On Sunday at the Yoga Sanctuary, we began to explore Henri Nouwen’s book, Life of The Beloved. The main point of the book is found on page 30 where he states, “Our many conversations led me to the inner conviction that the words, “You are my Beloved” revealed the most intimate truth about all human beings, whether they belong to any particular (religious) tradition or not.”
As each person shared about their unique experience of the divine, something within and something that is greater than, we each had different words to describe this great mystery. We had different words to describe our relationship to the great mystery. We had different feelings about being called the Beloved.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, I remembered Jesus’ words to Peter, ” Who do you say that I am?” This question guided my time in contemplation. I began to answer the question:
Guide. Dream shaper. Whisper. Nudge. Mother Earth.
Then, I began to think of all the religious words I have used in the past to see if they fit my experience and they no longer applied, so I began to dig deeper….
Wisdom. Strength. Love. Spirit. Flow. Compassion. Gift.
What I felt deep in my soul is that this question is one of the guides for living a spiritual life no matter what tradition you practice or if you are spiritually fluid, blending religious traditions into your own unique expression. “Who do you say I am?”
For me, the most honest word is Teacher.
Nouwen’s book offers us an invitation to put words to our spiritual journey, to articulate what we feel in the presence of the divine, what she looks & sounds like, who she calls us to be, how we would describe our relationship with her. He asks us to have the courage to share our experiences with others.
As you share your unique experience, I grow and expand in my own understanding of this great mystery.
Join us at The Yoga Sanctuary, Sunday’s at 10am.
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Amber Mattingly 