Find The Extraordinary in the Everyday
We can choose to walk the path of the mystic. The mundane will show up as miraculous, the boring becomes fascinating and our shortcomings become our greatest gifts. Join our guest Mirabai Starr as she shares that embracing mysticism in our lives is a way of being alive in the world.
#kriyayoga #mysticism #ordinarymysticism #brotherlawrence #meditation
Mirabai Starr is an award-winning author, internationally acclaimed speaker, and interspiritual teacher. In 2020, she was honored on Watkins’ list of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People. Drawing from 20 years of teaching Philosophy and World Religions and a lifetime of practice, Mirabai shares her wisdom worldwide on contemplative living, writing as a spiritual practice, and the transformational power of grief and loss. She has authored over a dozen books including renowned translations of sacred literature. In this program her book Ordinary Mysticism: Your Life As Sacred Ground was discussed. Mirabai lives with her extended family in the mountains of Northern New Mexico.
WEBSITE: MirabaiStarr.com SOCIAL MEDIA: @Mirabai Starr
THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: The idea of being a mystic has always sounded so exotic to me and it’s only a select few such as Theresa of Avila or Julian of Norwich who are privileged to have this designation. Mirabai Starr says “You do not need to trek to a remote shrine in the Himalayas, enroll in expensive seminars, or convert to a new religion to connect with spirit. Your life is holy ground. And you are a mystic. I know you are because all it means to be a mystic is to have a direct experience of the sacred.” She also says ““Mysticism is a way of seeing—beyond the turmoil, the rights and wrongs, the good guys and villains—to the radiant heart of things. The mystical gaze reveals the miracle in the summer thunderstorm and the bowl of ramen…A mystic gazes through the eyes of love, and love reveals itself as the only true thing.” Listening to Mirabai has opened my eyes and my heart to the possibility that as we become open to the present moment, we can all be a mystic, seeing the presence of God in all that we do, see and experience—the good and the difficult.
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I so enjoyed the conversation with Mirabai Starr about experiencing the sacred in our life and as our life, everyday. I appreciated our discussion about setting an intention, and developing our loving awareness as important steps in seeing our lives as holy ground. I loved the story she told about Brother Lawrence, and how he coped with his depression by remembering a leafless tree in winter, knowing that the tree would again burst into blossom and eventually bear fruit. I find this image to be helpful in remaining hopeful even in challenging times.