What gets you back on track? (ritual, gospel, church, gnostic)

[Buttons*]

For those of us who are spiritual, if you're down, what gets you back into that spiritual swing?

For me, it's taking time to slow down and smell the roses, meditate, watch a lightening storm, and read a little TTC or Gnostic Gospels.

Sometimes even having a slightly spiritual conversation will spark it. Somtimes it comes from apparently no where at all!!!

I know that people go through droughts and highs all the time, and it's natural for both to occur. But I just wondered what helps others.

[Bishka]

Originally Posted by Buttons*

For those of us who are spiritual, if you're down, what gets you back into that spiritual swing?

For me, it's taking time to slow down and smell the roses, meditate, watch a lightening storm, and read a little TTC or Gnostic Gospels.

Sometimes even having a slightly spiritual conversation will spark it. Somtimes it comes from apparently no where at all!!!

I know that people go through droughts and highs all the time, and it's natural for both to occur. But I just wondered what helps others.

This is a wonderful thread.

What gets me back? Lots of things. Recently something that has me going back to where I want to be was listening to Matiyshu's Jerusalem song and another one of his, I believe it was King without a crown. It said something about "giving yourself to God" and that really hit me hard. I haven't been giving myself to God, I've been giving it to my own selfish desires and it's about time I give myself to the One who created me.

Sometimes it's listening to talks from Church leaders, but most of all, it's music. For me, hearing that certain Church hymn, or just a song that will strike me in such a way that it'll knock me upside the head and say "Get going girl, you know what you need to be doing!"

Sometimes, especially with Church hymns, it's a small whisper that turns into a great burning in my heart that makes me want to be good, do good and just praise God again. (That one happened today)

[lilithu]

Originally Posted by Buttons*

For those of us who are spiritual, if you're down, what gets you back into that spiritual swing?

People.

When I was a sophmore in high school some guy whom I wasn't interested in sent me a dozen roses. I didn't want to keep them and I didn't want to waste them, so I went around school that day giving away roses to random people.

As I was graduating two years later and asking people to sign my yearbook, my homeroom teacher wrote about how she had been at a really low point in her life and how I had given her a rose (something that meant little to me and that I had completely forgotten about), and how that had been what she needed to get through her darkness.

I still have the yearbook and still look at what she wrote sometimes, and how I made a positive difference without even trying. And I think of all the little things that others have done for me, and maybe they didn't think it was such a big deal at the time, but it meant the world to me.

When I start to think that it's all meaningless, it's people who remind me what it's about. Even things that may seem meaningless are not.

[Djamila]

Very beautiful idea for a thread! If I forget to give you frubals after I share my thoughts, hunt me down .

The way I practice Islam on the surface, and I suppose this is the same in many areas, is so ritualistic that it's difficult to get away from. Living in a moderately religious society also has the same effect. It's not as though you can be at a cafe and lose track of the time, missing prayers. The call to prayer is deafening, you'd have to be unconscious to miss it. And since the majority of people stop what they're going at least to observe a few minutes of silence and pray where they are, it's difficult to go against that flow even if you wanted to.

But substance is more important to me than ritual and sometimes I do lose that. Sometimes I just blindly go through the motions because there's something else on my mind. A few times I've finished praying and honestly not been able to remember had I prayed or not. I do the same thing in the bath, I'll wash my hair twice and then realize - wait, I just did that twice? It happens when my mind or heart is elsewhere.

That makes me feel irresponsible enough that I'll usually do it over again and focus as intently as I can. But sometimes I'm just depressed or whatever else, and let it go.

I think what brings back the substance changes every time. It could be a horrible story on the news, it could be good news from a friend. Usually, though... it's just a feeling of isolation and loneliness. I can separate from God for a short time, but it never lasts. Within a week or less, I just start feeling empty.

[ayani]

i'm with Becky in siting music. music can be a great mover and shaker- when i feel unable to pray, listening to some Matisyahu, a nashid, or some Dan Bern is just what i need.

prayer also sustains me- allowing myself to let down the guards to the point where i *can* pray.

[Buttons*]

i cant believe i forgot about music!!!
that's a biggie for me too

[Shadow Wolf]

Reading, or continueing the writing of my book.

[Djamila]

Music, yes.

Christian music especially. Muslim religious music here is very spiritual and very calm and soothing. It's very good music to meditate by, or to simply sit silently and listen to.

Christian religious music here, though, is very passionate and very...capable of sweeping you up in the excitement.

http://media.putfile.com/Gospel-88

There are also soft and medidative Christian songs, but in that case I'd rather listen to the Muslim variety. But Ovo je moja noc (This is my night), a Christmas song, is very nice and addictive.

[Djamila]

To share a Muslim example... this song more than makes me sniffle, it actually makes me cry, weep even.

It's my favorite ilahije (Muslim religious song) of all. It's called Dosta mi je Allah moj (All I need is my God). It's from the 1400s but this version is slightly modernized. It's still usually sung without instruments, and by men alone.

http://media.putfile.com/Dosta-mi-je-Allah-moj

[lunamoth]

Music and contemplative prayer.

Sometimes too much discussion about God and religion actually takes me away from having a rich spiritual life, so a break from RF can be good (but you've just dont that, so nevermind).

Getting together with other people helps too (but stay away from those baton twirlers!)