This post will be a bit of a departure, as it really has nothing much to do with photography (though I'm posting a couple pics just to make it pretty).
A few weeks ago, the church sermon (and I don't remember the lesson) made me think about what are the most important things in my life. As I started thinking about my priorities, and writing them down, I began to notice that my list included a lot of "-ity" and "-ty" words, as if echoing the concept of "priority." So these, in no particular order, are what I believe to be most precious to me as I make my way through life:
* Integrity/Honesty -- being true to myself and honest about who I am, with myself and others
* Sexuality -- honestly exploring and expressing my true sexual nature/identity/desires
* Creativity/Fertility -- seeking ways to freely express my imagination and to "seed" my thoughts into the Universe
* Fraternity/Community -- building a circle of friends/lovers for mutual support, love, and joyful living
* Liberty -- promoting freedom of self-expression and self-identification for all persons
* Beauty -- discovering how gorgeous even the simplest objects or moments can be
* Divinity/Luminosity -- tapping into the immanent sacredness of all of Creation, Time, and Experience; connecting with "God" at every moment of my life
* Sanctity -- treating each person and experience as a sacred connection with the Divine
* Tranquillity -- finding "the peace that passes understanding" somehow, sometime, somewhere during my journey through life
* Unity/Humanity -- realizing that I am intimately connected to all Life, that ever has been, is now, and ever will be, and that this is my connection with the Divine
* Almighty -- seeking God; striving to connect with the Divine
* Mobility/Velocity -- actively moving ahead, at whatever pace is necessary, toward whatever the future will bring
* Equality/Inclusivity/Regality -- treating all persons as manifestations of the Divine, and refusing to allow anyone, including myself, to be treated as anything less than "God"
* Simplicity -- striving to focus on what are my priorities and to let go of other "busyness" that is not so important
* Sagacity -- learning to discern what is more important and what is less important to me
* Amity -- understanding the meaning of true friendship, and learning how to be a true friend
* Charity -- becoming an embodiment of Love and loving every person, every being, every moment I might encounter
* Collegiality -- forging a spirit of cooperation in my business endeavors
* Polity -- forging a spirit of cooperation in my communities
* Safety -- helping to create safe spaces and moments for all persons to express themselves in all honesty
* Felicity -- moving through the day with grace, compassion, and focus; finding my "flow"
* Sincerity -- giving each person, each moment, each event my undivided attention
* Humility -- truly understanding that I am no greater nor lesser than any other created being
* Purity -- discerning my complete inner truth and acting in accordance with it every moment of every day
* Familiarity -- realizing that we all want and need love, recognition, support, understanding, and so being open to loving, recognizing, supporting, and understanding others
* Responsibility -- embracing my commitments
* Reality -- giving up on living in fantasyland and opening my soul to the real truth of the moment
* Surity -- accepting the gift of knowing when it comes my way
* Gratuity -- thanking God for the gift of Life and all its beauty and potentiality
* Potentiality -- realizing that every moment is an opportunity to express the Truth of my existence
* Opportunity -- seeing that every moment is an occasion to live out my priorities
I guess one could say that what I've written here is my Spirituality.
Those who know me best may think that I don't live up to some of these priorities, and I'm sure I don't. Nevertheless, these are the ideas and beliefs I commit myself to, today.
2 comments:
Anthony,
I have read your blog and just wanted to say that I am impressed with all of the ity's used by you and that some of the itys have been helpful for me in that I am confused at times with how others express themselves, how they think, and what they believe. This happens at work, home, church, with the kids, and life in general. It is an endless journey, and we are in it together.
Love your friend,
Michael
Anthony,
This entry in your blog has stayed with me for the last few weeks. I understand the words and how you are expressing your spirituality. I think this step is very important for all of us, to create our own creed. Otherwise, we continue to quantify and qualify our spiritual nature based upon an inventory that belongs to someone else. I felt like I wanted more from you once I read the entry. I wondered what the next steps are now that you have made your oaths. Are these lines the basis of action? A new book? What has happened to and for you since you made this entry? If you reread this entry, do you still agree with what you have written? There seems to be a major spiritual shift going on within you and expressed in these lines.
Always with love,
Steve
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