There are several pictures on the walls in my bedroom. I love these images. They speak to me. When I get up in the morning and when I go to bed in the eventing I scan through them. They essentially serve as icons for me and remind me of the spiritual journey I am on.
There are two sets. The first pair has one picture of me standing on a mountain looking out over the landscape. It is paired with a picture of me sitting at a table outside, as if I am talking to someone.
The second pair has one picture of a monastery up in the mountains.
The second picture is of a woman standing on a rock ledge near a powerful waterfall holding her arms in the air and becoming a powerful part in the scene around her. She seems to be expressing her joy in just being there, and her oneness with all of creation, and her love of life itself.
I have routinely seen each pair as part of my practice and my effort to grow and change in the way I am present with the people, events, and things of my day. They reminded me of the necessary connection between the two. I still see that.
As I did my scan of the pictures this morning, they had yet another meaning. This time each picture was about my journey and about the way I live my life. There was still the one about “growth” to remind me that growth is always part of living my life, but it is no longer some kind of project, it is simply another part of the way I live my life. This seemed to speak to me of some kind of awakening. Up to now the journey and the living has involved the hard work of transformation and conversion of heart. This morning both were simply about living my life. Now my practice and my journal have become an integral part of the way I live my life.
There is a parallel here with my blog. Essentially I have just finished the design. Now I am free to just blog. It just becomes another part of living my life.
I also noticed that when I get up in the morning to go into my sanctuary I really want to get dressed, and not necessarily wear my monk’s robe which used to be an important part of my practice. There is something about that which has the same meaning. The robe speaks to me of the hard work of the work of conversion of heart, and the regular clothes represent living my life. My practice has become an integral part of the way I live my life, as has my journal. There is still growth and transformation to experience, but it is not so much “the work of the spiritual journey”. It is more and more a part of the way I live my life.
Love it, and I am very grateful for this way.
Read, Reflect, Enjoy
I look forward to your comments.
Richard