The Four Horsemen of Spirituality
We’ve all heard of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Off the top of our heads, we remember that they are very negative, very bad guys, but we rarely recall that they are Conquest, War, Famine, and Death.
Hardly the crowd you want at your next dinner party, are they?
Not long ago I heard it said that there are another Four Horsemen: Humility, Gratitude, Acceptance, and Serenity.
Hearing that shifted something inside me. It made me hungry. I felt a spiritual hunger in a way I have not in quite some time. I was reminded that I should do more spiritual work. Do more spiritual work at a deeper level. But I don’t do it unless I’m around other people doing it.
Sure, I do some spiritual work daily. I pray. I meditate. I wait to hear what God has in mind for me next. As often as not, I am quick to say no to whatever God or the angels say. Now there’s an attitude to make God and the angels laugh.
The old saying is true. If you want to make God laugh, just say no.
How often does it occur to any of us to search after ways of keeping our feet on the ground? To appreciate what we have in life? To acknowledge our riches and our personal poverty? To meet each new moment, each new situation in life with calm stillness?
To do all of this from the depths of our core? At the same time, giving away the riches we already have in order to make room for more.
When we choose to be riled up by people or situations, we flood ourselves with negativity. We prepare the apocalyptic horsemen to ride amuck inside us. In the course of my lifetime, I have observed an ever-increasing sense of self-entitled scorn and rage arise all over our planet. It has left me asking one question over and over.
Seriously, God, you put me here for this?
We humans have less right to negativity, revenge, promoting and living evil lives than we are led to believe. People who desire power are willing to abuse the rest of us any way they can. Their desire to conquer the world — whatever the cost — is a soul killer. For them and for anybody who willingly believes their screeds.
People who are hungry for power at all costs are willing to commit crimes against God and humans.
If we are to follow the Four Horsemen of Spirituality, we have so many incredibly positive choices.
We can listen to our guardian angels whispering in our ears. Very often the angels are not whispering at all. We simply think they are whispering. What the angels are doing is screaming in our ears. We are so deaf to the voices of creatures who have been with us, assisted us, throughout our lives that we are unaware that they are screaming to get through our deafness. When the angels do get through to us, we are in the position to help make miracles happen.
And isn’t that a surprise?
We have the examples of other people around us. Some we know. Some are figures in history. Our personal history and the history we read in books. Some we will never know, but because they did a kindness, performed a miracle, for another person and that miraculous kindness has been passed on for minutes or generations, our lives are enriched.
To think that an ordinary person like us can help make miracles become reality! What you never think of is how often you do this. Each time you have helped another person, you have made another miracle a reality. When you show up for work, a meeting, a game, get gas or go grocery shopping, your positive presence helps make more miracles possible.
You may walk past someone on the street or in a store and live blithely unaware of being a personal agent for good. If you smiled, waited to let someone pass, held your tongue rather than reacting to a negative comment, the Creator’s four spiritual horsemen had the opportunity to run through your soul.
Even better, you let the horsemen loose to run freely across a world badly in need of joy and happiness.
In a world hungry for kindness, you gave it away.
