13.9.09

living a sacred and sensual life

the pink lotus: as women, our creativity blooms when we honour our unique spirituality

I believe our creativity blooms when we are nurturing our authentic spirituality, and when we are in touch with the sacred. For me, the sacred is very tangible, in the beauty and fragility of the rich web of life in which we live, and in the tender soft spot in our hearts which connects us with others and constantly reminds us of our shared humanity. I see the sacred and the sensual not as antithetical, but as deeply interwoven. Living a sacred and sensual life means cultivating awareness of and participation in our physical world; cultivating aliveness of all five senses; and cultivating love and appreciation for our own precious selves, bodies, and physical experiences

My own spiritual practice defies labeling. I am a committed Buddhist, because of the deep joy and inherent practicality I find in the Buddhist path. Over millennia, Buddhist practitioners have created incredibly powerful technologies for combating human suffering, both social and individual. These technologies - I call them this because they are practical sets of tools - mindfulness, study, meditation, and precepts for ethical living - continue to transform my life and my psyche for the better.

Alongside my Buddhist practice exists my natural and lifelong inclination towards folk magic and the sacred wisdom of women. My domestic life, my life-cycles, my body, my relationship with nature - all are supported by my deep connection to these earth-based traditions. Again, I am drawn to these traditions because they are both joyful and highly practical. I take pleasure in learning about worldwide and historical traditions of folk wisdom & spiritual practices.

I love incorporating ritual into daily life. For me the idea of daily ritual encompasses not only the time we set aside as sacred, apart from our mundane activities (like time for prayer or meditation) but also the acknowledgement of our mundane activities as sacred in themselves, the bringing of mindfulness and gratitude to our everyday. Much of what I share in this blog is about this part of our lives - bringing sacredness and creativity to our everyday. This is hugely important to me!

I can find things to admire and learn from in most of the world's spiritual traditions. Does it support well being of self, society, and earth? Does it engage the critical mind enough to encourage a thoughtful and living set of ethics? Is the idea of non-harming highly valued? Are earth and her creatures, including us, seen as innately good? Then the tradition earns my respect.

wise woman traditions of spirituality are joyful and practical, symbolized here by the broom and the beehive


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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful post and heart warming
thoughts.
Thanks for the inspiring words.

Wonderful Star said...

I concur. Absolutely beautiful post.

Madame One Tree said...

yes.

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