Today’s Gospel passage from John 2:1-11 offers us the story of the wedding at Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine. To fully understand this moment of Jesus’ life we have to see marriage as an archetypal symbol of our individual and collective relationship to the Divine. Typically, the marriage relationship begins with great enthusiasm, yet the wine of the honeymoon often devolves into the water of routine habit. Over time, habitual routine lends itself to a loveless relationship that has no power to generate life, creativity, or joy. What is true below is true above. Those of us who are on a spiritual journey must guard against the inclination to habituate or take for granted our relationship with God and Guru. There is nothing stagnant about love; either it is evolving or it is dying.
In the big picture, humanity’s collective relationship to the Divine is becoming increasingly stagnant, even non-existent. In the West, for example, we have ceased to imitate our spiritual heroes, such as Jesus, and instead celebrate celebrity, wealth, and scientism (science as a belief system rather than a methodology that helps us to understand material creation). We are losing our capacity for the wine of joy, meaning and depth. No wonder we are experiencing an epidemic of depression, anxiety, and addiction.
Because we are all called to be Christlike, the ability to turn water into wine has been gifted to all of us. Yogananda tells us, “All souls are children of the most high.” Changing the stagnant waters of habitual awareness into the sweet wine of divine bliss begins with meditation. Meditation is effective, however, only when we bring our love for the Divine into it; otherwise, it is just a mechanical technique. Secondly, whether we are talking about love between people or love between people and God, gratitude is so very important. Thanking God for all our blessings great and small keeps our love alive. Every day, notice all the ways that God and Guru have blessed and protected you. Lastly, bring a degree of urgency to your spiritual life. Sooner or later, we are all going to run out of tomorrows, and all that we can do for others and for God in this life will come to an end. Take nothing or no one for granted, especially God and Guru! Every day, give your finest attention to God, your Guru, and the people in your life. In this way, we too can turn water into wine.
Divine Beloved,
Never let me
Take you for granted.
