Seva as Spiritual Practice

Nothing happens by chance.  This morning I found myself reading about spiritual practices.  In particular, four spiritual practices come to mind:

• Affirmations - the setting of intent, or what I call Affirmative Prayer, used to address the physical and emotional concerns of life
• Meditation - a more absolute practice to challenge the physical perspective and expand our conscious awareness of the seen, to the bigger picture around and beyond
• Journaling - a practice of writing in response to experience and events.  Entries can contain reflections on what took place, emotions that surfaced, and understanding that resulted (this blog is my public journal - I really do share my story and journey with you here)
• Seva - selfless service to God (Seva is the Sanskrit word for Service) that supports the idea of Oneness, can be carried by us anywhere we go, no matter what we do

As is the case for me, with consciousness and evolution, when I am ready to understand an idea it will strike me hard, and I will find myself reaching for my journal. This morning, after meditating, saying an affirmative prayer for myself, my prayer partners and closest, I was struck by the passage I read on Seva.  This idea had been communicated around me before, but I was obviously not ready to hear Seva defined in this way until this moment.

In short, Seva was presented as a spiritual practice to be done at 'all' times.  Whether creating dinner, cutting vegetables, answering the phone, passing a stranger, hugging your children, or working in the field of caring for others, Seva is about being present with love, letting go of any barriers of separateness, casting aside doubt, accepting (not judging), and knowing that we are beings trying to relate together in unity and love.  Seva is a decision to see the flow of the Divine, God, Source, One Mind, in all.

Now back to 'nothing happening by chance': This past week I have been spending much of my time contemplating seeing the flow of the Divine at all times, in all things and events.  To my mind this reading on Seva, and the reframed perspective I was adjusting to, had arrived as a part of my journey.  And just as I was getting my head around that bigger idea I read the following from another blog.  "It is practically impossible to live in a state of Oneness 24/7 and keep a normal lifestyle."

And so, practicing Seva here I am, with the intent to see the flow of the Divine in everything, and to explore my perspective.  The question I am now drawn to ask: 'Can I embrace a bigger idea?' 

My immediate reaction was, 'but that statement flies in the face of what I've been contemplating as a vision for myself.'  The word 'practically' jumped out at me.  I started to question the words, the semantics: Was the context impossible in the real-world, or mostly impossible? 

But then, thankfully, I dodged the chaos of such insanity and the idea of journaling about this came to mind.  That felt like a simple thing; ground myself in practice and see what revealed itself (rather than stay in my head and observe my thoughts run across the set like a tumbleweed in a Western movie, the gun-slinger of ego ready for high-noon).

Journaling reminded me that it is not about the destination but the journey.  I do have a vision for constant Oneness and it is possible.  I am setting this intent because I believe it resonates with my life-vision to inspire and support the transformation of others.  The extent to which I will be able to support the transformation of others will be limited to the extent of my own transformation.  The vision of constant Oneness, to see the Divine in all people, events, and things, is a worthy one - it is a powerful way to transform oneself.  But more importantly, I realized that the destination has to be released, and the journey embraced. 

I now believe I came across the comment, about the impossible aspect of constant Oneness, so that as I started forming this vision I might remember that it is the journey that will lead me to Truth, and that attachment to destination could only lead me away.

Seva as a spiritual practice is beautiful.  Selfless service to the Divine is a journey I can stand behind.  Every moment I can attain this consciousness is a moment that lights the bigger picture.  I will have compassion for those moments where I fail at the intent of 24/7, just as I will celebrate when I live this vision.  For in the end, the experience of failure will likely give me a greater strength than the success. 

Blessings, joy, and peace my brothers and sisters.