Blog

I was returning from a lovely Saturday night dinner out with my husband and daughter earlier this month - one of the little things I'm more and more appreciative of as August approaches, and my second born follows in the footsteps of her older sister who left for college last fall - when we were struck by the beautiful full moon.

It was a brisk and very clear evening in Red Hook, Brooklyn and I recalled that on the last new moon I attended a wonderful ceremony, also in Red Hook. It was the night of the Super Moon Eclipse and we created a bath salt during the ceremony. Each participant contributed an herb or an oil, along with their conscious intentions, to the blend. The idea was to use the salts in a bath on the following full moon, which of course was happening that very night. I was tired and had lots to do before heading to NJ the next day to celebrate Easter with my family. I really just wanted to go home get some work done and go to sleep . But I felt obliged to "follow the instructions", so I drew a bath and started contemplating the "right" way to honor the full moon and have a "spiritual" moment.

Then I realized there really were no rules, unless I imposed them on myself. I could just enjoy a nice, hot bath and read my People Magazine (don't judge me), which is exactly what I did. During the bath I telephoned my husband 3 times from my cell phone while he was prepping the brussel sprouts for the next day. First I realized I hadn't brought a towel with me, second I asked him to bring me the camera so I could photograph the beautiful herbs and flowers floating in the tub and finally, I would need a sieve to scoop up said herbs and flowers. Needles to say by the third call we were laughing hysterically at the absurdity of it all. It didn't matter that I wasn't meditating or reflecting or anything else. I was relaxing, appreciating the hot water and beautiful flowers and laughing with my husband. And yes, even indulging in a really poor but entertaining magazine.

I've studied with various spiritual teachers over the years but I am also a Virgo, so I tend to be very practical and pragmatic. Perhaps for this reason I crave spiritual connection and have found myself envious of others' profound spiritual experiences. But happily, I'm finally at a place in my life where I can recognize and appreciate that I had a lovely meal with two of the people I love most and that is no less profound. I can enjoy a hot bath, fawn over a gorgeous bloom in my garden, admire the perfect full moon or the clear blue sky and the sun on my skin - even if for only a moment - and all of these little moments add up to a wonderfully spiritual life.

The next morning I went outside to offer the bath herbs to my garden, say good morning to the hellebores and snowdrops and soon to be daffodils and then joined the masses of traffic heading over the bridge to Jersey. Really, what more could I ask for?