Grace and Clarity

Today we begin the third and final installment in our Home Study of  Positive Energy by Judith Orloff, M.D.  If you have not already caught up on parts one and two of our series, I encourage you to visit them in our archives.   Today’s topic is energy draining relationships–a concern for spiritual practitioners of all ages!

Today’s text: Positive Energy by Judith Orloff, M.D.

Published by: Three Rivers Press, 2004

Study page: p. 290-317

As with all Energy topics, it is difficult to put into words just what one might be experiencing in one’s inner awareness or Energy.  Judith Orloff describes people who take too much of our Energy–be it mental, physical or otherwise–as ‘vampires,’ which is a common term for such behavior.

Personally, I do not use this word because of its connotation of premeditation and evil.  What I prefer to remember is that all souls are in need of Light, and some tend to go about getting It in less conscious ways than others.  In most cases, those using such tactics are oblivious to the damage they are doing and are in so much pain they might be unable to change even if they became aware of their behavior.  It is also worth noting that many such tactics have been passed on from parent to child for generations…

Yet, regardless of another’s ignorance or intention to take Energy from you, you are still responsible for your own protection.  True spiritual practice is one of ultimate responsibility; there are no victims here.  This is where Judith Orloff and I agree wholeheartedly and on pages 290-291 she sets about highlighting some signs and common times Energy drain can occur.  Here are a few:

• We are more susceptible to Energy drain when we are sick, overworked and sleep-deprived
• You may feel your chest tighten, get a headache or feel nauseated when around certain people
• You may crave a nap or junk food after talking with such individuals
• Certain people may seem to stick to you no matter what you do to avoid them

In one of my favorite sections, Dr. Orloff describes common habits of those who try to take more of others’ Energy than they should.  You may be surprised to find a number of people in your life described almost to a “T” on pages 294-313.  Do some of these sound familiar?

• Energy tactics like the Sob Sister and the Drama Queen
• Energy tactics of Blaming or Incessant Talking
• The downright dirty tactics of the Go-for-the-Jugular Fiend

Consider marking tactics that are manifesting in your life and resolve to do whatever homework the author prescribes after such relevant passages.  Always remember: protecting your Energy is your responsibility and your spiritual growth will sink or swim based on your willingness to take charge of it.

If you need some inspiration, pages 314 and 315 have great suggestions for preserving and protecting your Energy.  Also keep your ears open for ideas from familiar advisors: yoga teachers, meditation coaches and massage therapists.  These people make Energy their lives and often have new and interesting methods for protecting your precious life force.

No one likes to think that their long-term friend or sweet little granny might be taking more Energy from them than they can afford.  But if we can learn to read the hot-spots and remember that many of these actions are done unconsciously, we can hold others in a place of compassion while still attending to our own spiritual needs.  In the end, it’s all about reunification–both for us and for them.

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

1. Do I run into Energy-sapping tactics more often at work, with family or with friends?

2. Which of the author’s “Protect your Energy by…” suggestions do I need to follow?  Consider photocopying those instructions and keeping them near the site of your interactions with such people.

3. Who can I ask to help me be mindful of times I might be more susceptible to Energy drain due to fatigue, overwork etc?

4. Has this book enhanced my spiritual practice?  Do I have a copy I would like to read in full or do I need to look into purchasing one?

Over the past month we have investigated some powerful and effective tools for protecting our positive Energy.  If you found these excerpts inspiring, consider checking out more of Dr. Orloff’s books online at www.drjudithorloff.com

For additional Grace and Clarity 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

In part 1 of our Home Study of the book Positive Energy, we discussed the common habit of rushing from task to task in today’s society.  We noted some simple ways to determine if we are rushing and observed how it keeps us from living in the Now.  To review our last discussion, please visit “Home Study: Positive Energy, pt.1.”  Today we will learn how to tell if we are living in the flow of life’s evolutionary Energy.

Today’s text: Positive Energy by Judith Orloff, M.D.

Published by: Three Rivers Press, 2004

Study page: p. 80-81

I love these two pages of text because they are so concise and illuminating.  They contain–in classic Orloff style–clear descriptions of how it feels to be both in the flow of life or fighting against it.  This concept is so important that my own spiritual Guides have mentioned it repeatedly over the course of our years together.

