A Photo Taken in Texas
Welcome
The Who: Tommy’s Holiday Camp (from Tommy, the rock opera)
If you follow my blog and have been patiently waiting for “Part IV – Spiritual”, here it is. I should know better than to attempt multi-part blogs, which seem to take forever to finish. The one I did on Crystal City, inspired by a gym friend who grew up there, took four months to complete. I hope you read Crystal City, it’s an interesting example of humanity gone amuck.
Be sure to read to the end of this post.
The Creative Process Can Be Painful
Starting with a blank page, it’s a challenging process – normally, I have my draft notes (in my green notebook), other sources of information at my fingertips, including blog notes in my daily journal. Sometimes I imagine myself as Michael Keaton in “The Paper” typing away on his keyboard or in a much older classic film about writing a novel or a news story using a manual typewriter, and the writer is frustrated because he’s been sitting for an hour and has only a part of a sentence on the page and a wastebasket full of crumpled paper. Anyway, let’s get back on track.
“Spiritual” Means What?
Looking at its history and literal meaning, according to Merriam-Webster, as an adjective “spiritual” means:
- Of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit
- Of or relating to sacred matters
- Ecclesiastical rather than lay or temporal
- Concerned with religious values
- Related or joined in spirit
Historically, first used in the 14th century – source Middle English, from Anglo-French and Late Latin; Anglo-French espirital, spiritual, from Late Latin spiritue alis, from Latin, of breathing, of wind, from spiritus
I like the “breathing” connotation, as in “inspiration” or “respiration”, i.e. spiritual as in an active state.
As befits this series, how does spiritual fit into the scheme of things? I ask myself, “Am I spiritual”? I think we all are spiritual to some degree, but not necessarily in a religious sense.
OK, I’ve decided this piece won’t progress beyond the “draft” stage, something I realized many weeks ago, that “Spiritual” was going to be a real challenge. I’m going to conclude with a story or two, pictures of course and probably some music.
Inspiration
One of the stories I really liked is about a woman who overcame a serious physical ailment and moved on with her life in a very positive way. The article was in the March-April 2020 Daily Word, a Unity publication.
Odds & Ends: about Relaxing
I wanted to include a link to another article with some ideas about relaxing, especially important during the Covid-19 situation. This article was also in the March-April 2020 Daily Word, a Unity publication.
More ideas about relaxing, you might want to revisit two of my posts about mindfulness, Mindfulness, What is it, is it important? (2014) and Mindfulness (2016).
One More Quote and a Related Story
OK, this segment is a bit divergent from the main topic, but in my opinion it speaks of our need for spirituality in our lives, whether it be religious or another form.
“Great spirit, grant that I might not criticize my neighbor until I’ve walked a mile in his moccasins.” (traditional American Indian prayer)
The quote reminds me of my time in scouting when I was growing up (in my first childhood) in Texas. I belonged to a boy scout troop in my hometown. One part of our regular troop meeting, for some of us, was the Caddo Lodge. We had our own special meeting room, members of the lodge had to go through a rigorous all-night initiation, and on special occasions we would perform traditional Indian dance ceremonies. The quote above was similar to the ending prayer for our meetings. Kind of makes you think doesn’t it, at least it reminds me of my New Year’s resolution to “not be so judgemental”.
The Caddo Lodge was not a unique organization, given the existence of well-established groups like the Order of the Arrow, which is still in existence. I belonged to the OA too when I was in scouting. If you’re interested, check out the link for more background.
More Walt Whitman Quotes
Pictures
More Music
Listen to as many songs as you want.
Doobie Brothers: Listen to the Music
Canned Heat: Let’s Work Together (Let’s Sick Together)
Coldplay: God Put a Smile on Your Face (Album: A Rush of Blood to the Head)
Crosby, Still, Nash & Young: Helplessly Hoping
Eagles: Love Will Keep Us Alive (Album: Hell Freezes Over)
Chicago: Wake Up Sunshine (Album: Chicago II)
Bottom Line
For me, as a Bible-reading believer and as a person who finds his own inspiration and guidance in the word of God, I wanted to end with these verses and underscore what I’ve been saying in this blog.
blazinbernie
Looking for a Rufous 