Building Spiritual Muscle
by Robert Meagher on 11/13/13
“Today we tend toward increasingly superficial, materialistic, egocentric
practices and orientation—fast food, fast sex, fast cars, fast life, fast
therapy, fast spirituality. Patience is becoming rare, tolerance rarer, constancy
rarer still, and presence in the ongoing process of life without attachments to
an outcome and a result is all but entirely annihilated.”
… Richard Harvey, lecture: Crucible of
Awakening, June 18, 2013
At an ever-increasing rate, precious souls are finding their way to me with some of these common conditions: unhappiness; discontent; anger; depression; and a host of other conditions which may generally be described as a low level, but growing, malaise. The conversation always invites me to ask these dear souls what their spiritual practice consists of.
One dear soul informed me of a plethora of practices and
faith communities they lend their belief system to. When I asked how these practices and beliefs
manifest themselves in their daily life, the response I received was…
“Daily!?...I sometimes go for weeks without having any interaction with these
communities and corresponding faith practices.”
Another dear soul shared with me how their life was full
of extremes of highs and lows. They went
on to share that whenever they were at a low in their life, they turned to
sacred scripture to help move them back to a place of peace. I asked them if they continued to study their
sacred scripture when they were in a place of peace. Their response was… “Why would I do
that!? When I’m at peace, why would I
read sacred scripture? When I’m at
peace, I don’t need any of this spiritual stuff.” I smiled gently and asked this dear soul…
“Why is it you are using God as a spare tire?
Why not let God drive the car?”
My question was met with a blank stare, your characteristic
deer-in-the-headlights-look when someone has been awakening to a new truth
about themselves.
I am increasingly curious by seekers expressing confusion
about the relationship between their inner peace and their spiritual
practice. When should I practice? Where
should I practice? What should I
practice? How often should I
practice? How do I develop the
discipline and dedication to maintain a spiritual practice that brings me
peace?
At a recent discussion group, another dear soul asked me
“How do I build spiritual muscle?” I asked this person how one normally builds
physical muscle. Their response was
“Well…one goes to the gym on a regular basis or engages in some other form of
physical exercise.” I responded back,
“That’s exactly how you build spiritual muscle.
You show up at designated place for your workout and you ‘pump
iron’! And you commit yourself to a
regular schedule for these workouts.”
The when, where, what, how long and how often of these
workouts is entirely up to each individual soul. But you are invited to create a spiritual
workout that works for you, that resonates with you. Maybe you will pray, meditate or do yoga on a
regular basis. Maybe your form of
building spiritual muscle involves going to services at your local
faith/spiritual community, or reading sacred scripture or teachings. Whatever the form that works for you,
practice it with dedication and discipline.
For insight to many possible spiritual practices to enjoy, refer to the
article “Spiritual Practice” at http://www.servingyourjourney.com/Spiritual_Practice_v5.pdf.
While it is written that some spiritual adepts transformed
themselves into spiritual masters in an instant, for many it takes a lifetime
of dedication and effort. I am blessed
to devote a minimum of 10 hours of my 24-hour day to conscious spiritual
practice—to building my spiritual muscle (most days I devote 12+ hours of my
24-hour day to conscious spiritual practice).
From the gratitude practice that begins my day, to my daily yoga,
meditation, reading of sacred scriptures and other spiritual literature, to my
daily ministry of service, to the prayer and meditation that ends my day, I use
these times to bring me out of the world of the ego and materialism and into a relationship
with my God-self.
To devote so much time on a daily basis to spiritual
practice may not be in the cards for some (perhaps many). I know my daily 10-hour-spiritual-practice is
a minimum requirement to enable me to stay in my heart space. For you it may require much less time on a
daily basis. And if so, that’s great! Whatever works for you, is what works for
you. But find what works for you, build
your workout regimen, commit to yourself, and stick with it. Your heart and soul will thank you for it…and
so will everyone else.
Shanti, Namaste, Agapé,