I cannot even tell you how many synchronicities I experienced reading your story and thinking about my past couple of years traveling and being on a spiritual journey. I just smiled from ear to ear the entire time reading this. I love everything you have to say here, especially the musings on freedom in the beginning. Have you ever read the book The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak? It's an all time favorite. It's about Rumi's relationship with Shams. Omg, you will love it. I also love Sufism and all of Rumi's teachings so much. Let's be friends!!!
Oh wow, this comment made me smile so much! On a recent mushroom trip I became super 100% convinced that synchronicities are the universe's way of showing us that there is a greater plan/god/pattern to it all, so I really love that this resonated with you on that front.
I have not read that book but I absolutely have to read now! I'm a bit obsessed with Rumi/Shams and Rumi was pretty integral in inspiring the growth of this blog and always continues to show up in my life, so thanks for the note, and I'm adding it to my reading list now. Would love to be friends!! and would love to hear about anything this brought up for you. Glad it was a reminder that none of us are really alone in this vast strange universe — we're mirrors of each other, though sometimes it's much easier to see :)
You have a remarkable balance between spiritual seeking and detachment. Many who explore traditions and rituals, like my father, become obsessed with finding the truest truth, with resolving the unresolvable contradictions between philosophies, and they become "serial monogamists" of spirituality and religion, falling out of love with one tradition while falling in love with a new one, over and over again. Others who are less immersive and more comparative tend toward cynicism and nihilism, toward the the perspective that there is no truth, just billions of humans seeking meaning and understanding in a chaotic universe.
You are able to have all of these experiences while standing in your own center, gleaning from each the resonant threads.
"When we look close enough at anything, be it a word or a quantum particle, its meanings tend to grow more complex. Eventually, they become warped beyond recognition. Yet when you look deeper, these warps and metamorphoses reveal that everything is one and that there is no division between anything at all."
"At the center, beyond words, beyond the body, in the eye of the storm, at the still point of the turning world, in a field beyond wrong and right, there is a light that never ends. It contains all darkness and all light within it and transcends both. It is freedom and stillness, wildness and permanence. It is all there. It is all there really is."
I think you have already found what you are seeking, but perhaps not all parts of you realize it yet...
Thank you for this wonderful comment — I truly appreciate this insight and can feel a lot of care and depth just from your writing :) This really also feels affirming because I've spent so long wondering if I'd be better off if I could just commit to one truth or tradition. But the truth is that my most authentic self sees the interconnectedness of all of these practices and philosophies, and I don't think I'd want it any other way. I also think we all have the answers we seek within us and all this searching is a matter of clearing away the mist that separates us from them.
Blessings to you; I'll definitely treasure this response the next time I find myself running down a rabbit hole wishing I could believe in one thing (when really, I think, the truth is oneness...)
I cannot even tell you how many synchronicities I experienced reading your story and thinking about my past couple of years traveling and being on a spiritual journey. I just smiled from ear to ear the entire time reading this. I love everything you have to say here, especially the musings on freedom in the beginning. Have you ever read the book The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak? It's an all time favorite. It's about Rumi's relationship with Shams. Omg, you will love it. I also love Sufism and all of Rumi's teachings so much. Let's be friends!!!
Oh wow, this comment made me smile so much! On a recent mushroom trip I became super 100% convinced that synchronicities are the universe's way of showing us that there is a greater plan/god/pattern to it all, so I really love that this resonated with you on that front.
I have not read that book but I absolutely have to read now! I'm a bit obsessed with Rumi/Shams and Rumi was pretty integral in inspiring the growth of this blog and always continues to show up in my life, so thanks for the note, and I'm adding it to my reading list now. Would love to be friends!! and would love to hear about anything this brought up for you. Glad it was a reminder that none of us are really alone in this vast strange universe — we're mirrors of each other, though sometimes it's much easier to see :)
Incredible! Stunning! What a beautiful and inspiring story that you told so well! Thank you for sharing it ❤️🙏
Thank you so much Rhianna!!
You have a remarkable balance between spiritual seeking and detachment. Many who explore traditions and rituals, like my father, become obsessed with finding the truest truth, with resolving the unresolvable contradictions between philosophies, and they become "serial monogamists" of spirituality and religion, falling out of love with one tradition while falling in love with a new one, over and over again. Others who are less immersive and more comparative tend toward cynicism and nihilism, toward the the perspective that there is no truth, just billions of humans seeking meaning and understanding in a chaotic universe.
You are able to have all of these experiences while standing in your own center, gleaning from each the resonant threads.
"When we look close enough at anything, be it a word or a quantum particle, its meanings tend to grow more complex. Eventually, they become warped beyond recognition. Yet when you look deeper, these warps and metamorphoses reveal that everything is one and that there is no division between anything at all."
"At the center, beyond words, beyond the body, in the eye of the storm, at the still point of the turning world, in a field beyond wrong and right, there is a light that never ends. It contains all darkness and all light within it and transcends both. It is freedom and stillness, wildness and permanence. It is all there. It is all there really is."
I think you have already found what you are seeking, but perhaps not all parts of you realize it yet...
Thank you for this wonderful comment — I truly appreciate this insight and can feel a lot of care and depth just from your writing :) This really also feels affirming because I've spent so long wondering if I'd be better off if I could just commit to one truth or tradition. But the truth is that my most authentic self sees the interconnectedness of all of these practices and philosophies, and I don't think I'd want it any other way. I also think we all have the answers we seek within us and all this searching is a matter of clearing away the mist that separates us from them.
Blessings to you; I'll definitely treasure this response the next time I find myself running down a rabbit hole wishing I could believe in one thing (when really, I think, the truth is oneness...)
One of my favorites :)