Primary
Spirit
“Human
beings are made of body, mind and spirit. Of these, spirit is
primary, for it connects us to the source of everything, the eternal
field of consciousness.”
Deepak
Chopra
Yesterday's
spirituality group was quite poignant. One member of the group, a
young man, had lost both a grandmother and a great-grandmother within
a week of each other. He had spent several weeks observing the
behavior of family members around the dying person. As difficult as
these times are for those left behind, they contain big life lessons.
This young man is not yet thirty, and already has come to see for
himself that real strength is demonstrated by people who are not
afraid to feel. He has greater appreciation for the differences
between the generations of men—from the “stiff upper lip—never
let them see you blink” grandfather, to the deeply affectionate
love of a grandson. He is able to articulate an understanding of why
there are these differences—there was no support for feeling one's
feelings for men of his grandfather's generation. Emotions, even in
the face of great loss, were considered weak and therefore,
unacceptable. This young man came away with more compassion for his
grandfather than he'd had before.
Spirit
is our primary link to reality. When we are able to tap our spiritual
connection to source, we feel safe in expressing the full range of
human emotions. We are open to sorrow and joy, to grief and
excitement, to pain and acceptance. When we shut down our connection
to spirit because it carries with it feelings we believe are
dangerous, there are many fewer experiences open to us. We become
half-persons, and usually the half we have available is hard and
brittle from the effort of holding the door shut. Perhaps this young
man, this grandson, demonstrated for his grandfather what it means to
be a whole man. Perhaps, he created a little chink in the armor for
light to shine through.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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