Many monuments have been built, symbols pulled from the unconscious, and churches placed in the center of towns to transformation man’s spirit. Because religion and spirituality rests in our consciousness as merely an idea rather than a intimate part of our lives, people are becoming spiritually malnourished. There are few places to scream, rejoice, or lay our burdens before a mighty force that has our best interest at heart. The sun and moon rituals aren’t providing the closeness necessary for preventing despair during our existential crises, and social media becomes a space used for lamenting while in their personal lives people suffer in silence. When our souls are under attack meaning gives us a reason to remain faithful, discipline, and focused; meaning is our spiritual nourishment that provides a thread to leave our spiritual labyrinth. Breath creates a space of presence to discover our nourishment and once we have acquired presence working towards acceptance becomes easier; day in and day out our eternal mission is becoming our personal hero. Many men live with no meaning to their existence, regurgitating myths, and having little to no values; without a meaning strife becomes unbearable and insurmountable. While once a meaning is carved, or discovered, strife becomes an opportunity to develop our strength towards our divine purpose. Life becomes a divine comedy. Being impossible of imitation man is a unique being in the universe with a special responsibility given all to him, as Victor Frankl said, “Life is expecting something from us.” Discovering our responsibility is the call to adventure in our cosmic journey towards spiritual evolution; meaning will also bring understanding to our weariness. Existential despair develops when suffering lacks meaning and people become complacent passively waiting for divine grace to be bestowed upon them. How we bear our suffering determines the outcome of our lives, and creativity, beauty, and love become values important for our self-development. Our nobility is determined by our willingness to face the day, and our desire for safety, manifesting itself as anxiety, becomes a symbol for a maturation. We are living through tough situations, and meaning is the only source for getting through the gates; if we can follow our divine purposes, I believe, like the stems of a lotus flower, life will open its secrets before us.
Each hour is a call to adventure asking for our hand to venture along the journey; there is so much anxiety tied up in our minds that we make decisions counterproductive to where we want to go in life. Righteousness becomes our responsibility, and as our attempts to describe the universe become less churchy and more directed toward sayings like “the universe” there is a tendency for our spiritual systems to become impersonal. The distance grows between us and our belief in the potential of the universe comforting and guiding us out of the dark forest; spirituality is becoming more of an idea rather than a lifestyle. Listening to our conscience and following the divine symbols laid for us helps carry the fight along; the personal contradictions that inhibit our growth must be cleared from our path.
On a Wednesday morning I awoke with much anxiety, and my body told me to throw away the day. Against my own will I rose from the bed grabbed my pink yoga mat and headed for my balcony. I rolled my mat onto the concrete and began my practice; my anxiety continued to rampage my sense of worth. Over and over images of an unsuccessful life played in my head while thoughts on my lack of progress, and potential for destruction preventing me from taking a deep breathe. I prayed for a blessing, and a sign that I was on the right path shortly after a red cardinal came to the railing and stayed with me for four breathes; my anxiety continued when it flew away and again I prayed for a sign that I was on my divine path. Shortly after, a beetle landed on the lotus flower engraved into my mat and I took 4 breathes before the beetle flew off the balcony; my anxiety continued the moment the beetle flew away. I laid down in corpse pose, feeling defeated, and prayed again for a sign; when I opened my eyes the sun lit the entire world around me in a orange tint. I looked at my flesh and the world around me took 4 breathes and smiled, the sun did not fly away. I rose from the mat and began my day. This day was not filled with princesses, dragons, and ogres, but I brought myself back to the present every time my mind ran away. Throughout the day I used birds and beetles as symbols of reminders to remain present; I raised my chin towards the heavens and with closed eyes stared into the sun.
The Doctor and The Soul contains much wisdom on finding meaning in your life, and making the journey to complete the mission. We need a reason to live and timeless text like this offer priceless guidance on the path to spiritual freedom.
