Sunday, September 23, 2012

Spirituality and awareness

I've been thinking about the idea of spirituality and what it means to me at this point of my experience. Even since stepping back from church, I've connected spirituality with "sacred" activities: prayer, contemplation, meditation, reading a sacred text, etc. While I still think these activities can provide a vehicle for connecting with the spiritual (greater awareness), more and more I perceive that spirituality is awareness. No wonder some of my most spiritual moments were in intense sessions with clients. It was in those moments that I became more aware of how my own judgements, and closed-mindedness was contributing to the pain and suffering of the world. I could also see that my judgments and closed-mindedness came from fears, from things I didn't understand and so, looked scary. What spiritual moments to see the reality of how my own limited understanding hurt myself and others, and how despite that, my limited understanding was that...ignorance...not a reflection of me being a "bad person."

"Oh...so, I'm enough, I'm enough because I'm me doing the best I know how to do, and even in that I still hurt myself and others with my ignorance" To me, that feels like spirituality. Seeing the reality of my own limitations, and yet my value as a human. And as our awareness grows, so to does our ability to change.

May I open my spiritual eyes, may I see things as they really are.

"For me, the word God means “reality.”
Reality is God, because it rules."
-Byron Katie

2 comments:

  1. I love this. Very nice. I am going through this chronologically even though you said it doesn't necessarily happen so.

    Your profession above other allows you to fulfill the purpose I believe we all are here to master. You bring more love, caring and understanding to this earth than many people do. It is to heal where there is brokenness. It is to bring light where there is darkness. It is to restore sanity where insanity reigns, kindness where fear has taken over.

    That is a beautiful purpose. Hopefully you never think that your limitations if genuinely directed to care for another human as limitations but a remarkable purpose in life.

    I hope your other posts are as beautiful as this one

    Well done!

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    Replies
    1. Dan,

      Thank you for your thoughts and kindness! It is a good thing to continue reminding myself that my limitations and humanness are just part of the process, and that I can still fulfill my purpose, and grow and love, even though I make mistakes :)

      I hope things are going really well for you!

      Jenny

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