Yesterday a friend posted a link to a blog on Huffington Post (thank you Yvonne for the inspiration) ...
Are You a Spiritual Snob? And it got me thinking, am I a Spiritual Slob?
I hold my hands up and declare that I didn't read the entire article. It was too long and the print too small for the early morning hour when I clicked the link. And I have rather a lot of spiritual cramming to do in the mornings before I can get my day going.
Time was running out. So please don't shoot me if I've misinterpreted some elements of the blog. My defence is that it got me questioning.
What I immediately grasped, nay, seized upon ... were a few sentences that allowed me to forgive myself and condone some perhaps slob-ish behaviour. And I won't deny that I probably inflated my interpretation to suit my own purpose.
Here's the first couple of sentences:
"I embrace your desire to make money--lots of it, from doing what you love. I talk about my omnivorous diet, the occasional glass of vino, those times when I falter, and when I succeed along my chosen path."
"We want our teachers to be better than us, more perfected. It's great to have role models. But don't fall into the trap of believing that you're not already right there, ready and able to be every bit as spiritual as your teachers. Even with a cheeseburger in your hand."
Ok, this didn't have me rushing out the door for a Big Mac or reaching for the Chardonnay. But it did make me wonder about being the said spiritual slob or am I just trying too hard to be spiritual?
I mentioned spiritual cramming in the mornings. I came to the world of alternative therapies spiritualism and psychic stuff relatively late in life ... in my 40s. So I feel that I've got a lot of making up to do. And sometimes I run out of spiritual breath.
In the morning, I do my Gratitude, meditate, do some energy clearing. I try to do my Morning Pages. It's all a bit of a race. I'd love to pick a daily Tarot or Angel card; swing my pendulum a bit, have a chat with my guides. But there's a brown and white furry thing to greet, feed and run. Coffee to be downed. Juices to be made. The working day to start. And the need to be present ever in my mind.
I appreciate that this might sound more than a tad precious. It's easy for me to choose my morning routine. I'm in a relationship lay-by. I have no children. It's just me, my dog, my nespresso machine, my journal and my laptop.
When I learnt to meditate I was told that upon rising, you should do a self-massage with sesame oil, shower, do some yoga exercises, some pranayama. Don't have a dog as they have a negative impact on your aura. And coffee was definitely not recommended before going in search of your subconscious or higher self. I was fanatical, apart from the coffee.
10 years on from launching myself into my own self-induced spiritual rat-race, I'm a lot more lenient with myself.
I don't oil up and shower before I meditate.
I do it in my jimjams caressing an espresso in my hands instead of doing pranayama. And I follow a different meditation to the one I learnt.
My back doesn't permit the recommended yoga. My dog nestles next to me while I meditate. I sometimes clean both our auras to be on the safe. I wonder where she drifts off to while I'm seeking to quiet the noise in my head? Is she chasing squirrels while my mind is competing with the higher realms and Sainsbury's food aisles?
So what's my point? "Finally" you might be screaming!
Are we guilty of being too hard on ourselves? Of setting ourselves a spiritual exam? Or is this me, just finding excuses for being a bit of a spiritual sloth?
Love to hear your thoughts!
In the meantime, I leave you with some words from Sadie Nardini and the link to her blog.
"You are that which you seek already. The more you think you're not, the more you're not. The more you think you are...well, you get the picture."
