awareness
The Transformative Power Of Gratitude
The act of giving thanks is a transformative one. When we live in gratitude, our energy vibration becomes elevated, and this positivity spreads outward like the ripples in water. If you’ve ever heard of paying it forward, this is the same idea! Gratitude changes lives – both our own and that of others.
Being appreciative and giving thanks to others, to the Universe, to the Earth for its sustenance, raises positive energies which will in turn come back to us.
Sometimes being grateful can feel like a chore, or something we need to pretend feeling. Every one of us experiences hardship and adversity. Life’s challenges sometimes get even the most grateful people down. The best way to flip that into something positive is to make a list of gratitude statements, in your mind, aloud, or in your journal.
Are you grateful for your friends, family, your health, the beauty of nature? Maybe you’re simply thankful you were able to get up this morning, when many other people were not.
Make this process one from the heart. Feel the positive energy. After a while, it will become an uplifting habit, and your body and mind will start to enjoy the positive rush of feelings. Let this routine be the first thing you do in the morning, and the last one you do at night before sleep.
The Art Of Receiving
Are you good a receiving? When you are given a compliment, how do you usually react? For many of us the typical reaction to a compliment is to offer it right back, or to immediately discount it. “Oh no, this old thing…” Seem familiar? Even if we manage to say thank you, words of denial or discounting often follow.
The same applies to being open to receiving help. Asking for, and accepting help from others, is often difficult for people. Especially women struggle with this, because many of us believe we are expected to do it all ourselves, and to also do it well!
Giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin. Yes, it is basically the same thing. You can’t have one without the other. It obviously does not feel good when you give something to someone, only to have it rejected, diminished or discounted. There is no reciprocal flow of energy when one is giving, but no one is receiving. Receiving is necessary for all of us!
Receiving is an art and it requires being conscious, sensitive and self-aware. First we must pay attention to our dysfunctional patterns of receiving (and not receiving), and then we must consciously work on becoming a more active and aware receiver.
This can be achieved in three simple steps. First, make an effort to listen, hear and acknowledge the gifts, compliments or help being offered. Second, taking it in fully, embrace it with your being and heart center. Finally, allow yourself to move into the state of gratitude for what has been given.
The God-Force Within
One of the most empowering verses in The Bible is John 10:30, where Jesus says, “I and my Father are one.” It reminds us that the God-Force resides in all of us. Many of us have lost our inherent remembrance of the God-Force we carry within. As a result we find ourselves being bounced around by every unwelcome event or circumstance cycle in our lives.
Forgetting the power of God within us, we have become vulnerable to constant fear and worry. Many of us find ourselves enveloped in an ocean of anxiety, feeling we have little control over the events of our lives.
The change that we must make in order to effect a positive change, is that we must become receptive to the voice of God within. We should make the time every day, even if it is just for a few minutes, for some form of spiritual practice. We must meditate, pray, listen to our own inner voice. This enables the Higher Self to makes us more aware of our inner guiding Light-Force, or God-Force.
Spiritually conscious living empowers us to focus our life direction, by gaining control over our thoughts and emotions, and by becoming personally responsible for our karmic choices and actions. The soul or spiritual self is a strong, vibrant source of Love and Light. As we grow more confident in our innate spiritual power, we regain control of our life and become of greater service to others.
Daily spiritual practices, such as meditation, builds a personal relationship with our Higher Self, God, Source, Spirit, Universe, the Divine. It strengthens our spiritual powers. We learn to let go of any negative thought patterns, feelings and lifestyle habits, and by doing this we are growing into being a more positive and loving presence in this world.
Guidelines For Spiritual Growth
Spirituality is a wide-ranging concept with many diverse perspectives. In essence it is the process through which our inner being seeks to relate to something bigger than ourselves. It is the search for the meaning and purpose of our human existence. Spirituality is about our soul or spirit, and the unseen realms, as opposed to material things and physical life. It is also the life-long pursuit of inner peace, unconditional love, and existential wisdom and understanding.
Many people believe that the secret to spiritual growth and development can only be found in a book, a lecture, dogmatic belief system, or some other product or service that will magically unlock the doors to spiritual insight, happiness, joy and fulfillment. However, spirituality is a unique, personal path that each of us can explore on our own, from within. The following guidelines may be helpful on your journey towards spiritual fulfillment.
