awareness
Spiritual Awareness In A Time Of Isolation
Many of us are currently experiencing varying levels of real isolation and solitude – some for the first time ever. This can be a blessing in disguise, as it affords us the opportunity to ‘clean house’ physically, mentally, emotionally, and also spiritually. So, if you’re by yourself right now, there are some easy, productive ways to raise your levels of spiritual awareness.
Meditation is one of the oldest and most universal methods to connect to the spirit realms and become more aware of oneself. When we meditate, our vibrations and levels of energy will increase, and our consciousness is raised. You may also want to try creative visualization, affirmations, mantras, or physical activities, such as Yoga or Tai Chi.
Getting to know your spirit guides is something you may have never done before, and now is the ideal time to do so. These spiritual beings are always by our side, willing to hel and be of service. Ask them who they are and what they can do for you. Trust in their presence and their intentions.
You can also work on opening the third eye and developing your psychic attunement. During your meditations, imagine the spot between your eyebrows opening wide and increasing your levels of sight and clairvoyance.
And how about experimenting with psychometry, the art of reading an object’s energy? It’s especially helpful if you want to communicate with someone who has passed away. If you have something belonging to a late grandparent or another loved one, such as a piece of jewelry or item of clothing, hold the item and focus on what it tells you.
Transcending Turbulence And Restoring Peace Within
One of the most moving metaphors I have ever heard, describes the calm that rests beneath the surface of the ocean. While there may be waves and turbulence on the top, if you dive down deeper, you will come to waters that are more still.
Similarly, the troubles of life that bring disturbance to the body, mind, and relationship dynamics of the world, occur at levels which are external to the eternal self. By going deeper, peace within can be found.
Spiritual traditions of the world define the self and the soul in varying ways. The ancient Vedic texts, for example, identifies the individual soul as measuring one ten-thousandth the size of the tip of a hair, and states that it is located in the region of the heart, seated beside the Paramatma, or Supreme Soul (God).
In the Vedic tradition, consciousness is recognized as the symptom of the soul, which is carried throughout the body by the blood, as it is circulated by the beating heart. When the heart stops and consciousness leaves the body, it is because the soul has departed.
Lord Krishna further describes in Bhagavad-gita that this atomic soul is never born, and never dies. It is immutable, unchangeable, indestructible, and always aloof from matter and its influences.
These spiritual teachings go on to highlight that the pure eternal soul is one’s real identity – the ‘I’ or ‘me’ felt by each and every living being. In this world, it has become temporarily covered by a subtle body made up of mind, intelligence, and false ego, as well as by the physical body comprised of earth, water, fire, air, and ether. In this state, the modes of material nature act upon it, and one acts out various behaviors compelled by the energies of those coverings. But the soul itself remains untouched and unaffected.
Take This Time To Find The Future Inside
The last couple of months have brought out a variety of emotions for all of us. They reach from anger, fear, frustration and anxiety, to kindness, compassion and love. People never see things in the same way, and differing views and opinions about the Covid-19 pandemic are causing confusion, noise and heated arguments on social media, in the news, in politics and in our streets.
One cannot help but be left to wonder, who is actually telling the truth? Whose facts are the most reliable? Is certain news fake? Are some of the things we hear or see just rumors, or weird conspiracy theories? Are some purposely spreading misinformation, or exaggerating what is going on? Is the situation possibly more serious than most of us realize, or less severe than we may believe? There are so many questions right now, not many clear answers, and a lot of uncertainty.
But instead of focusing on all the chaos and drama around you, it may be wise to instead shift your attention to something more important. Especially if you are currently still quarantined at home, this is the perfect time to evaluate what is going on deep inside your soul. It is the perfect time to spend in solitude and silence, go within, and allow your soul, your inner guidance, to speak to you. And if you are sheltering with family or friends, try to find a quiet place or secret corner where you can hide away for a while every day.
Maybe there are many voices out in the world today that we cannot trust. But there is one voice we can always trust – the voice within. Each one of us has a deep consciousness that holds the answers to our fears and life questions. Each one of us has a direct connection with spirit, and this is the best time to truly allow spirit to talk to us. Are you truly listening? Or are you merely flapping your mouth, and creating more fear or anger for yourself and others?
Review The Day For Better Sleep
Many of us are having trouble getting enough sleep these days. Even if we are currently not going many places and meeting a lot of people during the Covid-19 pandemic, we are still experiencing a lot of stress and disruption, which upsets our minds and unsettles our bodies.
