I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Spirituality and religion are not synonymous. True spirituality empowers you. Religion can serve us through introducing us to the concept of spirituality. I am a firm believer that we are not human beings capable of spiritual experiences. We are spirit having a human experience. It is my opinion that spirit refers to “life” beyond the five sense world. Where do our five senses come from? Are there more than five senses? There has to be. Human logic dictates that everything has a beginning. At least that is what we have been taught. If we are each spirit, we are eternal. There is no “true” beginning or end. There are transitions from one form of existence to another. We are infinite. As humans , we have a unique advantage . We have the capability of expanding our consciousness. Einstein is quoted as saying” Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

What you experience is real to you and that’s okay. You are a creator creating your reality moment by moment through your thoughts and actions. It is your nature.As a human, you have a significant advantage. You have the innate ability to grow in your awareness.  As you become more aware of your thoughts, you will able to choose which thoughts serve you. Ignore the ones that don’t. I am not saying that this will be easy, but it is possible. Spiritual practice is the key to mastery. At your core , you are spirit. You are beyond human. Your five sense world is an illusion. Yes, you have an identity and an ego that is beneficial for navigating through this reality, but, nevertheless, you are infinite, eternal being. You  have subjected yourself  to this finite world of your creation. You have opted to go into a state of “amnesia” or deep sleep, if you will. It’s part of the plan. This life is like a dream. The key to having your best human experience is waking up while still “dreaming”. Awakening to the fact that you are more than what you thought you were. The more that you awaken during the dream, the more you realize that you are not a victim. You are all powerful. Yes, have allowed yourself to be subjected to laws of the universe( gravity, cause and effect, etc ). It was necessary to do so in order to have an ideal experience. It’s part of the plan you might say. You can learn these laws in order to begin navigating through this life effectively, but where to start? Start at your beginning. Learn to plug in to your source. Call it what you want( God, Source, Universe, etc). Honestly, it doesn’t matter. It is what it is. It is you and you are it. I refer to it as my higher self. It is the part of you that has all of the answers. Get to know it. Learn to rely on it. It is and will always be there for you. It will always tell you the truth without fail. It won’t lie because it can’t lie. It is an endless power source. Learn to plug into it. How? You might ask. Establish your own personal spiritual practice.

Although establishing a spiritual practice may sound complicated, it’s not at all. A spiritual practice has to do with engaging in activities that keep you inspired because they remind you that you are part of something greater than your momentary challenges. You begin to look at life differently. You start to realize that everything and everyone that comes into your life is there to teach you something about yourself. You become empowered. Through spiritual practice, you also learn not to take yourself so seriously. It is all a type of game. This mindset frees you up to become whatever you decide to be. There is no lack in your life because you realize that you are one with everything and everyone around you. Everything is connected.

A spiritual practice doesn’t have to be an elaborate daily ceremony. The practice can be very basic, yet consistent. It should be something that you look forward to. It should be empowering. Select an activity or activities that seem natural to you. I have a few ideas to share with you.

Meditation

Consider taking  time out every day to get quiet. Find a spot that you will not be disturbed. Get comfortable. If possible , set aside about 30 minutes of time. This doesn’t mean that you will necessarily meditate for that long. at first,you might meditate for 5 or 10 minutes. The key is paying attention , specifically, to your breathing. Stay in the moment. Random thoughts might occur. Perhaps you’ll remember some task that you were scheduled to complete for that day. The thoughts might be silly. It doesn’t matter. Meditation can teach you to be in the present moment. Try not to be concerned about time. Focus on staying in the now. The “now” is when everything happens. We tend to focus either on possible futures that neither exist nor will ever happen or past events that are no longer relevant. All that truly matters is the present moment because that is all that there ever is or will be. Meditation can teach you embrace the moment in order to give 100 percent focus towards whatever you are doing. You become more in tuned to your emotions while engaging in the activity. The activity can be anything. You can be washing the dishes, putting away laundry or mowing the lawn.

Regardless, of what events are scheduled in the future, all that exists is right in front of you. You begin to perform better because that is all that you are focusing on. You will learn to ignore distractions. This practice will free you both mentally and  emotionally. Focus on the task at hand. Consistent meditation conditions you to be more alert of what is going on around you as well as within you. You begin to practice staying present more naturally while freeing yourself from worries about events that haven’t even happened yet. This is key to living a stress free life or at least managing stress. You begin to pay attention and gain new insights about a number of occurrences. This awareness heightens your experiences .

