Volume 8, issue number 54 ~ June 2008 Sport and spirituality |
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| 'Paris is still faraway'. Joop Zoetemelk. (Winner Tour de France, 1980)
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While these days the European Soccer Championships are underway, I admit to have to say that for me this is quite en event, which I will watch with great interest. Naturally I know of the many mishaps in sports. On the other hand, sports provide opportunities for people to carry on peacefully with one another, to create friendships for life and to give balance in one’s life. When our son was young he was inclined to use his brains only and forget about his body. We put him on judo and later on skating, swimming and water polo, providing for him a more balanced lifestyle. Because of malfunctioning of my own heart and one lung I myself have never been able to do any sports, but I love watching cycling and international soccer. And now I have my Electric bike, with which I enjoy pedalling through the Dutch polder landscape Furthermore very recently the insight came to me that sports in general and football, soccer and rugby in particular create possibilities for canalizing ego centered male energies into more female, emotional vibrations, giving climaxes when points are scored. As a matter of course, much more is to say about the subject of sports and spirituality, which is why I prepared this newsletter, offering insights from others as well as myself who wrote about this, when you think about is, rather remarkable subject. Running Fox wishes
you very well and lots of sportive fun.
Both teams, lined up and stood facing each other as the greeting yells roared over the field and the over-crowded stands. The fans had gathered, radio and TV stations were present, the business seats were filled. Nobody wanted to miss anything of this annual top meeting between the two biggest rivalling hometown teams with both of them in their own town and each with their own support, their own ‘tribe’ to represent themselves. The field players were in position; the pitcher and the catcher were sharply focused, the first batter was geared up in his box, the referee yelled: "play ball", and the game was on. The pitcher wound up and threw the first ball over home plate without the batter responding. "Strike One", the referee observed.
Mary, Jesus and Mary Magdalene about the spiritual meaning of soccer. ~ Gabriela en Reint Gaastra-Levin Soccer as a means for balancing the masculine and feminine principles in the world. The ultimate goal of masculine energy is to reach the feminine energy. The ultimate goal of the feminine energy is to receive the masculine energy. Sports in general and soccer in particular as a way towards unity for humanity the world over. Mary, Jesus and Mary Magdalene: “In earlier Revelations we have already spoken about the connected themes of ‘duality’ (good versus evil, poor versus rich), and ‘oneness.’ We have also said that by being incarnate on Earth, people frequently have the feeling of being separated from one another. At the same time, we have spoken about the quest for oneness which—from your heart—sets the tone for your life. In sports and especially in soccer, the experiences of duality and oneness are experienced in an intense way. The competition with each other gives you a deeper feeling of being separate.
Sri Chinmoy has been an avid sportsman since his youth. In the spiritual community where he grew up, he excelled in soccer and volleyball, and was the top-ranked sprinter. During his late teens he was also a decathlon champion. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was an active long-distance runner, completing many marathons, ultra-marathons and shorter races. For many years he played tennis almost every day, and frequently competed in track-and-field events in Masters Games, including the World Masters Games in Puerto Rico in 1983, and the World Veterans Games in Miyazaki, Japan in 1993. He took up weight-lifting in the mid-1980s and over the years set several records in the calf-raise and one-arm lift. Sri Chinmoy believes that a balanced lifestyle fosters harmony and inner peace. His integral approach to life encourages physical fitness and sports as a vehicle for personal transformation.
"Fresh air is energizing. A hurricane though, is destructive…” It is Saturday morning September 1st 2007. I wake up late and while brunching I put on my TV set. During the 'Het vermoeden' (expectation) show, a familiar face appears. It is Nahed Selim, who is a feminist and well known of her Islam crack calendar and the book: (transl.) ‘Women and the prophet’. Okay, I muse, let’s have a look. She announces that at present she practises the so-called Universal Sufism faith. Universal Sufism disconnects Sufism from Islam. As a spiritual umbrella this movement seeks to unite all global belief systems in East and West. In the temple of the universal Sufists meditation is practiced as well as reading from the seven holy scriptures. On the one hand Nahed Selim says she is a Muslim. On the other hand she states not to believe in Islam because it be an organized religion. Somewhat later however she remarks to be a member of Universal Sufism, which happens to be an organized entity itself. In the end she let us believe that her religion is pure passion only. She scores a point though. While institutionalizing of religion exists, just like any other form of institutionalizing, the threat of becoming rigid, of literalism, dogmatism and misuse of power lurks. But is that a good reason to label organised religion as being at fault? After brunch and while jogging insight comes to me. In my view religion is the organized sport of the soul, because many parallels are to be drawn between sports and religion. Negative associations of certain organized sports are: hooliganism, vandalism, herd mentality, elite societies, political games, corruption, doping, exploitation, too expensive tickets, neo-slavery of young Africans, extreme high salaries, doping for the people (to use Karl Marx’s expression), etc. Organized sports though presents many good things as well: physical fitness, motivation, order, structure, discipline, solidarity, contentment, collective joy, domesticity, teambuilding, positive competition, better performance, accompaniment, professionalism, etc. For instance, if I would join a jogging team, instead of performing on my own, I would get much more affectivity from my talents (provided I’ve got some), and furthermore it would be more fun. Of course, negative aspects have to be challenged, but there is no reason to let go of it all. A treatment that is used in businesses as well as in sports, is to all the time present the positively normative things in a new coat. Furthermore, to present from time to time a new stimulating manager/coach has its positive effects on a group or organization.
Sweat
on my back
“Spirituality of Sport: Balancing Body and Soul”. ~ By: Lisa M. Hendey Whether you are a gifted athlete, a weekend warrior, or one who simply enjoys reading the Sunday Sports section, you will enjoy Spirituality of Sport: Balancing Body and Soul (St. Anthony Messenger Press, January 2004, paperback, 137 pages) by Dr. Susan Saint Sing. Saint Sing, a gifted athlete and inspirational coach, shares her own story of tests and triumphs as she shares her thoughts on the important connection between mind, body and soul inherent in all play. In this wonderful book, Saint Sing shares stories of heroism and championship – both her own and those of many other talented people. I loved this book for its emphasis on the fact that one’s journey in life is to be fully embraced and revered – that the reward comes not from winning the medal or having the fastest time, but from that wonderful connection of spirit, soul and body that gives glory to our Creator through our every action. As a back of the pack jogger, I don’t run the race to win – I run to give glory to God through my participation, counting the blessings that give me the good health to participate and to share the day with those around me. I was enthralled by Spirituality of Sport and am pleased to share the following interview with author and Olympian Susan Saint Sing.
Does music has something to do with top-class sport? Absolutely. Just go and visit a concert. Another question: does music has something to do with spirituality? This can be answered with yes in every respect as well. Just like everything in this life – and therefore also in spirituality – communication involves vibration. And this is obviously also true in music. Sound and music consist of vibrations, the more vibrations per second, the higher the pitch. The unit for this is the Hertz, abbreviated Hz. 432 Hz is the natural ‘keynote’, the
‘A’, in the universe. In today’s music the value of 440 Hz is used
as a paradigm. In 1955 this frequency for the ‘A’, became the worldwide
ISO-16 standard. 1) 432 is one of the most important
figures in the proportions of our solar system. Other interesting paragraphs on Running Fox:
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