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They say that the tribal man worshiped with every breath, with every step. Although there may have been rituals, led by shamans and priests, for public view, and although he may have performed such acts of ritualistic worship before his Creator, these things augmented his spirituality, rather than being their baseline.
A sunset, a breeze, the passing of a deer through the brush, would elicit a sense of wonder and gratitude. He spoke to the beasts he hunted, giving them thanks and thanking the Creator for providing them, asking them to give of themselves for the support of his family, and always grateful for the mingling of spirits between predator and prey.
In our modern day society, with technology replacing human contact, the “office” often being accessed via broadband, and the increasing isolation of our human forms from the world around us, we often forget that we are, first and foremost, spiritual beings.
As it becomes harder and harder to remain connected to All That Is, the need for that connection grows ever more important. We humans exist more deeply within ourselves, and yet are often blind to the most internal part, our spirits. That spirit, deep inside, is also the part which reaches outward, endlessly, like a spiral web, connecting with the spiritual life of everything around us. One would think it would be easy for us to feel each pluck of a strand, and to sing with every vibration of creation. Yet the noise in our heads too often deafens us to the music.
Even those of us who actively seek the music of spirit only seem to hear it when we are deeply focused, and forcibly block out all distraction.
Worship should be natural. It should come with each heartbeat, starting with gentle gratitude, and expanding to an awareness of life in all things. Each ray of the sun, each drop of rain, is a universe of creation — why has it become so difficult for us to embrace and fully experience that awareness?
Much of our blockage has to do with mental noise. Worries and fears, the pressures of every day life, they get in our way. We spend so much time thinking about “how” we are going to make ends meet, or “how” we are going to get through each day, that we forget that the “how” has already been taken care of. All we need to do is focus on the end goals with thanks, with gratitude … with worship … and we not only will see those goals slide more gently toward us, we will be more aware of the vibrations of life around us.
What is Worship, but a form of gratitude? Whatever the religion, or lack thereof, when we worship our Creator, our God, our Goddess, it is virtually impossible to do so without centering the act upon thanks.
The key to living a life of worship is to remain aware that each moment is a gift, and though we have ourselves orchestrated the details of that gift, the very spark of life which flows through us and connects us to the entire realm of creation continues to give to us from the very highest of the high. If we are aware, truly aware, that there is a connection, that there is a continually flowing gift, even in the most difficult of apparent circumstances, we can’t help to find gratitude. Once we feel that thankfulness, we grow in awareness. If we can focus that in the right direction, we begin to make worship a way of life.
Someone once said, “You’re not going to get any more unless you’re thankful for what you’ve got”.
While that’s a bit of a negative shift to the concept, it’s still very true. Gratitude for what we have, even if it’s for a ray of sunshine, a drop of rain, leads to more things to be thankful for. Even saying “thank you” for the challenges will help us to grow to the point that we can overcome them, and pull in positive experiences and gifts to fill the space we make as we conquer each trial.
Worship doesn’t have to be a complicated act. In fact, for some, the simpler the act, the more pure the emotion. Others prefer a more formal aspect, which of course is perfect for them. Whatever the form worship takes, however, it begins with gratitude.
Gratitude for the small miracles … the laughter of a child, the opening of a rose bud, the purr of a kitten … is a lovely place to start, if you choose to make worship your way of life.
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Just something that’s been on my own mind lately for various reasons, and I decided to write about it, in case others can relate as well….
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