Mood:  a-ok

Do you practise?  A message from William Bloom

Autumn is here, sometimes bringing with it a tendency to turn grumpy. The cooler weather and the longer nights. Those of you who know me will not be surprised at the targets of my occasional but usually well meaning grumpiness – people who spout about spirituality but do not actually do it.

My first taste of this was at school where the head teacher and his wife preached a gospel of kindness but behaved like bullies. You probably all have your own stories.

Snake Oil Salesmen
For forty years now I have been involved in the new spirituality that is emerging in our culture. I love it. We can call it new age, or holistic, or contemporary. Like all spiritualities, it has its beauty and it has its shadow sides. One of its shadows – and not a new one – is the promise of a quick fix. John Diamond, the journalist who died of cancer, once likened new age teachers to snake oil salesmen.

Another problem is the way in which people get fascinated by the promises, the glamours, the reassurances and the entertainment. And then don’t do the actual spiritual work. If you think I’m too opinionated, remember that I have tasted more spiritual paths than some people have had hot breakfasts. (Is that a boast or a confession? Should you pity or envy me?) For ten years I co-directed the Alternatives Programme at St. James’s Church, Piccadilly, and experienced the cream of the world’s spiritual teachers. I have personally put on 600 or so lectures plus several conferences.

You name it. I have heard it. There were many inspiring jewels and also some weird ones. I especially remember a Feng Shui teacher who advised audience members to put small pieces of aluminum foil on their shoulders to bring them power and success. My favourite bizarre folk were the Course in Miracles teachers from the southern states of the USA who threatened us with hell if we did not surrender to God’s all embracing forgiveness. That was an interesting mixed message.

Three Crucial Questions
One of the beauties of contemporary spirituality is its diversity. We are the first generation ever that is able to look at all the world’s spiritual traditions. This gives us a unique opportunity to see the core practices that they share. Despite all their differences – for example, from meditation to ecstatic dance – there are great similarities. It is like sport. No matter which particular sport you practice – golf, swimming, tennis – you still need to practice certain core skills such as fitness, muscle tone and stamina. Spirituality also has its core skills. Let me ask you three simple questions that illustrate this. The answers to these questions will show whether you have the basis of Spiritual Practice.

(But why, you may ask, would you want to do spiritual practice? Because, like piano or yoga or football, you want to get better at it! To become more awake and conscious. To be more connected. To soak in the beauty and wonder.)

Anyway have a look at these three questions and answer Yes or No:

Spiritual Connection: Do you connect with the pure wonder of existence?

Reflection: Do you reflect on your development and consciousness – and seek to guide them?

Service: Do you try to live a life is of benefit to others?

If you answer ‘Yes’ to those three questions then, according to most traditions, you already understand and observe the three core skills of Spiritual Practice. Do them regularly and with consciousness and you actually have an ongoing and grounded rhythm.

So the next important question to ask yourself is this: At least once a day, do you do them? Do you connect with the wonder of life and soak in spirit? Do you pause and reflect? Do you benefit others?

You can do all this in whatever way works best for you. There are so many different strategies and styles – contemplative, shamanic, traditional, dance, chant, landscape, healing, psychological and so on. All you need is to take responsibility for yourself and guide yourself into a rhythm of daily practice, so that ultimately it all becomes one ongoing flow of awareness and experience. This requires a great mix of spiritual maturity and continual innocence at the newness of each moment.

The Reward
Whether you develop your Spiritual Practice in one of my courses or elsewhere, let me share with you what I believe a consistent practice will give you. If you regularly soak in your experience of spirit, and consistently guide the growth of your consciousness and of your usefulness, then you will receive what most people really want:

- A sense of personal integrity, not dependent on material success or the opinion of others
- Inner strength
- Love and compassion
- Deepening connection with the pure wonder of existence
- Long-term vision
- A stable foundation for personal and career development
- A clear sense of morality and ethics
- Improved health
- Friends and family will enjoy your company more
- Quiet leadership qualities
- Character improvement
- The necessary foundation for exploring energy work, the inner worlds and altered states of consciousness
- Keeps you alert and intelligent
- A sense of being in the driving seat of your life
- Genuine enjoyment of life whilst being solidly present to the challenges and suffering
- Consistent spiritual growth

Although it can be challenging to maintain a daily practice, look at those benefits! They are the best. Nothing else compares.

