Edward Babcock
I am, like you, a spiritual being having a human experience… just trying to find my way. As I am entering the winter of my life I am pulling together artifacts to share from the Journey: writings, photographs, artwork, quotes, and musings. It is my hope that you find something that is beautiful or that inspires you. Although I call this a blog, I’m not sure it’s a blog, maybe it’s more a sampler of my spiritual understanding and creative expression. I call the blog “Love, Beauty, and Spirituality” as those major themes are important to me and inseparable from my life.
My conscious spiritual journey began at the age of 19 when the scales were removed from my eyes for three days. This allowed me to experience the ecstasy of pure love in a profound and otherworldly way. This experience laid the foundation for who I am today, how I view the world, and how I see my place in it.
Beauty is an important part of my world, and I have been appreciating Beauty expressing my sense of beauty through writing ,photography, digital manipulation, and painting for 25 years. For me the word beauty is synonymous with spirituality. “Truth has beauty” and “Beauty is truth” and they are inseparable. My artistic expression is a humble attempt to remaster what I see the into a heightened level of beauty that emphasizes Spirit and Mystery.
The most important theme of the blog is Love. In the summer of 2017, I went on retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemane in Kentucky. For those unfamiliar with this Abbey, it is the monastery where Thomas Merton spent much time in prayer and meditation that that inspired his writings . During my time there I sought counsel from one of the monks posing the question, “What spiritual practices best facilitate transformation?”. He answered: walking, meditation, and Lectio Divina. When he shared that love, the love of God, the love of family, the love of all creation was the ultimate practice I was humbled and intimately reminded that maybe I had overlooked the obvious. That was an “aha” moment for me. I have taken his counsel to heart and since sharpened my spiritual eyes… being present to life and love has become my spiritual practice. My help and strength comes from the Holy Trinity and my intention is to love God with all my heart, mind, and strength, and love my neighbors as I do myself. I now see that you and I have always been on the “Path of Love” … it truly is the only path there is and each day I begin anew.
I dedicate this blog to “The Path of Love”.
Blessings,
Edward
Reflection: What artifacts have you collected from your Journey?