Why follow a spiritual path?

Carry On

“After ecstasy, the laundry.”         Zen Saying

         I had a conversation over the weekend about why I follow a spiritual practice. Did it change my life? Did I feel holy? Was I a better person? Did I have a one-to-one relationship with the divine? And so on. The answer to those is yes, no, sometimes, maybe. Here’s the deal, you don’t wake up enlightened and the world falls away and you stay in a constant state of spiritual bliss. Like the Zen saying above, and another that says, “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water,” a spiritual practice does not mean you do not have to deal with the world, and you still have your own personality (bless your heart), and bad things still happen. What it does mean is that you will perceive those things differently.

         When you practice a spiritual discipline, and you read and ‘work your program’ as they say in the 12-step groups, you see things differently. First and foremost, you see yourself as just one more human being. Yes, you are a unique manifestation of life, and yes, you have your own special abilities and gifts, but so does everyone else—even Taliban and those Somali pirates. We are all children of the same creator. All our hearts beat the same. All of us have, or had, mamas who love us. That understanding alone softens your stance on your empirical ‘rightness’.

         Spending half and hour a day focusing on one’s connection to divine light, rather than winning at all cost, climbing the corporate ladder, or enriching the bank account, begins to redirect your notions about what is important and what is driven by the ego’s need for aggrandizement. It’s been compared to putting on a new pair of glasses and seeing life as it is for the first time. The need to compete and make yourself financially solvent is still there, but it’s not the driving force in your life. As my son would say, “It’s not my moral compass, Mom!”

         So, chop wood, carry water, go to the grocery store, get that spread sheet done, or finish your assignment. Just leave a few minutes to check in with your beating heart, your calming breath, your divine spark.

                          In the spirit,

                          Jane

P.S. How about that Crimson Tide, y’all!