Perhaps the idea of flow is so fundamental because it describes the web of Energy within which we live every moment of our lives.  Whether we recognize it or not, we are all connected within a current of Energy which presents us with the circumstances and lessons we agreed to encounter in this life.  When we resist the very curriculum we set out to engage, we fight this larger current and therefore experience an energy of resistance and strain.

The ability to know if one is in the flow or not can certainly be sensed intuitively, but it can also be observed within various external life characteristics.  When we are resisting the flow of our own Evolution we not only sense it deep within but also see it manifest in our lives at large.  Illness, circumstantial challenges, relationship dramas and the like can all be signs of resisting life’s flow.  Dr. Orloff describes the symptoms of pushing against the flow of life on page 81.  Here are a few examples:

• feeling frazzled, impatient, desperate
• fixation on an object of obsession
• relationships are strained
• clenching during conflict rather that seeking compromise
• losing connection to a Higher Power

If you are feeling any of these symptoms in your daily life, chances are a part of your Energy is blocking the larger Universal Flow designed to help you grow into a more fulfilling life.  So what’s the good news?  That Flow can’t be blocked forever.  True, it can be stifled throughout your physical lifetime if you really force it away, but eventually we all return to the Source–which is the Source of all flow.  There we find our rest, our healing and our sense of inspiration to grow again.

Another bit of good news is that fighting life’s flow is so exhausting that most people cannot keep it up for an entire lifetime.  Eventually, most people will cease their resistance and just “give up”–which is actually an act of surrender that allows a healthy sense of flow to commence once again.  On pages 80-81 Dr. Orloff describes the signs of a life moving in tandem with the Universal Flow:

• acceptance of what Is
• not living in a sense of obsessive “overdrive”
• resolution is one’s goal during times of conflict
• time flows smoothly
• right timing is sought out in all choices
• feeling connected to a deeply spiritual state

Are you experiencing these fulfilling energies in your life?  If so, chances are good you are currently living in flow with your Higher Soul’s goals in this life.  Keep up the good work and stay resolved on continuing your positive Energy!

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

1. What symptoms of “pushing against the flow” am I currently experiencing?

2. In what areas of my life do I seem to be fighting the flow the most (relationships, work, health)?

3. Which signs of positive flow am I currently manifesting?

4. Are there areas of my life that need more flow and if so, how can I draw that positive Energy into them?

In session three of our Home Study, we will be diving deeper into Positive Energy and investigating elements in our lives that drain our precious Life Energy…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

This month we begin a new Home Study series with the book Positive Energy by Judith Orloff, M.D.  This book is filled with insights regarding the power of spiritual Energy as well as tips for practical application.  One of the earliest books in my own spiritual tool kit, I highly recommend it as a resource for grounding the sometimes abstruse concepts of spirituality into the realm of our daily personal lives.  It’s definitely worth picking up!

Today’s text: Positive Energy by Judith Orloff, M.D.

Published by: Three Rivers Press, 2004

Study page: p. 34-38

Look at a picture of any bustling city, crowded interstate or busy airport and you will find a snapshot of a society in a hurry.  Never content with a moment of stillness, citizens of our western culture largely buzz from one appointment to another, sure that slowing down would mean the ruin of their daily schedules.  After all, slowing the pace might mean missing the next thing on our to-do list, even if that next thing is nothing more than a dash to the local mega store to check out the latest clearance racks.

As a society, we have begun rushing for the sake of things that are far from important.  No longer do we just rush to the hospital; now we rush to the gas station, to the kids’ soccer practice, to the neighborhood picnic for a little r & r.  But all this zipping around has begun to cost us something very precious: our quality of life.

On page 34, Judith Orloff lists some of the side effects of living a life addicted to a pace set too high.  She tells us that you can know you are rushing through your life when:

• Your energy feels scattered
• You have little or no awareness of your body
• You experience a subliminal or overt sense of panic ‘
• Your ability to listen is impaired, as is your memory for details

The problem is that rushing is often looked upon by society as a sign of being an important person, a go-getter who is dynamic and driven.  In fact, it has become such a part of many peoples’ identities that they eventually find this contracted energy addictive.  Dr. Orloff herself says (p. 35),

“I understand how addictive rushing can be…More than once I got a speeding ticket zipping from the gym to the market so I could get home to unwind in a tub.  I was rushing to relax!”

