|
|
 |
What is Spiritual Meditation
Spiritual meditation is a form of communication between our inner and our outer selves, between our personal and divine self, or between our ego, the center of our outer persona and our soul, the center of our spiritual self. While our outer self is oriented to preserve its best interest even when it leads us into selfishness and other traits separating us from other human beings, our spiritual self leads us towards self-forgetfulness. The soul can then fulfill its role as the nexus of our
higher values. Through learning to contact and dialogue, our communications help us to discover what these higher values are, how they relate to our own lives and how we can learn to better express them. Through expanding our grasp of these values, our application is that much easier, and our contribution to the world that much larger.
| Eternal Victim |
 |
If communicating with the divine part of you speaks to you, then exploring spiritual meditation may be for you. You can begin by pondering
what is on this web site and decide on your own whether it is something you want to pursue. You can also read the chapter included and try it on your own. All that you need to begin is included here. If after trying you sense that this is a form of meditation calling forth a recognition from within and you are called to continue, then reading the manual described in
our publication section may be a next step. Once you've been practicing on your own and have read the manual, if you feel inwardly pushed to go deeper still, then ask about more advanced instructions. We offer a program tailored to individual needs.If you have questions, at any stage of this process, do contact us.
back to top
Why is Spiritual Meditation Important
Everything good, true and beautiful is spiritual. Anything that leads towards a better way is spiritual. The artist at work, the poet finding his or her rythm, the writer struggling with the right word, are all spiritual. Any creative act is spiritual, anything that links to, develops, expands, practices, or somehow evokes those divine attributes we call higher values is spiritual.
Spiritual is not separate from but part of the world we live in. It does not exist outside of ourselves but is part and parcel of our being and material existence. It stands to reason, then, that spiritual is a dimension inherent in almost any human endeavor.
Spiritual is trans-religious because it does not belong to the domain of religions in general nor to any one religion in particular. It is as likely to be found in current events as in art, in contemporary problems as in history. It is entwined with who we are as humans and does not confine itself to narrow definitions because by its very nature it is inclusive.
It is easy to see, therefore how by reaching, realizing and expressing the spiritual within and around us, we not only become better people, but contribute to making a better world.
back to top
How to Recognize the Soul
To be able to include meditation in your life, we need to learn how to recognize the soul and its manifestations. The soul is the divine spark. Just as anything good, true and beautiful is spiritual, anything that is good , true and beautiful is also of the soul, since the soul is the divine
within. Following are exercises which will be of use in recognizing and better utilizing the presence of the soul.
- The first place to look for the soul is inside ourselves. Look for those aspects of who you are, or who others are, that manifest it. Compassion, love, integrity, social justice, cooperation, givingness, helpfulness, fairness, are but a few of the soul's qualities which reveal its presence within . Make it a point to notice them, and to look for them.
- Each day we engage in myriad activities. Keep a diary of how the soul has manifested itself in your life in your thoughts, your emotions, your actions, your decisions. See your progress-and your errors. It may take a while to get the necessary objectivity, but keep at it and see for yourself how your recognition of the soul will increase.
- The soul manifests itself through people, those who are close to us and those who are not. In whatever way you choose, notice how the soul influences their decisions and situations-people helping others, organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, AA or Amnesty International which reflect the presence of the soul not only in human beings but in the world.
- The soul is far more present in everyday life than most realize. Learning to recognize it in big and small ways is a way to expand our experience of Joy, for joy is the keynote of the soul, and its presence offers the certainty that we have encountered it. Learn to recognize the joy and too learn to recognize its difference with its surface counterpart, happiness.
- Once you feel comfortable with recognizing the presence of the soul within you and within others, you may want to practice expanding that presence. Assign yourself a task, set out to develop or deepen one of its qualities, reach out to others, be of use in your family, your community, humanity.
Once you feel sufficiently comfortable with recognizing the soul you may want to look for it in more abstract ways. One way to start is to see how its qualities and the values they speak of manifests themselves in all the arts.
- Take a book and see how the main characters shortcomings or strengths drove the story. Some wonderful books have been adapted to the screen and you can watch a movie if you prefer.
