SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 367

+ We are called to create and enjoy a realm of compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.

+ This is the first Spiritual Exploration post of 2017. Unlike the 366 Spiritual Exploration posts of 2016, this post may last for a while with changes and additions.  Your reflections are welcome and can be added. 

+ How to know God? By being still. How to be still? By practice of meditation. Meditation is the art of being still in body, in mind, in heart, in will, in the entire inner being, and enabling the higher Divine Consciousness in us to have direct, immediate perception of God.

-- Omkarananda

+ Be still, and the world is bound to turn herself inside out to entertain you. Everywhere you look, joyful noise is clanging to drown out quiet desperation.

-- Barbara Kingsolver in High Tide in Tucson

+ 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

+ We began this journey a year ago exploring the practice of stillness. You can easily reach the 40 SE posts on the practice of stillness since the links can be found on the Abundancetrek Stillness page and on the page with all 366 links. Stillness is an essential practice, the foundation for all spiritual practice since it is the one practice which stops the chattering monkey which gets in the way of our connection to Greater Reality.  So, let’s begin again practicing stillness and see where we go in our spiritual explorations in 2017 and beyond.  It’s an amazing journey.  I am anticipating finding new ways to explore the 9 Attributes of Heaven and 12 Spiritual Practices. Suggestions welcome.

We are intimately, intricately and infinitely connected by a matrix of unconditional, unlimited and uniting love which is miraculous, mysterious and marvelous.

We can remember who we are and what we can do because we are gloriously free to put our attention on creating and enjoying a realm of compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all with every breath.

Breathe deeply. Breathe fully. Be still. Be silent. Be centered. Be grounded. Lighten up. Loosen up. Let go. Let God. Celebrate. Enjoy. Be glad all over!

This is bliss.

+ You can send an email with the subject “Spiritual Explorations” or “Guest Post” to john@abundancetrek.com

+ You can find a link to any of the first 366 Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 358

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF JUSTICE

+ We are called to create and enjoy a realm of compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.

+ Martin Luther King, Jr. on Justice and Compassion:

·         Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

·         A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.

·         Any religion which professes to be concerned about the souls of men and women and is not concerned about the social and economic conditions that can scar the soul, is a spiritually moribund religion only waiting for the day to be buried.

·         Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

·         I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.

·         I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one; not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

·         Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. This echoes: I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice. -– Theodore Parker

+ Martin Luther King, Jr. often said: “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” He got that line from a 19th century Unitarian minister, abolitionist, transcendentalist, Theodore Parker. Parker was right and King was right. Justice is definitely God’s way and it is our way as we assume our rightful role as a heavenly being.

In stillness we can’t help but hear the cries of the poor, the alienated, the confused and the oppressed. Sooner or later we know we must act, act on their behalf, act for ourselves, for all. For we are all poor, alienated, confused, oppressed as long as any one of us is. We must always identify with the marginalized. Solidarity.

Those of us who have long benefitted from white privilege must not be content until the day comes when the color of our skin really does not matter. We have made progress but we still have a long way to go.

Where justice is denied, Love is denied. We have put up barriers to keep out God, to keep out heaven, to keep out wholeness and truth and beauty. We must confess this regularly and seek to tear down those barriers. We must find ways, all kinds of ways, to create a society where no one is denied access to the abundance God provides.

This requires plenty of compassion and creativity. We get this from God when we pray. Prayer changes things. It’s not magic. Prayer is an attitude adjustment. God changes us and makes us become agents of change. We simply don’t accept an earth where justice is denied. We can’t. We won’t.

Each of us must choose among all of the causes demanding our attention and action. Prayer leads us to a good fit, where our unique gifts can make a difference. Believe. The more we pray for justice, the more we can make a big difference. Yes, we hear the cries. Our prayerful response leads to smiles and laughter and equality. The heavenly feast is intended for everyone. Let no one be denied.

