This Sunday, I invite you to dive more deeply into the spiritual undercurrents of December. Along with the practice of kindness, consider fluidity and simplicity this week. These two aspects of spirituality support each other. By fluidity, I mean moving through life as a flow or stream of activity--the movement of events, people and other creatures, nature, ideas and consciousness--we are all in the river of life, and it is flowing. We can be carried by it, adjust ourselves as things change, or we can fight against it. Sometimes the river seems to stop, the flow is so gradual it is imperceptible, yet we are being carried by it none-the-less. The idea of life as flow, is ancient and aspects of it are found in many religious and spiritual traditions. The essential question is whether or not we can trust the order of Life in that movement, as the Highest and Best, as the Good, as the Allness we name God.
On a practical level, fluidity is adaptability, If we trust the movement of Life, then we are able to "shift gears" when situations and conditions demand it from us. Realistically, we don't always know what is the best way, with choices presented to us on so many different levels of life--choices and actions that impact relationships, health, finances, as well as our spiritual practice. We all, sooner or later, face unexpected events and shifting conditions that require change. One of the mantras that comes to me in meditation when there are upheavals in my life, is simply: "The River of Life is Flowing". The me, this means the Spiritual Well never runs dry. Never. We are always nourished by that River of Life. We draw from it what we need. Answers and solutions come.
Simplicity as a partner to fluidity, is highly adaptable, because we no long create unnecessary complications. Yes, certainly the social order can generate a lot of complicated situations, sometimes deliberately designed to be overwhelming! Once we realize that, we can shift our acceptance of a way that flows in simplicity. Sometimes that requires us to break a task down into smaller bits, so that each bit is do-able until the task is done. Sometimes we can cut through directly when our own resistance to change gives way to acceptance, and we grasp a simple solution. All of this is an aspect of your spiritual life, when your spiritual life is the core of meaning and direction for you. December is not known for being a simple time, but perhaps this week you can see it differently. Watch the flow, move and shift, adjust, keeping your way with a different kind of ease--simplicity. (Susan Nettleton)
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