The Path to Perfection
I believe a spiritual journey is the path to perfection. This is what we can do for Spirit. His/Her desire is that we remember our holiness, heal our wounds, and forgive ourselves and others who we feel have wronged us. It can be difficult for us to see our faults. That’s where our relationships come in. They’ll show us exactly what we need to work on. It’s often been said that the world is a reflection of what’s in our own minds and everything is a mirror being held up to you. When we see goodness out there, it’s a reflection. When we see anger or negativity in someone, it’s still a reflection. Basically, it’s all in us. It’s like looking in a mirror. Once we recognize that and accept it, it changes everything. It brings all the responsibility home to us personally. That’s why the spiritual path is a mature path. It’s not for sissy’s. It can be rather confrontational. Through our relationships we are shown our shortcomings and what we need to work on to be a better person. If you think your mate is bossy and demanding, then you need to look at where you are bossy and demanding. Your mate is revealing that to you. If you think your relative is an unhappy complainer, she is showing you your unhappiness and your tendency to complain. If you think your employer is selfish and inept, it’s in you. Many of us don’t want to hear these words. Well, (as the cliché goes) denial isn’t just a river in Egypt. This is a real strong clue if your relationships are a mystery to you. I encourage you to be open to this mirroring concept. We tend to be uncomfortable with people who have displeasing characteristics, but metaphysically speaking, they are not the enemy, they are our savior. We need each other to learn valuable life lessons, without which there would be no personal growth. Remember one thing: the spiritual journey is about you, it’s not about fixing anyone else. Other people are learning their life lessons too. This is the way we improve ourselves and become a clear channel for God’s light and glory. It’s easy to be all you can be when you know who you are, and you understand how to correct or heal any adversities in your personality or character. Thank you!
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Discover Your Life Purpose
I’ve talked to many people about discovering their life purpose. Some people know at a very young age what they are meant to do, so they pursue that particular path. One of the authors of Women’s Spirit Awakening, Tom Marcoux, discovered his purpose at nine years of age. Other people, like myself, didn’t discover it until midlife. Perhaps your previous occupation was a stepping stone or a training ground to something more suitable. For some women, giving birth and raising a family may be their life purpose. That’s their contribution to the world. Each life is a valuable, worthy and unique contribution. Living a spiritual life means finding your particular way of serving the world, a way that only you can do. Think about what you are passionate about. What makes your heart sing? That's what God would have you do. One thing I discovered about having dreams and goals is when we go to Spirit first with our request and retain an open mind, the dream or goal is revealed and sometimes redefined for us. We are often redirected in ways that benefit us more. Spend time in meditation. Make it a goal to discover your life purpose. Here's an example of my experience. When I lived in Chicago many years ago, I thought I wanted to pursue a life as a writer and artist. I wanted to make a difference in the world. Guidance counselors encouraged me to choose only one goal. I chose to become a writer. My inner guidance encouraged me to do something else, which was to live my dream. I had a spiritual epiphany six months prior, during a writer’s conference. So I quit college in Chicago, moved to California (where I always wanted to live) and enrolled in a college for graphic arts. Spirit got me to do what I was afraid to do … leave my comfort zone. I was able to achieve both goals by taking writing classes. But it doesn’t stop there. Those goals are merely stepping stones to something greater: for me it is a life as a spiritual teacher. And that too is a stepping stone to something much larger. That's my purpose and most everything I’ve done contributes in some way to that purpose. If you’re like many people, you have your limiting beliefs or thoughts of unworthiness. With Spirit guiding the way, limiting thoughts are surpassed by thoughts of new and wonderful possibilities. We've each heard the phrase “With God all things are possible.” This is true, although not always in the time frame or in the form we may imagine. That, for me, is often the best part: the surprise of new experiences. It’s understandable that we may have to work on ourselves or do some preparation for the dream or goal. Here's a true experience of 'showing up.' There was a time when I knew I would soon be unemployed. I wanted my next job to be different. After some exploration I came up with two prerequisites for my future career; being with lots of people and traveling. Then a friend told me about job openings with an airline company. At first I was concerned, “they won¹t hire me because of my age, my appearance or lack of pertinent skills, etc.” I became my own judge and jury. My inner guidance encouraged me to just show up for the interview. I prepared myself with a new suit and a new attitude. At the end of the day I passed the tests and made all the ‘cuts.’ I had an airline ticket to Chicago, a chance at a second interview, and a renewed enthusiasm. In the end, I wasn't hired by the company, but it was an exhilarating experience. I had faith that something better would occur. If we remain open-minded, happy surprises do occur. Thank you! Utilize Healing Tools
Use the tools available, and a healthy dose of patience to get the most joy out of your spiritual journey. In another blog article we talked about your thoughts and the effects they have on your world. Filtering is one of your most important tools, and there are others that will help you become spiritually awake. Prayer, or speaking to God, is a powerful tool. The highest prayer is always to ask for peace in any situation. My prayers are often for blessings, healing, new perceptions, clear guidance or that God's will be done. Whatever you ask for should always be for the highest good for everyone involved. In my experience, I pay attention to whatever strong thoughts keep occurring in my mind. If it feels like something that warrants clarity, then that's what I focus on during my prayer time. Meditation, or listening to God, is an essential tool. I've been meditating for over 25 years. If you want your life to change in powerful ways, then I suggest learning meditation techniques. Basically you sit in a quiet place for as long as you can; five to thirty minutes or more. The goal is to quiet your thoughts/mind so that your mind will become open to new possibilities. You just notice your thoughts, what they are, and let them go. You can focus on your breathing or on a mantra, which is a favorite word that brings you peace. Some people use the word “God”, “Om”, “aum” or the word “One.” You can focus on a particular goal or remain open to however Spirit will work through you. Inner strength is the greatest benefit of meditation, not your strength, but the powerful strength of Spirit. At some point, you will notice a shift in your awareness. The more continuously you meditate, the more you become aware of a two-way communication. Visualization as a tool for healing Break your contract. If you have a problem that continues like a plague throughout your life, you may have to take an appropriate action; break your contract with it. Women, in particular, tend to take on too much responsibility. Instead of asking for help or letting others carry their weight, we take on all the tasks ourselves. Then we become stressed out and unhappy. You may attract destructive relationships to you. Or you may have a problem with addictive substances. Determine in advance the problem you want to heal. Here is a suggestion for healing, and a solution that worked for me. Go into a brief meditation and then visualize yourself in a relaxed state, sitting in a beautiful garden. Imagine Jesus/Angel bringing you a paper contract that you signed while you were in a Spirit state, just prior to birth on this planet. Discuss with Jesus/Angel that this situation doesn't serve you or anyone else. Somewhere, somehow you must have agreed to the problem, because you continue to find yourself absorbed in it. In your imaginings, provide an acceptable solution (a new thought or behavior that you could easily implement) to replace the problem. Then, tear up the contract or you could see yourself crossing it out and replacing it with your new behavior and positive results. Thank Jesus/Angel for their support and bring yourself back to present state. Anytime the problem resurfaces, remember the contract is broken and you no longer have to abide by it. You have a new solution and the support of Heaven behind you. Affirmations or positive self-talk replace negative thoughts and are used whenever needed. Here are a few examples: “I am peaceful and considerate with my co-workers.” “I am confident and capable at my job.” “I act with love.” Thank you! Heal Your Misperceptions
According to metaphysical thought, all of our problems stem from the idea and belief that we are separate from God. Our minds are split between two factions, 1) an ego mind that identifies with who we are as a limited, struggling body in an uncertain physical world, and 2) a free, joyful Spirit mind that is unlimited, abundant and eternally connected to God and the Oneness of all creation. The Spirit mind constantly whispers the truth to us as we experience change and conflict in our lives. It gently reminds us of who we really are; holy children of God, always loved by and in touch with our Creator. In God’s eyes, love is the only expression that is real. Anything else is an illusion. We heal the separation by remembering God whenever we experience fear. We let go of how we think things should be and let them be as they are. Our small part is to remember that everything works together for our highest good. As we each wake up to Spirit, we’ll remember that we are so much more than what we appear to be ... in a body. We are spirit’s having a human experience. We are powerful beings of light, created in Her/His own image by a Spirit that is much more loving than we can imagine. Our Source is a Divine power that will laugh with us at our mistakes and gently embrace us into eternity. We'll discover that the answers we are searching for are not here in the material values of this world, but in our relationship with Spirit. God is always working through us to free us of our self-inflicted turmoil.
Open Your Spiritual Channel
Many of us learned in childhood that we each have a separate mind that exists inside our head, and belongs to only us. In actuality, the Mind is universal and exists everywhere. An example of the universal mind is the story of the “Hundredth Monkey.” Researchers discovered that one monkey on a remote island thought to wash his sweet potato before he ate it. A short time later, on other distant islands, those monkeys started washing their sweet potatoes too. The idea was in the ethers, so to speak. You’ll sometimes hear about creative endeavors where similar inventions, songs or stories are created at the same time. Perhaps you’ve had the experience of thinking about someone, and a few minutes later you received a phone call from them. These are a few examples of One Mind experiences. For all practical purposes, you have access to and use a small part of the One Mind. It’s flexible like a rubber band. As you use it through education, meditation or personal experience, it expands. Think of your mind as a conduit; a direct channel through which there are mental electrical charges flowing in both directions, to and from God. (I like to put a positive charge on that term, and think of a conduit as a can-do-it.) You use the conduit in two ways. Through prayer you speak to God and through meditation or quiet mental time, you listen to God. The mind never sleeps, and there is always communication going on. Through your conscious mental efforts; your thoughts and decisions become a conduit for all that is good, positive and healing in the world. As you live your life on a day-to-day basis, it’s up to you to be a filter for your thoughts and actions. Filtering is an aspect of free will. You are free to choose to filter out your ego or negative thoughts in order to be a clear expression (channel) of God’s will, and let God’s love come through. In other words, if a fearful or angry thought pops into your head, you would immediately stop that thought as it occurs and replace it with a positive one. Here's an example. You might be thinking “It’s a miserable day, the weather is often nasty and makes me depressed.” You could replace that thought with, “The weather doesn’t affect me, because nothing outside of me has power over me. I'm happy regardless of the weather.” When you choose the better thought to think, you’re choosing happiness over depression, and that ultimately affects your mental and physical health. And people want to be around other happy people. I have always known this filtering effort to be rewarded. When I practice changing my thoughts, I soon feel a real shift in my quality of life. I am happier, people respond better, and life flows easier. You can send loving thoughts (energy) to people through consistent prayer or meditations. The good energy is returned to you through the ethers in the form of radiant light. As you practice this, you become more receptive. When you actually act on your loving thoughts another level of “goodness” develops. For example, you’re thinking of sending flowers to a good friend on her birthday. When you take action and send those flowers, then two levels of love have been expressed. Your loving thought (light) is one level and your loving action (flowers) is another. By acting on your thought, you open the door to many possibilities: a grateful phone call or note, a happier relationship, a kind gesture in return or other surprises. The universe always returns kindness for kindness. |
Linda L. ChappoChief Excitement Officer Archives |