Spirituality is a broad term that we use to describe things that are light, bright, uplifting, and beautiful.
However, we live in a world that exposes us to soulful qualities of secularity, heaviness, darkness, sadness, competition, and brute strength.
What if there was a way for both to co-exist?
While it may be true that our ability to form distinctions may help us navigate the winding tracks of life. A more holistic and inclusive faculty is required in order to deepen our souls and strengthen our inner selves.
Our inner and outer experiences shouldn’t be at war with each other. Together, they help to make us into more balanced, holistic persons.
When we turn to some of our ancient traditions, there are countless spiritual writers who discussed the interplay between the inner worlds of subjectivity and the outer worlds of normal life.
For example, during the high days of the Masters of the Nile Valley, one of the stories that circulated was the myth of the Goddess Nun.
According to their myth, it was out of the dark, cosmic waters of Nun that all life emerged. And if we search hard enough, we can admit that it is out of the seemingly dark and tiresome experiences of secularity, that the life of our spirit was born.
In fact, it is quite difficult to maintain a healthy inner life when you neglect the responsibilities that present themselves in the secular aspects of your life.
So as much as we try to juxtapose the two notions of sacred versus secular, inner life and physical life, they are both interconnected.
We need them both in order to survive.
Instead of demonizing the actions that bring us physical security, we should find a way to recognize that even they have spiritual qualities.
Without the physical efforts of work, some of us would not have the leisure of performing spiritual practices.
And without the internal support of our souls we would not have the stamina to get up each day and work to provide a life for ourselves.
So our inner and outer worlds are intertwined.
They both are sacred in their own right. We should celebrate their glory by surrendering to their fullest expression in the world.
Only then will we be able to place ourselves on the path to true peace, harmony and tranquility.
Jess Herriott, M.A. is a Writer, Teacher and Spirituality Scholar whose work explores the nature of the soul. Jesse is an ordained priest and classically trained “Teacher” with graduate degrees in both the Social Sciences and Humanities. He lectures frequently within churches, spiritual centers, and career colleges throughout the southeastern United States. In 2015, he was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers and Scholars in the historic Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel, on the campuses Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Follow him on the web at www.fulfeelment.com.
