revelations in a day than have ever been recorded.

Maxim 12

Everything, no matter how inspired, is a product of its time and its context.

Maxim 13

If you don't do something until you have learnt all there is to know about it, you will never do it.

Maxim 14

There is no simple truth.

Maxim 15

Love isn't everything, but it is a good start.

Maxim 16

You can’t do everything. That’s okay. Do what you can, today.

Maxim 17

The Light shines in, and through, every soul; it cannot be otherwise.

Maxim 18

We don’t always need to agree, but it is important to talk about the things we cannot agree.

Maxim 19

The human capacity for destruction is unbounded — even from well-meant actions.

Maxim 20

It is impossible to godless, only god-negligent.

Aphorism 1

The divine may be found everywhere; one does not look for the divine so much as look out for it. (reflection)

Aphorism 2

When you dwell in thought on important or profound matters, dwell also in the Spirit. Reason and Light combined give the truest fount of insight. (reflection)

Aphorism 3

Do not ask for lessons; all I can give are opportunities. (reflection)

Aphorism 4

Every prejudice that exists in your society is a part of you. To deny it is to refuse to fight it. (reflection)

Aphorism 5

The spiritual journey is much like the physical journeys of our lives. While you may return to the same territory, you will never see it with the same eyes. (reflection)

Aphorism 6

It is not faith that sustains us; the Spirit sustains us, and the exercise of faith and discipline facilitates this process. (reflection)

Aphorism 7

As leaders can only lead with the consent of those led, however grudging that might be, the Divine can only guide us if we are willing to be guided.

Aphorism 8

To be emotional is not weakness. To be rational is not strength. To dwell in the Light is not superiority. To be led by the Spirit is not infallibility. You are no better than them, whoever they are.

Aphorism 9

In accepting the nonexistence of the past and future, it is tempting to neglect them utterly. But while it is wise to dwell in the present, thoughtlessness for other times is not.

Aphorism 10

Not everything that is confusing or mysterious is profound. Do not mistake opacity for depth.

Aphorism 11

We may be led to a course of action by the Spirit, or by our ego, or by our id. Beware mistaking one for the other – but do not assume that a leading that serves ego or id does not come from the Spirit.

Aphorism 12

Truth learned from the words of others is never truly owned. It is necessary to learn it for yourself, from your own experience, to apprehend it fully.

Aphorism 13

Dealing with a difficult and emotive problem requires not only an open heart, but also an open mind. Be prepared to set aside preconceptions or treasured ideas.

Aphorism 14

When we lose something, or someone, we lose only its future. Treasure most those things you will treasure even when they're gone.

Aphorism 15

Hate is a disease; it has been said many times. It corrodes relationships, it harms those hated, but above all it harms those hating. Anger, though, can be healthy. Anger can be righteous, it can be used for good or for ill. Do not shame or exclude people simply for anger.

Aphorism 16

Improve yourself, but don’t try to be anyone but who you are. The Spirit does not expect us to be other than we are, merely to strive to be the best “you” that you can be.

Aphorism 17

Love is a fount of goodness, of insight and right action. Yet not all the fruits of love are always good. Acting out of love, we can restrain those we love, even harm them. Love must be joined with compassion, and with wisdom, to have its fullest expression.

Aphorism 18

The Divine is not inchoate, nor ill-defined. It is full and complete, eternal yet unchanging, forever itself. Yet by our natures and limitations, our understanding of it is shifting and incomplete, and must always be so, forever to be partial and provisional.

Aphorism 19

Sometimes conviction requires us to break rules or laws. Yet an act that is right can still be contrary to law, and our conviction must be sufficient for us to face the consequences, not just to demand that they be waived because of our conviction.

Aphorism 20

There is a certain dignity and respect that is due to all. It doesn’t matter what they have done, as it is not earned and cannot be lost. A fundamental recognition of mutual humanity underlies ‘human rights’, and no person can forego their humanity.
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