SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 355

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.

+

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

-- Micah 6:8

+ 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.

-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

+ This is the first post on the heavenly attribute of Justice but it really isn’t because we have seen that justice is absolutely necessary for a real peace and we have explored the heavenly attribute of Peace. Making these kind of connections are such an important part of the quest for heavenly abundance. Justice is closely connected to the spiritual practice of Humility and Devotion. We are called to devote ourselves humbly to authentic peacemaking as we walk closely with God and as we embrace a peacemaking, justice-oriented, religion. How do you connect your religion with your spirituality? Do you see the connection? It really is important. And, if your religion is not devoted to seriously addressing the social and economic conditions we face, then you definitely need to challenge and change it.      

+ 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 – 238

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

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

+ To bring anything new into existence, to be a creator of circumstances, we have to imagine the new, then speak the new, then usher it into reality with the fierce force of our belief in it.

-- Jan Phillips in No Ordinary Time

+ Imagination is more important than knowledge.

-- Albert Einstein

+ Imagination needs to be linked to courage if we are to create heaven on earth which is God’s will for us.  As we continue to explore the 12 Mandala styles Ed Bastian offers, we need to see how this important style can be strengthened by our efforts in other styles such as wisdom, prayer, devotion, reason and relationships.  Courage is built through our regular intentionality and practice.  Our imagination grows as we harness several styles and become more and more integrated.

  + 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 emphasizes the practices of Beauty, Creativity, Imagination & Wonder: The Practice of Beauty | The 12s Gallery on Beauty | The 12s Gallery on Creativity | The Practice of Imagination | The 12s Gallery on Imagination |  The Practice of Wonder | The 12s Gallery on Wonder

+ 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 “Imagination” 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 – 233

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ Continuing with our exploration of the 12 styles of the Mandala process, we now move on to the style of the Devotee. Edward Bastian writes: 

The Devotee is naturally loyal and lovingly committed to a job, a relationship, a set of principles, a way of life, a daily routine, a religious teacher, a spiritual tradition or a life goal.

·         Are you more prone to faith than skepticism?

·         Are you are naturally loyal to a job, a person or a community?

·         Do you yearn to be dedicated to a greater cause or higher principle?

·         Do you long to be committed to a spiritual teaching, teacher or higher power?

MANY OF OUR MOST important life-goals are virtually impossible to achieve without commitment and dedication. Whether the goal lies in the fields of athletics, academics, the arts, society or spirituality, we need to be devoted to our objective, to our teacher, and even to the founder of the tradition of our teacher. Why? Because, in practical terms, devotion helps us to be steady, consistent and determined. Simply put, devotion is a practical psychological tool for accomplishing any life-goal.

We naturally devote ourselves to the things we think will make us happy. But, during the course of our lives, we are often disillusioned because the objects of our devotion don’t always bring us happiness. When this happens, we shouldn’t blame devotion, but rather, the false hopes and dreams we projected onto the object, person, goal or idea to which we were devoted.

+ Since we have already explored the practice of Devotion on this amazing journey, we will not be exploring this style for more than this post.  I urge you to keep working on this essential practice and possibly write about it and share your experiences here.  Send an email with the subject “Devotion” to John@abundancetrek.com

+ 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 Practice of Devotion and a 12s Gallery on Devotion.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers abundant resources on a variety of contemplative practices including: The Practice of Being Present | 12s Gallery on Being Present | The Practice of Attention | 12s Gallery on Attention

+ 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 – 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 – 154

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ Spirituality & Practice offers a multitude of resources on the practice of YOU.  Here is the first paragraph introducing the Basic Practice:

Each of us is a work-in-progress. The spiritual practice of you challenges us to become all we are meant to be as God's beloved sons and daughters. We are, after all, co-creators of the Great Work of the universe. By attuning ourselves to what in different traditions has been called the image of God, the everlasting soul, or the higher self, we are able to fulfill our mission in life.

-- Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

+ The goal here is authenticity.  In the Journey of the Mind practices, we explored Humility.  Humility is an essential practice leading to Holiness. To become humble is to realize that you are no better nor no worse than anyone else.  As you practice humility, you reveal the Real You to yourself and others.  Each one of us is essentially holy but we all find ways to evade this reality.  It is not healthy to do so.  It is not what God wills.  So, keep practicing and don’t hide the Real You from yourself or from others.  You are holy.  You are wonderful.  You are awesome.  You are amazing.  You are unique.  Isn’t it wonderful that God made you that way?

