Category Archives: spiritual practice

Be Loving

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As I was in meditation this morning, the thought came to me to focus on the sentence “Be loving” throughout the course of my day. That uplifted me as I felt it surely was direct guidance from Spirit since I’ve been praying and asking to be more loving in my interactions. I was ready to chant “Be loving” all through the day. Then I checked my email and took notice of the subject line from my DailyOM message: “Sending Love Ahead to Your Day.” Wow, looks like Spirit is truly here helping me… guess I’m going to experience some synchronicity around this today. The message read, in part, “… While our lives are busy and frequently replete with challenges, they are also rich with joy and experiences worth savoring. We can attract this natural bliss into our lives by starting each day with a message of love. When you send love ahead to your day, that love will manifest itself in your interpersonal interactions, your professional endeavors, and your domestic duties. Tasks and circumstances once made trying by your own anxiety are transformed by your love, and you will find yourself approaching life’s subtle nuances with great affection.” – DailyOM … Continue reading →

Belonging

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“Belonging is a deep spiritual need.” — “Paths to Recovery: Al-Anon’s Steps, Traditions, and Concepts,” by Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., page 270 I was reading about participation in groups, specifically as a volunteer giving service in a 12 Step program. It wasn’t until I became a member of a 12 Step group for eating disorders that I felt like I belonged. Of course, a 12 Step group is focused on spirituality, but I had no clue that a sense of belonging was actually a need, a spiritual need at that! Just like I didn’t know my eating disorder was about me trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, trying to fill a spiritual need (connection to Spirit) with a physical thing (food). I immediately felt at home in 12 Step meetings; I didn’t feel so alone. That was a tremendous milestone for me. But I think belonging goes beyond feeling not alone and may take some time to develop. Belonging, to me, feels warmer, is a stronger sense of closeness and bonding. I didn’t experience that sense of belonging in my family of origin, and, in fact, felt fairly isolated since I felt no one understood … Continue reading →

Spiritual Practice Takes Many Forms

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Yep, as Spirit is everywhere, in everything, and always present, then anything and everything can be a spiritual practice. I ‘simply’ need to bring the person, place, circumstance, activity, etc. into my consciousness, remembering it is all part of the One. Spiritual practice takes many forms. Singing, in particular, is a prolific one for me; depending on the song, it feels like prayer. I often say that when I was an atheist, singing was prayer for me, my connection to Source—of course, I didn’t realize it back then! Holding the door open for another… attentively listening to someone… meditating… cooking a meal… hugging a child…doing the laundry. Oh, let me count the ways of spiritual practice (some can seem more obvious than others, but it’s wherever one places their consciousness)— well, they’re infinite! As is Spirit. Wherever I am, I make a choice to focus on Spirit, and in so doing, practice the Presence. By the way, I too love eating popcorn while watching a great movie!

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