*E.M. Forster's A passage to India is an example. Why does Adela provoke the crisis? And why does she finally speak up at the end?
*In Verdi's La Traviata, Violetta makes a sacrifice. What makes her act one of love and not one of foolishness?
*In Bizet's Carmen however, Carmen's behavior leads to her death. Why is she a victim of her own passions more than of Don Jose's?
* Balzac's Cousin Bette has been wronged, yet the way she goes about redressing those wrongs leaves out the soul. Look for how she goes from victim to persecutor. How could the use of the soul have helped her go instead from victim to victor?
*Many of Shakespeare's plays are full of what happens when the soul is not guiding. Take a play and examine how the absence of the soul can lead to tragedy.
- Biographies are also an excellent way to study the soul in action. Take anyone, but the lives of those who have made a difference is recommended. Look for the decisions they made, the challenges they faced and how the soul made the difference, often for them as well as for humanity.
back to top
|
In Pursuit of the Real - Chapter 4
Reaching the soul is not in itself so unusual. It happens frequently enough, although most do not know they have done so, and many more do so with results so muddled, any insights are hardly recognizable. Contacting the soul systematically, being responsible for when we have, and being able to maintain this contact and ensure its accuracy lies behind spiritual meditation. The following suggestions and techniques assume the reader is a novice. Even if that is not so due to prior meditation experience, it is best to start spiritual meditation as if we knew little. As the meditation process takes hold, speed can be quickly gathered once the fundamentals are understood.
The Alignment
Spiritual meditation is in several ways easier than any other type of meditation. We do not need to try to make the outer self conform to a superimposed higher order as is the case with many techniques, for example. In part this is due to what is preliminary to the actual act of at-one-ment that is meditation: alignment. Many practitioners are baffled by this term, wondering how they could possibly line up their energy bodies like soldiers in front of a sergeant. The alignment refers to bringing the energy bodies in line with the intent to meditate or, if we are sufficiently skilled, with the will of the soul. As a prerequisite to spiritual meditation , alignment is a declaration of intent, an affirmation, a willful act connecting us to our true self. It is also the equivalent of meditation when it is used as a form of relaxation.
back to top back to steps
Sitting
Begin by finding a comfortable chair and place. Meditating regularly in the same place is helpful to consolidating the energies and building the "thought-form" of our alignment. In time this silencing of the lower energy bodies can be almost instantaneous.
The spine should be straight. We should not however be or feel tense. We need to sit erect but relaxed. It is helpful to chose a chair that is not too soft, and to avoid sofas. While many like to sit on the floor to meditate, they may discover that the back support provided by a chair frees us from the distraction of being physically uncomfortable and thereby is an aid to maintaining the inner tension needed when the mind is alert and active. For this reason, lying down should also be avoided; the necessary point of tension with the mental body is absent in this position. Sitting on the floor is an option provided the lack of back support does not distract. It is helpful to remember that being erect enables the spine to be straight, and that in turn enables soul energies to better flow to and through us.
back to top back to steps
Lighting
The room should be neither dark nor bright. If the room is too bright, it will be difficult to visualize accurately and clearly the sensory renditions of contacted energies, as well as to interpret the symbols and imagery likely to be registered during the meditation. This may sometimes also happen if the room is pitch dark. Drapes and shades can be drawn if necessary. If a light is needed, try to make sure it does not shine directly on either eyes or field of vision. What we see in front of us as we close our eyes should be of an even quality. For those new to meditation, bright sunlight can be a distraction. That is why meditating outside is not recommended. The amount of concentration required to meditate outside and still maintain the necessary alignment can often mitigate the inner freedom necessary to register accurately.
back to top back to steps
| Eternal Child |
 |
Sound
We need to find a room or a space that is as quiet as possible. Sounds like blaring radios or lawn blowers are most distracting and should be avoided if at all possible. Additionally, it may be that for some the meditation process itself will amplify sounds in the environment, and once care has been taken to ensure a quiet moment, it is wise to learn to deal with whatever sounds may try to impinge on the process. In order to ignore them, we can either imagine a protective shield between us and the sound , surrender to the noise until it passes, postpone the meditation, or try to proceed despite it. All of these methods are valid. Should we lose concentration, we can make a conscious effort to refocus by sounding the OM. Sounding the OM in this manner is sometimes called the "recalling" OM, meaning it is a means to recall our alignment.
