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+ This is a post on the style of The Way of Prayer as we continue to explore Heavenliness through the lens of the 12 styles of the Mandala process created by Edward Bastian.  There are 3 more Mandala styles to explore after this: Reason, Relationships and Wisdom. After that, we move on to the 9 Attributes of Heaven.

+ Prayer enables us to transform the world because it transforms us. From the moment we awaken each morning, our minds are at work in one direction or the other. Either we are slaves to the fearful mental habit patterns that dominate our world, or we are consciously taking part in the counterforce to the world's despair.

 ... To go within is not to turn our backs on the world; it is to prepare ourselves to serve it most effectively.

-- Marianne Williamson in Illuminata

This was the One Spirit Daily Inspiration on October 15, 2015.

+ This wise woman has discerned the essential connection between prayer and mindfulness.  As we continue to explore these heavenly realms, we need to keep our intention on our ultimate goal of transforming the world.  This is an attitude.  We might call it a Be-attitude.  I like to say we need an attitude of gratitude.  Slowly but surely our intention creates more compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance in ourselves and in others.  If we can become so mindful that we are in constant prayer, then the miracle of transformation grows and grows in ourselves and in others moment after precious moment.

+ 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

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

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

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

The Contemplative or Meditator is drawn to quiet and solitary introspection and seeks to discover the truth within or through communion with the numinous.

·         Do you long for inner tranquility, focus and insight?

·         Are you comfortable spending considerable time alone in silence?

·         Are you called to discover truth and meaning through deep introspection?

THE CONTEMPLATIVE enjoys being alone and absorbed in his or her own thoughts, sometimes for minutes, sometimes for hours or even days. It is a manifestation of that aspect of our consciousness

that enjoys observing the world around us and reflecting on the truths revealed through our life experience or the wisdom of the world’s great philosophers, scientists and spiritual teachers. The terms contemplation and meditation are defined differently among various spiritual traditions, so I will offer the following definitions so that we are all on the same page.

Contemplation generally refers to thinking deeply and thoroughly. From a spiritual perspective, it refers to a state of consciousness that lies at the border between pure, non-conceptual meditative insight and the conceptual mind that seeks to name and define ineffable spiritual experience. It is characterized by tranquil concentration and profound observation of both the conceptual and the meditative mind. Contemplation is the state of consciousness through which we travel back and forth between the sacred and the profane, the divine and the worldly.

Meditation, on the other hand, has a slightly different connotation. It refers to a wide variety of practices that bring the mind into a state of focused tranquility and profound insight. Meditation enables the mind to become tranquil, one-pointed, blissful and absorbed in a non-conceptual focus on the Ultimate Reality, however that is defined within a spiritual tradition. Often, meditation is described as a ‘non-dual,’ because in its state of absorption there is no distinction between the subjective and objective elements that occur in normal perception.

+ Since we have already explored the practices of stillness, silence, solitude and simplicity on this amazing journey, we will not be exploring this style for more than this post.  I urge you to keep working on these essential practices and possibly write about them and share your experiences here.  I cannot overemphasize the importance of a consistent practice of contemplation, meditation and prayer.

+ 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 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

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+ 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

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+ Continuing with the 12 styles of the Mandalaprocess, we are exploring the style of the Body. Edward Bastian writes: 

But the Way of the Body entails more than physical activity. It can also connote a more subtle and refined somatic sensitivity to emotions, stress, spiritual epiphanies and the psychological states that can arise in response to relationships with other people and our physical environment. The kinesthete often learns about subtle mental and spiritual states through the body, being sensitive to the subtle physical sensations that reveal inner emotion, epiphanies or resonance. A certain feeling in your stomach or chest might awaken you to some truth or warn you that something is ‘not right.’ A pain in your back may alert you to an unresolved emotional issue. A quickening of your pulse may alert you to the onset of stress and the need to take remedial action. Indeed, the growing discipline of Somatic Psychology is based on the recognition of this intimate connection between subtle physical and mental states.

+ In other words, Paying Attention or Being Present or Mindfulness definitely includes Body awareness.  Some spiritual guides would say there is nothing more important and maybe that’s right.  What do you think? 

