..Spirituality..: December 2008

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Developing Spirituality

Spirituality means that we know we are more than just the physical
self. We have an energy or spirit attached to us. In some religious
circles our spirit is referred to as the soul and is immortal and that
the spirit was created by some divine maker or creator.

On the other hand, spirituality to some is a sense of
connectiveness to the spiritual nature of the universe, the
collective universe that is a part of us all. What the psychologist
Carl Jung referred to as the collective unconscious. The collective
unconscious is the reservoir of the experiences of all humans.

Some believe that spirituality is simply getting in touch with your
higher consciousness because we all have the divine spirit within
us and it can be accessible. Regardless of your definition, when
you begin a spiritual journey, you will begin to change your
perception, learn to wean yourself from societal morals, traditional
thinking and the conditioning of childhood.

Spirituality is not a fad or a brief moment but a way of looking at
your overall environment or world view and is a lifelong pursuit.
Regardless how one person defines spirituality, there are common
characteristics. There is the development of love toward others,
which is not defined as a true love or romantic love but a positive
feeling of concern for other peoples' welfare.

Getting in touch with one's own Deity is important for those who
have a Deity. It is not necessary to believe in divine being or God to
be spiritual. Many people see our spirit as divine in its own right.
Therefore, communicating with your inner self will be the order of
the day.

Although you may not hear a clear voice, you may suddenly have a
thought come to mind and as you become adept at contacting your
spirit, the more answers or outcomes will take place. It's at this
time that many people contact their spirit guide, a thought or vivid
dream/visualization of a person or sometimes an animal that is
helpful in answering questions or steering you in the right
directions.

Not everyone believes in organized religion due to the fact many
types of religions tend to be more dogmatic with church beliefs
rather than that of studying or worshiping a creator or son of a
creator. Not everyone is happy with an idea of a supreme being,
but everyone can relate to the spiritual. This is the reason why
many people see a distinct difference between religions and
spirituality. But when we start to communicate with ourselves---
our higher selves, we actually begin to understand ourselves and
the world around us much better and it gives us a sense of the
divine without having to describe it of define it.

Conrad Raw is an expert in practical techniques for personal and spiritual development. He is the author of "Forbidden Secrets Of Personal And Energetic Development." He travels the world to learn and teach and is the founder of Greater Human Potential, a website devoted to bringing you easy to learn techniques to increase your human evolution. Visit his website for a free newsletter filled with tons of great tips and advice.

Spirituality Simplified

Spirituality Simplified, by author Jeff Maziarek, is an excellent resource for spiritual seekers, and the perfect guide for anyone curious about, or new to, the spiritual path. With dozens of excerpts from top authors such as, Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Tolle, Anthony DeMello, Neale Donald Walsch, Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford, and Alan Cohen, among many others, this book offers a comprehensive road map to the spiritual path.

In this book, Jeff Maziarek explores many of the questions we all ask -- or will ask -- at some point in our lives. Jeff Maziarek also delves into other important questions, such as: "Who are you at the physical level?;" "Who or What is God?;" "Who are you at the spiritual level?;" and, "What about past mistakes and forgiveness? Is anything unforgivable?" While the answers to many of these questions differ from one person to another, Jeff Maziarek provides an excellent cross-section of answers from some of the great spiritual thinkers of our time, like Dr. Joseph Murphy, and the authors mentioned above, for example.

Among other such important questions, author Maziarek also provides a good overview of practices and concepts often associated with the spiritual path, such as: Prayer; Meditation; Awareness; Consciousness; Healing; Abundance; Forgiveness; Personal Growth and Development; and a broad array of other topics fundamental to spirituality. These subjects, like the answers to some of the important questions of spirituality, are given as thorough a treatment as any one book possibly could give such a comprehensive overview of such a tremendous subject.

One of the more interesting features of Spirituality Simplified is the use of song lyrics, along with quotes and book excerpts, to paint a very colorful, and "melodic," work that highlights the similarities among the great religions and philosophies, rather than just the differences. Jeff Maziarek has truly written a book that bridges the philosophical gap between mainstream religion and the spiritual path -- showing us all that there is room for everyone on the spiritual path. This book is a timeless classic which will remain a useful tool for any spiritual aspirant for many years to come.

For more information about Spirituality Simplified, or author Jeff Maziarek, go to www.SpiritSimple.com, or look for it on Amazon.com.

Pete Koerner, author of The Belief Formula
http://www.ExploreExpandEvolve.com

*For a Free Report on Making The Belief Formula Work for You, visit: http://www.TheBeliefFormula.com

Develop Your Spirituality – Be a Saint!

On first thought, developing one’s spirituality may seem an impossible task, let alone being a saint. However, both are possible and not as difficult as it may seem.

What is Spirituality?

Spirituality is only the acceptance that you are basically spirit in essence and not the material body. Moreover, that all of creation is spirit in essence and not material. How so?

A spiritual person has no doubt that they are spirit. A saint lives this truth in his or her life.

How Can Spirituality Be Developed?

Each person is different, in respect to their experiences and psychological composition. However, each person is the same, as if they acknowledge they are spirit, then spirit, as gold, is the same, no matter where it is found.

This is what makes someone spiritual. It is no surprise that saints of whatever religion all share common traits.

Often when saints (or holy men) from different religions happen to meet, they feel an instant affinity, and act as brothers.

Spirituality can be developed by embracing creation, the creator, and all of living creatures as a physical impossibility.

The conditions for life are so obscure and statistically impossible, that one must see it in spiritual terms only. Just considering this fact, and dwelling on it will reinforce your basic spiritual nature.

The saint, takes this advice quite seriously, and does nothing else.

The saint rejects the world and materialism and accepts and lives the world of spirit. The saint begins as anyone would begin, by developing their spirituality.

However, they do not stop there, they begin to live the principles they have developed.

So therefore, its up to each person, to ask, do I wish to be a saint?

How Can One Be Spiritual and Still Live in the Material World?

This has been a dilemma for ages, and a question not easily answered. It is enough to say you can be “in” this world but not “of” this world.

The material conditions of the world change continually. The spiritual conditions of the world never change. So as you are developing your spirituality, you can even enjoy the world, only not be bound up in it.

This binding is called Karma, and keeps even saints from being liberated in spirit.

You must not be ‘of’ the world, as this will deny its spiritual reality. While “in” the world, you can still understand that all moves, all exists, all that ceases to exist, were expressions, or rather reflections from a spiritual reality.

If you can accept this, you can become spiritual, live and do your work in the material world, but never be bound by it.

You can in this simple way, not incur Karma, and should you carry this principle out to its logical end, you can become a saint.

What is Sainthood?

Depending on what particular religion you follow, a saint can be defined differently in general terms.

However in its basic terms, all saints have realized the spiritual basis of all creation, and have joined it, and are well attached not to creation, but to the creator.

MORE FREE INFO

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The Difference Between Religion and Spirituality

For years, there's been a great debate between religion and spirituality. Some people believe that they are one in the same, yet others believe they are distinct and separate ideas. But there's a difference between religion and spirituality. One dictates how you worship, the other how you live.

Often times, people use the terms interchangeably. They consider their religious beliefs to be spiritual ones or their spiritual beliefs to be religious ones. The two can go hand-in-hand, and most frequently do, but a person doesn't necessarily need to
be religious to be spiritual or spiritual to be religious. Actually, a person can be both, either or none. To truly understand their differences, be them subtle or overt, we need only look at their meanings.

Religion is a man-made system of worship. It is an organized practice that gives a framework in which a believer may interact with his or her higher power. It is based on tradition and teachings that have been around for years. Spirituality, on the other hand, is the belief within the believer. It is the recognition and acceptance of that connection between the inner self and a power that lies outside of his or her personal being. It is based on feeling and faith in something unexplainable.

You see, spirituality is innate, and religion is by design. We are born with our spirituality, that connection between ourselves and the world around us, an inherent confidence in what cannot be seen or heard. We are taught our religion, a method in which we practice our beliefs, a set of guidelines established through word of mouth. When you experience that connection or believe that things happen for a reason, this is your spirituality. In essence, it guides you in how you live your life. When you practice a doctrine of beliefs or pray a specific prayer, this is your religion. It tells you how to live your life.

A person's spirituality and religious beliefs can stem from the same foundation. However, within any religion there is a personal relationship between the self and the higher power. If we attend services at a church, we practice a certain religion amongst a group of people. Most of the followers in attendance possess the same general belief in the doctrines of that particular sect. For the most part, each person accepts the scriptures taught within that organization as truth. But our spiritual nature, even within our practice, is individual. Our interpretation or perspective of what we are taught is unique from one person to the next. We each take something different from our religion. We each apply it in our own personal way to our life.

There's a difference between religion and spirituality, just like there's a difference between how we worship and how we live our lives. Simply because someone goes to church doesn't make them more spiritual than someone who doesn't. It merely means they're practicing differently. Simply because someone leads a spiritual life doesn't make them more religious than someone who leads a secular life. No matter how you observe your faith, it is personal.

Copyrighted 2008, Marianne Wells LLC, All rights reserved
Marianne Wells, International Yoga Presenter
Specializing in the Yoga Alliance 200 Hour RYT Teacher Training
http://www.mariannewells.com

Thoughts To Ponder - #21

"I think in metaphysical terms, I would call that increasing the speed of the vibration of life."

"I think that's a result of just a general increase in speed of the vibration of life itself."

"It's a very small and select slice of all the people who have ever been born. I believe we've come back during this time, those of us who are here now, specifically to experience it. And to cause a 'quickening of the spirit.'"

"One either has to believe in a God who's terribly prejudiced, or disbelieve the teachings of such exclusionary theologies."

"Religions have taught us that 'we are better than they.'"

"This thought of betterness has crept into every area of society, where in fact, it becomes insidious. It begins with our children when they are very young. And indeed as you just mentioned they find themselves on teams."

"We've seen in the last half century an incredible shift. This is just an extraordinary time to be alive."

"You'll find individuals agreeing on this, but when they get into collective societies and larger groups they find it difficult to achieve group agreement."

"The new spirituality is that it will produce an experience in human encounters in which we become a living demonstration of the basic spiritual teaching 'We are all one.'"

"I think the new spirituality will be a spirituality that's not based on a particular dogma. And that steps away from the old spiritual paradigm that we have created on this planet, which comes from a thought that there is such a thing as being better."

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist, Author, "101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life." Mind, Body, Spirit healing and Physical/Sexual Abuse Prevention and Recovery. As an inspirational leader, Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life's challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net

Practical Spirituality

In the book by John Randolph Price, "Practical Spirituality" the author says:

"Your God-Self thinks only thoughts of abundance and never lack or limitation. These thoughts are in form of pure space within the Mind of your Higher Self. This thought energy constitutes a momentous force, a power, a mighty thrust which presses out and radiates through your consciousness. This thought energy - the Mind Power - is pregnant with the thinkingness of unlimited supply, boundless prosperity, overflowing abundance."

"As this copious substance moves through your consciousness, it is either distributed "as is" - or altered according to the vibration of your energy field. It lets itself be impressed with the shape of your consciousness, and then goes forth into the physical world to become, or appear as, forms and experiences relating to your concept of abundance."

This passage is really a jewel. As we become conscious and begin to take heed of our thoughts and the feelings we radiate, we then see how out thoughts become an actual hindrance to prosperous manifestation because The Higher Mind knows far better than any thought we can think in place of it.

Practical Spirituality, for us is living in 'God Space' knowing that as we think we are actualizing the God 'I Am' in all that we say and do. It is not only spiritual to allow God to be God in us but it is also logical. What could be more awesome in our experience than to bring forth the highest possibility in every moment?

As we become more awakened to the Power within we will see more clearly how practical Spirituality actually is.

By: Ananda and John McIntosh

John & Ananda McIntosh are authors and teachers of A Course in Miracles and The Law of Attraction. The couple has ten published books to date related to these subjects and over 40 years of experience applying the principles they teach. To find links to their writings, books and Podcasts go to their web site: http://www.lawofattractioncenters.com or send an email to createmiracles@aol.com

Thoughts To Ponder - #22

"The new spirituality will step away from dogma, will step away from 'We're right and you're wrong.'"

"The new spirituality will also base itself on a third very large spiritual understanding, which is that life is eternal. Most religious people claim to believe that, but very few people actually live as if that were true."

"The new spirituality will bring about what I'm calling the 'end of better.' And that is in fact what is called for in the next of the series of books that I've been writing."

"And we're seeing a higher level of consciousness and many more opportunities for people to challenge their present ways of thinking and move into a grander and larger experience of who they really are."

“Tomorrow's God says that every church is 'his church,' and every faith is 'her faith,' and every soul is God's soul, because it shares the same soul with God! ... And no person or living thing in the universe stands outside the community of God.”

“When we'd go to church, my mother would say, 'Ask the priest your questions.' And the priest was quite indulgent, ... Often he'd say, 'We haven't figured that out yet, my boy.' When I heard that, I was free, I was overjoyed -- I could create [my own] answers.”

"As told in Friendship with God, if we simply decided to believe and act as if first, we're all one, and second, life is eternal, it would render virtually everything we've done all our lives pointless."

How Hard Do You Have to Work at "Getting" Spirituality?

I am one of those "new agers" (now, "getting older" agers) who believes in Teillard deChardin's description that we are "spiritual beings having a human experience." When our existence is viewed in that light, it appears that we do not have to work all that hard at being spiritual, we just ARE spiritual.

However, most of us want to FEEL a particular way, don't we? That's what we call "spirituality," the feeling that we get, deep, in what we call, our "soul." Thanks to our fast-paced, dog-eat-dog world, our souls are often the LAST parts of us that we remember to nourish.

Abraham Lincoln is supposed to have said that "people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be," and HAPPINESS is a part of our spirituality. Do I arrise grumpy and out of sorts because of my problems and take it out on my spouse, children, or the people with whom I work? Is happiness a decision? I think so. I agree with Abe, I am as happy as I let myself be.

GRATITUDE is another part of being spiritual. What am I grateful for today, or on a daily basis? I am grateful for my family, friends, 12 Step Fellowships, my health and for being a productive "spiritual being" these days. There are those, (you and I know who they are), who show little thanks for the abundance in their lives, and who believe that it is their due. Our God (Higher Power of many names) appreciates being thanked. Which brings us to the next part of spirituality: God.

Not all of us call our Creator "GOD." Good Orderly Direction, The Force, and Goddess are only three of thousands, but the Creator is the basis, the beginning and end, of everything. A belief in some kind of Higher Power is essential to experiencing our spirituality. For me, it is more than a belief, it is an inner knowing that you, I, Mother Earth, animals, "all our relations," are interconnected at a level far beyond atoms and molecules, at the quantum level, our energies co-mingle. We are All There Is creations of the All There Is!

I attended a sacred drum circle last month and as we all stood near one another, I imagined that everyone was in his/her "spirit selves"...kind of like in the movie "Cocoon" when the human costumes were unzipped and discarded! There was such spiritual energy among us, and many who were strangers when the evening began, were friends when it ended.

All we have to do to "get spirituality" is to "let spirituality" in! Make your decision now, you'll never regret it.

Spirituality And Science - Opposites?

Do spirituality and science have to be opposed to each other? Unfortunately, just defining either concept seems almost hopeless at times. On the other hand, describing them is much easier, so let's start there.

Science isn't system, but an approach to knowledge, a method. Scientists will argue forever about the definition of science, but still agree it is the most useful or productive method of understanding the world. What are its essential characteristics? They are objective observation, the deriving of principles and "laws", and predictions based on these. (When it produces things, it is also technology.)

Science can be easily differentiated from religion by the fact that all of the knowledge it produces might be proven wrong. Religious "knowledge" is typically sacred, and untouchable, while scientific knowledge is always being overthrown or refined by further application of science. While faith is the cornerstone of religion, evidence is for science.

This explains why "creationist" science is not actually science. A creationist "scientist" will not allow his religiously based beliefs to be challenged by new evidence. He will openly tell you that his "faith" is more important to him than the evidence. He only uses the pretense of science to support his preconceived notions. Many scientists, on the other hand, have overturned even their own theories, because the essence of science is to go where the evidence leads you.

Spirituality And Science Combined

It seems that spirituality and science contradict one another, but this would only be true if all spirituality was based on religious beliefs. Spirituality, though, can be seeking higher levels of experience, asking the deepest questions, and seeking the true "self," which in no way makes it contrary to science. In fact, since science is such a productive method of discovering new truths, it can be used for spiritual exploration and discovery.

I a belief in God contrary to science? Not so long as it is based on experience rather than faith, and it is open to change. Spiritual systems of beliefs can be a convenient way of organizing and using our knowledge and experience, like many other scientific theories or paradigms. To be scientific, though, they must be open to change.

If prayer brings you peace of mind, why not pray? When the evidence shows it to be a phenomenon involving brain chemicals, why not accept that too? It is scientific spirituality, by the way, that has lead to the technology of brain wave entrainment. Now you can buy CDs that give you the same spiritual experiences as religious meditators.

Being spiritual then, can mean forever seeking higher levels of experience, and looking for the answers to the deepest questions. Science help in this quest. Since every answer raises even deeper questions, there is no extinguishment of spirituality by way of science. If spirituality is the quest, then science may be the most effective means of continuing it.

