Spiritual Guidance Blog

Do you remember it?  That wonderful, blissful moment when a gentle breeze caressed your face; the joy and delight you felt from that unexpected moment; that moment that appeared without notice and left the same way.

Do you remember it?  That serene, contemplative moment when, without asking, you were pleasantly and gratefully aware of something that touched you at your core.  For a moment, you were aware of something ‘other than you’.  For a moment, you were aware of a force that made you realize that life is more than the clutter of our everyday thoughts.

A gentle breeze is a beautiful metaphor for the life I would like to lead.

A gentle breeze presents itself to us without notice;
and yet we welcome it with a blissful recognition that it is exactly what we need in the moment.

A gentle breeze is unobtrusive;
it makes itself known without any fanfare or grand announcement. 

A gentle breeze is refreshing;
it rejuvenates and nourishes us and our souls. 

A gentle breeze is omnipresent;
it is always there…we sometimes are just not open to receiving it.

And as it came to light up our day, it leaves as it entered… 

The gentle breeze leaves as gentle as it came;
we are as unaware of its departure as its arrival. 

The gentle breeze makes no announcement or warning of its departure;
we just realize it is not there any longer. 

The gentle breeze leaves us feeling refreshed and nourished;
we are revitalized and transformed.

Imagine what life would be like if we shared our love, gratitude, compassion and forgiveness like a gentle breeze.  Imagine for a moment the inner peace we would feel, and the inner peace we would be sharing with our brothers and sisters.  Imagine the good that would be realized for human kind and our soul journeys.

May your life be lived like a gentle breeze.

Shanti, Namaste, Agapé,

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Meditation is a centerpiece of my daily spiritual practice.  I meditate several times each day, including at least one extended period of meditation throughout the day.  There is no shortage of published material on meditation.  And there certainly are no lack of meditation techniques, approaches and philosophies.

One common theme in meditative practice is to experience ‘un-attachment’ to the thoughts in our consciousness.  As one meditates, one is capable of letting the clutter of the mind dissolve from our consciousness so that pure thought can emerge.

I have read much about this meditative process or practice of ‘letting go’ or ‘un-attachment’ during meditation.  Often, the analogy of a river is used to explain the process.  That is, when in meditation, whatever thought enters your consciousness, let it flow by, let it go, as if a leaf floating down a stream.  Whatever thought comes into your consciousness, let it go, let if flow by you.  Do not become ‘attached’ to your thoughts; learn to become detached from them.

A couple of years ago I attended a 3-day spiritual retreat in a beautiful rural setting.  The retreat grounds had a slow-moving river bordering one side of the property.  It was a magnificent river.  You could see the flow of the river easily.

I spent as much time as I could by the river during the 3-day retreat.  Sometimes I would meditate; sometimes I would just sit or stand and take in the majestic and tranquil beauty of the river and the rest of nature that was flowing around me.

It was in those moments sitting and standing by the river that the meditative practice discussed above came to life.  As one watched the river, one could see the rays of the sun bounce off the cresting waters to create a dancing light show that glimmered, sparkled and shimmered like gold across the water.  One could see the ripples and momentary waves of white water that would emerge and, no sooner, dissipate as the river just kept flowing, never seeming to end.

If one watched, focused and intent, on an approaching section of water, one witnessed the water change and morph.  What at one point in the river was seemingly calm water, suddenly became embroiled in turmoil—bubbles, ripples, waves—and then, without warning, became calm again and then, nothing…

This continuous movement from calm, to turmoil, to calm again was the un-attached meditative practice unfolding right in front of me.  Each thought is born in a place of peace.  However, when we let it come to the surface, we often experience turmoil, the unbalancing affect of thought.  Then, once we let the thought pass, we are calm again; until the next thought comes along of course.

Meditation is a wonderful tool to practice letting life flow like a river.  Allowing that practice to be with us in every moment is a true gift.  It nurtures inner peace—the joy and love that rests inside each of us that longs to be set free.

Shanti, Namaste, Agapé 

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I am truly blessed to live a joyfully full life.  The wonderful souls I have the honor to walk this journey with are life-giving and a true gift from Source—whether through my therapy, counselling, or coaching practice; through the many study and discussion groups I am grateful to facilitate; through public speaking; through chaplaincy/ministerial visitations; through daily contemplative sharing across many social media outlets; and through OM websites.

A common theme is rising to the surface in many of the holy encounters I share with souls: the questioning of reality itself, the part we play in that reality, and the limits we place on our reality.  All this thinking about reality got me thinking about my reality, how I see the world around me and what may exist beyond my bodily vision.