Reflection
The first step in personal spiritual growth is reflecting on your life journey. To be spiritual is to be questioning and inquisitive. Spiritual growth is a process of constantly learning and improving. One must be willing to open yourself to personal and spiritual growth, and by doing this your world opens up and things become less scary.
Holding on to past events keeps us from experiencing new adventures, and the emotional baggage will only weigh you down. Accept your past mistakes and learn from them. Reflect on what changes need to happen for you to move forward.
We are all teachers. We are either teaching someone, or they are teaching us – both good and bad. Learn from your experiences and move on with life.
Cast Fear Aside And Embrace Courage!
I once read about a woman in a very unhappy relationship. She sought counsel from a highly-revered spiritual leader. In a calming tone, the spiritual guru cautioned that in order to gain marital happiness, the woman would need to let go of the partner she lacked happiness with.
The woman confusingly gazed upon the sage, with her hands tightly tucked under her chair. Again, the holy man repeated that in order for the right man to walk through the door, she would need to let go of the wrong man.
Even more puzzled, the woman confided that she was afraid of being alone. Her teacher, taken aback, turned to the woman and announced that fear was a disease of the mind and the heart – if allowed, fear would keep her in a state of perpetual unhappiness.
How many times have you missed out on life’s many blessings, because you were afraid of moving to a new place, changing career lanes, or ending a relationship with someone who did not honor your greatest dreams? Each of us has experienced these moments of stalemate consciousness in our lives, and each of us has become crippled by fear at some point.
Let me remind you that while a lack of confidence might only slow down your dreams, fear will completely get in the way of the manifestation of your greatest desires and goals. Without personal growth and courage, the formula will not change, and your life will remain the same.
Signs You May Not Be Using Your Soul Gifts
We all have soul gifts and metaphysical abilities. These gifts are meant to be used to help us fulfill our destiny, and support us along our spiritual path in this life. However, many any of us have soul gifts that are yet to be discovered.
We tend to be consumed with the hustle and bustle of life, and the latest gadgets, smart phones and social media trends. Meanwhile, we are not only unaware of the needs of those around us, we also remain unaware of our own unique, innate soul gifts and abilities. Many are sadly unaware of their reason for being.
For example, some have the gift of being a ‘master builder’ or ‘divine creator.’ They have an amazing ability to contribute to creating a fantastic new world with their imaginative powers, but they sometimes create their own imagined world so fantastic they would rather spend time there. They tend to withdraw from the reality of the materialistic world as we know it, and the people therein, when they are not using this gift.
Some people with soul gifts that are yet to be realized, may suffer from insomnia or nightmares. These unpleasant dreams come as warnings or revelations. They occur when one is not using the gifts you were given, or are not living or doing what you came to do in this life.
Some people may have unexpected or brief experiences with time travel or time slips, or even time loops. This could be the soul’s way of pointing you in a certain direction, or a time or place that the soul wants or needs to revisit. This may manifest through unexpected or unplanned astral projections, or possibly the physical body raising its vibration just briefly to make such anomalies possible. It may have one asking yourself, “Was that just a dream?”
Be The Star Of Your Show!
Are you the star of your own show? If not, then maybe it is time. For once put yourself first by honoring your spirit, your sacred body temple, and the higher work you have been called to complete in this lifetime.
You can begin by honoring your spirit with deeply soulful ‘food.’ This can take the form of meditation, prayer, or simply enjoying whatever self-care activity or spiritual practice feeds your spirit the most. But in doing so, it is important to consciously disconnect from the mundane world around you, and allow the blissful energy of Spirit Divine to pour in.
As I write these words, I can literally feel the healing energy of the sunlight bathing me, even though I am logging on from deep in the cold Rockies on a cloudy afternoon. This intense energy is a message to my soul that each of us has the ability to tap into spiritual warmth and renewal within a single thought.
My late mother used to call this connection with the Divine the I AM presence that is abundantly accessible to us all. It is important to tap into this presence as a reminder that we are spirit energy, divinely guided, protected, and in ‘the spotlight of our own shows.’
Being a ‘star’ also means that you must take deliberate time to honor your sacred body temple. You do this by enjoying healthy foods and balanced nutrition.