Steve Gillman has been exploring new ideas for decades. Visit his site for invention ideas, business ideas, story ideas, political and economic theories, deep thoughts, and more. Get a free gift too: New Ideas (http://www.999ideas.com)

Spirituality in 21st Century Organizations - Nu Leadership Series

“In the past a leader was a boss. Today's leaders must be partners with their people... they no longer can lead solely based on positional power.”
Ken Blanchard

Organizations must understand what spirituality means in the workplace for employees. After the September 11th terrorist attacks, it was obvious that businesses and public organizations were vulnerable. People lost jobs and were forced to change their lifestyles. Yet the aftermath of such tragedies has produced a spiritual void in America’s workplace. What is the catalysis for creating this new cultural shift in America’s workplaces?

Some may blame the impersonal outcome of the Industrial Age. Essentially, 9/11 exposed this emerging trend of workers who are seeking meaning in the workplace. However, today’s managers are not ready for the workforce windfall. Therefore, understanding this emerging value is critical to organizational leaders.

Today’s workers consider spiritual fulfillment a valuable commodity in their work environments. Many organizations would prefer to stay away from religious connotations. However, many workers desire a more meaningful existence, at work and home. Ashar and Lane-Maher, authors of Success and Spirituality in the New Business Paradigm, maintain that the workforce has an aspiration for something more than employment. This desire has been commonly called spirituality. However, critics argue that spirituality in the workplace could possibly open businesses to litigation for discrimination.

Clearly, workplace spirituality runs counter to “good old” capitalism. Obviously, these critics miss the intent of this spiritual movement. This concept is not about organized religion but recognizing the reality that people want to meet their inner desires by having meaningful work. This phenomenon will continue to grow in organizations as managers neglect to meet employees’ spiritual needs.

References:

Ashar, H. & Lane-Maher, M. (2004). Success and spirituality in the new business paradigm. Journal of Management Inquiry, 13(3), 249-260.

Gibson, J., Ivancevich, J., Donnelly, J., & Konopaske, R. (2006). Organizations: Behavior, Structure, Processes. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Youth With A Mission (2002). Spiritual Formation in the Workplace: God’s Spirit at Work. Received on September 2, 2006, from http:www.scruples.org/web/articles/Spiritual%20Formation%20at%20Work.htm

Emotional Awareness Through Yoga Spirituality

When you think of spirituality, remember that being spiritual is not an act of reaching something outside of you. Your spirit is within you, as your breath and as yourself. It is the spirit in you that pulses through you while animating you without failing in its support for you.

With spirituality, you are reminded everyday that you are connected to the universal pulse of life. And it is with yoga and spirituality that you find it possible for you to dissolve any crust you have around your heart so that you can experience and relish the radiance of spirituality.

The actual relationship between yoga and spirituality can be understood when you realize that breathing is an important exchange of matter and energy in the universe. Every breath you take sees an exchange of carbon dioxide molecules from your inner body to the surrounding air. Even an interruption of a few minutes in this process can bring about irreversible damage to your body as the brain and body becomes starved for oxygen.

The heart is the organ that helps you with your breathing and can be considered to be the pulse of life in your body. Breathing is the rhythm of the primordial sea and the ebb and flow of matter and energy to your body. And what better way in improving your breathing and the amount of oxygen to your body than with regular yoga.

It is while understanding the important role that breathing has in mindfulness and healing that yoga and spirituality has found a linking between the two. It is through yoga and the many pulsations of the body that are emphasized on through yoga that you tend to get connected with the Lord, and the experience of being alive. With yoga, you improve your breathing stamina, and thus find it possible for you to have longer periods of connection with the Lord, and spirituality.

With yoga, you tend to start self reflecting and become aware of your body, your feelings and your surroundings. Once you realize all this, you tend to stay in tune with your needs and the needs of others. And what do you reach with this, empowerment. Once you learn more about you and your body you find it easier to promote your level of achievement.

Remember that 'knowledge is power'; so once you know who you are and what you can do, you find it possible to play an important role in what you intend to make of yourself. There is no fixed time for you to turn to yoga and spirituality to walk the spiritual path; now is the time for you to remember that your spirit is within your reach.

Once you develop a routine of yoga and spirituality, you learn to do things not only on a physical level, but also on emotional level. This is how you learn to integrate your mind, emotions, spirit and your body as a potential spiritual movement.

Today all yoga practitioners vouch that yoga has many benefits that include psychological and spiritual benefits. And with the scientific crowd providing sufficient evidence for benefits of yoga, it is the spiritual benefits that are most pronounced.

Different people think of spirituality with different views; most of the time it is related with religion and god. However in yoga, it not only deals with God but also with your inner conscious and soul. Yoga is considered today to be a means of reaching your inner consciousness as it triggers the energy circles of the body with which you can reach the epitome of energy.

So with the rejuvenation you experience with yoga, and the path you find to attain spiritual liberation and salvation with yoga, yoga is something those seeking enlightment should practice.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for MicroKarma.com, CoffeeZen.com, and PrimeYoga.com

Hurricanes and Spirituality

Many people believe that thru spirituality that the human mind and a whole lot of human minds working together can stop a Hurricane? Is it truly possible to stop a wicked Hurricane like we saw in the 2005 Atlantic Tropical Hurricane Season using your mind or a collective of minds thinking; Cool or Dissipate.

And thinking in the vicinity of the Hurricane using a map? Well, some believe it is and what if all the people in the entire country all at once decided to try it? Wow, what would happen then?

We all know that Human intent and will are a powerful force indeed. But can the power of the mind or many minds totally focused at the same time stop or subdue a mighty Category Five Hurricane headed for the shoreline to do devastation and destruction? Many believe it maybe possible and well maybe then we should try.

Maybe science may learn something that many people of super spirituality already claim to know? So, how powerful is the human mind you ask? And how powerful is a mighty Hurricane? Well a Hurricane produces enough power to make a Hiroshima Atomic Bomb every ten minutes, so we are not talking about a little feat.

Yet, still most spirituality folks believe that the human mind is literally limitless. If this is the case then lets put our heads together for the next big Tropical Hurricane before it hits. Please consider this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

An Uncommon Way To Define Spirituality

How you define spirituality for yourself has a big impact on your experience and also your relationship to this intangible dimension of life that we all long to know more intimately. On a very fundamental level we can define spirituality as everything that deals with matters of our spirit (or our soul). Each and every one of us have an aspect of ourselves that is invisible but still very real. In fact this invisible part of ourselves is the very essence of our lives and spirituality is about being connected with this spiritual part while being in the physical world.

We all have spiritual experiences all the time. Spirituality is not just about recognizing these spiritual experiences, but consciously seeking these experiences and to develop a greater sensitivity to the spiritual in life. It's about growing this tiny spark that's inside each and every one of us to become a more dominant force in your everyday life. By nurturing the seeds of divinity that's inside each and every one of us, you can start to deliberately work with the very 'laws' that govern all of life and the physical world.

Everything in the physical world emanates from an invisible source. Spirituality connects you with this profoundly and powerful divine force that's present in all of the universe. So often we try and change our physical circumstances by 'moving things around' in the physical world. The transforming truth about spirituality is that the solutions to our external conditions lie inside. The outer world flows from the inner world. When you are connected to your own spirituality you are connected to the very source of everything in the world. You uplift your world by first transforming and uplifting your own inner world and your inner vision.

The greatest challenge is that many people define spirituality by religious connotations and religion is almost exclusively based on outward experience and conforming to someone else's rules. Spirituality is not so much about external observations, but more about inner experiences. It is deeply personal and something that only you can truly define for yourself since these inner experiences are often very hard to fully express in words and explanations.

Since the seeds of divinity is already inside you (it is the essence of life), hearing the right words may trigger within you your own awakening to a higher level of consciousness. This is a spiritual consciousness that transcends the physical world and your ordinary sensory perceptions of life. From this point of view religion can be very useful in assisting you to find your own spiritual centre, but religion without spirituality can be very empty and most often it becomes an emotional experience rather than a spiritual one.

For the most part religion is riddled with superstition, rules and dogma. It's predominantly based on someone else's beliefs and experiences rather the personal experience of God within. It's a bit like wearing someone else's shoes - even if it is the right size it feels uncomfortable, but if you wear it enough eventually you get used to it until it becomes your very own.

One of the most powerful and useful ways to define spirituality for yourself is to recognize and nurture that divine spark deep within you. As you grow in your understanding of this spiritual dimension you will be able to transcend the illusion of everyday awareness. Ultimately spirituality is about enriching your experience of life and to see a greater sense of meaning and purpose in life. Regardless of how you define spirituality, it is that still silent voice deep within. It is your spirit and it is your constant companion on life's journey. It is your own personal connection to the higher intelligence that's present in all of life.