I want to invite you, right now—while you are reading this passage—to hold out one of your arms, and with the opposite hand give your forearm a gentle squeeze.  You may notice that your forearm is pliable. It moves and gives way to the pressure you place upon your body as you gently squeeze it. You may be able to feel the muscles and tendons inside your arm.  Science also informs us there are bones, tendons and other biological matter within our body, not to mention organs and extraordinarily complex networks for fibres and transmitters that allow our bodies to, hopefully, function synergisticly.

Covering this masterful piece of art—our body—is an epidermis.  This epidermis is what science calls ‘skin’.  Actually, the epidermis is made up of many layers of skin, to create this coating that covers our entire body.  Granted, there are openings in the body. Examples include our eyes, ears, nose and mouth (there are others you can probably think of).  Occasionally, through these openings, body fluid is expelled.  For example, if we accidentally cut ourselves, bodily fluid is expelled from the body.  But for the most part, this epidermis we call skin encases us in what we call a body.  This epidermis holds everything together.  We can poke at our bodies; we can bend ourselves into contortions; we can even break an internal component of our body; but the epidermis holds everything together—in its rightful place.

Another interesting thought came to me about the body.  I thought of my heart, my physical heart.  I am told is resides in my chest cavity.  I am told its only function is to pump and regulate the flow of blood throughout my body.  As far as I am aware, the heart, or any other internal part of my body, is not aware of its existence outside of the physical body.  That is, it is only aware of its existence within the context of where it is inside a physical space.  It has no awareness of an existence outside of itself.

As I began to look at this concept of a body and its epidermis that holds everything together, I began to contemplate how arrogant I have been to think this concept of an epidermis over my body is the only example of this exquisite relationship in my life—in my reality. I began to ponder the possibilities of applying the physicality of my body—the epidermis holding my body together—to the world around me and my reality.  “What if…?”, I asked myself.  “What if, there is another layer of this exquisite relationship in life?”.  I asked myself, “What if all that I see with my body’s eyes, all the people, all the things, all the interactions, everything, is merely another epidermis, the epidermis of my reality?!”

This epidermis of reality is merely another layer that holds everything together in an exquisite relationship. Just as I can with my physical body: I can ‘poke’ at my reality, as in have an experience in life; I can bend my reality into contortions, as in do something really different with my life; or I can even break an aspect of my reality, as in experience a crisis in my life that shocks me and forces me to see my life differently.  But there is something that holds everything, every blessed element of it, together.

There are very few who ever move beyond their ego-centric, arrogant sense of self to become aware that everything that is their reality is merely a covering—an epidermis—over their physical sight.  Even fewer have the awakening experience of actually peeking through that epidermis to realize our reality is merely a veil, a sheath, a thin curtain, that stands between us and true peace, joy, and love.

Ask yourself this… “What holds my reality together?  Everything around me, the people, the places, the things I see, the interactions I experience on a daily basis?  What keeps all of this is its rightful place?  What holds all this together?”

I have found my answer.  My wish for you is you find yours.

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“Today we tend toward increasingly superficial, materialistic, egocentric practices and orientation—fast food, fast sex, fast cars, fast life, fast therapy, fast spirituality. Patience is becoming rare, tolerance rarer, constancy rarer still, and presence in the ongoing process of life without attachments to an outcome and a result is all but entirely annihilated.”

… Richard Harvey, lecture: Crucible of Awakening, June 18, 2013

At an ever-increasing rate, precious souls are finding their way to me with some of these common conditions: unhappiness; discontent; anger; depression; and a host of other conditions which may generally be described as a low level, but growing, malaise.  The conversation always invites me to ask these dear souls what their spiritual practice consists of.

One dear soul informed me of a plethora of practices and faith communities they lend their belief system to.  When I asked how these practices and beliefs manifest themselves in their daily life, the response I received was… “Daily!?...I sometimes go for weeks without having any interaction with these communities and corresponding faith practices.”

Another dear soul shared with me how their life was full of extremes of highs and lows.  They went on to share that whenever they were at a low in their life, they turned to sacred scripture to help move them back to a place of peace.  I asked them if they continued to study their sacred scripture when they were in a place of peace.  Their response was… “Why would I do that!?  When I’m at peace, why would I read sacred scripture?  When I’m at peace, I don’t need any of this spiritual stuff.”  I smiled gently and asked this dear soul… “Why is it you are using God as a spare tire?  Why not let God drive the car?”  My question was met with a blank stare, your characteristic deer-in-the-headlights-look when someone has been awakening to a new truth about themselves.

I am increasingly curious by seekers expressing confusion about the relationship between their inner peace and their spiritual practice.  When should I practice? Where should I practice?  What should I practice?  How often should I practice?  How do I develop the discipline and dedication to maintain a spiritual practice that brings me peace?

