We’re going to start integrating some spiritual posts into this sea of sociological thought. If my brain doesn’t have enough space for all of the sociology running through it, then it surely doesn’t have enough space to also process the spirituality running through it… I’m ever so slightly uncomfortable sharing these in such a public way, so you’ll notice that this post is a little shorter than my usual ramblings. This all being said, here’s the first of many about religiosity, spirituality, and the duality of both.
I recently started a rather massive theological endeavor. Am I terrified? Yeah, pretty much. But I’m more excited than I am scared. Exploring one’s own beliefs is perhaps one of the greatest opportunities. I have very quickly realized that this is a lifelong process, and I’m very thankful for that. We’re at a really neat point on the religious calendar, which is making my theological studies all the more interesting. Ramadan has recently passed, and we are approaching Shavuot. In Jewish tradition, Shavuot is the holiday celebrating the delivery of the torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. I Christian theology, this would be the delivery of the Ten Commandments. Regardless of whether you are Jewish or Christian, this is the period between the exodus from Egypt and the delivery of some form of sacred word. That’s a really cool period of time, and a big time of learning. I think it’s incredibly cool and special that I get to be learning during this time too.
in the Jewish tradition, this is the period of counting the Omer, which is the Hebrew word for “sheaf”. There is an incredibly neat story that goes along with this term, but I have far too much to learn before I can adequately explain it. Essentially, the celebration of Shavuot is associated with a harvest festival, that’s the best I can do right now without making my brain completely break down or getting it completely wrong. What I’ve done is applied this season of counting to my theological learning journey. As we approach this honoring of Torah/Ten Commandments (dependent on one’s beliefs), I have been counting the days. What does this mean for me? It means I’ve been far more intentional with my days. I count each day for what it is genuinely worth, what I take away from it. This includes temporal experiences, spiritual experiences, theological study, and so much more. A very big part of this has been burying myself in sacred text. The delivery of sacred text on Mount Sinai is pretty significant, so the least I can do is study it, if not try and live by it.
Intrigued by this idea of counting, I did a little more research on the abyss that is the internet. I found a woman who talked about the spirituality and symbolism of counting in a really unique way. As she spiritually counts her days, she counts in something. By this, she meant she’d also count in tangible items, not just days. Whether it be eggs in a basket, foods tried, etc. She’d connect the spiritual to the physical, making her counting and her days more intentional. She explained how each item she counted in allowed her to better reflect on that season of her life. I loved this idea. It got me thinking about whether or not I’m personally counting in something, and if I am, what that something is. Well, I’m the lucky duck that is counting in not one, but two things. I’d like to share them with you!
I’ve mentioned before that I walk a lot. My goal is to hit three or four miles with each walk, at least four times a week. I’ve personally referred to these as my “walks with God”. It’s my time to not only work through my academic thoughts, but also my spiritual ones. With music going, I cruise right through not only my playlists, but the entirety of campus and a chunk of my thoughts. In many ways, I’m counting in steps. Every step I take is accompanied by intentional thoughts, probing questions, and more. My walks, my steps, have been a contributor to this period of learning and growing. Thousands of steps represent my thousands of thoughts. Granted, that may be an exaggerated number of thoughts, but it surely feels accurate.
Like I said, there are two different ways I’m counting currently. Steps are fantastic, but so are pages. I’ve been diving into a few books on theology recently that have guided the many thoughts I encounter on my walks (or laying in bed at 1AM…). Between the books I’ve recently read and the books I’m currently reading, there is a lot of intentional study. Here’s a short list:
- “The Choosing People” by Avraham Russak
- “Treatise on Happiness” by Saint Thomas Aquinas (re-read)
- “The Spiritual Physics of Light” by Aaron D. Franklin (re-read)
- “The Convert” by Stefan Hertmans
These books have spanned across several different religions/denominations, making my learning a little more well-rounded. As I work through each of them, I work through another day. So, this being said, the second way in which I am counting is in pages. Each page is counting towards not only the day, but my learning. I am a proud bookworm, literature geek, whatever you want to call it. That’s me. I’ve become fully engrossed in my thoughts and the books that help me understand them. We all inherently count page numbers when we read, that’s part of why they’re numbered in the corner. Recognizing the meaning behind that number is what I’m currently chasing after.
Just as I am a proud bookworm, I am also a proud lifelong learner. The spirituality of counting goes far beyond counting the Omer or the numerical value of the Ten Commandments. It goes far beyond my walks and page numbers. It’s a lifelong count. We count days, weeks, months, and years of our lives. We count in so many ways, and we count so many things. What has been incredibly fascinating to me recently is the recognition that our counting, whether in the singular day or the multiple steps and pages, means something bigger. So, count with me. Whether you’re Christian or Jewish, believe in God or not, count with me. We can all make our days more intentional.
Humble Chutzpah 