07/03/2025
𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭?
Nick Mulvey’s lyrics to 𝘈 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘺 𝘖𝘸𝘯 have been following me around lately. (Full lyrics follow.)
The season of ease - 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 - does not carry a guarantee; no season does. Especially as our concentric circles of concern have widened globally beyond what we were designed to bear witness to - death, loss, illness, injustice, violence, betrayal - realities that cannot be resolved by willpower or logic alone. Spiritual practices that help us feel connected - to what or to whom is up to the seeker - buoy us through the awareness of so much tragedy. We want practice to feel good, and it can, but it is not just a treat, it’s also a salve. Spiritual practice is for being able to “keep an open heart in hell” - learning to feel everything or, rather, to be with every feeling.
It’s the ground we prepare so our hearts can stay open when everything in us wants to close. Not to become invulnerable, but to become available and return - again and again - to our capacity for reverence and presence.
Music has always been an integral part of so many spiritual traditions. If you don’t have a prayer of your own, Nick Mulvey’s is available for you to try on:Spiritual practices that help us feel connected - to what or to whom is up to the seeker - buoy us through the awareness of so much tragedy. We want practice to feel good, and it can, but it is not just a treat, it’s also a salve. Spiritual practice is for being able to “keep an open heart in hell” - learning to feel everything or, rather, to be with every feeling.
It’s the ground we prepare so our hearts can stay open when everything in us wants to close. Not to become invulnerable, but to become available and return - again and again - to our capacity for reverence and presence.
Music has always been an integral part of so many spiritual traditions. If you don’t have a prayer of your own, Nick Mulvey’s is available for you to try on:
