Tag Archives: Religion and Spirituality

Nov 9 2012

Six Ways to Prepare the Body for Spiritual Experience

October 23, 2012 | By | 1 Reply

Anna Hunt, Contributing Writer
Waking Times

The human body is hard-wired in such a way that we have the innate capability to experience deep spiritual events, regardless of one’s religious or theological beliefs. However, the reality of life is that our bodies are constantly bombarded with toxins, chemicals and poisons, while our minds and psyches are constantly cluttered by media, distractions and group-think. Given this rather chaotic environment, it’s no wonder that it is so difficult for most of us to experience genuine spiritual events and that true enlightenment seems so unattainable and out of reach.

Spiritual experiences are profound events. They can heal our psyche and our physical body. They can instantly and permanently alter the way we view life. We become more closely connected with other living beings. We strengthen our essence and create positive change in our lives and in the lives of others. Yet, moments of clarity, enlightenment, spiritual clairvoyance, whatever you wish to call it, are not easy to come by for most. If we take steps to return the body to its more natural, more pure state, we can greatly enhance its capacity to receive spiritual experience and better feel the great mysteries and beauty of life.

The following a variety of measures you can take to enhance your everyday life and prepare the body to receive a spiritual experience.

    1. Food – Eat naturally, with many raw natural foods, whole grains and organics. Significantly reduce and/or abstain from canned and processed foods, as well as refined sugars. Abstain from red meat and pork, and in its place turn to chicken, fish, eggs and natural foods for your protein, fatty acids and B12.

 

    1. Drink – Reduce caffeinated beverages to one cup of coffee or tea per day, and significantly reduce or abstain from alcohol. Add warm water with lemon to your morning ritual, to boost the immune support system, balance pH and improve function of the digestive, lymph and urinary systems.

 

    1. Detoxification – Practice fasting and other detox methods. The day of the fast, drink only water or vegetable broth from sunrise to sunset. During the absence of food, the body will systematically cleanse itself of everything except vital tissue, which helps the body to detoxify. Other ways to cleanse the body may also be beneficial, such as colonics, enemas and liver cleanses. An herbalist, acupuncturist or a doctor of Chinese medicine may have some ideas on which plants and teas can be useful when detoxifying.

 

    1. Emotions – Approach emotions such as aggravation and anger with awareness, to control blood pressure and reduce stress in the body. When negative emotions arise, acknowledge them and then dissolve them using meditation techniques or simply “telling” them they are not needed. Practice kindness to others by proactively performing good deeds, without publicizing them. Cast aside expectations, and embrace the unexpected. Develop constant awareness of the emotional state to create space for improving reactions to situations that arise.

 

    1. Breath – Breathe mindfully and deeply, which will lead to a calm and centered disposition. Turning to an ancient practice such as Yoga, qigong, tai chi or meditation will help achieve a centered, peaceful state, help you calm the breath, and allow you to channel your prana energy towards the reception of higher states of mind.  Proper breathing greatly influences all aspects of life and is considered the foundation of good health and spiritual awareness.

 

  1. Exercise – Perform physical exercise often to repair, loosen and open up the body. The body houses our complex nervous system, which is akin to a complex receiver of information. Re-energizing this important system with regular and varied exercise will help to receive information, however, it is wise to respect your limits and not overdo it.  The improvements in blood flow and better health will positively affect all areas of life. Getting plenty of rest is also a key part of a healthy exercise regimen.

Our daily routines, how we act, what we eat, what we say, can be some of the hardest things to change, but taking small steps at first is a good way to start. Over time, it will become easier to live with conscious awareness, and, as a result, you will cultivate and liberate more of the positive qualities inherent in your true nature. Engaging mindfully these  6 influential aspects of life will improve your receptivity to the positive spiritual energies that are manifesting globally in this transformational time.  What now may seem as difficult or impossible will become a new, sustainable behavior, allowing you to become part of the great shift.

 

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Oct 23 2012

What Are We Without Empathy?