Sound familiar?  To me, too!  For years I worked with clients who struggled with the habit of rushing to get to our shared yoga classes together.  How counterproductive…yet how common!  If you are like most people, you can look into your daily schedule and find some rather ironic places rushing has wormed its way into your life.

To practice getting a sense of your life’s pace–and whether or not it feels too fast to you–I recommend trying Dr. Orloff’s meditation listed on pages 36-38.  This simple exercise is essentially like taking your rushing “temperature” to find out if you are running a little high or if your pace seems just right.  You may wish to mark these pages in your book and return to them a few times a year, just to check in with your comfort level.

Whether we are working in the busy world, raising busy children or busily retired, rushing can easily creep into our lives and rob us of the joy found only in the present moment.  If you sense this is a problem for you, I hope you will make time to analyze the questions below and pinpoint where you can make some changes to stop running and start living!

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

1. What symptoms of rushing am I experiencing in my personal life?

2. Why do I rush? (see Dr. Orloff’s list on page 34, and add any others you can think of!)

3. Where do I rush to that is obviously counterintuitive (meditation or yoga class, a relaxing walk in the park)?

4. What small committment can I make to myself to stop rushing (drive the speed limit, speak more slowly, etc)?

In session two of our Home Study, we will be diving deeper into Positive Energy and learning about how we can tell if we are flowing with life, or pushing against its current…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

Today we begin the third and final installment in our Home Study of  The Wisdom of the Native Americans by Kent Nerburn.  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: The Wisdom of the Native Americans by Kent Nerburn

Published by: New World Library, 1999

Study page: p. 87

So often when we think of who “discovered” America, we think of European explorers and immigrants.  But in today’s excerpt we hear the beautiful way one American Indian refers to himself and his culture: “We first Americans.”

Even more interesting is the speaker’s comparison of the European style of communication and worship versus that of the “uncivilized” American Indian.  The following words are from the great sage Ohiyesa (page 87):

“We first Americans mingle with our pride an exceptional humility.  Spiritual arrogance is foreign to our nature and teaching.  We never claimed that the power of articulate speech is proof of superiority over “dumb/silent creation;” on the other hand, it is to us a perilous gift.”

In the eloquence of a few powerful sentences, Ohiyesa reminds us of perhaps one of the great forgotten Truths: that noise does not equal intelligence and silence does not imply emptiness.  Indeed, the silence of a conscious heart can be more fully saturated with Understanding than a mind overflowing in vapid discourse.

When we look to the splendor of Nature, we see the fingerprint of the Divine Creator.  What can we as humans possibly say that could ever equal the eloquence of a spectacular sunrise or a flowing stream?  Such Truths were encoded into American Indian cultures and led to thousands upon thousands of years of silent coexistence with Nature based on respect and Understanding.

As we move into a new era of spiritual awareness in human consciousness, we find we have a lot to learn from ancient traditions like those of the Native Americans.  Perhaps we, too, can return to balance and deeper spiritual Communion by taking a lesson from Nature and Her silent, mystical ways!

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

1. Do I hold any kind of spiritual arrogance in me?  Do I believe that my “way” is the only way–and why?

2. Is there room for me to learn from others’ beliefs or the path shown by Nature?

3. Would I be more likely to learn from the silence of a tree, a mountain, a stream, a bird?  When can I take time to learn in this way?

4. When is it important to remind myself that talking is not the only way to communicate or learn wisdom (at work, with spouse)?

Over the past month we have investigated some powerful but simple words of wisdom from Native American spiritual traditions.  If you find these to be personally inspiring, consider visiting your local bookstore and investigating more books by Kent Nerburn or other authors of American Indian anthologies.

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

In part 1 of our Home Study of The Wisdom of the Native Americans, we discussed the American Indian understanding that all worship is directed to the same One God.  Whether we honor that One in Nature or in the form of a Messiah, this practice teaches that we are all worshipping the Divine Light made manifest in many forms.  To review our last discussion, please visit “Home Study: The Wisdom of the Native Americans, pt.1.”  Today one spiritual elder notes how Jesus embodied the values of the Native American seeker.

