kindness
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.
Your Soulmate Buddy Is A Keeper!
This year I have been hearing of more friendships ending like never before. I believe there may be a cosmic influence at play which currently prompts the clearing out of the old to let in the new.
I have witnessed this trends also in a couple of my own friendships, which initially I thought would last a life-time, but they ended quite suddenly. In hindsight those friendships ended in my best interest, and who knows, perhaps in the best interest of the other parties too.
One such friendship was very toxic all the way through, but I now realize that I was probably enabling this friend, both on the phone and in person, by always being available to her. Meanwhile, she had been bad mouthing me and spreading vicious rumors about my personal life and my relationship with my father. This cut me deeply in the end, but I was only too glad that my dad, who was still alive at the time, never got to hear any of this. He would have been devastated that something so evil could be fabricated about me.
Animal Rescue As A Spiritual Calling
A friend recently asked me if have considered the possibility that all the animal rescue work I have been doing in recent years might be the symptom of a deep desire to heal some wounded part of myself? She also said I may be suffering from what her therapist refers to as a ‘savior complex.’ And this might stem from fear of rejection, insecurities and any other negative experiences from my childhood. I did not get defensive, but said I would ponder her remark. Actually, I am pondering what she said as I type this blog.
As much as my husband and I love all animals, it was never our intention to get as involved as we have now with our bounty of ‘rescued animals.’ In hindsight, we ended up taking in some very sick, injured, starving, and abandoned fur babies, because the small local rescue centre was bursting at the seams. I guess we found ourselves unable to bury our heads in the sand.
How To Improve Your Money Karma
Karma and money can be a very confusing and complicated spiritual matter. There are lessons in being poor and lessons in being rich. We will be rich in some lifetimes, and poor in others. Most lifetimes we will swing left and right of the middle of wealth.
The universe sometimes uses money as karma, but not always. Money is neither good nor bad. Money is energy. It can be used for good or bad.
The test for poverty is: can you be happy, healthy, holy, loving, generous and not be materialist or greedy if you are poor? The test for wealth is: can you be happy, healthy, holy, loving, generous and not be materialist or greedy if you are rich? Can you find peace no matter how much or how little money is in the bank?
A Spiritual Approach To Chronic Complainers
Don’t complain, don’t ever complain. These are words I read in a book long ago, and they have stuck in my mind ever since. However, I certainly seem to have attracted a lot of complainers into my life – moaners and critics who have taken the very process to an art form! Amongst these individuals are family, friends and love relationships, and they are all challenging in their own way.
I have come to the conclusion that the lesson those souls have given me, is to rise above the irritation, and perhaps to try and see their predicament and unhappiness from a place of compassion. I have since managed to become less affected by other people’s groaning, because I stopped thinking that their displeasure might be my fault, or that I could ‘fix’ them and turn them from a ‘cup-half-empty’ type of person to a ‘cup-half full.’
Stop Comparing Yourself To Others
I believe that my own tendency to compare myself with others began at a young age, when my mother would constantly compare me to my cousins. For example, she would talk affectionately about their lovely physical attributes, like their thick hair, high cheekbones or deep-set eyes. Their personalities were louder and more assertive than mine too.
I was an overweight kid, and the more withdrawn I became, the more I would eat. I felt that my overweight was seen by others as greed, but I now believe I was layering deep insecure feelings.
I now know too that I was not meant to be like my cousins. In hindsight, I thank my mother for the life lessons. Perhaps she helped me in learning about insecurity and experiencing an inferiority complex. Today, I have a much deeper understanding of how my clients feel, when they don’t feel good enough. Or, as is often the case, when they are concerned about their children not feeling good enough for whatever reason. This is not always due to faulty parenting. Parents often suffer terribly when they see their kids, whatever their ages, suffer from lack of self-esteem. They see their kids as having every reason to be super-confident, yet witness them withdrawn and unhappy.