Feeling God-Conscious On The TTC

Posted on March 28, 2009 by hijabman

“Bring yourself into the present moment by carefully registering your surroundings with all your senses: listen to the sounds of the subway, feel your hard plastic seat and the weight and texture of the fabric of your clothes, become aware of your body and breath. Then, look around at people in your car (subtly of course). Behold their humanity, sense the weight of their responsibilities and disappointment, the lightness of their hopes and dreams, and acknowledge their inherent and unique beauty.” – Examiner

It is 9 pm on a Thursday evening, and I’m sitting on the Danforth line of the Toronto subway system (TTC).

I’ve been riding for a while, just having had Ughyur food with Aadil and Kirstin. The food is what you would expect from a sparsely populated, mountainous region of Northwest China.

Arriving at Bay, Bay Station. Arriving at Bay, Bay Station,” the automated female voice announces.

For the first time in a long time, I look out the window, watching the tunnels and bridges go by. I can’t help but to feel a chill throughout my spine, the seeming timelessness of subways always make me feel Connected. I feel like I’m in an episode of Star Trek, traveling through the space-time continuum. I can’t help but to thank God for this beautiful world. I spend a few moments in prayer, while scanning the faces of Her creation…

We all have places and situations and things we do that help our prayers feel the flood, the flood from the heavens. For me, subways, especially empty ones, are quite conducive to pondering over creation and connected prayers.

If I’m in my house, I like to have a fan on me. Something about feeling the boundaries of my physical being helps me elevate my senses to a bit of a higher plane.

Before you all brand me some sort of goofy Sufi…

Are there things you do surrounding prayer, that help you break out of the ritual and bring in some of that spirit?