1. Make it a priority.
The material world that we see, hear, and feel
is always pounding at the doorway to our senses.
The spiritual world is more subtle; it takes focus
to notice that it, too, sends messages through our
physical senses as well as our inner awareness.
2. Use it to manifest good, not to
escape evil.
It may seem that to do one is to do the other,
but there is a difference in motivation. We
develop strong links to what we focus on. If
we focus on escaping evil, we will maintain our
ties to it. If we focus on using our spiritual
growth to manifest good, then it is our ties to
the good that will grow.
3. Dump your baggage.
There is a parable that says it is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
One explanation is that after the gates of
Jerusalem were closed at night there remained
one small gate that could be opened to late
travelers. For security reasons, it was so
narrow that it was known as the eye of the
needle, and a loaded camel could not get
through it. To get his camels through this
gate, a merchant had to unload all the
baggage from them. So we must unload our
baggage, our beloved belongings, our sources
of victim-hood, our hurts, our perpetrators
and our righteous wrath. We must unhook
ourselves and be prepared to leave them all behind.
4. Quiet Your Mind.
Difficult. Learn to meditate, to be calm, to
quiet the mind and listen for the still, small
voice, or for silence.
5. Remain aware of the earth and the nature
around you.
If we are a link between matter and spirit,
we need to remain aware of both. The great
religious leaders are all reported to have spent
time in the wilderness, and most returned from
there with their greatest messages.
6. Balance yourself with context.
Awareness of something is not the same as
attachment to it. Without attachment, remain
aware of the contexts in which you exist.
Contexts such as: geographical, historical,
social, cultural and familial. They are all
there, they all have their effect on you. To be
truly yourself, remain gently aware of the
influences that tug or push at you, even while
you choose your own way.
7. Maintain perspective and balance in the
face of paradox.
Certainty is a tether that will hold you down
and connect you to fear, for there are few
certainties in this life. There are many
contradictions. Already you may have
received contradictory steps, yet both are true.
Accept that you cannot know everything, and
that uncertainty is one of the few certainties.
Become comfortable with it.
8. Converse with your Higher Power, by
whatever Name.
This does not just mean prayer. It means
maintaining an awareness of what's going on
around you and carrying on a mental
conversation about it with your Higher Power
just as you would with a physical companion,
a passenger in your car. Add an occasional
"thank you" when things go right, whether it
is something as small as a traffic light turning
green at just the right moment, or as huge as
a beautiful sunset or a wish come true.
9. Do not ignore *special messages or postcards.*
Postcards from God is a descriptive name for the
unexpected events or scenes, usually found in
nature, that have a profound message that is
exactly appropriate to the time and your mood,
often one of crisis. Notice, remember and
treasure them.
10. Look for and focus
on the good, without judgment.
The spiritual path is not a competitive event.
No one on it is better, or further ahead than
another. We are all where we are meant to be,
learning lessons that need to be learned.
Choose to focus on the positive, but withhold
judgment on all else, for what appears negative
to you, and therefore avoided, may be just
what another needs to learn something important.
Maybe even a lesson you have not learned yet.
Author Unknown
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