On the Spiritual Road

While our spiritual corner in Austin was frequently on the corner of South 5th and Milton at the Shambala Center in Austin, we find we must now carry it along with us. So on Mondays, we practice meditation together, share a little spiritual reading and talk about it. This routine helps us keep our intentions in mind and invites a little learning practice to the rest of our lives. All are welcome to join when you are here. Wonder if any of these other hosts or rangers would like to sit with us?! For starters, we decided to read a chapter each week from Pema Chodron’s book, “When Things Fall Apart.”

We enjoyed a particularly pretty spot for meditation, when we hiked out to a scenic overlook with Pema in our Camelbak pack. We could see the back of Little Dome and hikers on the trail below and feel the breeze and sunshine from our spot under a shady oak. Granted, our seats were a little rocky, but there’s something to work with. 

Discussions have flowed around…

-Finding acceptance/friendliness with fear or worry, as they are part of the spectrum that make us human

-Intrigued by the idea that those we see as courageous may yet be cowards who still find a way to move forward

-A favorite Zen Parable about impermanence and our attitudes, aka “The Farmer’s Luck,” “Maybe,” “We’ll See”…

-Some fears are literally wrapped up in worries about the house falling apart, not knowing how to fix something that breaks, breaking something while traveling on the road, balancing finance and lifestyle, is Sally grieving the loss of Cyprus? he’s such a sensitive kitty and now he keeps cleaning his growing alopecia (spotty hair loss)…

-Flux of Chaos and Order. Pema reminds us Thing will fall apart. They will come back together. Then they will fall apart. And come together… – Healing comes from letting there be space for all of it.