SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 283

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ This is a post on the style of The Way of Relationships as we continue to explore Heavenliness through the lens of the 12 styles of the Mandala process created by Edward Bastian.  There is 1 more Mandala style to explore after this one: Wisdom. After that, we move on to the 9 Attributes of Heaven.

+ It is through relationships that we are able to learn how virtuous and non-virtuous intentions can affect our relative states of happiness and well-being. By experiencing joy, grief, love and jealousy—and by the dispassionate observation of these emotions—we recognize the intentions that produce lasting happiness, and those that produce sorrow.

-- Edward Bastian in the chapter on the Spiritual Style of Relationships in Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process

+ If your spiritual practices are not helping you become more loving in your relationships, then something needs to change.  It is always necessary to practice discernment  which we have explored before (SE posts 81-96) so we can become aware of what needs to change in ourselves as we make contact with others. We can find a lot of joy in solitude but it often is based on previous relationships and probably can only be sustained by the support and encouragement we get from our current and future relationships.

+ 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 282

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ This is a post on the style of The Way of Relationships as we continue to explore Heavenliness through the lens of the 12 styles of the Mandala process created by Edward Bastian.  There is 1 more Mandala style to explore after this one: Wisdom. After that, we move on to the 9 Attributes of Heaven.

+ All human beings are alone. No other person will completely feel like we do, think like we do, act like we do. Each of us is unique, and our aloneness is the other side of our uniqueness. The question is whether we let our aloneness become loneliness or whether we allow it to lead us into solitude. Loneliness is painful; solitude is peaceful. Loneliness makes us cling to others in desperation; solitude allows us to respect others in their uniqueness and create community.

 Letting our aloneness grow into solitude and not into loneliness is a lifelong struggle. It requires conscious choices about whom to be with, what to study, how to pray, and when to ask for counsel. But wise choices will help us to find the solitude where our hearts can grow in love.

-- Henri Nouwen in The Dance of Life

+ Many of us cherish the spiritual guidance of Henri Nouwen.  We have met him before in this exploration: SE29, SE107, SE113, SE120 & SE 126. He is perhaps most famous for coining the term “wounded healer.”  The idea is that we can’t really make a difference in the life of another unless we enter into their reality and even experience at least some of the pain another is feeling.  It takes courage to do this and it takes the strength we gain from our deep spiritual encounters with ultimate reality.  I believe solitude is essential for that to happen but it can’t end there.  We need to be involved.  We need to connect with others.  We need to deeply respect others and “create community.” Our planet desperately needs this to happen one relationship at a time.

     

+ 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 208

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ Although we seem to be different individuals inhabiting separate bodies, we are intimately connected with each other at some level of the mind. This image has surfaced consistently throughout human history. It permeates the language of poets, artists, and mystics, and has been repeatedly understood by spiritual adepts in all great religious traditions.

-- Larry Dossey

+ Let us awaken to the glorious, heavenly reality that, right now, right here, we are intimately, intricately, infinitely connected in a matrix of unconditional, unlimited, uniting LOVE which is miraculous, mysterious and marvelous.  This can only happen as we practice, practice, practice the Journey of the Mind practices of Stillness, Detachment & Humility; the Journey of the Heart practices of Silence, Discernment & Healing; the Journey of the Body practices of Solitude, Devotion & Holiness; and, the Journey of the Soul practices of Simplicity, Delight and Heavenliness.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers plenty of resources on the Practice of Connections. It is one of the 37 practices Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat feature at their amazing website, the best website in the universe. There is also a 12s Gallery on Connections. The meme here comes from that gallery.  

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 173

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SIMPLICITY

+ Inner solitude and Noble Silence is a way to empty, cleanse, heal, and renew the heart and mind. This is a voluntary way to start the process of simplification and personal downsizing. The peace will help you purify your perceptions and make presence of mind more acute, clear, spacious, and even luminous.  / Incredible satisfaction is available when you begin experiencing the timeless truth that less can actually be more; that the most elegant solution is often the simplest one. Gratitude and appreciation serve us better than attachment and grasping. Peace of mind is the inmost secret treasure.