Empathy

Empathy (Photo credit: TonZ)

I was watching the other day a documentary about a serial killer and how he tortured his victims. I hate such types of programs yet what interests me about them is how the criminals they talk about can ‘have the heart’ to hurt fellow human beings or even anything living at all. The documentary explained eventually that when the criminal’s brain was scanned, it was concluded that the special place for Empathy inside his brain had been damaged in an accident when he was a child, for which reason, he was feeling no pity nor repentance while committing those crimes.

This all drove me to wonder ‘WHAT are we without empathy?’, and the reason why I am choosing to use the word ‘what’ as opposed to ‘who’ is because the latter indicates that the individual is still considered a human being, which may entail that he or she may actually have feelings underneath the corrupted crust inside his or her brain.

So ‘what’ do we become without empathy?

In order to answer that, we should have a look at what Empathy means and entails.

Dr. Daniel Goleman in his world-famous book “Emotional Intelligence: Why EQ Matters More Than IQ” mentions an incident in Germany, whereby a bike driver had been hit by a car, and remained laying flat to the side of the road completely ignored. He said drivers in surrounding cars were looking at him without feelings/impressions on their faces awaiting their traffic lights to turn green.  It may seem surprising to you or to most of us, but obviously it wasn’t surprising to those fellow drivers who didn’t even care to take that poor biker to the hospital.

Some may say that in this day and age, chivalry has almost disappeared from our glossary. There may not be time for it basically. Also, since time equals money to most of us, then actions that may delay us, can be easily assessed as futile. Some may say that life has become all about money. Others may acknowledge that and still see that there are those who are considered leaders socially who always make this extra step that no one else seems willing to do, without asking anything in return, and despite the fact that he or she may be late to their appointments as a result.

So it boils down to one’s ethics too. So for example, if a manager appreciates the concepts of family, he may not accept that his employees remain after working hours trying to make ends meet, because he may value and acknowledge that his employees actually deserve a rest, family time and right to have a life. Therefore, meanwhile he may push his employees’ performance and urge them to progress with more passion, he would still remind them that work is just part of their lives, and not a reason to forget about life.

However, when we say ethics, we may associate that with a higher brain functionality, one that is totally contradictory to the basic needs (instincts) of a primitive mind. Yet in fact, ethics can also be an organic product of one’s feelings and one’s own level of emotional intelligence. It is like looking inward towards yourselves and emotions with the same lens, through which you look on other people’s feelings outside of you, thus, being able to establish an understanding or a connection between you and them. The more you learn to discern your emotions, the more expert you become in doing that, which in turn translates into better relationships and success in connecting with others. In other words, it is said that one who understands one’s own feelings is usually more effective in responding to other people’s feelings in return. This goes along the famous quote by Plato: “Know Thyself“.

So empathy basically is discerning your own emotions and learning to discern others’ the same way, to a degree that you put yourself in their place and imagine how it would be to be experiencing what they experience. Sounds too much, especially in this fast-paced age, but actually we see aspects of empathy wherever we go. As a matter of fact, it has been proven scientifically that we are wired for empathy. For example, if we watch someone down the street walking with a heavy stack of books or boxes, we automatically shrink our faces and imagine that we are the ones who are carrying that load.

Empathy is also proven to exit naturally in human from a very young age, like when a child sees another child that’s crying. It automatically starts crying too. If a child sees happy kids, he or she automatically starts mimicking that in return. Even most animals have different degrees of genuine empathy. We can see this in a mother animal caressing her children, or when we see two swans leaning their heads against one another forming a shape of a heart.

So how would a natural quality that allows humans, despite all of their differences (age, race, faith, gender, etc.) connect and unit with one another any time anywhere? How valuable is this unique quality to us? Are we willing to oppress it or improve it?  Is it worth stopping to help out someone who seems in dire need of help?

On the other hand, what happens if we oppress our own feelings of empathy? Does this make us less human? What would a person become without empathy? I was thinking of all these questions,and realized that human fixation can be as deep as a black hole. The more one looks inwards, the more experiences one is exposed to. It also depends on the way you are looking. For example, there are those who look inwards with a loner’s attitude, reminiscing of a happy past or negatively dwelling on how unlucky one had always been. The result of such perspective conjures up even more sadness, loneliness, sense of isolation and negativity. Also, too much inward fixation can lead to a major shift of attention to the outside world and the healthy human need to socialize with other people and integrate with new potential happy encounters. When one is too focused on pitying oneself, the less empathy one is going to feel for others, thus the more distant one may become to surrounding happenings and people around one or in the world.

