After the laundry, the ecstasy

[theatokos]

Most of my days are filled with thoughts about religion/spirituality/theology/practice/the Divine/etc/what have you. If I'm not reading about theology and the Virgin Mary, I'm reading about yoga or devotion or magic or some such. Or I'm doing yoga, or walking and praying and noticing and being. One of the many things that has been a blessing about being a mother is having to integrate my spiritual practice into my life in a more holistic way. I no longer have the luxury of huge blocks of time where I can do yoga for an hour and then seamlessly move into 30 minutes of meditation (I'm not sure I am physically able of that anymore!). Instead, I get ten minutes here, 5 minutes there, maybe 20 minutes if I'm lucky.

This carving up of my focus is as frustrating as it has been transformative. With all the esoteric and theoretical reading I do it's good to focus on practice. The practice reminds me that in many ways all the theory and fine details don't mean as much as we academics and theoreticians believe. At the end of the day no matter what our beliefs most of us have to pay our bills, feed our kids, clean the kitchen, answer the phone. I'm reminded of the book title "After the ecstasy, the laundry." Most days I barely touch the ecstasy. Or at least, it's the kind of ecstasy that I might miss if I wasn't paying attention. The sweet, quiet kiss of warm breeze, the hum of the bees, the soaring of the red kites high above the houses, a little boy who is so excited by the rumbling of the loriau, the peace that surpasses understanding. Most days these are the things that open me up to the divinity that I know is present in our world. It makes me think that all our spiritual differences aren't as big we make them. When it comes down to it we all want clean water and happy children; we all need to pay our bills and be loved. Sometimes a smile and thank you feels more holy than all the prayers I've ever said.

I think of the Buddhists who are out there praying for us, that we all might be free of suffering - and I am grateful that my frustrations and fears are being prayed for. I think about my Jewish friends who light candles on Shabbat. I think of my friends singing in church on Sundays. I think of my non-religious friends who make art or pursue the science of this amazing world we live in. May we all be free, may we all be loved, may real transformation come to this world and each and every one of us, that we may no longer live in fear or pollution or discrimination or exile.

Comments

[bloodfever.livejournal.com]

May we all be free, may we all be loved, may real transformation come to this world and each and every one of us, that we may no longer live in fear or pollution or discrimination or exile.

This.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

I was wondering what you would think when I went all publicly religious. ;)

[keypike.livejournal.com]

Funny - I didn't think of this post as 'religious'....although I thought it was spiritual. Semantics, I suppose.

I thought it was beautiful. Reminded me of a book a read years ago about the Celtic way of prayer (it was called something like that, too), and using every day moments as prayer...praying over the sweeping of the hearth...seeing the divine in the mundane.

I feel very removed from that kind of enlightenment right now. I feel very self-involved in my circumstances. I wish I didn't feel so disconnected.

[bloodfever.livejournal.com]

Heh, sometimes we're working towards the same goals in our different ways.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

And that, I think, was the ultimate point of my post!

[the-misha.livejournal.com]

Amen, sister. May it be so.

[calizen.livejournal.com]

Once I had the choice between spending money on a course in mediumship and communication with the Gods -- or an apple tree. I dithered about it for a month. In the end, I chose the apple tree.

There is something about being part of the Earth, which my tree and certainly your motherhood, is all about. And that's something which makes all the sense in the world.

[gwydion1987.livejournal.com]

Thank you! This is a very nice story and perspective! :)

[calizen.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Gwydion. Checked out your profile. What an interesting person you are. Is your tradition Feri?

[gwydion1987.livejournal.com]

Hey,
thank you! Your life seems to be quiet intersting too!

Feri is my Passion and I'm a student of it, but I'm not an initiate yet, if this answers your question. ;)

bb*
Gwydion

[blessed-oak.livejournal.com]

seaivy was right; this is a lovely post. And maybe, for me, it's time to give all the spiritual "seeking" a rest and focus on what's right here all around me.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

I realized tonight that I need to read a novel. Not only do I read stuff for my academic program, I come home and read Deep and Meaningful Works on my own chosen path. It's time for something silly.

[bloodfever.livejournal.com]

*cough*Good Omens*cough*

[blessed-oak.livejournal.com]

The Gaiman/Pratchett one?

[bloodfever.livejournal.com]

Yep :)

[blessed-oak.livejournal.com]

"It's time for something silly."

Sounds like a plan! Next in line for me is Brunonia Barry's The Map of True Places. Have you read her The Lace Reader yet? I loved it.

And would it be okay if I friend you?

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Feel free to friend me! I've never heard of that author. I'll see if the library here carries her.