Thursday, November 15, 2018
Today I am doing something that I have not done for a long time, too long. I am fasting and I am focusing on my spiritual journey. Unlike almost all other days, I did not start my day with a mug of coffee.
I did launch a YouTube video of nature scenes and relaxing music, something I do almost every day.
I began my day with reading My Spiritual Journey - Part 7 and I was startled when I noticed the date, December 20, 2016. At first I thought that that was a typing error. But what I assumed had been about a year was in fact almost two years. I even checked my iPad calendar just to be sure.
Time flies. Yes, we have been busy with lots of activities, with visitors and with our own travel. And I have been busy reading books and with my leadership of the Ajijic Book Club. But I also realized that there has been another factor. I have been caught up in the Donald Trump phenomenon and I have spent a lot of time watching CNN.
The antics of Trump have been very absorbing and initially destabilizing. It took me quite a while to adjust to this new reality. None of this felt very spiritual. But after the shock of a major unexpected event subsided, I began to try to better understand the world I was living in. Understanding others who think very differently than we do has a spiritual overtone, bridging gaps between groups of human beings.
Partly as a reaction to what seems like living in a world that is falling apart, I have been seeking countercurrents. I have a desire to be a part of an initiative that can make a difference. This morning I signed the Charter for Compassion. I am impressed by this movement and by what Karen Armstrong has achieved in ten years. Although I am motivated to contribute to the movement financially, I will not do so because of my limited financial means.
I posted the following on the Spiritual Naturalist Friends website:
This morning I again read the Charter for Compassion and today I signed it. In a world that seems to be falling apart, I want to be part of a positive countercurrent. The Charter for Compassion is a Partner Organization of the Spiritual Naturalist Society and SNS is one of the many partner organizations listed on the Charter website. I am also pleased to see the name Alain de Botton listed as a supporter of the Charter. He is an atheist whom I greatly admire.
During the past two years my involvement with the Spiritual Naturalist Society has evolved. I joined the SNS as a member and began thinking about forming a local group. I had a video call with DT Strain, Executive Director of SNS, in May, 2017. Ajijic Mexico is now listed as a local hub on the SNS website. There is one member, me.
However, my local initiative is now a story of its own which I have captured in My Spiritual Journey - Part 8.
A couple of months ago I upgraded my SNS membership to Supporting Member status. I now make a monthly contribution of US$8, about eleven dollars Canadian. This is a small amount but it marks a psychological shift of greater commitment.
I always read the weekly SNS article. Today’s article was interesting, about Mitochondrial Eve, the Mother of us all who lived 150,000 years ago. Unfortunately, our common humanity is not very apparent in the world today.
As I think about my spiritual journey, it is now like a three legged stool. This seems about right because a three legged stool is much more stable than a two legged stool. The three broad approaches supporting my journey are (1) spiritual naturalism (2) the middle way and (3) for me, a new way of looking at this dimension of life, aging as a spiritual practise. I no longer feel as if I am in a transition. At this time I think that I have a focus that will adequately sustain me for the rest of my life.