Finding Foundation
Ruins at the Monastic City in Glendalough, Ireland.
As we age, we often find ourselves at a crossroads: we have become something inauthentic and we find it to be unsettling.
How did I get here?
What happened to my childhood dreams?
Who’s life am I living?
Life feels imposed and we sit in a sea of anxiety as we try to figure out how to once again reclaim that surety that we once had, that assurance of who we are and where we are going. If this sounds familiar to you, dear reader, rejoice! The groanings of the spirit have reached the senses and are yearning to pull you back towards identity and purpose.
Contemplative Carmel was formed to help support the soul through the arduous journey of living so that it can boldly exclaim and reclaim that which it once knew:
I am made for eternity.
I am the child of a most Benevolent King.
I have a specific mission and purpose.
I am loved.
Choosing to take the authentic path takes much courage, as the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. The moment of decision unleashes a torrent of anxiety, guilt, shame and blame - all which seek to stop the painful “uncovering” before it even commences. Fear is the great manipulator. It keeps us trapped in emotional bondage so that we become too weak to even begin the most important work entrusted to us: to be.
The first step to “being” requires that we first find our foundation - the one entrusted to us at the moment we received the great Light from our Creator. Your foundation is different from my foundation - it is unique to each person who ever was, is and ever will be. Your foundation is the essence of identity and purpose and the two are meant to converge into one to carry Beauty, Goodness and Truth in the world.