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Four Important Points For Planning a Team Building Activity

Whether you are a manager or a person in charge, organizing a team building activity is a golden path to fulfill your common goals. The basic thing about team building activity is to gain huge popularity and earn employees' trust and confidence. Why? It is mainly because of the fact that the strongest team has the capability of achieving the dreams and motivating employees to act in the desired manner. In case, you are planning a team building activity, you need to keep following four points in mind:

1. Educate Mutual Respect

In this world of fierce competitiveness, companies are doing everything that may provide them gains and profits. The purpose of team building activity is to infuse the sense of understanding among team members. Every team member must respect each other and do not let grudges enter into the mind. The team building is all about eliminating the negative feelings and encouraging the positive energy to come out.

2. Let Spirituality Come Out

Many people might feel that what spirituality has nothing to do with corporate events, however, in reality; the scope of spirituality is very wide. It is not only about religious faith or realizing the inner self but spirituality also includes improvised human interaction. Try to infuse a deeper value sense so that they can be able to help each other and make a better workplace.

3. Leads to Progress

The basis of the team building activity is to bring progress in every aspect. In team building activity, member interactions with each other and work in a perfect co-ordination to realize the common goals.

4. Brings out the Potential Leadership

Team building activity encourages workers to take the leadership challenges. It is all about awarding responsibility and creating accountability for a work so that common goals can be realized most conveniently.

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Body-Mind-Spirit Balance

How do we balance our bodies, our minds and our spirits? You know those wheels that help us delineate the 'slice' of time we spend on various activities such as work, social, kids and partners etc. Well perhaps we could divide the pie into body, mind and spirit segments and track the portions we spend on the three.

Many of us try to exercise more nowadays because we know that's an important part of living long, healthy lives. We feed our minds by reading, dialoguing and with various multi-media presentations. But how much time do we spend on things that feed our spirit?

Spirituality means different things to different people. Spiritual expression can take many form, from formal and religious to informal and secular - to individual or group activities. . When I took my counseling program at City University in 1998, many of our instructors were Narrative Therapists. They spoke often of meaning, asking, "What gives your life meaning?"

In the broader definition of spirituality that I prefer, anything that gives us meaning, in the positive sense of the word, is spiritual. To some women this might mean walking in the woods, gardening, special time with our child or partner. For others meditation, mountain climbing or retraining for a career of service meets spiritual needs.

In his wonderfully inclusive book Beyond Religion: 10 Paths to the Sacred,David Elkins describes the many choices we have in our search for spirituality. His definition of spirituality is a broad concept. He includes nature, the body (including sexuality and movement), relationships, art, nature and more.

In the past two years I have been invigorating and awakening my body, mind and spirit by participating in movement classes several times a week...a combination of dance and energy awareness. The spiraling of the dance can't help but rejuvenate as it clears old energies out of our bodies.

I invite you to choose whatever type of spirituality resonates with you, whatever that may be. Check in with your internal knowing and you will get the answers. And honour those answers as much as possible. It is your right to celebrate spirituality in a way that honours you body, mind and soul.

Through her 'Odyssey of Change' coaching program, Ellen Besso offers Midlife Women the opportunity to navigate the midlife maze and find joy & fullness in their lives.

Personal action plans include strengthening the body-mind connection; releasing beliefs that limit growth; & specific actions to move you forward into your ideal life.

Ellen is uniquely qualified to be your guide because she has personally journeyed through perimenopause and into an inspired life as a menopausal crone! Her professional credentials include certification as a Martha Beck Coach and an M.A. in Counseling from City University.

To find out more about Ellen's work and read articles written by her contact:

http://www.ellenbesso.com or http://www.ellenbesso.com/midlifemaze
info@ellenbesso.com - 800 961 1364 - N.Am. or 604 886 1916 - Gibsons, B

Spirituality Helps Texans With Stress Relief

There are certain activities that can reduce stress which are very tangible, including exercise, eating healthier and developing and nurturing friendships. But many individuals in Austin, Dallas, Houston and elsewhere in Texas also find that looking within themselves can help them manage the difficult times.

At its core, spirituality can give individual lives’ context. Spirituality doesn’t mean you’re connected to a specific belief system or even that you participate in religious worship. It comes from that invisible connection you have with others and involves the development of a personal value system, as well as the search for the meaning in life.

For many individuals, spirituality takes on the form of religion, prayer, meditation or the belief in a higher power. For others, spirituality is discovered in nature, music, art or a secular community. It is different for everyone.

Spirituality has many benefits. Here’s how it can help you:

• Focusing on personal goals. You may help uncover what's most meaningful in your life. By discovering what's important to you, you can rid your life of stress by determining what the unimportant things that seem to consume you are.

• Making a connection with the world. The more you feel you have a direction in the world, the less alone you’ll feel and the greater inner peace you will have.

• Relinquishing control. As you begin to feel a part of a greater whole, you discover you’re not responsible for all the good and bad in life. Share the burden of tough times and life’s blessings with those around you.

• Extending your support network. Sharing your spirituality can help build relationships.

• Making your life healthier. People who are spiritual can cope better with stress and heal faster from illness or addiction.

Spirituality starts with how you see yourself, and how you are nurtured by your relationships with others. This culminates in a sense of purpose in your life. The best ways to grow in your spirituality are to improve your self-esteem and to cultivate relationships with individuals who are important in your life.

Here are ways that some have found help in spiritual growth:

• Using prayer, meditation and relaxation techniques to access their inner wisdom and help focus their thoughts.

• Starting a journal to help them express their feelings and record their progress.

• Finding a trusted adviser or friend who can help discover what's important in one’s life. Other individuals may have insights you don’t.

• Reading inspirational stories to find inspiration in life.

• Talking to others whom one admires. Asking them how they found their way to a spiritual life.

• Trying new things. When exploring organized religion, remember the variety of different faiths and their traditions. If your spirituality is more secular, consider expanding your horizons with the arts or music.

Staying connected to both your spirituality and to those around you can benefit your life, mentally as well as physically. How you define spirituality may change over time, but it should always form the basis of your well-being. It helps you reduce your stress levels while providing direction in your life.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patt_Carpenter

Do You Know the Key Ingredient to Make Your Holiday Season Bright?

The months of December and January are a time of religious significance for many people. Numerous religious holidays will be celebrated during a six week period of time. All of the additional busyness and preparation for the holiday can actually detract from the day itself.

One ingredient, in the form of a character strength, will enhance your holiday season. That character strength is spirituality. Peterson and Seligman state in their book, Character Strengths and Virtues (2004), that while the specific content of spiritual beliefs varies, all cultures have a concept of an "ultimate, transcendent, sacred and divine force."

Spirituality is universal. It can mean religiousness, faith, or purpose. When you are spiritual, you have coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe. It is about knowing where you fit within the larger scheme of life. Finally, it involves having beliefs about the meaning of life that shape your conduct and provide comfort.

According to Pargament and Mahoney in their book, Spirituality: the Discovery and Conservation of the Sacred (2002), spirituality represents the key and unique function of religion. They view spirituality as a search for the sacred. They believe there are a number of paths to choose from in order to discover and conserve the sacred.

In addition, spirituality and religious beliefs and practices are positively associated with altruism, kindness, volunteerism, and forgiveness. These beliefs and practices can:

- Help you cope during stressful life events.

- Increase a sense of purpose and meaning in your life.

- Decrease alienation.

- Improve the quality of relationships between people and in families.

You can increase your character strength of spirituality. To enhance your sense of meaning and purpose during this holiday season, try several of the following suggestions:

- Take 5 minutes daily to relax and think about the purpose of life and what this means to you.

- Take 5 minutes daily and think about things you can do to improve your family, community, or the world.

- Read a religious/spiritual book or article.

- Spend a few minutes daily in meditation or prayer.

- Notice if your everyday actions have any spiritual significance. If not, think of ways to make your actions and your values match.

- Go to several religious services and think about what meaning each one has for you.

No matter what your religious beliefs are, I hope you will take time to deepen your spiritual self, enjoy being with family and friends, and have fun. Make this your brightest holiday season ever. Happy holidays.

Maurine Patten, Ed.D., CMC, Maximize Your Possibilities http://www.PattenCoaching.com

Mailto:mdpcoach@pattencoaching.com

More free information, EI and Pre-retirement assessment, and ezine subscription at http://www.PattenCoaching.com

Leading a Spiritual Workplace - Nu Leadership Series

“ Choosing one's leaders is an affirmation that the person making the choice has inherent worth.”
Linda Chavez

Let’s explore more of the emerging needs of the current workforce. Many corporations would prefer to stay away from religious values or connotations. However, many workers desire a more spiritual workplace. Ashar and Lane-Maher, authors of Success and Spirituality in the New Business Paradigm, maintain that the workplace has an aspiration for something more than employment. Some scholars call this need spirituality. Is this concept new? Pascarella, author of Christ Centered Leadership, argues that Americans have always tried to maintain a religious aspect of living. He calls this phenomenon civil religion. It is characterized by individuals feeling good about themselves and carrying a sense of godliness in their living. In reality, this only provides a self serving mission.

