Searching for spirituality

Another Rita Eberle-Wessner

This serene landscape is taken by one of my favorite artists. She entitled it "Cathedral" and you can see why. To me, this picture gives me a chance to walk into a forest cathedral and reflect on all the surrounding beauty. I do get a chance to see places like this in my frequent walks, but I also know I can visit at any time by gazing at Rita's work whenever I want.

I have recently been studying Tibetan Buddhism a little, mostly because of having stumbled upon a series of four books by David Michie, who writes stories about Buddhist philosophy from the point of view of The Dalai Lama's Cat. I have been interested in and have followed various spiritual paths during my long life, and I seem to keep returning to the tenets of Buddhism. Several years ago (around six) I took up yoga once again, after having practiced it in my twenties. It's completely different, looking at the philosophy after having enjoyed almost eight decades of life.

Once long ago, I lived in a commune in Sacramento. I had just divorced my third husband and my son had gone to live with his father in Michigan. This left me completely without any obligations, and since I had saved a little money, I quit my job and became a, well, a hippie. There were around twenty people living together in this commune, in a huge old mansion that had seen better days. In the basement there was a very large ballroom, and a couple times a week, Sufi dancing was practiced there. I got involved in studying Buddhism at that time, and I went to various retreats and gatherings with friends to learn more.

One day, I went with some friends to hear an Indian female sage, I think she was a nun. She spoke no English and had an interpreter with her. We all gathered in the large room, which held maybe a hundred people comfortably, crossed our legs and settled in to hear what she had to impart. I remember nothing of her message, but she did ask us to join in an experiment with her: she asked us to meditate using a particular mantra and listen to what emerged in our consciousness.

After a few minutes, I began to feel a warmth spreading in my forehead, where the fabled Third Eye is located, and it caused me to lose all track of time as I sat in a very blissful state. I can still remember the feeling, but I don't remember anything else about that day. It's never happened to me since, although for years I did meditate every day.

It does make me wonder if there really is anything to all those ancient spiritual teachings. I have been away from even thinking about such things for decades, but I can feel something beginning to reawaken within my spirit. Have you ever experienced anything like that yourself?

:-)