"Dirty" Work in the "Gutters" of Life

I would walk a mile for my type of Spiritual activism.  Spiritual activism is beautiful, right?  All shiny and pretty as you embark upon your cause or mission.  Standing up on a some stage pontificating your beliefs and truths.  Not really.

I was recently asked what I considered spiritual activism to be.  Let me first share that spiritual activism can be dirty.  It can be thankless.  It can be down in the gutters (both literally and metaphorically).  Rarely is it done from the cushy comfortable places in life.  At least that is my version of spiritual activism.

Within society, there is a perception that duality is a reality.  A reality that states that there is a positive and negative for everything that exists.  A dark path and a light path.  Further, within this duality, as spiritual activist it is our responsibility to work and live on this so called light path.  Everything sparkly and beautiful in the name of "light workers".  We surround ourselves on this "light path" with positive people, positive energy and positive "white" light.  What about these places that many perceive as the darkest "hells" of humanity?  If a person sets out purposefully to seek out these perceived negative energetic people, they must be "bad" or "dark" workers of some sort.

So when we go out to "heal" the world, we sit in our nice comfy and sparkly buildings and send positive energy out to the world.  Meanwhile, nothing is getting done.  There is still trash littering the "gutters" on our roads, there is still animals covered in oil that are dying, and there is still people lost in the "gutters" of addiction and abuse.  It ain't pretty, but we "light workers" are sending all sorts of positive energy to them.

I have shared time and time again, but allow me to share again.  I specifically and purposefully seek out the darkest "hells" of humanity and go into the "gutters" of life.  I actively engage in travelling to these places to find those whose energies are the "darkest" perceived by humanity.  The ones lost and without any "light" of hope in sight.  Yep, that is me.  I get dirty picking up trash on the sides of roads.  I get sweaty mowing a lawn or weeding a garden.  I go into homes that "scream" trauma, violence, and addiction.  I do this on purpose.

I hope this makes you uncomfortable.  I hope that it causes you to pause and reflect.  A women sitting on the edge of chair surrounded by bottles, overflowing ashtrays, and a stench that reminds you of food gone bad.  From her chair you can see her bed, the toilet, and the kitchen as they are all in the same room.  To even enter the room you have to push trash and stacks of who knows what out of the way.  The woman appears to have not showered for days, perhaps weeks.  There is no electricity, no food in the refrigerator, and no fresh air as the window is broken.  There she sits hopeless and helpless to change.  In cleaning her toilet (want to get grounded in principles - clean a toilet that has not been done in months), the stench nearly makes you gag. But you do it anyways.  Bag after bag of trash collected and taken outside as though it is never ending.  You do it anyways.  The water hurts her skin as you help her take a shower.  You do it anyways.  She has not eaten in days any real food and even showered she reeks as the toxic energy (and booze) emerge from her pores.  She take her out to eat anyways.

Pause for a moment and see it without judgment or opinion.  Walk a mile in her shoes, if you will.

A "light worker" surrounds themselves with loving people.  Positive energy people.  Why?  To remain loving and "in the light".  GREAT!  Your life is illuminated.  You share love and laughter with those who are on this same "light" path as you are.  Awesome.

What about the woman?  What about those who are living in the "gutters" of life.  In iron cages, real or imagined, held imprisoned by their own darkness?  What about those who are so hopeless and helpless that see no light?  What about the ones who have not laughed for so long they don't know how?  What about the ones who see no love?  The ones who live in desperate devoid of life that are becoming suffocated because they have no connection to a Divine source?  No connection, no light to follow, not even a spark to seek out a different way, what about them?

They are not part of your loving, positive "light" tribe.  They are not hearing, let alone experiencing, a connection to fill their hearts and souls with hope.  Who is going to change the tide for them?  Who is going to go out, get dirty, climb down in the "gutters" with them?  Who is going to have enough internal fire and light blazing inside of them so that it radiates outward to illuminate their world?  Who is going to be the ones that will go make their life "sparkly" even for a moment so that they can have a break long enough to realize they are not alone?  Who is going to stand up and fight for them?

So the one's who judge my path.  Keep sending your light to heal the Earth.  Go ahead and sit around in your little groups discussing affirmations to change your own life.  Go ahead.  My flame, my fire, my passion, and my connection with the Divine is strong enough to go into the "darkest" hells' that exist to do battle, get dirty, clean toilets, and pick up trash.  I don't mind getting dirty, as the Eternal Flame of Love that fuels my fire is strong enough to handle it.

I am reminded of a saying of the Mohawk, Oni Kiwahi.  Translated (as I understand it) means "We are all united".  If we are all united, if we are all related, then the birds that need to have oil cleaned off them to survive, the woman needs to be cleaned and feed, and the Earth that needs to be cleaned and revered are all a part of my tribe, my family.  It is not a choice as much as a responsibility.

I challenge you, before you judge - before you condemn someone else's path, someone else's activism, ask yourself what are you doing really?  Are you getting "dirty"?  Or are you waiting for someone else to do the "dirty" work?