|
|
|
20 Predictions for the Future of EQ
EQ isn’t just a “designer” fad that’s going to fade, and many are interested to see what directions it will take in the coming years. Here are some of my predictions: 1.Emotional Intelligence will become a household word. Parents will actively...
Angel to Angel
Years ago, my minister spoke to us about how you could solicit the help of your guardian angels to help with conflict resolution. She told us stories about how she and others had successfully asked their guardian angels to speak to the enemy's...
Divining Your Life Path Number
The Life Path is determined by the sum that is arrived at after reducing your birth date by adding digits together. This number represents the traits and talents that you were born with and the probable journey you will take during your lifetime....
How to Cope with Big Cities' Aggression
The biggest benefit of living in big cities is that there is
just too many of everything good: theatres, concert halls,
restaurants, stores, bookstores, cafés, libraries, associations,
offices, schools, diversity, parties, recreational places,...
How To Have True Intimacy In Your Relationship
In this day and time relationships are very hard to maintain. The attitude is that if this relationship doesn't work out than I will find another one. One of the reasons people live together instead of getting married is so the breakup will be...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Love Is in the Air: Five Steps into Joyful Abundance
Love is in the Air:
Five Steps into Joyful Abundance
What is it that brings about healing and attracts love, joy, peace and prosperity into our lives? As a journalist, writer and author, I’ve studied science and spirituality for decades and perhaps like you have formed a seamless belief system that makes sense of everything.
So I’m excited when I see proof of it, which comes over and over again and most recently in an e-mail message from a new friend of mine in Pittsburgh. He wrote to say that when we hugged, he felt the direct transfer of something from me into his chest. It didn't carry any emotional impact, but a physical shift in his energies transpired and the next day rid him of a misconception that had caused him a great deal of anxiety.
Could I explain what had happened, he asked? Were these two events connected? What isn't, I laughed in delight, replying with the lessons my inner voice of wisdom had just been teaching me!
Bearers of light
I spoke to David of liking him from the moment we met, as I'd sensed something very special in him. He was coordinating the Sunday service at his Unity church, and as he stood at the podium, speaking so gently of love, my heart opened and I became aware of the high spiritual energies in the room. I was there to speak and my travel fatigue instantly melted away.
During the "meet and greet" portion of the service, I hugged David gratefully for the love he had given me. So it was not I who healed him, but the Love in him that did the work. When we are open and ready for change, love responds and Light flows into and through us, bringing about the transformation we seek.
My seven-year-old grandson understands this perfectly. He delights in creating "pictures" to give away, and alongside many of his colorful airplanes and butterflies are the words, "Love is in the air."
In this cosmic sea of spirit, composed of energetic waves of thought and feeling, love flows through every person and event. I bring to you some gift of wisdom, a loving thought or touch, and you say something that enlivens me, perhaps opens my heart to a new understanding of us both.
This is what the Hindu mystic-poet Kabir meant in saying, "Sometimes we are a wave, sometimes the ocean. We come here to bring each other to God." When we are calm and peaceful, we float restfully in the ocean of the OneMind, immersed in its expanded perspectives and at-one with its rhythmic flow. When we are disconnected, we break into separate waves, but even then we call each other back to the One.
Waves in flow with the ocean
What separates us from the OneMind and its peace, joy and fulfillment? It is always stress, fatigue, fear and distrust, tensing us into waves of rigidity and resistance. Many of us fear being hurt and shrink away from life, closing our hearts to the healing Love in and all around us. At times we feel cold and alone, perhaps rejected, abandoned, unsure and confused. But in truth, Love has not abandoned us. We have become oblivious to its presence.
This separation is why we so often feel lost and unhappy. The closed heart, by virtue of its separation, cannot be enriched by All That Is. The law of magnetic resonance, governing the law of attraction, cannot bring riches to poverty, nor peace and happiness to a conflicted bodymind trapped in anger or judgment. When we are experiencing inner conflict and are out of integrity with our souls, we feel a gnawing hunger, a thirst for what is missing, and usually try to satisfy this craving with love relationships, euphoric chemicals, career achievement and/or material possessions. Our busyness almost distracts us from the cold internal knot of separation, but not quite.