-- Lama Surya Das in Awakening The Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das
< http://www.kenlauher.com/daily-wisdom/bid/19904/The-Joy-Of-Silence-Solitude-And-Voluntary-Simplicity

+ You might be able to guess that I like the idea of connecting this practice of Simplicity to the Journey of the Heart practice of Silence and the Journey of the Body practice of Solitude.  The more we develop a comprehensive practice, the more we find it easy to experience “the timeless truth that less can actually be more; that the most elegant solution is often the simplest one.“  It really is all about “Letting go and Letting God.”

+ Simplicity is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Simplicity in their Search Engine and you come up with 314 items including 117 quotes, 156 books, 11 practices, 9 teachers, 1 arts link, 11 e-courses, 7 films and 1 blog as of 6/4/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Simplicity

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Simplicity Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Simplicity” 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 169

   WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SIMPLICITY

+ Here is some wisdom on Simplicity offered by Catherine Whitmire in Plain Living:

·         The history of Quaker social action — from peacemaking to war relief to civil rights — reveals how simplicity can impel people to plunge into the world's most intractable problems.

-- Catherine Whitmire

·         Through my personal journey I have come to understand plain living as a matter of spiritual intent, or an aim of the heart. It consists of aligning our lives with what we hear when we listen to our Guide. . . . Early Quakers called this "staying close to the root."

-- Catherine Whitmire

·         Simplification comes when we "center down," when life is lived with singleness of eye, from a holy Center where the breath and stillness of Eternity are heavy upon us and we are wholly yielded to God.

-- Thomas Kelly

+ The Quaker tradition offers a powerful expression of the practice of Simplicity. We have much to learn from the historical and current effectiveness of Quakers.  Unlike the Friends (Quakers), Christianity as a whole has not taught people how important it is to practice Stillness, Silence, Solitude & Simplicity.  World peace, local peace, personal peace, is created as we engage in these essential mind, heart, body and soul practices.

+ Simplicity is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Simplicity in their Search Engine and you come up with 314 items including 117 quotes, 156 books, 11 practices, 9 teachers, 1 arts link, 11 e-courses, 7 films and 1 blog as of 6/4/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Simplicity

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Simplicity Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Simplicity” 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 160

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ Holy is the supernatural extra brilliant kindness of the soul.

— Allen Ginsburg in The Mystic Hours by Wayne Teasdale > http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/quotes/quotations/view/25313/spiritual-quotation

Brother Wayne expands on this in his Day 4 page of The Mystic Hours (what an amazing book BTW):

This great American poet of the Beat generation, who embraced a wild Buddhist mysticism in his life and poetry, here identifies the ultimate quality that spiritual practice refines in us: utter kindness.  Every saint of every faith tradition espouses it and indeed actualizes it in his or her life. If you want to know with immediate and tangible recognition what God is like, examine kindness in yourself and others. It is your own deepest inner nature. It only has to be revealed. Let us discover in ourselves this heart animated by kindness.

+ This is the final post in the Journey of the Body and its’ practices of Solitude, Devotion and Holiness.  I know I could go on and on with Wisdom on the practice of Holiness but I’m sure you must realize by now that this practice is inclusive of all of the spiritual practices.  It is simply the practice of celebrating your Holiness which is your birthright.  In other words, every spiritual practice is holy and full of Joy and reveals kindness in all kinds of ways.

+ Kindness is one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices. Also, there is a Twelves Gallery on Kindness.

+ Holiness is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Holiness in their Search Engine and you come up with 460 items including 227 quotes, 168 books, 28 practices, 14 teachers, 12 arts links, 7 e-courses, 3 films and 1 blog as of 5/11/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=holiness.

