First of all a big thank you to all of you who sent me lovely messages in response to my previous blog post. I'm very grateful for your love and support! I was aware that this post was a very intimate look into my own personal process and I did hesitate in posting it. But then I jumped and experienced a surprisingly soft landing!
Anyway, I'm doing well with working through those patterns and am also aware that it will take more time to completely turn them around because they've been part of me practically my whole life. To be continued...
So what's currently on my mind?
COMMUNITY
A couple of days ago I decided to email everybody on my mailing list and ask them, in light of all these massive changes in the world, what they are dealing with. What challenges are people facing in their personal lives.
The response I've gotten so far ranges from the obvious economic and monetary challenges, to universal processes like "how to I stay centered while everything around me is wobbling" and "I'm having doubts about my personal direction and capacity".
It's been a great mirror to be gazing in and reflect upon.
Darn, what do I do with these feelings?
Well, besides my own personal spiritual practice, which is imperative in keeping a continuous sense of well-being flowing in my live, I usually reach out.
I reach out to friends, connect with like minded people so I feel not so alone in this.
The Three Jewels
Part of my spiritual practice is based in Buddhism and every day I'm chanting certain prayers and sacred texts. The second chant of the morning practice is a very straight forward one: I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. Even though it's chanted three times I'm often not very reflective on it. This time however it made me pause.
Free translation:
I'm connecting to a higher source and letting it guide my steps, I commit to living according to certain values and beliefs and seek out the support of a container of like minded individuals to help me live a spiritually fulfilling life.
Such a simple truth.
Whatever the Buddha is in your life, whatever the teaching is you follow, make sure you surround yourself with like-minded people in a supportive environment. Of course!
Sangha
The container of such a community has been a life saver for me .
It's been a place for my being to rest, a spiritual safe house.
It's been a place where I've been able to question my beliefs and grow because of it.
It's been a place where I have cried in desperation and was loved in return.
It's been an anchor in wobbly times.
It's allowed more awareness to develop and fears to lessen.
It's always been there to return to. Always.
So, if anything, I can offer you a place to pray and sit in ceremony with a bunch of like-minded, albeit (half) naked, people in a darkened tent. How's that for starters?
Whatever your circumstances, seek out the souls that are on a similar path and connect with them. Grab every chance you get at this point in our collective evolutionary journey to contribute to the well-being of all the people on this planet by immersing yourself in feelings of connectedness, well-being, love and joy.
It's one of the greatest gifts you can give the world.
It's contagious.
AND IT'S GREAT FUN TOO!
