Hug a Yogi

Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Taoism, Judaism and Christianity have all tried to stake claim to lands, long inhabited by yogis. They've harvested the yogis perspectives, insights and wisdom, and claimed them to be of their own making. Their practitioners have been given labels like Sufis or Mystics, implying that the yogic ways were off shoots of their religions, rather than the initial inspiration for their very creation.

Looking at a calendar is all that's required to refute such notions.

Once their understandings were confined to texts and churches, they were converted from the ethereal eternal wonder, that inspires grand quests and noble questions, to hollow hypothetical promises and mundane man-made regulations, that demand adherence to rules and motivate through fear. So the treasures of the yogis have largely been buried under mountains of rites, rituals, fairy tales, tenants, laws and an implied sense of separation from others who see contrasting interpretations, use unfamiliar words and follow different customs.

No longer do we find teachers guiding folks to find their way; but, preachers telling flocks what to believe, and how to think and act. Fostering the notion that adhering to religiously sanctioned actions is more important than purifying core intentions and acting in harmony with one's higher truth. Sacrificing a personal relationship with the unknowable for a scheduled appointment to listen to someone else talk about such a relationship. Trading moral sensibilities for a list of rules.

The trappings are traps. Communities of spiritual seekers are good, but the constructs that define such groups often become distractions that obscure the deeper meanings that manifested the group, in the first place. There are, of course, many exceptions of churches and religious leaders who emphasize nurturing a personal relationship with a greater awareness. And the trend toward losing the bigger picture for the details is pervasively reflected in many facets of thought, action and culture.

Nonetheless, it's unfortunate that the worth of the yogis, both past and present, has been systematically swept under the rug. And I think that they deserve a long belated standing ovation for their contributions to the maturation of humanity.

Or better yet, just as a thank you, give a yogi
a big lovey hug.