Something very powerful has shifted for me. When I first joined Facebook a couple of years ago, I enjoyed connecting with friends and family, but something seemed to be missing… where was the depth? Plus friends would fall away with barely a peep. At the same time, I didn’t put much of myself “out there.” I didn’t risk being vulnerable or really showing up as I am. My experience was more superficial than spiritual.

Facebook is not like that for me anymore, and my experience may translate just as easily to Twitter, LinkedIn, or MySpace. Suddenly I’m immersed in depth of sharing. I see words like, “love,” “hugs,” “play,” “create,” and “imagine” amongst so many posts that explore both our human condition and our spiritual experiences. I feel a vibe grow that’s potent, powerful, predictive, and it’s flowing phenomenally as I and many others show up fully, with our vulnerability in purposeful display, illuminating the shared space while creating safety for even deeper sharing. The respect, caring, compassion, and love energy that’s flowing, swirling about is remarkable to me. We are healing old wounds from the love we see mirrored back to us. We feel genuine love for others we will likely never know in person. Really! And the playfulness, so visual, so tactile! Since I’ve been intending to invite more love and to lighten up, play, and laugh more, playing on Facebook feels like a prescription filled at the cosmic pharmacy.

I sense a portal. I began thinking of portals when Laura Bruno began to paint them on doors. I notice in my FB experience of late that it feels like both a reflection of and a portal to what I’m creating in my life. I feel community coming together, mine intersecting with many circles of community, as we all create our own friend lists, topics, and energy for our experience. I feel my own life become richer, with a sense of communion that permeates each day. Coming together while each in our own experience, I witness transformation on a grand scale. I wonder, What world are we creating? In what way do all these love vibes counter the stress and panic vibes out in the real world?

Here are some practical tips that help me to spiritualize my Facebook experience:

• When I make new friends, I generally send a personal message to create connection right away
• I respond to my friends’ posts when I feel called to in order to create a stronger connection
• I review the comments my friends receive, noticing who makes me laugh or think about things in a new way, and I send a personal note to friend them
• I join the personal and fan pages of favorite spiritual teachers to access inspirational messages
• I dare to be authentic, posting topics I really care about, asking others for their opinions, inviting interaction, and posting replies to friends to create and experience meaningful exchanges along with a sense of community
• I share cool things I come across, such as quotes, blogs, web pages, and youtube videos
• I use the “hide” button to screen out less personal messages like those related to Farmville and Mafia Wars, simply because I’m not playing the games and I can’t help my friends with their requests

In times like these, who wouldn’t want more love, more meaning, more depth of connection with others, with a healthy dose of laughter and wisdom? Facebook has proved to be a wondrous playground for me to experience healing and sharing love energy. For me, this experience is deeply spiritual. So, I’m curious. How does your social media experience reflect your life? How about the life you want to create? Who do you want to be and how will you show up in social media venues?

Would you like to be my Facebook friend?