I remember this commercial that came out a few years ago. It was for Folger’s coffee and it played a series of sounds from the morning - taking a mug out of the cabinet, grinding coffee, turning the faucet on and off, and the drip, drip, drip of the coffee being brewed. The tap, tap, tap of the spoon after mixing in the sugar.
I think about this commercial a lot. Not just when I’m making my morning cup of coffee or Dandy Blend, but throughout much of my day.
I wonder - what are the sounds of your rituals? What are the sounds that tell the world you are waking up for the day, or getting the kids ready for bed, or packing school lunches?
We live in a world that is noisy - whether literally or figuratively - with lists of what we need to do, or accomplish, or finish in order to make it through our days. Some of the sounds are audible to others, and some just in our own heads.
And so often we don’t notice the sounds we create with our rituals. The sounds of our doing. The sounds of our being.
Maybe there is the sound of a pencil scratching on paper to write a note to someone we love, or a pen on paper while we journal in the morning, or the unsticking of our yoga mat as we unroll to practice.
One sound I am keenly aware of is my dogs’ nails on the floor. It is one of the sounds I have come to miss since moving into a space that is so small. I don’t get to hear the clicking of their nails on the floor as they make their way around the house. I miss that sound, come to think of it.
I am grateful because today is a chillier day than we’ve had in awhile and I’m leaving the windows open. I can hear the birds and the rustling of the leaves and other brush that is on the ground. I can hear the cars nearby starting as people prepare to drive to work, and the clicking of my fingers on this keyboard as I type. It’s become a sort of spiritual practice to listen to and notice these sounds, especially in the early morning.
When I was in parish ministry, I preached a series on spiritual practices and the senses. I invited people to tune into one of their senses each week and consider how they might integrate their experiences into a spiritual practice. One of those was on the sounds around us and mindfully connecting with them. This can be a spiritual practice.
Now, for some of us this idea of a spiritual practice feels very specific.
We assume that a spiritual practice needs to be contemplative, quiet, or done a particular way.
Many of us assume that spiritual practices include things like yoga, meditation, journaling, prayer, or other quiet activities. And these are spiritual practices.
I define a spiritual practice as anything that brings us closer to our sense of self and interconnectedness with the world.
So, a spiritual practice could be intentionally listening to our days - the sounds of our rituals.
A spiritual practice could be mindfully washing the dishes, or folding clothes, or cleaning.
A spiritual practice could be calling a friend, going for a walk, or dancing to a favorite song.
The possibilities are endless!
Some days call for a spiritual practice that is quiet and introspective, and others call for practices that help us be ourselves in an outward way.
I am thinking about that book by Elizabeth Gilbert called Eat, Pray, Love. In it, she is reflects on being a pious and dedicated person. She decides that she wants to take a vow of silence and be a person who is introspective and quiet and pious. But then she is assigned the role in her ashram of “head hostess” - a role that requires her to be outgoing, and cheerful, and speaking with many people in a day. As a naturally boisterous and extroverted person, this feels natural, but she’s unsure if it is pious enough.
And she is reminded of the saying, “God dwells in you, as you.”
God dwells in you, as you.
Now, whether you believe in God or not, this is a powerful statement. If the word God doesn’t resonate with you, try replacing it with something that does.
Let’s replace the word God with “love.”
Love dwells in you, as you.
Or, in other words - there is only one you and you are unique, and wonderful, and beautiful just as you are. You are one of the beautiful ways that love manifests in this world. And, you have your own unique way of bringing that love out into a world that needs YOU.
This means that if you are feeling called to dance right now - dance!
If you are feeling called to journey inward and journal or meditate - do that!
If you are feeling called to sing, or make people laugh, or get into a heated argument about a justice issue - do it!
If the goal of a spiritual practice is to help us connect with our deeper selves and better grasp our place in the world - then we need to do all of these things.
And, we need to do them with mindfulness, intention, and openness.
Oh, and one more thing about spiritual practices - There is no right or wrong way!
I used to think that I couldn’t use meditation as a spiritual practice. That it didn’t “count” because I wasn’t good at it. And then I learned the big secret that no one tells you - NO ONE IS GOOD AT IT - that’s the point!
And yoga isn’t about how much you can bend your body into a certain position. The point isn’t about who is good or bad, but about the consistency and persistence illustrated in intentionally practicing and striving, and trusting your body as it is in any given moment.
This is the same with journaling, prayer, singing, dancing, and the myriad other spiritual practices that are out there. The point isn’t to be “good” at them. The point is to practice them with intention in a way that might bring more depth and awareness of who you are and your connection to other beings.
So, let’s let go of the idea of perfection.
Let’s let go of the idea that we have to be good at a spiritual practice.
Let’s practice letting go as a spiritual practice - letting go of expectations, of judgment, of perfection.
Love dwells in you, as you.
You are beautiful. The world needs you.
This week’s Invitation to Deepening: Pay attention this week to the sounds in your life. Which are the sounds of rituals that help you deepen in your self-awareness? How might you bring more spiritual practice into your life?
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