spiritual practice
Life Invites You To Dance
In the quietude of the morning, as the sun gently rises with a golden glow glistening through the trees, I feel a calm within reflecting the clear blue sky. The season is changing. The heavy heat and humidity of summer has dissolved into an idyllic balance of coolness, warmth, and lightness in the air.
It is a time of transition, moving toward autumn, but not fully there yet. For me, it is a season of revitalization and renewed inspiration. The vastness of nature expands all around and the interconnectedness of every soul within it reaches the forefront of my awareness.
Today, I will be intuitively teaching a dancing with nature class at the World Peace Sanctuary nearby. All of life is a dance with nature and its Creator. We are invited into that partnership and party of life, to move together in joy and harmony.
But how do we join the flow? It begins at the feet, at the root of the tree of life. In Srimad-Bhagavatam, the great celestial sage Narada instructs, “As pouring water on the root of a tree energizes the trunk, branches, twigs and everything else, and as supplying food to the stomach enlivens the senses and limbs of the body, simply worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead through devotional service automatically satisfies the demigods, who are parts of that Supreme Personality.”
Not only are angels, nature spirits, and demigods part of the tree, but so are we. Like leaves upon it, we are connected not only with the twigs, branches, and trunk, but with the root, the very source and sustenance of all life. By watering that root with our whole-hearted attention and intention, we are nourished, supplied, and satisfied.
But what does this mean practically? It means peace and growth rest not in pursuit of individual desires, but in harmony with and service to Divine desires. Endeavoring to serve separate interests is futile and unfulfilling, just as watering the leaves and limbs of a tree individually would be. They would dry up and die if simply watered separately. Continue reading
Opening To Divine Guidance
Beginning to work with your angels and spirit guides is just like learning any other new skill. It requires patience, commitment, openness, and a willingness to ask for help.
In fact, I compare opening to divine guidance to learning a new language, because in essence you are discovering the ways you and your ‘spirit team’ communicate with one another.
Everyone has this ability and if you are willing to put forward the effort, the dividends will be life-changing in positive and joyful ways.
The first step, as with everything related to spirit, is to set the intention to work more closely with your spirit team. Ask your spirit team to work more closely with you. Empower them to turn up the volume of their communication with you.
It is important to remember that you are an important member of your team. You are not a subordinate or lesser, because you are in physical form.
In fact, our spirit team reveres us for our courage to come forward into this lifetime, and they assembled strictly for the purpose of supporting us in this endeavor. They are here to make your life easier and to support you, so let them!
The first way spirit communicates with us is through signs. This can be something as profound as a book we need to read falling off the shelf in front of us at a bookstore; or overhearing a conversation that answers a question in your heart; or something as simple as finding feathers and pennies on the sidewalk.
The key to determining if something is divine guidance or not, is how it makes us feel. If we feel love and inspiration, rightness in our heart, mind and body, then it is a Divine message. If it makes us feel scared, frightened, or disempowered then it is not divine guidance, it is human ego.
Transform Your Life With Daily Spiritual Power
If you are seeking change in your life, you must create the change. You alone create your reality. Your future happiness, joy and fulfillment does not depend on others. It truly depends on you, and you only. But it is not necessary for you to plan or control exactly how everything will change or work out. Leave the ultimate manifestation and transformation to Spirit and the Divine. But you must at least believe your life can change, and will change. And the best way to ensure such transformational changes in your life is to spiritual practice a part of your daily lifestyle.
My daily routine, which rarely changes, includes the following spiritual practices. Upon awakening I immediately do my affirmation prayer for the day.
Thank you, Universe for this amazing, positive, successful, and abundant day ahead of me. I know it will be better than yesterday and I am ready!
Thank you, Archangel Michael for putting your cloak of protection around me, from above my head to below my feet. May it shield me from all negative energy and bounce it back in to the ethers, instead of attaching itself to me during my day.
I also ask this for my partner, children and grandchildren. Amen.
After my prayer, I am grounded and centered to confidently go about my daily business. Even if I have nothing major going on, I will still get dressed as if I have something important to do that day. This further ‘lifts my energy,’ because as I look in the mirror and I feel prepared anything. I know I am going to be successful, happy and in a good place for the day.
One I am turned-out for the day, and before I start working, I sit at my desk and study at least one chapter in a spiritual book, as I need this knowledge every day in my work with my clients all over the world. Some of my favorite inspirational sources to date are Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz; You2 by Price Pritchett; The Power of Awareness by Neville Goddard; You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay; and The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. But I have many others in my personal library.
Enlightenment Is For Everyone
The term ‘enlightened’ seems to be everywhere these days. But what does it really mean? From a spiritual or metaphysical perspective enlightenment simple means refers to our level of awareness. Enlightened people are deeply aware – of themselves, the world around them, of the realm of Spirit
In a world of increasingly empty noise and superficial values, true awareness has become a rare commodity. It’s easy to immerse ourselves in all the empty noise and meaningless materialism. It’s much more challenging to look at the things of this world with greater depth and see these things (and yourself) for what they really are.
When we begin to see more clearly and authentically we become more enlightened. We begin to see the light of truth. And when we do, we become more aware how our beliefs, choices, and actions all have consequences.
For example, you might be tempted to answer with harsh words to someone who has wronged you, or to swat a spider in the sink rather than take it outside. Each one of these actions, no matter how small, radiates outward and impacts the world around you.
