Spirit and Work
Introduction
Spirit-21 focuses here on the lives of those living Spirit daily in the workplace...ordinary people often doing ordinary things of extraordinary proportions.
Maea, our first presenter works for the state of Washington inspiring clients as they enter into and continue on in the welfare to work program.
Merryn, her daughter, provides her "true "talents of service to the Spirit and counseling through the hairdressing profession in California.
Small miracles are being performed daily in the workplace, and this column is offered as a means of exchange in seeing how widespread that is. We look forward to your participation in profiling others who live the Spirit daily in their workplace.
The Miracle of Spirit in the Workplace
Seekers of truth shall always find their paths converging, drawn together by Spirit in the sharing of common goals -- those of personal soul growth and the discovery of one's path and purpose. The working of Spirit is ever more evident in the workplace as special connections are made in this coming together.
In working with chemical dependency, many small miracles are witnessed daily in the lives of those seeking the means to discover their right path. They come together in a common quest for guidance, to share their experiences, hopes, and dreams of a brighter future. And to share their difficulties, temptations, low points, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. The sharing unfolds, light and energy in the room builds to an astonishing degree, and amazing transformations take place.
As a counselor working to impart the meaning of hope, I find myself continually searching for effective ways to reach the people I work with in a true spiritual connection. It is the same for all of us, no matter what our jobs may be, as we continually seek to perfect ourselves through the performance of our work. Without this connection we are merely automatons performing tasks.
The "training" to do one's job often falls far short of the goal of touching lives on a deeper soul level -- merely words, ideas, and phrases repeated to the point of loosing real meaning. In seeking ways to open the door to a true connection, divine guidance will come -- as it always does when one has a true need. There comes a time to let go of the training in order to let the inspiration of Spirit flow. It's truly amazing and gratifying to experience the words and ideas that "come through" in opening oneself to the guidance of Spirit in the attempt to perform one's job to the fullest, feel the true connection with our co-workers, or provide the tools to put lives to use. It is also miraculous that in seeking inspiration to accomplish any task, it will often appear seemingly out of nowhere -- in an E mail from a friend, a glimpse into the face of someone passed on the street, a line or two from a book, the sunrise, or another of the many mysterious but unfailing ways in which Spirit works.
The incredible energy generated by a group of people working together is very powerful and a miracle in itself. Ideas and answers flow, building one upon another as eyes light with discovery, voices speak with inspiration, the impossible is accomplished, and dreams become reality.
Spirit is indeed alive, and we need only to still our minds, listen, and allow it to flow in order to create miracles in our work as well as our lives.
Maea
Finding The Spirit in One's Work
I have been a hairdresser for twelve years. When I first started, I had no idea how much spirit would come into the workplace; after all, being a hairdresser is generally not considered a spiritual job. At first, I was surprised when clients began to open up and share their lives with me - much as they would to a bartender but on a deeper level.
I asked myself, what is it that draws people to share so much of themselves with us? Especially in a field which centers itself around vanity. How does that effect one's spirit? It begins with trust and touch, which are two of the most basic human needs. Trust, because we work with the ego, which for many, begins at the hair. We have the privilege of being allowed where few other professionals enter; the close personal space of the client. As we build on trust and touch, the doors of communication open and the clients' best of times and most painful times are shared.
We are a service industry. A teacher of mine told me that the definition of service is going above and beyond the call of duty. It is our duty to do what we can to have the client feeling better after their visit, and fulfilling that duty often means going beyond the physical aspect of merely providing the service we were visited for. No matter what we do for a living, we are all spiritual beings with the need for compassion and understanding. It is an honor for me to be in a profession which enables me to reach out and help someone feel better about themselves. It is also an honor for me to become trusted friends with so many very special people. They have shared so much of themselves with me. I have seen them through high school, marriages, the birth of children. They have given so much to me in that I have become more patient, understanding and compassionate as I strive to become a better human being.
Merryn
