Are you happy?

"It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere." -- Agnes Repplier Are you happy? Don’t answer too quickly. Sit with this question for a long time and you’ll be introduced to brand new dimensions of who you are and of what matters in your life. "Happiness comes only when we push our brains and hearts to the farthest reaches of which we are capable." -- Leo C. Rosten Like beauty, joy is one of the highest vibrations on this planet. Bring the joy that's already inside you to life...

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Find peace inside

"All spiritual disciplines are done with a view to still the mind. The perfectly still mind is universal spirit."

-- Swami Ramdas

Getting into the habit of meditating, praying and/or resting daily helps us pull back from our preoccupation with the material world. In silence and solitude, we have an opportunity to pay attention to what’s happening inside rather than outside.

When we do this consistently, we learn to relax and to quiet and detach from our mental chatter and our turbulent emotions. As we begin to witness ourselves in personality, we also begin to experience our soul.

"Meditation may require a lifetime to master, but it will have been a lifetime well spent. ... If you want to judge your progress, ask yourself these questions: Am I more loving? Is my judgment sounder? Do I have more energy? Can my mind remain calm under provocation? Am I free from the conditioning of anger, fear, and greed? Spiritual awareness reveals itself as eloquently in character development and selfless action as in mystical states."

-- Eknath Easwaran

Step by step, progressively learn basic meditation methods to relax, concentrate, focus, reflect, contemplate and illuminate. 

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Open to the new

"All the people we call ‘geniuses’ are men and women who somehow escaped having to put that curious, wondering child in themselves to sleep."

-- Barbara Sher

How willing are you to learn something new? How open are you to new perspectives?

Only when we’re open can we really hear what’s being said or really see what’s happening or really experience the moment.

Openness demands that we be willing to move to places we’ve never been before. It asks us to continually challenge the foundations of our belief systems so we can test out new ideas. And to do that, we need to accept insecurity.

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."

-- Alvin Toffler

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Two views

"... no matter what our difficulties may be, we recognize that there is a deep untroubled stream flowing below all surface troubles and that we are of one substance with that stream. The soul knows no difficulties." -- James Thornton Masters teach that we can experience two completely different states of reality at the same time -- from the personality and from the soul. Author Pema Chödron talks about being hungry, cold and tired but at that same time deeply content. Ram Dass speaks of how the emotional heart can be breaking while we recognize that all is unfolding perfectly. Allowing our soul to be present with the discomforts of the personality shifts our experience of the discomforts. "True self simply refers to the aspect of our being that is completely aware of its expanded nature no matter what we may be experiencing in our lives." -- Martia Nelson

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Forgive the hurts

"Forgiveness will never fail to free you." -- Jerrold Mundis How do we forgive when we’re angry and hurt? As a first step, we can be willing to truly feel our anger and hurt. Honouring our feelings by being fully present with them helps to release the feelings themselves. And it helps to remember that people only hurt others when they themselves are in pain. When we can recognize the other person’s suffering, our heart can open in compassion. We can also remember that at some time or another, we too have hurt someone through our own unskilful action. Only love can heal the rifts caused by a hurtful deed. Forgiveness holds immense power because it mends separation. It moves us towards the unity and love that lie at the core of our being. It is a fundamental part of the healing process. "Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." -- Paul Boese "God has a big eraser." -- Billy Zeoli As we are spiritual beings, the root of all of our life challenges lies in the spiritual realm. Get in touch with your spiritual nature...

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The 4 D's of spiritual growth

"Strive to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To be too wise for worry, too tolerant for hate, and too courageous to be fearful. In short, to be happy."

-- Unknown Source

Reflect on this pathway for meaningful growth:

DISCIPLINE - To create change in our lives, we need to consistently focus on what we want.

DETACHMENT - Practice the art of detached observation. Let go of automatic defenses and patterns.

DISCERNMENT - Seek to discern the lower from the higher. What is self-serving and what is soul-inspired? Discernment carries no judgment. There are no goods and bads. Remain as a detached witness.

DHARMA - This is an East Indian word meaning "living your unique purpose." How do you find meaning and fulfillment in ways that are natural to you? How do you best serve and contribute to the world?

"If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears."

-- Glenn Clark

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All is mind

"I want to know the thoughts of God; the rest are details."

-- Albert Einstein

Everything -- absolutely everything -- that happens in our lives has a spiritual cause. Events on all other levels -- mental, emotional and physical -- are only effects.

When we are struggling with any challenge, whether it be ill health, a lack of money, a lost job, relationships, an accident, whatever -- we need to look for the spiritual learning. We can ask ourselves, "What quality does my soul want me to live more fully?"

"If you start to think the problem is ‘out there,’ stop yourself. That thought is the problem."

-- Stephen Covey

We don’t change overnight. Personal growth requires persistence...

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