Sacred Spaces Welcome Us Back
“The sea is his, and he made.”—Psalm 95:5.
I am reliving the moment we returned to our sacred space on the Gulf after being away for months.
As I sip my morning tea, a huge welcoming party awaits us. A cool breeze keeps us from overheating. The wind carries the salty scent of the sea. Hundreds of fishing boats leave the pass early in the morning to say hello. A pelican silently flies by our balcony and tips her wings. Another comes so close that it takes our breath away.
Gulls circle the water in front of us but decide not to stay. Their loud squawk tells us they would only stay if we fed them. The clouds above make funny little faces to make us laugh. The lone blue heron flies by but does not land. He must be visiting new friends down the beach. Dolphins have not arrived, but they may extend the welcome later in the day. I hear the Blue Angels but cannot see them. A sparrow patiently waits on our balcony for any breakfast crumbs.
I think of the men, women, and children in the fishing boats. What will they catch today? They cast their lines deep beneath the surface, sometimes to great depths. Some venture far from land in search of the unknown. The fishermen travel with guides who know where to go because they have been there before.
It is another metaphor for our spiritual journey, in which we search beneath the surface of our lives to reach a deeper place of memories, dreams, and reflections. We go with spiritual guides who have been there before and know the territory. We share the joy of what we have found within community. We bring back into our bodies the nourishment we had forgotten and share it.
There is so much more in store for us in the deeper waters than what is found by the lone fisherman casting his line from the shore. However, this fisherman meditates while waiting for the infrequent nibbles from the sea. He also has the opportunity to go deeper into his mind. He also shares his poles with young children, teaching them the new art form. Another stands by with a cell phone to make a permanent memory of the event.
God is there, reaching out to us no matter how we search. The finding is always in the searching.
Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/