Spiritual Art Blog - *Ed P

Eight easy ways to eliminate anxiety and worry

Recently I've spoken with a few different friends who suffer from anxiety or worry. While most of us will have some anxious moments now and then, these guys suffer from it regularly and have to resort to medication to help them get through life and/or sleep at night. 

If you or someone you know suffers from these, here are a few ideas on dealing with this twin headed monster of anxiety and worry.

 

Live here and now

When we worry we are concerned about the future, where will we be tomorrow, in a week, a month or a years time? What if this or that happen or if something else doesn't happen? What will I do then? How will I cope if it doesn't come together like I planned?

Wow, I'm getting anxious just writing these thoughts down. There is a burning starting in my gut which in turn is producing even more anxiety. My first reaction is to sing the HU song within myself so that it will help me find a balanced state of mind. As I sing a long HUuuuuu on my outgoing breath, I listen for a sound within. I can usually hear a high pitch electronic type sound which reassures me that I have a connection to the Life-force or the Holy Spirit and my happy, true, loving self, Soul. 

You may hear different sounds such as a distant train or jet, running water or the sea, musical instruments or an orchestra, the buzzing of bees or singing of birds. The sound confirms that we are in the right place at this moment and we are going with the flow of life. Even if there is chaos all around me, hearing this inner sound is a comfort and reassurance that I'm going in the right direction. 

It also helps me focus on the here and now. What needs to be done now? What is the next step I can take? What one thing can I do to improve the situation. 

 

Take action

When you take action, you focus on what you are doing in the moment. You take your attention away from what you fear may happen in the future and focus on what you doing now. When we worry about things in the future, we can see that we cannot control them, so we get anxious and fearful as they may not turn out the way we wish. We are correct in thinking that things will likely be different than what we imagined. We are projecting ourselves into the future, where we do not belong. We belong here, in this place, in this moment. We can only have an effect on where we are here and now. 

 

The wish to control is a mistake

While we may wish to control as much of our lives as possible this idea is a mistake. There are many people around us who each have their own ideas of how they want their lives to run. We do not and cannot control all the people we interact with in life and around us. 

You want to go straight, I want to go left, she wants to go right and he wants to go back. How do we work it so that we can all get to where we want to go without crashing into each other? Thankfully there is a higher intelligence and power which facilitates us when we let it. This Life-force will help each of us find our way. We don't have to force our will on the situation. We can watch how life unfolds and join in its dance.

 

 

Taken for a dance

We are now at a point where we have a change of attitude. We are no longer marching our lives in one direction like a soldier on a parade ground. When we let Life lead us in the direction it sees as best for us, it is like we are being taken for a dance through the streets of a town, along the roads of the countryside, through the trees of the forest, among the valleys and mountains. When we relax our attitude to what we want, what should happen and where we should be, Life shows us new ways, different places and inspiring things. This is happening for us, to help us or teach us something. When we trust Life to lead us to where is best for us, we leave anxiety and worry behind.

 

The big picture

Our fixed attitude of having to be in a particular situation limits our ability to enjoy what Life gives us. Our tunnel vision eliminates all the colours and textures of the masterpiece that is before us. Our wish to control our lives requires us to focus on some small detail which we feel we can force to do as we wish but in doing so we loose sight of the big picture.

Letting life flow requires us to change our attitude from one of trying to control all that happens, to one of watching what live life brings us. While we can plan, organise and do our best to make things happen, we let Life have the final decision on how it all works out. We do our best and let Life do the rest.

Life is an adventure, it's not a definite route. While we can plan on going in a direction we need to be flexible to allow for unexpected turns on the road. Life is not like a long straight and boring motorway trip. It is more like a country road where there are lots of turns with surprises along the way. It's an adventurous journey. 

 

Do our best

We are not experts at everything we do. Mostly we are novices at what we do in life. We are all learning. We can only do our best at this moment. Sure, it may not be as good as what other people can do but it is our best effort for now. The next time we get to do this task again we will have learned from this experience and will have ideas on making improvements on doing it. 

