Desire and Passion are NOT to Be Eliminated on the Spiritual Journey

In a Wilderness Mysticism, desire, passion and longing are not necessarily associated with the acquisitive ego. At root, they are not a problem and are definitely not to be eliminated by any sort of spiritual teaching or practice. Rather, desire, passion and longing become transformed into their own fulfillment when we realize that they are ALWAYS mutual. It turns out that our desire is itself a participation in the Beloved's desire for us! Evidence for this insight comes from the fact that whenever we desire something, we can feel our awareness - which is the core of who we really are - GRIPPED and GRASPED by that desire. In other words, desire does not belong primarily to us, but actually has its source in a BELOVED who desires us just as strongly as we desire Him and Her! When we realize this great insight, we learn to relax into our desires, understanding that the Beloved actually considers us HOT STUFF!

Photos: Red Mountain Open Space, Larimer County, CO, October 19, 2015

I am available for one-on-one spiritual direction / mentoring via phone or Skype. You can contact me at [email protected] if you are interested. The rate is $65 per hour-long session. You might also want to check out my Spiritual Direction with Stephen Hatch Facebook page.
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Many of my photos are available as prints, either mounted or unmounted. Here is a link to the pricing and various mounts available:

http://www.stephenhatchphotography.com/#!mounting-prices/cpr6