Living in the world right now is, for many who bring intention to the meaning of our lives, sort of like trying to watch a television while the electricity is intermittently on and off.

Here’s what I mean. One of the key principles that support my work in spiritual direction is this:

All things, all people, all beings (animals, trees, humans, and yes, rocks) are connected, ultimately. 

On a daily basis, I encounter other beings that I feel a vibrating kinship with. That certainly includes my spouse. It certainly includes Millie, our 5 year old rescue hound. But, there are so many more. It includes the forest of trees that surround our house, the tiny moss growing across our backyard, the large stone that sits there near a garden bench made of ancient granite, mica and quartz. On a really good day, it includes people I encounter at the grocery store, in the gym, at the gas station and so on.

But, then, the power of connection seems to disappear. I see students being gassed and tased by police on university campuses. The aggression against Ukraine continues, Israel continues to attack Gaza, and Hamas continues to be a threat to Israel. People in the US are more divided than ever over politics, religion, what is considered the truth and what is not and who and how we show respect for one another.

Are we connected? What happened to our connections? Spirituality, whether tethered to a religion or not, is about seeking out, exploring and working our connections with all other beings, human and otherwise. Spirituality, in this respect, is not easy, is not casual, and is not something we pursue just in our leisure. Spirituality as the search for meaning and connection with all other beings is actually a life and death matter. So, when my sense of connection that I so easily enjoy with my beloveds and the trees and plants and animals suddenly disappears in the face of human violence, that, dear reader, is the wake up call. That loss of obvious connection is pinpointing where our spiritual work must begin. 

As I write this, I find myself holding in my heart everyone involved in violence on university campuses.  Some of them, I will be in agreement with. Others, not at all.  I am holding them all. The power of connection has gone out right there, and it needs the support of the entire human community (and even the non-human!). That work of holding them in my heart has me wondering: who can I write or be in contact with to help reestablish deep connection?

~Robert Patrick