breathing
We Are All Equally Spiritual
There is so much terminology and discussion about what it means to be ‘spiritual.’ There are both religious and other esoteric practices that people use, and entire languages developed around spirituality. While I personally believe that much of this is good, it can also often lead to things like elitism and greater polarization of people and groups.
So, the question today is: what does it mean to be spiritual? The answer is far simpler than some might believe, simply because of the original meaning of the term ‘spirit.’
In the Western world much of our religious tradition comes from Greek or Hebrew esoteric writings. In Greek the term for spirit is pneuma, and in Hebrew it is ruach. These are transliterations of the original words.
Spirit Is Always With You
How do you connect with the spirit inside of you? Ponder this question for a moment. Then shut your eyes, breathe deeply three times… and ponder this question again.
Spirit is always inside of you. It does not take a time out to go get a coffee, or have a nap. Spirit simply is a part of you that never dies. When you close your eyes and simply breathe, you will feel lighter. That is spirit trying to be more prominent than the ego. Spirit never causes stress, discomfort, unease or negativity. Spirit is pure 100% unconditional love, and every person has this inside of them.
However, as you move forward in life, ego will always try to override spirit, whether in decision-making or choices that are important (or simple). Ego can create discomfort, doubt, fear and the wrong type of attitude to live a spirit-filled, love-filled life.
How do you change these patterns? At least once a day, simply sit, breathe slowly, eyes closed, hands on lap. No parts of your body should be crossed, i.e. legs, arms or hands. Now feel the essence of your true spirit flowing in your body and around your soul. Feel the essence of goodness that comes to you from this energy. Continue reading
The Healing Power Of Forest Bathing
Forest bathing, or tree bathing, is a lost healing art much needed in this era of technology. It is a powerful, natural healing tool for cleansing the aura and chakras, and it doesn’t cost anything. The Japanese call it Shinrin-Yoku, or ‘forest medicine.’
Tree bathing is to allow the trees and plants to filter your energy, like they filter the air – in with the good, pure and new… and out with the toxic thoughts and feelings of anger and fear. There is a tremendous benefit to being in nature without having to achieve, compete, accomplish, or do something.
Trees are believed to have a secret language they use to communicate with each other. This language helps to heal us when we become part of their energy and communication. Trees are natural purifiers. They take old, toxic, polluted air and filter it through their system and release healthy, pure air with renewed and powerful life force. We breath this air in and it heals our lungs and organs. Stress can also do this energetically, just by being in their presence. Continue reading
A Symbol To Know The Unknowable
This morning, I ran into one of my friends in our little Spanish town, and we decided to grab a coffee and catch up. I was delighted at how she took an interest in my Om/Aum pendant. She commented on how I seemed to treat my pendant as something rather sacred, and with respect – an interesting observation! She loved the flow of the shapes, and asked if the pendant had any specific meaning.
I had to remove the pendant and study it closely to try and remember what I was taught years ago, in order to give her a brief description to the best of my ability. One by one I tried to connect with each swirl in the design and was surprised that I had remembered quite a lot of what my mentor had taught me. It was a long time ago, when we used the Om/Aum chant in our meditation sessions.
With my pendant on the table I began to explain the meaning of the dot at the top of the symbol, and recalled that this related to the silence after chanting Om/Aum. It represents the Enlightened Self, and is known as the transcendental state of Turiya. Continue reading
Psychic Protection 101
It is recommended to begin all spiritual activities, meditations, intuitive development exercises, as well as energy or healing work, with a basic psychic protection routine. A well-designed grounding, centering and shielding meditation or visualization exercise will create a solid safeguard and meditative energy foundation for any kind of spiritual practice session.
Centering is the process of anchoring and centralizing your inner, non-physical being within your physical body, while grounding (or earthing) refers to strengthening or reaffirming your connection with physical reality, the secular world and planet Earth.
Centering and grounding is therefore aimed at stabilizing yourself energetically, by firmly setting a mindful, harmonious balance between your body and soul, between the spiritual and the secular, between the physical and the metaphysical. Being grounded and centered is to feel safe and securely anchored in the physical world, while opening up to increased energy flow, and metaphysical or spiritual input. Continue reading
Reuniting With My Psychic Soul Sister
It is so very cool what miracles can happen when we take the time to relax and become aware of our surroundings, and our psychic antenna is open to connect with those who are on the same frequency.
I was at the beach over the summer, sitting on my beach towel in a deeply blissful, meditative state of mind. I had my umbrella set up, and a cooler with some water and healthy snacks – totally prepared for a relaxing day of doing absolutely nothing!
I took some deep breaths and looked out over the horizon, and focused on the waves. I was allowing whatever personal spiritual messages might come to my awareness. I was very much connected to what spirit was wanting me to know. Whatever is meant to happen will happen, but only in Divine Timing. We can never force anything, but all good things do indeed come to those who relax and allow the ebb and flow to reveal everything in perfect timing.
Third Eye Awakening
The third eye is the chakra or energy center that is associated with clear thought. Many equate this to intuition, but it really goes beyond that. It empowers us to gain spiritual ‘sight’ related to all circumstances of life.
When the third eye is ‘closed,’ it is difficult for us to recognize the purpose of what we are experiencing and it also inhibits us from having an unclouded vision of the present. Our egotistic perceptions can then get in the way and we are unable to shift our situation into a more positive experience.
If you feel as though this energy center is blocked, there are simple steps to unclog your spiritual sight and awaken your third eye.
Visioning or Visualization
Visioning and visualization are tools that you can use to mentally envision a future that you desire. This can be as simple as envisioning a positive day at work or school, to envisioning a major goal that you want to accomplish as you move forward in life. Continue reading