Empathy is said to bring people closer to one another by being able to identify with each other’s feelings and needs. It is also said to be the mother of compassion. Alfred Adler described it as “seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.”

Eyebrows can also help portray empathy.

Eyebrows can also help portray empathy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Eyebrows can also help portray empathy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On the other hand, individuals with an abusive or aggressive past may lack empathy too, as their past experiences may have turned them into beast-like humans: aggressive, selfish or a victim to one’s own primitive instincts that once they get fulfilled, one may repetitively yearn for more. Some scientist once said such individuals become more like vampires or human predators. Vampires don’t have empathy, and the more they drain a human of blood, the more blood they crave.  However, both modes (the introvert and predator) can share one common tendency, which is to constantly seek sensual satisfaction through whichever way possible, and they can become not deterred by ethical or moral inhibitions that a healthy person shuns away from.

So all that brings us to the main question, which is the title of this article: What (not Who) Are We Without Empathy?
“A human being is a part of a whole, called by us “universe”, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest… a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”  Albert Einstein

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Oct 8 2012

Stress Makes Us Less Intelligent and More Physically Sick

One key reason why the sciences of Emotional Intelligence and Cognitive Behavioral Psychology are gaining more fame nowadays is because they are succeeding in explaining the physical implications of our beliefs and feelings. Feelings have been marginalized for centuries, as they have been considered to make ‘weaker’.

IQ or mathematical intelligence has been considered the key indicator of intelligence for ages. Yet, many intelligent and professionally successful individuals are still unhappy.

How about beliefs? What are beliefs?

Beliefs are the filters that we go on in life composing and looking at life’s events from behind them. These filters are also managing the way we feel and interact with those events. As a result, people whose beliefs are negative, end up with a poor health, and those with positive beliefs live longer, have healthier bodies and are generally more successful in surviving than those with negative beliefs.
Does this mean our health, success and happiness are all subject to operations that happen inside our brains, rather than anywhere else in our bodies?

Certainly! It has been proven that whatever the brain thinks and feels about a particular topic, it is interpreted and manifested in physical ways. Feelings trigger thousands of chemicals that flood our bodies and blood stream at the same time we are experiencing them. Remembering them also can trigger the same kind of chemicals.

Therefore, feelings should not be marginalized. Rather, they need to be viewed and monitored. The types of chemicals that are triggered when we are sad, mad, angry or stressed for example can have an even more powerful effect than an actual accident physically affecting the body.

Check out this amazing documentary that is definitely worth watching to the end by Dr. Bruce Liptop, who explains the Biology of Belief, and how beliefs can actually lead us to make less intelligent choices in life, get increasingly more sick, and jeopardize our lives:

Be kind to yourself. This is the real secret to a better health, a happier life and a more successful life path.

Cheers!

Aug 28 2012

It’s More Important to Be Kind than Clever

I’m sure most of us do acts of kindness on daily basis, yet we may not think much of them and may allow time to erase those valuable memories. I think, in addition to writing what we are grateful for, in a gratitude journal, we need to document any acts of kindness that we offer to others, no matter how small they are. It reminds us of who we ‘really’ are, and how we ‘truly’ express that. Don’t you think? :) Read this by Bill Taylor about the importance of kindness as opposed to cleverness. Worth reading!

Source: HBR.org

It’s More Important to Be Kind than Clever

by Bill Taylor  |   9:00 AM August 23, 2012

One of the more heart-warming stories to zoom around the Internet lately involves a young man, his dying grandmother, and a bowl of clam chowder from Panera Bread. It’s a little story that offers big lessons about service, brands, and the human side of business — a story that underscores why efficiency should never come at the expense of humanity.

