One of the great joys in my life is hanging out in this big old Wisdom community. Its timeless! We are all part of Wisdom’s never-ending flow and manifestation. Wisdom always has and always will – in all places and throughout all time – manifest. And here we are, in our time and place, with opportunities to learn and grow together, and somehow contribute something of our own lives to the great unfolding! What could be more worthwhile? That we might each find our own unique ways of giving of our beings to each other, to the planet, and to those who will come after us.
As you look around this website, you’ll see so many opportunities – groups to join, events to go to, zoom-based offerings… and not just on this website, but on so many others too. It always amazes me just how much is out there to help satisfy any spiritual desire. There are endless spiritual courses, seminars and teachings to take advantage of. One of the gifts of the pandemic, it seems to me, has been even more opportunities for growing spiritually, and for experiencing community through all that the virtual world has to offer. However… and I think there is a big however…
It seems to me that there is a certain energy that pervades all aspects of our society here in the West, that we in the Wisdom community would do well to be conscious of and alert to. The subtle, yet ever-pervading consumerist mentality can all too easily seep into our spiritual endeavors, just as in other areas of our lives. Spiritual consumerism, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), wanting to just “keep up” with the next book, the next offering… If we are not vigilant, these can be subtle drivers in our spiritual lives. There can sometimes be a seemingly insatiable spiritual “hunger” with the accompanying mentality of “Oh, if I just did this course!” – as if somehow one more course or one more book might abate the hunger. As we look ahead to the fall, it would serve us well to be ruthlessly honest with ourselves about what our true and hidden motivations are. To be quietly inquisitive as to where and how we are being asked to contribute – perhaps in a leadership role, perhaps as a participant, visible or invisible, it doesn’t really matter. It’s all of equal value. In whatever ways we engage, our playing a part makes a difference and has an impact. So – who or what is calling us? Is what we’re each giving our time, energy and money to going to be of service beyond just our own “spiritual development”? Is what we give ourselves to a response to Love?
As we all make our way through this pandemic, out of the summer into a new season, let’s ask Wisdom within us where and how we are to participate in this ever-expanding, edgeless Wisdom community. What do you long for? What do you need? Where do you sense a need in the wider community that you have the resources to meet? What form of contribution or participation brings you a sense of aliveness? Let’s be mindful, that however we choose to engage, we are in this not just for ourselves, but for the expansion, growth and freedom of each other. Our involvement can be an act of giving, an offering, and balm for the world. And so Wisdom ripples out…
Thank you for your words and the profound thought behind them. Our culture of consumerism permeates everything, often in unseen ways. Your words remind us Wisdom is not something we consume or do, it is the transformative process (Love) at work within each of us that we then live out of – our part is to listen, to participate in that unfolding with awareness that we are part of something bigger – the Whole.
Thank you, Heather,
Your post gives a lot of food for thought. What you said helps in discerning where and how to be involved. And I appreciate that.
Thank you, Heather, for your joyful enthusiasm and your generous heart!