Inner Work

For the week of November 21, 2005

Fervor

Our spiritual work, be it the practice of presence, prayer, kindness, sensing, meditation, or other inner work, needs fuel. A crucial element of that fuel, one that enlivens our inner life and provides the emotional drive toward purification, love, perfection and service, is fervor. Wonderful in theory and wonderful when we have it, yet how do we find the fervor that ends any given wandering in the spiritual desert? All spiritual seekers wrestle with this basic question of how to move toward the sacred when our heart is just not in it.

To approach an answer, we first recognize that the source of fervor, the spark that ignites our passion for the spirit, enters us in those moments when we touch the higher or when the higher touches us. We hear certain music or read graceful words, we see the beauty of nature or the smile of an infant, and our inner veils momentarily lift, flooding our heart with love and our being with a hint of Divine ecstasy. That sacred flame suddenly awakens our fervor, reminding us yet again of the One Whom we all serve.

While our inner work can bring us to a state of greater openness to those moments of grace, we dare not depend solely on such unpredictable events to earn our spiritual livelihood. In our deepest meditation or prayer, we approach the realms of ecstasy. While our control over our emotions may be rudimentary, it is not non-existent. So each time we enter those deeper states, we allow our heart to take wing a bit more, to fly toward the sacred and return with renewed ardor for the path.

Communal prayer or meditation also can lift us across the threshold of fervor. Indeed some types of prayer ceremonies directly seek to induce a state of ecstasy, often through some physical movement, dance, song or chant. The crucial point is whether, as worshippers, meditators, or recipients of unexpected moments of grace, we allow that outer fervor to enter us deeply and transform into an inner fervor, awakening our heart in a way that reverberates through time.

We cannot all the time participate in communal practices of the spirit, but we can work toward an undying and unquenchable sacred fire, an everlasting light in our heart. Whether in communal practice or in solitary inner work, we cultivate that flame, that inner fervor, which guides us toward our true home. Indeed, fervor for contact with the sacred is itself an opening to, reflection of, and emanation from the Divine.

For this week, notice, welcome, and perhaps create moments when you can rekindle your fervor for the spiritual journey.

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