Archives for September 2017

Practical Spirituality

Spirituality is not something that should be viewed as being separate from the way you live your day to day life. If your spiritual practice does not help you to live in a more effective manner – one which provides more happiness, joy, peace and fulfilment than would be the case otherwise – then I would quietly suggest that you may be missing the whole point.

There are millions of people who miss the point every day of the week. We all know those who go to a church or temple every Sunday to say their prayers, confess their sins or listen to words of wisdom from the spiritual texts of their tradition, only to emerge from the building and live in a manner which is completely contrary to the path they proclaim to be following.

That is entirely their choice, of course, and nothing which should be judged, but it is a shame that such people may never come to discover the satisfaction that arises from allowing their spiritual practice to pervade the whole of their lives.

The biggest mistake that people make is in viewing spirituality as some kind of ‘escape from the real world’, but that isn’t the real point. The sacred space isn’t meant to be an emotional isolation chamber, but rather a place where one trains the mind and spirit, much like one trains the body in a gym. Whilst both the sacred space and the gym can sometimes serve as sanctuaries which give you a place to take respite from the stresses and strains of work, relationships, health issues, politics and the economy, that isn’t their main purpose.

The main purpose of a gym is to develop a well-trained body so that its owner can live the whole of his life with a greater level of energy, health and vitality. Similarly, the main purpose of following a spiritual path is to develop insights, habits and skills which enable one to live the whole of life from a higher perspective, in a state of greater peace, balance and happiness.

Adopting spirituality as some kind of compartmentalised escape can often mean running to the meditation cushion to hide whenever life gets stressful, or simply praying for divine assistance whenever you mess things up. Pursuing practical spirituality, on the other hand, means training the mind on the cushion so that it is more resilient to stress, or developing a greater level of mindfulness so that you don’t mess things up quite so often in the first place.

The more you practice spirituality as an escape, the less effective you will be in the real world, but the more you pursue practical spirituality, or what some prefer to call applied spirituality, the more effective you will be in all areas of life.

For this reason, over the next few weeks I will present a number of posts about how to apply spiritual wisdom and techniques in very practical ways to help you achieve positive outcomes in your day to day life. If you are someone who would like to be healthier, happier and calmer, and enjoy a greater level of success in your career, relationships and finances, be sure to subscribe to the Spirituality for Seekers mailing list and then keep an eye on your emails for notifications of these new posts as and when they are published.

Developing Spiritual Discernment

by Ian Leave a Comment

In my previous post I wrote about the importance of viewing your intuition as the only spiritual authority that you will ever need. Not too many people have a problem with that idea, but a few will sometimes express concern that their intuition might potentially give them bad advice, or mislead them in some way. What if their intuition tells them to eat a dozen Krispy Kreme Doughnuts every day for breakfast, for example? Or to kick the cat? Or even to take a leap from a very tall building?

These are legitimate concerns, but only because the questioners do not yet understand that their intuition would never guide them to do anything which would be harmful to themselves or others. Not all of our inner urges are intuitive, and therefore not every inclination that we have should be viewed as such.

We have said that human beings are spiritual beings in flesh-and-blood bodies. As such, you have both a spiritual nature and a physical nature. Intuition is the voice of your spiritual nature, but you also have plenty of inner urges which arise from your physical nature. It is therefore important that you develop spiritual discernment so that you can learn to tell the difference between the two.

Urges which arise from the physical nature tend to be concerned with obtaining some form of emotional or physical satisfaction. The desire to vent your anger or disappointment, to be impatient, to shout, to scream, to take revenge for some perceived wrong that has been done to you, to question your self-worth, or to feel sorry for yourself, are all good examples.

The voice of the spiritual nature, or intuition, on the other hand, tends to be concerned with your development as a spiritual being. This is the inner voice of reason, which gives you wise counsel which often runs contrary to your physical urges. For example, your intuition may suggest that you should resist giving in to your anger or disappointment, that you should strive to be more patient, that you should remain calm and trust the universe, that you should forgive those who have done you wrong, that you should be more mindful of your spiritual identity and that you should be grateful for all the good that you have in your life.

