  Spiritual
This week: Edited by: larryp
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Soon silence will have passed into legend. Man has turned his back on silence. Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life, contemplation, meditation...
Jean Arp – German-French sculptor, painter, poet and abstract artist
Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.
Mahatma Gandhi |
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I remember the first time I sought personal counseling from a professional. I was in the middle of one of many bouts with depression – something that has been a life-long problem for me. The counselor advised that I begin to take care of my spiritual 'being' or spiritual 'self.' At that time, I wasn't sure what my spiritual being was nor did I know how to nurture that spiritual self. As I read the books recommended by the counselor, I began to understand about nurturing my spiritual being.
I firmly believe that, as humans, we have two sets of eyes. One set of eyes is our physical eyes; this is how we see the things around us. The other set is our spiritual eyes; this, I think, is how we perceive the things we see and hear. I refer to these spiritual eyes as the eyes of the heart or spirit-eyes. Many of us have terrible pasts and along the way, our spirit was wounded. This wounding affects the way we perceive life through our spirit-eyes. The wounded spirit needs nurturing, just as our physical body needs nurturing. Through learning experiences and education, we discovered how to nurture our mind. Our spirit needs to be nurtured as well.
To my mind, fitness of the spirit deals with our ability to cope with the everyday stresses and strains of our lives and does not necessarily refer to our religions inclinations, although the way we deal with religion can be either a benefit or detriment to our spiritual fitness. Our attitude and ability to cope is a critical skill, otherwise we can become overwhelmed by our mental baggage and if we don't give sufficient time to the fitness of our spirit, or soul, we may lose the ability to function altogether.
http://blog.worldvillage.com/health/taking_care_of_your_spiritual_fitness.html
I believe each person needs to find the best way to nurture his spiritual being. I also believe this nurturing is a life-long endeavor. I would like to tell you that I no longer battle depression and that I am free of anxiety attacks. I wish this were true, but, in fact, I had a small bout with depression just last week. By nurturing my spirit, as well as my body and mind, I am learning ways to work through depressions that once debilitated me.
Three ways I have found to nurture my spirit are through meditation, reflection, and prayer.
Meditation is a self-directed practice for relaxing the body and calming the mind.
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=10807
Meditation is very personal. Most of my meditation is done in the great outdoors; my favorite place to meditate is at a nearby lake. At one time, I went to the lake to fish and relax. I no longer fish, but I take many Saturday morning excursions to the lake, weather permitting. I love nature and in this setting I am able to relax and calm my mind, seeing with physical eyes and perceiving with spirit-eyes. I find much of my inspiration for poetry in this locale, coming from my meditation. Often, I will meditate in my backyard or at a local park. Living in cold, snowy Kansas, winter is the hardest time for me, for I cannot venture outdoors, but I make the most of every opportunity I receive.
Reflection is contemplation: a calm lengthy intent consideration.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:reflection&sa=X&oi=glossary_...
I differentiate reflection from meditation. In reflection, I contemplate the lessons I have learned in life. I evaluate where I am now, as opposed to where I was this time last year or even last week. This helps me see progress and spiritual growth. In periods of depression, we can get 'down' easily. These periods of reflection will allow us to honestly evaluate and counter those dark, ugly thoughts that drill into the heart and soul during depressions.
Prayer is a reverent petition made to God, a god, or another object of worship.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/prayer
In prayer, I seek guidance. Prayer, too, is very personal. For me, prayer is an admission that I cannot control all things and that I need help in understanding and in perceiving my world. Often, prayer, meditation, and reflection will mingle together as one in nurturing my spiritual being.
These are methods of personal nurturing of the spiritual self. We may also receive help from others in our spiritual nourishing and, in the process, aid others in their spiritual nurturing. I take walks with my wife as often as possible. When walking is not possible, we will find a quiet place to sit and communicate. Occasionally, when the weather is nice, we gather our books, writing tablets, and lawn chairs and head out to the lake for a relaxing afternoon. Often, the spirit-eyes of a trusted friend can see things that we miss and can also supply much needed encouragement. A good friend and I meet at a local coffee shop from time to time; our trusted friendship provides encouragement for each of us.
This is also the reason I try to be encouraging in my reviews at Writing.com. As a writer, I want to continually improve my skills; I believe most writers do. For me, encouragement is as important as helping others and receiving help with writing skills. While it is important to believe in ourselves, the encouragement of a friend goes a long way. Having battled depression most of my life, I realize the value of encouragement.
Spiritual nurturing, I believe, is an important consideration for writers. Writing can be a lonely endeavor and at times discouraging. Times of meditation, reflection, and prayer are important for our well-being, whether we are prone to depression or not, but especially if we are prone to depression.
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Spiritual: November 14, 2007 Issue [#2068]
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