Fundamental to a spiritual life in our human frame is a belief. Call it faith, as some do. Call it an inner sense of something that goes beyond our physical experience. Call it anything. A spiritual life for humans sits squarely on an uneasy sense that there is something greater than me. What you do with that certainty or reluctant truce determines your spiritual life.
When I look at it that way, it seems obvious that there is much that is greater than me. Some things I've learned to trust as greater are: the wisdom of some recovery groups, the power and peace of nature, and the voice inside that seems to be both me and not me. Oh my gosh, this sounds so analytic and intellectual.
Let me try again. I'm what you might call an experiential intellectual! I have to experience a concept and, indeed, the universal energy (Big Dude, God, or whatchamacallit). I have to feel it. Like doubting Thomas, I come to the higher realms with an oh-yeah?-prove-it attitude.
If you've read my blog from the beginning, you know that I waffle and worry and occasionally wax eloquent with inspiration. It comes and goes.
My earliest sense of the sacred came from nature. I grew up in a physically stunning geographical setting. My home was on a river at the edge of a forest and the whole of it was surrounded by water--almost like living on a particularly verdant island. My home life was a bit chaotic and so I spent as much time as possible in the woods or in the water. Nature spoke to me already when I was a preschooler.
Eventually, I found myself in groups that seemed to have a magical quality to them, to be places of safety and insight. I came to seek out such groups and eventually found myself drawn,more recently, to recovery groups. What are the qualities of the spiritual groups that teach and nurture me? First, they have rules and guidelines that create safe communication (no cross talk, one person shares at a time, the good of the group precedes the needs of one individual). Second, they have a framework or set of spiritual principles that all members accept as valuable and aspire to achieve. Finally, they have a leader whose task is simply to assure the framework and guidelines are upheld. Much like a Quaker meeting, members of such groups find themselves moved to speak with an honesty and power that seem to transcend what they could say in other conversations. As a member of such groups, I find myself experiencing a power greater than myself.
Then, there is that inner voice I mentioned earlier. This week and maybe one other time, I have found myself able to join my will with a higher power (Big Dude, God, or whatchamacallit) and to literally change my own perception and behavior. To get real about it. I was struggling to let go of an unhealthy attachment or false god, you might say. I had spent the better part of a month worrying over it, crying, sharing with friends and groups, reading, praying, and NOTHING was working. Finally, in desperation, I decided to take a vacation from thinking about the situation. I wouldn't let myself worry about whether that was the right thing to do because, hey, I was "on vacation." Every time a thought or feeling about this thing came up, I would flick my fingers and mentally say, "on vacation."
What happened was amazing! Soon I found that I could join my intention with Intention, the higher version of my own will. I began to "hear" a strong voice inside of me saying things like: "not your problem," or "don't go there" or "not today." The voice morphed into more profound offerings like: "You have choice here and I recommend . . ." or "You really dealt with that well; you were detached and loving."
In recovery, people might say I was building a strong adult or reparenting myself well. They also might say that I had accessed the "higher power of my understanding." I love what is happening. I feel like a co-creator of my experiences in league with a higher energy and understanding. I am in league with the Big Dude! Call it what you will--a rose by any other name would smell as sweet (Shakespeare). Namaste. Roxie
When I look at it that way, it seems obvious that there is much that is greater than me. Some things I've learned to trust as greater are: the wisdom of some recovery groups, the power and peace of nature, and the voice inside that seems to be both me and not me. Oh my gosh, this sounds so analytic and intellectual.
Let me try again. I'm what you might call an experiential intellectual! I have to experience a concept and, indeed, the universal energy (Big Dude, God, or whatchamacallit). I have to feel it. Like doubting Thomas, I come to the higher realms with an oh-yeah?-prove-it attitude.
If you've read my blog from the beginning, you know that I waffle and worry and occasionally wax eloquent with inspiration. It comes and goes.
My earliest sense of the sacred came from nature. I grew up in a physically stunning geographical setting. My home was on a river at the edge of a forest and the whole of it was surrounded by water--almost like living on a particularly verdant island. My home life was a bit chaotic and so I spent as much time as possible in the woods or in the water. Nature spoke to me already when I was a preschooler.
Eventually, I found myself in groups that seemed to have a magical quality to them, to be places of safety and insight. I came to seek out such groups and eventually found myself drawn,more recently, to recovery groups. What are the qualities of the spiritual groups that teach and nurture me? First, they have rules and guidelines that create safe communication (no cross talk, one person shares at a time, the good of the group precedes the needs of one individual). Second, they have a framework or set of spiritual principles that all members accept as valuable and aspire to achieve. Finally, they have a leader whose task is simply to assure the framework and guidelines are upheld. Much like a Quaker meeting, members of such groups find themselves moved to speak with an honesty and power that seem to transcend what they could say in other conversations. As a member of such groups, I find myself experiencing a power greater than myself.
Then, there is that inner voice I mentioned earlier. This week and maybe one other time, I have found myself able to join my will with a higher power (Big Dude, God, or whatchamacallit) and to literally change my own perception and behavior. To get real about it. I was struggling to let go of an unhealthy attachment or false god, you might say. I had spent the better part of a month worrying over it, crying, sharing with friends and groups, reading, praying, and NOTHING was working. Finally, in desperation, I decided to take a vacation from thinking about the situation. I wouldn't let myself worry about whether that was the right thing to do because, hey, I was "on vacation." Every time a thought or feeling about this thing came up, I would flick my fingers and mentally say, "on vacation."
