spiritual awareness
Spiritual Awareness Requires A Soul-Body Connection
A practical way to understand our own spiritual identity within the co-created reality of this world is to think of our soul as the metaphysical software, and our body as the physical hardware. Both software and hardware are needed to have a fully functioning computer that is able to solve problems and complete tasks.
In spirituality, we tend to focus mostly on the mind or consciousness aspects of our existence, such as intuitions, dreams, psychic experiences, paranormal events, our belief system, and altered states of consciousness achieved through various spiritual modalities, including meditation, chanting, trance-inducing rituals, hypnosis, yoga, music, mandala, and so on.
Yet, we seldom consider the importance of the physical experience we are having. This is a vital component in our spiritual evolution that is often overlooked! As metaphysical, energetic beings, we incarnated in human form with a physical body to have a physical learning experience. There is therefore much spiritual value in making the most of our physical embodiment in this lifetime.
The physical body we are born with unique resonates with our soul consciousness and is designed to support us through our journey on this physical plane. But too often we take for granted this amazing vessel that carries us through life. Soon after our birth we become so used to being in our body that we seldom consider its true value.
Sadly, many of us tend to abuse our body in all sorts of ways, for all sorts of reasons, and yet, our body just keeps on doing everything in its power to keep us healthy and strong, for it to continue carrying us through our spiritual journey in this lifetime.
Find The Spiritual Gold Outside Your Comfort Zone
Some people are not ready or strong enough to embrace the truth, nor the unfamiliar. And that’s okay. We are all at different stages in our soul evolution. Energetically we are like magnets that resonate with those who are on the same frequency, and bounce off those who do not share our level of understanding. And that is okay.
The more evolved and sensible we are spiritually, the more open we are to embrace new information and learn from the acquired insight and wisdom of others. The higher our vibration, the less likely we are to overreact with extreme resistance, or become anxious or annoyed when we are confronted with inconvenient new realities.
Resistance and defensiveness stem from the ego. The ego tends to hinder us from being present and truly connecting, learning, growing, and expanding. This ultimately keeps us from evolving spiritually.
I have always been a firm believer that the teacher will appear when the student is ready. Those who are no longer held back by the human ego, are more ready and open to receive new information and explore deeper wisdom on a soul level.
We need not unconditionally agree with everything, but one can always find some ‘gold’ in whatever crosses our path. There is always some nugget of wisdom or insight we can use, even if we choose to discard the rest. There is always something of value that we can add to our toolbox of personal growth and soul expansion. There is always something new to learn or discover.
A Near-Death Experience Transformed My Life
Life has a way of revealing profound truths to us through unexpected circumstances.
When I was 20 years old, a life-altering event occurred that forever changed the course of my existence. I was severely injured in a traffic accident which led to a near-death experience (NDE).
It was a profound experience that transcended the ordinary and opened my eyes to the interconnectedness of all things. It ignited a profound spiritual awakening within me.
Expanding Consciousness
In the wake of the accident, a remarkable phenomenon occurred. I found myself stepping out of my physical body, witnessing the unfolding events from a vantage point of expanded consciousness. It was as if a veil had been lifted, allowing me to perceive not only my immediate surroundings, but also the entire location and surrounding city.
My heightened awareness continued to expand, to ultimately the entire planet, until I transcended even that, merging with the boundless expanse of the Universe.
Becoming One
During this extraordinary journey into higher realms, the boundaries of my individual self increasingly dissolved, and I experienced an indescribable sense of unity with the Universe. My consciousness soared past planets to embrace galaxies and ultimately behold the vastness of the entire cosmos.
We Choose Our Way Of Being In The World
Our material belongings reveal much about how we tend to operate in this world. For example, I can look at the make of a person’s vehicle, as well as the model, size, and color, and instantly get a sense of how they navigate through life. I further believe we also choose our way of being in this world, based on our spiritual mindset.
A good friend and I own the same make of car, but different models. Mine happens to be a smart car and hers is a jeep. This makes perfect sense to me in terms of our personalities and lifestyle.
I am small in stature, so it is only logical that my preferred vehicle would also be small, snug and space efficient. She, on the other hand, frequently has to transport passengers, as well as plants, clothes and a variety of household items that belong to the members of her family.
