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Coping With Holiday Stress
The holidays are upon us and instead of leisurely sipping eggnog
around the fireplace, we find ourselves in a frenzy trying to
get all too many things done in anticipation of that one
perfect, albeit elusive holiday moment.
Despite...
Discover The Upside of Anger
Most of us are prone to anger! As we grow older, a certain degree of control keeps us in check, but the pot is on simmer and the lid is loosely fixed. An unexpected jolt, or a sudden increase in heat will nearly always result in a boiling...
Out of the closet!
Out of the closet! - By Joseph Ghabi
We may sometimes consider the difficulty that occurs with our acceptance of ourselves and of who we are in accordance with the expectations of others.
Do you understand what I am talking about? Or am I...
Sanctification
God's ultimate and highest aim for all of us is our sanctification. God wants to make us more holy like He and His Son Jesus are. He wants to transform us into the express image of His Son Jesus Christ. He wants to consecrate and set us apart unto...
SPIRITUALITY: Impersonating Jed McKenna
"No man is a prophet in his own country."
That line keeps running through my mind as I sit over lunch with my sister who I haven't seen in several years. These days I'm the enlightened guy, but to her I'm just the bratty kid who couldn't make...
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The Top 10 Design Tools for Enhancing Your Spiritual Connectedness
Looking for tools to design your day in a more spiritual way? This top ten, taken from CoachVille's Personal Environments Community at http://cid384.cvcommunity.com/?tabInx=webpage , describes design tools you can tap into in order to "be source" and connect with the spiritual being which is inside of you. Try them all and see which ones work especially well for you. Have fun and add your own! Remember to give yourself several weeks or months 'practicing' these different methods. As with anything worth achieving, repetition and time often makes a huge difference in the outcome. If you hope to develop or enhance your spiritual connectedness, your commitment to a personal daily spiritual practice is essential. Even though it is possible to shift your thinking in this moment to become someone who is a spiritual being, developing your spirituality often takes time. So get started today!
1. Meditation
Meditation is an excellent gateway to your inner guide, your Spirit or Higher Power, however you may define that. Meditation brings clarity, creates a relief from tension and stress, and can create the space for creativity to soar. Meditation can allow the body the opportunity to experience a place outside of the body that creates a state of bliss and connectedness to all things. The physical act of meditation generally consists of simply sitting quietly, focusing on one's breath, a word or phrase. However, a meditator may also be walking, standing, running, or swimming. You will know you are succeeding with meditation if you feel more peaceful and more focused following meditation, but to silence the inner chatter can be challenging. Just keep practicing!
2. Inspirational Readings for Daily Guidance
Use inspirational texts from your favorite sources or daily meditation books such as Reflections in the Light by Shakti Gawain, here, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index%3Dbooks%26field-keywords%3DReflections%252520in%252520the%252520Light%26store-name%3Dbooks/103-1316360-9532642 .
3. Focusing, Meditation, and Divination Tools
There are a wide variety of options available for focusing, meditation, and divination purposes. Angel Cards are useful for opening gateways to other dimensions, Kabbalah Cards may be used to discover underlying themes of a person's life and the means to overcoming difficulties, and Tarot Cards are often used for focusing purposes and to foretell the future. The Runes, stones carved with ancient alphabet symbols, may be used to foretell the future as well as give information about the past and present.
Prior to using any of these tools, please clear your mind and say a prayer for guidance, protection, and wisdom. Then, shuffle and cut the deck, and ask something like "show me what I need to know in my life right now" and then pick a card or do a spread. Journal on what you selected and write about the significance and then notice how your day unfolds. At the end of the day, pick a new card or do a new spread and see how your situation or perspective transformed! Be sure to journal about what you learned, experienced, or enjoyed as a result of being focused and intentional earlier on in the day.
4. Incense or Candles
Incense is one way to experiment with the sense of smell. Use incense to clear out negative energies. Incense can also be used to uplift, invigorate, calm, or make one mellow. Light a candle to symbolize that you are creating sacred space and wish to create a mood to support meditation, reflection, or spiritual connection. Choose the scent and color that most pleases you.
5. Color Therapy
A truly inspiring space will invite, allure, and entice the spirit to soar. Color therapy has been used for years as a way to lift the spirits, soothe our souls, and calm our minds. By bringing color therapy into your spaces, you can create a certain "mood" or atmosphere which will support your desires for connection with spirit." As a tool for healing, color can be gazed
at, beamed as healing light, meditated on, bathed in, worn, used in art and in ritual such as candle magic and mandala work and painting." From a fantastic resource on color therapy and energy from www.about.com, here, http://healing.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.geocities.com%2FAthens%2FForum%2F1368%2Fcolors.html .
6. Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the practice of stimulating the senses through fragrance by using natural botanical essential oils from plants, leaves, bark, roots, seeds, resins and flowers. Aromatherapy soothes and relaxes the mind by helping to induce a sense of well-being and. Each individual essence is used to produce a specific beneficial effect. Modern research has shown that the aromas of the ceremonial plants such as Frankincense and Sandalwood, can induce deep breathing, are profoundly soothing, and tend to generate feelings of groundedness and connectedness. Today the essential oils of these plants are universally used for meditation and relaxation. Try different ones and see how you respond! Keep a journal on what works best and when.
7. Nature
Nature is a wonderful place to tap into your spirituality. Take time to be with nature everyday and notice the tiny 'miracles' in everyday life such as a spider building a web. Discover 6 tips for creating a garden which can be used as a spot for meditation or quiet contemplation in Pat Streep's Spiritual Gardening book, here, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1930722249/qid=1093114175/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-5831758-5937465?v=glance&s=books . The goal is not to be lavish or expensive but to create a space which allows your spirit to soar. For more information, read the article How to Create a Spiritual Garden in Six Steps excerpted from Streep's book at I-Village.com, here, http://www.ivillage.com/home/howtoguide/garden/articles/0,,170784_85518,00.html?arrivalSA=1&cobrandRef=0&arrival_freqCap=2 .
8. Music
Create your sacred space with music that inspires you, centers you, relaxes you, brings you joy, and that simply makes your heart sing! Don't settle for anything less. What if you don't know what music you would do all this? Then start exploring the vast New Age, classical, world, or environmental categories in music stores or metaphysical stores and see what works for you. Note what you like, what it does for you and when.
9. Hydrotherapy
Baths and meditation go hand in hand, as bathing and foot washing have often been a large part of spiritual rituals from religious groups from around the world. Salt and herbal baths have also been connected to de-stressing and to creating balance and peacefulness. Don't forget the power of a candlelit, scented bubble bath, any time of the day! Use bath time to practice toning (creating different sounds) and imagine yourself connecting with the dolphins and whales. Even a simple shower after morning yoga or exercise can create a sense of peace and reverence.
10. Connect with Other Spiritual Seekers or People with Heart
If you want to enjoy a spiritual life, allow yourself to be with other people who you would consider spiritually fit. Start noticing who, specifically, has a way about them that is nourishing, gentle, non-judgmental, generous, loving and kind. Don't know anyone like that yet? Then start opening your world up by embracing your own spirituality and see whom you begin to attract as a result! Check out local events that encourage spiritual growth and sample different spiritual/healing modalities such as chakra balancing, massage, Reiki, channeling, tarot reading, palmistry, astrology, energy healing, or astrological readings.
About the Author
This piece was originally submitted by Bea Fields, who can be reached at bea@coachville.com , or visited on the web at http://cid384.cvcommunity.com/?tabInx=webpage. Bea Fields is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for CoachVille and a Visionary for CoachVille’s Personal Environments Community.
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