Spiritual Guidance Blog

Seventeen years ago, I met my current partner. Sixteen years ago, my partner was diagnosed with Parkinsons. Six months later, he was diagnosed with cancer. Shortly thereafter, my role as life partner expanded to include health and personal caregiver.

As the diagnoses unfolded and a new reality emerged all those years ago, I quickly developed a sense of trust in life.¹ I trusted that I would be provided with what I needed to manage and cope with this situation. I trusted that when I needed to know something, I would be told. I simply trusted.

Fast forward to present day and we are now having to consider palliative and hospice care for my partner. We have many of the legalities of the current situation in place. But the one part of the puzzle that remained elusive was how the transition from in-home care to hospice care would unfold. What would that transition look like? Was there something we could/should be doing now to prepare? And what about the financial aspect of the transition? Enter trust!

It just so happened (no coincidences here!) that a healthcare professional who works in the local palliative care industry was attending my spiritual gatherings. Knowing this person worked in the palliative care industry, I approached them recently to see what I could learn about palliative and hospice care. What unfolded was the most informative and helpful discussion I have had with any healthcare professional over the previous 17 years!

I left the discussion with gladness and gratefulness written all over my heart. Not only did I get answers to questions I have had for years!...but I was given specific instructions and steps to take to initiate a process of assessment for palliative and hospice care. This angel was surely sent from heaven!

While my trust in life has been tested from time to time over the past 17 years, my trust/faith has remained strong. It is stronger still because of the angelic light and love that was bestowed on me during that fateful conversation. I trusted, and life provided.

1. I use the word ‘life’ as most people would use the word ‘God’.

Robert Meagher has been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.

There is a beautiful wisdom saying… “The hardest decisions we will ever have to make in our lives is whether to stay, or to go.”

I recently launched an online business. This great adventure gave me the opportunity to explore various ways of advertising my products online. One of the ways that was presented to me was through Google. Google will gladly advertise and promote your products online, so long as you comply with their merchant policies.

Shortly after signing up for Google to advertise and promote my products online, I was informed by Google that my merchant account had been suspended because my products did not comply with their policies. I was informed that my website was misrepresenting my products, but I was not provided with any further detail as to what this misrepresentation was. Therefore, I had no idea how to correct the problem, even if I could.

I spent a few days trying to communicate with Google about the issue, asking for clarification about my account’s suspension. But Google did not respond to any of my communication.

So…I was left with a choice: (a) do I do something about this, and take on Google? or (b) do I let this go?

A part of me wanted to take on Google. A part of me was offended at the suggestion (or accusation) that I was misrepresenting my products. I take great pride in the products I sell and I took great care in how the products were described and presented on my website. For someone to suggest I was misrepresenting my products really took me by surprise. And I was frustrated that Google had made a decision to suspend my account without any warning and/or suggestions on how to make any necessary changes in order to comply.

After a few days, I asked myself… “What is really important here? What do I want out of all this?” Surely, it wasn’t to prove Google wrong and have them reverse their decision. What was really important to me in this situation, as it is in any situation that involves my perception of conflict, was to have peace.

Could I have peace by taking on Google and having them reverse their decision? I decided that wasn’t where my peace was. Therefore, I chose to walk away.

The key in walking away from any situation is whether or not to truly let it go. Walking away from something but continuing to gripe and grovel about the issue, is not letting it go. Letting go involves surrender and forgiveness. Any situation we choose to walk away from gifts us with an opportunity for practicing surrender and forgiveness.

I will likely be tested in my surrender and forgiveness regarding this situation. In my experience, it will likely be an unfolding process; one that I can embrace for the purposes of practice, and draw upon the strength I build from the experience to apply to the next situation that will require my surrender and forgiveness. For letting go is simply a process of surrender and forgiveness. And the process is simple a matter of choice. Do I stay? Or do I go?

Robert Meagher has been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.

Much has been said and written about the power of positive thinking. Indeed, science and spirituality have had much to say about how positive thinking can improve our health and well-being.

Take Masaru Emoto’s ground-breaking book “The Hidden Messages in Water.” Emoto examined how the molecules of water are affected by our thoughts, words, and feelings. The findings were remarkable and led the way for a whole science behind the power of positive thinking. In summary, Emoto found that when we are filled with positive thoughts, when we express positive words, and when we feel positive feelings, the crystalline structures of water molecules were beautifully formed. As opposed to when we are filled with negative thoughts, express negative words, and when we feel negative feelings, the crystalline structures of water molecules were deformed and often collapsed.

Emoto’s findings were significant, in part, because of the science behind the water content of the body. Data varies, but it is generally thought that the body is made up of 60% water, with the brain and the lungs comprising upwards to 80% water. If positive thoughts, words and feelings can affect the crystalline structure of water molecules, then positive thoughts, words and feelings can surely affect the cellular structure of the human body. Therefore, Emoto’s research showed that positive thoughts, words and feelings can affect our overall health and well-being.

Spirituality also has much to contribute to the science of positive thinking. Most any spiritual teaching I have studied incorporates teachings about positive thinking, words and actions. These positive thoughts, words and actions nurture the soul and move us collectively toward enlightenment. Any spiritual practice I have engaged in has had the effect of improving my overall health and outlook on life—from meditation to yoga, a positive mindset offers remarkable life-giving and healing energy.

