SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 239

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

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

+ In strikingly configured yet universal patterns, dreams, symbols, and mandalas speak to us from deep within our subconscious of the new and yet timeless becomings.

-- Cynthia Bourgeault in The Wisdom Way of Knowing

+ My friend Naomi Kelly offered this quote recently when taking the Mandala Spiritual Paths course online. She is a strong advocate of the style of Imagination.  During the course she wrote:

Star Trek, Aslan the Lion in the Chronicles of Narnia, Star Wars, imaginative TV stories, movies, books - fantasy and science fiction, all have teachings to offer, or help me make connections with the spiritual.

Cynthia Bourgeault talks about the Kingdom of Heaven as the imaginal realm - (something from Sufism I think she said) So the trinity is an image of three that dance together to self empty and self fill - an out flowing of love into an acceptance of love. I am a part of that great dance, (when I’m paying attention of course.)

The Celtic Cross is a great image, of the cross encircled by the world - nature encircling this instrument of death that becomes life giving.

Naomi is a Spiritual Director offering inspiration imaginatively at the Weaving Home website & on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/Weaving-Home-1475482059416104

+ Spirituality & Practice offers Cynthia Bourgeault Book Reviews, Quotes, Interviews, e-courses & more.

  + 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 – 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 – 236

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

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

+

The time for healing of the wounds has come.

The time to build is upon us …

We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people

from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation,

suffering, gender and other discrimination …

There is no easy road to freedom …

None of us alone can achieve success.

We must therefore act together as a united people,

for reconciliation, for nation building,

for the birth of a new world.

-- Nelson Mandela

+ I wonder what the world would look like if it was made in my image. I would save the rain forests, no, increase the rainforests. I would rebuild the railroads in the USA and in other nations where they have deteriorated. I would find all kinds of ways to reduce noise so that we could enjoy plenty of peace and quiet in our daily lives. Not that there isn’t a place for noise but let’s make it quality noise and reduce the quantity of noise we are subjected to. I would disarm the nations of the world as rapidly as possible.  I would make sure that we all knew the Golden Rule and tried to practice it as frequently as possible. I would make everyone aware of the need for solar power and wind power and possibly other new ways to create the energy we need for sustainable abundance, not exceeding our needs. As Gandhi said: “The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.” That’s the world I want to see and I now am trying to imagine and then create along with my fellow dreamers.  What would the world look like if it was made in your image?  Together we can create something wonderful.  Imagine it and pray it into being.

  + 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 – 235

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

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

+ Great dreams contain inexhaustible truths, and orient us, like runes, toward our futures. One hesitates to try to explain them; one wants to dance them, act them out in living gestures. The more we put ourselves into a great dream, the more we get back. Great dreams are wells that never run dry.

— Michael Grosso in Soulmaker

+ First we imagine it and then we create it or at least we can create it if we make it our intention and commitment.  So, it’s important to have a great dream and have the faith and the discipline to make it happen.  What are your big dreams and how are you turning them into a heavenly reality here on earth? Dreams may very well be our most important direct connection to heavenly realms.  Thus, as we pray for God’s will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven,” we are praying for dreams to come true, dreams of compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance.

 

+ 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 – 234

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 Dreamer, or the Way of Imagination. Since this is a new area of exploration on this journey we will stay with this style for a while. Edward Bastian writes: 

The Dreamer naturally dwells in the imaginary awareness of possibility, intrigued by images arising from the limitless depths of consciousness.

·         Do you have vivid and memorable dreams?

·         Are you drawn to spiritual symbols, icons and imagery?

·         Are you naturally interested in mythological stories and beings?

·         Have you had a rich and vivid imagination since childhood?

WHEN YOU REALLY THINK about it, everything we do involves imagination. This is true both when we are awake and when we are asleep. Imagination is a part of every perception and cognition—the food we choose for breakfast, the thoughts we think, the words we speak, the scents we smell, the forms we feel, and the sounds we hear.

+ The ability to imagine is a wonderful gift.  We can use it for many purposes, indeed all purposes.  It can lead us into all kinds of opportunities to be creative and happy and it can get us into trouble too.  In other words, we need to be intentional and careful with this gift.

+ 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 – 189

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DELIGHT

+

A vision without a task is but a dream

A task without a vision is drudgery

A vision & a task is the joy of the world.

 -- On an English church sign

+ The Bible says: “Without a vision, the people perish.”  Yes, we need vision and we need to do the work required to make the vision a reality.  What is your vision of a better you and a better society?  Not that you or society isn’t wonderful right now.  Nevertheless, improvement is always possible and often required.  Obviously, our environment is suffering.  There are deniers who think everything is OK.  But it isn’t.  However, we can joyfully restore our environment.  Let’s do it.  And let’s enjoy the beauty of the earth right now.

+ Delight is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Delight in their Search Engine and you come up with 85 items including 67 quotes, 16 books, 1 practice, and 1 film as of 6/14/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Delight.  However, it is clear that Mary Ann & Frederic Brussat are big fans of Joy. Therefore, put Joy in their Search Engine and you come up with 2057 items including 867 quotes, 835 books, 160 practices, 11 teachers, 24 arts links, 29 e-courses, 98 films, 26 blogs and 4 traditions as of 6/14/16. Oh, and Joy IS one of the 37 spiritual practices. You can also be inspired by their Twelves Gallery on Joy.

+ Joy will come up again very soon in these explorations since it is the second of 9 heavenly attributes we will be exploring.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Delight page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Delight” 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 -- 53

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HUMILITY

+ Be humble for you are made of Earth. Be noble for you are made of stars.

+ This Serbian Proverb was the Gratefulness Word for the Day on 9/14/15.

+ Being humble does not mean that you are diminished in any way.  Indeed you are fantastic and your humility reveals just how fantastic, wonderful and fascinating you are.  In this state, we can see clearly. 

There’s a song for this one. I invite you to enjoy ”I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash. 

+ Spirituality and Practice offers a wonderful 12s gallery of images and quotes on Humility.

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS -- 51

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HUMILITY

+ Humility is not one virtue among others, but an attitude by which we stand on the ground alongside things. From this position we can be reconciled with all things and begin a truly cosmic democracy.

-- Leonardo Boff in Living the Wisdom of St. Francis by Wayne Simsic excerpted from  http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/quotes/features/view/27978/quotations-on-humility

+ What a vision Leonardo Boff offers us.  This is exciting.  Practicing humility certainly is not something to bring us down.  On the contrary, this practice lifts us up.  This is the new creation envisioned by prophets and apostles and visionaries and dreamers and activists.  It is such a joy to be a human being made of earth but also made in heaven.  We can do amazing things as we go deeper into this practice.  Wow.

+ Spirituality and Practice offers a wonderful 12s gallery of images and quotes on Humility.

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