Meditation With Others
Meditation is a private act. While many meditations take place in groups, they are not substitutes for the moments of quiet at-one-ment with our own true self. The energies of those around us can influence meditation, sometimes by stimulating and strengthening our own ability to reach deeper and sometimes by interfering. Meditating with people we know well or even with just one other person can end up stimulating the outer persona, which is part of the very energies we are trying to silence. It is important, therefore, to learn the difference between meditation with others and meditation by oneself in order to make private meditation the core of our meditation life.
When a group meditates together for the same reason and about the same thing is an exception to the admonition mentioned above. Yet even then our contribution to the whole is in proportion to what we are able to give, and this is related to how well we have learned to meditate on our own.
back to top back to steps
When To Meditate
Early morning and sunset are the best times to meditate. Experienced practitioners who have learned sensitivity to energies can attest to this. It is why many varying disciplines also recommend meditating or praying at these times. As an exercise in learning to recognize the existence and potency of energies, a beginner may want to try meditating at other times in order to compare the different experiences.
It's important , however, not to meditate when we first wake up. Spiritual meditation uses the mind and alertness is a prerequisite. If we need to go to work, for example, it would be best to meditate when we are ready, just before leaving the house. If we work at home or do not work, we ought to meditate after some activity like getting dressed or reading the morning paper and try not to engage in meaningful interaction with people before meditation. If such interaction is unavoidable, then a few extra minutes of quiet before meditation will be necessary to detach from the hubbub of the world. Meditating in the morning is also important because we are then not yet completely steeped back into the daily routine which casts so many shadows on our ability to reach the soul. If our schedule does not permit a full meditation in the morning, then we can try to take a few minutes just to align ourselves, as if we were invoking the power of the soul to be present and guide us throughout the day.
Most people cannot organize their meditation life around sunset, particularly in winter, and therefore have difficulty meditating at that time. If so, the next best thing will be to meditate when possible, after getting home, for example.
We should avoid meditating at night. If done properly, spiritual meditation calls forth much energy and might keep us awake.
Whenever we choose to meditate, let's not meditate when we are tired, sleepy, or overwrought; the meditation will only exaggerate these states.
back to top back to steps
Quieting The Physical Body
We begin by settling in a chair and loosening any clothing that may be too tight. Then, we take a few breaths, as deep as we can make them, and exhale as slowly as possible. We may also use any relaxation technique we are familiar with or breathing exercises that we already know. When we feel relaxed and at ease, we can close our eyes, and become aware of the weight of our feet on the floor and of our arms on the chair.
back to top back to steps
Quieting The Emotional Body
This is the trickiest part of the alignment procedure. We cannot proceed until all emotions are silenced, for they would mar any insights we may reach assuming they do not first interfere with reaching the soul.
Water is often a symbol for the emotions. Therefore, let's visualize a stormy sea and very slowly, by an act of will, visualize the storm ending and the waters becoming calm, as smooth as glass. If visualization is difficult, let's act as if we are doing it. This means that the process will take place regardless of whether we are actually able to visualize it happening. If we cannot manage to calm the sea, our emotions are not sufficiently silent. In that case, let's not go any further. Instead we can imagine walking into the sea with a bright warm sun taking you in its rays, and let the warmth nurture and soothe until we are ready to either walk out or feel ready to visualize a calm body of water.
back to top back to steps
Quieting The Mind
To do this we need to let go of everyday cares and thoughts, essentially leave behind everyday reality. We can do this by bringing our consciousness up to a higher level by using whatever image or thought or technique the imagination may provide. We can also visualize a mountain that we carefully climb, aware that each step will take us away from the mundane and concrete world. In the beginning we may find climbing this symbolic mountain a bit arduous, but as we keep doing it, it keeps on becoming easier and we then need to make sure we go slowly so that the quieting of the mind can actually take place.
