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Thu 22 May, 2003 07:36 pm
Making bread is a spiritual act. I'm convinced of it!
No matter what anyone else says, I don't think I will
ever change my mind about this one. It's also a natural
antidepressant for me. The kneading, the rising and
the punching down and the rising again - it is all so full
of spirituality in its very essence. I've enjoyed making
bread since I was just a girl. It wasn't as much fun as
the go-cart I wanted for Christmas, but back in those
days - those are boy toys ....look over here, THESE are
the girl toys. Good grief 
But, I DO reminisce sometimes about the strangest of
things. Here we are on the topic of making bread,
breaking bread - and all of this is chock full of what
is the spiritual in life. A how-to lesson about a"container"
that can hold your spirituality for you is a big issue. The
idea of wanting to see the face of your Creator is just too
big, too unwieldly, too unrealistic. It would destroy us -if
we were to come too close - we would fly up into the sun
and burn like Icarus. Actually, the concept of having
"containers" for our spirituality over the centuries is very
interesting. Carl Jung spoke a good bit about this, as do
many followers still. It may be one of the reasons why
all people differ so much over what is religion & what is
spiritual? What is spirit-filled? During the 1200's &1300's,
these were the heady days of the most pure form of love
of all time. I forget what this time period was called, but
men began to seek God in the eyes of their beloved. This
love was always totally & forever chaste & pure. To have
even once touched, would have been to destroy or defile
its purity. Destroyed our "container". We humans seem
to have a great need for a "container," a repository for
all of that which is spiritual, or spirit-filled. For the spiritual,
it has been many light years since the church was one of
the true "containers" for the spiritual. Church became a
ritual. An act continued on and one throughout all these
years, never noticing that "the spiritual" had fled to a new
place, had sprung up as an oasis in the center of a desert.
This knightly time and age that I speak of, just to hold an
idea of her, to touch just a scarf that she had ever touched,
was like an act of prayer. To find a woman whom you could
worship from afar began to replace the older and the former
"container" for spirituality which was once the church. This
then eventually ushered in the era where marriage was for
love, rather than by parental arrangement. Yet another
"container" for the spiritual. Doesn't it seems that about
now, our universe is seeking for what the new "container"
might be - in the future. Science has had its turn. I wonder
what forms it might take. Any new & fascinating ideas?
Any ideas? Any thoughts? Thrill me with your thoughts
and ideas. Does the concept of a the "container" for the
spiritual make sense to you?
I don't know about the container Babs, but I love to make bread, and I do so every weekend. Irish soda bread has got to be the best yet!
However, I do love any kind of homemade bread, it's pure, it's genuine, and it's unadulterated!
Thanks darlin', I knew you loved it .... but I love to eat it:)
Hey Babs,
Well...you know me and these "spiritual" threads...but I really wanted to say HI, so...
All that talk earlier about how things that that get kneaded and rise and go back down and get kneaded some more and rise again...well...ah...how shall I put this???
For some reason, "spiritual" was not what came up for me (pun intended).
But I love bread!
I retain the ritualistic aspect in whatever I do. I suppose that's my 'container.'
Well, such a container exists. Its name is The Holy Bible (both Testaments, of course). It is not necessary to be a part of any of the numerous Christian denominations to feel connected to the Creator. This can be achieved by means of regular reading of the Holy Scripture, pondering over the things read, in order to realize the Creator's wisdom and paternal love and to feel His omnipresence and care of the humans.
Re: Finding a "container" for the spiritual in lif
babsatamelia wrote:Making bread is a spiritual act. I wonder what forms it might take. Any new & fascinating ideas?
Any ideas? Any thoughts? Thrill me with your thoughts
and ideas. Does the concept of a the "container" for the
spiritual make sense to you?
I agree, people have always had their spiritual "containers". I've never heard the word "container" used before to describe them, though. I've always thought of them as being "gods" or "idols". You know, kind of like the guy that plays golf every single chance he gets, golf become his "god" or his "container" because it's the thing that he loves most and serves most. Then you have the people that are computer geeks and everything they do has to be done on a computer or has to relate to a computer somehow. Computers become their "god" or "container" for the same reasons. I'm not sure what the most popular "container" is becoming, but being a firm believer in the inherent depravity of mankind, I'd say it has something to do with whatever pleases a man's corrupt and wicked desires the most.
