Recently the wonderful site, Spirituality and Practice (whose resources I recommend) shared this quotation for reflection. 

My Sufi master once said: If you put the world between you and God, the world becomes a spiritual obstacle; if you use the world to remember God, the world becomes your spiritual friend.

— Robert Frager in The Wisdom of Islam by Robert Frager

This Sufi master’s wisdom affirms a principle that I hold dear: that all things, all people, all beings (animals, trees, humans, and yes, rocks) are connected, ultimately.

There is a point of view that refers to “the world” as a symbol or representation of evil. We hear expressions that embody this point of view: 

• It’s me against the world.
• Don’t let the world poison you.
• That’s the world’s way of thinking

In religious terms, we might even hear the world set up as something that is opposed to God or the divine. This point of view can subtly weave its way into our subconscious and create a mindset that is oppositional and cynical  to almost everything. 

We can reset our world view. In fact, it’s a good practice to consider doing every morning. We can choose to connect with elements of the world and invite deep wisdom, love and meaning to speak to us through them. When we do actually see something in the world that is disturbing, we can invite our curiosity to wonder and be open to what happened here, opening to the meaning that was trampled on or ignored. Anything that stands between us and deep meaning invites that kind of curiosity.

~Robert Patrick

If these kinds of questions and experiences sound familiar, you might find spiritual direction a good way to explore them.  Here’s how to get started.