Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Digging Deeper in the Jewelry Drawer


At the last Spiritual Practice, Practice, Practice workshop we dove into the shallow end of spiritual memoirs. We were pursuing Elizabeth Andrew’s assertion: “Every spiritual memoir reaches into mystery, attempting to place human life in a broad sacred context.”

We began writing in response to a prompt that asked us to “describe a small, ordinary activity that you’ve already done today (brushing your teeth, buckling your seatbelt, making your child’s lunch, etc.) ...Reflect: What does this activity reveal about you? What mystery does it contain?” We took twelve minutes to respond to the prompt. Here’s what fell out of my mind and onto paper. 

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I open the secret drawer. The choices are revealed.  Not a treasure chest of gold and precious jewels; but, a collection of silver and stone, cut and crafted for special purposes.

Occasionally I make a clean sweep of the clutter in my hidden drawer, tucking each piece into a bag, organizing them by color and size and type.  The organization lasts but a few weeks because I rifle through the drawers contents nearly every morning, and, in my haste, fail to neatly package each bauble again.

The secret drawer calls to me every morning after I’ve dressed.  As I sift through the collection I’m looking for the right necklace, or pendant, pin, or chain to complement my attire.  Does a stern black shirt need something brighter?  Am I yearning to wear something blue and brilliant? Or, is plain silver called for? Or, perhaps a pendant embossed with words or symbols. Peace. A flaming chalice. A rainbow.

Selecting the right piece to wear means taking a personal pulse each day.  Do I want to recede with simple charms or make a bolder statement? Am I feeling confident or shy? I know that whatever I select will say something about who I am, why I get up every day, and the values I espouse.

A jumble of inexpensive but meaning-filled jewelry helps me know who I am...today. 

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Pendant from Chalice Art
I had no conscious idea that a broader, sacred context dwelt in my jewelry drawer.  I didn’t ever think about the connection between the secrecy of the drawer itself, and my attempt to share my values, my essence, with the world. What once was secret becomes revealed to all who see me. I never thought about how choosing bits of jewelry would interact with my own self-understanding, or that the jewelry so readily reflects my own struggles to know who I am or where I’m going with my life.

After each round of writing, a few people shared their twelve minute compositions. In each round we learned something about ourselves, and heard something of the sacred moving through the lives around us. All who attended agreed they would like to continue writing and sharing their spiritual memoirs.  Bob Deyle is interested in organizing such an opportunity. I can recommend the process to everyone who wants to add texture to their own musings, and who will listen attentively as others explore the hills and valleys of their own experience.