Once a month I am meeting via Zoom with the Anima team to discuss the development of the Anima channel. Two days ago, we exchanged about activities that can offer to the Anima community the role of participants and not only that of spectators.
This is a most fundamental issue, especially in spiritual development. Anima is giving in a free and modern way information and inspiration about spiritual topics to an interested community via the web & social media. The team is now reflecting on how to take up suggestions from the community to introduce meetings and do meditations, as a step to a deeper interaction. We discussed different challenges and how to deal with them. One was continuity and how much the team can integrate in their already high level of ongoing activities.
In general, it takes a very long time for people to come from being a spectator and information consumer to an inner commitment – “yes, I feel this is good for me and I will commit myself to this direction”. And later, to commit also to some activity, and again much later to take over a responsibility. There are many mental barriers to overcome – “I cannot; I have no time; I have not the needed skills; I’m not good enough; I don’t want to get into conflicts…”
It might take months or even years from feeling an impulse to taking a step of going deeper and to find the right direction. At least, this was my experience. How to get into an involvement with a group can go through much “trial and error”. Waiting for the right thing is fine but being ready inwardly finally needs to express into some action.
To find one’s place is a process of inner searching, orienting and following impulses. It is not someone else telling me, please do this or that. I have to do it myself, because I feel the impulse within. Even if someone proposes or asks me to do something, there needs to be the inner readiness.
I very slowly, over 2-3 decades, came into communication activities and responsibilities, via lot of translation work. It was a good mental training. The commitment grew and expressed in an increasing number of communication and coordination activities, mainly via the web. I had to learn many skills which were not there at the beginning, but I needed them for the work.
Although there were impulses from the outside, the decisions were to be taken inside. Looking back, it seems like an organic growth, but I didn’t experience it like this. It was a slow but consistent development.
But if you want to grow spiritually, it is essential that “you put yourself into the fire”. Staying outside means, remaining cold or lukewarm. You need to kindle your fire and keep it burning. This way, you are going ahead and you are also giving warmth to those around.
