BY BARBARA MERRITT, SENIOR MINISTER, FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH, WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
The first thing that occurs to me when I contemplate the change from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time this month is, “How wonderful, an extra hour of sleep!” At the moment I can’t imagine anything more precious than an additional hour to rest, to be unconscious, to do nothing.
Excepting that yesterday the text in our adult spirituality discussion group included a few lines from Rumi:
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth
across the
doorsill where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.
In our group discussions we talked about what the poet means by being awake. The list included being conscious, paying attention, and being focused, aware, alert and clear. I know a few things that make me physically awake: exercise, cold water, rock and roll music, a lively conversation. But what is it that awakens us spiritually?
One thing was clearly stated in our circle—how easy it is to “go back to sleep.” This spiritual somnambulism occurs when we are unable or unwilling to experience reality head on. This metaphysical unconsciousness can take many forms, including, but not limited to, judgment, distraction, denial, despair, impatience, boredom, jealousy and self-pity.
The bargain basement emotions deaden us, separate us from healing realities, keep us focused on our own blind view of the world. My own personal favorite form of spiritual unconsciousness is ingratitude. With this twisted perspective you can be richly blessed, surrounded by good and loving people, and still pour all your attention on the few things that are wrong and imperfect. It’s not an easy assignment, but, believe me, it is possible to ignore a world full of beauty and gifts, and fix your focus entirely on what is broken and hurting.
What is it that draws our consciousness up from that deepest of spiritual sleeps?
It remains a mystery to me. I have seen friends waking each other up. Love, understanding and compassion seem to produce a good environment for bringing us back to reality. The beauty of the autumn foliage or a crisp, cool wind from the North can turn our focus in the direction of clarity. Sometimes music can remind the heart of the harmony we have forgotten. Sometimes in the silence we can experience a reality within that is peaceful and restorative.
This month, each of us who lives in an area where the time “changes” has been given an extraordinary gift: one extra hour. How we use it is of supreme importance. How we use every hour of our lives is supremely important. The poets whisper across the centuries, “The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep.”