Posted by angel-healing at 11:25 AM GMT

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Ten Reminders for the Advanced Soul

Richard Bach                                

1. Remember that this world is not reality. It’s a playground of appearances on which you practise overcoming seems-to-be with your knowing of what is.

2. A lifetime is your chance to express the IS in the most adventurous creative way you can imagine.

3. The IS is Life, Love, the Magnificent IT at the centre of your being. The IS does not recognize the limitations of spacetime, nor does it recognize your sorrows, fears, or beliefs. It does not see you as an upright biped on the surface of a third planet from a little sun at the edge of a small galaxy of an insignificant universe sandwiched for a moment between multiple trillions of other universes. It sees you reflecting Itself, and allows you the absolute freedom to do anything you wish, except to die.

4. Who you are is someone who asked to be dropped off on earth so you could do something remarkable, something that matters to you, which you could not do anywhere, anywhen else.

5. You are free to create and honour whatever past you choose, to heal and transform your present.

6. You do not create your own reality. You create your own appearances. Big difference!

7. If one inspired innocent loving soaring dreamer believes in a universe of joy and light and perfect being, and if she’s wrong and dies, it’s not the dreamer who’s been foolish, but the universe.

8. If God looked directly into your eyes and said, ‘I command that you be happy in the world as long as you live,’ what would you do?

9. You’ve all learned something that someone somewhere needs to remember. How will you let them know?

10. Your oneness in love is reality, and mirages cannot change reality. Don’t forget. No matter what seems to be.

From Messiah’s Handbook © 2004 by Richard Bach

Posted by angel-healing at 11:23 AM GMT

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Mood:  hug me

I shall be reading this today at my fathers funeral.

Rachael xxx

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

an excerpt from chapter 27

You would know the secret of death.

But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?

The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.

If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.

For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;

And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.

Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?

And what is to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink form the river of silence shall you indeed sing.

And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.

And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

Posted by angel-healing at 10:37 AM GMT

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Mood:  hug me

"Hope is the dream of a soul awake." ~ proverb

Dear Peace-makers and Friends,

Today we invite you to pause for a moment and reflect on the Power of Hope.

Hope is one of the 12 Noble Powers^(R) all human beings possess. Hope is a fundamental virtue found in every world religion, alongside love and faith. It is the seed of possibility that stokes our imaginations and sustains our visions for Peace.

What is this force called Hope, and what is it for?

Essentially, Hope is a way of navigating the future, a means for transcending the darkness and limitation of the present day. Hope is not born for that which is easy or certain. It knows there are challenges and a price to pay. Hope is tough and audacious and often unreasonable. Hope dares to believe despite what it sees.

Hope for the future is a life force in itself. Physicians and caregivers affirm that hope can make the difference between who recovers and who doesn't, who lives and who dies.

Whether you are dealing with a serious illness, facing a financial challenge or living in conditions that make life difficult to bear, hope can be the difference between surviving and thriving or succumbing to fear and pain. You may feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and nearly ready to give up. Yet, with hope and even a small chance for improvement, you can summons the strength to rise up and carry on.

As we enter this season of Peace and Thanks-Giving, may you nurture this capacity for hope within yourself:

• Visualize your desired outcomes;
• Read stories of triumph and courage;
• Spend time with resilient people;
• Take one action to improve your life TODAY.

You can also be a source of hope for others by reaching out in your community and by choosing gifts that make a difference for it's creator as well as it's receiver. These exchanges of hope represent a world of opportunity and dignity to women and families in need. It is one of the simplest and nicest ways we have found to make Peace the way we live, and a reason we give.

Wishing you Peace, Hope and Love everyday,

Kimberly King & Brent Bisson
And The Peace Company Team www.ThePeaceCompany.com

Posted by angel-healing at 12:21 PM BST

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