The celebration is so much better when no one is denied. There is so much variety on this planet, so much beauty. Justice means we all can enjoy what everyone is offering. The barriers we have built have prevented a lot of joy from circulating freely. This is not God’s will. Tear down those barriers. Let Justice flow.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers plenty of plenty of resources on the practice of Justice and plenty of resources on the practice of Peace and plenty of resources on the practice of Connections. Also S&P provides a 12s Gallery of Memes on Justice, a 12s Gallery of Memes on Peace and a 12s Gallery on Connections.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Peace page. Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Peace” or “Heavenly Attributes” 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 – 317

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF WISDOM

+ We are called to create and enjoy a realm of compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.

+

Too much information running through my brain

Too much information driving me insane

Too much information running through my brain

Too much information driving me insane

-- Sting  

Hear this song by The Police at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUwd737mioM

+
The endless cycle of idea and action,
Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.
All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance,
All our ignorance brings us nearer to death,
But nearness to death no nearer to GOD.
Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
This is an excerpt from the first paragraph of The Rock by T. S. Eliot

+ With this emphasis on stillness and silence, we are reminded of where we began this exploration many moons ago.  Wisdom is a heavenly attribute which we can achieve as we keep working the 12 Spiritual Practices. Balance is needed.  We need to know stillness and motion.  We need to know speech and silence.  We need to know community and solitude.  We need to know that wisdom is directly connected to the practice of simplicity. 

Too much information is definitely driving us insane.  We need to increase stillness, silence, solitude, simplicity in our lives for balance, for health, for creating the sustainable abundance we need on our planet.  Wisdom is a heavenly gift we all possess.  There is no limit to what we can do with this gift.  Let me say it again: Balance is needed.    

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Wisdom page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Wisdom” or “Heavenly Attributes” 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 – 229

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ Continuing with the 12 styles of the Mandala process, we are exploring the style of the Body.  

+ May we be mindful through our Breathing.

This is the fifth of Edward Bastian’s 7 steps ofInterSpiritual Meditation

+ Breathing teaches you everything you need to know –right under your nose.

-- Gay Hendrix

This is the quote in The Mystic Hours by Wayne Teasdale for Day 251

+ Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.

 -- Thich Nhat Hanh

+ Think of your body as a musical instrument, a wind instrument. Your breath, accordingly, is the wind through the instrument. As such, it is the single most important aspect of yoga technique. Traditionally considered the primary carrier of prana – life force – your breathing originates deep inside you, radiates outward and then inward, providing a gentle and steady rhythm for movement, stretch and release. Sometimes you will breathe softly, other times with vigor, but the breathing itself will always be a central and governing focus. Proper breathing brings the poses to life, inspires every subtle shift and movement in every yoga posture, and can help center your awareness in your conscious experience of the now.

-- Erich Schiffmann

This is the opening paragraph of The Wind Through The Instrument, a chapter from Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann

+ Breathing techniques are an important part of the practice of Yoga. Way back in the beginning of this exploration I highlighted the teaching of a great Yoga teacher, Erich Schiffmann.   Unfortunately the links to a chapter in his book, Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness on stillness which I put in SE post 6 and SE post 7 no longer work but you can read his great quotes in those posts.  He has a wonderful chapter on Breathing in that book which is available online at a different website than the one I had found years ago.  I will have to go through my website and edit quite a few links.

+ We explored the Journey of the Body practices of solitude, devotion and holiness in SE posts 105 to 160. 

+ 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:

·         SevenSteps 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 practice of Being Present and a 12s Gallery on Being Present

+ 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 “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 – 204

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ Heaven and Earth are threads from one loom.

 -- Shaker Proverb

+ Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.

 -- Henry David Thoreau

+ You see, I am not the only one convinced that we are in heaven right now, right here.  So many wise teachers have experienced this glorious reality and tell us about it. Are you one of the convinced or one who wants to be convinced?  Let’s keep exploring these heavenly realms and realize that, as Wayne Teasdale says, “as our listening and practice mature, outer (stillness) and inner (stillness) finally collapse into each other … we find ourselves in the One.”

+ Thank You FatBrainToys for the loom photo. It's a toy loom.  Heavenliness and playfulness are one.

+ 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 “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 – 165

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SIMPLICITY

+

Those who are known

As Real People

Are united in essence

With the Way,

So they have endowments yet

Appear to have none;

They are full yet

Appear to be empty.

They govern the inside,

Not the outside.

Clear and pure, utterly plain,

They do not contrive

Artificialities but return

To simplicity.

