“The greatest spiritual challenge is an attachment to material things. Even the most dedicated spiritual practice is meaningless when we are controlled by what we own.” ― Anthon St. Maarten
All of Spiritual Practice
“All of spiritual practice is a matter of relationship: to ourselves, to others, to life’s situations.” ~ Jack Kornfield
Joy as Spiritual Practice
“I believe joy is a spiritual practice.” ~ Brené Brown
The Small Still Voice
“A primary goal of the spiritual life is to learn to quiet the mind through prayer and meditation, through spiritual practice, so that we can hear what in both Judaism and Christianity, is called the small, still voice within.” — Marianne Williamson
Draw Near to God
“If you want to draw near to God, seek him in the hearts of those around you.
Speak well of all, present or absent. If you would be a light for others, be like the sun: show the same face to all. To bring joy to a single heart is better than building countless shrines for worship; to capture one heart through kindness is better than setting a thousand free. This is the true lover of God, who lives with others, rises and eats and sleeps like others, gives and takes with others in the bazaar, yet never forgets God even for a moment.” ~ Abu Sai’d
The Friday Affirmaton
Infinite love flows in me, through me, as me.
Affirmations are an important spiritual practice. By filling our minds with positive spiritual statements they become a part of our lives. Let us affirm together, Infinite love flows in me, through me, as me. And so it is.
Smile
“If you really know how to live, what better way to start the day than with a smile?…Smiling helps you approach the day with gentleness and understanding….Smile with your whole being.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Smiling as a spiritual practice — I love it. That’s one way we shine our light into the world.
Only Two Mistake
“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: Not going all the way, and Not starting.” ~ The Buddha
The True Lover of God
If you want to draw near to God, seek him in the hearts of those around you.
Speak well of all, present or absent. If you would be a light for others, be like the sun: show the same face to all. To bring joy to a single heart is better than building countless shrines for worship; to capture one heart through kindness is better than setting a thousand free. This is the true lover of God, who lives with others, rises and eats and sleeps like others, gives and takes with others in the bazaar, yet never forgets God even for a moment. ~ Abu Sai’d
What is Spiritual Practice?
And why is it so important? Spiritual practice is the way we live out our faith, beliefs and principles in our day to day life. These might include prayer, meditation, mindful movement, study, service to others, creativity, loving kindness and other practices.
When I find myself going off track in life it is usually because I have not been paying attention to my spiritual practice. I’ll skip yoga or qi gong, just this once. Or I meditated yesterday. Do I really have to do it everyday? Or why do I have to keep helping others, when I end up feeling used? Why do I have to take care of my body temple when others neglect theirs? Or do I really need to study this stuff, shouldn’t I have it all down by now? Well obviously not.
Living in a “senior” community surrounded by sickness, death and negativity, the most important and at the same time the most difficult practice for me is releasing all that is not for my higher good and clearning, balancing and protecting my energy. This has to be done everyday. If I don’t I find myself in a big mess.
Having grown up in a Protestant traditon that emphasizes personal salvation, I know that many times we were told that our “works” would not gain our salvation, that it was only through belief in Jesus. This leads some to live as though what we do during our time here on earth doesn’t matter. But I believe that Jesus came to be the great example, not the great exception. His spritiual practice can be seen throughout the New Testament.
Now I know that if we take on too many practices at once they can become a burden and drop off along the way. The purpose of spiritual practice is for it to become not just our way of life but life itself.
Join me this month as we explore spiritual practice.
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