SPIRITUALITY

“Beyond Myself”

How to Connect Spiritually

When do I feel most connected to my spiritual side? I love that question, for it is so multi-layered with no right or wrong answer.

For as varied as the sunrise of a winter’s morning to a summer’s dawn, a spiritual connection just happens, instantaneously, when I am most vulnerable or open.

In those moments of connection, I am acutely aware of how tiny I am in the Universe and yet how I belong here, right now, as part of an immense and incredible whole.

Spiritual connection wraps around when I feel pulled beyond myself.

The pull of the moon No matter how cold it is, I begin each day by running to my patio and looking for the moon on cold winter mornings. It’s a way to connect with something so much bigger than I am; a way to greet my day, to feel refreshed and energized by the silver brilliance of the moon.

3 —Of Geese Watching geese fly in their fluid triangle, as they navigate and change leadership position mid-flight seems like an amazing dance in the sky.

There’s something mesmerizing about the beauty of geese in flight. Whenever I hear them calling, I stop and look up to admire their journey through the sky. No matter how I am feeling, an odd sense of peace prevails; I can never tire of watching them.

Watching geese soar through the sky inevitably evokes an unspoken prayer of gratitude and connection.

2 — Of Music. As I stand with my sons on Christmas Eve singing Silent Night, I feel the presence of past Christmases. I am connected with so much more than the present moment, dressed in our Christmas finery. The music links us to the history of the songs and carols and, more importantly, the memories that these songs offer.

The music is a portal to our past. I can sense the presence of my parents, lost loves, old dreams surrounding me. All wrapped up within the sounds of a favorite carol.

4 — Of Crying Seems odd to include crying on a list of feeling spiritually connected. But I’m talking about really crying, weeping, sobbing until no tears are left. Because in that time of exhaustion and vulnerability, when the sobbing ceases, when I am at my lowest, I have felt connected to a power that has pulled me out of my pain to comfort me.

And for a few moments, there was a sense of peace. Now that’s connection.

“I don’t know what lies here but my soul sheds tears touching its divine serenity.”

Saigyo ,Buddhist priest (1118–1190)