- Lao Tzu

Simplicity, patience, compassion.

These three are your greatest treasures.

Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.

Patient with both friends and enemies,

you accord with the way things are.

Compassionate toward yourself,

you reconcile all beings in the world.

― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.

― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

+ What is real anyway?  Are you real?  Of course you are but there are, most likely, aspects of your life which are unreal.  Discovering our real self and the reality of our existence is a life long journey into the unknown and mysterious.  It is quite an adventure.  Lao Tzu, and other ancient teachers of the Tao, or The Way, offer us plenty of wisdom on this quest but perhaps the most important thing he ever said was that those who know do not speak.  Reality is elusive and mysterious and always surprising us and changing us.

Clearly this practice of Simplicity has its foundation in the Journey of the Mind practices of Stillness, Detachment and Humility which we explored in posts 1 through 64. The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tsu has stood the test of time and is universally revered, particularly by Zen Buddhists, for its clarity regarding these essential practices.

+ You can see many more Lao Tsu quotes at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2622245.Lao_Tzu

    

+ 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 – 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 – 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 – 118

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SOLITUDE

+ Sooner or later the desire to be holy, to be whole, to be heavenly, becomes your goal. You want to be transformed into your highest ideal. You have been healed enough to know you want it all, all of what heaven offers: Abundance, Joy, Wisdom, Beauty, Love, Truth, Peace, Justice, Freedom.

You’ve got to put your mind, heart, body and soul into it. And you need a new body, a heavenly body.

The regular practice of stillness gives birth to this new body. It actually isn’t new at all. It is ancient but you forgot you had it! Once you begin to remember how wonderful, how fantastic, this body is, you want it. You become devoted to it. It is the new you, the real you, the wonderful you, the fantastic you, the heavenly you.

The essential practice of solitude brings this heavenly body to life. You are awakened as stillness and silence and their associated benefits bring you to a blissful state of awareness in solitude. Most of us avoid this blissful state of awareness because it is the unknown, the unfamiliar. We fear this state of awareness because we are attached to all kinds of earthly pleasures which promise satisfaction. But sooner or later we realize that the promises are false. We realize we need to move on to a different and greater reality where satisfaction is guaranteed. The essential practice of solitude offers this satisfaction, this bliss, because your connection to heaven is deep within yourself. 

In this state reached through endless stillness practice, you can hear God speak to you. It’s not a voice you can ordinarily hear. Find time and space for this, this bliss. You will be blessed in so many ways as you practice, practice, practice stillness, silence, solitude.

Here in solitude you feel more connected to everything. This includes those closest to you and those far away, even beyond Planet Earth. You are paradoxically in community like never before. And you take the gifts of solitude with you wherever you go, with whoever you meet. This is amazing. Don’t resist it.

Actually you are always in solitude but you don’t know it. Everything you feel, think, say, do comes from deep within you. All of your relations with others are completely under the control of your solitude which never quits and is constantly changing.

Getting to know yourself in solitude is an essential practice and often very hard work. We avoid it like the plague. But avoiding it leads to all kinds of woes. 

It does get hard here because we have to face ourselves as we really are and we begin to see the difference, the gap, between our Real Self and our false self. We have put a lot of time and energy into that false self, far too much. We need to begin to make solitude work for us rather than against us. Remember, it is always controlling us so becoming aware of its presence and power is essential. There is no way around this practice. Our holiness, our heavenliness, depend on our mastering the practice of solitude.

Enjoy being alone. You always are alone in a real sense. So enjoy it. Immerse yourself in the joy of solitude.  Sooner or later, the bliss will come. This bliss is worth the struggle. It’s not worldly bliss if there is such a thing and I know there isn’t. The ego, the false self, simply cannot experience bliss. Bliss is only for the faithful who strive to “be in the world but not of it.”

We are striving to be holy and the only way to become holy is to be devoted to it. Solitude is challenging so devotion becomes necessary.  Devotion is the next practice which we will explore very soon.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers many 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 112

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SOLITUDE

+ I hold this to be the highest task for a bond between two people: that each protects the solitude of the other

-- Rainer Maria Rilke

+ Most of us just don’t get enough space for the essential spiritual practices of stillness, silence and solitude.  Let wise and compassionate people lead the way in creating more sacred spaces so these practices can flourish and make a needed difference on this needy planet of ours.