Another difference between the voice of intuition and urges arising from the physical nature is that the former will tend to advocate attitudes, responses and actions which promote the spiritual wellbeing and long-term happiness of both yourself and others in equal measure, whilst the latter will only tend to promote short-term pleasure, and usually for yourself.

Being aware of these differences between your intuition and the urges of your physical nature will help you to discern between the two in daily life.

For example, if you suddenly feel the urge to spend some time in prayer or meditation, or to speak words of genuine encouragement and kindness to someone, it should be quite clear that these are the promptings of your intuition. However, if you feel a compelling urge to give someone a ‘piece of your mind’ or cope with a feeling of sadness by seeking solace in a bottle of vodka, then it should be equally clear that these are the promptings from your physical nature.

It should be obvious that not all physical urges are to be ignored. The urge to eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, sleep when tired, and so on, are things which serve to keep you alive and healthy. What you should do is examine the urges of your physical nature as they arise and then choose consciously whether or not you should act upon them, and if so, how to act upon them in a healthy and balanced manner.

By taking this approach, listening to your intuition will not mean going along with every whim and fancy which arises, but evaluating your inner guidance to sort the wheat of genuine intuition from the chaff of sometimes irrational physical urges. Then, as you continue developing spiritual discernment, you will find that the voice of your intuition becomes ever clearer, and before long it will be quite easy for you to know which ideas are intuitive and which are not.

Intuition: The Authority Within

by Ian 1 Comment

Those of you who have been reading Spirituality for Seekers for some time will have noticed that I often encourage you to listen to your intuition as you explore various ideas and concepts. This is not something that I merely say for effect, but rather it is a serious recommendation which I give for a very good reason.

The fact is that your intuition is the only authority that you need on the subjective matter of spirituality. Whilst you may look to external sources for information and ideas which may or may not be worthy of investigation, you should ultimately learn to rely on your own intuition for guidance.

Intuition can be defined as something that you understand or know without conscious reasoning or thought. It is a sense of inner knowing which you may or not be able to explain in rational terms to another human being, but which you are nevertheless certain of.

‘All great achievements of science must start from intuitive knowledge. I believe in intuition and inspiration… At times I feel certain I am right while not knowing the reason.’ – Albert Einstein

If the idea that we are spiritual beings is accurate, and that we are in some way connected to and a part of the Creative Principle, then it would make sense that we have some kind of wisdom within us which can be relied upon to lead us in the right direction. And in that case, it would make much more sense to rely upon that wisdom, which is our intuition, than to simply accept second-hand opinions without question from external ‘authorities’.

Look at the leaders of all the major religious and spiritual traditions in the world and you will find that every one of them viewed their intuition as the ultimate authority in their lives. They spent plenty of time in silence and solitude in order to listen to their intuition more carefully, and then later relayed their insights and findings to the people around them.

Unfortunately, instead of following the example set by such spiritual leaders and learning to listen to their own intuition, it was more common for people to view their leader as being in some way special, making them an authority, and thereby missing the whole point of the example that was given.

Consider Jesus, for example, who used to refer to intuition as ‘the Father’, referring to the Creative Principle. In John 14:10, he said: ‘The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works.’ In other words, everything that Jesus said and did was first prompted by his intuition.

That is why, when giving advice on prayer in Matthew 6:6, he told his disciples to do the same things and commune with their own intuition, saying: ‘But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret…’

Unfortunately, religious tradition has largely overlooked that advice, and has instead turned Jesus into a ‘one of a kind’ instead of simply encouraging us to follow his example.

‘Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way.’ – Florence Scovel Shinn

Now, if your intuition is the Creative Principle within you, doesn’t it make sense that you learn to listen to it directly, rather than follow the ideas of external authorities and traditions simply because they have been around for a while?

