Story
Being spiritual to me is not something that has rules or laws. It is about connectedness. - Dolan Geiman
Growing up in the Shenandoah valley, sandwiched between the Blue Ridge and the Allegheny mountains, I was exposed to a certain kind of southern mountain religion, somewhere between Baptist, Methodist and Brethren.
When my father took a job with the Forest Service, we moved from the valley into the heart of the forest where my religion quickly turned to the church of nature. My parents both believed in some higher power, an energy of sorts, that resonates throughout nature. They believed, as I do now, that being spiritual is a state much simpler than our everyday existence, one that that can be tapped into with a certain patience.
With nature as my foundation, I began to seek this energy, this peace, this way of being centered, allowing me to lean into peace and tranquility. I find inspiration in how this very practice shows up in Eastern teachings. To me, being spiritual is not something that has rules or laws. It’s about a connectedness. So, with this piece I was seeking to describe that connectedness, that centered being, the Buddha state.
