New site

I am moving to a new site  http://manypathsoneforest.weebly.com    Have moved a couple of these posts there and will be expanding from there.

The sacred of the moment

This moment, now, is the most sacred you will ever know, but then so was the one ten minutes ago or two years ago or next time you wash the dishes. The sacred is never more than half a thought away. Some things inspire the awareness of the sacred; a sunset, the sound of drumming, a stream in a forest, a birth, the way the cat wrestles with something unseen. Each of us is different and it should be for each of us, while similar, have unique experiences that have shaped us.

However we do not need sporadic places or times to feel that mystical connection. It takes some practice to bring that feeling of universal connection to something like cleaning the house, but its not hard either. No harder then cleaning the house in the first place, that is. Lets start with something simpler. Right now you are reading this. In a very mundane way you are connected to my thoughts at a certain time through my writing and connected by who knows how many computers across how much space to make that connection. In a more mystical sense you are connected to everyone else who has read this and to me, and through that connection to all the people who shaped my thinking, which led to me writing this.

Next time you eat a meal out try thinking of the connections that meal brings you. That meal is connected to all the people who serve the food, prepare the food, deliver the food to the restaurant, the management that keeps the restaurant running, the farmers who grow the food, even back to the source of the seeds, and the people who grew those seeds, back through time to first people to harvest the wild seeds that were then grown intentionally, breed, and have changed over time to make new strains. (The debate over genetically modified food is for other blogs). You are also connected to the animals that wandered the fields, the rain that fell, the trees that border the fields, etc.

Now you may be thinking that its easy to think about these, but you aren't really feeling it. Fair enough. For me it is a matter of balance. Sometimes the feeling is inspired by something random, which leads me to think about the connections, and other times its the thought that leads me back to the feeling. Meditation often helps. However, meditation does not have to be limited to sitting in a quite place. Meditation can be done while cleaning the house or going for a walk. Its really about being mindful of the moment, of your thoughts, of your breathing, of the clouds, etc. Just take the time to see the world as it is and except it. This does not mean you can not try to change things for the better; just be mindful that changes have consequences. Some things like cleaning the house have the consequences of better organization, more efficiency, more peace of mind, and and possibly better health. However on the other end of the spectrum it uses energy and takes time. These are easy choices and not that far reaching. However, little choices add up and as we change our lives, the lives of those around us also change because of the connections we have to them.