SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 312

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF JOY

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

+ We need to approach our state of mind with curiosity and open wonder. That curious listening to life is a joy — no matter what the mood of our life is.

-- Charlotte Joko Beck in Finding What You Didn't Lose by John Fox

+ Joy is the happiness that doesn't depend on what happens.
-- Br. David Steindl-Rast

+ For happiness one needs security, but joy can spring like a flower even from the cliffs of despair.
-- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

+ These teachers of wisdom agree that joy is different than happiness.  I have heard excellent sermons  making that significant contrast.  Maybe even I preached one or more.  I heard one recently by Jeanne Kumbalek, pastor of First PresbyterianChurch, Utica NY which is where Mary & I go to church. 

The more I reflect on this understanding of joy, the more I am aware of how important it is to make this distinction.  There is plenty of pain in the world. No doubt about it. But, through intention and attention and practice, we can come to the profound awareness that pain is temporary and joy is permanent. The world needs this awareness and we can spread it. The world needs our joy.

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

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Joy page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Joy” 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 – 297

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF ABUNDANCE

+ I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

-- John 10:10b NRSV

+ The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
-- Galatians 5: 22-23 NRSV

+ This post marks the beginning of our exploration of the Nine Attributes of Heaven. The attribute of Love is at the center of these attributes and we can say that all of the attributes proceed from Love.  We begin with Abundance, however, because I want to emphasize that a major understanding of Love is that it is abundant beyond measure.  It is simply not true that there is a scarcity of Love or of any of the wonders of life God provides.  But we are conditioned to believe in scarcity in many ways.  Let’s see if we can get beyond this conditioning. The 12 Spiritual Practices we have explored are essential for this to happen. Let’s see if we can enjoy the abundance God provides in this heavenly realm we inhabit.  We are in heaven right now, right here. The abundance of Love and all of its gifts is everywhere.

+ Although Spirituality & Practice doesn’t have Abundance per se as a practice, they do offer an abundance of resources  on many practices which are all about abundance including:  Gratitude |  Wonder | Connections | Attention

Also, many of their Twelves Galleries focus on abundance.  With the following links you can quickly  choose among them >
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/2
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/3
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/4
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/5
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/6

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Abundance page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Abundance” 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 – 296

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ This is the fourth of four posts on the The Way of Wisdom which is the 12^th of the 12 styles of the Mandala process created by Edward Bastian. This post also marks the end of our exploration of the 12 Spiritual Practices. We will return to Wisdom soon since it is the third of the 9 Attributes of Heaven which we will begin exploring in the next post.

+ Without wisdom, there is no wonder. Without wonder, there is no wisdom.

-- Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah

+ It’sa wonderful world.  It’s a wonder-filled world. Let’s look for wonders in all kind s of ways.  Let us become really, really wise as we enjoy this fascinating world.  Let us devote ourselves to compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance so that neighbors, strangers, enemies, indeed all creatures and definitely future generations can enjoy this fascinating world.

I hope you are enjoying this amazing journey.  For many years I have focused on the 12 Spiritual Practices and the 9 Attributes of Heaven. The practices are essential and that’s why this is post 296 on these 12 practices.  I have come to believe we are always in heaven but it takes practice, practice, practice to become fully aware of this.  I hope this is your belief and that these practices are contributing to your awareness of this heavenly realm we inhabit mind, heart, body and soul.  Let’s transition into an exploration of heaven based on our growing awareness of our infinite, intimate and intricate heavenly identity. Abundance will be the first heavenly attribute we explore beginning with the next post.  It’s a wonderful world.  It’s a wonderful world because it is heavenly right here, right now, always was and always will be.

+ 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

Amazing Journey, Spiritual Explorations, Heavenliness, Edward Bastian, Interspirituality, Spirituality and Practice, Prayer, Compassion, Wisdom, Truth, 

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 257

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.

+ It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility.

-- Rachel Carson

+ Sometimes it really is a good idea to remember how tiny we are in this vast universe.  We even live in a possibly tiny solar system on a possibly very tiny planet.  And each one of us is tiny on that planet.  Humility is something that wise teachers emphasize again and again.  So, I invite you to use nature as a way to practice humility, the second of the 12 practices we are exploring.  Also, use nature for the joy of simply wondering about this heavenly realm so full of color and texture and taste and nourishment and beauty of all kinds.  Joy is the second of 9 heavenly attributes soon to be explored.

