Spiritual-one: Blog on Spiritual Growth & Development

Spirituality and Your Spiritual Life!

By Vincent Singer

It is never too late to think about doing some serious spiritual work. This makes even more sense, if you appreciate the importance of spirituality to humanity as a whole, its wellbeing now, and in the future. No, I'm not talking here about some warm and fuzzy "alternative people" embracing themselves dispassionately, starring at each other through the jungle of dreadlocks and rainbow colored scarfs. Not that there's anything wrong with those people...

I'm talking about "regular" folks of various ages, professions and life experiences, who have reached the stage in life when they realize that there, must be other ways to find joy and satisfaction in one's short existence. Suddenly, being a (successful) participant in everyday human activities: meeting other people, making love, attaining wealth, climbing the social ladder, advancing professionally, "moving places" becoming an authority, etc. etc... loses its appeal. One begins to feel less and less "energized" by praises, compliments, surging bank account, personal success and admiration of others. Even those who practice 'carpe diem' to the extreme, are forced to re-evaluate their priorities when sickness or personal tragedy strikes. Yes, we grow taller and taller, but when the ill wind blows, we break as easily as a dry grass blade.

For many, this moment of "awakening" comes with age - we wise up, and rich in life experiences, see beyond the glitter of the shallows... Suddenly, spirituality looks promising, if for nothing else, but for epitomising all things different to what we've been doing so far. Some will return to practising their religion; others will keep re-searching by stopping-by at many spiritual "shopfronts" run by more or less integrous spiritual gurus. Sure, anything new seems to be a better alternative than resting on the wilting laurels that one cannot take to the grave, anyway. Intense search for a new meaning of life begins, with those of advanced intellect most in a hurry. And while common wisdom tells us: "It doesn't matter who you are, what matters is what you do", meaning that as long as you do 'good' things, you're a good person, spiritual perspective is diagonally opposite.

Renowned spiritual teacher Dr. David R. Hawkins says: "It doesn't matter what you do. What matters is who you are." How true, for in your heart you can be a tyrant, and yet do nice things for the reasons only you know. Ultimately, only you and God know the truth. When you shift the focus to serving your Self, called capital Self, from serving your self - ego, then your spiritual work will bring tremendous rewards. One of them, called an internal peace is arguably the most precious, for it builds a foundation for doing more good - giving away more love and compassion, and allowing ourselves to be touched more by God's unconditional love; for now, and forever. Then, when you say "Gloria in Excelsis Deo!" you'll feel like at home.

Enrich your life by discovering spirituality. Visit Capital Self Spiritual Network for new friendships. Read Spiritual Blog for inspiration and progress.

 

Spirituality Within - A True Story

By Norma Holt

What do you feel when you hear the truth? Does your skin react as if covered in goose bumps? Do you get a chill up your spine? Or a feeling deep inside that cannot be explained? Perhaps you feel nothing and that is very diagnostic about your spiritual status.

If you are spiritual you may have any or all of these symptoms. There are many more that might come your way. One of the major ones is healing of a sickness that is otherwise not curable. Many experience this and put it down to something they have been taught, such as that a dead person healed them. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The Spirit lives within its own people and protects and guides us through life. It ensures we survive to fulfil our purpose in life and it rarely causes stress or pain to its own. Without the Spirit we see people murdered, terrorized, tortured, enslaved, buried under landslips, washed away in tsunamis and so on. So what does this mean to those who know the reality of God.

The voice within is soft, gentle and it cannot be heard above the noise of the world. You have to block out the world if you want to tune in. But that's what those who know about it already do. They are not the ones who jump and stomp around the place, who destroy and burn, who chase after fame and fortune, or who peddle drugs and seek to kill off their fellow man.

They are the gentle folk. The simple people who live quietly while doing good for those around them. They reach out to the victims, comfort the stressed, raise the levels of poverty for others and they give warmth and comfort where it is needed. These are they who hear the voice within calling them, leading them, directing and focusing their goals.

People struggle to find answers that the Spirit is wanting so desperately to tell them. Won't you unplug your ears and listen to the mighty power within? It can change your life. If you are of the Spirit you will know it.

Most humans are like trained zombies or monoliths with hair and eyes that don't see and no ears to hear. Stone like in everything! They are brainwashed from birth and their perceptions of life are only the things told to them. They are conditioned to believe the religious dogma and to carry out certain functions, such as praying to idols and so on. Many offer the idols food or send paper money to heaven via smoke. Can such things possibly be of any use?

