IF IT WAS FUN
EVERYONE WOULD DO IT!
Spirituality is supposed to be happy time isn’t it? That’s what they told me! Peace, Love, Harmony, all that good stuff is
just waiting for me. And all that is
true but there are some interim steps that must first be taken.
It’s a reality about spirituality, the real thing, that it
is hard work. You truly have to want it
in order to get any kind of effective transformation. Even with the hard work nothing is
guaranteed.
I know there are all kinds of systems out there that promise
results in three weekends of intensive experience or whatever they say they can
do and you can give your money to them if you like but, ultimately, the real
thing, is predicated on three important qualities. Courage, Discipline and above all,
Patience.
Courage is needed to face your demons. You know those hidden things within you that
you don’t want to think about. Those
parts of you that are uncomfortable to consider. We all have em. Well most of us do. If you are one of the rare ones who has never
done anything stupid I applaud you and you can move on to the next step.
Discipline. It seems
simple. Every morning you make sure that
you get up early enough to spend fifteen or twenty minutes meditating. You will need instruction on how to do it but
really it is pretty simple to get started.
Or the instruction sounds simple anyway.
Just sit and breathe. Easy enough
right? If you have already mastered this
part, move on, other wise, set your egg timer for 5 minutes and see if you can
sit perfectly still, paying attention only to your breath. This is where discipline is learned.
Next and last we have Patience. Okay, I have been sitting here every day for
a month now, breathing and all that, when do I get the good stuff? What if I were to tell you maybe never? That’s the thing, once you start on the
spiritual path patience is essential.
Expectation of a result just gets in the way. I do not care what the self help guru’s may
say, nothing comes to you without these three elements and patience is the most
critical. This is why people want short
cuts. But short cuts are always
temporary, not long lasting.
And that is why I titled this article as I did. I was having a conversation with one of my
students and this phrase just fell out of my mouth. I looked at it and realized that it
works. It is fun but sometimes if
definitely feels like plodding thru mud.
That’s when we separate the sheep from the goats as the saying
goes. It’s a challenge to do this work
and, like it or not, that’s how it is.
Eventually, if you keep at it, there will come a time when
you suddenly realize that you have changed, you are calmer, easier to be
with. No longer do you respond with
anger or resentment, but with patience and empathy. And you might not even notice when it
happens, it just does. Constant
maintenance is necessary but by this time it will be as natural as opening the
fridge for a glass of juice, just another thing you do.
Ultimately we are responding to a deep need for ecstatic
glorification, those moments of supreme ecstasy that transform us into the
beings we are truly meant to be. This is
the true passion that emerges from within and demands to be known. To respond is our great gift to
ourselves.
So get out there and strive.
Love and Blessings, Musawwir
