Archive for the ‘Spiritual Living - Steps’ Category

Honor the Sacredness of Life. (as spiritual practice) Part 5 in a series

August 10th, 2009

Honor your Spirit.
Think about the relationship you have with God and the Universe.  Whatever your traditions are, whatever path you are on…devote yourself to it.  Whether you are reading scriptures or meditating give it your full attention.

Be inspired.  Listen to others.  Keep a journal.  Value your self, your spirit, your higher power, your friends, neighbors, the strange lady on the bus.  The same higher power is within all of us.  Within all living things.  Accept that but for our outer shells, the body we are in…we are all of the same spirit.  Treat all others with kindness and respect regardless of what you have been conditioned to believe.  We’re all linked together.  What we do, think, feel impacts the lives of others as well as our self.  Support one another.

Celebrate!  Celebrate birth, death, a move, growing a garden, your children, your family, friends old and new, weather, nature, etc.  Let it all sink in, create memories that will be recalled upon over the years.  Beautiful memories to bring a smile to your face and warmth to your heart.  Celebrate your personal growth.  Celebrate differences between yourself and others.  Turn them into a source of strength and joy from which you can draw.  Think of them as an enrichment to life rather than letting them continue to make the world a miserable place filled with hate, fear, nastiness, greed and so many other negative qualities.  

Mahatma Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Take a few moments to focus, reflect and celebrate.  Enjoy the little blessings and you can recall them often.

Think about the relationship you have with nature. Just as we apply the golden rule to people, we should also apply it to nature.  When I truly think about this it reminds me of Native Americans.   I don’t know if it’s like this in other parts of the world, but in the US we seem to have grown to believe that we ‘own’ things.  And once we own them they are ours to do what we wish with them.   I think we need to contemplate some basic ancient beliefs and start seeing ourselves as caretakers for life.  For nature.  We need to understand that to live in harmony with nature keeps everything in balance like our ancient ancestors understood.

Honor the great spirit in all living things.

We know that plants have a reaction to how they are treated.  Many children perform these experiments as science projects.  They tend one plant with love & kind words and the other plant without.    You can see an astonishing difference in the growth, the output, the life of the plants.  There is a direct reflection in what you give the plant…to what the plant gives you.

You can learn a lot about life if you just pay attention to the nature around you.   It warns us of impending storms, it gives shelter, warmth, wind, food.  It will relax you if you listen and are still.  It will amaze you and delight your eyes, your mind if you just take a moment to truly watch, absorb, see.   Appreciate it.  Nurture it.  Enjoy it.  Respect it.

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Strive for growth (as spiritual practice) The 4th in a series.

August 8th, 2009

Striving for growth

For me personally, it’s not a practice of going to church on Sunday and hoping ‘I’m covered” for the rest of the week.  It’s not about setting aside an hour a day and hoping something clicks.  It’s about making choices every moment that will define me.  A conscious choice to practice forgiveness rather than bitterness and resentment, compassion over judging someone or doing nothing, love over hate or dislike, courage to keep going rather than fear of the unknown, respect and appreciation over ego and the status quo.

It’s not simply about how well you treat others, it’s also about how you treat your self.   I don’t let people dictate to me what is right or wrong or live by what they think I should do.  I know in my heart what is good and fair and try to follow that which feels right.

For me, it’s beneficial to take a look at the end of the day… of what the day entailed.  What opportunities did I miss to show appreciation, respect, love, gratitude, forgiveness, compassion, etc?   What did I do or not do that could have been done differently?   What am I thankful for in my day?  To recognize challenges or things that could have been done differently and to make an effort to take a different approach next time.

There’s a wealth of books out there to guide a person.   Keyword:  Guide.  There are many techniques.  Every life is a learning experience.  And it’s a constant learning experience.  Learning by living.   If you look at the most ancient of religions you will find that the ancient Masters did not write training manuals.     The information was passed down orally for tens of thousands of years.  It was oral probably because rather than having a ‘book’ of written traditions or ways to live a spiritual life…orally would have to be known, understood and practiced regularly.    (A book thus becoming a crutch for something which you should know intimately.)

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Compassion (as spiritual practice). The 3rd in a series

August 6th, 2009

Practice Compassion

Compassion is a deep awareness, an understanding of the suffering, the pain, the need of others and wanting to do something about it.

I happen to believe that every living thing has spirit. Soul. I’m a very compassionate person and believe that every living thing is entitled to that compassion. Of course there are times when I do things without bringing up this belief in my conscious mind…like when there’s a spider and I whack it. Then I usually feel bad.

But imagine the world as it would be if everyone showed compassion for every one else. For animals, for people, for nature. To lend someone a helping hand that trips on the sidewalk or to offer someone in need a bottle of water. (Regardless of age, gender, color, sexual orientation or religion…or any physical attribute that may otherwise hinder compassion).

To take your dog for a walk even though you’ve had a long day. Or play a little ball with the kid next door who’s parents ‘don’t have the time’. To take a walk in the woods and fill a bag with litter scattered amongst the foliage. To make an extra helping at dinner and invite your elderly neighbor to share a meal.  To stick up for a friend OR a stranger if they are experiencing the pain of ridicule or hate.

Giving of yourself, your time, your energy helps others as well as your inner self. Compassion is contagious. And that’s a good thing to catch!

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Respect, Gratitude & Appreciation (as spiritual practice)
The 2nd in a series

August 4th, 2009

Practice Gratitude and Appreciation

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
~Albert Schweitzer

Sometimes just the littlest of things can make a persons day and make me feel good in the process. Little things like exchanging a smile with someone on the street, stopping to help someone or having a short conversation with a neighbor who doesn’t get out much.  Thanking a clerk for their help or the teller at the bank.   A smile and nod to a local policeman.

