Consider: Attending to the Spiritual Journey
The opening lines of my Who Is Soulcare MKE? page state the following:
“Laura has been aware of, and paying attention to, her spiritual journey for more than thirty years. She has noticed that...”
Well…
Well, Laura has noticed very many things.
From our first awareness upon waking until our last conscious thought before falling asleep once again, we are constantly taking in and sorting stimuli from our environment. We may be aware of some of the stimuli we are processing each day: perhaps we notice a particularly beautiful sunrise on our drive into work, or we suddenly realize we are hangry after forgetting to eat a meal due to the busyness of our schedule, or perhaps we enjoy the relaxing warmth and scent of a cup of chamomile tea before going to bed.
More likely than not, however, we are not noticing many, many sources of stimuli each day. We likely don’t notice the color of the sky every time we step outdoors, nor do we note the time every time we walk by a clock. Some of us may even automate our wardrobe selections, barely noticing if one sock matches the other! In fact, many of us have become so disconnected from our physical environment that it has become an incredibly helpful practice in overcoming anxiety to ground ourselves in the present moment by consciously noticing our surroundings.
So then, if we struggle to notice our physical surroundings, and we have our five senses to collect that information, what can I possibly mean when I invite you to CONSIDER: Attending to the Spiritual Journey as a spiritual practice?
Aware of...
Paying Attention To...
Noticing...
Aware of... Paying Attention To... Noticing...
I’d like to suggest that attending to one’s spiritual journey is in fact a multiple step process:
First, one must become aware that they are on a spiritual journey! Not everyone believes this. Perhaps you’re not so sure yourself. If not, this would be a great place to start. Do you believe that you have a soul… some kind of inner *spark* that gives life to your physical flesh? Have you had the experience of attending a wake or funeral and realizing that your loved one is no longer there? That what you saw in front of you was just their body? What was it about them that was gone? What is it about YOU that makes you… YOU? Similarly, do you believe in something greater than yourself? Or something greater than our collective experience? Something even greater, perhaps, than the beauty of the whole Earth and the stars and the galaxies? Or something more profound and wondrous than the inner workings of a single cell or atom? What is THAT? I would suggest that these things are reflective of the realities of the spiritual realm… and that you, in fact, are journeying in that realm. Become aware of your spiritual journey.
Next, if you have become aware that you’re on a spiritual journey, it seems reasonable to pay attention to it! If you think of any experience of journeying, of adventure, of discovery, part of the joy of the experience is in paying attention to it! In fact, many people take delight in each stage of the journey: the increasing excitement as plans are made, flights are booked, research into activities and restaurants are gathered, itineraries are set. Then, of course, is the wonder of the experience itself, the giving over of oneself to the journey… paying attention to how things unfold, navigating the things that don’t go quite as you had planned, both the disappointing letdowns and the unexpected joys and surprises. Finally, some people are able to carry the gifts of their journey with them, long after the bags have been unpacked at home. They are able to do this through reflection and sharing. Some people like to share pictures of their travels on social media so that they can see the “Memories” years later. Some people want to get together with friends at home to tell the stories of their adventures and what they learned. Others will delight in encouraging others to travel to a similar destination, or in offering suggestions to someone looking for recommendations in that same location. No matter what, it’s in the paying attention to one’s experience of journeying that the experience is enriched and deepened. I would encourage you to pay attention to this spiritual journey you’re on as well. After all, you’re on it every day, whether you notice it or not!
Which, of course, brings us to noticing. Noticing one’s spiritual journey is an act of focusing in on specific, individual experiences. It’s in this focusing that we can gain insight into the spiritual realm. Did a particular sunrise (or other experience of beauty) catch your attention? What was it about the sunrise that you noticed? Was it the colors? The grandeur? Its simplicity? Upon seeing the sunrise, did you notice any shift in your emotions? Your plans? Your focus? What does this teach you about how your soul works? What your soul enjoys? What does it teach you about the divine? Or perhaps you’d like to consider a time when you were reading something and the words seemed to “jump off the page” at you? What happened there? What was it about those words that you needed to see? Or maybe your attention is drawn towards something unpleasant, an injustice perhaps. When you spend time considering this injustice, what is it that you notice? What is it about becoming aware of and paying attention to this injustice that moves your spirit? How do you reconcile this injustice with what you value, believe about the world, or how you believe God to be? What can you do about it? Regardless of the circumstances of your particular life, or the specific things that capture your soul’s attention, it is in spending time with them, in noticing them, and letting them become your teacher that the spiritual journey begins to thrive.
While I believe that there are at least two more steps in attending to one’s spiritual journey, we’ll save them for another day. For today, it is my hope that you’ll CONSIDER: Attending to the Spiritual Journey that your individual soul is on. I know it’s a beautiful adventure!!
Did you know that Soulcare MKE is on social media as well?!
Be sure to follow (and share!) on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for even more care for your soul!
Lastly, if you haven’t already done so, be sure to become a member at Buy Me A Coffee to gain access to next week’s teaching video, Deepen: Practices to Attend to the Spiritual Journey.
It’s with great joy and gratitude that I sign off today.
Gratefully,
Laura
