SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 346

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF TRUTH

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

+ Here are The Ten Sufi Thoughts of Hazrat Inayat Khan:

1) There is one God, the Eternal, the Only Being; none else exists save God.

2) There is one Master, the Guiding Spirit of all souls, who constantly leads all followers towards the light.

3) There is one Holy Book, the sacred manuscript of nature, which truly enlightens all readers.

4) There is one Religion, the unswerving progress in the right direction towards the ideal, which fulfils the life's purpose of every soul.

5) There is one Law, the law of Reciprocity, which can be observed by a selfless conscience together with a sense of awakened justice.

6) There is one human Brotherhood, the Brotherhood and Sisterhood which unites the children of earth indiscriminately in the Fatherhood of God.

7) There is one Moral Principle, the love which springs forth from self-denial, and blooms in deeds of beneficence.

8) There is one Object of Praise, the beauty which uplifts the heart of its worshipper through all aspects from the seen to the unseen.

9) There is one Truth, the true knowledge of our being within and without which is the essence of all wisdom.

10) There is one Path, the annihilation of the false ego in the real, which raises the mortal to immortality and in which resides all perfection.

+ Number 9 speaks to Truth directly but the rest are also all about Truth and I think the context is useful, even necessary. Hazrat Inayat Khan was one of the greatest Sufi teachers of the twentieth century.  You can find plenty of his immense knowledge and wisdom at http://wahiduddin.net/. I recommend that you take a little time and read the Long Version of the Ten Thoughts where Hazrat Inayat Khan wrote illuminating explanations for each thought. Here is an excerpt from the Thought on Truth:

The Sufi recognizes the knowledge of self as the essence of all religions; he traces it in every religion, he sees the same truth in each, and therefore he regards all as one. Hence he can realize the saying of Jesus; 'I and my Father are one.' The difference between creature and Creator remains on his lips, not in his soul. This is what is meant by union with God. It is in reality the dissolving of the false self in the knowledge of the true self, which is divine, eternal, and all pervading. 'He who attaineth union with God, his very self must lose,' said Amir.

Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam with ancient roots including one of the most famous poets who ever lived, Rumi.  Two great Sufi teachers of our era are Kabir Helminski and David Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, founder of The Golden Sufi Center which is the vehicle for the work of the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya Order of Sufism.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Truth page. Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Truth” 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 – 345

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF TRUTH

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

+ Then there is the listening at the gates of the heart which has been closed for so long, and waiting for that mysterious inner voice to speak. When we hear it, we know it is the truth to which we must now surrender our lives.

-- Beth Ferris quoted in Finding What You Didn't Lose by John Fox

+ The time for contemplation is the spring that feeds our action, and our action will be as deep as the spring. We need time to allow the spirit to clear the obstacles – the clinging debris and mud – that keeps the spring from flowing freely from its clear, deep source. And we need time for the spring to overflow into insightful and compassionate action.

-- Thomas Merton

This was the OneSpirit Daily Inspiration on November 28, 2016, offered on the very day I wrote and uploaded this post. Merton, a great twentieth century mystic and writer is found frequently in these explorations.

+ I think it is The Mystic who understands Truth most completely. We explored the style of The Mystic in the first 18 posts of our exploration of the practice of Heavenliness, SE201 thru SE218.

As you probably know by now, I believe that the practices of stillness, silence, solitude and simplicity are the foundation for all this exploration. We need to find time for that essential “waiting for that mysterious inner voice to speak” and ultimately come to “know it is the truth to which we must now surrender our lives.” It may take minutes.  It may take months.  It may take years.  It may take decades.  We are all different and must find our own unique paths.  But we can’t ultimately say No to this quest to hear “that mysterious inner voice.” No one can avoid it forever.  And why would we want to avoid the Truth, anyway? It is beautiful and abundant and delightful beyond our ability to describe. Perhaps the 9 Attributes of Heaven I have come up with are a way to begin to perceive this reality. But a mystical experience is what is really needed. There is no law that says you can’t have one.     