Unfortunately, faddish spirituality falls short of any real substance. It’s like eating cake everyday for a meal. Although it tastes good and may fill you up for a minute, it won’t keep you satisfied for long. However, many people seek this aspect of goodness, however. Often, this pursuit becomes self serving practice. Understanding this dynamic in employee development may give an organization a better competitive advantage in the marketplace. Therefore, strategy leaders do not overlook the current desire of employees for a more meaningful workplace (namely, a more spiritual workplace).

References:

Ashar, H. & Lane-Maher, M. (2004). Success and spirituality in the new business paradigm. Journal of Management Inquiry, 13(3), 249-260.

Pascarella, P. (1999). Christ Centered Leadership. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing.

Daryl D. Green has published over 100 articles in the field of decision-making (personal and organizational), leadership, and organizational behavior. Mr. Green is also the author of two acclaimed books, Awakening the Talents Within and My Cup Runneth Over. He is a columnist, lecturer, professor, and management consultant. Mr. Green has a BS in engineering and a MA in organizational management. Currently, he is a doctoral degree in strategic leadership. For more information,visit his website at http://www.darylgreen.org

Spirituality In The Workplace

Is it possible to bring spirituality into the workplace?

I believe it is. However, let us define what spirituality is not.

It isn't a skill. Nor is it a type of personality. And, definitely, it isn't an activity.

Let's define spirituality the way the Apostle Paul did. In Philippians 3:1 he wrote: "Now then, brothers and sisters, be joyful in the Lord."

Be joyful. What simplicity and yet what profundity!

It's simple because it's not a hodge-podge of mambo-jumbo that tries to explain the intricacies of the universe and where you fit in. It's profound because of the qualification that follows the exhortation: "in the Lord."

This means we need to seek the joy that our relationship with God can bring. Many times we seek God for his blessings; or for him to get us out of a tight jam; or for healing. There's nothing wrong about these, but rarely do we seek him for his joy.

Our hearts can be deep reservoirs of joy that can withstand the afflictions of life. Joy can then overflow to touch other lives. It is the joy of the Lord that causes us to be of service to others. It is the joy of the Lord that gives us the compassion to lend a listening ear to those who seek counsel. It is the joy of the Lord that gives serenity in the midst of conflict.

"The joy of the Lord is our strength" (Nehemiah 8:10), the Bible reminds us. It is this inner strength that makes people take notice and afford you the opportunity to testify as to where this strength comes from.

Yet, spirituality is not about flaunting what you have. It's about radiating an inner glow that gives warmth to those who have only known the coldness of this world.

Bring that to the workplace and you bring God with you.

Be firm with your faith in the workplace. Receive Bible studies and messages of inspiration to help you grow in your walk with the Lord. Get them here: http://www.faithtosoar.com/youngpros_biblestudies.html

Spirituality in Addiction Recovery - How Can it Help?

Asking 100 people to define spirituality will produce 100 different answers, yet most agree it is a needed component in addiction recovery.

How can you define your spirituality?

A great way to uncover your spirituality is to start asking some questions that will lead to self-discovery. Sometimes simply asking the questions will be more important than getting the 'right' answer.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to discover what experiences and values define you:

What are your important relationships? Where have you found comfort? What gives you hope? What brings you joy? What if you have survived losses in your life, how have you done so? What do you believe will happen to you when your physical life ends, and how do you feel about that? Describe a time when you felt comfortable and everything in your life was just as you wanted it.

Think of a time when your life was filled with a sense of purpose, meaning, or there was a sense of awesomeness in it.

Answering questions like these will help you identify the most important people, moments and experiences in your life. Armed with this information, you can focus your search for spirituality on the relationships and activities in life that have proved to have real meaning for you in the past. These helped define you as a person and will continue to inspire your personal growth.

Spirituality gives our life texture and color, but at its core spirituality helps to give our lives a sense of purpose or context, if you will. It gives our life meaning. It comes from your connection with yourself and with those around you, as well as the development of your own system of personal values, and the search for meaning in life.

Spirituality can act as the connector from the sense of being alone and isolated as we have been with addiction, to a sense of connection that occurs in recovery.

How can spirituality help you in addiction recovery?

Hmmm...Let me count the ways. It can help you:

1. Focus on personal goals. Cultivating your spirituality may help uncover what's most meaningful in your life. By clarifying what's important to you, you can eliminate stress by focusing less on the unimportant things that can sometimes seem to consume you.

2. Connect to the world. The more you feel you have a purpose in the world, the less solitary you feel even when you're alone. This can lead to an inner peace during difficult times.

3. Release control. When you feel part of a greater whole, you realize that you aren't responsible for everything that happens in life. You can share the burden of tough times as well as the joys of life's blessings with those around you.

4. Expand your support network. Whether you find spirituality in a church, mosque or synagogue, in your family, or in walks with a friend through nature, this sharing of spiritual expression can help build relationships.

5. Lead a healthier life. Some research seems to indicate that people who consider themselves spiritual are often better able to cope with stress and heal from illness or addiction.

Cultivating your spirituality

Spirituality begins with your relationship with yourself, is nurtured by your relationships with others and culminates in a sense of purpose in life. Realizing this, two of the best ways to cultivate your spirituality are to improve your self-esteem and to foster relationships with those who are important to you. This can lead to a deepened sense of your place in life and in the greater good.

And now I would like to invite you to access our complete gallery of resources on spirituality and addiction at our Authority Site. You may also claim our Free, massive Addiction Recovery Help Guide. To gain instant access, visit us at: http://addictionrecoverybasics.com/ Thank you from Bill Urell and the Addiction Recovery Basics Network.

Spirituality and Life Coaching Combine For Maximum Personal Growth

Spirituality is a "hot" topic these days. Everywhere you turn, you see spirituality turning up in everything from interior design to personal development. The Internet is awash in Zen this and Zen that. Most of it isn't very Zen, but the influence of modern and Eastern spirituality is a significant and growing trend.

So it should come as no surprise that life coaching has been infiltrated by spirituality. However, in sharp contrast to Zen influenced interior design, spirituality actually provides a useful and powerful addition to the already sound principles inherent in life coaching. It would seem that life coaching has gotten a real boost from spirituality.

How so? Let's take a look at one of the foundational concepts of life coaching as put forth by the International Coach Federation (ICF). The ICF defines coaching as a "partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential." The key here is that coaching is seen as a "thought-provoking and creative process." Life coaching is thus a process that looks to go beyond the usual way of operating, to stimulate the client into new ways of being and working.

In many ways, this parallels some of the goals of spirituality. The very nature of spirituality is a looking at the non-physical aspects of life. It is an approach and attitude that is focused upon a fuller and broader view of humanity, human life and existence itself. Throughout the history of spirituality, man has sought for ways to live a more fulfilling and affirming life, one that incorporates every level of being and doing.

What happens when we combine these two into what is called spiritual life coaching? Well, you get a thought provoking and creative process that takes into account a full, complete picture of human life to maximize your personal and professional potential. In other words, you get the best of all possible worlds. A process that works with you on every level, from the more worldly, such as your financial life, to the more abstract aspects of your mind and spirit.

When you consult a spiritual life coach, he will look with you at all areas of your life, and not just focus, for example, on your career or marriage. You will dive into your thoughts, feelings and beliefs about all the areas of your life, looking for the deeper or root causes to the challenges facing you. You can think of it like pulling weeds. If you go for the roots, you pull out the actual cause of the weed. If you merely pluck the top part, the weed will grow back.

Consulting a spiritual life coach can thus bring changes to every area of your life. You can see greater personal freedom, greater financial security, easier relationships, and simply more fun and enjoyment. The combination of spirituality and life coaching is an extremely powerful one that is proving to be one of, if not the most, effective means to personal growth.

Tom Stine is a spiritual life coach who knows personally the importance of the spiritual life. He loves working with his diverse group of clients on a wide range of personal and professional issues. His life coaching services can be found at http://spirituality-life-coach.com

In God's Name: President Bill Clinton and Christiane Amanpour, CNN Chief International Correspondent

CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour and former U.S. President Bill Clinton discuss the recent struggles in Israel and Lebanon, the daily clashes in Iraq and the question of whether religion can be a solution -- and not just a source of conflict.

Religion will never be a solution for humanity. Religion blatantly misrepresents God as it is not His creation. Religion was man's invention. As Adam in the garden hid behind fig leaves upon discovering his nakedness, mankind also has sought to hide behind religious affiliations instead of pursuing a relationship with the Creator of heaven and earth.