This is not how you will behave if the voice within is active.

My latest book A Return to Life tells it as it happened and is a true story. But you can also read about the power and spirituality within here

 

Universal Spirituality Explained - An Overview for the Curious

By Aaron Whiston

Universal spirituality is the term I use to transcend specific religious doctrines and organized creeds. In particular, this concept is applied to spiritual pursuits that go above and beyond the teachings of accepted churches and dogmas; the following content will help anchor those who are new to modern spiritual discussions.

First of all, the reader should understand that few things in the spiritual arena, besides personal discovery, are actually new. The "New Age" is a term often used to describe literature and philosophy that reject traditional theism (one-god faiths like Christianity) and promote broad spiritual practices; but the ideology herein is quite old.

This "New Age" technically originated in the late 19th century, along with freethinking and other movements of thought. It's very interesting to note this emergence is consistent with ancient prophecies about a global spiritual awakening; see native lore from North and South Americas as well as other cultures for evidence of this. However the belief and practice encompassed in these "new" movements are actually thousands of years old.

Universal spirituality leaves plenty of room for individual interpretation and experience. While organized faith finds this outrageous, the fact is every human being is well-equipped to experience the subtle cosmic energies and need not obey arbitrary religious laws to do so; in fact it's evident that many religious rules and ceremonies are designed specifically to limit the practitioner's access to these empowering experiences.

The core fundamental of modern spiritual thought is the idea of oneness rather than separation. Whether or not an individual believes in one or more god figures is irrelevant. All things in the cosmos are bound, or connected, at the most fundamental level; this ancient concept is supported by cutting-edge physics, wherein we find that all phenomenon in the known universe emerge from one field of infinite energy, and all things are connected through this field of energy at the subatomic level.

Simply put, the energy waves that form the atoms from which we are all made are entangled with and connected to the energy of all other people, objects, energies, and life forms in the universe. Hence the spiritual claim that we are all one is indeed very accurate.

After oneness, the next primary tenant of universal spirituality is the idea of cosmic intelligence. The Universe is conscious, and an intelligent force drives all functions from the formation of stars to the combustions and reactions within our cells and systems. While some people and organizations use deities and gods to personify aspects of life, it is not necessary to attach names and egos to the cosmic consciousness. The anthropomorphizing, or transforming into human likeness, of natural forces is an old practice. For example many ancient religions created a sun god, moon goddess, and so forth; this molding of the universe into personal figures demonstrates humanity's need to control their understanding of the world around them.

But the fact is, intelligence need not only come in the form of humanoid bodies and verbal thought patterns. Our digestive systems demonstrate intelligence, but this does not mean your stomach is named Bob and relays verbal commands your small intestines, Linda. The need to fold and button the cosmic force that drives all things into a form that reflects our own faces is a limitation.

This brings us to the third main principle of universal spirituality, which is the guiding light of intuition. Our intellect may not be sufficient to grasp the most profound spiritual concepts, but through intuitive understanding we can experience a knowingness that transcends thought.

By this same token, our ego-mind is not the ruling portion of our minds. Our ego, or identity, is only one part of what we are. In essence human beings are non-localized consciousness having the experience of mind and body.

Place this notion into context by considering the following statement: When you experience what we call death, your body leaves the spirit, and not the other way around. Give that a few moments to sink in.

Here is a condensed review of these ideas:        

All phenomenon that are part of what we refer to as life, or the universe, are connected at the fundamental level. There is only one reality from which the image of many events and circumstances manifests.

A vast intelligence underlies this one reality. This creative consciousness drives the motion of heavenly bodies, the migratory instincts of birds, the life force of ants, and the emotional complexities of human beings.

We are more than our thought patterns and our sense of identity. We are expressions of cosmic consciousness observing the transitory experience of having a body, a name, etc.

These three basic concepts can be even more easily summarized as follows:

All things are part of one great mind or spirit. The spiritual journey is about feeling our connection to this source and its many manifestations, and transcending the mundane experience by knowing our true nature.

From this foundation many additional lessons and experiences can be encountered. Individuality is an important part of true spirituality, as is the paradoxical nature of reality. I hope this article has been useful for the curious seeker. Bear in mind that other writers may well interpret spirituality in a different manner; however I believe the previous content resonates well with the core themes of most informal spiritual teaching.

To answer the question "what is spirituality" and to find your own purpose in life, be sure to visit the author's blog. You'll find a wealth of information on the things that matter most in life.