More interestingly, however, is that both of us have experienced the exact same technical problem with our cars. There was a time when both our cars suddenly indicated that the brake lights were no longer functioning.
When that little warning light came on in my car, I immeditately sensed the worst, but I secretly hoped that only the bulbs might need to be changed. To my shock and horror, the entire panel eventually had to be replaced. The day I took the car in to be fixed, I miraculously escaped a major traffic accident on my usual route at my usual travel time, because my car happened to be in the shop. Yes, sometimes a malfunctioning brake light can in fact save your life!
The Universal Power Of Prayer
Prayer has become a loaded, even triggering concept in spirituality. The modern notion of this practice has become religified and somewhat sanctimonious. It has mostly been appropriated by dogmatic, organized religion and too often assumed to only belong to the chosen, privileged few.
In my experience, prayer is in fact both a divine gift and universal law that belongs to us all, no matter what our particular spiritual or metaphysical beliefs may be. We all receive what we pray for, both spiritually and on a secular basis. And we all pray in different ways.
Prayer follows the path of least resistance, and the Universe abhors a vacuum. If our heart and mind are in the right place, prayer always works. We get what we pray for. The downside of getting what we pray for requires carefully choosing what we pray for. Time and time again, throughout history, this choosing has caused generations of clean-up. The karmic cleanup is not often successful, because we have not been willing to understand the hindrance of ulterior motives and hidden agendas. Spirit knows all, and there is nothing truly hidden or secret.
So, yes, we do get what we pray for, but we need to also be careful when we pray, because karma is also a Universal Law. We must always pray bearing in mind the Universal Law of Cause and Effect, the Golden Rule: as we give, so we receive.
One does not need to be a scientific genius to understand the basic concept of vibratory energy frequency and how it determines what we attract and impacts the quality of our life. A ‘vibe’ is either low or high. This does not only apply to us as individuals, but also to the collective vibrations of our families, communities, nations, as well as the collective frequency of the entire planet, which has been changing significantly in recent times.
Using The Mandala In Your Spiritual Practice
Years ago, I taught a class on sacred geometry. My favorite section of the class was related to using mandalas as a tool for the inward journey and I would like to share this practice with you.
When using a mandala as a form of meditation you begin by creating a large circle. I have always found it easier to start with a graph based on concentric circles, but others start with just a circle and their imagination or intuition. Start at the outer edge of the circle to begin your session and work your way around the outer edge. Gradually work your way to the center of the mandala – this represents the inward journey.
We start by creating patterns and designs on the outside of the circle. This is the largest part of the circle and represents the universe. Understanding the expansiveness of the universe we can feel very small and insignificant, so it is important to move inward to find our grounding within the cosmos.
As we move inward in our mandala we contemplate our planet, then our country or large group of people we identify with the most. For many people this can be a religious tradition. We then move to contemplating our acquaintances, family, and friends.
Towards the center many mandala meditators will create four sides, or a square that leads to the center of his or her mandala. These four sides represent the four cardinal points, South, West, North, and East.
The Key Elements Of Spirituality
One of the core principles of spirituality is the belief that we are all connected to something greater than ourselves. Whether we call this higher power God, Source, Spirit, the Universe, or the Divine, this belief is the fundamental tenet of all religions and spiritual traditions.
By recognizing our connection to something greater than ourselves and the interconnectedness of all things, we find a sense of peace and purpose that transcends our individual concerns and uncertainties.
Another important aspect of spirituality is the concept of mindfulness. Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment, without judgment or distraction.
By practicing mindfulness, we become more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, and learn to cultivate a greater sense of inner peace and calm. Mindfulness can take many forms, from simple breathing exercises to more elaborate meditation practices.
Gratitude is another key component of a truly spiritual lifestyle. By cultivating a sense of appreciation for the gifts and blessings in our lives, we shift our focus away from self-limiting fear, negativity, lack consciousness and a scarcity mentality towards the love, hope, benevolence and abundance that surrounds us.
Whether we are grateful for our health, our relationships, or simply the beauty of the natural world, expressing gratitude can help us feel more content and fulfilled.