In more normal circumstances walking outside might be a great way to relax in the evening, but even that might not be enough as to allow our body-mind to reach a fully natural balance.
There are also many medical resources for better sleep, of which the most common is the use of various sleeping tablets and herbal remedies. But sleep medications and even medicinal herbs require some caution and care, as they are not always harmless, and the side-effects may differ from person to person.
Some Yoga breathing exercises and meditations may also be useful, as they help balance the blood-flow and deepen the breathing. This is not a visualization technique, nor it is a ritual, but a simple process that may aid your sleep.
There are also shamanic techniques that include breathing, but the core idea remains the same: there is energy locked in stressful or painful events of the day, and the way to release it, is to remember them with a calm mind and a healing intention, maybe even a healing prayer, mantra or meditation.
Recapitulation, as technique taught by Deepak Chopra, is the process of reviewing your day, from beginning to end, every night before you go to sleep. It means to go through the events of the day, and digest mentally what has happened, instead of suppressing your thoughts and feelings. If we try to distract ourselves continuously, we might find we feel tired, but we remain restless.
Let Us Not Wait Until It’s Too Late
In a deep meditative state, I was contemplating how people are doing things differently because of the current state of affairs with the Covid-19 pandemic. Most are being highly cautious to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. They are wearing masks, staying at home and doing various things to bolster their well-being and immunity.
The response is typically similar when there is a diagnosis of a serious illness, such diabetes, heart disease or cancer. The afflicted person often immediately makes changes to their lifestyle, for example changing their diet and eating healthier foods.
When there is a war, or a crime wave, or a terrorist attack, people become more vigilant and practice better safety precautions, while having a greater awareness of their surroundings, also known as situational awareness.
I was reading for somebody recently, who lives in a condo community. She described how none of her neighbors ever spoke to her, although she went out of her way to always be friendly and talk to others. Apparently, they were often very short with her.
But then many of the residents became victims to criminal activity, such as delivered packages stolen from their door. Suddenly, she noticed, more of her neighbors started to talk to each other, and more of them wanted to be friendly with her. In fact, they even started to meet in the park, to talk and discuss the safety of their shared living community.
Sheltering In Gentle Grace
The subject and substance of grace is near and dear to my heart. Its consistency is gentle and ethereal, but nonetheless a source of grounded strength. I appreciate it as a richly layered, soft, spiritually textured energy, flowing between Heaven and Earth – divine in its origin from God, yet accessible in unlimited ways within, and around us.
A few years ago, I wrote a book on grace, moving in divine alignment. The words channeled through me, as if being dictated by Grace herself, a feminine goddess personifying the compassionate energy emanating from God as the Supreme Source. Therein, the quality of grace on the hard paths of life revealed itself to me as follows.
When the dance stands still in the dark – outside my comfort zone, in the space of the unknown, in the history of pain, before the next step – I tend to feel neither peaceful, patient, nor poised.
I have grabbed for answers, change, relief, but found none independently within my clutch. So, I envision a fabric of grace, formed when the favor of God becomes interwoven with the sweetness of elegant movement and presence.
Unlike ordinary cloth, the fabric of grace dons a mystical twist. It is a lifeline of being, bearing inexhaustible strength to uplift and pull us forward through all experiences.
There is an artistry of the soul in reaching for this spiritual material of grace. It calls forth inner enlightenment and skill to clasp it in the heart, not in the hands.
The Spiritual Purpose Of Patience
Life has been teaching me that patience is indeed a virtue. I have been becoming much more patient than I used to be. It is one of the lessons that I will have to learn in this lifetime.
Patience is something that we are all told to have more of, but it can be difficult to be patient in trying circumstances or stressful times. Often we are wanting to advance in our life, and we have to get from one point to the next as quickly as possible, while patience is all about a spiritual ‘halt.’
Patience often ties into our soul contract, and why we have come here. We have to learn certain lessons before we can get to the next level. We can try to bypass patience, and force things to happen our way, but remember each of us have come here with a soul contract that guides us along our path. The higher self always knows which way is the best and easiest, but we try to rush things, and we jump into things and get ahead of ourselves, in ways that we should not.
We don’t always listen to our inner voice, and for this there are usually repercussions. Being impatient only serves to slow us down, or complicate our progress. Spirit is telling us that we can get to where we need to go, but it may take our time to get there. Our guides try to intervene and keep us paused. If only we would pay attention and listen.
Patience is all about understanding ourselves. When you send a wish or desire out into the Universe, you can’t dictate when it is going to come back to you, but you must trust that the Universe is going bring you to the place that you want to be.