+ The Body gets a lot of attention from Spirituality and Practice as you can see when you go to a link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Holiness Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Holiness” 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 157

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ There is a Providence that brought us here and gave us to each other at this time. In and through us, a greater tapestry to creativity is being woven. … The great traditions tell us that community somehow already exists. When we come together in compassion and generosity, this hidden belonging begins to come alive between us. …

 Perhaps community is a constellation. Each one of us is a different light in the emerging collective brightness. A constellation of light has greater power of illumination than any single light would have on its own. Together we increase brightness.

-- John O’Donohue in Eternal Echoes, One Spirit Daily Inspiration 6/3/16

+ Every community is holy.  Each of us has essential attributes which we are called to offer to our particular holy community.  We began this Journey of the Body with the practice of solitude  which is indeed essential for the practice of holiness.  The practices of solitude and devotion are never meant to separate us from community.  You are needed with all of your wonderful gifts.   And, of course, you need community with all of its gifts to you.  Let us “increase brightness” as we continue our commitment to keep practicing and keep exploring on this amazing journey. 

+ Of course, Spirituality & Practice has plenty of resources on John O’Donohue who taught us so much about Celtic spirituality. 

+ Holiness is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Holiness in their Search Engine and you come up with 460 items including 227 quotes, 168 books, 28 practices, 14 teachers, 12 arts links, 7 e-courses, 3 films and 1 blog as of 5/11/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=holiness.

+ The Body gets a lot of attention from Spirituality and Practice as you can see when you go to a link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Holiness Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Holiness” 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 151

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ All we do our whole lives is go from one little piece of holy ground to another.

— J. D. Salinger in Pray All Ways by Edward Hays

> http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/quotes/quotations/view/33843/spiritual-quotation

+ I am not sure how long this exploration of the essential practice of Holiness will continue.  I am enjoying this exploration and I hope you are too.  Do you have something to add?  I would love it. See below.  I think I have a lot to offer but I think you do too.

I sure do get more and more wisdom as I browse through the amazing Spirituality & Practice website which I often call “the best website in the universe” and their recent renovation made it even better. So, let’s keep exploring this fascinating practice which is the goal of the Journey of the Body portion of this exploration which began with Solitude and continued with Devotion.  Let’s be surprised with where we go next as we “go from one little piece of holy ground to another.”

+ Holiness is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Holiness in their Search Engine and you come up with 460 items including 227 quotes, 168 books, 28 practices, 14 teachers, 12 arts links, 7 e-courses, 3 films and 1 blog as of 5/11/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=holiness.

+ The Body gets a lot of attention from Spirituality and Practice as you can see when you go to a link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Holiness Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Holiness” 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 145

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

  

The holiest of all holidays are those

Kept by ourselves in silence and apart;

The secret anniversaries of the heart.

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in The Wonders of Solitude by Dale Salwak, editor

+ As you probably know by now, I consider the practices of stillness, silence and solitude essential for the fulfilment of the amazing journey we are on.  We get to know ourselves as holy and the whole creation as holy when we practice, practice, practice these essential practices.  In other words, they are holy practices practiced on holy days, days like today. 

There is nothing wrong, of course with movement, sound and community.  They are holy too.  It’s just that we need these solitary practices to balance and give meaning to the much more frequent activities of our life.

+ Holiness is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Holiness in their Search Engine and you come up with 460 items including 227 quotes, 168 books, 28 practices, 14 teachers, 12 arts links, 7 e-courses, 3 films and 1 blog as of 5/11/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=holiness.

+ The Body gets a lot of attention from Spirituality and Practice as you can see when you go to a link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Holiness Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Holiness” 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 142

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ A spiritual notebook filled with ideas and quotations from the holy men and women who have walked before us — or who walk alongside of us — can help remind us of what's important and what we are doing and why.

 — Lama Surya Das in Awakening to the Sacred

< http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/alphabet/teachers/quotes

+ Maybe you can guess why this one appeals to me a lot.  

