Home Study: The Wisdom of the Native Americans, pt. 1

23 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by graceandclarity in Home Study

This month we begin a new Home Study series based on the wisdom of American Indian sages.  Although their cultures may not have had what some consider typical “scriptures,” the revered words of each Nation’s Wise Ones serve as an oral history of what these highly spiritual people valued and practiced.  Rich in poetry, imagery and humility their sacred words are as relevant today as they were when first spoken years ago.

Today’s text: The Wisdom of the Native Americans  edited by Kent Nerburn

Published by: New World Library, 1999

Study page: p. 83

Like many in the past few decades, I too have been rediscovering the profound and powerful beauty of American Indian philosophies.  Long buried or hidden from the view of outsiders, these philosophies are being shared by respectful and mindful authors such as Kent Nerburn.  By reverently proffering these cherished scriptures before modern seekers, he is helping to preserve an awareness of their wisdom and depth.

In our first Home Study excerpt, we touch upon one of the fundamental principles of American Indian spirituality: that there is but one Divine Presence.  No matter what various people or civilizations call It, that Power is the same One Power to all (p. 83):

“We know that all sincere worship can have but one source and goal.  We know that the God of the educated and the God of the child, the God of the civilized and the God of the primitive is after all the same God; and that this God does not measure our differences but embraces all who live rightly and humbly on the earth.”    ~Ohiyesa

What I love about this quote is how it reminds me of other rich spiritual practices I have cherished–like the Eastern Indian practice of yoga.  In yoga classes you will often hear the teacher remind you that the Divine is the same no matter what name you use in worshipping It.  These two philosophies sprang up on opposite sides of the globe, yet both embraced the same Truth: there is but one Divine Presence and It is the Creator of all.

In such belief systems we find the end to all warring over faith and perhaps even an end to proselytizing.  We can acknowledge that our languages may be different, but that at the heart we are all honoring the same Oneness that created, sustains and eventually absorbs all that is back into Itself.  In the end, we are all One.

Taking a pen and a piece of paper or journal, contemplate the following this week:

1. What less familiar spiritual practices remind me of my own? (monotheistic, nature-worshipping, goddess-centered etc.)

2. What interesting thing can I learn about this practice by simply doing an internet search of its philosophies and rituals?

3. What energies do I feel when realizing my God is the same God as another’s?

4. Are there any practices, words or philosophies that I might like to incorporate from this other practice into my own spiritual life?

In session two of our Home Study, we will be diving deeper into The Wisdom of the Native Americans and what the Wise Ones had to say about connecting to the Great Spirit in daily life…don’t miss it!  Be sure to click and follow our blog so you can be alerted when our next discussion commences!

For more book discussions, please peruse the other selections from our Home Study category.  We also invite you to experience other uplifting insights from the Higher Realms at www.hopeofthenewage.com

“A Tremendous Amount of Yearning…”

15 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by graceandclarity in Wisdom

We all go through changes in our spiritual Journey from time to time and I’m no exception.  During a recent shift, I encountered a kind of energetic wall I could not seem to get through.  Since this kind of thing happens to us all now and then, I did what any dedicated practitioner would do: I pulled out my tools and got to work.

But nothing seemed to work.  I was filled with a daunting sense that all my darkest tendencies were coming up at once, so I spent increasing amounts of time in Communion asking for clarity.  It was during one of those times that I received a rather sobering bit of insight from the Angels and Guides:

“The human condition allows for a tremendous amount of yearning, but not a tremendous amount of actualization.”

As with all of Their insights, the Angels refused to sugar-coat the Truth of the spiritual Journey.  Instead of filling my head with empty platitudes, the Guides never treat me like a child.  They tell it like it is, challenging each of us to see exactly what lies ahead and standing behind us to provide hope and clarity when the Path feels a little intimidating.

As the nature of the Journey is to help us to be free, it will by definition ask us to give up anything that keeps us bound to a limited sense of self.  Since such an identity comprises the majority of what we initially believe ourselves to be, that means we give up, well…just about everything.