+ The meme comes from the Spirituality & Practice 12s Gallery on MIracles.

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

Amazing Journey, Spiritual Explorations, Abundance, Wisdom, Heavenly Attributes, Joy, Compassion, Love, Beauty, Truth, Peace, Justice, Freedom, Spirituality and Practice

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 326

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF BEAUTY

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

+ Hazrat Inayat Khan quotes on Beauty >

·         The Creator is hidden in his own creation. Natural religion is the religion of beauty.

·         Beauty is the object which every soul pursues.

·         Beauty is the life of the artist, the theme of the poet, the soul of the musician.

·         The same light which is fire on earth and the sun in the sky, is God in heaven.

·         All surrender to beauty willingly and to power unwillingly.

·         The creation is not only the nature of God, but also His art.

Go to http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/say/gayan_chalas.htm for more illuminating HIK quotes on Beauty, Love, Truth and more.  There are volumes of Sufi wisdom at that wonderful website.

+ Hazrat Inayat Khan was a prolific writer of Sufi wisdom and he often emphasized the importance of appreciating beauty.  The quotes above are only a taste of his offerings.  Sufism is the wonderful mystical branch of Islam which is now highly appreciated by those of us promoting the InterSpirituality movement.  It is so very important for us to appreciate the beauty of everything.  Beauty is everywhere.  Beauty is pervasive.  Beauty is abundant. Beauty is perhaps the most powerful revealer of that Love which permeates creation.   

+ Spirituality & Practice offers plenty of resources on the spiritual practice of Beauty. Also, there is an S&P Twelves Gallery of memes on Beauty.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Beauty page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Beauty” 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 – 318

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF WISDOM

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

+

If you could get rid

of yourself just once,

The secret of secrets

Would open to you.

The face of the unknown,

Hidden beyond the universe

Would appear on the

Mirror of your perception.

-- Rumi

+ Yes, that ego needs to be put in its place.  It has a role to play but not a huge role, not even a big role.  And there are times when we don’t need it at all.  That’s when we can experience  -- possibly, probably,  ever so briefly -- the miraculous, mysterious and marvelous reality of our essence, our oneness with everything.

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

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 256

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ This is a post on the style of The Way of Nature as we continue to explore Heavenliness through the lens of the 12 styles of the Mandala process.  There are 5 more styles to explore and then we will move on to the 9 Attributes of Heaven.

+ Anyone who has some knowledge of mysticism and of the lives of the mystics knows that what always attracts the mystic most is nature. Nature is his bread and wine. Nature is his soul's nourishment. Nature inspires him, uplifts him and gives him the solitude for which his soul continually longs. Every soul born with a mystical tendency is constantly drawn towards nature; in nature that soul finds its life's demand, as it is said in the Vadan, 'Art is dear to my heart, but nature is near to my soul'. ... Nature does not teach the glory of God; it need not teach this as nature itself is the glory of God.

-- Hazrat Inayat Khan

Read more at http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XI/XI_III_7.htm

What appeals to us in being near to nature is nature's music, and nature's music is more perfect than that of art. It gives us a sense of exaltation to be moving about in the woods, and to be looking at the green; to be standing near the running water, which has its rhythm, its tone and its harmony. The swinging of the branches in the forest, the rising and falling of the waves, all has its music. And once we contemplate and become one with nature our hearts open to its music.

-- Hazrat Inayat Khan

Read more at http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/II/II_10.htm

+ As in the previous post, this is Hazrat Inayat Khan explaining the importance of nature because nature is indeed nothing less than “the glory of God.”  God is revealed in this wonderful creation we see, hear, touch, taste everywhere and at all times.  We are part of this glorious reality. It is heavenly. It is now. It is here. We are called to create and enjoy this glorious reality, finding ways to expand compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.  When we do this we are expressing our true nature, our real identity, as a heavenly being.  It is simply natural that we do this.  

