Journey to Ixtlan

A super talented and very spiritual friend caused me to think about why people don't promote themselves. More to the point, why I don't promote myself. My friend was doing something that was very spiritual to them, but it was feeling like something else. In contrast, I need to see spirituality in what I do. The common denominator is the sharing of ourselves, and the appreciation of others when things are shared.

People around us have interests, passions, and desires. A person is fortunate when they have something that people want. The recipients' appreciation can take the form of praise, money, time, or all of the above. Appreciation does not inherently cheapen a spiritual task. If anything, it can make the task more spiritual. On the flip side, appreciation validates what we do, and gives us pause to consider if there is a deeper spiritual connection. It gives me pause to consider the connections. When the passions of connect with our abilities, well, there is cause for celebration. When desires coincide with our life's product, the spiritual is there.

I believe my friend recognized that the supplying the interests of others benefited the spiritual path. I believe that my spirit can also be fed. So, I will be striving to do more with my talents, and I would love for my current and future friends to be involved. The friend I spoke of at the beginning is pretty inspiring, and I can see myself doing more as honor my friends' attention. We have created magic already, and are capable of so much more. Let's see what we can do!
 

I got some good feedback on this posting...

A friend said: I've found that the older I get, the more I disconnect myself from validation because I don't want my self-worth tied up in what other people think of me.

I said: I'm not really speaking to what people think of you. I am instead speaking to how much people can appreciate the talents you have. I am speaking of how much they are touched. This does not win any gold stars, but it does go a long way to connecting us in ways that are healthy. My friend was crafting items that were spiritual in nature. It was as if they questioned if they should keep doing it, and my response was: yes, as long as people want them and you still honor and feed your own spiritual path.

This reminded me of a Bible verse:  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. (Matthew 5:15)

A hidden light does little to satisfy the one shining, nor those around them. Once shown, the light does not require the validation of others to continue to shine. The sharing of the light, and the receipt of it, is a good start. The light casts upon those things that are there, and it is a wonderful thing when they are beautiful.