This week I had the opportunity to see a film for the second time with fresh eyes. The film that I saw was called Into Great Silence by Pilip Groning (two dots over the O). You can find a trailer for the film here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgNj2Sf_mgo.
The film is a documentary that takes you into Grande Chartreuse one of the most ascetic monastaries. Ascetic in case you are new to such a word as I am means “A person who renounces material comforts and leads a life of austere self-discipline, especially as an act of religious devotion.” I like this definition provided by the free online dictionary (www.thefreedictionary.com/ascetic) as a aposed to websters definition that speaks in much harsher terms of deprivation because the latter reflects the film.
The director of the film asked to do a documentary fo the monks and was invited 13 years after his inital request. He lived with them for a year.
I share this films principals for what I derived from the film as it applies to my own life and perhaps to yours. What I witnessed was a supreme devotion to “GOD” exercised by men who found themselves to be very content and happy with their lives. Their lifestyle is simple and their purpose clear; to devote themselves in prayer to “GOD” for the forfillment of their lives.
I am not “religious” by nature but I am spiritual. I believe that “GOD” dwells within each one of us. The more we spend time in our lives reaching within to discover and celebrate our true self; the more we forfill our “GOD” given purpose. “GOD” wants us to be happy and as we contemplate our happiness and create that which is for our great good and best self we become aligned with life’s abundant energy.
As we travel through the journey of our lives and find ourselves through experiences of health, we learn how faith can solidify that every act we experience within our bodies is meant to allow for more growth and empower us towards great understanding and appreciation of life. Its that simple and that complex.
What I understand of my own life in reflection is that as we create space for spirituality in our lives this leads to greater happiness and greater happiness leads to more health. It is an individual journey by which we come into this world and by which we live it. Though we may surround ourselves with loving kindness at each step of our lives; these are reflections by which we can learn to become more loving towards ourselves.
“Into the Great Silence” asks me to look at the “Great Silence” within myself; the place where I dwell with the infinite possibilities of my life forfilled with love.
Spirituality asks us to consider this in our journey. I for one have found myself in greatest moments of peace for having done so. Perhaps you have as well.
In health,
Safara