Enter the “not a tremendous amount of actualization” part.  As many spiritual teachers remark, the Journey toward spiritual freedom is often sold as a purely joyful, blissful one.  Don’t get me wrong–the beautiful freedom of true Communion transcends description, as you likely know.  But laying down self-limiting perceptions can feel like someone is trying to rip your heart out through your ear.  Indeed, we may end up resisting the very forces seeking to show us what it takes to actualize our spiritual yearnings.

Slowly we begin to see that the longer we are on the Path to self-awareness the more we find ourselves bagging up and donating all the things we once paid dearly for.  Like taking a $300- pair of boots to the Salvation Army, you find yourself in a haze of disbelief as you sacrifice your carefully-coiffed personal identity, your attachment to being regarded as a “seeker,” your belief that you finally know what the Divine actually is.  Such purging times can easily tempt us off of the road to actualization and into the time-warp of spiritual hibernation.

In the midst of my recent shift, I enjoyed a conversation with a student who asked about how things were going with my experience.  As always, I told her the honest truth and shared how I was exhausted but hopeful that it would settle in soon.   She laughed and said she thought it was supposed to get easier the closer we get to the finish line!

As I went about the rest of my day, I thought again and again about what she said.  “Easier the closer we get to the finish line…”  I mused as I tried to come to my own understanding of how it feels the farther along the Path I go.

For me, the Journey is like wandering across a foreign continent: The longer you trek, the fewer possessions you have.  Your one extra shirt gets torn and is discarded, your hat blows off and is lost by the sea, your pen runs out of ink and is useful no more.  By the time you are deeply committed, you find you only have a few items left–and they are likely your most cherished.

Now imagine that that cherished talisman, photograph or journal is the one thing the Journey asks you to give up.  “Easier the closer we get..?”  Maybe not…

But let’s not forget that the foreign continent delights in its ultimate goal of helping us to reinvent ourselves.  The Journey allows us to see Reality as never before, to experience the Hush of true inner stillness.  Easier the longer we journey?  Perhaps not.  But the closer we get to the happy isles the less we live in spiritual fantasies and the more we abide in the contentment of true actualization.

To read more of the Angels’ Words of Wisdom, please peruse other selections from our Wisdom category or visit www.hopeofthenewage.com/Wisdom

Home Study: Lessons for Living, pt. 3

08 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by graceandclarity in Home Study

Today we begin the third and final installment in our Home Study of Lessons for Living by L. Taylor.  If you have not already caught up on parts one and two of our series, I encourage you to visit them in our archives to help provide a foundation for today’s discussion!

Today’s text: Lessons for Living, vol. 1 transcribed by L. Taylor

Available at:  www.hopeofthenewage.com

Study page: p. 234

Today’s study page is not even really a page; it is a paragraph of wisdom from our Guides regarding the experience of suffering in our world.

Turn on any media source and  you are likely to be bombarded by images and descriptions–usually quite graphic–regarding the immense suffering in our world today.  Blended into the mix you will also find stories of those who are doing their best to mitigate the effects of such worldwide challenges.

It is up to each of us to determine how we are called to help balance out the difficulties facing our modern world.  Today’s Home Study looks at the Angels’ and Guides’ insights on how we can do our part (page 243, section 11/25/07. 5):

 “When you see others fall away in times of difficulty…instead of feeling sad for them, which only compounds their energetic crisis, send them Peace and send them joy and send them blessings.  Ask the Angels to go with them and be near them.”

In this brief paragraph, the Angels lay out a simple three-part plan: send those in need positive Energy, request that the Divine Presence be felt by them and finally, continue to shine ourselves.  This third part may not be stated outright in the excerpt above, but as we all know it is an implied part of daily living.

When considering how to be of help to others, it is easy to forget that there are two ways of looking at our responses to life: the psychological and the energetic.  From a psychological standpoint, it may appear perfectly fine to take on another’s sadness and join them in their suffering.  In fact, many interpret the spiritual command to “bear with one another’s burdens” as meaning exactly this kind of act.

But from an energetic point of view, things look entirely different.  As my Guides like to say, “Of what use will you be if you jump into the quicksand after them?”  This simply reminds me that to let my own Light dim for the sake of another is not a help to either one of us.  It might feed my martyr complex, but it doesn’t save anybody in the end!

Instead, we are called to be a brighter and stronger Light in the darkness when others are in need.  It is our generosity, our kindness and our respect–not our pity and worry–that can help others find their way back to their own Inner Radiance during difficult times.  This simple approach is the best way to throw a rope to a soul mired in quicksand.

