“Holiness grows so fast where there is kindness. The world is lost for want of sweetness and kindness. Do not forget we need each other.”
~ Mother Teresa
It’s not unusual for family members to quarrel. But we work it out. The same challenges face us as members of the family of mankind. And, we’re working things out, thanks to those of us who value diversity and understand that we need each other as we are, not converted to some kind of sanctioned sameness. Viva la difference! as they say.
This is our final blog based on an alphabet of spiritual literacy developed by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat1. I’ve been inspired by their list and developed my own elaborations. These are best considered as meditative morsels and digested as nourishment that can deepen your momentary experience of connection with life and communion with each other. In fact, we are always connected, it’s inherent in life, but the epidemic of loneliness assaulting our human species testifies to a special irony: we need each other to remember that we need each other, to overcome this alienating side effect of civilization.
Here are the final seven key words on Brassat’s list.
Silence
“Silence is golden.” Why do we say that? Because we understand that spirit is always active, alive in the silence and spaces of our lives. When we learn to honor the unseen and unheard, we expand our experience from the literal to the poetic and become able to embrace a largeness to life that is unobtainable in the material world alone. In the silence we grow and dream and love and share.
Teachers
Where would we be without our teachers? Indeed, we probably wouldn’t survive. We come into this world completely vulnerable and defenseless. Parents and teachers help us equip ourselves to live successfully and happily. The best teachers are those who also understand the inner journey and can guide us from the inner trail they are walking, at least a few steps ahead of us.
Transformation
Life is transformation. From the spectacle of a caterpillar morphing into a butterfly to the everyday unseen regeneration of cells in our bodies, every moment of life includes some degree of fundamental change. It’s easy to forget that if our lives become dulled by routine, but we can recapture the magic of any moment. How? It could be as simple as voicing an appreciation for some simple gift we are receiving right now. Like the air we are breathing, the sun shining on us, a breeze cooling us.
Unity
Unity is not sameness. Think of an orchestra. Each member plays their instrument, using their unique skills, and – by all following the same score and heeding the conductor – can create beautiful music together. True unity is diversity in harmony, a reunion of separation that enhances every part.
Vision
The Bible warns that “without vision the people perish.” Vision is more than seeing; it includes intention, peering over the horizon of the moment and extending a force of creativity to establish an energetic foundation for the material form of our daily living. With vision, we can build miracles, because we’ve started where life always begins, with the invisible, the unseen, the genius of spirit awaiting articulation in the 3D world.
Wonder
We lived in wonder as children and it’s not too late to reclaim our heritage. It’s only resignation to a perceived sameness that dulls obscures the wonder of a moment, oppressing with unconscious beliefs that turn novelty into routine. “What if” is the core question that can unlock our capacity for experiencing and growing wonder.
Yearning
It’s natural to yearn for what we want. But, what do we want? Behind all “things” are feelings. When we understand that true desire lives in the soul, we can surrender our quest to feed that hunger from the material world. Jesus said, “I have meat you know not of.” He yearned for God, for an ever deepening connection in oneness with his Father within. This is the natural yearning that lives in the heart of desire. When we accept this, we can release our addictions and return to the center point of connection and Love.
We all need each other to live. Look around, notice who is here for you, and marshal an attitude of gratitude for what these friends and family and teachers and healers are bringing you. And, in the same breath, appreciate what you are giving them. We live, truly, in a free sea of generosity, giving and receiving Love to expand our awareness and experience of the overwhelmingly magnificent gift that life is.