In my Unigram article last month, I wrote about the application of intention to everyday tasks to transform them to spiritual practices. In that piece I noted how through intention I could transform some walks in Nature into spiritual experiences, raising them above the everyday and ordinary. Yet applying intention to everyday things to gain a spiritual practice is not a strategy that will be equally rewarding to everyone. It may also work better with some tasks than others. As a result, you may wish to seek out a spiritual practice that requires the application of perseverance.

Some authorities on spiritual practices maintain that the most transformational potentials come from those spiritual practices that are nothing other than a spiritual practice for us. Take meditation, for instance. Meditation is something we purposefully do as a spiritual practice that we generally do not otherwise do in the course of our everyday lives. By being inherently spiritual, it becomes easier to distinguish it from everyday activities and emphasize its spiritual value. For example, taking a walk in Nature can have more than one meaning for me. As a result, it may be more difficult to stay focused on the spiritual. I could potentially, then, complete it sometimes with a sense of spiritual pride, but really have been focused on exercise or covering a lot of ground. Something like meditation, on the other hand, cannot be completed in any way other than spiritually. When we use everyday things as a spiritual practice, there can be a risk that we may simply do them without proper intention or awareness.

If I wished to begin a meditation practice, and set the goal to engage in it five times a week, I would need to purposefully integrate the practice into my life and set aside time for it. To fully spiritually benefit I would need to be diligent in meeting the goals I set for myself. As soon as I begin skipping sessions it becomes easy for the whole enterprise to end up being put aside. If I truly wanted to benefit, I would need to keep at the practice even at those times when I was busy, not feeling in the mood, the demands of life were intruding… This is when I would need to apply perseverance and overcome the obstacles to meditate anyway. To meditate even when that was not what I wanted to do, would still pay spiritual dividends. This is why some people call their spiritual practice a spiritual discipline. Because it cannot serve another purpose in life, we have to keep ourselves disciplined in maintaining them.

So, whether it is meditation, journaling, silence, service, fasting (please consult a doctor before starting this one) or any other form of spiritual practice that requires a persistent approach, I wish you well in finding the right practice for you. I would welcome the chance to talk with you about your spiritual practices, old or new.

Joel Tishken, Intern Minister