At a recent discussion group, another dear soul asked me “How do I build spiritual muscle?” I asked this person how one normally builds physical muscle.  Their response was “Well…one goes to the gym on a regular basis or engages in some other form of physical exercise.”  I responded back, “That’s exactly how you build spiritual muscle.  You show up at designated place for your workout and you ‘pump iron’!  And you commit yourself to a regular schedule for these workouts.”

The when, where, what, how long and how often of these workouts is entirely up to each individual soul.  But you are invited to create a spiritual workout that works for you, that resonates with you.  Maybe you will pray, meditate or do yoga on a regular basis.  Maybe your form of building spiritual muscle involves going to services at your local faith/spiritual community, or reading sacred scripture or teachings.  Whatever the form that works for you, practice it with dedication and discipline.  For insight to many possible spiritual practices to enjoy, refer to the article “Spiritual Practice” at http://www.servingyourjourney.com/Spiritual_Practice_v5.pdf.

While it is written that some spiritual adepts transformed themselves into spiritual masters in an instant, for many it takes a lifetime of dedication and effort.  I am blessed to devote a minimum of 10 hours of my 24-hour day to conscious spiritual practice—to building my spiritual muscle (most days I devote 12+ hours of my 24-hour day to conscious spiritual practice).  From the gratitude practice that begins my day, to my daily yoga, meditation, reading of sacred scriptures and other spiritual literature, to my daily ministry of service, to the prayer and meditation that ends my day, I use these times to bring me out of the world of the ego and materialism and into a relationship with my God-self.

To devote so much time on a daily basis to spiritual practice may not be in the cards for some (perhaps many).  I know my daily 10-hour-spiritual-practice is a minimum requirement to enable me to stay in my heart space.  For you it may require much less time on a daily basis.  And if so, that’s great!  Whatever works for you, is what works for you.  But find what works for you, build your workout regimen, commit to yourself, and stick with it.  Your heart and soul will thank you for it…and so will everyone else.

Shanti, Namaste, Agapé,

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The sound of shattering glass; it is one of the most startling sounds there is.  It also happens to be a very common sound we react to.

As I may have shared in previous passages, my partner has Parkinson’s disease.  As the disease progresses, my partner’s ability to grasp and hold on to items diminishes.  In 2011, my partner and I went through the unsettling, yet rejuvenating, experience of moving to a new home. 

As you know, the process of moving involves packing up the contents of your home.  On more than one occasion, as I was occupied packing up items in one room, the sound of broken glass reverberated throughout the house as my beloved partner dropped a plate, a glass, or some other fragile object on the floor in another room.  The first time I heard the sound of glass shattering, I reacted by running to the room to make sure my partner was okay.  I thought I was doing the right thing by reacting this way; I thought I was being caring and helpful.

During the ensuing days of our packing, the sound of broken glass echoed throughout our home more than once (stated with a gentle and compassionate smile).  Each subsequent time I heard the sound of breaking glass, I became less likely to run to the room where the object had fallen to the floor and broken.  From a light-hearted perspective, I quickly realized to listen for the sound of my partner cursing at his clumsiness.  As long as I heard his cries of woe for another shattered family heirloom, I knew he was okay.  After hearing his cursing finish, I would simply call out… “let me know if you need me to clean up.”

As serendipity and spirit would have it, within a week of the last broken dish being swept into the garbage, I came across an article that spoke about the paradigms of helping versus being of service.  The author suggested that our goal should not be one of helping people but being of service to them.  The author went on to explain that the paradigm of helping presupposes inequality; that having an attitude of helping someone assumes the person is helpless and/or fractured.  However, when we come from a space of service, we come to the person on a level playing field; we establish an atmosphere of equality in serving them.  We enable the people to remain in a space of independence, pride and self-sufficiency.

The concepts in the article on helping versus service were timely indeed.  I realized that the first time I heard glass breaking, I reacted and immediately went into “I need to help” mode.  While this may have been the customary socially-accepted convention, the act of reacting actually presupposed inequality.  My reacting assumed my partner was helpless and/or fractured.  After several more episodes of shattering glass, I came to realize that by not reacting to the sound of broken glass and waiting to hear my partner was actually okay, and then calling out “let me know if you need me to clean up”, was an act of responding to my partner.  In responding to my partner, I was being of service.

I am not suggesting to stop being helpful to your fellow brothers and sisters.  But I am suggesting you explore what possibilities there are to be of service.  The difference between helping and serving, or reacting and responding, may be subtle from an intellectual perspective.  But there are significant differences from a heart perspective.

Be gentle and kind in your service to each other.

Shanti, Namaste, Agapé

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