religion
Meditation Is Much Easier Than You Think!
Meditation is one of the best things a person can do for their spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical health. The National Institute for Health, as well as the Mayo Clinic have published articles on their websites touting the well-researched benefits of this ancient spiritual practice.
All the major religions practice some form of meditation. However, meditation itself is not just a religious practice. The good news is, if you practice religion, meditation is a tool you can use. If you are non-religious, meditation is also a tool you can use.
So, why don’t more people meditate? Because they have a misconception about what meditation is, and how to do it. Many people think meditation means sitting in a lotus position while chanting, and not having a thought at all in your mind. While sitting in a lotus position and chanting is one way to meditate, it is not the only way. Furthermore, having no thoughts in your mind at all for an extended period is in fact not possible.
Meditation is about relaxation, attention, and focus. It is about recognizing the smallness that we and our problems are in the grand scheme of things, and conversely, remembering the infinite greatness that is our energetic being, as well as the Infinite Greatness we are a part of. This can be done in many ways.
An Accelerated Path
Many people come to me after years, sometimes decades, of trying everything else: Astrology, Numerology, Genetics, Past Life Regression, therapy, and so on. Years of being understood, validated, affirmed, and being told narratives regarding why they are the way they are, did not bring them all the answers.
There is worth in all of the above practices, both in Psychology and Spirituality, or Metaphysics. However, growth requires challenge, and we are now in a ‘feel good’ culture, where if anyone gets upset, there is the potential of backlash, or even a lawsuit.
In the 1960s there was an amazing education role play called Brown Eyes, developed by an elementary school teacher. You can look up the video online, as well as the reunion footage years later with the kids, who are now adults. The game created a scenario in which children, and later also adults, were able to experience the profound effects of discrimination, prejudice and racism.
However, teachers were eventually sued for doing this role play in class, because of the emotional upset caused by the experience. Of course, the role play was not upsetting to the minority children who experienced the discrimination and prejudice all the time in their daily lives.
Purity Of Purpose – The Enigma Of Our Soul’s Journey
None of us really know what we are doing. Though we go about our days with full intent, saturated purpose and determined objectives, the real sublime reason why we are motivated to act remains hidden from view. We awake in the morning with a concentrated objective, having calculated the outcome and minimized the barriers.
We proceed as if what we will achieve has something to do with us. So much so, we either take blame for the mishaps, or bask in the glory of the success. Neither response is accurate, or appropriate. We think we know what we are doing, but we do not. We never know. We only project, and in those projections, we are wrong.
There’s much more to the picture left unseen, than seen. So much is hidden from view. It’s simply amazing how we go about our days denying how much crucial information we don’t have access to. We work with what we see in an obscured partial light, but we attack the problems as if we have all the goods available.
The truth is, our present knowledge and insight, no matter how much we may have paid for expert guidance, is always limited and biased. Yet, we continue to make all of these unnecessary plans and believe that unless they unfold exactly and precisely as we have ordered or constructed, we have in some way failed to accomplish our preset goals.
What You Might Not Know About Reincarnation
Reincarnation, or the rebirth of our spiritual form into different bodies over time, is a broadly accepted concept across many spiritual traditions and cultures. It is a natural extension of the Law of Karma, which tells us that there is no cause without effect, nor effect without a cause. But beyond the basic concept, many of us don’t know very much about this eternal cycle.
Nature is full of these ongoing cycles: the planets in their orbits, the seasons here on Earth. We, in both our physical and spiritual states, are no different. At the moment of conception, our cells begin to multiply at exponential, and highly patterned rates, until the time comes for our physical birth. It is widely believed that each soul, or reincarnated spirit, enters the body when we first draw breath.
It is the agents of karma, among them the angels, who decide, for specific reasons, which souls will occupy each new body. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned or obstacles to overcome. The point is, it is believed that we ourselves do not choose.
In many spiritual traditions, such as Buddhism, the purpose of reincarnation is such that each soul may learn the requisite number of lessons in physical form to ultimately achieve enlightenment, or nirvana. One truth not commonly known is that many more souls exist in the Universe than there are physical people on Earth. A soul may not be reborn immediately following one death; it may wait for hundreds or thousands of years.
Working With Elemental Spirit Guides
There are several different classifications of spirit guides and energies that we as humans can work with to help us on our journey. Most spiritual traditions teach about the elemental energy within the four classical elements. This is found in ancient Buddhist texts, Native American spirituality, shamanic traditions, within the Judeo-Christian and other monotheistic traditions.
Working with elemental spirit guides can give us insights and strategies to promote positive changes in our lives, reveal our unconscious self-destructive patterns, and transform our subconscious mind and create a harmonious and balanced internal story. Elemental guides can also assist us when we are walking through a difficulty or life challenge, as well as intensify our ability to manifest the lives we want.
It is not difficult to connect with the elemental forces. There are many strategies that can assist in bringing these elemental forces into our everyday lives.
The Spirit Of Water
The spirit of water is associated with emotions and love. It can be used to help in assisting with emotional challenges, grief, and a better understanding and greater experience of love in our lives.
In many ancient traditions there is a parallel between water and being humble. It is said to be the humblest of all the elements, always seeking the lowest point. However, in its humble position it is also one of the strongest elements. In seeking the lowest position, it can evaporate into the air, satiate the flames of fire, and carve through the mountains of the earth.
When Spiritual Leaders Let Us Down
It is a hard lesson for some of us to learn that people are just people. We are all capable of good and evil. The difference is the choices that are made on how to handle our emotions and feelings.
When you put faith and trust in an individual and are let down, you start to second guess your decisions and lose some faith in yourself to make wise decisions. It can leave a big hole in your heart and create trust issues in the future.
It seems impossible for a person who has done remarkable good deeds to also choose to do bad things. We must realize that all people have temptations in life. Some people can avoid the albatross on their back, while others simply cannot. It takes a very strong person to walk their talk.
The same applies to ‘highly spiritual’ people, because some healers, gurus and spiritual leaders certainly have had their own cross to bear.
Emotional Self-Care Through Daily Spiritual Practice
For those that are highly sensitive, including psychics, mediums, healers and empaths, awareness and self-care are critical to our overall well-being. If you are an individual that fits into this group and you are not doing daily maintenance on your emotional well-being and spiritual body, then you are leaving the gate wide open for an attack that can not only impact your emotions, but also your mental and physical health. This maintenance is achieved primarily through a daily spiritual practice.
Spiritual practice can be anything from prayer to meditation and is defined as the regular performance of actions and activities for the purpose of inducing spiritual experiences and cultivating spiritual development. Simply put, spirituality is the way you choose to find meaning, hope and inner peace in your life.
If you already adhere to a specific faith, tradition or religion, wonderful, but be certain that you are taking time each day to actively engage with your beliefs. Why is this important? Research has shown that those that engage in a regular spiritual practice live longer, and are healthier mentally and physically.