+ Holiness is the ninth of the twelve Abundancetrek practices and the final practice of the Journey of the Body which began with Solitude and then continued with Devotion.

+ Holiness is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Holiness in their Search Engine and you come up with 460 items including 227 quotes, 168 books, 28 practices, 14 teachers, 12 arts links, 7 e-courses, 3 films and 1 blog as of 5/11/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=holiness.

+ The Body gets a lot of attention from Spirituality and Practice as you can see when you go to a link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Holiness Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Holiness” 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 141

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ When your life is filled with the desire to see the holiness in everyday life, something magical happens. -- Harold Kushner

+ Life is amazing, really wonderful, very holy.  Our bodies are in constant contact with this wonder.  It really is magical.   

+ Holiness is the ninth of the twelve Abundancetrek practices and the final practice of the Journey of the Body which began with Solitude and then continued with Devotion.

+ Holiness is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Holiness in their Search Engine and you come up with 460 items including 227 quotes, 168 books, 28 practices, 14 teachers, 12 arts links, 7 e-courses, 3 films and 1 blog as of 5/11/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=holiness.

+ The Body gets a lot of attention from Spirituality and Practice as you can see when you go to a link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Holiness Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Holiness” 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 139

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ The world is holy. We are holy. All life is holy. Daily prayers are delivered on the lips of breaking waves, the whisperings of grasses, the shimmering of leaves.

 -- Terry Tempest Williams from Talking to God: Portrait of a World at Prayer (anthology)

+ Let’s extend the Body metaphor to include the greater Body, the Earth, the Heavens, the network of Life here, there and everywhere.  Everything is Holy.  Everything is praying.  Enjoy this holy moment in this holy place wherever you are.  

    

+ Holiness is the ninth of the twelve Abundancetrek practices and the final practice of the Journey of the Body which began with Solitude and then continued with Devotion.

+ Holiness is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Holiness in their Search Engine and you come up with 460 items including 227 quotes, 168 books, 28 practices, 14 teachers, 12 arts links, 7 e-courses, 3 films and 1 blog as of 5/11/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=holiness.

+ The Body gets a lot of attention from Spirituality and Practice as you can see when you go to a link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 138

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ “Being holy is majoring in love.” -- Dorothy Donnelly

+ Since Holiness is a Body practice, let’s affirm that we major in love with our holy bodies.  We are made of stardust and we are made of the soil of the earth.  We have eyes to see, ears to hear, mouths to talk, tongues to taste, brains to think, hearts to sustain life, arms to reach out, legs to go places.  Every body part is holy.  Let us enjoy the gift of our body and enjoy the gifts we receive from other bodies as we major in love.  You are holy.  Yes, you. 

   

+ Holiness is the ninth of the twelve Abundancetrek practices and the final practice of the Journey of the Body which began with Solitude and then continued with Devotion.

+ Holiness is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Holiness in their Search Engine and you come up with 460 items including 227 quotes, 168 books, 28 practices, 14 teachers, 12 arts links, 7 e-courses, 3 films and 1 blog as of 5/11/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=holiness.

+ The Body gets a lot of attention from Spirituality and Practice as you can see when you go to a link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Holiness Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Holiness” 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 137

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ Holiness consists in doing the will of God with a smile.

-- Mother Teresa

+ Grace makes all these practices possible. The more we achieve an effective spiritual practice, the more we can open ourselves up to the amazing grace of God … and become holy.  But you have always been holy and always will be holy.  That’s who you are, a holy man, a holy woman, a holy child. You are the light of the world. Smile.

+ This is the first post in our exploration of the spiritual practice of Holiness, the ninth of the twelve Abundancetrek practices and the final practice of the Journey of the Body which began with Solitude and then continued with Devotion.  You may remember that the Journey of the Mind practices are: Stillness, Detachment and Humility (SE posts 1-64) and The Journey of the Heart practices are: Silence, Discernment and Healing (SE posts 65-104).

