Virginia M. Gordon was born in Los Angeles, California in 1926 and grew up in Manhattan Beach. She studied art at Otis Art Institute. She was also certified as a biofeedback technician. Throughout her life Ms. Gordon has pursued her deep interest in spirituality and consciousness research, inquiring into many doctrines and philosophies over the years. She was a dedicated volunteer with the Ligia Dantes Foundation for many years and greatly appreciated for her for her warmth and humor. She now resides on the Central Coast.
AGING GRATEFULLY
by Virginia Gordon
Aging need not be a time of inactivity in the journey of life from birth to death, but rather the occasion of spiritual growth and transition. There is finally the time, and hopefully the wisdom, to take advantage of the opportunity to investigate the Universal questions which are at the core of our lives.
Is there anyone who hasn't wondered, if only briefly, "What am I, what is life, what is death, and is there a Creator or a purpose in life?" Very small children ask so many questions, "What is the sun, the stars, where is God?" They are full of the whats and whys of everything. These queries are usually not encouraged and gradually get lost in the growing up and family-raising process, not to mention the race to acquire the many material goodies that we are told will make us happy.
The time inevitably comes when it is seen that the dream is just that, a fantasy, and we begin to feel the lack of some vital quality in our lives. This feeling may come in a time of crisis, or trauma, such as a serious illness, or the death of a loved one. An impasse is reached, a place where we no longer know the answers.
As our physical and mental abilities gradually change and possibly diminish, we begin to realize that there is much in life that is beyond the control of our limited ego. We do not choose to be ill, we do not choose to die. There comes a time when there are things we are no longer able to do, those things which help maintain the illusion of our solidity and separateness.
In older years especially, our horizons expand as our capacity to live more fully deepens. One may be drawn to religion, or spiritual practices such as meditation, contemplative prayer and silent retreats. Some may come to feel that there is a greater energy in control, call it by any name, God, Universal energy, Spirit, etc. When we begin to understand and experience that ego is not the "master of the ship" we are exposed to a glimpse of humility. This humility, which some would call grace, opens us to the possibility of experiencing unconditional love, which is our true nature. We may rarely, and sometimes never, have been consciously aware of it before.
While these moments of insight can be brief, they may signify the beginning of a true shift in our being. If nothing else, there is the observation that the more we investigate, probe and explore, we realize how much we live in the unknown. If we can remain with this unknown, the answers may come to us from a source beyond all knowledge.