The story, as told in AdWeek, goes like this: Brandon Cook, from Wilton, New Hampshire, was visiting his grandmother in the hospital. Terribly ill with cancer, she complained to her grandson that she desperately wanted a bowl of soup, and that the hospital’s soup was inedible (she used saltier language). If only she could get a bowl of her favorite clam chowder from Panera Bread! Trouble was, Panera only sells clam chowder on Friday. So Brandon called the nearby Panera and talked to store manager Suzanne Fortier. Not only did Sue make clam chowder specially for Brandon’s grandmother, she included a box of cookies as a gift from the staff.

It was a small act of kindness that would not normally make headlines. Except that Brandon told the story on his Facebook page, and Brandon’s mother, Gail Cook, retold the story on Panera’s fan page. The rest, as they say, is social-media history. Gail’s post generated 500,000 (and counting) “likes” and more than 22,000 comments on Panera’s Facebook page. Panera, meanwhile, got something that no amount of traditional advertising can buy — a genuine sense of affiliation and appreciation from customers around the world.

Marketing types have latched on to this story as an example of the power of social media and “virtual word-of-mouth” to boost a company’s reputation. But I see the reaction to Sue Fortier’s gesture as an example of something else — the hunger among customers, employees, and all of us to engage with companies on more than just dollars-and-cents terms. In a world that is being reshaped by the relentless advance of technology, what stands out are acts of compassion and connection that remind us what it means to be human.

As I read the story of Brandon and his grandmother, I thought back to a lecture delivered two years ago by Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, to the graduating seniors of my alma mater, Princeton University. Bezos is nothing if not a master of technology — he has built his company, and his fortune, on the rise of the Internet and his own intellect. But he spoke that day not about computing power or brainpower, but about his grandmother — and what he learned when he made her cry.

Even as a 10-year-old boy, it turns out, Bezos had a steel-trap mind and a passion for crunching numbers. During a summer road trip with his grandparents, young Jeff got fed up with his grandmother’s smoking in the car — and decided to do something about it. From the backseat, he calculated how many cigarettes per day his grandmother smoked, how many puffs she took per cigarette, the health risk of each puff, and announced to her with great fanfare, “You’ve taken nine years off your life!”

Bezos’s calculations may have been accurate — but the reaction was not what he expected. His grandmother burst into tears. His grandfather pulled the car off to the side of the road and asked young Jeff to step out. And then his grandfather taught a lesson that this now-billionaire decided to share the with the Class of 2010: “My grandfather looked at me, and after a bit of silence, he gently and calmly said, ‘Jeff, one day you’ll understand that it’s harder to be kind than clever.’”

That’s a lesson I wish more businesspeople understood — a lesson that is reinforced by the reaction to this simple act of kindness at Panera Bread. Indeed, I experienced something similar not so long ago, and found it striking enough to devote an HBR blog post to the experience. In my post, I told the story of my father, his search for a new car, a health emergency that took place in the middle of that search — and a couple of extraordinary (and truly human) gestures by an auto dealer that put him at ease and won his loyalty.

“What is it about business that makes it so hard to be kind?” I asked at the time. “And what kind of businesspeople have we become when small acts of kindness feel so rare?”

That’s what’s really striking about the Panera Bread story — not that Suzanne Fortier went out of her way to do something nice for a sick grandmother, but that her simple gesture attracted such global attention and acclaim.

So by all means, encourage your people to embrace technology, get great at business analytics, and otherwise ramp up the efficiency of everything they do. But just make sure all their efficiency doesn’t come at the expense of their humanity. Small gestures can send big signals about who we are, what we care about, and why people should want to affiliate with us. It’s harder (and more important) to be kind than clever.

Jun 14 2012

Qualities of a Good Role Model

By Steve Repsys, eHow Contributor
Source: ehow.com
Qualities of a Good Role Modelthumbnail

A role model is a person who others look up to and admire. A role model provides inspiration and motivation to seek out accomplishments. Role models send messages about their beliefs by what they do and say. Here are some traits of positive role models.

