Expanding Spirituality

Spirituality is one of those things that is too often assumed to be unattainable. Unreachable. It is assumed that we’re supposed to become spiritual eagles. A good spirituality wind is supposed to catch the wings of our souls. We imagine it takes us so high that our bodies and souls become untouchable. The theory is that we will fly out of sight forever. We will fly beyond the skies. The great unknown will be our new homes.

The imagery is beautiful. The presumptions are perfectly glorious. Yet, there is a hole in the middle of it.

Too often we ignore the facts of life. We forget that working our spiritual muscles is similar to working our physical muscles. Without constant attention and exercise, our spirits become flabby. Our souls lose their muscularity. They become loose and droopy when we slack off our spiritual exercises. What we’re really doing is slacking off at performing our spiritual duties.

Who is going to do the little things that keep us in shape if we don’t? It’s not about running a mystical marathon. To keep spiritually expanding on a constant basis our souls rely on the little things in life.

How often does a person hold in the front of their mind that thanking someone else for a small kindness is thanking God? It isn’t necessary to be a giant of philosophy or theology to do big little deeds. Holding a door for someone else expands our souls. A smile or wave of the hand can provide precisely the boost another person’s soul needs to get through at any given moment in life.

How many times have you walked down a street or a hallway when someone on their mobile phone has bumped into you? Maybe nearly crushed you? They’re so busy with their physical lives that they ignore the greater metaphysical reality in which we live. There are as many ways of dealing with the situation as there are humans. Mine is to stick my cane out in front of me into the oncoming person’s view before I am trampled.

Have you ever seen the mortified look on someone’s face when they realize they’re about to walk over an old man with a cane? It’s worth the price of admission. They suddenly stop and pay attention to their surroundings. People return to being conscious participants in the human race.

There are a minority who throw nasty glances, but they’re worth the price of admission, too. Probably even more so. They are the ones for whom a quick prayer is in order to open up both of our souls more than ever imagined. It’s clear from their behavior that they feel far too important to be bothered by mere decent manners. I pray and watch as our guardian angels try to remind them of their spiritual selves. My job is to say a quick prayer that they will recover their sense of selves.

Just as I am pulled up short when my mind wanders.

I have always seen how the nearly all of the world around me has presumed that I am a dreamer. That my mind is off in space somewhere. I appear to be talking to myself pretty much all the time. I am actually talking to angels and spirits. And that is something that very few people give the impression they comprehend. Most of those who do understand are like me. We’re engaged in telepathic conversations. The majority of the world cannot see the other participants in our conversations.

For us this is a little thing. No different from opening a door or holding a chair for someone. I have observed other mystics in these conversations who, like me, pause when we reach doorways. They, like me, appear to be waiting for someone else to pass through before them. We are.

It’s a little thing.

Whenever any of us adapt ourselves to put others first our souls are able to expand in larger matters. Doing little things like giving a smile, a nod, a kindness given to a person in need widens our opportunities for our souls to grow.

Some days we’re tired. We are simply all tuckered out. We don’t feel able to do anything for ourselves, much less for anybody else.

Then something happens. We have no idea what. It’s almost like a switch flipped inside our hearts. Without reason or cause, we’re able to do something good for ourselves. When we can accept that positivity into our own souls, we become able to do good for others.

By being present we are able to be a spiritual gift.

It’s a sudden reversal of expectations. Maybe we don’t feel sunny and bright towards the whole world. Maybe we don’t have to. Doing one small act of kindness for one man, woman or child may be more than being a spiritual Superman.

Allowing ourselves, our hearts and souls and bodies, to fill with one great spiritual breath may be all we’re asked to do at any time in our lives.

Isn’t that a miracle?