The Growing Capacity for Intimacy
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"My soul and the world are but one." Rudolf Steiner
Intimacy in the soul is so spiritually and practically essential, but what does that mean?
I've mentioned the three worlds of the soul - the earthly world, the spiritual world, and the individual's inner world. How do we become one which each of these three worlds?
It's not easy but the work of soul intimacy is powerful. It is about discovering your tenderness. Tender intimacy is the willingness to sweetly hold the object close so that knowledge is revealed with a beautiful proportion. What is the beautiful proportion between the self as subject and matter, spirit and self as object.
Now you must ask yourself how willing are you to hold close with true interest all things material, all things spiritual and all things personal.
Remember we are working with growing capacity in the mood of self-compassion. So no demand and no perfection. No silly sense that if you are not on the mark you are deficient, that if you harbor any self-judgment you are off the path, that if you have any doubt, you lack the fortitude.
If we are to understand the principle of moral development there is no perfection and no failure, just courageous devotion to growing soul capacities.
Back to intimacy and being one with the world. Of the three worlds, pick the world that is most difficult for you. Is it the world of materialism? the world of spirit? or the world of knowing yourself? Begin with that world tonight. Notice something small in this difficult world - my guess is the world that is the most difficult is the world of the personal self - and hold it tenderly with your thoughts, your feelings and your will.
What do you think about this little bit of the difficult world? What do you feel about it? What do you want to do with it or because of it? These are tough questions. Please write down your thoughts, feelings and intentions as writing gives you a sense of distance for new intimate observations.
What is the benefit of growing intimacy? Intimacy cultivates love. Nothing more need be said.
Two more nights of the Holy Nights. Breathe and attend. Love your soul, intimately.
Lynn, I awoke this morning quietly crying, thinking of the term "the milk of human kindness" and realizing, more than any other phrase or word or lengthy explanation, that it describes perfectly why, after 25 years of marriage, I made the hard decision to leave.
ReplyDeleteI think there is no greater gift we can give another human being, or ourselves, than an act of kindness which feeds the soul. Without such tenderness, the human soul becomes a shriveled thing. The fact that we need to nourish others with this "milk" as much as we need to be nourished by it, is a simple but profound example of the truth of the Great Circle.
Thank you, and blessings in the coming year.
Page Lambert
All things natural.
All things literary.
I am not so sure that my spiritual world and my inner world are two different things. I am a godpiece as we all are. I believe I am also someone else's angel, although I also believe there are angels who are how should I say, not in human bodies?
ReplyDeleteThese two sentences, however, really struck chords with me:!Intimacy cultivates love. Breathe and attend.!"
This in itself is valuable to work with throughout the new presence(sic).
Thanks be given.