*catchy title huh?
Exceptions? What are they? What is the purpose for the Spiritual Seeker? Or do they even have one?
For the past couple of weeks, I've enacted a practice a like to call "Spiritual Silent Sundays," where I am silent for 24 hours and attempt to fill it with spiritual activities throughout the whole day whether it is mantras, meditation, journal-ing, walking, watching videos from my spiritual master or reading.
This practice seems to be a nuisance for one of my family members. And on this particular Sunday morning, this family proceeded to ask me the following question...after I informed them that I would be in silence:
"Are these silent modes really necessary
during the holiday season? Someone may
need to ask you a question, ask for
advice or need you to do something."
And it CLICKED! (I love my silent times because they are filled with little realizations I like to call "clicks" almost like a switch was flipped inside of me or a light bulb screwed on)
For the past few months or more like a year, I've been struggling with discipline in my spiritual practices and discipline in my academic life. And when I read this message, I flashed backwards into why did I lose my discipline? When did I start falling down the slippery slope of laziness?...EXCEPTIONS...
When I started making excuses or exceptions for why it was okay to push this back or not do this today because I was rationalizing that something else was more important. When in reality it wasn't. That first exception was me opening the door for more, giving me a good REASON aka excuse as to why it was ok to push my spirituality to the side. It's so easy to make exceptions for this and that, once you allow the first one to take hold. You find yourself wondering how in the world did I get here? I used to be so disciplined, so on top of things, how did I let myself go? How did I let what was once the top priority in my life become a mere chore?...EXCEPTIONS
Now I do say this with the reality that sometimes true emergencies do arise, situations do occur throughout life that will take precedence over my spiritual practices at some point. But I believe for the spiritual seeker, especially the newbies, like myself first starting out, that it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to establish and maintain a high level of discipline and dedication to one's path or else you will end up where I'm currently at with a year of confusion, laziness and regression. Struggling to get back to that place of peace and spiritual growth...
So needless to say, I didn't respond to this family members message as a sign of good faith that I will establish my discipline again, that no more unnecessary "exceptions" will stop me from getting back on track...
Exceptions? What are they? What is the purpose for the Spiritual Seeker? Or do they even have one?
For the past couple of weeks, I've enacted a practice a like to call "Spiritual Silent Sundays," where I am silent for 24 hours and attempt to fill it with spiritual activities throughout the whole day whether it is mantras, meditation, journal-ing, walking, watching videos from my spiritual master or reading.
This practice seems to be a nuisance for one of my family members. And on this particular Sunday morning, this family proceeded to ask me the following question...after I informed them that I would be in silence:
"Are these silent modes really necessary
during the holiday season? Someone may
need to ask you a question, ask for
advice or need you to do something."
And it CLICKED! (I love my silent times because they are filled with little realizations I like to call "clicks" almost like a switch was flipped inside of me or a light bulb screwed on)
For the past few months or more like a year, I've been struggling with discipline in my spiritual practices and discipline in my academic life. And when I read this message, I flashed backwards into why did I lose my discipline? When did I start falling down the slippery slope of laziness?...EXCEPTIONS...
When I started making excuses or exceptions for why it was okay to push this back or not do this today because I was rationalizing that something else was more important. When in reality it wasn't. That first exception was me opening the door for more, giving me a good REASON aka excuse as to why it was ok to push my spirituality to the side. It's so easy to make exceptions for this and that, once you allow the first one to take hold. You find yourself wondering how in the world did I get here? I used to be so disciplined, so on top of things, how did I let myself go? How did I let what was once the top priority in my life become a mere chore?...EXCEPTIONS
Now I do say this with the reality that sometimes true emergencies do arise, situations do occur throughout life that will take precedence over my spiritual practices at some point. But I believe for the spiritual seeker, especially the newbies, like myself first starting out, that it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to establish and maintain a high level of discipline and dedication to one's path or else you will end up where I'm currently at with a year of confusion, laziness and regression. Struggling to get back to that place of peace and spiritual growth...
So needless to say, I didn't respond to this family members message as a sign of good faith that I will establish my discipline again, that no more unnecessary "exceptions" will stop me from getting back on track...
