Short Ditty On My Spirituality
Look to this day,
For it is life,
The very life of life.
In its brief course lie all
The realities and verities of existence,
The bliss of growth,
The splendor of action,
The glory of power -
For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision,
But today, well lived,
Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day.
Sanskrit proverb
by Kalidasa
Fifth century A.D.
I found this beautiful sanskrit teaching within the first few pages of some of my AA literature. Sanskrit is a rich, ancient, Indic language used in yoga to define the asanas (poses). The Hindu scriptures are written in sanskrit.
There are no accidents or coincidences in my life. I love yoga and 12 step programs because both are spiritual ways of life, but neither are religions. Both encompass religious teachings and yet neither impose.
In a discussion around these two things the other day, I was asked by a close Catholic friend about my religious upbringing... I attended a Lutheran church as a child, was baptized, communed and went to catechism. I was also raised by an incredible mother, who through her actions and way of life taught me the things my amazing Buddhist grandmother passed down to her. From a young age, I communicated with spirits in my sleep and through my dreams. By the time I was 13, my questions around religion got me in trouble with our Lutheran pastor. His way of condemning me and openly judging my father for alcoholism specifically drove me away from the church pretty quickly.
I knew in my soul then, and still know it now - only God can judge.
I did not choose to be an alcoholic (there is a genetic component; this is a highly misunderstood disease, not just poor decision making). People don't choose to be gay. People don't choose the color of their skin when they're born. God chooses these things in a little consultation with us before soul school, or our present incarnation, for us to keep growing into his likeness. And he loves all of us. Every part of us.
It is my opinion that it isn't so important what you believe so much as that you believe. There are universal truths, and the truths we humans choose to make up and believe. Love is truth.
For it is life,
The very life of life.
In its brief course lie all
The realities and verities of existence,
The bliss of growth,
The splendor of action,
The glory of power -
For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision,
But today, well lived,
Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day.
Sanskrit proverb
by Kalidasa
Fifth century A.D.
I found this beautiful sanskrit teaching within the first few pages of some of my AA literature. Sanskrit is a rich, ancient, Indic language used in yoga to define the asanas (poses). The Hindu scriptures are written in sanskrit.
There are no accidents or coincidences in my life. I love yoga and 12 step programs because both are spiritual ways of life, but neither are religions. Both encompass religious teachings and yet neither impose.
In a discussion around these two things the other day, I was asked by a close Catholic friend about my religious upbringing... I attended a Lutheran church as a child, was baptized, communed and went to catechism. I was also raised by an incredible mother, who through her actions and way of life taught me the things my amazing Buddhist grandmother passed down to her. From a young age, I communicated with spirits in my sleep and through my dreams. By the time I was 13, my questions around religion got me in trouble with our Lutheran pastor. His way of condemning me and openly judging my father for alcoholism specifically drove me away from the church pretty quickly.
I knew in my soul then, and still know it now - only God can judge.
I did not choose to be an alcoholic (there is a genetic component; this is a highly misunderstood disease, not just poor decision making). People don't choose to be gay. People don't choose the color of their skin when they're born. God chooses these things in a little consultation with us before soul school, or our present incarnation, for us to keep growing into his likeness. And he loves all of us. Every part of us.
It is my opinion that it isn't so important what you believe so much as that you believe. There are universal truths, and the truths we humans choose to make up and believe. Love is truth.
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