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

Published by: New World Library, 1999

Study page: p. 130-131

One of my favorite quotes in this book is from an unidentified American Indian man who is asked to give his opinion on the character of the Master called Jesus.  On page 130 we hear this elder’s thoughts:

“I have come to the conclusion that this Jesus was an Indian.  He was opposed to material acquisition and to great possessions.  He was inclined to peace.  He was as unpractical as any Indian and set no price upon his labor of love.”

What a beautiful perspective this man has of Jesus’ values and character!  Indeed, the qualities of simplicity, love for all living things and serving the Spirit appeared to be the inspiration for the actions and teachings of Masters such as Jesus and the Buddha.  We can see that many of those qualities were–and still are–emphasised in American Indian spirituality and culture.

The question I often ask myself then is, “How can I live these values in MY own daily life?”

When I look at the world today, moving ever faster in its pursuit of information and technological achievement, I find very little of what I wish to see in my own life.  Where some of us value silence, the world bombards us with input.  When we feel a need to return to Nature, technology walls us away from It with concrete and computer screens.  Is it possible to connect to the spiritual Path shown by the great Masters and American Indian spirituality in the 21st century?

On page 131, we find a sobering statement from our Native American elder about this very question:

“I believe that Christianity (as it was lived by Jesus) and modern civilization are opposed and irreconcilable, and that the spirit of Christianity and of our ancient religion is essentially the same.”

Here we find the speaker affirming again that the way Jesus lived is how the Native Americans strived to live–with simplicity, humility and reverence for all living things.  But we also hear the clear knell that such deep spiritual attainment is all but impossible in a society which values acquisition, manipulation and fear.  So what is a seeker to do?

One answer is to return to the roots of any true Path you might feel led to, such as Native American spirituality, Christianity, Buddhism or whatever tradition inspires you.  Do some research to learn more about any Paths which teach the principles of the great masters: compassion, humility and a desire to serve the Divine.  Rather than abiding by man’s rules which have diluted the examples of the great Masters, we can simply seek to embody the way shown by leaders such as Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, Chief Joseph, Mother Teresa and others.  We must have the courage to hold to these Paths as the leaders themselves did, despite the temptation to buy into a mechanized world’s value system.

The good news is that more and more people are beginning to find their own ways to connect with the Great Spirit.  Regardless of others’ desires to distance themselves from spiritual growth these seekers are forging ahead on the current of a wish to know the Divine Presence in a very personal way.  Perhaps this summer you will be inspired not only to learn more about Masters who embody the way of life you desire but to go out and live as They lived–as a Light in our needy world!

Consider the following this week:

1. Do I currently consider myself a member of a particular spiritual practice or faith?

2. Are there practices the Masters of my faith participated in that I am not currently practicing? (prayers for others, respect for all life etc.)

3. Where could I find more information about the Wayshowers of my faith (or others) so I may be inspired to grow?

4. Consider writing quotes from a few spiritual Masters this week and posting them were you may be inspired by them.

In session three of our Home Study, we will be diving deeper into The Wisdom of the Native Americans and what the Wise Ones have 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

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

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

In part 1 of our Home Study of Lessons for Living, we discussed how to live a spiritual life of integrity, wherein our outer actions match our inner Truth.  Learning to authentically express all that we are as spiritual beings–while remembering we are not our emotions or childhood programming–is not an easy task!   To review our last discussion, please visit “Home Study: Lessons for Living, pt.1.”  Today we look at the importance of inner stillness on the spiritual Journey.

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

Available at:  www.hopeofthenewage.com

Study pages: pp. 52-53

On page 52 we receive some wisdom from Eagle of the Night, one of my most trusted allies on the spiritual Journey.  He talks about how in His day, silence before speaking showed a command of one’s emotions and a willingness to be mindful when communicating.  Silence was taught to all children as a thing of value, revealing a heart of respect and patience.  On the surface there may have been a quiet demeanor, but beneath that beat a heart of passion and awareness:

“The surface of the water was still, but beneath that surface many things lived and there was great richness and color.  You can be a living symbol of a time that was once past and is now coming again.  People are learning to live with stillness.”

