Waking Up to the Sacred

Our lives are filled with things that attract our attention.

There are things we want, things we need, and the ways we intend to get them. Our minds generate ideas and plans of action. Thoughts and emotions, songs and voices, images and sensations, tastes and aromas flood our lives. Memories of people and places, joys and pain take us back to the exact moments we experienced them.

It is easy for us to be distracted.

It is easy for us to forget that as well as physical, emotional, and intellectual beings, we are spiritual. We lose sight of the sacred.

We learn and grow, and practice helps us understand how to recognize the world around us through our bodies, our minds, and our hearts. It is easy for us to neglect practicing ways our souls appreciate the world’s deeper truths.

We remember the warmth of the sun on our face. We enjoy the taste of our favorite food, or ice cream, or craft brew. We savor the sweet anticipation of being in love. We may not be prepared to see how all these connect us to the sacred all around us.

Waking up to the sacred can be overwhelming. It may be best to take one step at a time.

The first step for me is letting go of distractions. As I come to see that my expectation, or my desire, or my fear draws my attention away from  the sacred depth in the world, I practice ways not to pay attention to them. I choose something as a symbol of my intention to be open to the sacred around me. When I become distracted, I return to the symbol and release what distracts me.

As I practice, my awareness of the sacred deepens and expands.

How will you spend some time with the sacred today?

Are you awake to what is all around you?

[Image by James Whitesmith]