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what does spirituality mean to you?
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Spiritual Is As Spiritual Does - by Vanessa Ebner

We're spiritual & incorporate a body in the process of being born; we don't incorporate a body & become spiritual. At an early age of our spiritual life we encounter religious beliefs that gives ethical encouragement but doesn't offer an upward path thereafter. As we progress on this spiritual path we're introduced to spiritual traditions but are never really shown how to get there.

There are no techniques that can effectively prepare you for what lies ahead on a spiritual path or otherwise except for those who go before you & therefore teach you the essentials. Every step on your spiritual path is a stepping-stone to higher consciousness concerning the various stages of spirituality.

Spiritual evolution is a long process & not one you can rush through. There are no magical techniques or religious based salvation that will help you on this path you've chosen. You'll use each step as advancement on the spiritual ladder.

Each step leads to enlightenment so there isn't any logic to skip one.

It's common sense that you build a home from the ground up. It's common sense that you advance spiritually from the ground up. Your spirituality progresses with where you are at on your path in life.

Spirituality doesn't mean you avoid the reality of life. It enables you to look at it thru different eyes. When your home is in order your physical harmony is flowing & radiates to all the other areas of your life. Each level of your house affects your growth. Good housekeeping frees your attention & your thinking.

As your awareness heightens you discover ways to uproot negative attitudes & thinking. You develop the ability to remain upbeat thru change in your life. As you approach a higher level on your spiritual path you're able to make wise & conscious decisions with help from your inner voice of Divine Guidance.

Spiritual evolution allows you to live a life of radiant service to others by listening to the inner voice of your Divine Guidance. You are able to get out of your own way that sometimes keeps you from being the God essence that you are. You're able to simply be. Your advancement on your chosen path becomes simpler.

Enlightenment frees you from self-concepts. It frees your thinking & allows you to become a continuous channel for God's love. Your inner small voice works wonders for you. It'll tell you exactly how to help by inspiring you with love perfectly, tenderly, timely & effectively. No human designs of love can do this for you. Your spiritual path you're on has an impact on your whole life. From love to business it offers guidance.

As I mentioned earlier your spiritual house is built from the ground up. A spiritual house has four firm support areas. Let's define each one.

1. Spiritual Support. We need social involvement for spiritual development.

2. Spiritual Practice. Each path up the mountain is different & each takes a certain amount of effort. Enlightenment along this path helps to choose the path that's best for you. Being consistent aids in spiritual advancement.

3. Spiritual purpose. Moving beyond the level at which our problems exist in order to humanly serve others & further their divine purpose as well as ours. Concentrating strictly on our problems creates an imbalance in our lives. Life must be balanced & there must be a place for selfless giving in life.

4. Spiritual Work. One of the greatest benefits from work is doing it with the intention of blessing those who benefit from it. Applying your spirituality to all your creative endeavors in life helps you to advance on the spiritual level. Spiritualize your livelihood by putting your spiritual values to work for you no matter where you are.

Spirituality is a way of life. The first step is realizing what the law of cause & effect really mean. We can better our lives by knowing how we create the results we're getting. It's the desire that burns behind our expressions that intensifies our spirituality.

It's understanding the energy level we're on by upgrading our intentions & thoughts to vibrate at the same level. Spiritual is as Spiritual does.

It's you, it's your conscious thought process & knowing the affects it has on your life & others. Spirituality exists thru consciously living a life of love, compassion & support in all that you encounter on your chosen path.

It's consciously choosing & being determined to incorporate love in your life & giving fear a quick escort to the door! Doing so creates peace, harmony & puts reality into spirit, spirituality.

what does spirituality mean to you?
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Depression Is A Spiritual Issue - by Frederick Zappone

Depression, from my point of view, is cured when we become aware that it is a spiritual issue and not an inherit physical flaw or defect. This is my story about how I cured myself of chronic depression when the medical profession failed me. I am not advocating that what worked for me in regards to curing depression will work for anyone else. On the other hand, after reading my story, many people have told me that my way of overcoming depression is an option worth considering.

In a desperate attempt to cure myself, I read everything I could on the subject of depression. I took the psychological approach as well as the religious approach. I experienced some relief using these methods, but eventually the feelings returned. The stronger the depression, the more aggressive my search. Self-help courses and recovery groups brought minimal relief but never a cure. Each improvement was eventually followed by a setback.

I began to believe that I was inherently flawed. It was even suggested that I was possessed by an evil entity, a thought I rejected. And yet, when the feelings were at there strongest, I doubted myself and believed I might actually be possessed by an evil entity and became even more frightened. I didn't know it at the time but I was scaring myself to death.

One day, I realized just how terrified I was. I felt like a house divided against itself. Desperate feelings require desperate measures: Voluntarily I went in for psychiatric evaluation. I began weekly therapy and was prescribed a drug which altered my mood almost immediately.