And that is why I so often advise you to listen to that ‘still, small voice within’ as you consider the various ideas and principles which I talk about. By learning to rely on your own intuition as the only authority you will ever need, creating a spiritual path that works for you will be much easier and more enjoyable than it would be otherwise.

Spirituality for Seekers is not a dogmatic website, and I am not a spiritual leader of any kind. I will not tell you what you should or should not believe, or what is true or false. All that I am is a fellow Seeker, and all that I do here is share ideas and concepts that I have found helpful in order that you, if you wish to do so, can begin exploring them yourself.

All of the answers that you seek are within you, right now, at this very moment. Learn to be quiet, and to listen to your intuition, and the Creative Principle will teach you – directly – all that you need to know. Call it prayer, communion, meditation or simply having a conversation with your Higher Self – the fact is that you can’t experience genuine spiritual growth without it.

Spirituality Without the Woo Woo

by Ian Leave a Comment

Spirituality is very often misunderstood, and unfortunately these days there are many people who equate being ‘spiritually minded’ with being open-minded to the point of irrationality. Whilst it is of course important to be fairly open-minded so that one can properly explore and consider various possibilities, completely checking one’s intellect at the door and assuming that every ‘spiritual’ idea one encounters has equal credence is never a good idea.

The general population use the word Woo-Woo to refer to any concept which is demonstrably at odds with the real world. The term also refers to people who choose to embrace Woo-Woo ideas without question. It is a mildly derogatory term, to be sure, but whilst many view the word Woo-Woo and spirituality as being synonymous, they really aren’t.

My aim here at Spirituality for Seekers is to encourage you to explore spirituality without the Woo-Woo. This means being willing to look at various concepts and ideas and evaluate for yourself whether or not they make sense in light of both your personal experience and demonstrable reality.

It is not always necessary for a spiritual concept to be proven by science in order for it to be useful, but if a concept actually contradicts scientific knowledge then it should be discarded without further thought. After all, your aim as a Seeker is not to become a master or mistress of self-delusion, and live out your days in your own personal fantasy world, but rather to find principles and ideas which help you to live a better life in the real world.

If we are correct in thinking that there is a spiritual side to life, then that spiritual side should be operating in accordance and agreement with the other, more mundane laws of the universe. If we encounter an idea or notion which goes against established fact, then we must make a choice between established fact and believing something which science has proven to be otherwise, and the intelligent Seeker will always choose the former.

‘If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims.’ – Dalai Lama XIV

The danger of completely setting aside the intellect when exploring spiritual ideas and concepts is that it can make some people vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation. The world is full of individuals and organisations who make quite ridiculous claims and promises, only to take advantage of those who are gullible enough to believe them. Consciously pursuing spirituality without giving credence to the blatantly Woo-Woo is a simple way of avoiding that risk.

Remember, you don’t automatically have to accept an idea just because it cannot be disproven. Many people believe in angels and demons. Many others believe in the power of pendulums and voodoo dolls. Those ideas don’t exactly contradict science, because science hasn’t explored them in any great depth, but that doesn’t mean that ideas about angels, demons, pendulums and voodoo dolls are automatically valid, or that you should believe that they are based on the personal experience of anyone but yourself.

Whilst on this topic, it is also worth mentioning that science itself is sometimes used to try and give weight to Woo-Woo claims which do not really warrant it. It is possible for any fact to be misrepresented, or deliberately twisted to support a completely unrelated idea, so when exploring spiritual concepts, do not be afraid to follow up scientific-sounding statements with proper research of your own. The simple phrase, ‘Quantum physics tells us that…’ should not be enough for the Seeker to accept whatever follows without question.