On top of the mountain is a garden. We may picture it as manicured or as wild as we wish. Somewhere in that garden which is as beautiful as our imagination dictates, there is a spot uniquely reserved for us. We walk there and sit.
back to top back to steps
|
Reaching The Soul
Above our heads, perhaps a couple of feet or so, is a point of light, the symbolic representation of our soul. It pulsates with life and is neither a star nor a circle, but something quite its own. As we sit in our special spot to meditate, let's become aware of this point of light and of its ray which runs downward parallel to our spine, a couple of inches away, and also goes upward to realms we will eventually discover, realms for which the soul is the intermediary.
We can now visualize how this rod of light, a little way from our spine, connects us to the soul. Once we feel the connection is secured, we say the following, either audibly or to ourselves, whichever suits us best: "I and the soul are one." Then we sound the OM.
The OM is much like pressing "Enter" on a computer. It is a means to activate what we are trying to do, a mechanism to anchor the energies that are being evoked. It should reflect the rhythm of the breath, as if we inhaled the Oooo... and exhaled the Mmmm... It is to be done deliberately, slowly, and not idly. If done properly, we will immediately be able to sense the flow of energy it brings forth carrying out what it is we are trying to achieve.
If we are meditating with others, we are ready to take a moment to pause and realize that others in the room are also so connected. We visualize the point of light above their heads, and also try to be aware of the magnetic pull each must be experiencing through these points of light and with each other.
We are now ready to meditate.
back to top back to steps
| African Wedding |
 |
The Meditation
Meditation is only as effective as what we can bring to it. Our motives, albeit most of the time inchoate or unconscious, affect it greatly. Our intent, as declared through the alignment, also affects it. How much we understand of what we are doing and why are also important factors.
Spiritual meditation is meant to make us more conscious, that is, more aware. Consciousness is not a new concept when it applies to meditation. It maintains its same ordinary definition of knowing and being cognizant. What meditation enables is cognizance of things we would not otherwise be able to know. What the term higher consciousness is meant to refer to is enlarging our own ability to be aware by including levels of knowing we previously hadn't been able to embrace. Meditation, therefore, is meant to make us more sensitive to what happens around and within us. Going off into a trance-like state is not meditation. Falling asleep, which occasionally happens to beginners, may not be unusual but isn't desirable. It normally indicates that the point of needed tension with the mind is not present. Meditation, after all, is a word we often use to refer to reflection, and that is what we are about to do: reflect, cogitate, ponder, ruminate, albeit in a larger context, one including the world of the soul.
back to top back to steps
Soul-Mind-Brain
The effect of the seed thought is to forge at-one-ment between the energies of the outer self--the ego-based persona--and those of the soul. Here the mind is an intermediary, since it reaches both upwards to the soul, the object of our communication, and downwards to the brain, the concrete tip of our personal self. Without the upper reaches, we could not have access to insights, without the lower ones, we could not articulate the insights reached. The soul-mind-brain connection is slowly arrived at, but with practice it is what makes meditation work. The deeper the connection is, the clearer and the more accurate our meditation will be. Without this at-one-ment, meditation would remain an amorphous mystical whole without directly formulating the energies contacted.
back to top back to steps
Issues As Seed Thoughts
It is possible to meditate on issues and problems directly affecting daily life by using them as seed thoughts. The danger, if we are not sufficiently experienced, is that we may be too personal and thereby inadvertently stimulate the energy bodies we have just spent time and effort to quiet. Care must be taken, therefore, to ensure that if we use a problem or an issue as a seed thought, that we adopt a detached attitude or that we phrase the issue in such a way as to be as impersonal as possible. It would be best to have some practice at meditation before attempting to use personal problems as seed thoughts. Meditating on current issues or world problems as seed thoughts may be good practice before trying to delve into more personal problems and issues.