  1. Self-Esteem

    • A role model is self-assured and happy with who she is. If a role model displays that she has self-esteem, those who look up to her will, too. A role model displays a streak of independence showing she does not need to follow current trends. Role models trust in being themselves. They are proud of who they are, but not cocky.

    Handle Stress Positively

    • Being human means having to constantly deal with stress and overcome obstacles. A role model sets a good example on how to handle pressure. Athlete role models can handle stress and can come through when the pressure is on. While they may not win every game, when they fail they attempt to learn from their mistakes.

    Role Models Are Trustworthy

    • Trustworthiness is another quality of a good role model. A role model is honest and doesn’t lie. A role model possesses integrity and does the right thing even if no one is looking or he does not receive acknowledgment for his act.

    Perseverance

    • A good role model also does what she says. A good role model delivers on her promises and can always be counted on even when she is overwhelmed and wants to quit. Perseverance is a key trait. Role models demonstrate that if they work hard to attain something, then others can, too. They give you dreams and goals to aspire to.

    Respect for Others

    • How you treat others speaks volumes about who you are. A good role model listens to others and also considers opposing points of view. He treats others how he would want to be treated and is considerate of others. When making mistakes, a role model does not place the blame on others; he owns up to his own shortcomings.

Jun 2 2012

Conflict Resolution

“We cannot make someone responsible for how we feel”.  Gwen Randall-Young

This is a very useful clip by Gwen Randall-Young that inspires one on how to resolve conflicts in a positive and healthy way. The same negative pattern of dealing with conflict – regardless of all shapes and forms it takes – leads to the same results, i.e. not resolving the conflict and may even escalate the situation.

Some of the factors contributing to a negative pattern in resolving conflict are:

- Taking things personally.

- Reacting with anger, resentment and judgement.

Gwen suggests empowering techniques that help us gain control of a situation by targeting specific behaviors and setting boundaries around them.

Allow yourself to be inspired by her wise suggestions.

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May 7 2012

The Four Seasons of Life, The Four Seasons of Love

The Four Seasons of Life, The Four Seasons of Love

Often times in conversations with friends or clients, I have used the analogy of the four seasons to assimilate the happenings of daily life and relationship challenges that happened in my as well as their lives. It is a positive thinking exercise and a very effective tool that can help one handle upsetting situations cleverly and realistically.

Life is not about what ‘we’ want it to be. Life is a free-flowing force that is so powerful, wise and miraculous. We can’t simply belittle it just because we may not get the wisdom behind it sometimes. Things happen for a reason, and things eventually fall into their places. So why push, pull, precipitate, complain, and so on. Repeating such unproductive/ negative attitudes only serve as a poison we inject into our blood.

The Four Seasons of Life, The Four Seasons of Love Exercise:

Image via Wikipedia

This is a visualization technique that I use to help me – and my clients - see incidents for what they are, make life more manageable and overcome challenges with positivity.

Here is how it goes.

In the past, whenever I had a gloomy day at work, or with my family, I’d look at it as a grey and cold winter day, with strong winds sometimes. Similarly, whenever my partner and I entered a gloomy phase of mutual discomfort, due to some misunderstanding, in which I felt I had not caused in any way, or if the subject of argument to me was no big a deal – instead of cursing the day and firing out my rage right at him – mentally, I’d declare it a grey winter day. On such weather, I’d go back to my comfort zone, treat myself to a hot and comforting drink, and stay in till the sun came out. Meanwhile, I’d contemplate what happened, why, and how we can solve the problem. If I realized that the problem had been caused by me in any way, I’d start thinking of a solution or a way to make up for what I did. If the result of my reasoning was that it was something my partner did or said that upset me, or if it was a simple misunderstanding – which as silly as it sounds can lead to major and upsetting arguments- I’d wait until it is the appropriate time to address and discuss it calmly, find a solution for it and then makeup.

At all times, I’d try to stay away from that gloomy weather as much as I could, since rain and cold make us sick. Similarly, going back to a heated situation – especially when one is not yet ready- can only make it worse. Arguments can have toxic effects on both parties, and may eventually cause us to become ill, whether emotionally or physically. So, by exercising such way of positive thinking, I have learned to make the most of life’s happenings, and instead of wasting a long time being upset and sad around a particular matter, I’d see it assertively as a winter phase, which will end sometime in the future, and the sun would come out again to shed on the world abundant positive feelings, like friendliness, empathy, gratitude, loyalty, happiness, etc.