The only way back to the ocean of the OneMind is to open our hearts to the light and unfold, petal by petal, into our blossoming.
Nature shows us what to do, especially in the springtime. Out of dark, quiet winter comes a season of warmth and renewal. Brightly colored plants and flowers draw us to the wondrous life force swirling into the curve of a leaf, colorful patches of wildflowers and the light mint greens of budding trees. Seeing the magic of spring, we remember how the Creative Force sweeps into every thing: in sheets of rain upon a rushing river; the pealing laughter in a child's perfect cartwheel; the sparkling spiral star-dance of our magnificent Milky Way.
Because of this visible and invisible evidence of love, I trust and believe what my inner wisdom tells me: that all waves come to empty our darkness so that Light can flow into the bodymind, enabling us to gently unfold and flower into lives of beauty and joy. Our inner wisdom whispers that each and every wave helps us grow and is called, by our nature, into being.
When we listen to our souls very closely, we hear that this is our dearest wish and the work that we came here to do. The open heart knows this and does it willingly, with excitement and gratitude, understanding its soul’s purpose and the ultimate meaning of life.
The secrets of an open heart
All the same, life is sometimes like a banana peel. It seems that everything conspires to trip us up, throw us off-balance and slide us down some slippery slope, whereupon we close our tender hearts for our own protection. How to open the heart, then, when it closes suddenly or over time?
STEP 1. The most immediate antidote is to breathe and relax inside the remembered assurance that every wave comes out the OneMind and so must be a wave of love calling us back to Love. Knowing this, we breathe deeply and evenly, becoming perfectly present to the flow of air into the nose and back out of the mouth.
Your can deepen this relaxed, peaceful state of consciousness by counting breaths or following the wind of your breath into your diaphragm and back out of your body. Research has shown that focusing on the breath relaxes us, and focusing on two things simultaneously, like counting and the movement of breath, produces a deeper state of consciousness akin to meditation.
Another heart-opening technique, especially useful during conflict, is to close your eyes and focus on the space between your ears. Try this now, to see for yourself how this diffuses thought and relaxes the body. It works just as well when we focus on the space between the eyes or any two objects. Just as in a guided meditation, the act of imagining space shifts our brainwaves into the alpha bandwidth of vibration. This relaxed peacefulness neutralizes the patterns of overexcited, hyper-aroused physical tension that create most if not all illness and disease, according to neurofeedback research.
STEP 2. When we repeatedly experience this meditative state of mind, we extend it into everyday life and are better able to stay united with the OneMind. We are less upset by our own thoughts and by external events, so we live happier, healthier, more balanced lives.
Rooted in the transcendent perspectives of the OneMind, we consistently respond to life peacefully and the heart is better able to stay open. When conflict comes up, we breathe, relax and allow that wave of thought energy to wash into and through us, neither holding on to nor resisting it. This is called peaceful, nonviolent
non-resistance. We "hold our seats," as Buddhism teaches and remain peaceful.
It is easy to do this because we know who we are. We are souls observing our selves and what happens in this earth plane for the sake of learning. We are not trapped here, but choose to be here. In this sense of choice and freedom rests fearlessness, courage and the ability to stay peaceful.
By remaining open-hearted, we stay connected with our soul’s infinite wisdom and its creative solutions. We understand how to respond—what, if anything, to say—because our inner wisdom prompts us. In the silence we are able to listen to, hear, feel, sense and see the transcendent perspectives of our open, loving hearts.
Our intuition is an inner knowing of spiritual truth. It expands us beyond the ordinary thinking mind into the transcendent sixth-sense perspectives of inner knowing, feeling, sensing, hearing and seeing. Going deeper within our souls, we observe that any and all negative thoughts are erased from our minds and replaced by a clear sense of direction. At the same time, the Light heals physical discomfort, pain, stress and fatigue.
STEP 3. Sometimes our hearts are opened by another person’s kindly word, smile or touch, as with my friend David. Sometimes the opening occurs during a walk in the woods, as nature delights us and points the way home.
But what if someone is yelling at or demeaning us in some way that causes pain?