+ So much of this great teacher’s writings can be found at Wahiduddin’s Web including a daily Bowl of Saki.

+ The Sufis have a long history of representing the mystical dimension of the Islamic wisdom tradition.  I think it is fair to say that they pioneered InterSpirituality long before the term was invented by Wayne Teasdale.  I love the idea that we all share sacred scripture because we all have this amazing Book of Nature which ultimately reveals all truth to us.

+ 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 255

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ This is a post on the style of The Way of Nature as we continue to explore Heavenliness through the lens of the 12 styles of the Mandala process.  There are 5 more styles to explore and then we will move on to the 9 Attributes of Heaven.

+ There is One Holy Book, the sacred manuscript of nature, the only scripture which can enlighten the reader.

Most people consider as sacred scriptures only certain books or scrolls written by the hand of man, and carefully preserved as holy, to be handed down to posterity as divine revelation. Men have fought and disputed over the authenticity of these books, have refused to accept any other book of similar character, and, clinging thus to the book and losing the sense of it, have formed diverse sects. The Sufi has in all ages respected all such books, and has traced in the Vedanta, Zend-Avesta, Kabbala, Bible, Quran, and all other sacred scriptures, the same truth which he reads in the incorruptible manuscript of nature, the only Holy Book, the perfect and living model that teaches the inner law of life: all scriptures before nature's manuscript are as little pools of water before the ocean.

To the eye of the seer every leaf of the tree is a page of the holy book that contains divine revelation, and he is inspired every moment of his life by constantly reading and understanding the holy script of nature.

When man writes, he inscribes characters upon rock, leaf, paper, wood, or steel. When God writes, the characters He writes are living creatures.

It is when the eye of the soul is opened and the sight is keen that the Sufi can read the divine law in the manuscript of nature; and that which the teachers of humanity have taught to their followers was derived by them from the same source. They expressed what little it is possible to express in words, and so they preserved the inner truth when they themselves were no longer there to reveal it.

This is one of the Ten Sufi Thoughts of Hazrat Inayat Khan which are fully developed in a web page on The Way of Illumination.  So much of this great teacher’s writings can be found at Wahiduddin’s Web including a daily Bowl of Saki.

+ The Sufis have a long history of representing the mystical dimension of the Islamic wisdom tradition.  I think it is fair to say that they pioneered InterSpirituality long before the term was invented by Wayne Teasdale.  I love the idea that we all share sacred scripture because we all have this amazing Book of Nature which ultimately reveals all truth to us.

+ 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 221

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.

-- Thomas Merton

+ Merton again! And why not.  Anyone doing spiritual exploration faithfully can benefit immensely from the wisdom and inspiration and devotion of this great spiritual guide.  He was one of the best writers of the twentieth century.  Millions of seekers have been touched by his writings and the example of his life.  It is fitting that the image of Merton here which comes from Spirituality & Practice is an artistic portrait.  Merton’s unique approach to a meaningful life included a deep appreciation of art.  He encourages us to appreciate the artist and work on developing the gift of artistic expression, a gift we all have whether we know it or not.  That’s because we are all heavenly beings as well as human beings.  That heavenly dimension is huge, infinite, eternal, mysterious, wonderful.  Enjoy being human and enjoy being heavenly.

+ 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 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 “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 – 217

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+

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 NRSV

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

— Hazrat Inayat Khan in The Inner Life

This is one of the quotes found in the Spirituality & Practice guide to the practice of Devotion.

+ When the passion of the mystic for God is married to the passion of the activist for justice, a new fire is born.

-- Andrew Harvey

+ Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.

-- Martin Luther King, Jr. often included this great statement of faith which he discovered in a sermon by Theodore Parker who was the rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Boston in the 19th century.