What happened was amazing! Soon I found that I could join my intention with Intention, the higher version of my own will. I began to "hear" a strong voice inside of me saying things like: "not your problem," or "don't go there" or "not today." The voice morphed into more profound offerings like: "You have choice here and I recommend . . ." or "You really dealt with that well; you were detached and loving."
In recovery, people might say I was building a strong adult or reparenting myself well. They also might say that I had accessed the "higher power of my understanding." I love what is happening. I feel like a co-creator of my experiences in league with a higher energy and understanding. I am in league with the Big Dude! Call it what you will--a rose by any other name would smell as sweet (Shakespeare). Namaste. Roxie
Belief is a necessity of life itself. The five senses are too poor to deliver complete knowledge of the world and its resident objects. Before we know (literally!!) the trouble-maker duo - mind and brain - construct the sense-based information into knowledge useful enough for daily living. What they fill the gap with is belief. At their hands belief looks like 'previous knowledge' or oft-repeated phenomenon' but an assurance that it is still valid and true is the belief.
ReplyDeleteAny knowledge so manufactured has a context of time & space; but when we use it as permanent truth we believe it to be so. On analysis, we find several gaps filled with beliefs that make our life a smooth journey.
Mind's creation is one thing, but some one else's belief transplanted into our system is blind belief. It is mind's mischief to conceal this. Clever intellectuals decorate and mask the beliefs in paraphernalia to hoodwink the blind followers.
Hinduism is not a religion in this context like other religions because it remains an open system able to accommodate any number of variations, contradictions and approaches, all equally valid and respected. Your blog prompts me to suggest that the next vacation from thinking may be a visit to India, if you haven't already. No promise of meeting the Big Dude, but there will be many co-travelers. From there the Big Dude is not actually far away; the guy is only elusive.
I hope you see that in this blog, I am creating an open space that does "accommodate any number of variations, contradictions, and approaches." I am a college professor by trade and I watch the struggles of the young many of whom are, as the saying goes, "spiritual but not religious." The title of the blog came to me from listening to them. This is their language and I wanted to provide a venue where those who feel marginalized by mainstream religions and who are seekers of something more could hang out. I also write the blog for and from myself in the persona of Roxie because I, too, am a seeker who does not find much/enough/anything in religion per se. Thank you for suggesting I go to India. I can't imagine such a thing but you've planted a seed, so, who knows? I may have to win the lottery for that seed to flower though. Keeping it real!
DeleteI connected a lot with this posting and I'm now interested in Hinduisim. I've explored it some but where would you suggest I begin short of going to India?
Keep sharing and thank you. Roxie
I would recommend Swami Vivekanand's "Raja Yoga" & Paramhansa Yogananda's "Autobiography of a yogi", both masterpieces. Then start with Yogi Aurobindo's "Savitri" that needs months, not days to finish. Its best read a few pages a day. Then read Chip Hartrafnt's "Yoga Sutra" to catch a brief, little glossy but well-written. After this, you can also read my book, "Making of a yoga Master".
ReplyDeleteThis way, you will know some Indians, ahead of a visit.
When you meet a yogi in India, you will notice how uncommonly common the person is. For many Indians, Yoga is life; and they are blissfully unaware of it. We are born 'yougik/spiritual' but lose touch with this life when it becomes merely ‘a series of experiences’. A problem with experiencing is that instead of remaining aware about them we become them. We have to repair this illusion by undoing all our predispositions to know onese, the process of yoga. One who lets it happen is a yogi.
ReplyDeleteExperiences differ, so do the routes and methods of undoing. Asana oils the body-machine, pranayama cleans the engine, yamas protect it from environmental corrosion, niyamas prevent the inner decay. Then the body is ready for the overhaul. The insulated body brings to light the hidden astral body and the same process is extended to bring the causal body under conscious control.
While this happens, experiencing transforms from out-bound to inbound attention, from objects to images, from images to symbols, from symbols to coded patterns and that brings life back on our radar.
But the greatest hurdle in the yoga process is our own self. Our self-view is never aligned with our world-view, but remains divisive, oversimplified, exaggerated and unreal. When the two views merge, the life is instantly known as consciousness and manifested life as objects/ forms.
Yoga mimics life. Consider asana, pranayama and all 8 limbs as separate and you have a problem. Consider them as many aspects of the same journey and you would see the truth. In a very subtle way, enlightenment will no more be an event (like graduation) nor will it be ‘achievable’ (like success). Enlightened is what we really are, until realized. And this realization occurs first on the physical human plane where we experience ordinarily. Our routine remains the same, interactions with people and objects do not change. What changes dramatically is our take from that. Even while we experience we can easily stand aside and see the process. After the experience, there are no residues, emotional or otherwise. Thus, while you stay engaged with the worldly activities which with no strings attached is even more intense, your awareness expands multi-fold and does not remain a prisoner to the material world. Thus, one travels light.
My impression from your blogs is that you perhaps consider this freedom of awareness as condescending to trials and tribulations of the human kind. In my view that is neither intended nor required.