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

+ Spirituality & Practice offers many resources on the spiritual practice of Grace and a Twelves Gallery of Memes on Grace. 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 – 108

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SOLITUDE

+ 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

+ The Mind Journey begins with the practice of Stillness.  The Heart journey begins with the practice of Silence.  The Body journey begins with the practice of Solitude.  The Soul Journey begins with with the practice of Simplicity. 

But in many ways these practices are one practice.  We really can’t separate Mind, Heart, Body and Soul.  And we really can’t separate Stillness, Silence, Solitude and Simplicity.  We keep going round and round emphasizing one aspect of our being or another but every aspect is always here.  The more we are aware of that, the more we can effectively practice the essential  goals of our exploration: Humility, Healing, Holiness and Heavenliness. Ultimately this creates Heaven on Earth, the fantastic, glorious realm of Abundance, Joy, Wisdom, Beauty, Love, Truth, Peace, Justice and Freedom.  We will explore these attributes of Heaven soon.

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

+ 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 -- 82

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DISCERNMENT

+ I think this is how we are supposed to be in the world -- present and in awe.

-- Anne Lamott

+ Discernment happens when our attitude is gratitude, when we realize how wonderful life is, how precious, how beautiful, how awesome, how amazing.  Now that we know are practicing stillness, detachment, humility and silence, we can discern our purpose, our mission, our next step.  These precious moments of discernment are crucial in the journey of the heart and its main purpose: Healing. 

What is your unique purpose, the mission you called to accomplish, your next step?  What is your intention for today on this journey?  I do not ask these questions to burden you.  I ask these questions only to make your life awesome.  When you are in the zone of your life purpose, your calling, your mission, you are awesome and you become one with all of creation.

I invite you to enjoy “Everything is Awesome” sung by Tegan and Sara for the Lego Movie.

  

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

+ I have work to do on my Discernment page. Maybe you can help. Send an email with the subject “Discernment” 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 -- 80

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SILENCE

+ We live in the noise, and we are so busy all the time, there is no time, no space, no silence for the heart.

-- Isabel Allende

+ This is such essential wisdom as we continue on this Journey of the Heart moving from Silence to Discernment to Healing.  We have explored the Mind practices moving from Stillness to Detachment to Humility. With practice, practice, practice and more practice, we become holy and even heavenly.  Our citizenship is not of the earth but of heaven.  Let’s now move on and explore the amazing spiritual practice of Discernment.  We can do this now that we are committed to practicing Stillness and Silence on a regular basis.  Are you?  Am I?  Let’s continue to make this our intention.  It is so fantastic, so wonderful, when we can still our mind and quiet our heart.

Breathe deeply. Breathe fully.

Be still. Be silent.

Be centered. Be grounded.

Loosen up.  Lighten up.

Let go. Let God.

Celebrate. Enjoy.

Be glad all over.

+ Spirituality&Practice offers many resources on the Spiritual Practice of Silence and a wonderful photo and quotes gallery.

+ I have work to do on my Discernment page. Maybe you can help. Send an email with the subject “Discernment” 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 -- 73

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SILENCE

+ Hospitality consists in a little fire, a little food, and an immense quiet.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

+ That’s because authentic hospitality does not mean that you have to make others into close friends.  They can remain strangers.  Not enemies.  But strangers because no one is required to reveal themselves to you or to anyone.  That comes with patience, with trust, with humility, gentleness, kindness over a period of time, perhaps more time than you would like.  Friendship can and does happen but it ordinarily requires time and definitely, at least from time to time, "an immense quiet."  

Our society has become frantic and loud.  We cannot create much intimacy, much depth, until and unless we learn how to be silent and trust significant periods of silence in our lives.  Will you make a commitment to create sacred spaces of silence so that genuine transformation can take place in yourself and in others?

 

+ Spirituality&Practice offers many resources on the Spiritual Practice of Silence and a wonderful photo and quotes gallery.

+ Spirituality&Practice offers many resources on the Spiritual Practice of Hospitality and a wonderful photo and quotes gallery. The meme above comes from that gallery.

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