Spirituality and Writing

I had an interesting dream last night. The main gist of it was that I was at some kind of conference in this huge, kinda bizarre hotel. It had white walls and was kind of adobe-feeling. I was always getting lost in the hotel, not being able to find the elevator or stairs that led to my room, or where I was supposed to be. So I was there with a group, but I’ve forgotten what our purpose was. The interesting thing was that there was another group there. They were on this spiritual retreat or studying spiritual stuff because they were always together and they were praying. Then I stumbled onto this area where there were huge, 8’ in diameter nesting pods (picture big bird's bed on sesame street, but with a huge glass dome on top) with glass domes covering them (it’s always so challenging to write something that I see when it seems insane). They were like giant cake dishes you see at diners. And the ‘bed’ part was different things: amber rocks, crystals, and other spiritual elements. I really wanted to lay down in one of them and meditate. But the group I was with, I had the suspicion, wasn’t a spiritual group. They thought it was weird. I thought it was awesome. So I wanted to be in the other group. I wanted to study spirituality and be a part of their thing.
I felt I was with a younger group. We had a conversation about attraction and I said I wasn’t attracted to one of the people because he was a teenager (which may or may not have been the case, but it *felt* like that).

Interesting dream.

So that brings me to Spirit and spirituality in my life. That’s something that is REALLY important to me. I have always been spiritual in some way or another. I’ve always believed in God. I think I tried not to at some point, feeling it was weird or immature, but then I’d secretly do it (and btw, it’s nobody’s business if I believe in God anyway, so now I don’t bother keeping it so secret). The connection to Spirit is something I try not to take for granted, but I’m happy that I can sometimes. When it comes to writing I try to let Spirit in, in any way it feels like being there. Lately it’s been challenging.

I tend to write like I’m having a conversation, but the spiritual voice I have sometimes doesn’t match that casual tone. Because spirituality isn’t usually casual to me. I mean, it’s not a black tie dinner, but when I stop to think how blessed I am, how amazing the universe is, how connected I feel to Mother Nature/God, the Flow, etc. it can’t be casual. It’s intense. It’s all around me.

There are things that I do, that I observe others doing, that distracts us from the main event, which disheartens me, for sure. And there are times when all I have to do is see the moon and remember that I don’t have to watch tv to make myself feel better. I am really valuing the idea of simplifying my life. I can pinpoint my stresses now and a lot of it comes from holding onto crap, buying into an idea just because it seems convenient and fulfilling (packaged food, fashionable clothing, an ‘experience’). Even though paying attention to spirit takes more energy in a sense, the return is higher. I love to cook. I love to bake. Both of those experiences are very spiritual. I love to write, read, walk. I love to eat, sleep, bathe. All those things are spiritual. Can shopping be spiritual? Of course. It may take some ritual and preparation, but when I buy from a company that supports the things I support, it can definitely feel spiritual. When I connect to the people who brought the things in the store closer to me, it feels really good.
Bringing spirituality into my life more and more may feel strange at first. But I guess I’d feel better than if I hadn’t brought it in closer to my life. Many things (if not all) have a spirit. Actions and objects. Keying in to them can change our experience of them. When eating becomes spiritual, the food tastes different. When shopping becomes spiritual, I don’t think about spending money, I think about supporting someone in their livelihood. When writing becomes spiritual, I think about sharing my life with others in order to forge a connection where there might not have been one.