A Structure for Spirit

After an extremely hot sweat lodge in the middle of August, I laid on the body of Mother Earth after ceremony. Never had I felt held in such compassion, her cool soil a balm to my baking body. In that moment I made a promise. I would let everyone know the beauty of Pachamama. This is that promise fulfilled. I do not offer this journal as some authority on how to be spiritual. I am not an enlightened being or guru. I am not a scholar or expert in the ways of theology or religion. I do not consider myself a writer. Why then write this journal? I am a soul, just like you, expressing its calling from a path of devotion. What I can attest to with authority is the medicine that comes with a daily practice. There are many paths to follow on the road to liberation. Each spiritual tradition has its own unique road map, its own unique voice. In the midst of these differences in path, a consistent thread weaves through. For wherever you travel, wherever you search, you are always guided to the road within. You are called to listen to the voice inside. As much as we long to find truth out there, eventually we must surrender to the path within. Our western mindset does not understand the value in devoting time each day to this inner journey. Although I had practiced yoga, and attempted meditation on and off since the early 80’s, it was not until 1997 that a daily practice was imposed through a yoga therapy training I was in. A few times a week was the usual time I devoted to practice, but every day? I resisted; heavily. Each morning a million reasons to stay in bed ran through my mind which seemed a far better choice than getting up to sit with myself. The mandatory time requirement lasted six months. Resistance ebbed. A daily practice became integral to my life and has served me for nearly 15 years. My daily practice, more than any other action I have taken in my life, accelerated my own spiritual evolution. This journal is a path woven from a dedication to practice, offering guidance and support, so you may realize the benefits and blessings that come with a daily practice. The benefits of practice do not come from reading about practice. The benefits come only with practice. For that reason, “A Structure for Spirit” offers the experience of a daily practice, regardless of whether you have ever had a practice before. A daily practice is medicine for your soul. So much of your time and attention is spent each day on the necessary and mundane aspects of your life. You devote time to paying bills, buying groceries, tending to family, doing laundry, and never mind the endless demands of work and making a living. You lose sight of your soul, cannot hear your own heart, because you do not take the time to listen. One of the deepest acts of self love is the gift of a daily practice. It allows you to slow down, pay attention and hear the longings that whisper within. In the beginning, you identify your spiritual self as the one who sits, practices yoga, prays in the morning. With time and attention, your practice feeds your sacred essence. The voice of your heart and soul are fortified. The wisdom that shines through your practice touches all parts of your life. There is no distinction between your spiritual self and that which is not. You begin to bring the sacred to all aspects of your life, including time spent grocery shopping, paying bills and all that is mundane. A spiritual practice sees you through times of turmoil, takes you on a path from darkness to light. Through practice you cultivate the stillness of mind, the ease in heart and the wisdom of your own soul so that your life becomes prayer, your heart is an offering and your path is one of communion with all that is.