We can ask that person to please calm down so that we may listen better to what he or she has to say. If the person does so and we wish to listen, but nevertheless begin to lose our peace, we can draw our full attention to the heart and center the busy mind in the heart.
The energy of the heart will relax our thinking. We can open to the heart’s love and ask for the OneMind to help us flow into Love, so that this light circulates into every atom and cell of our bodies. Be assured that it will. This heart-centering will help us listen better to the other person and return love. By the law of magnetic resonance, the other person will attune to our energies and grow more loving.
This has been proved in experiments conducted by The Mind-Life Institute in cooperation with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet. A Buddhist monk and veteran, 30-year meditator was placed in a room with a professor outraged by the idea of reincarnation. The man berated the monk loudly and to no avail. The monk listened placidly and did not flinch once; in fact, he was hooked up to electrodes and there was no "startle" response whatsoever. Finally the professor grew just as calm and willing to conduct a reasonable conversation.
Try this for yourself. Be the peacemaker and see what happens.
STEP 4. We can keep our hearts open by freeing ourselves from judgment. The verbal thinking mind loves to name everything and remember similar situations that it then relives and discusses with itself. The ego says, "Aha, I recognize who this person is, because So-and-So was that way, too. This person is devious and dangerous." Even if the ego is right, this judgment narrows our perspectives and our ability to clearly perceive the full truth about the other person, who, like us, is much more than what was done.
A single, solitary judgment triggers a volley of thinking that closes the heart, blocks inner wisdom and separates us from ourselves, the other person and God! Moreover, constantly reliving the past keeps us from being fully present to the now-moment and serving as a creative, shining light to other people.
The antidote is not to let the thinking mind name, categorize, judge and persecute anyone—us included. We can move the naming, thinking mind into silence by teaching it that no matter what comes up within us or in external reality—an angry person, the loss of a job, illness, the death of a loved one—it is a wave of experience that brings healing and growth. It comes to rid us of what is no longer needed and to evoke in us anything that might be missing. In the world of Spirit, nothing is lost. All is accounted for.
STEP 5. We can be at-one with goodness by keeping our hearts open, rejoicing in the beauty of the world and seeking something to love in every person we meet, including the derelict on the street who teaches us that this is not who we want to be. Even if we feel repulsed, we can look at this person closely enough to find something in him or her to love. Some facial characteristic, some trait...because if love is in the air, it is also in each of us, even at our worst.
Do we have to judge or detest that derelict? My inner wisdom says no, because this person has just given me the gift of knowing myself. I am grateful for that gift and can reach out to return love without needing or expecting appreciation.
In my experience, we come here to open our hearts and love ourselves, others and God. If we feel cold and aloof or separate and apart much of the time, there is a very good chance that our lives are cloudy and gray.
Do you have all of the love, money, happiness and peace that you want in your life? If not, check to see if your heart is open and joyfully aware of the abundance in each and every precious thing in you and your life.
If your heart is closed, you can open it easily with these mind-expansion techniques which enable us to become present to the present. In opening to Love, you will be enlivened by its joy and peace, so that everything you need and so richly deserve will come to you. All else will be pruned away, healed, to make room for fresh growth.
This is the simple and magical secret of life: You have within you all the Love needed to create and attract the life you want. Love calls you to shine your light, for love and love alone will heal our world.
If we stay peaceful, we can catch the waves of love upswelling in our hearts and ride them with perfect balance into our everyday choices and actions for economic parity, social justice and environmental responsibility.
To create a perfect planet of peace and love, all we have to do is remember that love is in the air. We can bring its Light into being with the thought of it, the need of it, the hope of Love that is it. In this wave is the spiritual awakening of our world.
Judith Pennington is a writer, singer and coast-to-coast teacher of meditation and the evolution of human consciousness. She is the author of a ground-breaking book, The Voice of the Soul, about her extraordinary journey into inspired writing, the guiding wisdom of the soul and the science of spirituality. Visit her primary website, www.eaglelife.com, to check for a workshop near you, sign up for her free e-newsletter, "The Still, Small Voice," and read complementary articles in her paid-for e-magazine, OneWorld Spirit, devoted to art, beauty, truth, spiritual politics and global peace.