+ 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 – 225

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ Continuing with our current emphasis on style of the Artist in the Mandala process, Ed Bastian writes:

Through the arts, we might find a bridge for crossing over into realms of knowing and being that ordinarily lie dormant in our daily lives. For each of us, there is an art form that can help to transport us to a world we might have intuited, but which we have not touched or inhabited. In the magic of the artistic journey, we might encounter an unexpected moment in which we see, hear, taste or touch something that opens up new possibilities for us, or inspires us to live according to our highest ideals. For each of us, there is a work of art that helps us to know the unknowable, to experience that which lies beyond our ken, to become the person we would like to be.

+ You might find that bridge or you might build that bridge or both.  And it is important that we often find a way to do the discovering and the building together. This is definitely an important part of this amazing journey we are sharing, or rather, creating together.  It is such a wonderful thing to be a co-creator with you and with the muse who inspires us and guides us.  What is your muse telling you these days?   

+ 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 – 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 – 220

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don’t claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent.

-- Jalaluddin Rumi

+ From time to sacred time, silence is definitely a holy response to the wonders, the artistry of creation.  But so is noise.  Make a joyful noise.  And I am sure that Rumi would say that too. Sing, dance, move, play, write, speak, listen, dream, hope, pray, run, jump, paint, love. It’s all art. Enjoy the creative process which is happening all around you, beyond you, and deep inside you at all times.  Find all kinds of ways to participate in the creative process.  You are an artist. You are fantastic.  You are wonderful. Enjoy the moment.  Establish your way to be creative.   

   

+ 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 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 – 186

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DELIGHT

+ In the time of your life, live — so that in that wondrous time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the world, but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery of it.

-- William Saroyan

+ Let us immerse ourselves in “the infinite delight and mystery of it.” Yes, there is plenty of “misery and sorrow” but wherever there is pain, there is also joy or, at least, “a nice cup of tea” as the English like to say. You can find all kinds of ways to delight in each and every moment when you put your mind, heart, body and soul into it.  Yes you can.  And you often do.  You are wonderful.    

+ 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 – 185

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DELIGHT

+ 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 – 176

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SIMPLICITY

+

When I Am Among the Trees

When I am among the trees,

especially the willows and the honey locust,

equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,

they give off such hints of gladness.

I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,

in which I have goodness, and discernment,

and never hurry through the world

Around me the trees stir in their leaves

and call out, "Stay awhile."

The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, "It's simple," they say,

"and you too have come

into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled

with light, and to shine."

— Mary Oliver in Thirst

+ Nature is one of the twelve Spiritual Styles of Ed Bastian’s InterSpirituality Mandala, or Spiritual Paths.  Wisdom teachers often teach that getting out of the buildings of our lives and into the fields and forests and lakes and rivers and oceans is essential for our spiritual quest. Ed writes:

It is strange and tragic that so many have come to see themselves as separate from nature. And even  when they admit that they are a part of nature, many still insist that they are at the top of the evolutionary ladder, a superior species, chosen by God (or Darwin) to be in charge of all the other minerals, plants, and animals of the Earth. This bias toward human superiority can be found in many of the world’s religious, philosophical and scientific traditions. Fortunately, within these same traditions, are other voices that lead us back into sacred communion with nature—the mother of us all.  

Mary Oliver is loved for her many, many poems which connect nature to our spiritual explorations.  Mary Ann & Frederic Brussat of S&P suggest that her poetry adds something special to the practices of Wonder, Faith and Attention, three of the 37 S&P practices.

+ Simplicity is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Simplicity in their Search Engine and you come up with 314 items including 117 quotes, 156 books, 11 practices, 9 teachers, 1 arts link, 11 e-courses, 7 films and 1 blog as of 6/4/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Simplicity

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

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 172

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SIMPLICITY

+ What we are really talking about here is the act of getting current and staying current with ourselves. We are talking about the act of checking in, honoring ourselves, our intentions, perceptions, and intuitions. We are talking about something very simple that is often difficult to do amid hurly-burly. We are talking about paying attention to what we love.

— Julia Cameron in The Vein of Gold

+ I think that an attitude of gratitude is a good description of a life lived simply wonderfully.  We all know these wonderful people.  You are one of these wonderful people displaying kindness, gentleness, joy, compassion, hope, freedom and you are simply amazing.  Yes, you. 