I gained many insights during therapy, but eventually the prescription drugs caused me to experience the side effects of hyperactivity, chills and headaches. I felt as if the cure was worse than the disease itself and so I took myself off the drugs without consulting my doctor. I did, however, continue therapy until I decided that I no longer needed it.

I thought therapy had solved my problem with depression until I had an extremely devastating setback and experienced the worst depression of my life. Suicidal thoughts began to intrude into my mind, and yet no matter what, I would not surrender. I lived with my depression for years, I tolerated it and put up with it. If depression was going to kill me, to squeeze the life out of me, it would do so without my help.

I struggled through my life, day after day, hiding my depression from everyone, but when I got home and I was alone I would realize I was exhausted. I just wanted to lie on the couch and do nothing. I felt hopeless. After many years of living this way and contrary to professional advice, I isolated myself, knowing when I was alone with my depression, I felt it the strongest.

If it was going to defeat me I wanted to feel it absolutely. I was tired of running from the monster within. One day I realized that I was at a standoff with my depression. It wasn't getting any worse and it wasn't getting any better. I realized that it wasn't going to kill me, and it wasn't going to let me enjoy life either. Then I decided to start analyzing what was going on with me. I knew I couldn't feel any worse, so I might as well treat my condition as a mystery that needed solving rather than a problem to fear.

First, I went back to the basics. I looked up the word depression in Webster's dictionary; it is defined as a disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentrating, excessive sleep, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies. Yes, I agreed, the dictionary was intellectually correct. I experienced all of those things, but when I explored my feelings, I made some amazing discoveries.

One of my discoveries was that my depression was actually made up of a variety of strong unexpressed feelings interwoven together. These feeling included unexpressed anger This entanglement of unexpressed emotions left me feeling like a net had been dropped over my spirit and pulled tight. The more I struggled, the more entangled in them I became.

Instead of judging my feelings of depression I decided to observe them. I noticed that I was afraid of my feelings. I also observed that throughout my life whatever I feared eventually became my enemy. How did I make my depressed feelings my enemy? I did it by accepting someone else's belief that my depressed feelings were dangerous. By accepting this belief unedited, I erroneously concluded that my feelings could lead me to killing myself. In making my feelings the enemy I gave them power over me; the moment I did that, they dominated and controlled my life for over 30 years.

To make my feelings the enemy, I also had to convince myself that something outside of me was responsible for what I felt. I accomplished this by blaming others for my feelings. I blamed God, my parents, my teachers, my circumstances, my genes, my past, and my environment for my negative emotions. Once I realized that I was doing it to myself, I simultaneously, experienced a sense of sadness and relief. I felt sadness because I realized that I had been causing myself to suffer. I felt relief because if I could cause my depression, I could cure it, and that excited me

The first step was to make depression my friend. This was a scary process because I was very afraid of what I felt. In order to overcome the fear, I personalized my feelings. I began talking to them, and writing to them. I told my depressed feelings that I was afraid of them and that I was tired of being afraid. I told them I wanted to make them my friends and see what they could teach me. That was the beginning. Today, my depressed feelings are my friends. When I experience depression, I know that spirit--my inner guide--is using those feelings as a way to teach me something that I need to learn.

My inner guide uses these feelings to let me know when I'm off track in my thinking, trying too hard, headed in the wrong direction, or not taking proper care of myself. I no longer struggle with "depressed feelings".. When they comes, I work at embracing them, In embracing them, I can hear the spiritual message being directed to me. When I hear the message accurately, the feelings leave me, and I am filled with an exuberance and a renewed passion for life.

If you are willing to let your feelings of depression become your friends--if you are willing to learn from them, embrace them--you too will once again be excited about living life generously and passionately.

what does spirituality mean to you?
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What Are The Characteristics Of A True Spiritual Person?
By Dingane
 
Many people claim to be spiritual but are either fooling themselves or fooling others and this can be extremely damaging to someone who is honestly trying to find serious answers to their most important questions. This is a collection of the characteristics of a true spiritual person which will make it easier for you to check your best intuitions and make sure you aren’t being fooled by someone who is really just out to serve their own ego.

One of the first things you can look for in a spiritual person is whether they are saying something that has always been true from the beginning or whether they are giving you a version of truth that is dependent upon certain conditions and circumstances in their own life. What they are saying should be something that includes everyone and not just a certain “sect” of people. Their ideas should be open to all people and there need not be any “secrets” or “mysteries” about what they are trying to convey to you.

The next important characteristic to look for in a true spiritual person is the willingness that they have to offer their ideas free to others, at least in part. Although teachers often have to charge their students for book printing, advertisements and travel expenses, it should become apparent if they have something to gain besides the simple joy of spreading their message. Oftentimes, truly spiritual people will charge for some of their lectures but they will also offer some free sessions as well.

Another characteristic to look for is that they should not be seeking power for power's sake. Oftentimes, a person who appears to be fighting a particular ‘cause’ is actually caught in a power struggle with their supposed “enemies” and this actually represents a limited position in life. True spirituality recognizes the dominion of peace over all other forms of power.
 