Exploring spirituality without the Woo-Woo means being willing to question everything. Not because you want to disprove every concept which runs counter to your existing assumptions, but simply because you are a Seeker of truth. Your truth may not turn out to be the same as my truth as far as our subjective understanding of various concepts are concerned, but if we are both being honest with ourselves and genuine in our quest, neither of us will knowingly adhere to ideas which blatantly contradict the facts of reality.

I would encourage all Seekers to ask themselves three questions whenever they encounter any new idea, and those are as follows:

Does the idea contradict objective reality, such as the proven laws of science?

Does the idea contradict your subjective experience of reality?

Does the idea contradict your intuition?

If the answer to any of these three questions is yes, then set the idea aside. If the answer to all three questions is no, then feel free to explore the idea further, but don’t accept it without question. Faith can be useful, but blind faith is simply blind.

‘If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.’ – Matthew 15:14

The Resonance Principle

by Ian Leave a Comment

The Resonance Principle states that you experience external events that are largely in tune with your spiritual expectations. Although this principle is often referred to in today’s popular literature as the ‘law of attraction’, it is one which has been taught and used for many thousands of years.

Perhaps the most famous proponent of this concept was Jesus. Although the words of Jesus have religious connotations for many these days, if you were to strip away thousands of years of tradition and look at them exactly as they were written in the gospels, you would find that they have a rather direct and practical tone, and provide plenty of advice on how to use the Resonance Principle in your daily life.

Consider the following extract from Mark 11:22-24:

‘Have faith in God. For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, “Be taken up and cast into the sea,” and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says. Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them.’

In this short speech, Jesus is talking about the power of faith and belief, and he is saying much the same as the contributors to the modern-day book The Secret – believe that what you want is happening, and it will happen.

If you accept that the universe operates according to the principle of cause and effect, and that every action you take as a spiritual being has consequences (as stated by the Karmic Principle) then it isn’t any great leap to give credence to the Resonance Principle.

Since actions have consequences, your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes – all of which tend to precede your actions – play a very important role in the creation of your personal experience of reality. Believe that you will succeed in a certain endeavour, for example, and that belief will cause you to act as if that were the case, and that confident action will itself make it more likely that you will actually succeed in the endeavour.

The problem with most modern books which talk about the Resonance Principle is that they talk about the power of belief as being all that one needs to bring about an effect in physical experience, and that is not often the case. Most of the time, in order to affect change, the power of belief must also be followed up with the power of action. Even the Bible, which many people view to be all about matters of belief, says the same thing:

‘For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.’ – James 2:26

These words, in the context they were spoken, warn so-called ‘spiritually minded’ people against thinking that faith is enough to facilitate change. Whilst faith alone can shift a mountain of guilt, fear, insecurity and other subjective experiences, it isn’t something that should excuse non-action in physical terms.

For example, one shouldn’t simply pray for those who are homeless or starving, but should also take action in order to alleviate their condition directly.

As far as your journey as a Seeker is concerned, I would certainly encourage you to explore the Resonance Principle further (and I will be writing about the intricacies of how to work with it in a deliberate manner in the future), but to do so with the understanding that it is not the only principle in town. Whilst the power of faith and belief can be enormous, and even life-changing, it is even more effective when followed-up with the power of effective action in the physical sphere.

Having said all of that, spend some time thinking about the Resonance Principle as it applies in your own life. You might want to listen to your intuition as you consider the following two questions in particular:

– If the Resonance Principle is valid, and your faith (meaning your beliefs and expectations) helps to create your experience of reality, how has your faith shaped your life up until this point?

– Looking to the future, how (if at all) would you change things if you thought that your beliefs and expectations would shape your future experience?

As always, note your responses down in your spiritual journal, and feel free to add to your notes at any point as new insights occur to you.

For those of you who would like to study the Resonance Principle in more depth, here are some titles that I have personally found to be of value:

The Master Key by Charles F. Haanel

The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles

You’ll See It When You Believe It by Wayne Dyer

The Magic of Believing by Claude M. Bristol