I delivered this sermon as part of DC's LGBT Capital Pride Interfaith Service on June 6, 2006. This is a core teaching within my tradition and school. I was asked to share this teaching after I delivered an abbreviated version during DC Pagan Pride last year.
I offer the sermon here because of the many requests I recieved after the service. It is an honor and a blessings to be able to share my life's work with so many spiritual seekers on the path.
bless you all,
Katrina
What is vocation? And why is it important?
Vocation at its core is a divine summons. The divine calls to each of us in our own unique way; it calls us to manifest the very purpose of our life. It is the proverbial wake up call to get on with it already. It is a call to participate fully in life. It is a call to purpose. Yes, purpose; we each have a reason we are here. And vocation is the call to get on with the purpose of very lives.
We each bring with us into this weary world, a unique jewel to be discovered, polished and shared. We each are like beautifully wrapped parcels that are just waiting to be opened. This gift, this jewel, is our vocation. You see we each have a special role to play in the tending and blossoming of human life.
But all too often, we are discouraged from pursuing our gifts. We are born into a world that seems to spend most of its time putting barriers in front of us, or blinders on us, that it is often a struggle just to survive. And even if we can get past all the obstacles placed in front of us like race, class, gender, religion, orientation, caste, physical ability, and national origin, we still need to face our own inner barriers. We still have to face our own beliefs about vocation.
Mistaken beliefs about vocation
 | The Holy Longing: The Hidden Power of Spiritual Yearning author: Connie Zweig asin: 1591810175 |
Posted in
- Printer-friendly version
- Add new comment
- 1844 reads
This sounds like something I need to do. I hope that I can work it out.
Connect DC is TEN?? Wow. Time flies.
Did I ever mention to you that I think the impact that working had on me was to connect me to DC? I'm so hooked in here ... just call me "swamp thang."
Speaking of which ... isn't it margarita weather? Let's get together.
Much love,
Reya
p.s. So cool to see my drawing again! Thank you for publishing!
"Such beautiful dreaming! Such clear work. You sound so much in-focus just now.
I honor this work and delight in reading your words ... and I'm moved to participate in the dreaming-work, perhaps more than is appropriate.
I think I'll take the risk, and I hope you'll tell me if you'd rather I not do it again.
In the dream group I used to work with, we would read one of our dreams aloud and then go around the room, each one beginning their remarks with "If this were my dream..." and then sharing whatever the pieces seemed to illuminate for them. And then the next person might see something quite different in the same images, the same words.
In that sense, if this were my dream just now, in my dream I am surrounded by water -- my life is filled with emotion, covering and drowning everything else, so that all I can see is my feelings.
The gathering of song and all these incredible people -- my life, friendships, the harmony we make together. And in my dream, I am beginning to see myself moving on. Does this mean a change of geography? a change of emphasis? in my life this minute this could be about gradually shifting some of the focus of my everyday spiritual community from the UUs to the Yoga studio, or it could be something quite different. If I had this dream last week sometime, it would look like the impending end of an important relationship.
And in all of those possibilities, I am so present to the sadness with which I gather up what is mine to take with me, make my farewells, and lose my ability to remember the words. In all of these possibilities, even as I'm leaving I'm rethinking the choice to leave ... do I really have to? why?
In my dream, I look for my car because I want to escape ... and I can't find my car because there's no way out. As I'm searching the beautiful dark man in the hotel uniform helps me -- the hotel uniform telling me that wherever I am is only a way station, his beauty telling me that I can enjoy and appreciate his help, his darkness telling me that sometimes I need to look closely to see what is important (other times everything is well-lighted).
I keep looking for the way out even as the hotel man would make me welcome, and eventually the welcome is withdrawn as he leaves. And then I am lost and wandering, trying to find my way home -- having ignored help and support, I find I can't find the way alone after all.
And now that my dream has ended, I see there is much here that I can use in my waking life, too. So thank you for dreaming this dream, thanks for sharing it, thanks for letting me dream it, too.
Many blessings, Dear One"
"I sit staring out the window, not lost in thought, but feeling completely and totally blank inside." I have been sitting in a similar space.
Your post reminds me to trust and to listen for the song.