+ Holiness is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Holiness in their Search Engine and you come up with 460 items including 227 quotes, 168 books, 28 practices, 14 teachers, 12 arts links, 7 e-courses, 3 films and 1 blog as of 5/11/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=holiness.

+ The Body gets a lot of attention from Spirituality and Practice as you can see when you go to a link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Holiness Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Holiness” 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 136

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DEVOTION

+ Three quotes on Devotion and Prayer by Joseph Naft:

·         Prayer is the heart of the spiritual path. When you ponder why this universe exists, you might speculate that the Creator needs beings who can pray, that in prayer a necessary exchange of energies and will flows between the created and the Creator. Prayer engenders a dialogue between an individual or a group and the Divine, ultimately transforming into a monologue of God (through us) praying to God. The quality of this dialogue ranges enormously from the perfunctory blessing over food to the utter surrender of the saint in mystical union. Four factors determine the power of our prayer: the degrees of our faith, humility, awareness, and intention. Read more at http://www.innerfrontier.org/Practices/Prayer.htm

·         The spiritual paradigm of devotion is prayer, where devotion describes the inner attitude one adopts in a sincere act of worship. Though it waxes and wanes, in praying we seek moments of utter devotion to the sacred. That is a major part of the work of prayer: to unite the whole of ourselves, body, mind, heart, attention and intention, in complete devotion to the Divine. Read more at http://www.innerfrontier.org/InnerWork/Archive/2005/20051205_Devotion.htm

·         With our body we adopt a posture appropriate to the prayer. Our thoughts are the words, if any, of the prayer. Our mind stays in contact with the meaning of the prayer. Our heart fills with reverence, awe, supplication, joy, and love. Our attention encompasses and supports all these aspects. And our intention becomes the core act of devotion, of opening to the spirit beyond our heart and mind, in love and in service, in fulfilling our sacred duty to the Divine. Read more at http://www.innerfrontier.org/InnerWork/Archive/2005/20051205_Devotion.htm

+ I consider Inner Frontier one of the best discoveries I made in my quest for more spiritual resources for the past 15 years or so.  And, so, I end this exploration of the practice of Devotion with a little sampling of his wisdom.

Naft reminds us that Devotion and the Body are closely related.  This is holy work and physical work.  We will now move on to the practice of Holiness, the goal of the Journey of the Body.  Everything is holy.  You are holy.  Your body is holy. Let us continue to practice Solitude and Devotion appreciating that our holiness is awakened moment after moment in these holy practices.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers many resources on the spiritual practice of Devotion.  You can explore Devotion even more with this link to “Devotion” on their search engine. You will find 2153 items as of 4/26/16.  And, of course, there is a Twelves Gallery of Memes on Devotion.  The Body also gets a lot of attention from S&P as you can see if you go to this link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 126

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DEVOTION

+ Abba Poemen said about Abbot Pior that every single day he made a fresh beginning.

-- Yushi Nomura, Desert Wisdom: Sayings from the Desert Fathers

+ When you think you've arrived, you realize you've come all this way just to prepare yourself to begin again.

-- Sarah Ban Breathnach

+ The whole course of the spiritual life is falling off, and returning, slipping away from the truth and turning back to it, leaving and returning.

 -- Henri J.M. Nouwen in Home Tonight

+ Be soft in your practice...It will find the grooves, the cracks, the crevices. Just follow it. Never let it out of your sight.

-- Sheng-yen

+ Devotion means staying with it even when the going gets rough. And it does. And it will. But if you have tasted the bliss of stillness, silence and solitude, then you know that continued effort to practice, practice, practice is worth it.

Bliss will always be fleeting unless you devote yourself to becoming your Real Self which is something like being the Real Universe. Yes, Real You, Real Universe. When the walls come tumbling down you know who you really are: fantastic, wonderful, compassionate, just, peaceful, content, satisfied, connected.

So, begin again. 

