A Conversation with Gypsy on what it means to be Spiritual
Paul: I wonder if you can help me with a writing project I’m doing. I’ve been struggling to come up with some ideas for the group I have joined.
Gypsy: I’d be glad to help. Cats have been advisers to humans for millennia. Can you tell me a little more about this group and what your project is?
Paul: The group is centered around the idea of exploring what Spirituality is. Each of us has been asked to write something about our sense of what spirituality is or perhaps what being spiritual means.
Gypsy: And you are struggling to come up with an answer to share with the group?
Paul: Yes, it seems like such a broad topic, I really don’t know where to start. I thought you might give me a hint or get me started in the right direction. Maybe this is something I haven’t really thought about a lot. I tend to get involved in a lot of hands on projects which involve thinking, planning and problem solving, but on the other hand I enjoy working in the garden, tending the garden and watching it grow.
Gypsy: I’ve noticed you have been spending lots of time drawing lines on large pieces of paper and you get somewhat irritated when I try to help by laying on top of them.
Paul: I really appreciate your trying to help. It is just difficult to get my ruler lined up just right to draw a line with you right in the middle.
Gypsy: I’m always glad to help. There is something about a nice clean sheet of paper that makes a cat want to lay down on it. But I am curious as to what you are working on.
Paul: Well, I’m planning out how to build different things such as buildings or devices for moving trees around.
Gypsy: I didn’t think trees generally moved around much. I do notice when I climb up really high that they tend to sway back and forth in the wind. But it is a gentle kind of moving and they remain rooted to the ground. It is amazing they can grow up so high in the air yet not fall over. But then I notice sometimes there is a very loud noise and the next thing I know a tree comes crashing to the ground. I can feel the tree hitting the ground even when I am far away. It’s vibration goes right through my feet into my body. Could you explain what is happening?
Paul: I sometimes have to cut trees down to make room for building something, or I need the wood to actually build something. The wood also makes good firewood to heat houses. I share this with friends who heat their houses with wood.
Gypsy: Why don’t we heat our house with wood?
Paul: It is too small, so I heat it with propane which is liquid gas.
Gypsy: I would appreciate you telling me if you are going to cut down a tree. It is somewhat upsetting to hear such a loud noise and then feel the ground shake under my feet.
Paul: I apologize for the inconvenience and will try to let you know in the future.
Gypsy: I would say it is more than an inconvenience for the tree to be cut down, but I understand you feel it is necessary to do this. It would be very sad if all the trees were cut down and I didn’t have any to climb. It would also be very hot with no canopy to shade us from the sun. I do notice that some trees just fall on their own. I use them to cross the creek or just to lay on. Trees are useful for sharpening my claws too.
Paul: I can assure you that I will only cut down trees when necessary and new trees are always growing. They are considered a renewable resource.
Gypsy: Yes, I can see the hillside up in the valley is now clear cut and when it rains the stream is all muddy. I don’t enjoy drinking out of it when it is full of dirt.
Paul: Yes, this is an unfortunate part of progress when the environment is degraded. It will take time to recover, for the trees to grow back and the soil to be stabilized.
Gypsy: Will this be in my lifetime?
Paul: I certainly hope so. Well, I wonder if we can get back to our original conversation?
Gypsy: Of course. I didn’t mean to get off track, so to speak. What is it exactly you want to know?
Paul: I wonder if you can give me some clue as to what you consider it means to be spiritual?
Gypsy: Do you mean being in spirit?
Paul: I suppose one could put it that way: being in the spirit.
Gypsy: To me this means being present.
Paul: Is that it? Can you elaborate a little on that? I don’t think I want to come back to the group and all I have to say is that spirituality is being in the present.
Gypsy: Then you might want to add that spirituality is living in the present moment.
Paul: Yes, we have had many conversations about this. That all we have is the present moment; there is no past or future. This doesn’t explain why it is important to be in the present moment. Perhaps you could expand on this a little for me.
Gypsy: You are asking why it is important for someone to be in the present moment. This is where the action is so to speak. This is where we can connect to the world around us: plants, trees, animals, other people. By being present we are witnesses to the unfolding of life in all its possibilities and we can influence what may happen.
