The Dance of Spiritual Life
All of us are part of the dance of spiritual life whether we realize it or not.
We may admire the skill of the dancers. It may be the choreography which captures our attention or how well people play the music. It could be the spontaneity of the dancers or the intricacy of the rhythms which attracts us.
Some of us believe we are sitting along the edge watching other people dance. We may see ourselves as too inexperienced, or too embarrassed, to dance. It may be we think we do not know the steps.
There are other people who enjoy dancing, and dance well, and we may be intimidated. It could be we are more comfortable with a different style of dancing. The dance of spiritual life may be outside our experience or beyond our expectations.
Maybe we were brought up to think dancing is wrong. We may see spiritual life as being much more like marching than like dancing.
The dance of spiritual live means different things to different people. Some of us experience spiritual life like gliding across a ballroom floor. Others of us spread our wings and fly through the air, expressing ourselves with abandon. A few of us pirouette our stories like ballet.
Some dance in ways which appear improvised but reveal intense preparation and practice.
We practice the dance of spiritual life on our own, developing new skills so we can dance well with others.
Practicing What We Know
We learn the dance of spiritual life one step at a time. It is one thing to figure it out in our heads, sorting out what needs to go where. Our practice goes beyond the mechanics of the dance to support our creativity.
We practice to develop our sense of rhythm in spiritual life. The hours we spend practicing open us to the possibilities of our time on the dance floor.
Dancing exists only in the present moment. It cannot be repeated or recreated. We can dance again, but we cannot do the same dance. We can learn from our mistakes, and we can try new things, but each dance is different.
When we dance, we dance with all of ourselves. Our arms and legs, our hearts and minds, we dance with all we have. Just like spiritual life.
We may begin tentatively, gaining solid footing, then develop our own moves. It is a challenge to learn what we can do and what we need more help to do. Dancing is more enjoyable with some people than it is with others. We learn to recognize and appreciate the beauty of when we are really dancing.
There are times when we dance for joy, and there are times when we dance trying to go faster.
Learning to dance is not only learning the steps, but becoming comfortable with the moves.
The time we spend practicing is when we try new steps. We push the boundaries of what we have done before, exploring beyond what we know we can do.
Our spiritual practices are not about becoming better at spiritual life. We practice to discover new truths by exploring beyond what we think we already know.
Dancing is a Relationship
We dance with other people. Dancing partners, dance instructors, people watching us. Even the people who would like to dance with us who will never ask. We do not dance alone.
Dancing is a relationship we share.
The dance of spiritual life is a relationship. Our dance goes beyond rigidly following the pattern of steps or having the right posture. Practices give us insight into new ways we can creatively make the dance our own.
We do not practice spiritual disciplines to improve our repetitive performance. The effort we put into prayer is not intended to make us prayer champions. We do not spend time in reflection in order to become the best reflectors we can be. The dance of spiritual life is not a competition.
Our dance of spiritual life turns the frameworks we have practiced into expressions of our true selves.
Spiritual practices give us insight into who we are just as practicing dance shows us what sort of dancers we are. We explore and express deeper truth, sharing insights we have gained with others.
As we become more intimately acquainted with who we really are our relationship deepens. Our time spent practicing the dance of spiritual life strengthens our ability to dance with others.
We dance together and the dance of spiritual life draws us closer. The dance teaches us where to step next. Each of us is drawn into the dance and the dance embraces us. We discover the dance within us and explore its intricacies.
Each step is a new beginning.
Finding Our Own Dance
We are each part of the dance of spiritual life whether we realize it or not.
Our dance may have the gliding elegance of ballroom dancing or the free expression of modern dance. We may be drawn into the structured beauty of ballet or the athleticism of tap dancing.
Our dance may be energetic or calming, formal or relaxed. The dance of spiritual life draws us onto the dance floor and releases the dancer within us.
We may dance with joy or with discipline or with reckless abandon. Our dancing may help us remember or to go beyond what we have done before.
Spiritual life is a dance, not marching in lockstep. We put what we have found in ourselves and in the people around us into practice. Deep, Sacred truths are expressed in the steps we take each day.
We learn from our practices and find our own dance of spiritual life.
Beginning step by step, the dance of spiritual life draws us in and sends us out. We learn to dance with ourselves and with each other in the dance of spiritual life. Our steps complement each other and we come together in the great dance.
Where has your dance of spiritual life taken you so far?
May I have this dance?
[Image by be creator]
Greg Richardson is a spiritual life mentor and leadership coach in Southern California. He is a recovering attorney and university professor, and a lay Oblate with New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg’s website is StrategicMonk.com, and his email address is StrategicMonk@gmail.com.
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