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.