+ Justice is one of the nine heavenly attributes which we will be exploring soon.  Devotion is one of the 12 practices we have already explored but we can always come back to it and explore it some more.  In order to be faithful to God and to all of creation we need to be devoted to compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance with our all of our mind, heart, body and soul day after day, breath after breath.  Let us keep in mind that powerful mystical experience of Thomas Merton on the streets of Louisville which made him realize like never before that a spiritual life must include an unceasing devotion to justice for all.  See SE214.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers an abundance of resources on the practice of Justice and there is a 12s gallery on Justice.

+ Spirituality & Practice emphasizes the practices of Love & Compassion:

·         The Practice of Love | The 12s Gallery on Love

·         The Practice of Compassion | The 12s Gallery on Compassion

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my 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 – 215

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ There is an endless net of threads throughout the universe. The horizontal threads are in space. The vertical threads are in time. At every crossing of the threads, there is an individual, and every individual is a crystal bead. And every crystal bead reflects not only the light from every other crystal in the net, but also every other reflection throughout the entire universe.

-- Rig Veda

This was the Gratefulness Word for the Day on June 21, 2016.

+ 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

+ Are you ready for my credo one more time.  I hope so because I am.

We are

Intimately,

Intricately,

Infinitely

Connected

In a Matrix of

Unconditional

Unlimited

Uniting

Love

Which is

Miraculous,

Mysterious and

Marvelous

Maybe I am seeing through rose colored glasses as I share this again.  Or, maybe this is the way things really are.  What do you think?  The quotes above, and the great John Lennon song: "Imagine," suggest that I am not the only one who thinks like this.  Imagine it and make it so.

+ Spirituality & Practice emphasizes the practices of Love & Compassion:

·         The Practice of Love | The 12s Gallery on Love

·         The Practice of Compassion | The 12s Gallery on Compassion

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my 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 – 214

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

 + True compassion does not come from wanting to help those less fortunate than ourselves but from realizing our kinship with all beings.

-- Pema Chödrön in StartWhere You Are

+ Compassion is the keen awareness of the interdependence of all things.

-- Thomas Merton

+ ... it was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts..., the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God's eyes. If only they could all see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed. . . . I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other.

 -- Thomas Merton in Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander

This was the OneSpirit Daily Inspiration on December 25, 2015

+ In that quote from Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, Merton put into words as best as he could (and that’s pretty good) his insights from a very famous mystical encounter on the streets of Louisville which changed his life.  Here’s more about this >

http://www.spiritualtravels.info/articles-2/north-america/kentucky-a-thomas-merton-tour/thomas-mertons-mystical-vision-in-louisville/

These great spiritual teachers, Pema Chödrön, a Buddhist & Thomas Merton, a Christian, teach us that it is always important to see our spirituality in the context of “our kinship with all beings.”  “If only (we) could see (ourselves) as (we) really are.”  We are not meant to be separate from each other.  We are not meant to build walls keeping segments of humanity apart and estranged from other segments of humanity.  We are in this together. 

The planet needs us to come together since we now have so much power to influence the planet’s future.  We can make it better.  We can make it worse.  We can even create catastrophic conditions.  Unfortunately, the latter seems to be happening with increasing regularity.  Let’s stop this dangerous trend. 

I believe we will stop this dangerous trend because there is an abundance of Love & Compassion among us and it is growing.  More and more of us are realizing that we have the power to expand Love & Compassion.  We are making all things new.  We are creating heaven on earth because we really are heavenly. We really can “see each other that way all the time” and we really are ready, willing and eager to “make it so.”

Some people think I am seeing things through rose-colored glasses.  What do you think?

+ Spirituality & Practice offers an abundance of resources on Thomas Merton.

