Create the Container

Notes on spiritual practice and Divinations for the week of 11/18

Whenever people ask me about creating spiritual practice and spiritual awareness, I almost always start by telling them that while we can’t force spiritual understanding or awakening, we can create an environment in which those things are more likely to happen — we can create a container in which a life of deep connection to our highest self is possible and even probable.
This is always the first lesson of my Women’s Group (Spiritual Wellness and Accountability) because without tending to the garden of consciousness by creating the most optimal environment, the fruit won’t ripen, the flowers won’t blossom, and new life won’t grow.
Another metaphor to illustrate this point, which I reference often, comes from Swami Satchitananda. He writes that if you are going to plant a new sapling in a cow pasture, you must build a fence around it otherwise it will be trampled and eaten by the cattle. The sapling is your spiritual connection, the sides of the fence are the practices that enable that connection to grow, and the cattle are cultural and familial messaging, detrimental personal patterns, and people who are not supportive of your path.
While breaking down all the personal stories, traumas and societal messages that may inhibit this growth is good and important work, the first step is to build the fence. And, as spiritual awareness grows in the safety of that container, we are actually more able to see the traps of these obstacles with clarity and insight.

So what are the sides of the fence?
The answer to this most likely varies from person to person, but there are some common themes from which anyone can start.
In my opinion, the four sides of the fence are:

1. What you read, listen to, watch

2. Who you surround yourself with

3. How you engage in self-care

4. Daily practices that remind you of your highest Self

These are four things that are almost always in our control, and they are four things that have a profound effect on the mind.
In the same text in which Swami lays out this metaphor, he also writes about the mind being like a clear crystal that takes on, and reflects back, the colors by which it is surrounded. If the crystal of the mind is constantly placed in the darkness or murkiness of things, people, food and habits that dull our capacity for clarity, that dullness is all we will experience or see.
Likewise, however, if this crystal is surrounded by the light of words and images that uplift us, people that support our highest good, and rituals that make us feel vibrant and alive, the clarity of consciousness will allow us to connect to the deep beauty and truth that always rests within.

Few of us can start on all four sides of the fence at once. When we try to take on too much, the works seems overwhelming and is easily abandoned.
I recommend starting on the side that you most feel called to. As you build this side of the fence plank by plank, the inspiration and desire to build the other sides will naturally arise.

I think an easy enough place to start is the side of daily practice. I choose this because this could be as simple as committing to reading something short and uplifting every day (ie teachings of the Buddha from The Dhammapada, or inspirational vignettes from The Book of Awakenings). This could also be just 2-5 minutes of meditation on the breath, on a mantra, or on an image that mirrors the beauty of the heart.
Daily practice does not have to be an hourlong marathon of spiritual work. It should be something that you can maintain and sustain more often than not, regardless of the amount of time spent in this engagement.

As this is a time of year in which we so regularly feel pulled outside of ourselves, I feel as though it is a wonderful time to double down on fence building, or to at least start the process regardless of how much progress is made.

with love,
Susannah

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