Religion is all about doing in an effort to become good enough to curry favor with God. Christ however died on the cross for us, having done the biggest work, so we can be liberated from religion and having to do good works. God is a Spirit and He desires humanity to enter the realm of the Spirit rather than be duped by dead religion.

Jesus warned that before He returns to the earth there will be killing occurring in the name of God. Jesus said that these who would kill "in the name of God" would think they are doing God a service (John 16:1-3). On the contrary, killers take God's name in vain and grossly misrepresent His heart toward humanity.

To answer the question then, the answer is a resounding NO. Religion is NOT the answer. In fact RELIGION IS THE PROBLEM.

The answer is to teach spirituality rather than religiosity and thereby reeducate humanity in regard to the realm and dimension of the Spirit. Spirituality is liberating. Religiosity is aggravating. Religion divides. Spirituality is experiential, celebratory and unifies. Religion is dogmatic and divisive. Spirituality is divine and transcends all barriers facing mankind.

Paul Davis is a minister and author of several books including God vs. Religion; Breakthrough for a Broken Heart; Stop Lusting & Start Living; and Adultery: 101 Reasons Not to Cheat.

Paul is a life coach (relational & professional), popular worldwide keynote speaker, creative consultant, explorer, mediator, minister, liberator and dream-maker.

Paul's compassion for people & passion to travel has taken him to over 50 countries of the world where he has had a tremendous impact. Paul has also brought revival to many in war-torn, impoverished and tsunami stricken regions of the earth. His nonprofit organization Dream-Maker Ministries is building dreams and breaking limitations.

Paul's Breakthrough Seminars inspire, revive, awaken, impregnate with purpose, impart the fire of desire, catapult people into a new level of self-awareness, facilitate destiny discovery and dream fulfillment.

Contact Paul to minister, speak at your event or for life coaching: RevivingNations@yahoo.com 407-967-7553.

For additional info: http://www.DreamMakerMinistries.com, http://www.CreativeCommunications.TV

Interconnected Pathways of Meditation and Spirituality

Meditation and spirituality are two interesting words that are somehow inter-related to each other. When you speak of spirituality, it refers to infinite consciousness in a person. However this does not mean that spirituality and spiritualism are similar as spiritualism is a different concept altogether that is concerned with mediums that may be used to communicate with the dead, etc.

Spirituality is the same truth that one realizes through the great spiritual teachers of the world. Teachers in history like Buddha, Krishna and Jesus are all spiritual teachers who have guided their followers to reach their infinite consciousness. To them, the goal of one's life lies in merging the individual mind so that it reaches infinite consciousness by using spiritual meditation.

When you speak of meditation, it refers to a form of concentrated thinking. This concentrated thinking is not just any form of concentrated thinking; it is a process where you have to make your mind concentrate the source of consciousness found within yourself. This is not possible overnight; it is only after continuous and ardent meditations will you discover that your consciousness is infinite. And it is only for this reason that many a times, the goal of meditation is considered to be 'self realization'.

Remember that meditation can never be done as it is a serene and boundless entity. It is something that cannot be pursued immediately or directly, and can never be reached on demand. However it is only with your concentration, will you realize that there is joy waiting for you out there; and that there is harmony, joy and awareness within you that is waiting to be reclaimed and recognized.

Many a time, those who seek to get enlightenment or have some sort of spiritual experience resort to using meditation as a medium or vehicle to reach spirituality. This is because it is believed, and should be known that that it is possible to reach the deeper levels of awareness in your mind through meditation.

You will have to practice intensively with unwavering determination if you want to reach your sense of spirituality through meditation. Spirituality is not something that can be acquired or reached without any hard work from your side. Many people try to avoid the many barriers that may come in your path when seeking enlightment through spirituality when it is required that these barriers in meditation be overcome for enlightment.

Many people ask if there is a shortcut to meditation and spirituality. This is not possible as it is possible to reach true enlightment through meditation only if you first get to reach enlightment. Besides using meditation, the only way you can achieve this in a more effective and quicker method is by having a desire for enlightenment and spirituality. In the process, it is also important that you remain honest with yourself throughout the process.

With meditation, it is also possible to reach spirituality by 'dismantling' and 'releasing' whatever ego or personality you have in your energy field altogether. This is because many a time, it is this personality or ego in yourself that may hamper your progress in meditation.

On reaching spirituality or enlightment through meditation, you tend to experience a feeling of lightness, inner piece, confidence, inner knowledge, energy and love for self and others. It is also possible for you to develop a deep connection with the planet, the universe and other species while experiencing a feeling of buoyancy, resilience and inner knowing in yourself.

So in a nutshell, it is possible for you to reach or attain spirituality with hard work, determination and the right form of meditation.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for MicroKarma.com, CoffeeZen.com, and PrimeYoga.com.

Ayurveda and Spirituality

Spirituality has a great influence in Ayurveda. Just as vaguely said elsewhere about Ayurveda as the science (read knowledge) of life, to be healthy a man (or woman) must be healthy by mind, body, and soul.

It is the knowledge of divinity within us that makes us healthy. That is the more you know about the divinity of your body, mind, and their connection with soul and the universe, you will live a healthier life.

When talking in terms of Ayurveda, the practitioner (Ayurvedic doctor) has to inspire his patient or client to awaken to a higher sense of divine self.

You may now be a bit confused. What has spirituality to do with medicine? Spirituality of a person has direct influence on his health is a truth.

All living things has a purpose. God has given unique capacities or talents to persons. To nourish that talents and live a life accordingly is the biggest task for man. It is only then a person will be able to achieve higher sense of spirituality.

If your office work necessarily doesn't make use of your talents, but demands some poorly developed skills. This creates conflict. Spirituality in Ayurveda means finding a job suited for your personality and talents.

The next thing affecting good health is tensions in relationships. Instead of providing mutual support, relationships increasingly become abusive.

If a person doesn't depend on other persons for his/her comfort and happiness, it is a healthy sign. The only person he or she can depend on is God. When you see God as your support, you have no reason to worry about abusive relationships.

Both the doctor and the clients are to experience a higher spiritual sense while the period of treatment. It is only then can you say that the treatment was complete.

In a sense Ayurveda doesn't end with treatment, it is ongoing healthy life through carefully designed dinacharyas and ritucharyas.

Dev Sri provides insider information about Ayurvedic herbal medicine practices and Ayurveda in Kerala. Find more about Ayurvedic medicines at http://www.KeralaAyurvedics.com/.

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Spirituality and Spiritual-Definition

Spirituality, often misunderstood as a concept, is easily defined as - working to be a true and strict God related spiritual being or development of spiritual being. The highest spiritual achievement ever is one who has developed his/her true divine being to the point that his/her spirit is equal to the holy spirit of God.

Spirituality is the God related science of developing or freeing the God made innermost being - the core of all of us "made in the image of God."

True God related spirituality is achieved by means of scientifically applying spiritual teachings and spiritual techniques that allow ego to vanish in the fire of divine love and ego oriented spirit better called intellect to be replaced by the Holy Spirit. Such true spiritual teachings can only be affected by a true connection to our innermost self. Since all humankind is God made; every human has at one time or another, the urge to develop their suppressed spirituality again. Spirituality is our true nature and spiritual development is the most direct way to solutions of love and peace in all creation. We know God is only love, because love creates, all else destroys. If Love creates and God so loved us he created the heaven and earth, therefore we know God only loves. Love can not co-exist with any other premise simultaneously, therefore God is only love.

The big bug-a-boo with being in human form vs in spiritual form (as God is) is that we have this construct called 'ego' to grabble with...the ego is essential to navigate the vicissitudes in life. Yet, the ego is what gets us into trouble. So we came from spiritual form and formed an ego to grabble with the human requirements in this place called 'earth.'

All life on earth serves but the one and only purpose of developing our spirituality again to the point of being free of spiritual ignorance, free of selfish or destructive behavioral patterns, free to return to our eternal home in God. True spirituality always leads to freedom in God.

Anything else but God related development never should be called spiritual or spirituality. Many human developments lead in totally different directions - away from God! Worshiping idols for example, and depicting God as a punishing God, who is standing with a check sheet watching our every transgression and sending us to hell if the list is too long or egregious.

The intent for religion or churches is to support, promote or teach true spirituality among all. This has failed in many religions. The development of true God related spirituality is under direct supervision of God and free from any religion or church. While some churches may have spiritual groups which have true spiritual teachings - most have long ago started ego oriented abuse of teachings—such as God punishes sinners. Development of true spirituality is free of any church or religion - God has no religion - God is Holy Spirit!

