Recently I found myself feeling a sense of lack. I couldn’t put my finger on it right away- but it was general sense of disconnection, lack of inspiration. I am a big believer in the Law of Attraction and know that a “scarcity mindset” or a perspective that there is anything less than abundance, is not something I want to have!! I was texting with a good friend and saw myself typing, “I don’t know, I feel like I need to find a church or something”… and when I wrote that I realized I was missing connection. Connection to my self, connection to my purpose and connection to faith.
I decided to snap out of it and figure out how to get inspired. I was raised Catholic and so was my husband. We are not practicing Catholics in our present lives for a variety of reasons. I have always been spiritual …but without a formal religion guiding my practice, I have let my spiritual practice become less of a centerpiece in my life. I think Catholics also have a lot of guilt around formally practicing another form of spiritualism (which may be a contributing factor for me!) I need to get back to the basics. So this year I am upping my spiritual game. I am committing to reading, learning and experiencing a path to faith that works for me. I want to have something I can share with my family to express our values + morals. Reflection, meditation, prayer are all words that bring about the same result- quieting the mind and releasing control. I need to do that. Finding inner peace to truly appreciate the magnificence of life in the present moment.
“This is finding the joy of Being in what you are doing. If you feel your life lacks significance or is too stressful or tedious, it is because you haven’t brought that dimension into your life yet. Being conscious in what you do has not yet become your main aim. The new earth arises as more and more people discover that their main purpose in life is to bring the light of consciousness into this world and so use whatever they do as a vehicle for consciousness. The joy of Being is the joy of being conscious.” -Eckhart Tolle
Following a specific doctrine isn’t really my style but there have been some very influential spiritual teachers that resonate with me. Here are some of the books / podcasts / videos I’ve been into lately : )
Return To Love by Marianne Williamson
WOW! I listened to this book for free on You Tube and immediately bought the book after the recording finished. I have since been googling Marianne Williamson and listening to her various TED Talks and speeches. Her message speaks directly to my heart. Based on her interpretation of A Course In Miracles, Marianne introduces a new way of thinking. Our perceptions create our reality. Our disconnection from love, God, spirit, the universe (whatever you want to call it) is causing us great pain and separation from wholeness. She advocates for love. Finding love in every situation and thought. We need to first find inner peace and then radiate goodness to the world and the people around us. I highly recommend this book (So does Oprah).
TED Talk – Stand Up! Speak Out! Marianne Williamson
A great short video to listen to in the car, cooking dinner or on a walk. Marianne speaks to a group of theology students at Harvard. She quotes Albert Einstein “you can live your life like everything is a miracle, or you can live your life like nothing is miracle”. How we perceive the world we are experiencing has tremendous influence on how we experience the world. Everything we think, because it effects how we behave, will then effect our world. She compares humanity to a group of cells working together for a greater whole, when a person decides to “do their own thing” and neglect the overall cooperation to make the whole greater, that person (like a cell) becomes malignant, a cancer. Our negative thinking and lapse in faith has deteriorated our collective consciousness.
A Course in Miracles
So this book may seem a little “woo woo” or new- agey but whatever, we ARE in a new age. Our collective consciousness is beginning to awaken. This is a metaphysical text written in the 1970’s by a Columbia University medical psychiatrist. It is a practical guide to inner peace. It is not a religion, it has no doctrine. It is a self study in psychoanalysis to release our mind from negative, Ego centric thinking and to find our way back to one-ness or love. It includes a workbook for students with a spiritual practice for 365 days of the year. I just got my copy and tried the first exercise today. I practiced looking at objects, people, things in my immediate perception and acknowledging them for exactly what they are… a table, the lamp, my hand without attaching meaning or judgement on them.
The Power of Now
I found this book in college… or maybe it found me. Eckart Tolle is one of the most influential spiritual teachers of our time. I feel like he is walking around in a constant state of Nirvana. He has found true inner peace and connection to spirit. His book was instrumental in my path towards personal growth + spiritualism. His teachings revolve around the concept of being present. That nothing exists but the Now. His teachings show us how to move past pain, stress, and anxiety with the help of ancient teachings and modern thought designed to balance your life by living it moment to moment.
I stumbled upon Jess Lively’s podcast 2 years ago and have been following her ever since! She has so many amazing guests on her show and also offers her own insights. Her show is moving towards more spiritual topics but she does a great job of bridging the gap between science and the study of consciousness. This latest episode was AWESOME! She discusses quantum mechanics and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of photoelectric effect- and then relates it to our emotions… Yes she relates quantum physics to our everyday experience of life!! In this episode she demonstrates how the quality of our emotional frequency, rather than the intensity of the action, creates the best outcomes in our lives.
Technique to raise your emotional frequency:
I love this exercise offered in the comments by one of Jess Lively’s listeners @katiedejong – she describes a technique to connect quickly into love, which has the highest frequency of all emotions. ” You get quiet, ground yourself into the earth and imagine a bright white light all around you. Drop into the space in your chest and try to recall a moment in life when you felt absolute joy or love. Bring all the details of that moment into mind, all the feelings, sensations, smells etc. Try to surround yourself in a bubble of this love. Enjoy this state as long as possible, but doing it quickly will work too. In this state, bring to mind all the good things that have happened in the past few days, months or years. This focus on the good also raises our frequency. Then have a clear intention about a great outcome you’d like for the day, week or month. Pretend you’ve already achieved it and feel how good it feels.” How fun is that? I also
incorporate my YL essential oils into my practice of getting grounded and raising my vibration… every essential oil vibrates at a frequency that can be measured. Certain oils (like
Joy, Peace + Calming or Frankincense) can quickly help raise our emotional energy so we can be open to more flow in our lives!!
How are you guys tapping into your spirituality? I love learning about all this stuff so leave your comments ❤
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