SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 247

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ Continuing with the 12 styles of the Mandalaprocess, we are exploring the style of Love and Compassion as taught by Edward Bastian who writes:

+ The Lover naturally experiences the universality of love and seeks to bring happiness and relief to the suffering of others.

·         Do you have a natural empathy for others?

·         Do you long to create happiness and eliminate suffering?

·         Do you have a naturally kind-hearted feeling toward others?

·         Do you feel embraced by a universal love and compassion greater than yourself?

LOVE IS PERHAPS the most profound and complex word in the human language. Its varied meanings range from intense liking or desire, to the experience of universal inter-connectedness and unconditional empathy with the whole of existence. Love and compassion are at the heart of the world’s great spiritual traditions. Love is often said to be synonymous with the divine essence and the well-spring of all life by whatever name it is given.

When we are in love, we often feel as if we are ‘one’ with our beloved. There is an irresistible magnetism toward them and a palpable physical sensation pervades our whole being. We experience a nearly unbreakable force that unites our souls, whether we are together or apart. When we are truly in love with someone, we will do everything we can to protect, nourish and support them. We make their happiness our first priority.

When we are in love spiritually, we experience an undeniable universal inter-connectedness, oneness, empathy and compassion for the infinite whole of existence. We instinctively experience love as an all enveloping cosmic embrace. Love is perceived as a force inseparable from the fundamental impulse of life. We feel ignited by the spark of the divine that infuses the deepest essence of our being. Every cell of our body resonates with the bliss of the divine. We are as a drop of water infused within an infinite ocean. We realize that we are joined inexorably in the web of being and have no choice but to accept our universal responsibility to help remove the causes of suffering of all living things.

+ Ed soars to heights of divine ecstasy here which inspire me immensely.  I hope you are touched as I am by his amazing clarity and wisdom. 

+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213.  They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation.

+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:  Seven Steps of InterSpiritual Meditation (11 minutes) | 15 minute introduction to InterSpiritual Meditation and the Mandala Process | 2 hour lecture & conversation

+ Spirituality & Practice offers abundant resources on the practices of Love & Compassion: The Practice of Love | The 12s Gallery on Love | The Practice of Compassion | The 12s Gallery on Compassion  

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Love” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html