Divine in the Daily

I once asked the universe to show me someone who was spiritual, who was living in oneness with “God” without a religion. I was doing an internship in a remote community in Southeastern Bolivia, 7 hours from the city and 3 hours from the nearest town. I was deep into contemplating the nature of God and spirituality. I had at this point experienced a couple profound spiritual moments in my life but was grappling with the idea that religion was the only vehicle for spirituality and communion. I didn’t agree with this, and so I asked. I asked for proof of someone “of God” but not “of religion.” 

The man I met was weathered, wearing a plaid shirt, under long greying hair. His toothy smile was warm. I was told he was the shaman of the town. I asked him how he communed with God, I asked him how he prayed or if he prayed. His answer both confused and astounded me at the time. He said, “Every minute of every day. With every breath I take, I am in union and in communion with God.” 

Now, I realize that the word God can be pretty charged for folks. It’s okay too if you don’t believe in God. I find it helpful to interchange it freely with words like creator and universe or spirit. I didn’t get it and wouldn’t for many years. I spent the next decade in a cyclical pattern of goal setting, idealistically driven self imposed structure for my health and well being, to then inevitably fail at these expectations, only doing them in fits and starts, and then finally giving up under a heap of self-loathing, shame, and guilt about not being able to live in this ideal. 

This endless cycle of high expectations followed by the inevitable disappointment led me to depression. I could see that I have a lovely life but I couldn’t feel it, and this discrepancy was only more fuel to the fire. I once again found myself at an impasse of sorts, I didn’t know what to do, I just knew that I needed help. And so I again asked for guidance. I went to a local bookstore, to the metaphysical/self- help room and just said out loud, “show me what to do.” I didn’t think too hard about it but picked out a book that I just felt drawn to and decided to give it a try. It was a 42 day practice, each day had a theme with a short 2-5 minute intentional practice. What began as a stab in the dark, or hand in the bookshelf, changed the course of my life forever. I found my connection to the divine. While I spent several years focusing on this connection, I most importantly learned a few simple things that have become fundamental to my life. 

Intention is power. To turn a daily activity into something special brings reverence to the mundane. To use what you do each day as an opportunity, a grounding rod into the present, creates the same feeling that the intentionality of rituals or ceremonies do. It acts as a force that permeates, that occupies the now. In this space created, we can feel deep connection with ourselves, with each other, with the earth, and with the cosmos. The thing about rituals is that they grow in power with repetition, they become weighted with our energy, with our purpose, with our intentions. They carry the meaning and the meaning is reinforced by our belief. 

My day is filled with routines, or regular actions. What would it feel like if each moment were filled with intention? Every morning I wake and make myself a cup of tea. I turn the kettle on and begin my ritual. I lovingly choose the mug, I pour the loose leaf into the basket and add the hot water. I add my honey and non dairy creamer. This full mug, these first sips are a tiny way that I honor myself each day. I give thanks to the tea leaves and feel grateful for the mug’s warmth in my hands. It feels almost silly to write this now, but it has been a constant in my life for many years. 

Another opportunity for daily ritual practice is with my children. Getting three kids ready for school or bed is a requirement that comes with the “job” of being a parent. But if I only see it as a job, I miss the incredible opportunity to share in moments of sacred connection. Every time I help one of my children into their clothes, I give thanks for the opportunity. Each time I pull a shirt over a head, or help to put a sock on, is a gift for my child to feel my love, to feel my care through my touch. Through my intention, I am grounding our interaction into the divine. I’m no saint and you better believe this isn’t my every moment, but I find power in knowing that I can create ritual in everything I do. Just like that Bolivian shaman shared, I have the power to ground and connect to the sacred in all that I do. I invite you to give it a try, too.

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Abby is an intuitive bodyworker, and Licensed Massage Therapist, from a family of storytellers. She is drawn to the essence-of a story, of a belief, of all that we are and how that is expressed through our human experience. Learn more about her bodywork at https://www.attunebodywork.com.