+ 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

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+ The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science. He (or she) to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. —Albert Einstein

  

+ Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.

-- Albert Einstein

+ Einstein is definitely one of my favorite spiritual guides.  He is known for his great scientific mind.  He needs to be known for what he taught us about so much more than his brilliant scientific breakthroughs.  He thought outside the box in so many ways and taught us all to do so as have so many other wise teachers.  We awaken to our true identity, our heavenliness, when we are willing to think outside the box, when we are willing and eager to “wonder and stand rapt in awe” even if we need to take risks, to be courageous.  This is an amazing journey.  Thank you for being a companion sharing this adventure.  

+ 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

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+ 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

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+ There is a remarkable similarity between the spiritual writing of mystics from many of the world’s major religions. Remove the names and specific terminology and you’d think they were all members of the same tradition.

The mystical way within us feels, intuits, communicates with or otherwise experiences mysteries beyond ordinary human perception. I use the word “mysteries” because the things a mystic perceives are things that can only be wondered about, guessed at or deduced. They can’t be tangibly perceived or shared through the normal senses. Even so, mystical perception is one of the most important ways in which people approach their spirituality.

-- Edward Bastian in Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process

+ The mystical experience is not the only way to embrace our true heavenly identity but it is very important, perhaps essential.  But, again, it is not the only way.  Other ways are also important and perhaps essential. 

Ed offers a model that recognizes that we all have different learning styles.  While some may find the way of the mystic very natural, others are more drawn to other styles (all 12 listed below).  Ultimately we need to embrace a variety of styles.  It is good to know which styles come naturally to you and which styles need more work.   At the very least we can affirm the essential contributions of others who reveal heaven to us through styles which are not our particular strength.  

I intend to share some ideas about all of these styles as we continue to explore the practice of Heavenliness.

The Twelve Styles:

·         The Arts

·         The Body

·         Contemplation & Meditation

·         Devotion

·         Imagination

·         Love

·         Mystic

·         Nature

·         Prayer

·         Reason

·         Relationships

·         Wisdom

If you read Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process and / or takethe course, you will discover which styles come naturally to you and which styles do not. You will learn a lot about each of these styles.  You can work on these styles and become increasingly transformed to your highest ideal, your full potential.

    

+ 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

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+ 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

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+

When I see a dancing butterfly,

When I see a blooming flower,

Their eager wish to make this world happy,

My mind dances with joy,

My soul emerges in happiness.

- Debasish Mridha

This was the OneSpirit Daily Inspiration on 4/25/16.

+ This is the final post in the exploration of the spiritual practice of Delight.  We have explored this practice in the context of the Journey of the Soul following the practices we explored in the Journey of the Mind, the Journey of the Heart and the Journey of the Body.  The Soul is the essence of who we are.   The Soul integrates us making us truly delightful. We are heavenly beings.  We now move on to heavenly explorations which require this integration.  It will continue to take practice, practice, practice.  Dancing requires practice.  I suspect that butterflies need to practice and maybe even flowers.  I am sure humans have no choice but to practice constantly to become mind, heart, body and soul dancers in heaven and on earth.  Heavenliness is the next and final practice before we move on to the nine attributes of Heaven.  I know you are heavenly and I hope you will continue to accompany me on this journey through heavenly realms, the realms we always inhabit whether we know it or not. 

+ 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

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+ Perfect happiness is the absence of striving for happiness.

-- Chuang-tzu

+ Happiness ends when ambition begins.

 -- Thomas Merton

+ I will be sharing much of the wisdom of Edward Bastian, my InterSpirituality Mentor, as we move into the twelfth practice, Heavenliness, and then the nine heavenly attributes. Ed says we all have different spiritual styles which need to be discovered, cultivated and harnessed through a Mandala Process of Inquiry, Insight and Integration.  You can be introduced to Ed’s wisdom at the Spiritual Paths website.  Ed is the Founder and President of the Spiritual Paths Foundation.  He has written 2 books on InterSpirituality which you can find on the Amazon Author Page for Edward Bastian.  To get inspired and illuminated by Ed, I invite you to set aside some time for the video embedded here > https://youtu.be/Yy_jK7a0qBs (2 hours) and / or the one embedded in SE196 >  https://youtu.be/TEF5BhN3c5s (15 minutes).

