Let’s face it. Spirituality is confusing. The theme for this entire “One Teaching” series is based on Eckhart Tolle’s quote, “There is and always has been only one spiritual teaching.” This is truth at the very core of who we are. But human beings have complicated the message over millennia. There are countless organized religions that have created their own interpretations of spirit. And there are exponentially more interpretations by individuals who are both trained and practiced along with those who are not. I am not excluded from these so-called pundits. Please understand, I’m not knocking tradition or religion here. They are both important parts of our lives and our culture and they have helped shape who we are on earth.
Spirituality is for all people. It is not reserved for those who are able to interpret the stories and metaphors. The acronym KISS is a design principle developed by the Navy in 1960, according to Wikipedia. You might be familiar with it. It stands for “Keep It Simple Stupid.” All of the teachings are meant to help but sometimes they just confuse. Maybe a dose of the KISS method would help as we search for our soul. Is it irony that we associate a kiss with love?
Simplicity is what I love about the musical group, The Avett Brothers. My friends and family have been following this group since their early days performing locally at shows in Charlotte, North Carolina, the closest city to their rural hometown of Concord. These guys are all heart and they really know how to KISS. They are masters at mixing very simple words and truths about life with their modern version of bluegrass music. Over the course of fifteen years, we’ve watched them grow from small time venues to the Grammys. This is what happens when you live from your soul.
Last night, I heard their song, “No Hard Feelings” for the first time. I recently lost a very close friend of mine and the timing of the words in this song, as they first hit my ears, seemed like synchronicity and felt divine. My heart was penetrated and I sensed that the song was written for my friend as he enters the eternal. It is so simple and if you understand English there is little interpretation needed.
“When my body won’t hold me anymore
And it finally lets me free…….”
The song continues:
“When jealousy fades away
And its just ash and dust for casual lust
And its just Hallelujah
And love in thoughts and love in the words
Love in the songs they sing in the church
And no hard feelings”
At the end of our mortal time on earth, when our bodies die, our egos stay with the flesh. And as the Avett Brothers say, “It’s just Hallelujah.” This is forgiveness folks. It is the greatest act of love and oneness. Its just so simple. The thing is, we don’t have to wait for our bodies to die to experience it.
Please enjoy this amazingly beautiful, simple song by the Avett Brothers today.
Photo by Pro Church Media on Unsplash
