The soul needs to be nurtured, and we can do this by infusing our activities with intention and purpose, making what we do every day into spiritual practices. We've personally learned a lot about this from our friend Rosemary Cunningham. She is a frequent contributor to the "What Goes On There, Really?" column in Spirituality & Health magazine, in which she has described her impressions and feelings after attending Christian, Jewish, and Muslim events and services. Her natural curiosity and openness enable her to always find something fresh to say about these experiences.
In the introduction to this handy compendium of tips for nourishing the soul, Cunningham reveals herself to be an inveterate and creative practitioner of everyday spirituality. For example, she carries around a little rosewood box with the word "Faith" carved in its top. Inside are three pieces of silver with "Patience," "Trust," and "Courage" engraved on them. For her, they are cues to remember God and to stay attuned to the qualities necessary to recognize that presence. As she moves about New York City where she lives, she listens to tapes she has made for herself with songs about faith. For example, "How Deep Is the Ocean" brings her to a keener awareness of God's abiding love for her. Cunningham also relates the time she was inspired by Tibetan prayer flags to create her own version of them; on a line across her apartment she hung little notes of gratitude to 34 of the people, places, and things of wonder she uncovered in one week of her life.
One of the marvels of contemporary spirituality is the variety of homemade rituals and practices people are using to deepen and enrich their lives. Knowing Cunningham is someone who does this regularly, Spirituality & Health asked her to work on a special collection of ideas that was published first in the magazine and now in this book. She gathered fifty responses from the magazine's readers to the following questions: "How do you feed your soul? Have you done something spontaneous on a particular occasion? Or do you have a daily ritual that deepens your connection to your essential self, to the world, and to God?" Responses came in via e-mail from around the country and the world. Cunningham then organized them into three sections: People, Places, and Things.
Everyone will find a few practices to try in this little gift book. Photographs punctuate the pages and add to the overall impression that this is a source of both ideas and inspiration. We were delighted to see rituals and practices on enthusiasm, devotion, silence, joy, gratitude, beauty, love, wonder, and more. Some of our favorites are a woman who serenades her kitties, a man who climbs to a high place outside town to welcome the day, another who has created her own prayer book, and an individual who gives thanks as she pays her bills.
Everyday spirituality is alive and well around the globe, and it certainly lifts our spirits to see practice presented as the key to living a fulfilling life. Let this book feed your soul by leading you to find your own way down the path of spiritual practice.