Meanwhile, by visualizing that I was staying in, enjoying my treat, contemplating what had happened, I’d give myself and the other person (my sibling, partner, child, co-worker, etc.) a chance to calm down and reflect on what had happened. Instead of obsessing about it all day, I’d go about living my regular life in the most ordinary way. One bad thing, in my opinion, should not and does not deserve to spoil the other aspects of my life. Things fall into their places, when we handle them wisely. However, the least I can do in any heated situation is to mainly reflect on the part I had played in it. No one is perfect and certainly misunderstandings happen.

On the other hand, some challenges may be the product of a purposeful harmful act by others, and that too deserves contemplation, so we learn how to handle it. Yet, if we are going to allow ourselves to get dragged into an escalating negative emotional havoc, we then may not be capable of finding a solution for it. So at all times, stay away from negative energy and angry situations for a while, reflect then choose the right time (when the clouds clear out) to handle it.

The winter analogy can also be applied to one’s disrupting their diet. We are all guilty of that one time or another. We love our bodies, yet sticking to a regime may be challenging sometimes. Treating a messed-up dieting day like a tough winter day, on which it was difficult to commit, helps free us from the blocking feelings of guilt and self-loathing. You may have needed the comfort of a hot chocolate, a chocolate bar, a creamy soup, etc. This is certainly not a sin. It is OK. Life will go on, and you can go back to your regime, when the sun comes out, and you feel energetic, determined and active.

Certainly, this technique wasn’t there all my life. I have developed it through experience as a way of seeing problematic situations as “temporary” occurrences.

Living life as is, and not as ‘it is supposed to be’, may make it easier for us to accept its challenges, and rather rise above them with resilience. Unrealistic expectations, dreams, myths, gossip, etc. may never solve a problem, and most importantly, they may never become real. What we are left with then is illusion, and this is very lonely and cold place to be in.

What about the other seasons? They all work. This is how.

In fall, it is chilly yet it doesn’t take our eyes much time to see the beauty behind that cool weather. Similarly, some misunderstandings between two friends, sisters, brothers, etc. can occur but it may not take them a while to realize that the beauty of their friendship is worth coming forth and resolving the problem at hand.

How about spring and summer?

Well, in spring, things start to green and brighten up. The skies clear up, and the trees start to blossom. Similarly, this is usually the phase where a friendship or a relationship start showing off its beauty, and reflecting that in enjoyable feelings, whose sweetness we savor at all times. Usually, this period of bliss leaves the best memories especially that they mark their contrast upon happening after a period of coldness, absence from your loved ones (at work, on a business trip, normal everyday business, etc.) or fights. When winter resolves, spring shines its happiness in our hearts, and warms the body with blood that is pumped in it with strong palpitations.

Summer is usually a hard-core fun time (a trip somewhere nice, a good phase of achievement at work, some cool gatherings, etc.) This is where we regain our balance and renew our energy, or refill some trying to save for upcoming winter times. These happy deposits forge their memories into our hearts, souls and brains, and they are the ones that help us give the other person benefit of the doubt, when negative/unhappy occurrences happen.

There’s so much beauty in the world for the eyes to behold. It’s just a matter of observing it or not.

No one is perfect, not us nor them. So why assume that in the first place? This is only bound to hurt us more than them.

Hope this technique helps you like it has helped me. Allow your soul to embrace the beauty of other souls and things around you.

~~Peace upon you all~~

Copyright 2012 Wisdom Within Consultancy. All Rights Reserved for Wisdom Within Consultancy, Wisdom Within Coaching.

Apr 29 2012

Good & Bad Are Two Great Teachers

good-bad-ugly-17th-surf_141
Image by mikebaird via Flickr

One of the miracles in our lives is that we are constantly faced by two great teachers: The Good & The Bad. The Good may teach us a lot of good things, but The Bad can teach us profound lessons that may be crucially decisive in the choices we make in our lives.

