|
Fire An article entitled "The Brain Gain" in the April 2009 issue of The New Yorker gave me pause. It documents the rise in the use of cognition-enhancing drugs like Adderall and Provigil by individuals seeking a competitive edge. Ivy league colleges and corporate America apparently are awash in folks trying to get ahead by getting a head that is artificially focused and alert. Twenty-four-hour activity cycles are not uncommon. The results of taking these drugs are mixed; students report writing exhaustingly detailed papers while under the influence when brevity and succinct analysis were preferable, studies indicate a decrease in creativity, etc. Despite this, the trend is spreading, with yet another pharmaceutical providing an easy fix for what is largely a spiritual problem. I'd like to suggest an alternate remedy: what these folks really need is a personal Pentecost, a little fire in their bellies. There is no greater state of heightened awareness and focus than that induced by whole body, whole spirit, whole hearted absorption in a task of the Soul. I think it unlikely that the disciples were bored, distracted, or in need of anything to aid their concentration following the fiery infusion of focus that was Pentecost. Although the actual details of that event are forever wrapped in legend and Mystery, the essence of the tradition is that it was a moment of personal and communal transformation, a connecting to Spirit as radically altering as any change wrought by nature's most powerful forces. It was another discovery of Fire. All of us are Divine Sparks, waiting to burst into flame. Yet we often resort to excuses for our malaise, distractions, frenzy, or ennui: "I'm only human" we say. But to be human is to be the bearer of both the corporeal and the divine. We are full of incendiary potential, dry bones ready to be set ablaze by the Fire of Spirit residing in each and every one of us. Our challenge is to discover the Fire dwelling in our own hearts: what aspect of God's creativity resides in us, and is waiting, wanting to become a consuming passion? Mystics throughout the ages have equated experiences of God with fire. Ultimately, to be consumed by such passion is to become Nothing. Zen priest Suzuki Roshi observed that "One should live their life like a very hot fire so there is no trace left behind. Everything burned to white ash." All the great spiritual masters are transparent, having burned off those vestiges of the egoic self that impede the flow of Love into the world. They joyfully function as mere mirrors reflecting back the God they observe within those whom they serve as teachers. But we, in our ego-slavery, fear being nothing, are terrified at the thought of losing whatever small sense of self we have managed to salvage from life's assaults. Sadly, we become so fixated on our hurts and defenses that we miss the reality of our true Selves: our embodiment of Divine Love. And is this not the Gospel mandate? To be so consumed by the fire of Love that we are reduced to Nothing, become empty vessels, uniquely-shaped and gifted hollow reeds through which the Spirit blows its healing music into the world? Vincent DePaul reminded us that "God's Love is Fire," setting the world ablaze. Our own particular embodiment of Love is unique; we shape and give It form with our own two hands, through the use of our own gifts, skills, talents. But how do we recognize and claim the flame of Love burning in our own hearts? How do we know what is ours to do? How do we become totally fire? The process is as unique and varied as we are, but there are some common signposts along the road that we can all recognize. For starters, we can get in touch with our own experiences of kairos, timelessness, the eternal Now. All of us have been engaged in activities in which we "lose ourselves" as well as all sense of time. Usually, these are moments of deep joy and contentment, even coming, as they surprisingly do at times, right in the middle of some of the most difficult circumstances of our lives. Joy is always a clear sign of the presence of the divine. And to paraphrase Aristotle, we are called to be where our deepest joys meet the world's greatest needs. Where might that be? To aid in this discovery, here is an abbreviated but quite useful discernment formula: At the end of every day, reflect on and record what, throughout your day, has:
Over time, consistent observation of and reflection upon these micro-movements in our own lives provides us with a pattern, a knowable blueprint of how the fire of Love is moving in our lives, how our unique Self is being invited to dance in intimate relationship with our Source. Others can help us discover our inner fire, but no one can tell us what shape it takes in our own life; this understanding springs from a profound inner recognition that is the fruit of our contemplation. And then we can choose to take tiny steps into the blaze, be filled with Love's purpose and passion. No Adderall needed. The only neuro-enhancer we need is already kindled within us. Sharon
Browning http://justlistening.wordpress.com/
|