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'A Stream Being A Stream'
river de chute... easton, maine
Spiritually, where I began is signified by a little book of children's prayers. The book is from my childhood and is over fifty years old. That book reminds me the Way for me began as it does for everyone, a beginner. Then, I said prayers to the deity in the sky, for example, now I sit in Silence. Then, I was a conservative, evangelical Christian, and now not. The beliefs and forms of our path will change as we grow spiritually. And in this change, persons are where they are often for that is the only place they can be. Each step of the Way is the Way. While each step is the Way, the Way becomes the Way step-by-step.
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A Sufi Story
The prophet Moses heard a simple shepherd praying. The shepherd was offering to comb God's hair, wash his robe, and kiss his hand. Moses called the shepherd a blasphemer for speaking of God in such a crude manner, so un-Godlike.
Later, God visited Moses in a dream. God spoke in an admonishing tone, "In your criticism of the humble shepherd, you drove away a worshipper from the nearest to Me he could approach."
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Spiritual inflation is a temptation on the Way. One can think of oneself better than others due to her spiritual practice, including experiences. One can look down the holy nose, so to speak, at others.
Not everyone shares a like spiritual maturity. We are equal, yet we have not equally grown. Yet, as one becomes more conscious, one feels more kinship with everyone on the Way. One does not wish to discourage anyone, whatever their means by which she acts to relate with the Sacred.
Not all means of Grace are equal in efficacy, but they are equal in Love. Everyone approaching that Presence is equal among themselves, too. The seeking of the Sacred is the Sacred reaching out for the Sacred.
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Last, not the act of devotion but the heart of devotion is what is key in the Way. And one who is deeply spiritual may engage the path in simple, rudimentary ways. Regardless, whether esteemed less evolved or more evolved, we are beginners. That we have in common - we begin beginners, we remain beginners.
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*(C) Brian K. Wilcox, 2021
*Brian's book, An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major online booksellers or the publisher AuthorHouse. The book is a collection of poems based on mystical traditions, especially Christian and Sufi, with extensive notes on the teachings and imagery in the poetry.
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