The ultimate healing of spirit is done when becoming one with God as a result of proper spiritual development. That means true spirituality is achieved after oneness with God. This level of spiritual connection with God is generally attributed to Gurus or an Avatar. However, I believe that one can achieve this level of oneness with God even though one does not achieve the distinction of either Guru or Avatar. One achieves the distinction of Guru or Avatar because one chooses to be a teacher of spirituality...if one does not chose to be a teacher of spirituality does not mean they have not achieved the level of Guru or Avatar.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Life Coach, author, "101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life," specializes in: Mind, Body, Spirit healing and Physical/Sexual Abuse Prevention and Recovery. As an inspirational leader, Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life's challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net

Science, Mysticism, and Spirituality For the 21st Century

Science, mysticism, and spirituality are not disjoined areas of knowledge, they are unified. Modern physicists have written books in the similarities between advanced quantum theory and the ancient writings from India. Mysticism can be known as a more integrated form of spirituality. And, of course, spirituality deals with the connection between God and man.

Science deals with the inter-workings of the systems of nature and how they create an merged whole of beauty, economy, and sustainability. If you study mystical writings of ancient sages, you'll find innumerable references to the simpleness and spirituality of the natural world. It was William Blake who said: "To see a World in a Grain of Sand, And a heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an hour."

The study today of modern books and classics will yield you much wiseness and elucidation. Some people are not quenched with just faith; they need logic, proof, and living examples of the higher spiritual laws that rule our existence. It can be said that the macrocosm that gave us such a magnificent brain intended us to use it to explore the vast wonders of the existence.

This is science, mysticism, spirituality for the 21st century, and it is easier than ever now to access. According to the Gospel of St Thomas, Let him who seeks, not cease seeking until he finds, and when he finds, he will be troubled, and when he has been troubled, he will marvel."

At my site, www.SupernalSun.com I have a lot of informational resources to help you in you quest for truth, soul healing, and prosperity. I have been a life-long searcher of truth, and I have found a lot of truly great things along the way; let me show you some.

Curtis Burns is a writer who lives in St Paul, MN, USA; and has been on the spiritual path for many, many years. He has a spiritual resources information site http://www.SupernalSun.com he is also a Vedic astrologer with websites devoted to that subject.

Discovering Effective Mantras For Achieving Spirituality Energy

Spirituality energy is best achieved through the chanting of mantras. This is because these mantras are sacred sound vibrations with sacred syllables that represent and have great spirituality energy in them. It was the great seers and rishis who had first created these mantras. They had used primeval and cosmic ether and translated them into definite melody and rhythm to create the mantras we have now.

The word mantra itself is from Sanskrit and is a combination of two root words. 'Man' means the mind or the thinking of a person while 'tra' refers to release or to being free. So the combined meaning of the word gives the reaction a mantra gives to you; mantra means to free the mind of any tension, stress, pressure or problem you may be having.

It is by chanting mantras that you develop, and realize spirituality energy. This is because with chanting of mantras, you tend to promote harmony and thus awaken the spiritual self. It is on its awakening that the spiritual self directs spirituality energy for both personal benefit and the good of all others. Spirituality energy is imbibed by mantras; and mantras have six aspects invoking different types of results.

These six aspects are a seer or Rishi, a raga, a presiding deity, a seed sound, power and pillar. The Rishi or the seer is the person who passes on mantras to its disciples. It is only when a mantra is received from an authorized source will it be effective enough to imbibe spirituality energy. This is why this practice has been continued since time immemorial.

Just as different tones tend to cause different vibrations on the physical and emotional self, it is necessary to practice mantra meditation correctly so that the different sound vibrations of the mantra is connected to different images. This is while the sound vibrations of the mantra remain contained in the images.

You find that the spirituality energy that is emitted from mantras in the devata aspect represent definitive forms. It is with the repeated chanting of such mantras that the disciple tends to find the mantra revealing the form of the devata or deity that the mantra is based on. With this, the disciple tends to develop a form of personal relationship with the deity of the mantra.

Different mantras give different results; however the ultimate mantra is the mantra that emits spirituality energy with which you can realize your relationship with the Supreme Lord. Different mantras make it possible to reach different goals; however it is the mantra that invokes a desire for spiritual service that is the most important mantra.

It is the bija or seed of the mantra that is the epitome of spirituality energy. It can be compared to the seed of a tree that cannot be seen through the tree, but is waiting and ready for fructification; the spirit of the mantra cannot be realized till it is time. It is only with regular chanting of the mantra will you be able to realize the spirituality energy of the mantra. How quickly you experience this spirituality energy depends on your faithfulness and dedication to the chanting of the mantra.

You require the pillar or kilaka, the 5th aspect of mantras which is the will power to practice the mantra till it becomes automatic to the disciple. The last aspect of the mantra is the Shakti, or spirituality energy that is found in the mantra. It is only by chanting a mantra for a particular purpose; with the right rhythm, tone and harmony will you be able to reap its spirituality energy.

And it is only when you chant a mantra for one of the numerous names of the Supreme God, and if the mantra is imparted by one who can impart it properly, will you realize and experience the spirituality energy the mantra emits.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for MicroKarma.com, CoffeeZen.com, and PrimeYoga.com

5 Ways to Bring Spirituality Into Your Life

If you're like most people you used to be more aware of your own spirituality and it used to play a much greater role in your life. There are a lot of reasons that people lose touch with their spirituality over time. Everyday stress from work and family, tragedy, heartbreak, or just a lack of time and energy can make people think that they just don't have room in their lives for spirituality. But if you really want to have more of a spiritual component to your live it is possible to make the time to find it in everyday life. You just need to make it a priority and perhaps make some small adjustments to your daily routine. Here are five practical ways that you can practice your spirituality.

1. Start meditating - Meditation has a lot of physical benefits and is great for helping people manage stress and it can also help you find your spirituality again and live more mindfully. It doesn't matter if you meditate in the morning or in the evening but at some point during the day take a few brief moments and close your eyes, breathe deeply, and focus your mind on your chosen path of spirituality. Some people like to make meditation a ritual with a special time of day, a special candle, or a special mat to sit on but you don't have to. Even just taking a few quiet moments to reflect when you're in the car on the way to work or walking to your car after work can help you reclaim your spirituality.

2. Do one kind thing for someone else everyday. Hold the door for someone whose arms are full. Pay for the coffee of the person behind you as well as your own. Ask the person at work who always eats lunch alone to have lunch with you. Just one deliberate act of kindness for someone else everyday can make you much more aware of the power of spirituality.

3. Get outside. Being out in the natural world is one of the best ways to remember your spirituality. Take a walk after work, eat lunch in the park, or just sit in your yard with a refreshing drink and feel the peace and calm of nature.

4. Take care of yourself. In order to connect to your spirituality you need to realize that you are a being with both physical and spiritual needs. Make sure that you take care of your physical needs by getting enough sleep, eating healthy food, getting exercise, and taking time to relax each day.

5. Join a spiritual group. No matter what your chosen spirituality is chances are good that you can find at least a few other people who share your views of spirituality. Meeting with others who believe the same things you believe in can be very helpful in keeping you on a spiritual path. You can meet online or meet with a group locally. At least once a week try to make time to attend a spiritual meeting and you will find it much easier to live spiritually through the week.

Andrea R. Lucas is the leading expert in the area of Life-Scripts, the Blueprints by which we all live our lives. She is the author of "Reprint Your Blueprint and Grow Happy & Rich!", which identifies the steps necessary to change a negative Life-Blueprint to a positive one, and to live the life of happiness and abundance you have always wanted. Andrea has written numerous articles on this fascinating subject. http://www.reprintyourblueprint.com

Spirituality - Your Inner Truth

The definition of spirituality has changed over the decades. It used to be that spirituality was confined to the dogmatic approaches to religion and the structure of churches. However, in these belief systems, there came the idea of faith and the eventual leading to faith in other things and beings besides the idea of God or some other figure.

For example, the practice of Buddhism, while considered a religion, is not entirely devoted to the practice of worshiping the Buddha figure. Rather, it is based on the faith and work to find an end to one’s suffering in the world. Another example would be a spirituality that is based on the belief in angels, wherein followers find comfort in knowing that angels surround and protect them.

What’s great about spirituality is that not only is it something that encompasses every major religion, but it can also allow for different ideas to become something that is spiritual in nature. Those that enjoy nature can find a spiritual meaning in walking in the woods. People who love knitting might find meaning and purpose in the practice of creating things.

Finding one’s spirituality might seem to be a simple task, but this is not the case. Everyone is different and what makes spirituality work for one person does not necessarily work for the next. If you’re looking to find spiritual meaning in your life, you will want to look at your search as just that: a search. You will need to look into various faiths and practices that interest you, go to different gatherings, read various texts, and try living under the many principles until you find that one that fits best.

However, this doesn’t mean that you need to limit yourself in your spiritual endeavors either. Many people find peace and happiness in picking and choosing from different faiths until they construct a belief system that matches everything that rings true to them. Some might find that meditation from Buddhism works well with the beliefs of the Catholic Church, or that the practice of Ramadan is complementary to their yoga spiritual side.

