Do you ask the BIG questions?

Everyday Spirituality

“All day I think about it, then at night I say it.  Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing?  I have no idea.  My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that, and I intend to end up there.”

Jalal ad-Din Rumi, Persian poet and mystic (1207-1273)

“Religion is for people who are scared to go to hell.  Spirituality is for people who have already been there.”

                                    Bonnie Raitt, Singer/Songwriter

            I must admit, I take some comfort in the fact that Rumi, that famous Sufi mystic and writer of passionate poetry, asked the same questions I have asked myself repeatedly.  I wonder whether you ask such questions too.  Who am I?  I have this niggling sense that there is something I’m supposed to do; what is it?  I have an uncomfortable feeling that something very big is hovering just out of reach; what is that?  When I have an experience that takes me out of myself, what does it mean?  How can I connect with whatever is within me that begs for expression?  These are questions that seekers have been asking for as long as there have been human beings walking upright on the planet.   I like to think they are questions my soul is whispering in my ear.

            Spirituality is not something that requires us to go sit in a cave and contemplate shadows on the wall until we’re arthritic.  Nor is it weird or cultish or satanic.  It is not hunkering in a dark room attempting to contact the spirit world that lies beyond the veil. Spirituality is simply living in a state of awareness.  It is doing everyday things while being fully present in the moment.  To say that most of us don’t live this way, is not a huge criticism, but it does mean that much of our lives happen without our knowing it.  We eat in the car or in front of the television.  We multi-task while catching the news.  We work out at the gym with earphones blasting music into our brains.  That is the way of modern American life.  But in the process of living in constant motion, we lose ourselves and our connection to the earth and to all that is alive within us.  At some point, it is important to take the time and make the space to become one with ourselves.  That’s the role of spirituality---to us connect with our very souls.

            Many of us first make contact with Spirit only after something terrible happens—we get a diagnosis, someone we love dies, life as we know it comes crashing down around our ears.  When we have an up-close and personal brush with mortality, ours or somebody else’s, our spiritual needs come into sharp focus.   But it’s not necessary to wait for disaster to befall you to decide to take the plunge.  There are many “low impact” yet “high octane” ways of practicing spirituality that don’t involve church or religion.  Here’s a suggestion.  Take one day, or even one hour, and do whatever you do with a simple prayer of gratitude.  Before you fold the laundry, say ‘thank you for these clothes;’ before you drink your cup of coffee, say ‘thank you for this coffee and all the hands that went into making it;’ before you take a walk, say ‘thank you for these legs and feet that can take me wherever I want to go;’ ‘thank you for the birds I hear singing;’ ‘thank you for the sun shining on my face;’ and so on.  You may be surprised at how calm you feel, how transformed, after a day or even an hour of gratitude.  Over the next few days, we’ll be looking at some more ways of practicing everyday spirituality.  I’d love to hear which practice resonates with you and how you feel at the end of the day.

                                                            I am thankful for you,

                                                            Jane