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Posted: April 13th, 2007 at 2:31am By: Anne E. Ulvestad
How many of us can say that our life's work and our spiritual practice go hand in hand with our lives? This question jumped out at me as I looked over the Wisdom University website. I believe it's one of those heart/mind/body connections that we all wish we had, if we had the time, and space, and capital. How can I make it a priority, when the day-to-day reality in my life, as well as in the world, is so hectic and all-consuming?
When I asked a few years ago what was to be my life's work, I was thrown into the environmental tidal pool. The only thing I had to do was put out the intention and I was led, step by step on an amazing adventure. Of course, I had to have the faith, take the chance, and make the decision to go back to school, and be open to change my career, but in the scheme of things the hard work of actually finding the path was done for me.
I read on that same website that there are two common ways of discerning truth. One way is through numinous events and experiences, such as the one I've described above of being led. I've had many such experiences in my life, and for a long time I was satisfied. My life, my beliefs, was my own, and I was happy with that.
One day I woke up, and that wasn't enough anymore. I suddenly felt a need for community, and what is more, I needed credentials to share in an intelligent manner. I wanted to discover how my opinions were supported by the words and thoughts of others before me. I've never been big on credentials; however, that is another way of discerning truth — gathering data, in a scientific manner. So I went back to school, and got some facts and figures under my belt.
And there you have the foundation for an age-old dilemma: how to unite a religious or spiritual way of life with a scientific, practical approach. It is in the same way that people with differing backgrounds, opinions or cultures can get along — in the words of my boss, "Conversations, and more conversations." What is the union of science and the spirit anyway, but an opportunity to create an intimacy of both mind and heart through our interconnections and relationships?
An old Native American proverb states, "I can't know my brother until I have walked a mile in his moccasins." Intellectual understanding without a real-time relationship is not the basis of reality. Since the Observer Effect was uncovered, it has been demonstrated that even a real-time relationship changes with the attitude and intention of the participants.
Perhaps the same can be said of truth, then. Truth can — and I hesitate to say, "can only be perceived" — but perceived most deeply when we are practicing it in relationship. This leads us to a third, more inclusive way of recognizing truth — through dialogue. When we talk together, discussing and reflecting, compromising and stirring up compassion and consideration, we tend to judge less on the "letter of the law" and begin expanding our horizons, and developing a more inclusive point of view.
This inclusion would encompass the past as well as the future. Jim Garrison, president of Wisdom University, writes in his welcome letter: "Nurturing and sharing the wisdom traditions common to all humanity can assist us in raising ourselves out of the current morass of mistrust and turmoil to act more humanely with one another and more sustainably with the Earth."
Dialogue can help us find ourselves, as we see ourselves reflected in others; can help us grow, as we gain energy and focus through the communication; and can help us expand, as we become an integral part of a community of beings living for this higher purpose of truth that allows us to become one.
The religious scholar Andrew Harvey coined the phrase "Sacred Activism," and defines it as "deepening our spiritual awareness and refining our social commitments in an integrated act of faith." Interactivism, our working together, can help identify our passion, as well as align it with a reality that, in truth, benefits all.
— — —
Anne E. Ulvestad is a free-lance writer residing in Maryland. She has her masters in earth literacy, and is available for public lectures and group presentations and rituals on Spirituality and the Environment. Anne can be reached at {email anne@ourplaceintheuniverse.com}anne@ourplaceintheuniverse.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Anne E. Ulvestad
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How many of us can say that our life's work and our spiritual practice go hand in hand with our lives? This question jumped out at me as I looked over the Wisdom University website. I believe it's one of those heart/mind/body connections that we all wish we had, if we had the time, and space, and capital. How can I make it a priority, when the day-to-day reality in my life, as well as in the world, is so hectic and all-consuming?
When I asked a few years ago what was to be my life's work, I was thrown into the environmental tidal pool. The only thing I had to do was put out the intention and I was led, step by step on an amazing adventure. Of course, I had to have the faith, take the chance, and make the decision to go back to school, and be open to change my career, but in the scheme of things the hard work of actually finding the path was done for me.
I read on that same website that there are two common ways of discerning truth. One way is through numinous events and experiences, such as the one I've described above of being led. I've had many such experiences in my life, and for a long time I was satisfied. My life, my beliefs, was my own, and I was happy with that.
One day I woke up, and that wasn't enough anymore. I suddenly felt a need for community, and what is more, I needed credentials to share in an intelligent manner. I wanted to discover how my opinions were supported by the words and thoughts of others before me. I've never been big on credentials; however, that is another way of discerning truth — gathering data, in a scientific manner. So I went back to school, and got some facts and figures under my belt.
And there you have the foundation for an age-old dilemma: how to unite a religious or spiritual way of life with a scientific, practical approach. It is in the same way that people with differing backgrounds, opinions or cultures can get along — in the words of my boss, "Conversations, and more conversations." What is the union of science and the spirit anyway, but an opportunity to create an intimacy of both mind and heart through our interconnections and relationships?
An old Native American proverb states, "I can't know my brother until I have walked a mile in his moccasins." Intellectual understanding without a real-time relationship is not the basis of reality. Since the Observer Effect was uncovered, it has been demonstrated that even a real-time relationship changes with the attitude and intention of the participants.
Perhaps the same can be said of truth, then. Truth can — and I hesitate to say, "can only be perceived" — but perceived most deeply when we are practicing it in relationship. This leads us to a third, more inclusive way of recognizing truth — through dialogue. When we talk together, discussing and reflecting, compromising and stirring up compassion and consideration, we tend to judge less on the "letter of the law" and begin expanding our horizons, and developing a more inclusive point of view.
This inclusion would encompass the past as well as the future. Jim Garrison, president of Wisdom University, writes in his welcome letter: "Nurturing and sharing the wisdom traditions common to all humanity can assist us in raising ourselves out of the current morass of mistrust and turmoil to act more humanely with one another and more sustainably with the Earth."
Dialogue can help us find ourselves, as we see ourselves reflected in others; can help us grow, as we gain energy and focus through the communication; and can help us expand, as we become an integral part of a community of beings living for this higher purpose of truth that allows us to become one.
The religious scholar Andrew Harvey coined the phrase "Sacred Activism," and defines it as "deepening our spiritual awareness and refining our social commitments in an integrated act of faith." Interactivism, our working together, can help identify our passion, as well as align it with a reality that, in truth, benefits all.
— — —
Anne E. Ulvestad is a free-lance writer residing in Maryland. She has her masters in earth literacy, and is available for public lectures and group presentations and rituals on Spirituality and the Environment. Anne can be reached at {email anne@ourplaceintheuniverse.com}anne@ourplaceintheuniverse.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Anne E. Ulvestad
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