Signposts On The Journey
If the spiritual life is a journey, then how do you know where you are? I accept the view that being a spiritual person is a lifelong process of becoming, a path without a destination, but I still like signposts that say, "This Way," "Good Choice," and even "Whoops."
Rituals and ceremonies make good signposts. We can use them to mark significant life moments. Like good spiritual practices, they help us express deep emotions and connect to God and others through story, symbol, and actions. In today's show ("Becoming"), a group of seven and eight year olds had a sleepover in the sanctuary of their synagogue in Brookline, Massachusetts. What a wonderful ritual that is! I wish I had had a sleepover in the church I attended at that age. To be able to put down my sleeping bag there under those stained glass windows would have totally captured my imagination. And when it got dark, I could say, "I'm not an intruder here. I belong in this sacred space."
The parents of one of the girls sleeping in the synagogue each wrote a letter to be given to her when she turns 13. They read us some of what they wrote -- how proud they are of her, what they love about the way she is today, what hopes they harbor for her, their prayers for her. Filled with love and gratitude, their letters are similar to ethical wills that many people are writing these days to keep along with their financial wills and living wills.
This practice is based on an ancient tradition going back to biblical times where elders bequeathed to family, students, and friends the wisdom of a long-lived life. Today the ethical will is a way to pass on values, beliefs, blessings, and advice to the next generation. I haven't put together a full ethical will yet, but I do try to convey pieces of what I would put in it in the cards that I write for a birthday, to congratulate someone on an accomplishment, or to encourage someone going through a hard time. I'd like to do more of this, making it a spiritual practice to share what I appreciate in another person and what I believe is possible for them. I have enjoyed the benefits of receiving cards and letters of support as signposts on my journey.
I know, too, that what you see and celebrate in another grows in yourself. So sometimes I write a letter to myself.