My favorite spiritual writer of late (actually, for a long time now) is Dr. David G Benner. I was introduced to him through Surrender to Love, and The Gift of Being Yourself, but more recently I have been drawn in by excerpts from his Soulful Spirituality; Becoming Fully Alive, and Deeply Human. What I appreciate most about Benner’s writing is a combination of weighty depth in his articulation of the spiritual journey as “being”…and also a refreshing logical objectivity, which (paradoxically?) flows out of heart.
I had not heard of the word “Somnambulistic” until reading Benner’s last Something to Ponder e-letter posting…but it has since captured my imagination. What a great description for much of what I sense in culture today. We should arise purposefully each morning, with a sense of anticipation…but I suspect that many of us live somewhere in or between a busy-ness (preoccupation and distraction, as Benner puts it) that obliterates the opportunity to discover purpose, and a numbness that desensitizes us from the need to discover one. Either pattern results in a reduction of human consciousness to a level of survival…hardly optimal. What a great way to describe this half-life: a sleep walk.
“Living with awareness is a pre-requisite to becoming deeply human.” Dr David G. Benner
I don’t want to “settle” in life…to accept a half-life, or to live as one sleep-walking. I suppose, I have never wanted this…and have often found deep resonance with others, such as Benner, who desire a deeper experience of purpose and human transformation than what is offered at the surface. Deep calls to deep.
I’ll be picking up Soulful Spirituality and heading out for a back country hiking trip in the mountains shortly…hoping to have much more to post…for your resonance…