Misti and Rae - you MUST give me your recipe for this
Irish Soda bread. I have my favorite called "Gloria's
Whole Meal bread" (because it has SO much good stuff
in it) I'll share my recipe if you will share yours. Deal?
It DOES smell divine baking doesn't it? Rae, you are
one lucky gal, you have momma making fresh bread
every weekend.
Well Hi Frank!!! How nice to see you again. Yes, I know
how you are about the "spiritual" ... but I doubt that even
I would EVER have anticipated your reaction to the
comments about the dough kneading process ... but then
well, I must admit I DO think that sexuality is also a great
container. Rarely do we ever allow ourselves to be so
vulnerable, laid open, free of the daily restraints life
puts on us (or we put on ourselves) as occurs during
sex. I can't speak for casual sex, for I know nothing
about it. As for committed monogamous relationships
and sex, they kind of grow together just like every
other human instinctual behavior. Take crying for an
example...tears supposedly serve a very vital chemical
physical purpose. TEARS are the only way that the body
can release certain toxic body chemicals. It's good for
one's health to cry. And the same goes for laughter.
And, while Frank's brought up the topic of sex, has anyone
else ever had the oddest experience of a pure madness of
emotions(during or after) of simply bursting into tears for
no known reason, or of turning into a purely incoherent,
youthful, giggling, bubbling mass of a human being?? It
is, without a doubt, one of the strangest things I've ever
experienced. Sex can bring out emotions that you never
even dreamed you had. We are such complex little
creatures aren't we? Are we humans having a spiritual
experience or are we spirit having a human experience?
**Streissd - glad to have your comments, though
there are an awful lot of people living in India, China
Tibet and other such countries who have their own
particular books of spiritual guidance, just as you
have the one of your choice.
**And a hearty welcome to you, DungScooperDave
and I'm so glad that you joined us here on A2K.
I must confess that I have just a little bit of trouble
seeing the "inherent depravity of mankind" that
seems so obvious to you. Perhaps you could
explain a little more about your thoughts about
the human race, or mankind in general. You can
see all that is wrong in the world, or you can see
all that is right in the world - but either way, it is
merely a matter of individual perception isn't it?
Knead your dough. Sprinkle flour on the board, fold the fat warm living dough into its own center and mash it down firmly but gently-don't bruise the living yeast cells-ove and over, working the outside though to the inside until everything is satiny smooth as a baby's bottom. Grease another bowl with butter, flop a blob of pale brown breathing dough into it, cover with a damp dish towel and set on the top of the fridge, over the hot-air vent, under the ceiling.
Now let it rise, double in volume, a genuine resurrection, an authentic miracle. Which was the worthier techological achievement, the moon landing or the invention of bread? The bake oven or the nuclear reactor? Only a fool would hesitate to answer.
Hi Babs, I've never thought of spirituality being contained, but it makes sense to me now that I think of it. For me, certain moments while playing the violin have released that sense of sacredness to the point of ecstasy. I see it contained in the eyes of children whose lives I've touched, and in the words of gifted authors, some of them right here on A2k.
Every once in a while I have what Jungians would call a sacred dream, and They are a cherished part of my collected spiritual insights, never to be forgotten.
The tactile experience of working a good bread dough, then smelling it cook, awakens that gratitude on how much the small things in life bring so much joy. There are so many small containers to be opened to the miracle of living. How lucky you are, Babs, to realize that and not let it slip away from you into the numbness of everyday routine.
Actually I shouldn't say how 'lucky' you are. I should say, I admire your ability to connect with the things in your life with such appreciation and joy.
I love bread! My favorite is potato bread. It stays fresh longer on the shelf. When I'm served bread on my travels, I usually like 99 percent of them. Yes, I love bread. Grain d'or makes the best sandwiches, because their bread is so good. c.i.
Yes Dream, You understand exactly what I'm talking about
and the Sacred Dream is also something that's a treasured
experience for me. When making bread or playing the
piano, I lose ME in the essence of the larger WE and I
experience something that I could only refer to as divine.
And I hear you C.I. I LOVE that potato bread.
And YOU - Dys - you put the words together SO perfectly,
how DO you do that?
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