+ Julia Cameron is one of the S&P Living Spiritual Teachers.

+ Simplicity is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Simplicity in their Search Engine and you come up with 314 items including 117 quotes, 156 books, 11 practices, 9 teachers, 1 arts link, 11 e-courses, 7 films and 1 blog as of 6/4/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Simplicity

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

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 151

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS

+ All we do our whole lives is go from one little piece of holy ground to another.

— J. D. Salinger in Pray All Ways by Edward Hays

> http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/quotes/quotations/view/33843/spiritual-quotation

+ I am not sure how long this exploration of the essential practice of Holiness will continue.  I am enjoying this exploration and I hope you are too.  Do you have something to add?  I would love it. See below.  I think I have a lot to offer but I think you do too.

I sure do get more and more wisdom as I browse through the amazing Spirituality & Practice website which I often call “the best website in the universe” and their recent renovation made it even better. So, let’s keep exploring this fascinating practice which is the goal of the Journey of the Body portion of this exploration which began with Solitude and continued with Devotion.  Let’s be surprised with where we go next as we “go from one little piece of holy ground to another.”

+ Holiness is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Holiness in their Search Engine and you come up with 460 items including 227 quotes, 168 books, 28 practices, 14 teachers, 12 arts links, 7 e-courses, 3 films and 1 blog as of 5/11/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=holiness.

+ The Body gets a lot of attention from Spirituality and Practice as you can see when you go to a link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

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

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 95

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DISCERNMENT

+ To base a religious philosophy on questions instead of answers increases the likelihood of wonder and amazement.

-- Lawrence Kushner

+ Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.

-- Rainer Maria Rilke

+ What is required of us is that we love the difficult and learn to deal with it. In the difficult are the friendly forces, the hands that work on us. Right in the difficult we must have our joys, our happiness, our dreams: there against the depth of this background, they stand out, there for the first time we see how beautiful they are.

-- Rainer Maria Rilke

+ Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.

-- Rumi

+ Making a Vision Quest is a Native American tradition which has inspired many of us in recent decades.  Elders teach their adolescents that such a quest is a necessary passage into adulthood.  This wisely teaches adolescents to find answers within themselves even though this may be much more difficult than getting answers from others.  

Perhaps all of life can be viewed as a Vision Quest since we always have plenty more to learn and many changes to go through on this amazing journey.  Isn’t it wonderful?   

+ Spirituality & Practice offers many resources on the spiritual practice of Questing and a Twelves Gallery on Questing.  The meme above comes from that gallery.

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

+ Spirituality & Practice offers 37 Spiritual Practices with an abundance of ideas and resources for this essential practice. Some of my favorites are Attention, Being Present, Connections, Enthusiasm, Imagination, Listening, Meaning, Openness, Questing, Reverence, Silence, Transformation and Vision. Pick one or 2 and see where you are led as you continue to discern your purpose, your path, your mission, your next step.

+ I have work to do on my Discernment page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Discernment” to John@abundancetrek.com. 

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS -- 79

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SILENCE

Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don’t claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent.

-- Jalaluddin Rumi

Life is your art. An open, aware heart is your camera. A oneness with your world is your film.

 -- Ansel Adams

+ We are surrounded by art.  Maybe immersion is a better word since art is within every one of us as well as beyond.  Art is immanent and transcendent.  The artist gets to the heart of the meaning of life and, even if dealing with the shadow side, pushes us to realize how beautiful, how  wonderful, life really is. 

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

+ I have work to do on my Discernment page. Maybe you can help. Send an email with the subject “Discernment” to John@abundancetrek.com.

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS -- 52

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HUMILITY

+ Humility is the key to wonder. As humility grows, wonder deepens. You will see yourself as a temporary expression of God's infinite and timeless unfolding. Aware of your impermanence, you become brother and sister to all life. You realize the common fate of all beings and find in that realization a compassion that embraces all beings. – Rabbi Rami Shapiro in The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness excerpted from  http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/quotes/features/view/27978/quotations-on-humility

+ We are heavenly beings having a temporary human experience.  This human experience is wonderful.  Moments when we experience the greater life of heaven are more wonderful still.  Let this practice become the key to infinite possibilities.   See what emerges as you go deeper and deeper into this realm of peace and joy.  Enjoy becoming one with everything.  Humility is the great equalizer and connector making life heavenly.  Practicing humility is the key to the wonderful realization that “compassion .. embraces all beings.”

+ 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