Romancing the Presence

Week one of the Commitment Experiment started last Sunday. The Commitment Experiment challenges us to test the hypothesis that committing to something or someone wholly, completely, both-feet-in will bring:

 "A whole stream of events issues from the decision, 

raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, 

meetings and material assistance, 

which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. (W.H. Murray)"

The first assignment: determine how you like to be courted. This task took me back about 19 years to when I first started dating my husband. I remembered how I wanted to spend every minute with him. We would touch base throughout the day and my heart skipped a beat when I noticed his number coming up on my work phone. Mundane lunch hours became exciting knowing I would see him. I realized from these memories that during our courtship I felt special, noticed and important. There was an electricity in the air. Life was exciting.

After our Sunday afternoon workshop together, I asked Dr. Heather why we needed to explore the elements of courtship and she said to use that information to court the Divine within. That idea hit me like a lighting bolt and lingered in my mind for the rest of the day and into the next.

Ideas for romancing the presence came to mind:

• Carve out special time for Spiritual practices
• Put my connection with Spirit at the top of my list
• Make my time with the Divine private and intimate
• Pay attention to Spirit throughout the day
• Be playful, open, excited

On Monday morning as I was exercising, I listened to Jason Mraz's CD Love is a Four Letter Word. As the song "The Woman I Love" played in my ear buds I realized it could be the love song of my romance with the Divine. Spirit talking directly to me.



Some of my favorite lines...

"And in those times that you stop loving the woman I adore,
you can relax because babe I've got your back..."

And...

"I don't wish to change you, you've got it under control
You wake up each day different, another reason for me to keep holding on
I'm not attached to anyway you're showing up
I just want to love you
You're the woman I love."

So, as I explore this romance with the presence, I look forward to the greater expression of life that it brings. And I ask...How do you want to be courted? Can you apply that to your Spiritual practices this week?

Share any changes you notice in your experience in the comments.