Spirituality is about finding the answers to the questions that you have inside of you. Your questions will be different than the questions of others, and generally something that only you can answer. By taking the time to find out what is missing from your life, you will be able to find your own brand of spirituality – feel free to call it whatever you like.

The Spiritual Life

A spiritual life is our conscious aspiration to achieve a more fulfilling and illumining reality. A spiritual life strikes a balance between acceptance of the world and our inner spiritual disciplines. The ultimate goal of the spiritual life is to transcend our limitations and become aware of our inner capacities.

Aspects of Spirituality

Tolerance.

The spiritual life believes in tolerance of others and their beliefs. Spirituality does not mean trying to change the opinions of others. In the spiritual life we seek to transform only ourselves. Spirituality encompasses a wide diversity of paths and traditions. The spiritual life enables people to approach the goal from many different angles.

Acceptance not Renunciation.

Spirituality does not mean we have to renounce the world and live totally detached from the joys and sufferings of the world. Spirituality teaches us to accept the world as it is, in spite of the world’s teeming imperfections we shall seek to love and appreciate the world. This acceptance is an essential part of the spiritual life.

Meditation.

To live a spiritual life means to live the inner life. If we practise spirituality we will feel the importance of at times maintaining an inner silence. The spiritual life is always more profound than intellectual understanding; it is an aspiration to know our higher reality. This spiritual consciousness we can only attain through maintaining an inner silence. It is meditation and prayer that enables us to experience inner silence and inner peace.

Selfless Service.

To follow the spiritual life is to follow the path of yoga. Yoga encompasses different methods and approaches. One of these is karma yoga or the path of selfless service. Selfless service involves serving the world through our dedicated action. In selfless service we work without attachment to the result. We make progress through serving the divine in others.

“Not by establishing an empire can man achieve abiding satisfaction, but only by self-awakening and self-giving.” (1)

Joy and inner peace.

The aim of the spiritual life is to return to our source of abiding joy and satisfaction. A memorable quote from the Upanishads is:

“From Delight we came into existence.

In Delight we grow.

At the end of our journey’s close,

Into Delight we retire.

This significant passage from the immortal scripture of Hinduism encapsulates the essence of true spirituality.

The Spiritual Path.

A spiritual life need not be taken on our own. We can definitely take the help of a spiritual master who is able to clear our path and facilitate our spiritual progress. A spiritual master or Guru means someone who is able to awaken the dormant spirituality within ourselves. It is the Guru who can inspire and motivate the aspiring seeker to continue on the path of spirituality and bravely overcome obstacles and difficulties.

References

(1) Sri Chinmoy “The Spiritual Life” Excerpt from Fifty Freedom-Boats To One Golden Shore, Part 3 by Sri Chinmoy.

Tejvan became interested in meditation and eastern spirituality whilst studying at University. After studying various spiritual traditions he became a meditation student of Sri Chinmoy. Tejvan now offers meditation classes on behalf of the Sri Chinmoy Center. http://www.srichinmoybio.co.uk/

Spirituality And Health Promotion Behaviors

Everyday life is full of events and happenings that are beyond our control. But there is one thing that only we can control: our thought. When a thought is planted in the mind, energy is released, creating actions such as spirituality and health promotion behaviors.

How to start spirituality and health promotion behaviors?

The first step to being spiritual and healthy is to practise focusing on good thoughts so that they create positive energy for us. All thoughts are connected and one good thought will lead to the next. So we begin our journey to spirituality and health by being mindful of the things we do.

How can we be mindful?

We can all be a little more mindful if we simply practise taking a pause in everything we do. Pause for a split second before you speak. Breathe in before you type. Close your eyes for a moment after the first sip of coffee in the morning. Smell your apple before you take your first bite. It is in these in-between space that spiritual life can be found.

Practise pausing can enrich your spiritual life because a pause is a gentle reminder that there are many aspects to life. Work is only one part of your life. Besides Work, we have Family, Friends, Love, Study, Leisure and Spirituality. When you are upset over one area of your life, you can immediately restore your inner peace by putting your problem in perspective. A seemingly big problem becomes smaller when it is places in a larger scheme of life.

The author practises what she writes and is healthy and happy.

For more spirituality and health promotion behaviours, please visit http://spiritualitybehaviors.blogspot.com

Spirituality – Discover Your Road to Happiness

What is Spirituality? Spirituality can be considered as an inner highway, and this leads only to one place, your permanent and everlasting happiness. As happiness is our real and natural state, spirituality also acts as the transport as well as the highway there.

Why Men are Not Spiritual

The call of the senses, the misplaced use of desire, and lure of the material life all call men away from spirituality.

This is why the ancients believed the world belonged to the devil, and the real life and paradise, belonged to God.

The devil, or non-spirituality, wished to entrap men in the material world, while spirituality leads man to his true nature, and happiness.

The material life does not lead to happiness. In all men’s lives the material leads to old age, sickness, and death.

The spiritual life leads to eternal youth, permanent well-being and eternity. However, the material life masks this, and gives one the impression that:

• There is only one life, so eat, drink and be merry

• There is no spiritual life

• Men are simple biological creations

• The pursuit of happiness lies in money, power and wish fulfillment

With the material presenting such an array of life’s qualities, one is tempted to turn their back on spirituality.

However, the material life betrays itself with disease, decreasing enjoyment of material objects and external stimulation, and finally the specter of death.

A thinking man, once considering the limitations and qualities of material life may (and often) turns to something better. This is the first recognition of spirituality.

The Call of Eternity

Sometimes all it takes is looking at the stars, understanding the impossibility of life without an intelligent creator, or some inspiring life of a saint, and a man considers the spiritual.

Having done so, the road to spirituality opens. Inspiration is at every step, and the roads are many, but like of old where all roads lead to Rome, all spiritual roads lead to the eternal and true nature of man.

It is curious to see the attitude of the modern physicists, who ponder the nature of the universe. Their theories and postulations are all indicating intelligent creation, and a life everlasting. Even science is centering on spirituality.

Spirituality is indeed like a road, and walking this road leads you to the goal. There are no guarantees the road will be easy or strewn with roses.

Rather, it seems the road is razor thin, strewn with obstacles, tests, and detours. The material temptations appear everywhere, and even the greatest of saints were tempted at the final moments of their quests.

The Buddha was tempted while in the final meditation under the Bodhi Tree. Christ was tempted in the desert. If you travel the spiritual road, you too will be tempted. The temptation of the material is sweet, heartrending, and you may find if you give into it, corrupt and full of lies.

Consider the creation, only this and you are already on the spiritual path.

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Spirituality Has Nothing to do With Religion

A lot of people confuse spirituality with religion – but that’s not necessarily true. Religion is an enabler – an enabler to make a person more spiritual but it is not a prerequisite to spirituality.

So, if the above is true then what is spirituality? Spirituality is belief in a higher self and that higher self is within every living creature. All religious leaders across all religions are/were human beings, but what differentiated them was their awareness of the higher self. Spirituality guides you to clock into your higher self and it gives you the freedom to choose that higher self within you or outside of you. It is when it is outside of you that a religion, a spiritual leader, a guide or a guru becomes important. If you seek the higher self within you, then self discipline, deep concentration, yogic meditation (as learnt from a guru or a religious leader) will open the chakras and you behold your own true eternal self.

For many of us, even comprehending the size of the universe is daunting. Even more daunting than that is to open ourselves to an energy synchronicity which makes us one with the eternal. But if you can believe in galaxies and uncountable stars then why can’t you believe in your own higher power?

A lot of people spend their entire lives in pursuit of selfish happiness. They have no time to focus on spirituality much lesser on their higher self. This also is God intentional. Spirituality is not something you choose. It comes to you when the time is ready. Just as you are reading this article, because you are embarking or have already embarked on your spiritual journey. There are hundreds of topics to read on from sex to songs, music to melodrama, relationships to entanglements and yet you clicked on the word spirituality. This is no coincidence. Your eagerness to know more about this topic suggests that the journey has begun.

This is the first step to set you thinking. Questions will flow through your mind and confusion will set in. But just like you read this article when you were not sure where you were, so too, when confusion becomes too much, another message will come to you.

For those who have read this article, it is obvious that you have already begun your journey into the unknown.

I am a published author with two books to my credit, "The Coconut Cutter & Other Stories" and "The Wingless". I have also won the 2004 Highly Commended Commonwealth Award for my short story "Nimble Fingers". http://www.deccanherald.com/Archives/dec262004/artic1.asp

I write regularly for http://www.suite101.com and other websites including: http://www.himalayanacademy.com For Himalayan Academy I am writing Hindu philosophies as stories which small children between the ages of 10-12 can understand. If you have some thoughts you would like to share, please feel free to email me at: anusai_26@yahoo.com

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Thursday, December 11, 2008

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