Beginnings

This is my inaugural blog entry. I've been thinking about blogging for about a year now, but have been too busy (and intimidated at what it might involve!) to launch my own blog. But, I've decided to overcome my excuses and fears and enter the blogosphere.

The theme of this blog is everyday sprituality. Some call it "active" or "practical" spirituality. My interest is in exploring what is sacred and soulful about daily life.

In this blog of active spirituality we will travel through the primary areas of daily life-- work, play, travel, home life, commuting, leisure and recreation—and try to connect with the spiritual dimension in and through these activities.

I believe that the foundational concept that enables persons to discover their spiritual connection is “mindfulness”: being fully present in the present moment. The focus in mindfulness is not so much on what we do, but how we go about doing it. Mindfulness transforms work into vocation, travel into pilgrimage and recreation into re-creation.

In nearly every major religion, there are threads of active spirituality. The Judeo-Christian tradition has several. Abraham sojourns from Ur to Canaan. David dances in joy before the Lord. Jesus is on the move so much he says, “The Son of Man has no place to rest his head.” Paul is in perpetual motion on his missionary journeys. Active spirituality also plays a prominent role in other major religious traditions: the Whirling Dervishes of Sufism, Karma Yoga in Hinduism, and Tai Chi in Taoism.

When it comes to spirituality, the key questions are: What feeds and nurtures your soul? What brings joy to your heart? What helps you expand your spiritual horizons and grow? The active spirituality of Soul in Motion explores these questions and (I hope) will help you discover joy and fulfillment in the everyday activities of work, play and travel.

Bob/Robert/Rob