back to top back to steps
How Long To Meditate
Because when rightly done spiritual meditation is dynamic and can call forth such energy, it is best not to make the entire meditation longer than twenty minutes. The energies contacted are actually of far greater import than the length of time we spend meditating. And if the majority of this time is spent finding our way around the inner world, that is fine too. A clear contact of but a few seconds is far more efficient than long periods of wishful thinking, loosely connected daydreaming, apparently comforting experiences on the astral plane, or any of the other states that can be contacted when meditating without the right use of the mind.
back to top back to steps
Silencing The Mind
Although we took care to silence the outer self and its various components during alignment, they will not necessarily stay quiet. More than likely the lower aspects of the mind will make themselves known. This is particularly so in the beginning stages of developing proficiency at spiritual meditation. As we sit to meditate, suddenly we may be reminded of a host of details we might have forgotten to attend to or think we should be doing. Most often the mind brings up irrelevant or distracting subjects. Regardless, we need to remember that silencing the mind, as is the case for much of spiritual work, is a matter of practice.
As a means to learn how to deal with unwanted thoughts, it is helpful to be the Observer, the one who looks on, who sees and knows but is not attached. As such, we can quickly learn to see thoughts come and put ourselves in the position to choose: Is this a helpful thought or not? We can, of course, use will power, but that may be best for later, when we feel more experienced. In the beginning it may be best to find a small helpful mechanism. As thoughts come and as we choose whether or not they are useful, we can, for example, visualize a basket into which unhelpful thoughts can be discarded. Or we might prefer to visualize a hand that gently takes those thoughts away. In time, as mind-soul-brain learn to work together, the activity of the lower mind decreases greatly. It does remain something to watch out for though, since it is easy to trick ourselves that we have registered something in meditation, but it is not of the soul.
back to top back to steps
Before Ending The Actual Meditation
It is a good idea to give the soul a chance to reach us once we have taken the seed thought or problem as far as we can for one session, we can wait a few moments to see if anything else will be registered. To do this we refocus on the soul (the symbolic point a few feet above the head), concentrating our consciousness there as much as we can.
Since the inner world is impersonal, caring as much about any other person as it does about us and since the energies contacted through the soul can be of use to humanity as a whole, it is important to take a moment to radiate these energies for others to share in what we have partaken. We can allow our imagination full sway and visualize this radiating in whatever way seems appropriate.
Lastly, since we have partaken of an aspect of the divine and since we have been helped whether or not we are yet aware of it, we finish the meditation with a flash of thanks and gratitude.
back to top back to steps
Meditating On The Meditation
Still seated in the chair, eyes open, it is now important to take as long as needed to anchor within ourselves what happened during the meditation, a sort of debriefing. Notes are helpful, but first thinking through the thoughts or symbols registered during the meditation is in order. Often there is a discrepancy between the recollection and the meditation itself. The task is to work inwardly with the thoughts, the words, the images until we sense that point of peace allowing us to know our understanding is at one with the event. Being frustrated or overly eager can interrupt or mar this process. Patience is always a good tool. It may take a few minutes or a lot more time just to pull the entire experience into place. Let's not rush. And if only part of it comes together, the rest may come later. The important thing is to be honest and recognize what portion of the meditation needs further consideration.
When we feel we have taken this integration as far as it can go, the meditation is over. This does not mean, however, that what happened is or should be separate from the rest of our day. In fact, if we are alert and if the right soul contacts were made, it is more than likely that thoughts and insights will continue to manifest themselves, in the shower, while driving, while talking to someone, while watching television, when reading, or when doing anything else that our schedule may call for. These thoughts will answer questions that we may have had, amplify what we had understood, or sometimes, if we are sufficiently open, correct what we thought we had understood. For this and for many other reasons, it is very important to have the open mind that characterizes an earnest practitioner and an attitude that is the hallmark of such a person: This is the best I can do now; there is and will always be more to understand.
back to top back to steps
More Seed Thoughts
We can't help but be the center of our own picture. We are after all the one who sees, who touches, who speaks, who thinks, who acts, who decides. No one can eat for us nor do any number of other things. And yet we are not really the center of anything, but part of a monolith we call the universe, or time, or the inner world.
