Namasté

Stained Glass Sanctuary Window
First UMC, Kerrville Texas

In late January I attended a choral workshop in nearby Kerrville.  I went for the Friday night and Saturday sessions, driving home late on Friday and back on early Saturday so I didn't have to board the dogs.  It was a very enjoyable time, although by Saturday afternoon I was ready to move onto something else beside working through choral music!  Our clinician was Mark Hayes, a well known composer, director and concert pianist; he was excellent! 

One of the pieces we worked on was a piece he composed titled Namasté. The piece is beautiful; I hope that our choir will someday purchase this to share with our congregation.  But I was especially intrigued by the description of Namasté that was written inside the cover of the music, reading it over and over.  

The word, Namasté (pronounced Nah-mah-STAY) comes from Sanskrit, the classical and spiritual language of India.  It is a customary greeting often accompanied by a slight bow made with hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards, in front of the chest.  The gesture Namasté represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that connects us.  We acknowledge or "bow" to that divine spark in each other as a sign of affirmation and respect.  As a point of spiritual practice, we try to see the divine image in everyone, especially people who are different from us or people we don't like.  Romans 12:10 tells us, "Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself."  Imagine a world where the spirit of Namasté was practiced all the time.

There is a Divine spark within each of us that connects us. How unfortunate that we don't realize this or forget it when caught up in the daily trials of the relationships in our lives.  I echo the writer's final thought...imagine a world where the spirit of Namasté  is practiced all the time.