+ Spirituality & Practice offers many resources on the spiritual practice of Devotion.  You can explore even more with this link to “Devotion” on their search engine. You will find 2153 items as of 4/26/16.  And, of course, there is a Twelves Gallery of Memes on Devotion.  The meme comes from that gallery. The Body also gets a lot of attention from S&P as you can see if you go to this link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 125

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DEVOTION

+ The Sufis believe that every aspect of daily life has potential as a devotional practice. Every bodily movement has its source in the divine. Everything we do, everything seen or heard, tasted or touched, can be undertaken as a devotional practice. This level of devotion brings us into a new relationship with the ongoing creation as we realize that the entire universe is dependent upon the creative energy that vitalizes each and every moment.

— Rabbi David A. Cooper in Silence, Simplicity & Solitude

+ Yes, there is a vital connection between Devotion and the Body.  Ultimately, the body is a mystery.  The earthly body clearly has limits but we already have more, far more.  We have a heavenly body.  But let’s not undervalue the earthly body which is a miraculous gateway to heaven even before we realize that we have this heavenly body.

Many mystics have declared that our earthly body is a provisional representation of the Soul.  We will explore this mystery a lot more when we get to the Journey of the Soul and its practices of Simplicity, Delight and Heavenliness.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers many resources on the spiritual practice of Devotion.  You can explore even more with this link to “Devotion” on their search engine. You will find 2153 items as of 4/26/16.  And, of course, there is a Twelves Gallery of Memes on Devotion.  The meme comes from that gallery. The Body also gets a lot of attention from S&P as you can see if you go to this link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 120

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SOLITUDE

 + You do not need to do anything; you do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. You do not even need to listen; just wait. You do not even need to wait; just become still, quiet and solitary and the world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked. It has no choice. It will roll in ecstasy at your feet.

 -- Franz Kafka

+ This is the last post on the practice of Solitude.  Hopefully this exploration of this essential practice is making it possible for you to embrace your holy body which is both earthly and heavenly.  As Nouwen points out, solitude is the furnace of transformation.  Keep making space for solitude and be transformed.

The ecstasy Kafka promises is both an Earthly and Heavenly blessing.  Your Earthly body makes it possible for you to receive this gift here on Earth.  When we get to the Journey of the Soul, we will explore the mystery of our heavenly body.   

The next spiritual practice we will explore is Devotion which certainly requires a level of comfort with Solitude as well as a commitment to a community which shares your values.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers many resources on the spiritual practice of Solitude.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers many resources on the spiritual practice of Transformation and a Twelves Gallery of Memes on Transformation. The meme above comes from that gallery. Thank You S&P.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Solitude Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Solitude” 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 119

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SOLITUDE

+ Here is an excerpt from the Spirituality & Practice book review of The Wonders of Solitude : “This volume offers 300 quotations compiled and edited by Dale Salwak. There are chapters on a noisy world, discovery, inspiration, the natural world, places of solitude, and the power of silence. Erica Jong notes, ‘The most important education you get is on your own--the one you learn in solitude.’ There is Mother Teresa who believes ‘God is the friend of silence.’ And Herman Hesse counsels us, ‘Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at anytime and be yourself.’ This volume is a treasure trove of wisdom about the benefits and blessings of solitude.” -- Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

+ God is definitely doing a “new thing,” “making all things new,” creating “new heavens and a new earth.” So, it is imperative for those of us who want to do God’s will, to discern this new thing and commit to making it happen.  The practice of Solitude is very important, indeed essential. 

You have a very important part to play in this discernment process.  In solitude you make discoveries and get important ideas.  Bring your discoveries and ideas to a community of faith which shares your values.  If your community of faith does indeed share your values, they will listen to you and you will listen to them.  The sharing of the fruits of our solitude is creating the new earth. 

+ Spirituality & Practice offers many more resources on the spiritual practice of Solitude.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers many resources on the related spiritual practice of Questing and a Twelves Gallery of Memes on Questing. The meme above comes from that gallery.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Solitude Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Solitude” 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