Whole Fitness
Engage In Transformative Cross Training
Photos by Don Pierce
With or without a church, searching for the sacred––by which I mean searching for meaning in life through something bigger than the individual––is a source of happiness.
Outside of church, searching for the sacred is accomplished through meditation; prayer; instilling a spiritual dimension to one’s life through having goals, life schemes, and creative outlet; post-traumatic growth from anguish; strong emotions that accompany awe, wonder; and faith.
By sanctifying everyday objects (or beings), you will naturally be more respectful of these objects (or beings) and receive, in return, a significant measure of happiness.
The practices relate to the diverse dimensions of human potential. The main dimensions are mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. Experience demonstrates that working in one area—physical, for example—helps with the other dimensions. So cross training—doing something in each of the four main dimensions and, if time and commitment allows, doing practices in other subordinate dimensions of one’s choosing (relationships, ethics, social action, for example)—will be most productive.
Before randomly starting any set of practices, put the wisdom found in this waypoint to work for you by doing the following five preliminary but crucial transformative practices. They will show you a sequence to use when constructing your own pathway that leads to the awareness (perfection) of the Greater (more than just individual) Self—an entity that includes, for example, both the individual and her enveloping neighborhood/environment. The five crucial transformative practices are:
scanning your current transformative practices,
identifying deficiencies in your current transformative practices,
evaluating your commitment to transformative practice,
determining what you are attempting to achieve in your transformative practices, and
choosing your transformative practices (Wilber, et. Al, 2008, pp. 317-325).
Frequently the “Magnum Opus”—great work—of one’s life requires more than personal transformation. Usually the transmutation of one’s Self and one’s environment is necessary, and this is precisely the Great Work! of those who follow the Heartwood Path.
By following the path outlined in this book you are working to change your nature. You can be successful at this Great Work! if you follow certain parameters. Know, for example, the difference between “Nature” and “nature,” “Cosmos” and “Kosmos,” and “Spirit” and “Soul.”
Often in this book I will begin the word “Nature” with a capital letter. I do this to remind the reader that embedded within Nature is Spirit. When I spell “nature” without the capital letter I am specifically referring to nature without Spirit (which is not how the universe usually works), usually as a synonym of the word “character.”
The cosmos is the physical universe. Change the spelling of “cosmos” to “Kosmos” and the theological sphere of the universe is added to the meaning of the word. The whole Kosmos—both the inner realm of Spirit and the outer realm of form—is governed by universal principles.
The following activity will help you increase your happiness by helping you relate to the Kosmos and not just the cosmos. For some, relating to the Kosmos means going to church and, indeed, encountering like-minded and caring people is a source of security, a fountainhead of meaning, and, therefore, a source of happiness. With or without a church, searching for the sacred––by which I mean searching for meaning in life through something bigger than the individual––is likewise a source of happiness. Outside of church, this searching is accomplished through meditation; prayer; instilling a spiritual dimension to one’s life through having goals, life schemes, and creative outlets; post-traumatic growth from anguish; strong emotions that accompany awe, wonder, and faith.
To Universal Delight…
HumaNatureConnect Activity
Training For Happiness
For this activity, consider your schedule and dedicate ample amounts of time to prayer. We will return to this topic later. For now, if you are not accustomed to prayer, focus on praying about sources of gratitude in your life. Next, look around you for examples of holiness in ordinary things. Do not get bogged down in hair-splitting here. How you define holy is up to you. It may mean, for example, “perfect,” “awe-inspiring,” “pure,” “whole,” “integrated,” “pleasing to God,” “the manifestation of the Absolute,” or “supremely valued by you.” By sanctifying everyday objects (or beings), you will naturally be more respectful of these objects (or beings) and receive, in return, a significant measure of happiness.
