Mojo Monday ~ Coming Home to Yourself

Art by Michelle Fairchild

The spiritual life is about becoming more at home in your own skin.

~ Parker J. Palmer

As our Cosmic Cowgirl tribe of writers dives deeper in contemplating and wondering about topics like identity, perspective, vision and so on, I find greater clarity. My latest article in Cosmic Cowgirls Magazine is called We Are Stardust. It expresses my thoughts on the topic of Identity. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Can you wrap your mind around the reality that both you and I are literally made of stardust? How does an identity of being made of stars feel when you try it on? Do you stand a little taller? Does it blow your mind, just a little, or maybe a lot? Does it make you want to swagger or maybe just stare up at the night sky and say “Why hello there my friend, I had no idea we were related?”

In next months article about Perspective I share my suspicion that the one perspective at the core of them all is the one we have of ourselves. What I know is that there is a theme, a thread of connection, in my writing. I feel a calling to shine a light and offer up ideas and tools on how we can heal our wounds and really learn to be a guest in our own hearts, and truly love ourselves. I also believe as the quote at the end of this posts suggests “Each time you remember the Truth of who you are, you bring more light into the world.”

This weeks Mojo Monday is about Coming Home to Yourself. It is about as the opening quote by Parker J. Palmer states “…becoming more at home in your own skin.”

Today I share with you an excerpt from Mark Nepo’s book entitled The Book of Awakening Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have. Mark even includes several grounding practices at the end.

“Anything that removes what grows between our hearts and the day is spiritual. It might be the look of a loved one stirring their coffee as morning light surprises their groggy eyes. It might be the realization while watching a robin build its nest that you are only a temporary being in this world. It might be a fall on ice that reminds you of the humility of your limitations.

As Parker Palmer suggests, the aim of all spiritual paths, no matter their origin or the rigors of their practice, it to help us live more fully in the lives we are given. In this way, whatever comes from a moment’s grace that joins us to our lives and to each other — this is spiritual. For example, I was having coffee the other day in a cafe and suddenly, from the rain of noise around me, there arose a word of truth in the exposed voice of a stranger whose face I couldn’t even see.

I don’t know her context or her story or whom she was revealing herself to. I didn’t even turn around to see her face, because in that moment, there was a perfect beauty in our staying anonymous. I only felt, simply and deeply, that without her ever knowing, her moment of pointed and unexpected truth made me more at home in my own skin.

The life of spirit is everywhere: in dust waiting for light, in music waiting to be heard, in the sensations of the day waiting to be felt. Being spiritual is much more useful and immediate than the books about books would have us think.

Center yourself, and as you breathe, realize that your spirit fills your life the way your ones and blood fill your hand.
As you breathe, realize that your life fits the world the way your warm and living hand fits a glove.
As you breathe, feel your spirit fill your skin and feel your skin fit the world.”