Whether you are thinking of someone down the street or  halfway around the world, the energetic directive is clear: Donate, volunteer, lend a ear…whatever you feel is appropriate for you, but don’t you dare crawl in after them.  Do not allow the despair of another’s circumstances to dim your Light as well.  Instead tie yourself to your own spiritual tree, grab a rope and toss them the line of your Light and support.

Today my friend shared a quip that relates to how our genuine positive Energy can make a difference in the world.  She said, “Some ‘grin and bear it;’ others smile and change it.”  Indeed, radiating our most positive and hopeful Energy is the easiest way each person can help change the world, one soul at a time.

 

Taking a pen and a piece of paper or journal, contemplate the following this week:

1. Who do I have a tendency to join in their misery?  (it may be a being you know personally or not!)

2. What simple prayer can I say every time I see someone suffering?

3. Are there some organizations I feel called to support at this time? (human aid, animal rights, Earth preservation?)

4. What is a gentle way I can remind others that they can help by staying positive, not adding their worry to our world’s challenges?

Over the past month we have investigated some powerful but simple suggestions for living a more skillful spiritual life.  Lessons for Living includes wisdom that has changed my life and the lives of many others.  I hope you will visit our Hope of the New Age online bookstore and investigate this title and others, or simply print up free excerpts from our site’s Wisdom page.

For more book discussions, please peruse the other selections from our Home Study category.  We also invite you to experience more  uplifting insights from the Higher Realms at www.hopeofthenewage.com

Reconnect to Your Intentions

01 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by graceandclarity in Practicum

As spring blooms around us we are reminded of the personal, physical and spiritual awakening taking place within each of us every day.  In order to maximize our growth potential, we are best served by making our evolution a conscious rather than unconscious Journey.  What better way to do that than to reconnect to the good intentions we set for this year?

Of course, it can be intimidating to look at our progress over time.  We may fear falling behind our goals–or even worse, forgetting about them entirely.  But the Angels remind us there is no room for guilt or fear in true spirituality.  Instead we are called to be conscious, which could be defined as “being aware without judging,” and we should practice this skill regarding our state of being at all times.

To come into conscious communion with your objectives for this year, review the list you created back in January.  It may be on a computer document, in a journal or in your mind. If you have not set intentions for 2012 yet, it’s not too late!  To start, I recommend from one to three intentions; any more than four and it is difficult to  remember all the things you are trying to achieve.  Try to have at least one intention relating to your spiritual practice.

As you review your list, first notice what you have done well.  Celebrate those intentions which have become a part of your regular routine.  In prayer or in your journal, honor the positive impact these choices are making in your life and affirm that they will continue to do so.  I would encourage you to treat yourself to a special dinner, inspiring book or healing treatment to celebrate your success thus far!

Next, become aware of intentions that have been marginally successful.  These are the goals which were dominant in January but likely faded down the stretch and now only come to mind once or twice a month.

Affirm your desire to rekindle the flame within these intentions.  Review your original list and recall your reasons for selecting these goals.  Will they bring you greater peace, health, abundance?  Honor the value these intentions have in your life and resolve to be conscious of them more often.

Then take practical steps to bring these goals into your daily awareness.  You may wish to make them a part of your morning affirmations, asking the Divine to help you be more mindful of them.  Consider writing these fading goals on a note and posting them in your office or home.  Don’t forget to write a sentence or two about what these things will bring to your life once realized!  In addition, analyze which roadblocks caused these intentions to dissolve and brainstorm ways you can you remove those challenges.

Finally, assess intentions which have disappeared completely from view.  These are the goals that were set in January, then promptly forgotten.  Do some investigating: Does this intention feel overwhelming?  Does it now seem irrelevant?  Do you simply have too many goals to attain them all?

Whatever the reason, acknowledge that you cannot overhaul your entire life at once.  Perhaps it is best to allow this intention to wait until a more appropriate time.  Trust that you will be guided to the work you need most right now, whether it is on your new year’s intention list or not.  Sometimes life leads us to priorities we did not expect at all and we must honor that Divine direction.  Learn to flow, hold to the intentions that feel important and grow from there!