"The Holy One is near to all who call:
we have no need to cross the sea to
find God(dess)."
___ saying of St. Samthann (trans. CM)
Spiritual nomadism is a phase that everyone goes through at some time. It appeals to us at those times when everything in our spiritual practice seems barren and stale. At those times, we seek the stimulus of fresh fields and foreign shores; we want out, now! This may take our steps into other fields of spirituality where we can graze at will, tasting and appreciating the differences, taking what is useful for us at one spiritual oasis before wandering on to the next. This phase can take many forms, and it can strike at any time, especially if we have lived many forms, and it can strike at any time, especially if we have lived within the strict restraints of a religious upbringing; it is not undergone only by the young and unsettled.
Our wandering often brings us to a fresh appreciation of our own spirituality; from a different perspective, we can see what we have been missing or how we can practice in more intentional ways. When spiritual nomadism goes unchecked, however, we do not learn from what we wander through; we begin to fall into a kind of spiritual tourism wherein we travel too fast and too frequently to learn anything.
In whatever place we find ourselves, we must make sure that our spiritual path is under our feet. It may spiral wildly or meader across different kinds of terrain, but it will bring us to the place just right if we engage continually with Spirit. We cannot separate ourselves from inclusion in the sacred, whatever we do and wherever we go.
"What useful and encourage factors have you gained from your spiritual nomadism? What do you look for in your spiritual expression and practice that is not currently officially on offer? It may be that your spiritual practice has no name or label, but it is still a valid path to Spirit."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]
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