what happens when we’re spiritually stuck

vitamixHave you ever used a Vitamix?  Man, those things are like the Lamborghinis of blenders.  I have been coveting one for years and I think that this is the month I finally break down (tiny closet-sized West Village kitchen be darned,) scootch the juicer westward on my granite, forsake all countertop space whatsoever and bestow a permanent parking spot to my very own Vitamix.

This thing can make smoothies out of golf balls.
In 12 seconds.
It’s the bomb.

We want our life to flow like the ever-amazing Vitamix.  Just full speed, mowing over bumps and tribulations, ice cubes to silky creaminess, effortlessly, every time.

But sometimes it doesn’t.

I often get asked the question, how come I’m not progressing in my spiritual life?  Most of the peeps I get to interact with are in the city and therefore exceptionally ambitious, talented, bright and devoted.  They dive into spiritual study and discourse with passionate abandon.  We’ve all been in a space where we are flying with the flow, effortless and connected, vitamix on full speed, baby…

And then it stops.  We lose the flow.  We’re stuck.  The mind takes over.  Connection?  Forget it.  Divine communion?  Ha.  What?

Regarding these spots of stuck-ed-ness, you might have previously heard any sort of metaphor to nature.  For instance, when a flower is blooming, there are roots underground, but just because you don’t see the bud on top doesn’t mean there isn’t growth happening.  That analogy is a little “Footprints in the Sand”, doctor’s office/”God is carrying you” for my taste, so I will offer this.

Let’s say you have a blender.  Not a Vitamix, but just a regular ol’ blender.  Maybe from ten years ago, not supersonic.  You know how sometimes when you are making margaritas  green smoothies, and all the stuff is in the blender flowing fine, and then, for no apparent reason, the blender gets stuck.  (Remember, this is the non-supersonic blender, so you left the room to let it do its work.)  And from across the apartment you hear that annoying “eeeeeeeeeeeeee” sound.

The blades are stuck.  You go back to the kitchen.  You approach the blender.  You squint your eyes, pucker your lips, evaluating the state of the blender.  You decide: it’s not going to move.  The power is still on: “eeeeeeeeeeeee”.  You reach over your counter to grab a large, wooden spoon from the vertical basket of large spoons/spatulas on your countertop.  “eeeeeeeeeeeee”.

Spoon in hand, you are just about to push the power button to “OFF” and mix up the tequila, ice cubes, triple sec  banana, kale, agave, ice cubes, when “WHIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!” the blades of the non-supersonic blender amazingly whirl back to life and your smoothie continues to blend.

All that time you were walking around, hearing the “eeeeeeee”, making plans to fix the situation, there was pressure being applied to the ice, even though it was stuck.  Your perception was that nothing was happening, but in fact, it was the cumulative effort of the pressure of the blades that caused the blades to start up again and your smoothie to flow.

When we are spiritually stuck, we’re just little non-supersonic blender blades.  Electricity is moving, there is pressure happening, a tide of smoothie sweetness will break, we just don’t know it.

Awakening is being the Vitamix.  It’s not that the Vitamix is always joyfully blending.  There are plenty of times it’s not being used at all.  The difference is, the Vitamix doesn’t sit on the counter wondering:  Why isn’t someone making a smoothie?  What does that say about me?  Are they over the Vitamix and going into a juicing phase?  Are they abandoning me all together and getting take-out Pad Thai? Is the next smoothie ever gonna happen???!!!??? 

The Vitamix doesn’t have those questions.  It’s just hanging out, collecting dust, whatevs.  When golf ball smoothies need to be made, it will be there.  That will be tough.  Golf balls are not easy to blend, people.  But it will do it and that will be that.

Until it’s time to upgrade to the Vitamix, we’ll have to deal with the non-supersonic blenders.  Yes, it’s hard and frustrating at times, but you still want the sweetness dontcha?  If we can’t know, all we can do is trust the supersonic is on Its way.

May your path and smoothie be creamy + sweet.  Namaste + Salud.

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