What we discover as we penetrate that world is that our causes are not causal at all. Our individual sphere is just too small, in fact it hems us in. Inescapably, we are part of the vast machinery of the universe, and what influences us stems from a variety of sources usually too big for us to fathom or even be aware of and that's one way in which spiritual meditation is helpful. It orients us to that inner world and helps us to see things from a larger vantage point. As it does it opens up vistas we did not know were there.
Answers we did not know existed suddenly appear, facts we did not know existed are revealed and new ways of seeing are made manifest.
How do we learn to penetrate that world and make it meaningful? It takes practice of course, like anything else that needs to grow into an art. A very good way to do this is through the use of "seed thoughts". Although they appear to have one meaning on the surface, good seed thoughts grow and as they do unmask hidden meanings. What enables us to discover these hidden layers is our contact with this hidden world. To make this contact useful, we need to learn to make our brain, our mind and our soul work as one.
| The Jewish Bride |
 |
Seed thoughts aside from enriching our own understanding of life in general, act as a point of focus for us to do just that. To use our own problems as seed thoughts may be useful, yet it can soon turn into a fallow exercise unless it is also accompanied by that aspect of meditation that ushers us into the hall of wisdom, for if seed thoughts don't contain or lead to wisdom, they aren't effective and lack the needed potency to act as our gateway to what lies beyond our normal range of understanding.
Following is a list of seed thoughts we have collected over the years. We hope they inspire you and are of use to you. There is no right or wrong answer, no right or best definition. We suggest you use the same seed thought several times before going on to another. We've found it useflil to periodically go back to seed thoughts we've used in the past. Hopefully we have grown in the interim and our growth enables us to penetrate even deeper into its meaning.
|
Seed Thoughts
A seed sprouts with time. Seed thoughts do that within us, uncovering or reaching our inner self to illumine the underlying ideas or cluster of ideas contained within a given thought. Typically, it takes a while to reach to the core of a seed thought, several meditations, or several weeks,
depending on the individual. The following is an anonymous Sufi aphorism:
Love surrounds us, But only one who loves can direct its current.
The use of seed thoughts is useful to the discipline that is so conducive to understanding the higher aspects of love. Here are two more anonymous Sufi aphorisms which may stimulate your comprehension if properly used for long enough.
We have been our own veil hiding our own love.
Do you dare interrupt the conversation of God with idle thoughts?
Imagination is a potent spiritual tool. Without it faith
would run the risk of being blind. Most importantly imagination
is what can connect us to what is so far beyond our present
level of comprehension, often it connects us to previously undreamed of possibilities. Because dreams can often be the guarantee of reality, to ponder solutions with heartfelt intent and with the open-mindedness of love can be more helpful than it may otherwise appear. As Spring beckons us to newer things, this seed thought is offered in that spirit, as a gift of renewal for our society and our world.
Our duty is to imagine a culture shaped by love.
Poetry often contains lines that are so potent they make rich seed thoughts. Sri Aurobindo, who is known as much for the quality of his poetry as for his spiritual contribution attempted to make each line a thought and usually succeeded. Here's one from Savitri (the longest poem in the English language).
The spirit rises mightier by defeat.
The relationship between the human and the divine, is one of the most profound esoteric inquiry. If our actions are to be informed by the divine will, if we are going to contribute our share of love to the processes underlying creation, it is imperative that this relationship be clarified, or at least understood to the utmost of our ability. The following seed thought, well known from the Baghavad Gita, is a step in that process.
Having pervaded the universe with a fragment of myself, I remain.
Note: If the I is interpreted--as it also can--as the center of the inner self, then the seed thought can also be used as a way to better understand the relation between inner and outer selves.
In keeping with the relationship of love to harmlessness and of
self-forgetfulness to being harmless, here is a Sufi aphorism. Perhaps pondering it will yield the "how" needed to make these concepts live within the Self.
The lover is someone who wants to disappear in love.
The apparent cryptic nature of seed thoughts often lend them their power. Here is one which can have particular individual meaning at the beginning of new activities and turning over new leaves.
Behind me lies the road of broken toys.
