My Soul Stretches Out

Ingrid Goff-Maidoff

This is what I long for:
spiritual passion;
enthusiasm in the most
God-filled sense;
to have light in my soul,
fire in my belly;
to be connected to something
larger than my daily chores.

I hope for this, not to transcend my daily life, but to breathe more meaning into it. I long for a life in which my soul (that part of me that lives in the presence of the Holy) might stretch out in communion with the World Soul, and yet not leave my life in the body behind.

I have found that when matter and spirit live on separate sides of a schism, or when I am untrue to my spiritual leanings, my soul seems to get fed up with me and wander off. At those moments, I find a certain depth and spark missing as well. I feel disconnected from my essential, most authentic, favorite self.

Half of any person is wrong and weak
and off the beaten path. Half!
The other half is dancing and swimming
and flying in the invisible joy. ~Rumi

How might I call her back? My soul ~ that gypsy spirit who is dancing around the fire in my heart- the part of me that is passionate as well as peaceful- the higher, most joyful self that I long to bring into the better part of every day~ She is dancing in the invisible joy, napping in the fields of the Divine, traversing the Landscape of my interior, and waiting for me also ~ ready for contact whenever I am.

The Balinese employ offerings of sacred water, the scents of flowers, firelight, incense, foods and forms of beauty to tempt their gods to descend to earth. I use these same things, and poetry, to court the Holy, and to coax my soul back home. For me, this is the secret of balanced living- my soul stretches out over the cosmic abysses, and on her return brings back visions and stories, infusing in me her passion and her peace.

"You must not get overdrunk with ecstasy.
Much work yet remains for you in the world.
Come, let us sweep the balcony floor,
and then we shall walk by the Ganges."
I fetched a broom;
Master, I knew, was teaching me
the secret of balanced living.
The soul must stretch over the cosmogonic abysses,
while the body performs its daily duties."
~Sri Yogananda in conversation with his Master, Sri Yukteswar.
~ Autobiography of a Yogi

Copyright 2008/2009 Ingrid Goff Maidoff, all rights reserved.

Ingrid Goff-Maidoff is a poet, nectar seeker, and book artist who lives on the island of Martha's Vineyard. Her work appears in numerous anthologies, including her gift book collections on Friendship, Happiness, and Love from Andrews McMeel Publishing. Her hand-made books and gifts for heart-centered living are lovely remembrances of the spiritual realm, and are available through: http://www.tendingjoy.com

Ingrid's "Portions of Joy" e-newsletter is enjoyed by thousands of subscribers.


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