Spirit Tests
Dec 07, 2024 10:26 pm
Hi there,
I had a very satisfying Sufi class on Tuesday. Not only did it go smoothly, it was attended by my biggest turnout of participants. Can I enjoy that feeling of contentment without slipping into ego and self-conceit? Tricky!
Adnan warned that if the ego can’t get in through the front door, it will try the back.
Shortly after class, I got a call from the car repair shop which was repairing a broken brake light switch. The repair estimate had already ballooned before the class with the shop’s insistence that I needed a new clutch. Since I had previously been warned, by another mechanic, that this problem was on the horizon, I agreed to the repair. This brought my tab to about $1600.
Ok, now what? "The O ring on the distributor cap," they told me "was leaking oil and would cost another $200 to fix." I was not a happy camper. Nevertheless, I gave my permission because it's an old car, and it was probably needed.
The next morning, I was besieged with worry. Was the shop investigating my car with a fine-toothed comb to boost the bill? It happens a lot in the age of hyper-capitalism! I fretted for 30 minutes failing to go back to sleep.
This is where spirit testing comes in!
Can I let go of my worries and return to the present moment? After all, I have already asked for the work to be done. Worrying does nothing but make me feel bad. Energetically, it may even invite the worry I hope to avoid.
Finally, after 45 minutes of yoga, 30 minutes of chanting, and a morning walk in the cemetery where God shared a sky watercolor, I was able to release my worry and savor the moment.
In “A Gradual Awakening,” Stephen Levine reminds us that spirit is more than the moments of serene mindfulness. The difficult meditations are spirit, too. Our struggle with thoughts and the negative self (Adnan’s words) are part of the process of awakening. Each time we can reach past the negative self and find peace, we go deeper and become stronger.
Stephen says it is the judgment, the comparing of this moment to another moment, that is most detrimental to spirit.
As Rumi’s said in his poem, we must learn to welcome everything.
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness.
Some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
Who violently sweep your house
Empty of all furniture,
Still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
For some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame. the malice,
Meet them at the door laughing.
And invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
Because each has been sent,
As a guide from beyond
Our journey is to learn how to surrender to the highs and lows of life. Each moment unfolds, sometimes sublime, sometimes “testy.” We evolve through all of it.
This challenge is what we accepted when our spirit first entered a human body. The body, you see, has its own agenda. It keeps pulling us back into fear and worry about the future or the past because that is its programming -- to keep us safe and alive. Worry is one of its strategies for holding disaster at bay.
Spirit, on the other hand, is not concerned with survival. Spirit is eternal.
Spirit’s task is to partner with the human form and both enjoy its experiences of life and master them.
When we remember to perceive our life through the lens of spirit, everything is spirit – the chattering mind, the angry rant, the morning worries, the hurt and sorrow, and those moments of sheer bliss. The more we practice, the easier it becomes to release judgment and surrender to the moment whatever it brings.
Join me in the moment at Sufi Class: Sunday, December 8st, 8:00 am PST and Tuesday, December 10th at 10:30 am PST
The Zoom LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88050735178?pwd=zkrVoc4Mtg0pSXtAAWmoCrHWQb2qb1.1
Don’t forget to use SUFI all in caps if you are asked for the password.
Be brilliant,
Dr. Michelle
Life Transformation Coach
Empowering Women to Reinvent Their Life After Loss
Secrets of Life and Death
