Once upon a time, not so many decades ago, I had a cabin at the Eastern Continental Divide a few hundred yards from the headwaters of the French Broad River in North Carolina.
I made my way several times through laurel thickets up the babbling stream behind Touchstones (the name I gave my little house). Water came up through the rocks from deep within its Source. There has never been anything sweeter that crossed my lips. Even below the headwaters, the pure water was like no other.
Unviolated by humans or cows, the taste and sounds of my stream will never escape my memory. I learned from natives to "tune" the stream by moving smooth rocks around beneath its surface. The nuanced melodies brought soothing knowledge that each of us plays a role in the Great Composition.
Life cannot be experienced fully unless one is able to make the journey upstream and down deep in search of the Source. Short of that, the beauty of creation and our part in it can only be self-centered and one dimensional. In order to survive without acknowledging the company of a power greater than ourselves, it is necessary to keep one foot in the past and one in the future. Savoring the present moment is too dangerous when thieves and pirates might come to take away your treasures at any turn in the road. The notion of being at one with each other and creation can only be transitory and might even feel threatening.
Being-on-the-way to God isn't always a conscious effort or even a continual process. It's more like hunger and desire which leads us beyond what is happening to what is meaningful. Beyond personal growth and change, this being-on-the-way is transformational. We will uncover True Self in God. This enables us to reach out and connect with a universal oneness.
“When we get in touch with our Essential Nature, we can use our unique, authentic gifts for the good of others and the world. ”
On Wednesday, many people who practice Christianity will observe Ash Wednesday. It is a unique start to a season of prayer, fasting, and renewal which leads up to Easter and a celebration of new life. What is particularly appealing about this ritual is that it makes room for getting in touch with what Richard Rohr calls our Essential Nature. It's a time for listening to that wee small voice where your truth is being whispered.
Whether Christian or not, setting aside 40 days for discovery, new beginnings and reconnection is well worth it. Once the path has been found, it might appear that the only way is the one that led you there. But there are as many ways as there are individuals. I can’t travel by yours nor can you get there by mine. What we can do is to share our experience, strength and hope with fellow travelers.
What we will be empowered to do is reach out meaningfully to those who are poor, struggle, and suffer without measuring the personal cost of our generosity. It can become the springtime of the body, mind, heart, and soul. For what bubbles up from the spring of your headwaters is a pure manifestation of the Source.