It may be too easy, for some, to accept the fact that we simply need to choose positive thoughts, choose to express positive words, or choose to feel positive feelings. For some, practicing positivity through various tools and techniques is a helpful way to build our positivity muscle and capacity, and allow positivity to be our life force. I am one of those people. The more I practice positivity through tools and techniques, the more positivity becomes engrained in my DNA, my psyche, and my way of being.

I recently started a new business and, at times, struggled with keeping my thoughts positive about the endeavor. I could easily think all kinds of reasons why I shouldn’t go ahead with the adventure. I remember one day, in the midst of ‘start up’ efforts, I decided to focus my attention on why I should proceed with my business venture, instead of why I should not. On the same day I decided to focus my attention on positive thoughts about starting the business, a passage came into my life that I now use as a daily mantra for positivity. I want to share it with you. The passage comes from A Course in Miracles and is stated as follows:

I will use the power of my will today. It is not my will to grope about in darkness, fearful of shadows and afraid of things unseen and unreal. Light shall be my guide today. I will follow it where it leads me, and I will look only on what it shows me. This day I will experience the peace of true perception.

As with the above mantra, positive thoughts help us to dispel our fears. Positive thoughts allow us to walk through life guided by a life force that is imbued with light and love. When we allow the light of positivity to expand outwards, the world around us transforms. Anything is possible. Everything is beautiful. All is love.

Robert Meagher has been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.

I recently decided to start a business. The business will officially launch in November 2020. From the moment the seed of this idea was planted, it took off and developed a life of its own. I decided to let it take me along for the journey.

There were numerous factors that influenced my decision to start this business; no one of them more important than the other. It was the combination of all the factors that finally made me decide to flip the switch and make it happen.

Once the decision was made to start the business, and the wheels were set in motion, all my efforts fell into place and everything went quite smoothly. The initiative took on a life of its own.

From the onset I decided to go along for the ride. I became increasingly curious where this was going to lead me. I still don’t know where it’s going to lead me. As of the time of this article’s writing, the business has not even launched yet. But with great curiosity I am consciously deciding to go along for the ride to see where it takes me.

I smile when I think about the mystery of life and how we can never know what’s going to show up next. If you had told me six months ago that I would be starting a business, I may have thought you were crazy. I had no idea this was coming. It was not something I planned for. It just happened.

Alas…we can’t plan for life. We may think we can, but life just happens. There is a wonderful saying… ‘We plan and God laughs!’ Yes, God laughs indeed at the folly of our misguided belief we can plan for what happens in our life. There’s nothing wrong with planning, per se. Planning can be a very good thing. Take a grocery list, for example. It can be very helpful to have a grocery list so that when you arrive at the grocery store, you remember what you are supposed to pick up.

Planning is not a bad thing. But let us be aware what planning is all about. Planning is an attempt to control our fears over what would happen if we didn’t plan! In other words, we plan because we are afraid of what would happen if we didn’t! Most of us are not aware of why we plan. Most of us are afraid of what would happen if we didn’t plan. Those that are aware of the reason they plan, can accept when plans don’t go exactly ‘as planned’ or when something pops up out of left field.

Those that can let life take them along for the ride are not immune to planning. But what these people can do is make adjustments to their life when their so-called plans don’t work out.

Robert Meagher has been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.

I have recently taught myself to live each day like it was my last. This realization became evident throughout this past summer.

Some of you may know that I am an avid cyclist. My outings typically include packing my panier bags with food, water, and clothing (and other cycling supplies) and heading off for a day-long adventure. This past summer, my favorite destination was the hills of the Gatineau Park. The Park offers challenging terrain that regularly hosts triathletes, Olympians, and other competitive athletes. I have come to welcome the challenge in the Gatineau Park. The pristine roadways that wind their way through unspoiled forest have become a little piece of heaven for me.

Whether it’s cycling through the Gatineau Park, or taking a more relaxed cycle on more gentle terrain, I have become acutely aware of just how grateful I am to be able to spend a day on my bicycle. Whether it was a cycle in the Spring, Summer, or Fall, this season I treated each and every cycle like it was my last cycle for the season. I didn’t consciously intend to treat each cycle like it was my last one. It just happened. And as each cycling adventure unfolded and came to an end for that day, I became acutely grateful for the blessing of that day.

The practice of treating each cycling day like it was my last, has spilled over into other parts of my life. Now, each day, whether it includes cycling or not, I feel an immense gratitude for the day. It could even be a mundane day, one where everything goes as planned. Sometimes its these days I am the ‘most’ grateful for.

This attitude of gratitude has allowed me to live in gratitude. And it’s not only the ‘good’ that I’m grateful for. To truly live in gratitude means to welcome it all! Not only am I grateful for what I see as good, but I’m becoming equally grateful for what I see as other than good. This living in gratitude reminds me of the beautiful poem by Rumi, ‘The Guest House’:

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.

meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.

because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

Welcome gratitude into your life. It can transform you and your life in ways you could never imagine!

Robert Meagher has been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.