The Mandala Process can be very useful, even essential, for those of us who sincerely want to find and maintain “perfect happiness.” 

+ 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

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+ Find the thing that stirs your heart and make room for it. Life is about the development of self to the point of unbridled joy.

 -- Joan Chittister in Monasteries of the Heart Newsletter

+ Each person is born with a gift. Our call is to find it and care for it. The ultimate purpose of the gift is to exercise the heart into inhabiting its aliveness. For the covenant of life is not just to stay alive, but to stay in our aliveness. And staying in aliveness depends on opening the heart and keeping it open.

-- Mark Nepo in The One Life We’re Given

+ I will be sharing much of the wisdom of Edward Bastian, my InterSpirituality Mentor, as we continue to explore the practice of Delight and, then, as we explore the twelfth and final practice, Heavenliness. After that, we will explore The nine heavenly attributes and I am sure I will turn to Ed's wisdom again and again. Ed says we all have different spiritual styles which need to be discovered, cultivated and harnessed through a Mandala Process of Inquiry, Insight and Integration.

The Mandala Process can be very useful, even essential, for those of us who sincerely want to “find the thing that stirs your heart” and “stay in our aliveness.”

+ You can be introduced to Ed’s wisdom at the Spiritual Paths website.  Ed is the Founder and President of the Spiritual Paths Foundation.  He has written 2 books on InterSpirituality which you can find on the Amazon Author Page for Edward Bastian. In Ed’s book on InterSpiritual Meditation (and in the internet course found at the Spiritual Paths website) we are invited to think about and write about a variety of themes connected to happiness & health including:  Mind, Body and Spirit. And, for gratefulness:   Remembrance, Gratitude, Trust, Devotion, Prayer and Offering.

To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for https://youtu.be/Yy_jK7a0qBs (2 hours) and / or https://youtu.be/TEF5BhN3c5s (15 minutes). 

+ 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

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+ This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

-- Psalm 118:24

+ Now is the time to be delighted and delightful.  Yes there are many things to be concerned about but they are not the ultimate reality of our existence.  I often recite and recommend The Twelve Pathways to Higher Consciousness created by Kenneth Keyes.  The fourth pathway is:

I always remember I have everything I need to enjoy my here and now unless I am letting my consciousness be dominated by demands and expectations based on the dead past or imagined future.  

I often recite and recommend the  7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation offered by Edward Bastian.  Step 5 is: 

May I be mindful through my breathing.

It is so simple to be awake, aware and connected in the here and now, right?  Simple, yes.  Easy, no.  That monkey mind just keeps interfering.  The distractions seem to be endless.  Only, practice, practice, practice of our spiritual practices beginning with stillness can get us there, I mean here. 

+ For more inspiration and illumination from Edward Bastian, I invite you to find some time for https://youtu.be/Yy_jK7a0qBs sooner or later.  It is a 2-hour video.

+ 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

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+ Happy people see life as an opportunity. Challenges are blessings in disguise. When we feel happy, our minds are open and expansive. Conversely, when we're open and expansive we feel happy. Happiness is an “upward spiral,” as one researcher describes it. It makes us not only feel better but be better — better able to forge fulfilling relationships, find meaningful pursuits, and handle the vicissitudes of life. Happiness helps us stay healthy and whole no matter what the circumstances. Best of all, we can pass it on to those around us.

-- Joan Duncan Oliver in the introduction of her book Happiness: How to Find It and Keep It.

+ I have often shared a Chinese translation of our word Crisis.  They use 2 symbols for a crisis: Danger & Opportunity.  No matter what happens in life, we can practice Delight.  It is a decision.  It is an attitude.  It definitely is a practice, a discipline, a continuing commitment.  Delight opens us up to all kinds of new opportunities and even dangers as we continue on our amazing journey.  The challenge is to put the emphasis on opportunity rather than danger.  

+ 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.  The meme here comes from that gallery.

+ 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

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+ The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.

