Monday, March 10, 2014

IF IT WAS FUN EVERYONE WOULD DO IT!


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

2 comments:

Wahida Maggie Ryan said...

Excellent post! This is the hardest work I have ever done but continue I will. Love and blessings......

Unknown said...

Small steps, big results. It never ceases to amaze me how, while the changes on the surface of our lives may seem minimal, hardly noticeable, the shifts deep below the surface are tremendous.