+ Spirituality & Practice offers a 12s gallery on YOU.  The meme with the quote by David Cooper comes from that gallery.

+ 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 – 153

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ Every being is an abode of God, worthy of respect and reverence.

-- Hindu Scripture

Gratefulness Word for the Day on  5/29/16

+ You are holy. Right now. Right here. Know this. Be this. Enjoy this. Sing, shout, dance this. All creation is singing, shouting, dancing. Now. Here.

“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty, Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”

Shine. Shine. Shine. Be who you are. Give it away. The world needs you to be who you are. The world needs to receive your gifts. Give freely. Give fully. Don’t hold back. We all gain so much when you are who you are.

“To be nobody-but-yourself in a world which is trying to turn you into anybody-but-yourself is to fight the hardest battle there is to fight and never stop fighting.” – E.E. Cummings

Let those words sink down deep into your consciousness.

It’s a battle. Forces are aligned against you, the real you. These forces are everywhere but look no further than deep within because that’s where the battle must be fought. But don’t worry. You will win. It is set up that way. Sooner or later you will prevail. You have already come far. You have already won many battles over your false self, your ego desires. It’s a battle but you have what it takes to win. You are holy.  You are fantastic.  You are wonderful.  Yes, you.

+ One of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices is called YOU.  There is a 12s gallery on YOU.  The meme with the quote by Rainer Maria Rilke comes from that gallery.

+ 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 – 144

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ There can be little growth in holiness without growth in a sense of social justice.

-- Edward Hays

+ Saints have a heart full of justice.

-- Thomas Aquinas

+ 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.

+ I am grateful for @fredericbrussat who tweeted these two quotes on Holiness and Justice one day.  I have collected hundreds of great quotes tweeted by @fredericbrussat and they can all be found now at Spirituality & Practice.  

+ We will explore the heavenly attributes  of  Abundance, Joy, Wisdom, Beauty, Love, Truth, Peace, Justice and Freedom after we finish exploring the 12 Mind, Heart, Body and Soul practices.  Authentic holiness creates the justice our planet desperately needs.

+ 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 – 143

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ When I first see the words sacred space I think of temples and shrines around the world. I think of special places in my own home. But when I pause to think, I realize the most sacred place is within each of us. We are sacred things, and yet how many of us treat ourselves that way?

Do we stop to think about our bodies as sacred places? A sacred place is honored and kept clean, touched with reverence so as not to mar or injure it. Sometimes it is a storage place for significant and meaningful events and objects. How many of us treat our bodies as such?

Why do we abuse our sacred bodies with poisons both physical and emotional? I think it is because so few of us have ever been treated as sacred. When we are treated and seen as imperfect objects to be scorned, we cannot see the sacredness within us.

Remember, you are a child of God. If someone treats you badly, it is their problem; they have no sacred space in their minds, bodies, or lives from which to view your divinity.

Soulution of the Day: Create a sacred space in your life from which to honor the holy within you and others.

— Bernie S. Siegel in 365 Prescriptions for the Soul

< http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/practices/view/26934/sacred-space-within

+ What I’ve been saying.  But he says it so well. Thanks, Bernie.

+ 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 – 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 – 135

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DEVOTION

Peace upon us all.

We praise you that so many religions have some form of the Golden Rule so there are ethical guidelines for relationships.

Gracious God, we thank you.

We praise you for calling up mystics and teachers of wisdom in the various religions to balance legalism when it arises.

Gracious God, we thank you.

We praise you that religions may be like prisms that refract Divine light into many colors and shapes.

Gracious God, we thank you.

We praise you that most secular humanists and philosophers advocate ethical ways of living.

Gracious God, we thank you.

May these prayers of healing and thanksgiving for the peoples of the world and their many diverse religions, as well as these prayers for those without faith, bring healing and reconciliation where it is needed and build bridges between peoples, regardless of their faith experiences. For we pray in the name of all that is holy.

Amen.

— Jane Richardson Jensen, Patricia Harris-Watkins in She Who Prays

< http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/quotes/quotations/view/26052/spiritual-quotation

+ This prayer affirms that there are many paths of devotion which benefit the creation.  Like The Charter for Compassion, the Golden Rule is offered as an ethical  standard  all of us can affirm and practice.

Let us treat others the way we want to be treated.  Let us be devoted to that.  Let us reflect on what this means often.  Let us realize we can discover new ways to make relationships more compassionate, peaceful and just.

+ 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.  But this meme comes from the Twelves gallery on Hospitality. 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