Choosing peaceful or harmonious action is a vital step on the road towards enlightenment. Stop to think, before you act.
Another common thread in the fabric of enlightenment is lack of attachment. In many spiritual traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, unhealthy attachment is seen as the root of all human suffering. This could be an attachment to material wealth and possessions, to beliefs and ideas, to people and animals, or to our memories and our ego.
Enlightened people are able to release attachments that are not serving their best interest and highest good by letting it go gracefully. If you spend less time worrying about these earthly fixations and obsessions, your spiritual inner being will naturally start to flourish. And once it does, you’ll become more aware of the signs, synchronicities, and subtle messages the Universe sends us all the time.
The Signs of Spiritual Awakening
Spiritual awakening is not just about inner peace, raised consciousness or becoming a role-model of enlightenment. It’s also a messy journey!
So, what exactly is a ‘spiritual awakening?’ Well, there isn’t one universally accepted definition, because the experience or journey is unique to each person. Also, it’s a lifelong process, and the time of awakening is just the beginning.
Essentially spiritual awakening is firstly a significant shift in one’s personal perspective, typically characterized by a recognition of observer consciousness. It is the realization that the true self or ‘I’ is the observer of your thoughts, feelings and experiences. You are not your thoughts, feelings and experiences, but merely the observer of your thoughts, feelings and experiences.
Awakening also brings a sense of expanded awareness which prompts us to examine our beliefs about ourselves and the world through a more critical lens. This usually sparks a quest for authentic truth and a thirst for deeper knowledge and understanding of ourselves and the world.
The awakened person begins to rebel against what they have been told to believe on all levels of their experience of themselves and the world. Awakening returns us to a state of newfound curiosity about our existence. We begin to explore what actually informs our existing beliefs, to determine if they serve our highest good, or not.
The awakened person also accepts their role as a conscious co-creator and takes responsibility for healing and releasing that which doesn’t serve their highest good.
In recent times more and more people all over the world are beginning to awaken. Triggers for awakening are often major life events such as marriage, divorce, pregnancy, bereavement, loss, trauma or traumatic events, major transitions, career changes, and so on. But anything can trigger a spiritual awakening. It can also simply happen due to a sense of general dissatisfaction with life and yearning for more depth, meaning and purpose.
Have you been asking Spirit, God, the Universe for the same thing for years? Has true love been on your manifesting to-do list for as long as you can remember? Are you constantly struggling with your finances? Are you still looking for that dream job?
It is not as if you have done nothing to make miracles happen for you. You have been working faithfully with your guides and the angels. You have studied the Universal Law of Attraction and the art of manifesting. You have consulted psychics, mediums, healers, diviners and astrologers, and all of them have been telling you ‘it’s coming.’
But still, nothing.
So, what gives? Why has your heart’s desire not arrived yet? I hear this question time and again from clients and I have even dealt with it myself in my own life. So, if this is happening to you, you are certainly not alone.
And no, your intuition is not ‘broken’ and your guides are not ignoring you! The Universe is not too busy making other people’s dreams come true. There are many factors involved in successful manifestation and various possible reasons for the lack of results in your life. Often all you need is a few simple adjustments to create the perfect climate for receiving divine guidance and many blessings.
Firstly, there is the aspect of divine timing. It is often true that we must first work through some very important life lessons and do some personal work, before you can receive what it is we truly desire.
If you truly feel you’ve done all your work, but your desires still are not manifesting, then ask your guides if there is something you are missing, or have possibly been unwilling to see, that is still holding you back. This is also a great time to get a second set of eyes on the situation.
It may also be that those involved in the fulfillment of your desire have not completed their work. In that case, either resign yourself to be patient while setting an intention for them to make rapid progress, or ask your guides if a suitable replacement can be found that is willing to step up now and step into the role.
Beware The Power Of The Quartz Crystal
I love crystals and stones and have traveled all over the world to retrieve some of these beautiful gems of color and purpose. They carry with them amazing energy and metaphysical healing properties.
I have used crystals and stones very successfully in helping many of my clients rebalance and heal their lives, be it for the purpose of health, love, relationship, career, business, finances, or personal growth. Working with stones can assist you in achieving your goals and fulfilling your needs.
There is however one stone that I respect and revere more than the others, to the extent that I never recommend it as a ‘quick-fix’ remedy to others. This precious mineral is the pure quartz crystal. It is a very powerful energy conductor that essentially has a ‘mind of its own.’ It has no compassion, just purpose. Its energy is very direct.
The clear quartz is a stone that needs to be used to do a specific job of goodwill or serve a benevolent purpose, because it can magnify energies as much as tenfold and even higher. It must be used with great respect, for it can be harmful and even dangerous if used carelessly.
A clear quartz crystal casually worn as jewelry, for example, amplifies your mood and personality. If you are at peace with yourself and the world, and in a happy place, you will experience even more joy and happiness, and also spread it to everyone around you. But if you are angry, anxious, or depressed, the exact opposite will be true.
In other words, a little road rage, for example, could escalate to a disastrous scenario if you happen to be wearing a quartz crystal pendant. Oh my, things could get very bad! I therefore do not recommend people wear quartz crystals as everyday jewelry, because even the slightest shift in mood or emotional reaction could create havoc and derail the wearer’s day.