The sacred act of living

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 06 May 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Butterfly	06 May 2003
So many times my guides seek to remind me of the sacredness of living my life well. They remind me that spirituality and knowing are not enough, they are just in my head and need to be expressed through my life. They often send me a picture of the Magician with an arm missing- the one pointing to the ground. I see so many personal tarot references to living in a creative and sacred manner (empress, 9 of pentacles, hierophant) and I'm increasingly finding my spirituality is taking the form of pentacles. At times my spiritual development only occurs in my head (activating only my crown chakra, if that makes sense) and I need to be reminded that knowledge for the sake of knowledge just doesn't work for me. At these times, I focus on my family and my house. I find these times to be nurturing, deeply spiritual, energising. Just recently I've taken to the routine of housework with a vengeance. I find it really meditative and do my best thinking during these times. I light a candle, dedicate it to a various Goddess and whammo! When I have a really messy house my spiritual development is confused, disjointed and all over the place. So, does anybody else find that living a sacred often mundane life aids in their spiritual development? How do you keep your life sacred?

skytwig	06 May 2003
Good topic, Butterfly! I remember reading Practicing the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence, when I was 16 (many decades ago! :laugh: ). I was impressed by his 'cannonization' of things as simple as washing dishes. He was the dish washer in the monastary kitchen. Now. I understand that as a living mantra. It is possible to attain such meditative, complete living in any walk, any religion, any belief system. It is the art of making every moment one of fullness. It is not WHAT we do, it is HOW we do it! I now practice Mindfulness, working to be fully in the moment, not my head! It is amazing, when we first start that practice, to see how often we are NOT participating in what we do. We are, instead, all wrapped up in worry or regret; fantasy or anticipation; going here or going there. Being here NOW doesn't compute well. (That's why vacations and weekends are so lusted for!) Bravo for such awareness. It's amazing how much we begin to see, really see, when we start being in every moment. Sacredness is how we live this minute, not how we meditate or how we pray. Prayer, in fact, is living. Life is our prayer........ :) skytwig

Kiama	07 May 2003
When I first moved out of my parents' house into a place with my boyfriend in September 2002, I discovered the joy and spirituality behind all thngs mundane, and indeed found myself in meditational states whilst doing washing up or handwashing the clothes (We didn't have a washing machine then). A while ago I created an Ace of Pentacles for the First Aeclectic Collaboratve Tarot deck, and I associated this card with the spiritual and mundane worlds mixing together. Tis has worked itself into my life, and to me, every action is a magical one, simply because of my definition of magic: Magic is the art and science of focussing will and energy to bring about the desired outcome. So, when I focus my will and energy in a ritual for inner courage, I am doing exactly the same thing as when I focus my will and energy to achieve a tidy house! As a Pagan with leanings towards the Celtic (Mostly Irish and Welsh though) deities, Brighid is my patron Goddess, to the point where my spirituality almost becomes monothiestic. Brighid is seen as a Goddess of the hearth fire: The home. So often I meditate on Brighid and Her aspects whilst doing housework and keeping a tidy, welcoming home. She is what helped me turn a pretty ugly and shabby house into a warm, friendly home. It took me a while to get out of the 'only Sundays in church are sacred' mindset, since I was raised to think that the spiritual and mundane were two totally separate areas of life. These days however I find more spiritual nourishment in my everyday life than I do in ritual. Just by walking outside and looking, I can experience the cycle of the seasons and Nature. By talking with other people, I can experience the cycles and emotions of human life, and experience the manifestation of the Divine in each person. When I study for University, I gain knowledge and wisdom which to me is something especially sacred. And finally, possibly most importantly, I am constantly in love. I have an amazing relationship with my boyfriend, and I can't remember a time since we've been together when I haven't felt saturated with love. I think that love is a sacred act, so again I find my mundane life becoming spiritual. Anyhow, I'm rambling. Skytwig expressed what I'm trying to say earlier and much more beautifully. Life IS a prayer: It is a sacred act, a magical act. Kiama

divinerguy	07 May 2003
What an incredible thread. Its something you think about, but never seem to put into words. Perhaps I'm a late bloomer, which happens with males in my family, but I understand completely. Although I'm 44 years old, it wasn't until perhaps two years ago that I realized my life was on a self-destructive path. My father's ordeal with cancer and his subsequent death drove the point home. I'm no longer separating my life into pieces. My work as a lawyer affects my role as a husband and father, which affects my role in other things. Its almost holistic when I think about it. The end result is that I have become a more compassionate person, more forgiving and less troubled by bumps in the road.

Alissa	07 May 2003
I believe it was the great Zen master Suzuki who wrote, of those who have attained enlightenment, "Wonderful! But don't forget to wash your cup." He knew that the real-world is the place to put all of our high-minded, spiritual understandings and yearnings into action. He was known, like many Zen masters, to remind his pupils not to forget the "everyday" and the "mundane" aspects of living while still in search of nirvana. Every day is Sunday. Every where is church. Every act is prayer. Every breath is hymnal. Breathe in. Breathe out. It's hard to remember to be "mindfully living" at all times, I totally agree. I'm reminded of my lack of it more than ever, after taking up disciplined kundalini meditation practice. My one mundane act that I never forget to turn into mindful living is mixing my henna for work. I pray over it each time, no matter how tired or not in the mood I am. It brings me back to center that way.

Umbrae	07 May 2003
I love doing dishes. I find kitchenwork very Zennish (is that a word?).

DarkElectric	07 May 2003
I suppose 'Zennish ' is as legitimate a word as 'Finnish', which is, as far as kitchen work is concerned, a condition that never occurs.

allibee	07 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Alissa ......., after taking up disciplined kundalini meditation practice..... NOW they tell me there's a disciplined way to do it.... sheesh :O) sacred moments for me come in the shape of a brush stroke or a sleeping child's breath a.

zorya	07 May 2003
the 'sacred' is a huge part of my life, always a part of me, except for one area of my life. house cleaning, lol. trying to clean up and keep up with four sloppy people completely overwhelms me! try as i may to find the sacredness in picking up others dirty socks off the floor while listening to my children fight. it just won't stick! :laugh:

Alissa	07 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by allibee NOW they tell me there's a disciplined way to do it.... sheesh :O) a. LMAO, tell me about it! I guess, for me, disciplined means I'm not blowing it off. ;)

Inana	08 May 2003
What wonderfull things to read. This posts make me think on how important is to enjoy doing anything. This is very inspiring. But i still havent come to the point where i can enjoy doing things i hate, like ironing or cleaning the dishes. Will need to read again to get more inspiration. :P

The The sacred act of living thread was originally posted on 06 May 2003 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.