A spiritual person does not need to ‘fight for a cause’ because peace is its own end and its own reward. Peace does not have any needs or desires except in as much as it seeks to share itself with others who seek its same sovereignty. This does not require ‘fighting’ for anything external.

A true spiritual person places no demands, requirements or controlling rules and regulations on anyone else and only offers suggestions to those who wish to find that same peace within themselves. Peace is an inside job and others should be free to come and go around a spiritual person and do not need to be persuaded, coerced or intimidated into believing what someone else says.
 
Spiritual people already are total and complete in and of themselves and don’t need to gain ‘followers’ or adherents to their truth, although this may happen of its own. Spiritual people remain non-involved in world affairs and, even when the world seeks to pull them into its theatrical, glamorized arena, they remain non-attached and peaceful.

The characteristics of a true spiritual person are that they have no need to change the world and see all of life as deserving of absolute reverence. This is God’s world, although the ego may sometimes tell us otherwise.
 
Spiritual people seek to avoid the things which are unhealthy rather than trying to oppose those things. They see the simple beauty and perfection of all that exists and feel a compassion for all life rather than an emotional involvement.

Although a true spiritual person is often respected by others around them, they reject any special treatment and remain humble. They do not depend on the authority of any other person, place, institution or historical document in order to maintain their spiritual qualities but merely espouse certain teachings or teachers as a way of affirming the truth which they are already know within themselves. Truth is the same no matter who speaks it or at what time or place in history. If it is true that a person should ‘love his mother’ then it is true regardless of whether anyone says it or not.
 
Spiritual people know what is true and don’t require the need to ‘prove’ their awareness to others. They are content with merely knowing that truth and then living it according to the way it has worked for them. These are what the characteristics of a true spiritual person are.

Author's Bio: www.illumen8.com  What is true spirituality really? Maybe this guide will shed some light on the subject…it outlines 3 ancient spiritual truths that are not only timeless, but also life changing. You can download it for FREE - click here to download
 
source site: click here
 

What the Food Has to Do with Spirituality? - By Teo Gee

One of the first barriers a spiritual seeker has to overcome is the compliant with the food restrictions implied by the Master. Why the real spiritual Masters demand, without any compromise, strict lacto-vegetarian diet to be followed? What that has to do with the spiritual advancement on the Path?

The answer is coming from spiritual prospective, only. The disciple has to stop accruing more debts while still in the physical plane. One of the greatest sources for increasing your karma is the food.

Many seekers tend to pay no attention to the food & they have to pay the consequences of that. They're invisible for the seeker until the moment of reaching the highest planes on the inner journey.

Any food causing dead of the animals, poultry, fish & eggs is considered loaded with heavy karma. When you consume such a food, from the spiritual point of view, you're increasing your debt. Any debt in your account has to be paid during this lifetime.

If your
goal is the North Pole & you make a step towards it & two steps back you’re more likely to arrive on the South Pole then to the North one. The same is in force on the spiritual plane. You can't achieve your spiritual goal by constantly increasing your karmic load. That's simple to understand & not easy to follow in the beginning.

By giving you a clear instruction on following lacto-vegetarian diet the Masters are
protecting you from increasing the heavy load, already available in large amount in your spiritual account. They're preparing you for the spiritual journey within by telling you how to start working on decreasing your karma.

That has nothing to do with keeping your body
healthy or preventing you from the sickness. There is only one & point of view here & that is – the spiritual point of view. Health & sickness is something concerning the physical body. Masters are dealing with your spiritual body, only.

The question may arise why the eggs are included in the list, also? They may have been produced in the farm & no life can be within them at all. That is correct, but how you as a consumer can verify that fact? Do you
think that the time & the efforts needed to verify the above are affordable?

There's a very simple rule given by the Masters to follow here: When the disciple is in
doubt about the content of the food – discard it. Today, you have so many labeled foods with long lists of ingredients, no one can verify, even undertaking a very serious research.

On the other side the market offers large variety of non labeled foods. Vegetables, fruits, nuts & grains provide enough energy a human being needs to survive on the planet. That food still delivers some karma. The only difference is that the disciple can afford it & is actually covering it by
meditation practice, done on a daily basis.

Following the advice of somebody, who already achieved the ultimate
goal on any field of this life, is a key point to success in every endeavor. We needed a teacher to learn how to walk, talk, write, learn, work & accomplish everything in this world.

How can you afford to waste your life without following the advice given by somebody who already achieved the highest spiritual goal within?

The questions will always be there, trying to destruct you from advancing on the inner path. But you have to spend a fair amount of time in search for the answers you
need. No one can advance within before finding the best answers on the major question. That’s why no time is wasted when looking for the right answer on the path of the spirituality.

Happy inner journey!

Look for the next article: The Second Rule of the Spiritual Masters: No Alcohol and Drugs

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The Incredible Power of Prayer