To a degree, we are seeing a turning in our culture toward greater spiritual awareness through the mainstreaming of things like yoga, organic foodstuffs and holistic medicine.  Of course, there is a sufficient contracted energy to balance it out and we have seen that, too, if the form of technology inundating our lives.  From cell phones to smart cars, we seem to be more insulated from stillness than ever before.

A few weeks ago I read a book review by a woman who called herself a “soft-core Luddite.”  This term refers to a movement among English textile artisans who opposed the Industrial Revolution in the 19th-century on the grounds that it was leaving them without work and changing their way of life.  My young author mentioned she preferred to write her books with pen and paper, allowing her to unplug from the outer world and turn inward to her creative source.

The Farmer’s Almanac for 2012 talks about the growing popularity of “technology fasts” wherein people choose to unplug for a period of hours or days in order to get back to Nature’s pace.  A few years ago, this was less common as many of us exuberantly embraced the benefits of wireless technology.  Now some are starting to realized it all came at a cost.  The slope from “getting connected” to being completely out of touch with reality was more slippery than we thought.

On page 53, we are reminded that having our minds buzzing with constant input is not nourishing to the spiritual Energy present within each of us.  Stillness is the soil from which a healthy spiritual life springs:

“Teach (others) that the empowerment they seek can be coming from a quiet, calm center.  Quiet awareness, stillness, rooted in being.  And from that place you act; from that place you move.  Teach people to hold the silence in their hearts.  Teach them to know stillness and the Hush.”

This Hush is so important because it is within that sacred space that we can know our Truth.  “Should I quit my job?  Is it time to forgive my parents?  When should I talk to my children about sex?”  Many of us think that such answers lie in another’s opinion or in the weighing of pros and cons and analyzing it all with the mind.  Indeed, we should take in all the information we can from others’ experiences and the dissection of facts, but such mental analysis can only take us so far.

In the end, the guidance we seek can only come from once place: our own inner GPS, which is accessible within the Hush of stillness.  Hooked directly into the Divine, this system of intelligent guidance is capable of leading us all the way from cradle to grave with more satisfaction, less frustration and greater success.  But there’s a catch: the GPS only has one volume.  And that volume is set on whisper.

In order to catch that whisper of Truth, that inner sense of which way to go–or if we should go at all–we must become still.  There must be a willingess to be still in mind, silent in words and deeply connected to the Divine as we know It to be.  That sacred force can then communicate to us in both overt and subtle ways so that we can follow the path of greatest fulfillment and ease.

As we do so, we become an example of hope and possibility for others.  As published in our 3-part blog story, “Laura’s Hope for Healing,” attending to our own growth becomes a catalyst for others needing encouragement nearby.  We can know that with each mindful choice we make we are influencing others in positive ways.  Yet, we must always remember that each soul must find his or her own Path (p. 52):

“Not everyone will understand.  But you are doing (what you must) to honor your Path.  And if in the end there is no one there but you, so be it.  You are not here for anyone but your own self, for none of us can live the life of our friend.  We have to live our own life–and our friend has to live theirs.”

Sometimes it is hard to remember we cannot control those around us, especially when we believe it is for their own good.   What we can do, though, is provide an example of what it means to live a mindful life: to honor silence, draw our actions out of a conscious stillness and follow the GPS the Divine gave us.  In the end, our lives are the only thing left to show the world what it is we believed.  What will yours say?

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

1. Do I practice silence before speaking?  Do I struggle with this more when happy or upset?

2. How does my inner GPS tell me which ways to go/how does it feel when Truth wells up within me?

3. For which people would I like to be modeling a mindful life?  Do they see me at my most or my least mindful?

4. What can I affirm to myself when I am tempted to micro-manage others’ lives?

In session three of our Home Study, we will be diving deeper into Lessons for Living and what the Angels have to say about living a spiritual life in this very physical world…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 more  uplifting insights from the Higher Realms at www.hopeofthenewage.com

This month we begin a new Home Study series based on words shared with me by the Angels and Guides who assist us all on our spiritual Journeys.  Whether you do spiritual practice in a church, Nature or the silence of your own heart the Higher Realms are constantly guiding each of us.  Some practitioners like myself hear the words of the Angels within our minds through an experience called clairaudience.  Others sense guidance like a quiet urging in the heart, commonly referred to as intuition.  In my case, I was asked by the Guides to record Their words into book form so that others could benefit; this month’s Home Study text is the result.

