My God Dances

Do Spirituality & Fun Have To Be Mutually Exclusive?

How did we become so SERIOUS?  I mean, really, who decreed that spirituality and fun, even irreverence, have to be mutually exclusive? Hopefully, you are not caught in that trap!  Because, it is – well – not fun!

I remember at age 18 going to a week-long silent retreat. It was excruciating to tell the truth, as much as I got the warm fuzzies from meditating at that time.  In fact, truth be told, there were moments I whispered to my boyfriend in passing in the hallway.  I couldn’t help myself – the monkey made me do it, I swear!

The most memorable part, though, was how somber and serious everyone seemed.  Everyone, that is, except this one big guy in a turban who was laughing and smiling all the time! He was part of the crew that organized the whole thing.  All these years later I can remember him because I thought thank you sweet jesus there is some life here!

Where did we get the idea that spirituality means we have to be so serious?  Is it based in our puritanical roots and history?   In a system that proposed that we are not holy unless we deny ourselves any of the pleasures of life?  That to let our hair down and experience pleasure makes us “bad”, evil, sinful?  That to be happy and joyful is actually wrong?

Who knows?  Does it matter?  What matters is that you can choose the ALIVENESS of joy and playfulness and incorporate this into whatever spiritual practice speaks to you.

My God Dances

My very favorite thing about my “god” is that my god dances!  I mean, really, doesn’t it just put you in touch with great mystery, source energy, all that good stuff, when you move your body?

And don’t you just LOVE having this magnificent body that enables you to have every life experience and gives you the opportunity for LIFE ITSELF? Can you imagine embracing a spirituality that views the body as inferior, or any aspect of you for that matter?  Please say no!

Every aspect of you contributes to all the others:  physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, all blend together in a tremendous unfolding that culminates in a very unique YOU! One aspect is not inferior to another.  All are good.

And back to dancing!  A great expression of JOY.  I cannot imagine a spirituality that does not embrace joy! Can you?

Spirituality Is About Embracement

I believe we are back to a discussion we had recently about not allowing ourselves to become too self-righteous about our perspectives.  After all, at the extreme, lots of lives have been lost as a result, not the least due to varying religious perspectives.

And no one spiritual or religious group has the cornerstone on self-righteousness. I have witnessed this in a variety of religious and spiritual settings.

What does self-righteousness accomplish?  You all have probably had the experience of meeting someone who is very religious or spiritual and seems miserable, judging everyone who doesn’t live by their standards – which usually are quite RIGID.  I don’t know about you but I don’t look at this and say, wow, I want what they have!

The Joy-Filled People Are Where It’s At

What’s great, though, is there are always those in any group who exemplify joy and fun. Yippee for them!

My grandmother was one of those individuals, bless her beautiful heart and soul.  She was a devout Christian immersed in a traditional religion.  Yet, she  maintained a youthful, playful spirit literally until the day she died.

I had the great benefit of growing up with this remarkable and slightly eccentric woman (which added greatly to the fun) and in my teenage years delighted in teasing her about sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll.  Nothing was off limits.

We laughed and teased and tickled.  And even though her church didn’t believe in dancing, and she was poor, she somehow always managed to pull together the 50 cents I needed to go to the dance (yes, I am that young and I see we’ve come full circle with the dancing thing ;-p).

Now, that is my kind of spiritual!

What have your experiences been with incorporating joy into your spiritual life? What have you observed regarding this topic?

As always, I welcome your comments.

Dance, be well, and may you have the most fun spirituality ever!