Seescapes Spiritual Growth Resources

An Introduction to Sense-Abilities

What our senses perceive is but the jutting edge of what is deeply hidden. The things of this world stand in a secret contact with that which no eye has ever perceived.
Abraham Heschel

When we try to make sense of our lives, it's only natural that we first turn to the abilities of our bodily senses. But we are never able to see enough - or hear, smell, taste, or touch enough - to take us as deeply as we need to go into the mystery that is our lives. Our physical senses, although a great gift, reveal only part of the picture. To perceive the infinite reality in which we live our daily lives, we need our spiritual senses. Although our spiritual senses are beyond number, this book explores seven:

• Sense of Awe - sensing the Ultimate Reality within all reality
• Sense of Destiny - sensing the call of our eternal potential
• Sense of Honesty - sensing our limitations in light of our God-given possibilities
• Sense of Balance - sensing that we are both body and spirit, honoring the reality of both the visible and invisible aspects of our lives
• Sense of Connection - sensing our fundamental connection to each other, to our God, and to all of creation
• Sense of Mission - sensing the call to become our true selves, and to help others become their true selves
• Sense of Presence - sensing the Divine in our midst, sensing the Spirit that powers our lives

We'll explore these spiritual senses in Haiku, short Japanese poetry which reflects the contemplative view of life. Each of the following image-poems is an invitation to awaken to the Divine possibilities of our lives.

To purchase the book version of this slideshow, visit the Seescapes Bookstore.

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