The Pilgrim's Path: Seeing the Sacred
As soon as you mark your journey as a pilgrimage, you are drawing a line in the sand transforming how you move through the world-how you see, hear and taste the world around you. And inevitably, because of this manner of intention-and because the Powers that Be know what you've done (that whole line in the sand act)-there will be things that go wrong...terribly wrong. That is simply the nature of the Pilgrim's Path; no longer can you just simply curse at an inconvenience or change in plans. There is Some One speaking to you now through the chaos. There is a Force that will derail all your best laid undertakings and ideals for this journey just so you will see things anew, afresh; just so you will see the Holy, the Mystery that is present.
The Call
In a culture whose calendars are captained by smart phones and apps, it is increasingly rare for us to be moved by a season beyond predictable greeting cards and holiday decor. These seasons-be they spiritual, soulful or secular-have a much needed purpose in our lives; they punctuate our plain places with celebration and solidarity. They break open our schedules and routines and bring us together; we gather in community and communion around these seasons, which testify to our lives, to our journeys and where we are headed.
Turn on Love
Who do you love? Who lives within the soft places of your heart? Today, as you exchange tokens of affections with close family and friends, ponder how the lines of love can be extended to include more. We are apart of a great community of things that need us to know of them, need us to love them, need us speak on behalf of them. When we are fully engaged with the host of living creatures with whom we live, we turn on our power.
Cookie Love
The amazing, magical thing that always happened-whether I was sad, depressed, lonely, dejected, or vulnerable-was that this process of baking cookies and giving them away truly sorted me out! I could be in the most dispirited of states and as the baking ritual commenced, I could feel myself lifting. My mind would initially focus on the chemistry of the cookie (1 tsp baking soda, 1 cup sugar, 4 cups flour...) and then center on the recipient. My thoughts were no longer wallowing in self-proclaimed pity, they were reaching out to someone else, and to another's story, who needed an extra dose of sweetness in their given season. The cookies created a shared moment that acknowledged another and put life back in perspective.
Living in Fear
We all live in fear to some extent or another. There is a spectrum of this emotional response and absolutely, there are situations and contexts that warrant this self-preserving stance. If we were to do a broad-stroke generalization though, what is the typical object of this fear? I daresay that the average common characteristic of these fiends is difference
Other and the Future
this is the hopeful intention of Waymarkers: the blog. Our lives are a pilgrimage. Each of us has been called to journey thoughtfully and intentionally through our days. We are asked to see the sacred all around us, but specifically in those other than ourselves. What exactly does this mean? It really is as simple as it sounds: anyone OTHER than you. This includes those that don’t look like you, act like you, live like you, or think like you. We are called to see them, travel with them, and yes, even live on BEHALF of them. This process of linking Other to our self begins the transformational unfolding of Other becoming Neighbor, and ultimately, in practicing the universal command of “Love your neighbor as yourself”, becoming your self. For when this conversion occurs, we suddenly cannot look away from the injustices and pain experienced by those other than ourselves, for it is now happening to US. We now journey forward on behalf of a common good for ALL.
