If you spend all your life seeking, how will you know you’ve arrived?

I am in Bali meeting people from China, Morocco, France, Indonesia, Belgium, the US, Australia, and New Zealand. It's a magnet for the spiritual seekers, the young and the not so young, looking to find themselves, a new way of living with more choice and healing. There's yoga retreats, Kirtan, colonic therapy, Ecstatic Dance, 7 Day Spiritual Awakening Course, you name it, you can do it. And that desire to be transformed to be deferent, freer, more authentic, and more at home in your life and in the world. If a seven day session would give me that, then sign me up! 

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And, I am newly old. I’ve never been the older person and now, that is me with white hair and glasses, still able to ride on the back of a motorcycle taxi and hold a plank for a minute, but–not a youngster. And it is a relief. As I listen to young folxs from all over longing to get free from the “have tos,” and the “shoulds,” and wanting something transcendent, something bigger than the world they’ve experienced. I feel incredibly lucky to have listened to what is true for me and to have the benefit of experience. I know what it’s like to wander about in the mall of spirituality, sampling from this tradition and that, a pinch of Vedic and a dash of Kabbalah, topped with some Pranayama and you have an international spiritual smorgasbord to satisfy all tastes.

I can’t remember where I read the Buddhist description of a seeker, someone looking for water who digs shallow holes, over and over. Compare this to the one who digs deeper, using time and focus and the determination to keep on going and the reward is…there is water after the effort. I know for myself, I’ve had huge resistance to practicing. I don’t want to meditate today! I don’t feel like doing it, or thinking that the teaching is just too unreal for real life. Who can love everyone, really? And then, there’s that thing called renunciation, giving up of something. And checking in with my willingness. Am I willing to give up my dislike for the next 30 minutes? Today yes, maybe tomorrow no.

Simplicity and spiritual growth requires streamlining, doing less of what takes me away from my intention. For me, this is a hard lesson, because I want to grow and learn and do things in the world and own some really comfortable and styling shoes…and I know what I want even more than those awesome loafers, is the rest and sureness that comes with renunciation and simplicity. This path is hard won. It takes a lot of “nos” to get to this place of surety. Practice and time. But if there is a seven day spiritual awakening that is money back guarantee, sign me up! I could use the free time for more ecstatic dancing in my new Birkenstocks.

May we all trust our light,

Celia