breathing
Spiritual Power And Spiritual Practice
We are spiritual beings having a physical experience. This is important to remember when considering the nature of spiritual things. The root word for spirit is ‘breath.’ This means that every person that is breathing is equally spiritual.
Too often people think that there is a hierarchical system within spirituality; that some people are ‘more spiritual’ than others. This is simply not true. There may be individuals that have a more intentional spiritual practice, with more understanding, knowledge, or wisdom. However, this does not make them ‘more spiritual.’
The nature and purpose of spiritual practice is also something that can be misunderstood. Whether it be prayer, meditation, invocations, or other sacraments, these practices are not just to get what we want. It can be a byproduct of authentic spiritual seeking and practice, but in nearly every tradition, true spiritual power is often summed up with three principles: Love, Joy, and Peace.
All spiritual practices are intended to lead us to tap into these three qualities. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, Love, Joy, and Peace are the first of many “fruits of the spirit.” Authentic spiritual practice is meant to lead us to the experience of these three things.
A Sense Of Wonder – A Message From My Guides
We observe sometimes that individuals can be quick to settle into ruts. The day-to-day routines of school, work and family often become repetitive and, dare we say… monotonous at times.
During these mundane periods of discontent, people often focus on themselves, and their lack. They will complain about being overworked and underpaid. Whether professionally or personally, they often feel under-appreciated and under-acknowledged. Stress and resentment can start to build.
In order to alleviate stress, you already know that there are many options from which to choose. Whether people get into a daily habit of deep breathing, visualization, meditation or various forms of exercise, the body becomes transformed and stress is dissipated for the time being.
Rather than just staving off bubbling-under-the-surface irritation and potential health issues, we recommend taking things a step further. Most people have heard the phrase, “Stop and smell the flowers!” Well, whether you prefer to cultivate the soil or be an observer, it is vitally important to redevelop a new sense of wonder in the garden of your life.
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
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.