About the Author
Judith Pennington is a writer, singer and coast-to-coast teacher of meditation and the evolution of human consciousness. Visit her primary website, www.eaglelife.com, to check for a workshop near you and sign up for her free e-newsletter, "The Still, Small Voice," and subscription e-zine, OneWorld, dedicated to art, beauty, truth, spiritual politics and global peace.
|
|
|
|
|
| Spirituality.com: from the Christian Science Publishing Society |
| Christian Science Publishing Society presents spirituality.com -- practical spirituality and healing prayer explored through feature articles, ... |
| www.spirituality.com |
|
| Spirituality - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. The spiritual, involving (as it may) perceived eternal verities regarding ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| SFT - December 2006 - Home Page |
| Spirituality for Today is an interactive monthly magazine dedicated to a variety of current themes and questions concerning the Christian faith in this ... |
| www.spirituality.org |
|
| Spirituality & Health |
| Ideas and advice about practices, products, self-tests, news and essays, and a virtual community dedicated to leading a more spiritually fulfilling and ... |
| www.spiritualityhealth.com |
|
| Indiatimes - Spirituality |
| You can consult our panel of experts on spiritual and mental probems. ... Jagjit Singh: Spirituality is a way of life I have faith in a Higher Power, ... |
| spirituality.indiatimes.com |
|
| NATIVE AMERICAN SPIRITUALITY |
| A general overview with quotes, essays, and links. |
| www.religioustolerance.org |
|
| NEW AGE SPIRITUALITY |
| In-depth article defines the New Age movement and some of the core beliefs, explains the traditions from which it is rooted, describes the confusions caused ... |
| www.religioustolerance.org |
|
| Spirituality - kabbalah inspiration prayer |
| Add inspiration to your life by discovering jewish spirituality, kabbalah and prayer on aish.com. Read a daily lift and be inspired. |
| www.aish.com |
|
| All Things Spiritual Directory |
| A searchable directory of thousands of spiritual and religious websites. Includes all major topic areas relating to spirituality and religion, ... |
| www.allspiritual.com |
|
| Holistic Spirituality -- Beliefnet.com |
| Holistic Spirituality Homepage. ... Holistic Spirituality. The Past Life of Your First Kiss. Interview by Laura Sheahen. With a new book on reincarnation, ... |
| www.beliefnet.com |
|
| Beliefnet.com |
| Features articles on God, faith, prayer, the nature of spirituality, society and ethics, with numerous resources. All religions respected. |
| www.beliefnet.com |
|
| Religion and Spirituality in the Yahoo! Directory |
| Yahoo! reviewed these sites and found them related to Religion and Spirituality. |
| dir.yahoo.com |
|
| About - Religion & Spirituality |
| Get information and resources on spirituality and world religions from Christianity to Islam to Judaism. Our religious experts offer insight on where ... |
| about.com |
|
| Spirituality |
| The Orthodox Church proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Greek language, the word for Gospel is Evangelion which means literally "the good news. |
| www.goarch.org |
|
| reasoned spirituality a logical exploration of life |
| A philosophical exploration of spirituality, human behaviour, and the quest for the meaning of life. |
| www.reasoned.org |
|
| Spirituality - AllAboutSpirituality.org |
| Spirituality - Learn about the spirit world and why people are fascinated by mystical experiences. Discover a real and personal spirituality. |
| www.allaboutspirituality.org |
|
| Spirituality |
| The three foundational characteristics of spirituality are Faith, ... Join forces with others who have a healthy spirituality in their own lives. ... |
| www.coping.org |
|
| .:: Jesus : spirituality::. |
| This section of rejesus.co.uk focuses on prayer and meditation offering resources for daily prayer, learning about spirituality and a virtual labyrinth to ... |
| www.rejesus.co.uk |
|
| Science of Spirituality |
| An organization committed to a spiritual way of life based on meditation and service to others. News, events, and resources. |
| www.sos.org |
|
| Spirituality: See what people are saying right now on Technorati |
| See all blog posts tagged with spirituality on Technorati. |
| www.technorati.com |
|
|