-- Julia Cameron

+ And, of course, we can get plenty of inspiration and wisdom and guidance from Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat who offer so much at what I like to call the best website in the universe: Spirituality & Practice.  Attention is the first of their 37 spiritual practices.  Here is what they say about the essential practice of Attention:

Attention is also known as mindfulness, awareness, concentration, recollection. It is a primary practice, and not just alphabetically. We must stay alert or we risk missing critical elements of the spiritual life — moments of grace, opportunities for gratitude, evidence of our connections to others, signs of the presence of Spirit. The good news is that attention can be practiced anywhere, anytime, in the daily rounds of our lives.

Begin by doing one thing at a time. Keep your mind focused on whatever you happen to be doing at the moment. It is through the mundane and the familiar that we discover a world of ceaseless wonders. Train yourself to notice details.

Most of us have exhibited the symptoms of lack of attention at one time or another. It's actually harder to stay awake than we might think. Perhaps we are easily distracted by trivial pursuits, attracted to any media message, ready to jump into any conversation, or susceptible to periods of endless surfing through the information and choices available to us.

Eventually, without awareness, we end up living in a daze of stimulation without any grasp of its significance. We are operating on automatic pilot. Because nothing really registers on our consciousness, we feel drained of energy.

Sometimes, however, not paying attention has just the opposite effect: everything registers, and we find we don't know what to do with it all. We are so bombarded with stimuli that we can't focus on anything. We feel scattered. We are, to put it simply, stressed.

For both lack of energy and stress, attention is a good corrective prescription.  

So, pay attention and you will find all kinds of reasons to be delighted and delightful.

+ There is an S&P Twelves Gallery on Attention. The meme here is found in that gallery.

+ 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 – 182

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DELIGHT

+ In Thinking Body, Dancing Mind, C.A. Huang and Jerry Lynch observe that in Chinese writing, laughter is depicted by a character suggesting "a human with arms and legs flung wide apart, head up to the sky, vibrating with mirth like bamboo leaves in the wind" — the Wild Man and Wild Woman, anchored to the earth but also penetrating heaven, whose laughter echoes throughout the universe.

-- Larry Dossey in Healing Beyond the Body

< http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/quotes/quotations/view/28745/spiritual-quotation

+ What an image.  Delightful. Joyful. Wild. Free. Spacious. Open.  Expanding.  Penetrating. 

Is that how you see yourself?  You are delightful, you know.  Yes, you.  Hopefully, these practices, particularly the Journey of the Soul practices we are currently exploring are opening up new ways for us to express our heavenly nature.  Do you laugh enough?  Do you smile enough?  Do you dance enough?  Do you sing enough?  Do you play enough? 

+ Larry Dossey is one of the S&P Living Spiritual Teachers.

+ 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. The photo is found there. You can also be inspired by their Twelves Gallery on Joy. 

+ 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 – 130

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DEVOTION

+ Mysticism without devotion is like uncooked food, it can never be assimilated.

— Hazrat Inayat Khan in The Inner Life

+ Mindfulness has become very popular these days but is Mindfulness a goal in itself?  Is mysticism a goal in itself?  I think not.  What we are striving for is simply put in the Golden Rule: Treat Others the way you want to be treated.  If we do not become more and more willing, eager and able to treat others the way we want to be treated, we have missed the point of all this work.

The world needs more  compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance.  The next person you encounter needs your compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance.

+ 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 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 – 100

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEALING

+ The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.

-- Julia Cameron

+ I hope you have experimented with the 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by now.  It begins with: “May I (you, we) be happy and healthy.”  Even a big drugstore chain gets that as it claims to take us to the intersection of "Healthy & Happy."  What ultimately gets us there is our ability to pay attention.  In other words, mindfulness is the key that unlocks the door to being "Healthy & Happy."

We need ways to be motivated to continue on our spiritual explorations.  We want to be happy and healthy and we want others to be happy and healthy.  How do you get motivated?  What is your vision of health and happiness?  Perhaps you could share your ways to do this, in your vision.  If so, send an e-mail to John@abundancetrek.com with Motivation and Vision in the subject line.

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

+ Spirituality & Practice offers many resources on the practice of Attention and a great Memes Gallery on Attention.

+ I have work to do on my Healing Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Healing” 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