The sacredness of life

The Sacredness of Life - Chantal Robert - GSUW

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“If we listen in the stillness, sometimes we hear the heart whisper, giving hope to despair and courage to fear.”

Life’s journey is truly sacred, although we may not be aware of it in our youth. Due to our uncertainty about where we come from and where we are going, many of us avoid to consider life as a sacred journey.

Unfortunately, in the chaos of everyday life, people are not willing to embrace and accept the sacredness of life. Their only desire is to make it through their day. Their aim is to accomplish things. They wish to possess things—and there’s no harm in that. But when we reach the second half of our lives, we come to realize that all the material possessions have little significance. We cannot bring them along when we die. As time passes by, we start considering what really matters in life; such as relationships, family, commitment, love, and helping others. Once we begin to pay attention to these core values, they become more than words and actions. Serving others brings joy to our hearts and eventually changes who we are.

Our life journey is profoundly sacred because we are not just bodies made from flesh and blood, but we are also spiritual beings. Apart from a spiritual journey, what other kind of journey could a spiritual being undertake? Our priorities have completely changed now that we’re in the second half of life. And all the things we were driven for seems meaningless now. The satisfaction comes from doing what we are meant to do. On this sacred journey, we are guided by the Ultimate Reality, offered wisdom on what actions to take, how to take them, and how to be still.

This is where contemplation becomes important. It is difficult to switch priorities if our life is constantly busy and chaotic. We need to be willing to be still first and then patient until we have clarity, then the knowing comes about.

The profound art of accumulating

If, in winter, raspberry bushes do not grow any leaves or produce berries, does that imply they are not alive? Not at all! They are gathering their energy. Winter is the season of accumulating and resting, and the loveliness of summer is the time for giving and doing. Everyone recognizes the giving, but not the accumulating.  A man gives a luxurious feast, devoting a considerable amount of energy to it. Everyone observes the feast and its abundance, but no one is aware of the amount of time and energy it took to assemble all the resources required. That accumulating, however, is the groundwork of the entire event.  Accumulating for the spiritual life involves Prayer, Adoration, Gratitude, and Contemplation:

Centering Prayer is crafted to heal the aftermath of the human condition, which is

fundamentally the lack of divine presence.

To Adore is to behold a higher power with profound respect and reverence. When

we adore, we will move through life with the peacefulness of the great rivers.

Gratitude means to show appreciation for all that we receive, encompassing those

things that previously triumphed over our egos.

We are all created for Contemplation; it is the unrevealed yearning of our being.

Each of us holds the nucleus of consciousness and the reality of its secret paths. 

From Frantisek Strouhal and Chantal Robert

Excerpt from Inspirations: Art Embracing Awareness 2 book