Free floating meditations invite problems. Like water taking the shape of a vase, the energies contacted can too easily energize the lower aspects of who we are. By channeling those energies in the right way, essentially routing them towards the higher, we lessen the chance that the lower will be similarly affected. That is why seed thoughts are important. They serve not only to stimulate the "intuition" (a level of awareness transcending everyday consciousness) and fuse the head and the heart, but also to focus our attention away from the lower. The following seed thought overtly contributes to this.
When I, the emotional being, am dedicated to the soul*,
love pours through. Thus can I serve.
(* Or you might use "inner", or "inner Christ", or whatever word or concept
is most familiar to you.)
While several spiritual concepts seem to overtly or obliquely meet in the following seed thought, other spiritual ideas are contained within it as well.
A block of marble, deep within the quarry lies. Hidden within it lies likewise a form of beauty rare. The sculptor works, patterning true to that which lies revealed unto the inner sight. He (she) patterns true and beauty comes to life.
If there really is a Spirit of Christmas, it might very well be along the lines of this seed thought.
I raise no barriers 'twixt myself and others. I am as they, and one
with all I meet.
In keeping with focusing on the meaning of the inner and the outer within us, this seed thought while not as poetic as some, is nevertheless potent and useful.
The outer triggers the line of least resistance. The inner still calls for the line of most resistance and I, in the middle, struggle to make one into the other, to make natural that which seems difficult, to make easy that which is now strenuous. Thus will I become the Self that I am.
| Catch of the Day |
 |
The following two seed thoughts, based on the inherent dichotomy of the inner and the outer, aim to help bridge the gap between them.
There are no changes on the way of love.
I stand at-one with all, and through the lower self, love flows.
Islam is one of the world's main religions yet we often forget how at its core the values it teaches are universal. To ardently seek truth, to know the difference between truth and its imitations is a foundation of one's spiritual life, and in any religion or spiritual practice, it is far from easy. The following seed thought, a prayer to many Muslims, is attributed to the Prophet Mohammed. For those who practice meditation, where falsehood can surreptitiously parade as truth, this may be of particular relevance.
Show me truth as truthfulness and guide me to it, and show me falsehood as falsehood and keep me away from it.
This seed thought from a Tibetan Master to one of his disciples is preceded by the following "You can stand as a tower of strength and let the strength of love pour through you." He also suggests that the words may be said daily "as oft as you feel the urge and when you choose." Said over a period
of time this powerful thought releases its strength and its love.
The strength I touch and am, that strength I give. The central Light I reach so oft, I pass along the lighted Way to those who need that light. I seek to walk the ways of men as light and love and power. My strength and power come from the secret place and much I know. I live for others and must learn to loose myself in them.
In keeping with the idea of sacrifice, the following seed thought offers a key idea, that sacrifice instead of pain is the way of joy.
The Way of Sacrifice is eternally the Way of Joy. The Way of Joy leads to the Place of Peace. The peace of God is only found in losing sight of the self and seeing naught but that which must be done and done today.
When pondering love, here are three helpful seed thoughts.
Our duty is to imagine a culture shaped by love
My soul must foster love among all human siblings. This is
its major purpose. I therefore will to love and tread the Way of
Love.
The way of Love leads to the Presence of the Self. That Self am I.
The following seed thought from Yogananda, embodies spiritual truths which, when
understood, may make our spiritual quest that much easier.
Everything else can wait, but our search for god cannot wait.
The scientist does not pray that the principle of his science may be true, but that he may enter into an understanding of a principle which is already true.
This seed thought speaks to the heart of all that is spiritual. It is also useful should one be the object of severe criticism or in a crisis requiring all our love to cope.
In the center of all love I stand and naught can touch me here, and
from that center I go forth to love and serve. - Ernest Holmes
These seed thoughts are in keeping with the theme of integrity and should be of help in aiding us to achieve it.
I stand before the judgment seat of my own soul.
I go the way of deep surrender.
Here is a seed thought that can really be helpful not only to our spiritual practice, but in living our life.
Talk less and love more..
back to top back to steps
|
|
|