Paul: Simply put we can only act in the present moment. And this allows us to connect to the world around us to be part of the creative process that is unfolding.
Gypsy: Well, put!
Paul: I guess I had a little help.
Gypsy: Haven’t you heard the saying: Be Here Now by Ram Dass? One of my relatives advised him. He was living at a very important point in time when young people were questioning the meaning of life. They were protesting the war in Vietnam as well as experimenting with drugs that got them in touch with the natural world around them. Cats have never needed drugs to experience the wonder of nature.
Paul: I think I read a book by Ram Dass with that title. I’m guessing you are going to say that we have no choice about it. Since there is no past or future, all we have is right now.
Gypsy: Yes and no. Being present in the moment takes a special effort to focus on what is going on right now. Cats are very good at this. We are alert to every movement, sound or smell. This is why it is so upsetting when a tree falls down. I literally jump a few feet up into the air.
Paul: Well, I think we have discussed that and I sincerely apologize and will take your feelings into consideration in the future. But what is the “no” part of your answer.
Gypsy: I’ve noticed that humans tend to get distracted by different things that they carry around with them or look at all the time.
Paul: You must be talking about phones, cell phones or smart phones. Yes, humans use these to keep in touch with the world around them.
Gypsy: I don’t use a phone, yet I keep in touch with everything around me all the time. Can you please explain?
Paul: Well, it is a way of keeping in touch with friends and family and what they are doing. Or finding out information from the internet. You can also take pictures with a phone.
Gypsy: What is a picture?
Paul: It is a resemblance of what something looks like.
Gypsy: Why not just look at something if you want to know what it looks like?
Paul: I guess pictures help us remember things from the past.
Gypsy: Cats have photographic memory. We remember everything that has ever been. The whole history of the world and universe is in our genes. I call this genetic memory. Maybe this is why I don’t need a phone.
Paul: Pictures allow humans to share with others what is going on far away from where they are.
Gypsy: Doesn’t this distract them from what is going on around them and being present in the moment?
Paul: I suppose one could say that.
Gypsy: That is what I said.
Paul: Yes, I know. So, what you are saying is that humans have developed technologies that tend to take them away from living in the present moment and thus experiencing real spirituality.
Gypsy: Living in the Spirit is being present to experience life as it is unfolding.
Paul: Now I think we are getting somewhere. However, I don’t think most humans would be satisfied just sitting and watching a flower open or the path of a bee.
Gypsy: This takes practice. For cats this is easy as we are have reached full realization. Humans are just learning their potential to tap into the creative powers of the universe. Meditation and mindfulness are helpful tools in focusing ones attention to the present. Meditation lets one view where the mind is going and trying to quiet down all the noise that the mind makes. Mindfulness is about just being present. One can also meditate on specific things such as world peace. This is part of my work I do every day. I lend my creative energies to creating peace in the world.
Paul: And how do you do this?
Gypsy: By freeing the mind from distractive thoughts and focusing on the present moment. Sometimes I have to tell my stomach to go to sleep and not worry about eating.
Paul: You mentioned that being present allows us to connect with the world around us. How do we do this?
Gypsy: Quieting the mind and being present allows the heart to open. Our hearts make the connection between ourselves and the world around us. When you make that connection you realize that we are all one. We share in everything that is happening in the world. We no longer are separate beings living our separate lives.
Paul: So by opening our hearts we are able to be present with the world around us. It seems like this conversation has just taken us around in a circle and we are right back to where we started.
Gypsy: We haven’t gone anywhere. We are here, at this very special moment in time, in the evolving universe that is so full of potential for good things to happen.
Paul: I’m speechless as usual. You seem to always have the right things to say. Now, if I can just get this written down so I can read it to the group. Thank you for your help in answering my question or helping me explore what spirituality is.
Gypsy: It’s my pleasure! I’m glad we could have this conversation and I hope it helps you for your class.
Paul writing:
Spirituality….. is being in the present, ……..focusing ones attention on the present moment. And…….
Yawn! I think I need to go to bed.
The end.