“Good” Mining

when I hear the word mining, I think of the California Gold Rush and gold miners. The word “mining” refers to excavating or digging. In numerous cases , the term has referred to digging for precious ores or stones such as gold or diamonds. It took both conscious and consistent effort to finally hit “pay dirt”. The same work ethic applies to “good mining”.  Good mining refers to making the conscious effort to find the good in every situation. I didn’t say that it would be easy. Hence, the need for “good mining”. In many cases, we might have to discipline ourselves to “dig” for the good because life has a way , at times , to seem unbearable. At any time, a situation can occur leaving us feeling like, “What the F%$K??!!! “. Am I right? No one and I mean ABSOLUTELY no one is immune. If you think that you are, get over yourself!! Once we have practiced good mining for a certain period of time, like anything else, it starts to become habitual. The more you are focused on finding the good , the easier it becomes. You look forward to it. This gradual change of mindset has a direct influence on how you view yourself and the world around you. Discipline yourself to find the good in people even when they seem unlovable at that moment. Keep in mind that everyone has a “back story” including you. No one comes into the world “evil”.

Our human DNA is an accumulation of the DNA’s of our ancestors . Our experiences leave a type of imprint on our DNA as well as having a profound impact on our personality and how we see the world. This was the case for each of our ancestors ,therefore, it is possible for us to have inherited certain character traits. Nevertheless, you are your own person. Ultimately, you have the ability to master your own thoughts. We , as humans, are designed to evolve and grow. At our core, like everything else around us, we are energy. Energy never dies and it is unlimited. It transforms from one form to another. Hence, if  energy is infinite and eternal, so are we. I am not referring to our human bodies rather the power that animates it. This is our life essence.Energy is also the source of all power ,therefore,  we are all-powerful. Energy is behind all creation. We are creators.

For this fact, our thoughts and emotions act like “magnets” attracting the events and people that “arrive” within our human experiences. There are no exceptions. As we each awaken to our true infinite nature, we become more aware that our thoughts become things. The more habitual it becomes to find the good in situations and others, the longer we are able to remain in a state of happiness and joy. The longer you maintain these emotional states , the more events and people show up in your life to foster these fillings. Finding the good in situations is tied directly to gratitude. Maintaining a state of gratitude sends out a powerful energy attraction. Even if a difficult situation doesn’t change, your attitude towards the situation changes. This creates opportunities for growth . Solutions to the problem begin to appear because being grateful for a circumstance helps you to stay present. Staying present directly increases focus which heightens creativity. Creativity is the foundation for ideas which leads to solutions. to problems. Happy “good mining”.

Tune In to Nature

It is my opinion that the purpose of true spiritual practice is to remind you that you are spirit. It can serve you by reminding you that there is more to your life than your issues and problems and that you are part of something greater. Spiritual practice helps you to define your purpose and establish an identity that is authentic rather than based on a man made custom or trend. It helps you to realize and embrace your connection to everything and everyone around you. Through my experience, I have found that taking daily walks around my neighborhood serves as an ideal time to reflect on life , breath fresh air and take notice of the natural world around me. Taking time to watch the birds fly by while looking at the lake and the different trees and plants inspires me. I have begun to develop a stronger connection to them. I am imagine what it would be like to fly over the open land as hawk or be tree deeply rooted in the earth. I have become more sensitive to all life around me. All life is precious because all life originates from the same source whether animated or inanimate. The life force that flows through your body flows through everything even the chair or sofa in your living room yet perhaps not at the same level of consciousness. Everything that you see has significant value. All things stem from the Source. This is a true spiritual concept.There has been a misconception that spirituality sets you apart from this life. I vehemently disagree. As I wrote earlier, true spirituality empowers you. It empowers you to create a fulfilling lifestyle based on your terms. If you are empowered. You are free to establish your own identity. Life becomes an adventure that you look forward to experiencing day by day . This is how is supposed to be. Live your best life. If you’re going to have an experience and you have the power to create an ideal one, why not?!!! Your power source is infinite. The power that animates your body createa planets. All that you have to do is “plug in”. This is the purpose of spiritual practice.This power has always existed just as you have always existed. It is a part of you. Learn to use it. Stay “plugged in”. Until next time…