You are the traveler; you are the path; you are the destination. Be careful never to lose the way to yourself. –Yahya Suhrawardi
How often do I miss the obvious: It is crucial to be awake, aware, intentional and purpose-full when it comes to discerning the paths I must take and the pace at which I must move. How often do I miss the obvious: I am the traveler, I am the path and I am the destination; a paradox to be sure. I must be care-full so I do not lose the way to myself; so I nurture myself more than deplete myself. I must be careful so that when I lose my way/my self that I am able to find my way/my self again.
Consider that life’s external journey is easy when compared to the inner journey that we are each called to make – the inner journey that determines so much, if not all.
It is also important for me to remember that at times I will need two guides. There is the external guide that I will encounter – and I must recognize this guide when I encounter him-her-it (an external guide can be an experience – hence an ‘it’).
There is also the internal guide that resides in each of us. Some call this our inner teacher; some call this our conscience; some call it the voice of the Spirit or the voice of God; some call it a ‘feeling;’ some call it ‘intuition.’
I must also be committed to my journey; my commitment is not a one-off commitment but requires me to continuously commit. When my commitment falters so do I and then I begin to lose my self and my way.
All of this makes sense to me if I believe that my primary purpose in life is to evolve into the fullness of my being – to move toward becoming the person I am called to become. For thousands of years the great traditions have reminded us – continue to remind us – that each of us has been created for a just cause and a determined time [my thanks to the Qur’an for these two concepts].
All of my actions and acquisitions, important as they are, are secondary to my sacred and primary duty to move in the direction of realizing my just cause, determined time and sacred potential.
The great Sufi, Rumi, reminds us that if I perform and remember all, yet forget my essential purpose, then I have done nothing. I am merely a clanging bell and a noisy symbol; at best I am a distraction for others and at worst I encourage others to ignore their essential purpose.
As a human being I have been gifted with free will. I can choose to strive to achieve my sacred purpose. I am, like all of us human beings are, imperfect and so I choose foolishness and I choose to behave in ways that betray and belie my sacredness. I choose to ignore my sacred trust. I am, again, thinking of Antonio Machado’s powerful question: What have you done with the garden entrusted to you? [Another paradoxical metaphor: I am the garden and the gardener and I have been entrusted with both.]
If you know the value of every article of merchandise but don’t know the value of your own soul, it’s all foolishness. –Rumi
Read Full Post »