Just that little bit of positive energy, of appreciation, of acknowledgment can brighten up a person’s day.   Bring a renewed spark.   So imagine the positive affect it has on those around you a lot such as a co-worker, your children or friends.    Showing gratitude and appreciation will boost the energy of those around you.    Everyone likes to be appreciated.

“I’m blessed to have you in my life”
“I appreciate the way you’ve helped me today”
“Thank you”

All wonderful little ways to express your gratitude and appreciation.  Practice it often.

RESPECT

I think sometimes we don’t show respect when we should, and this stems from our ego. (Our own opinion is most certainly the correct one!)   But just taking pause to listen to the other persons thoughts or views is a sign of respect.   And by just being quiet and listening to their views when they are different from our own and taking a few minutes to really think about what they’re saying goes a long way to developing your self.

Sometimes it’s difficult to see others points of view, but it is essential. This simple act fosters love, respect, patience and tolerance. If you are willing to show someone respect for their beliefs, often times (although not always) they will show you the same respect back.   Often times we don’t show respect because it is humbling.  But this is the very reason why we should practice respect.

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Forgiveness (as spiritual practice)
The first in a series

August 3rd, 2009

*indicates updates

I’ve come to realize a few things lately. Things that should have been apparent, but weren’t (to me). I wondered how to be a spiritual person. Was there a specific path to follow? And, as it turns out, no. In fact, there’s no real ‘path’ at all.  ( What I mean by that is   *There is not one specific path cut in stone to follow.  You need to make your own way.  Your own path.  You have to it practice daily.) There’s nothing to study, *in the sense that there is a ‘one size fits all’  text book.  It’s more like a core group of qualities that everyone has the ability to work on inside their own self.    It’s not about someone telling you how you need to do something, it’s more about you understanding that core group of qualities, where you want to go, how you want to conduct your life, figuring out how to do it and then practicing that daily. It’s a way of living or conducting yourself.   No classes or special group *but an individual and inner transformation.  There are many books out there that you can read but ultimately it’s about the changes you make to your core being.  There are no tricks or quick fixes.  It’s about understanding that God is within every living thing.  You, me, that odd guy down the street.  Not that God has a special group or that one group is right, or better.

And since each person is different and unique…the way they get there may not be the same way as I might get there. There are a few things one could incorporate into their lives that will assist them on their journey.   And, as it turns out…for me…many of these things I’ve been working on myself for a long time without even realizing that these things would be part of seeking my own spirituality.    There are a few steps that I’ve learned but… I will break them into several different posts, considering I seem to elaborate. Here is the first:

Forgiveness.

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

The mere idea of hate, holding grudges, blame, bitterness and resentment are the very things that deteriorate our self. And they are horrible for the physical body as well, can make us physically sick and mentally exhausted.

By letting go of these thoughts and emotions…once and for all…I am releasing myself from many burdens including the burden of judgment and the bond of resentment or bitterness.   By letting go of these negative emotions and feelings, I release all the negative energy between me and that person.   All of it!   Gone!   By forgiving…or letting go…I released two people. Me and the other person. It is the ultimate ‘liberation’. Setting free. Letting go.

We’re all vibrating energy. Every fiber of our being is energy. Every thing is energy. Infinite strands of energy! And all this energy is connected. Touching. Connecting. Some call it vitality, some call it Ch’i, some Prana, the Holy Spirit, Pneuma, Ruach, Spiritus, etc. All religions and practices believe in some kind of life force. And it really doesn’t matter what you name it…it’s there.

The funny thing is that years ago, I started practicing forgiveness. Let’s just say I had a couple of relatives who were either ‘not very nice to me’ or others…a little ‘brash’. One day, something in my mind just told me that these relationships weren’t healthy. (Maybe it was the heartburn when being in the same room). When leaving the situation I would be stressed for days. I would relive conversations in my mind getting upset all over again.

I finally got to the point, I’m not sure how, of thinking to myself, ‘I am NOT going to let anything they say bother me’.   I think it was when I finally understood this:

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference between the two.

Accepting that the way this person conducted their life was completely independent of me. That their negative thoughts were not going to affect me and when I left their presence, I would also leave behind that negative energy. They are who they are and it’s not my job in life to change them. Their journey is separate from mine. Their issues are not my issues.
So I ‘forgave’ them. I set myself free from being bitter or offended. It’s not like I gave them a ‘free pass’, I just simply had the mindset that I would not let their energy affect me.

“Sincere forgiveness isn’t colored with expectations that the other person apologize or change. Don’t worry whether or not they finally understand you. Love them and release them. Life feeds back truth to people in its own way and time.”
~Sara Paddison

This takes a great deal of practice. It’s something I’ve developed over years and continue to work on. Constant reinforcement is required sometimes. And every now and again I run into someone who’s a bigot or doesn’t ‘practice what they preach’ and I have to go through the process of forgiveness all over again in my own mind. Usually I voice my concern to their reflections and words and let them know I see things differently, but ultimately I have to understand that they have their own process to work through and I let it go. I can still be friendly with these people, but I don’t have to come away feeling drained.

A good way to release someone or forgive someone is through a letter. Even if they are now dead. Write them a letter. Put it onto paper, get it out. Release it.  Send it, keep it, burn it.  Whatever helps you release them.  (and your self)

And equally as important, seek forgiveness for yourself.   By learning to forgive others I’ve learned how to ask for forgiveness for myself.  And more importantly to actually forgive myself.  Humility and being humble is a wonderful character trait and building block to leading a spiritual life.


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