Spirituality can be a taboo and at the same time something we feel particularly drawn to…
Religion and various dogmas are losing their power over people and communities. At the same time, people stop holding dear the beliefs of the past. With this in mind, we are facing some new and emerging questions.
Actually, like everything else, there is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that magical thinking and superstitions of the past are not dictating our everyday habits. The bad news is that nothing is sacred anymore.
So I want to pop a question here.
What does sacred mean to you? And ultimately what is sacred in your life?
Trying to find meaning and a sense of the sublime and spirituality…
I am still struggling with the aforementioned questions myself. I have found helpful to have some kind of ritual or spiritual practice that I can use. These are inspired by various religious traditions. These are acts that can bring me (and I think anyone who is willing to give them a try) back to our centre during the day. This is true especially when we feel that something is not aligned within us.
Some ideas on what you can use for your own rituals are the following:
- relaxation – relaxing the muscles in your body and/or releasing thoughts
- breathing – focusing on your breath
- mindfulness – bringing your attention to anything you might be doing at the present moment (you can find a simple exercise in a past blog post)
- meditation – some active imagination techniques (usually some experience required here)
- some kind of movement or dance (usually in combination with mindfulness)
- gratitude – choosing to be thankful for what the present moment offers
- creating something as an offering – could be something creative or something you are good at (music piece, drawing, art, song etc.)
- drawing a mandala
- reciting a prayer or a poem that we feel connected to
- giving something without expecting anything in return.
And the question then is:
What can I expect from having a spiritual practice (because it is difficult for us not to expect something in return, isn’t it?)
Connecting with something sacred in you is possible. And waking up to what is really important in our lives might also be an important by-product of having a spiritual practice or ritual.