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

Available at:  www.hopeofthenewage.com

Study pages: pp. 60-62

Many years ago I came across one of my favorite definitions.  It was for the word integrity and the translation was, “When the inside matches the outside.”  Now, Webster’s may not consider this to be a proper definition, but for my purposes it suited just fine.

When discussing spiritual integrity, one of the first things that comes to my mind is whether or not I am living in balance.  Is my mind ruling my life?  Are my emotions taking over my ability to be productive and at peace?  The result of living with a sense of harmony among body, mind and spirit is that we are able to express that harmony with integrity: Our true inner balance shows outwardly in all we do and say.

On page 62, the Guides talk about the Energy of Harmony.  I believe we could also substitute the word integrity in each of Their statements:

“What others need more than they ever needed power is Harmony, the Harmony of one’s Heart’s Desire with the rest of one’s life, the Harmony of thought with Spirit, the Harmony of action with Spirit, the Harmony of Truth with living, the Harmony of stillness with movement, the Harmony of power with Peace.”

It is clear that what the Angels are truly talking about is integration–marrying one aspect of self with another.  As we do so, we are called to live that integration with truth and transparency, allowing the inside to match the outside.  So we re-read these words of guidance as an encouragement to live a life wherein our “thought matches our Spirit, our action matches our Spirit, our Truth matches our living, our stillness matches our movement, our power matches our Peace.”

What exactly does this mean, “Our stillness matches our movement?”  It refers to the difficult but not impossible challenge of being while attending to all the tasks we have to do.  One of the first questions I asked the Guides in this book was how to balance the busyness of a life filled with doing with the Divine Command to Be.  The answer given on page 6 reminds us that being does not mean we just sit around all day.

Roughly stated, Being is the ability to perform any action while remaining immersed in a state of consciousness, also called mindfulness or awareness.  So our former statement, “Harmony of stillness with movement” does not mean we are supposed to learn how to sit and walk at the same time.  It means that we learn to act while maintaining a total sense of awareness.  The Guides’ call for “Harmony of stillness with movement” could now read, “Integration of awareness with each act in our lives.”

I chose to include pages 60-61 with this topic because it provides some important background into the nature of the physical reality around us.  On those pages we hear about how other beings in Nature–including animals and plants–live in this perfect integration or Harmony.  They cannot do anything outside the Divine Plan of what they were meant to be.

But as humans we have been given the golden key of Free Will and that gift allows us to choose.  We can live in Harmony and balance and allow those to be reflected in our lives (integrity) or not.  We can choose to let our minds rule our choices–or not.  The beauty is we get to decide.

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

1. How do I rate my own integrity–does my outside match my inside?  When am I living in integrity and when am I not?

2. With whom can I be more fully transparent and allow my Inner Truth to show through?

3. What circumstances make me feel like I have to hide my Inner Truth?

4. What small steps can I take to live in greater integrity in those circumstances, allowing who I really am to shine through?

In session two of our Home Study, we will be diving deeper into Lessons for Living and what the Angels have to say about living a spiritual life in this very physical world…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

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

Today’s text: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

Publisher: Namaste Publishing; Copyright, 1999 by Eckhart Tolle

Study pages: pp. 146-147

In part one of our “Home Study: The Power of Now” series, we noted that resistance to what is happening right now in our lives comes at a cost; sometimes the cost is that we miss special opportunities for growth or insight.  Part two examined how relationships actually serve as tools for helping us grow in the Now moment, if only we will be open to them.  Today I would like to touch into one of the more abstract insights Tolle shares in his powerful book: How our relationship with our sense of self as spiritual beings relates to the Now.

Many seekers believe that spiritual insight only comes as a result of digging into our contractions.  We believe that if we get angry every time someone ignores our needs, we can only grow in wisdom by spending time exploring what triggered our response and how we are ultimately responsible for our reactions to life.  So we journal, and we “process ” and we turn the whole thing upside down until we have seen it from every intellectual angle.

