Find
Your Way
“Pitfalls
of the Seeker:
Knowing
where you're going.
Struggling
to get there.
Using
someone else's map.
Working to
improve yourself.
Setting a
timetable.
Waiting
for a miracle.
There's no
better way to be a genuine seeker than to avoid these pitfalls.”
Deepak
Chopra (The Book of Secrets, p. 49)
My friend, Harry, and I
have pseudo-arguments about whether or not meditation is the foremost
avenue to spiritual growth and freedom from fear. He meditates daily
and is a true believer. I am not given to sitting meditation; my mind
is a busybody that revels in disruption of the peace. It yaks, it sings, it
clings and latches onto things. It replays conversations, rewrites
them into something more interesting, and, in general, keeps a
running banter no matter how many times I return to the breath.
Harry's way is not my way. So, I don't sit in meditation, unless you
count sitting on my porch observing the wind in the trees and
listening to the birds sing.
A couple of my friends
study at the Jung Institute in Zurich. They find great interest and
solace in contemplating the deeper meanings of human behavior. Being
in a climate of other seekers-after-knowledge-and-wisdom energizes
them. They are both close in age to me, and at this stage of life
they are still willing to write papers and take tests. Study is a
path to peace for some of us.
Two of my church friends
are taking a three week course in glass work. They are learning how
to fuse glass to make artistic dishes and other objects. Next
in their plan is to learn to layer glass for depth. Even as
beginners, their work is beautiful, and I've never before seen them
so alight with excitement. Creativity and self-expression are avenues
to soul for some of us. Other close friends attend a centering prayer
group every week. They wouldn't think of missing it, since it grounds
them in the deep stillness of communal prayer. It is their path.
The point is, your
journey to soul may be very different from mine. Don't try to make
yourself fit someone else's method. Mostly, spiritual growth is
spontaneous and unexpected. It happens when life opens up in a new
direction, or sometimes, when a door slams in your face. It's
unpredictable, and not subject to manipulation. Sometimes, insight
occurs instantaneously, without the slightest expectation on your
part. A mere glance, a word, changes your life utterly. No one else's
script is written for you. And when you experience sudden spiritual
insight, it's not a miracle. It's just life allowed to flow.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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