Spiritual practice, especially meditation or contemplation that quiets our minds and opens our hearts and souls to Spirit is deeply transformational.Growing up in a fairly conservative Christian home, I didn't know anyone who had any kind of contemplative practice. Going to church once or twice a week, prayers before meals and bedtime, along with varying degrees of Bible study and reading of inspirational materials are all I ever witnessed of the spiritual life. As a teen and young adult, I began to develop my own spiritual life by emulating what I had seen as a child. I found these spiritual activities to be meaningful to me up to a certain point but I always felt frustrated and wanting more. But I had no idea what was missing.
The summer after my first year of college, I worked on my dad's farm moving irrigation pipes across huge fields of wheat and soy beans. My nearest friends lived over an hour and a half away so evenings were quiet to say the least. Therefore, on those quiet, lonely evenings, I began a practice of climbing the hill behind the house, sitting in the spot of sand that had the best view of the western horizon and the rolling fields of green and gold, and silently watching the sun set. This practice calmed my spirit and soul and filled my heart in such a way that made me feel connected to something larger than myself. Sometimes I would think about life and its complexities but often I would just sit and be. Little did I know that I was experiencing my first meditation practice.
Later years brought career, marriage, children and the busyness that life seems to pulse with in our culture and I lost touch with the practice of silence and connecting. Still later, when my marriage was ending, my kids were on their way out of the nest and I was realizing that my old head-based religion could not help me. . . I once again turned toward the contemplative.
Now, after 5 years of daily meditation practice, I find myself deeply transformed. Most of my life I have struggled with depression, whereas now I rarely experience a blue feeling. Instead of having wildly swinging moods, I feel content with what life brings me from day to day. My relationships are deeper and more stable. My spiritual life is more fulfilling and meaningful. I have a deep sense of inner peace and well-being. In many ways, I am living a whole new life.
I have noticed that most movies have at least one character that goes through some kind of major transformation during the duration of the film. The story begins where the character is stuck in some area of his/her life and then a new person or event becomes a catalyst that precipitates change. I like to call this phenomenon - "Fire in the Heart". I had longed most of my life to have an ongoing fire of transformation burning in my heart. . . yet my childhood religion hadn't given it to me, therapy hadn't given it to me nor had a host of different kinds of relationships. What finally turned the smoldering desire for change into a full-blown fire of transformation in my life was being still, connecting to The Source of All That Is, and getting a vision of who I could become.
Now, as a spiritual coach, I ask people what they want more of in their life, I explore with them what might be getting in the way of having these things in their life and then coach them on how to invite a transformational fire into their heart through a deep and quiet connection to the Source of All That Is. For you, it may be a regular practice of hiking up a hill and quietly watching the sun set, for others it may be doing visualization meditations with a group, meeting with a group of spiritual explorers in a wisdom circle or creating a sacred place in your house which is set apart for contemplation in which you can quietly sit with the intention to connect to the Source of the Transformational Fire.
What do you want more of in your life?
(Image by Kathleen Cavender)