+ Spirituality & Practice emphasizes the practices of Love & Compassion:

·         The Practice of Love | The 12s Gallery on Love

·         The Practice of Compassion | The 12s Gallery on Compassion

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my 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 – 213

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

1 - May we be happy and healthy

2 – May we be grateful

3 – May we be transformed

4 – May we be loving and compassionate

5 – May we be mindful through our breathing

6 – May we be wise through meditation

7 – May we be in service to all

-- Dr. Edward Bastian in InterSpiritual Meditation

+ The contemporary mystic more often than not does not reside in a monastery. The new mystic's community is that of humanity itself ... /  As a contemporary mystic, you are measured by the quality of attitude you bring to all your tasks, by your capacity to be a model of generosity, and by challenging the fear that there is not enough to go around in this world ... Mystical service means modeling calm in chaos, kindness amid anger, forgiveness at all times, personal integrity - to live, in other words, mindful that every second offers a choice either to channel grace or to withhold it.

-- Caroline Myss in Entering the Castle

This was the OneSpirit Daily Inspiration on December 19, 2015.

+ The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

-- First paragraph of The Charter for Compassion

+ “May we be Loving & Compassionate.  “May we be in Service to All.” We depend on how much we serve each other.  The emphasis on self-fulfillment in recent years has sometimes meant that the importance of service has been neglected.  It can’t be.  We must step up our efforts to be compassionate.  There is no such thing as Heavenliness without compassion and service.

As we continue to explore the practice of Heavenliness, we will explore Love, Compassion & Service for several posts.      

+ 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 emphasizes the practices of Love & Compassion:

·         The Practice of Love | The 12s Gallery on Love

·         The Practice of Compassion | The 12s Gallery on Compassion

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my 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 – 212

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ If I penetrate to the depths of my own existence to the indefinable AM that is myself in its deepest roots, then through this deep center I pass into the infinite I AM which is the very Name of the Almighty.

-- Thomas Merton

< http://www.peterrussell.com/CIA/CIA11.php

+ OK, I will say it again (but with I AM this time):  

I AM intimately, intricately, infinitely connected in a matrix of unconditional, unlimited, uniting LOVE which is miraculous, mysterious and marvelous.

And so are you.  And again:  You are wonderful, fantastic, amazing, delightful, heavenly. 

For more I AM statements from many traditions, go to Peter Russell’s THE CHURCH OF I AM.

+ 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 – 210

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ 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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 209

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.

-- Isaac Watts

+ Looking deeply at any one thing, we see the whole cosmos.

-- Thich Nhat Hahn

+ Everything that is in the heavens, on earth, and under the earth is penetrated with connectedness, penetrated with relatedness.

-- Hildegard of Bingen quoted in The Sun & Moon Over Assisi by Gerard Thomas Straub

+ What mystics have always known has been confirmed by physics and ecology — all things are interconnected. Dueling dualisms are giving way to holistic thinking.

-- Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat

+ 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.

I know.  I said that in the last post.  But it is worth repeating, isn’t it?  How wonderful life is, how amazing, how heavenly, how intricate. We need to appreciate, share and expand this heavenly reality with all our mind, heart, body & soul breath after breath.  That’s what it’s all about, isn't it?

+ 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.

+ 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 – 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 – 207

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ Humanity stands at a crossroads between horror and hope. In choosing hope, we must seed a new consciousness, a radically fresh approach to life drawing its inspiration from perennial spiritual and moral insights, intuition and experience. We call this new awareness interspiritual, implying not the homogenization of religion, but the recovering of the shared mystic heart beating in the center of the world’s deepest spiritual traditions.

-- Wayne Teasdale in The Mystic Heart

+ I am not going to say that the way of the mystic is more important than any other way but I am sure you could make that case since there is that “shared mystic heart beating in the center of the world’s deepest spiritual traditions.”  I can’t imagine that Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and so many other great wisdom traditions could ever have been started or continue to empower without  this “mystic heart.”  So, whether or not you and I have mystical experiences, we do need to embrace what the mystics teach us.  This is truly an essential dimension of the practice of Heavenliness. 

+ I invite you to check out the Amazon author page for Wayne Teasdale.  His books are well written, comprehensive, inspiring, illuminating and timely. 

+ 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