Spiritual “Flocking” ~ Do Birds of a Feather Flock Together — or Do Opposites Attract?
A 12-pound hawksbill turtle crawled up to die on a North Carolina beach. An autopsy showed that half of its weight was plastic. Its stomach and intestines contained multi-colored beads, part of a comb, two golf tees, a toy wheel, rope, balloon, part of a plastic bottle, a plastic toothpaste cap, the top of a plastic medical syringe, baggies, and a plastic flower.* Its contents were carb-free, but had no nutritional value. (As referenced by Paul Varo Martinson in World Religions: The Problem of Imaging Christ, Imaging Christ: Politics, Art, Spirituality, ed. Francis A. Eigo, Villanova, PA: Villanova University Press, 1991, 111).
Apart from the environmental and ecological travesties associated with the turtle’s poor food choices, this unfortunate incident speaks to the message of this post: Unless we are open to personal and spiritual transformation and to the transformational languaging which goes along with it, we risk having our spirit choked and clogged with the plastic half-truths of conventional thinking and embedded theology which can clutter half, or all, of our thinking.
We encourage you to ‘get over’ carrying around plastic thoughts and attitudes like the plastic trash in the turtle’s stomach before they send you crawling up on beaches of convention instead of soaring up mountains toward enlightenment.
This blogcast is based on a chapter from a really neat book entitled ‘Get Over It’ (It’s our book so we’re naturally high on it!). This article is designed to help you move from plastic to platinum in your thinking — from blind acceptance of conventional thinking to the unlimited openness and joy of transformational thinking.
The phrases we’re inviting you to ‘get over’ in this blogcast usually come as a pair. They are: “Birds of a feather stick together” and “opposites attract.”
We’re going to give you a bird’s eye view of these assumptions which we believe are flying out of formation. These two phrases, we think you’ll agree, have been winging it for some time. (Forgive us … we couldn’t resist the puns! But there is a serious message nesting here.)
The “birds of a feather stick together” proverb has been around a long time … since at least the mid 16th century. It first appeared in 1545 in William Turner’s version of his papist satire The Rescuing of Romish Fox:
“Byrdes of one kynde and color flok and flye allwayes together.”
No such origin can be found for “opposites attract,” although its origin may be closer than we think. It is actually a social psychology concept called “common belief factor.” It springs from the word “heterocentrism.” “Hetero” is the Greek word for “different. “Centre” is Greek for “centered on” or “drawn toward.” To use a similar analogy, a “heliocentric” plant, like a sunflower, is one that grows toward or is drawn to the sun. So, something which is “heterocentric” involves two or more UNLIKE things that are drawn towards each other.
Do opposites attract? Or do birds of a feather flock together? What does the latest research literature have to say about that? In one of the most comprehensive studies ever undertaken on these questions, researchers at the University of Iowa found [those of you who are looking for the perfect soulmate or business partner may want to listen carefully]:
- that people tend to hang around people who are similar in attitudes, interests, philosophy, religion, and values.
- However, it is the complementary nature of our personalities that appears to be more important in maintaining enduring and happy relationships. Those similarities include character traits like: assertiveness, introversion and extroversion, compassion, even-temperedness, sense of humor, and so on. (The findings appear in the February issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 88, No., 2, published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Other than that, nothing is definitive. The concepts of ‘birds of a feather flocking together’ or ‘opposites attracting’ seem to boil down to one thing: the power of choice.
There is no automatic, incontrovertible, mindless magnetism that pulls people together. If that sounds like fowl language, we invite you to consider the fact that in order for these two sayings to be absolute sayings they would have to be true in all circumstances.
People who are the same don’t always hang out with each other. Opposites aren’t always attracted to each other. We choose with whom we flock, herd, swim, swarm, or hibernate.
We (the authors f this blog) like to hang around with open-minded people and other truth seekers. We also like to flock with dancers, people who love the performing arts, open-minded people, high energy people, bloggers, philosophers and metaphysicians, possibility-thinkers, healers, and frozen custard lovers, good conversationalists, movie goers, people who love to travel, people who have a good sense of humor, and banana pudding lovers, to name a few!
So who do you prefer to flock with — and what impact do they have on your life? Choose wisely, because the right people will help you walk the spiritual path on practical feet!
The Authors: Combine a flair for the dramatic, a deep understanding of metaphysics combined with the teachings of Jesus, and a zest for ministry, and you have defined Revs. Bil & Cher Holton, the dynamic duo who serve as co-ministers for Unity Spiritual Life Center, Durham, NC. This exciting couple bring their love for Truth Principles to everything they do, and work together to create a center that lives its vision and mission in everything it does.They are prolific authors, and share their metaphysical and spiritual principles through their website: http://www.TheMetaphysicalWebsite.com
We are experiencing record-breaking heat this summer, and people have become very creative in ways to “beat the heat!” This Sunday, Revs. Bil & Cher will be looking at a different kind of heat — the heat of dealing with those difficult people in your lives … the heat of emotional situations … the heat of unmanifested expectations. How can we use our Spiritual Truths to deal with this situations in a way that keeps us cool, calm, and Divinely centered?
