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grounded in a mystical, interfaith-Christianity inspired by Emanuel Swedenborg
Romantic Awareness
I think we can often find the essence of Divinity, no matter our belief tradition, in our romantic and loving relationships – although sometimes we can allow our yearning for love or sexual connection to bring us out of the moment and away from healthy connection. Indeed, many ancient spiritual teachings (including many Tantras) encourage us to engage with life itself, our every moment, with present, loving engagement, for our own spiritual health and the health of our families. Coming into the moment and letting go of distracted thinking, yearning, and worries, allows us to be present to our loved ones and ourselves in new and surprising ways, as it also helps us to heal our hearts and minds in loving connection with the spiritual light and warmth of God, known by many names.
Don’t Worry, Enter the Moment
The idea that we should “stop and smell the roses” is an ancient and popularly expressed one, and yet, it can be incredibly difficult to take it to heart! Many of our religions and spiritualities tell us this in a variety of commanding and detailed ways – expressing how we should rely on God(dess) and our own God-given present awareness to navigate our days and not get ahead of ourselves. But how can we lean into this state of mind when there’s so much to plan and do, and is it actually worth striving to follow such a radical approach to life? Well, to start to answer this we must ask ourselves, “do I enjoy being anxious and yearning for the future, or would I rather find peace and a sense of wholeness today?”
How “40” Represents Temptation and Illuminates the Bible
There’s an interconnectedness in scripture that is often lost to us when we read it purely literally, a tendency of both Hebrew and Christian bibles to use recurring images and symbols to point to deeper spiritual truth. This multilayered structure is often made plain by the gospels themselves, but in our desire to use scripture for our own purposes and avoid personal reflection we never seek these threads nor see where they lead. One example of these spiritual symbols is the number 40 (which I mention regularly), often used to describe a state of temptation in scripture, just as Christ is said to have spent 40 days in the wilderness overcoming three key temptations from the Devil.