Life can be so tricky sometimes. We face the good and the bad, yet we may never notice that both currents are teaching us a lot of valuable lessons. It is almost like we get in between two strong yet contradicting waves, each pushing us towards a different direction.

Live your life to best spiritual standards you can get, consult your conscience as often as you can, feel your pain as well as others, contemplate, meditate and celebrate. Then, you will be more likely to stop focusing on your own worries and fears of failure and you will commit to a better plan of actions with the insight that no matter what downs you get, you will still benefit from them by learning to avoid them in future endeavors.

The following is a short story by the famous inspirational writer, Paolo Cuelho, that recommends considering the good and the bad are two great teachers, to find the good even in the bad, with the objective of learning and moving on to better destinations.

“The master met one night with his disciples, and asked them to
build a campfire so they could sit and talk. “The spiritual path is
like a fire that burns before us,” he said. “A man who wants to light
the fire has to bear with the disagreeable smoke that makes it difficult
for him to breathe, and brings tears to his eyes. That is how his faith
is rediscovered. However, once the fire is rekindled, the smoke
disappears, and the flames illuminate everything around him — providing
heat and tranquility.” “But what if someone else lights the fire for
him?” asked one of the disciples. “And if someone helps us to avoid the
smoke?” “If someone does that, he is a false master. A master
capable of taking the fire to wherever he desires, or of extinguishing
it whenever he wants to do so. And, since he has taught no one how to
light the fire, he is likely to leave everyone in the darkness.”

Peace and love to everyone who’s reading my posts.

Razan

Apr 29 2012

What Is Awareness?

English: By kac's meditation
Image via Wikipedia

We may mistake awareness for being aware of what others have that we don’t, what they do that we do or don’t, or what their lives are like in comparison with ours. Being awareness is not being aware of things ‘outside’ ourselves. Such line of thinking serves to only compare who we are and what we have to standards that are or aren’t met by others. It is like a defensive mechanism, through which we define our understanding of ourselves and our lives from potential losses, threats, failures, or disappointments. So for example, if we are defining our being as someone who has a nice car, great career, wonderful relationship, fun parties, and so on, this is the way we are going to compare ourselves to others who are and have these elements in their lives. These elements – through such definition – become labelled as ‘Happiness-Generating Factors. The problem with this understanding is that it is set outward, and promises to always look outside of ourselves to seek happiness.  Therefore, it is like dedicating our lives, time, energy and soul, to walk a long mile that is never-ending in the desert, in promise of a sip of water.

Becoming aware is such a crucial internal process, through which we live our lives and go about choosing our actions. Being aware is understanding the patterns that interpret our connection to the world around us, as well as ourselves (our feelings, beliefs, values, spirit, and body). Total awareness in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is achieved through self-actualization, the highest level in the hierarchy.

Developing self-awareness is increasing your knowledge of yourself; i.e. forming an understanding of your identify within the world around you. Awareness can be stretched in diverse dimensions. The spiritual dimension is one of them, whereby one connects with their higher self, and feel their connectedness to the universe.
On the bodily level, there is awareness of the physical manifestations of the body, thoughts and feelings. Trying to engage your Self helps you check in regularly on it, which will serve in making you a happier person.

Listening to your Self, body, thoughts, feelings and actions, will help you understand who you are, what you really want in every situation (what choice you want to make), where you want to go, and how you want to be remembered after you pass away.

Awareness is a time and effort-saver that – once ignited – sets you on a voluntary journey toward inner peace and happiness with a no-going-back policy.

Three ways to increase your self awareness on the physical, emotional and spiritual sides:

- Keep checking in with yourself every time you exhibit certain signs of upset, stress, anxiety.

- Get in the habit of celebrating positive emotions and thoughts when they come up.

- Meditate/pray or listen to music while contemplating a positive matter.

Life is so beautiful. It’s about time we took off our sunglasses and saw it for what it really is.

~~Peace~~

Apr 29 2012

10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting: Nurturing Your Child’s Soul

10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting: Nurturing Your Child’s Soul.