I decided to write about spirituality and choice and what they mean
in our lives. Why did I choose this topic? Because spirituality is a
quality that all of us share. To be fully human is to be spiritual
and in these troubled times, it is an asset we should understand and
expand upon.
In the DICTIONARY OF PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION, two definitions are
given. "Philosophically, the term is sometimes used as a synonym of
idealism and in religion the term refers to the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit", which is the one I will be using. It refers to spirit or
soul and to the higher consciousness within all of us, our natural
inheritance that links us across time. We are, all of us, on our own
spiritual path in search of meaning and purpose in our lives. There
are dozens of publicized aspects of the spiritual path. There are
many subjects in metaphysics, countless variations of Eastern and
Western religions and philosophies. My search has led me to read many
of them. I have grouped them together for this piece because, while
they are different, they are equal in their value, as all are learning
experiences for the soul. It matters not what culture we are a part
of or what our religious beliefs are, for us to grow spiritually and
fulfill our potential.
Where does one begin the spiritual search? It began for me about five
years ago by honestly evaluating all aspects of life, and more
importantly, the direction of the path I would choose to follow. It
has not been an easy journey. To face yourself honestly and openly,
makes self-evaluation a very difficult task. For me, it was a very
painful process. The experience I have gained, has given me a great
deal of insight and has promoted and furthered my personal growth.
Spirituality is not something you get by desiring it, but by
experiencing it. It comes from putting religious theory into
spiritual action and applying your higher consciousness to
relationships, work, family and everyday life. It takes a great deal
of courage.
So, where do you begin or continue your search? You can only begin
where you are right now. This is part of the personal examination
process that we all go through, to find our value of truth. There are
many definitions of truth, you all know that, but some say truth is
simply what you believe to be true for you, nothing more or less.
Many forget or are not aware of thought and deed. (Something I think
politicians forget) We receive what we give and each of us must give
the other person his or her personal freedom, to live his or her own
life as they see fit. Each of us must knowingly use our own personal
freedom for the experiences by which we need to grow in this world.
So why is this so hard to live in practice?
Affairs of the heart entangle us in other people's lives to a point
that we may not know where our feelings begin and the other person's
end. Often, there is a warming bond between us, but there can also be
misunderstanding and pain. So often, we feel that someone put us into
a situation that we had no control over, or we feel that we were hurt
by someone's actions because we love them and have no choice. This is
only one example of many that I could give.
But, you see, we always have a choice. It has always been the
individual who has the choice of running his own life or allowing
others to take control of his life. Most people are not aware that
they alone, can make that personal decision of freedom. This I have
learned from experience. Spiritual freedom is within. Spiritual
responsibility interlaces with that freedom, which affects every
aspect of our lives. By living each moment to the fullest, you are
not only far happier with what you have, you are also living in one of
the highest spiritual principals.
In your quest, you ask, what is the purpose of life? The purpose of
life is TO FIND GOD. It is within the very soul essence of our being,
to search for and find the living God within us. You do not have to
wait to find heaven, and you can know God, HERE AND NOW. You have
only to be all that you can possibly be, and you will find him and he
will become the reality of your life. You find God by knowing the
truth of your existence. Then it becomes clear. Our single-minded
purpose is to evolve back to God, the Father. No one else can take us
there but ourselves, and it is the march of the lonely man to a
different drummer.
The writers of truly inspired works always speak of a "Golden thread"
that runs through all beliefs concerning a Creator and our place in
Creation and the personal bond between God and Soul. God is at one
end of the Golden Thread, and each of us is at the other end. We will
follow it until we know God. At some point on the spiritual path,
each of us will come to know this deep within. We all have the same
lessons to learn and our inevitable goal is the same, but our paths
are individually our own that takes us there.
The social consciousness that exists in the world today, must become
aware of the need for spirituality and act accordingly, if it is to
solve the overwhelming problems that face our nation and for our
continued existence on this planet. We, as individuals, must help to
bring this about by making the right choices, by living our
spirituality overtly. It is recognizing and coming to terms with our
own base self, our greed, vanity, arrogance, selfishness, temper,
jealousy, envy, hatred, prejudice, hypocrisy, deceit, animosities and
hostilities. We have the choice to change these negatives into
positives before it is to late.
Spirituality is the total of the efforts made in this direction and
the development and manifestations of our higher self - the ability to
love, sympathize, show compassion and care for others, our honesty and
sincerity, our sense of justice, and our desire to serve.
Spirituality oriented people ARE. They manifest BEING. Their
spirituality is WITHIN. It is inner attainment. However, it often
manifests overtly in the form of good deeds. These deeds are not done
just for social approval. They are accomplished simply by the
operation of insight and understanding on the part of the person
involved. Many spiritual good deeds are done anonymously, and happen
all the time, usually without thinking. But we need to reflect and to
make these deeds and impulses a more frequent aspect of our lives. We
must understand spirituality as a life-sustaining and life-elevating
process.
I would like to share with you, something that was told to me by a
spiritual friend last week:
"We can think ourselves into new ways of acting - or
we can act our way into new ways of thinking."
Makes sense, doesn't it, when you think about it.
I wanted to share my belief system with you as we individually and
collectively, journey along our spiritual path to God.
I have chosen this topic because it is the choice I have made for
myself, and is the path that I must follow. As I grow in my
spirituality, it is my intention to try and help others by sharing the
knowledge I gain in my experiences through my writing. This is my
path.
Henry David Thoreau says of the spiritual self:
"The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as
intangible and as indescribable as the tints of
morning and evening.
It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of
the rainbow which I have clutched."
Spirituality in action is summed up by these words by Ralph Waldo
Emerson:
"There is a time in every man's education when he
arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance;
that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself
for better, for worse, as his portion; that though
the wide universe is full of good, no kernel
of nourishing corn can come to him but through
his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is
given to him to till.
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