Now, those of you who know me know that I am hugely in favor of self-study, which is essentially the process described above.  However, we must also recognize that self-study is only one tool in our tool box of spiritual awakening.  If we start believing that spiritual growth only comes through the mental self via the dissection of our habits, we begin to rob the spiritual self of its authority in the process.  The fact is, no matter how much we think about spiritual growth, true Understanding only comes from expanding  beyond the mind.

This means that analysis of our habits or relationships can only take us so far.  After that, the work becomes one of returning to our ongoing spiritual goal: abide in the Now.  Tolle talks about this on page 146:

“True salvation is a state of freedom.  Your mind is telling you that you cannot get there from here.  Something needs to happen, or you need to become this or that before you can be free and fulfilled.  It is saying that you need time–to find, sort out, do, achieve, become or understand something before you can be free or complete.  You think you can’t get there from where and who you are because you are not yet complete or good enough…”

Tolle goes on to tell us, however, that this is all an illusion.  Remember when we were kids and we thought we had to earn our parents’, friends’ or teachers’ approval and love?  Maybe some of us still feel that way!  The fact is, many spiritual seekers have just extended the reach of that illusion into their spiritual practices.  They think, “If I could just be more patient, if I were only more compassionate, if I didn’t have that nasty habit of blaming others for my suffering–maybe then I would be free.”

But regardless of whether we couch the misunderstanding in a mundane context or a spiritual one, the fact is it is still a misunderstanding.  Tolle goes on to say (p. 147):

“You see time as the means to salvation, whereas in truth it is the greatest obstacle…the truth is that here and now is the only point from which you can get there.  You ‘get’ there be realizing that you are there already.  There is not only one way to salvation: Any condition can be used, but no particular condition is needed.  However there is only one point of access: the Now.”

This is a pretty bold statement, isn’t it?  What Tolle is saying is that essentially we are trapped by the belief that salvation–the realization of our spiritual wholeness–is somewhere other than where we now stand.  And we use all of the “proof” around us to verify that theory: “If I were free right now, I would not be feeling conflicted; if I were free right now I would not be angry at my spouse.”

However, if we were to dig down underneath all of those emotions, to step outside not only the mind but also the emotional self, we would find that spiritual wholeness really is here–right now.  Tolle completes his thoughts on this topic in the following paragraph (p. 147):

“There is nothing you can ever do or attain that will get your closer to salvation than it is at this moment.  You cannot do this in the future.  You do it now or not at all.”

Challenging words from one of today’s most popular spiritual authorities.  But even others of us have bumped into that truth–that there is nowhere to get to but Now.  Don’t believe it?  Try this assignment:

Sometime this week when you are stressed and find it hard to believe that spiritual wholeness is already within you, take a moment to become deeply still.  This cannot be the kind of forced stillness wherein you are resisting or doubting, but the kind of stillness that is filled with humble surrender and a devotion to the process.  Then ask yourself, “Is it true that peace is not already here Now?”  What you may come to find is that Tolle was right: There really is only point of access to spiritual wholeness–and that point is Now.

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

1. What excuses do I use to avoid the entry point of the Now (“I’m too busy; I’m not good at meditation”)?

2. When in my day can I take 30 seconds to be present with the Now (in the elevator, at the stop light etc.)?

3. Do I subscribe to the notion that spiritual wholeness is somewhere other than my present location in time?

4. Am I willing to rephrase my belief to remind me that freedom is here now, but I just have to make room for it?  If so, how would I put that in my own words?  Consider adding this statement to your daily affirmations until you come to believe it fully.

Over the past month we have investigated how a proper understanding of the Now is critical for spiritual awakening and growth.  You may wish to print and save our study of The Power of Now to review the next time you need help remembering the importance of living in the Now!  This book has many other powerful insights to share as well, so I hope you will take the time to peruse a copy at your leisure.

Our next Home Study course will dive into one of my books entitled Lessons for Living, vol. 1.  This is the first of many books containing exact transcriptions of wisdom the Angels have shared with me in Communion.  We will begin our study of this book in just over three weeks, so you can either order a copy at our web site (below) or just follow along as I provide excerpts.  For those of you who finish your Power of Now, pt. 3 homework ahead of schedule, you can read ahead in Lessons for Living, vol. 1.  Our pages of interest will be p 61-62.  I look forward to connecting with you again soon!

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