Starbucks on Stratford
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Where do I begin with my many thoughts? So many thoughts in a day.
As I drove my '99 Ford Explorer along Business-40 headed east into downtown, my thoughts perused the God subject. My thoughts perused the people subject, the humanity subject, mankind's purpose subject, the subject of progress, possibilities, the subject of faith.
Is "faith" an exclusive word designated only to theists?
My friend Alise has shared with me her pleasure in reciting Bahai prayers, not only the pleasure but the life changes as well. I enjoyed her sharings and they peaked my interest.
At times I desire a spiritual ritual. Hmm...I guess I do have spiritual practices, but I don't know if I would call them "rituals." To me a ritual involves a certain physical setting that I would attend to at almost the same time on certain designated days on a regular (like weekly) basis.
Yuck. Describing it that way sounds binding. Perhaps it would behoove me to begin thinking and defining "ritual" differently. I'll try to remember and look up the etymology when I have access to a dictionary.
After my conversation with Alise, I looked up Bahai prayers online. They read too similar to Psalms and mentioned "God" and "Lord" too many times for my personal comfort. So I probably will not purchase a Bahai prayer book, which I was contemplating.
Carol, what are your spiritual practices? Probably at this time of my life, at the top of the list, is being present.
Like this morning, as I romped with Sophie, a twelve-week old Sheltie puppy, upon the Green.
She prances in front of me with her mesh harness wrapped around her torso. I hold my end of the leash that at the other end is attached to the hook on the back of the harness. Sophie leads me out the door and to the right, down the sidewalk passing the old downtown shops, two being African hair design shops. She turns right onto the Green and finds her pee spot.
That is one of Sophie's rituals.
I then throw the man-made bone I have in hand. Sophie and I run as she chases her prize, I with leash in hand, one of those extendable leashes so Sophie can lead the way six feet ahead unencumbered.
She finds her prize and I throw it again and we romp through the green grass again. Over and over....ritual.
In between some throws, Sophie takes a break to chaw the bone. A city bus and a milk truck noisily drive by distracting her momentarily. She sniffs the ground with curiosity. Aromas. Thousands of paws romp this Green.
No one directs Sophie in this time of play, of discovery, of growth.
Sophie is simply present.
In this moment Sophie is my teacher; I choose to be present with her.
I think I'll call my spiritual practice for today "Sophie Faith."
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Time to leave Starbucks to visit Monkey and Rascal....with my Sophie Faith.
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2 comments:
I had the exact same experience as you with Bahai writings. One of my closest friends is a Bahai - and what a wonderful (and clear-headed) guy. I'd sometimes meet him at the Bahai center in NYC, and there I met really great people from all different roots (black, white, American, Iranian, Asian). The thing that's cool about it is that some of their central tenets include the equality of gender, and the unity of races.
BUT - like you, when I looked into the Bahai texts, I was turned off by the "Oh Lord", "God", type of language.
OK, now on to Sophie. That's the name of my cat! When your dog Sophie misbehaves, do you call her "Sophia"? I call my cat that "Sophia! What have you done?".
*Big smile*
Is your Sophia Italian, like you? ;D
Since I wrote this piece I've pondered what it is that makes me 'uncomfortable' with the "God/Lord" language. I think one thing is the authoritarian feelings it brings up in me, the obligatory duties...and the almost silencing of my heart.
In pondering a word I am comfortable with....I came up with, for now, the word "life." If there is something I 'worship' (and I'm sure there is)...at least one of those things is 'life.' "Life" doesn't bring up feelings of obligation for me.
Life simply is. It flows, it comes, it goes. It winds and is straight. It changes like the landscape in the sky, yet always with the backdrop of the constellations. It's organic and there is no end to its discovery. If there is a god, it seems s/he/it would more like that. At least that is my hope.
Pondering along.....
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