 

Physical exercise

"Go for a walk and you'll feel better" is good advice which you may have heard from your parents, family or friends. Medical research is confirming the fact that exercise is good for our physical and mental health. A lot of research suggests that regular exercise could replace strong anti-depressant medication. Walking, running, swimming, cycling, anything that gets our body physically active will wake up our system. Our breathing will increase, our blood will pump faster, our skin will sweat and endorphins (happy juice) will be released into our body. All of this makes for a happier body, one that feels awake, working and worthwhile. It's another technique we can use to help us get rid of our anxiety and worry.

 

Spiritual exercise 

Our worry and anxiety happens within ourselves. It is not in our outer world, it is in our inner world. We need to become familiar with our inner world to be able to deal with the issues that arise there. Spending time every day contemplating on our lives, how they work, why the are the way they are and the love that keeps it all working for us. These topics as well as the ones we have to deal with in our outer life are all worthy of contemplation. However, our current issues in life can often add turmoil rather than peace to our spiritual exercises. here's a way to approach them.

As you sit in a quiet peaceful place, think of something or someone you love, something to warm your heart. Sing the sacred word HU on your outgoing breath a number of times. Then listen for sounds around you and within you. Also with your eyes closed, look for light on your inner screen. The light may appear as a glow, a sparkle, a flash or a variety of colours. Enjoy the light and sounds. Let your thoughts float past you. Just observe them, try and not get caught up in solving or dealing with them. If a thought does begin to dominate your contemplation, sing Hu again and listen and watch for the inner sounds and light. Do this for a bout twenty minutes a day if you can.

 

Eight easy ways to eliminate anxiety and worry

Just to summarise what we've discussed

Be careful of the thoughts we think, they can be the source of our anxiety.

Use the HU song to balance yourself and connect with your true self, Soul and the Life-force.

Take action, do one thing that will help your situation.

Our wish to control life is a mistake. Dance with Life, watch where it leads you, go with the flow.

Don't focus on the details, be sure you can see the big picture and enjoy the adventure.

Do the best you can do for now, next time you'll get a chance to do it better.

Get physically active so your body can feel alive and happy.

Spend time every day in contemplation so you can understand and get insights on your inner and outer life.

 

These ways of dealing with anxiety are easy but you must be aware of them and put them into action to ensure they work for you. You'll need to do more than just read them here, you now have to put them to use in your life.

Wishing a life of love and adventure without anxiety and worry

*Ed Parkinson

You'll find more insights into life which can help you deal with worry and anxiety on the Spiritual Writings page by clicking here

 

Inspirational Anxiety Quotes

“Soul—the spiritual principle, the creative spark of God—cannot work if you panic. Anxiety shuts down the creative centers. When you can’t think, whatever you try to do becomes one blunder piled upon another. If you slow down, the spiritual principle can begin working through you so that you can figure out the solution to the problem that is bothering you.”

Harold Klemp

 

“Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts and keeps friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and contentment.”

Grenville Kleiser

 

“Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.”

Charles Spurgeon

 

“People tend to dwell more on negative things than on good things. So the mind then becomes obsessed with negative things, with judgments, guilt and anxiety produced by thoughts about the future and so on.”

Eckhart Tolle

 

“Physical comforts cannot subdue mental suffering, and if we look closely, we can see that those who have many possessions are not necessarily happy. In fact, being wealthy often brings even more anxiety.”

Dalai Lama

 

“All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.”

John Kenneth Galbraith

 

“In almost everything that touches our everyday life on earth, God is pleased when we're pleased. He wills that we be as free as birds to soar and sing our maker's praise without anxiety.”

Aiden Wilson Tozer

 

“I try not to worry about the future - so I take each day just one anxiety attack at a time.”

Tom Wilson

 

“I think we all have blocks between us and the best version of ourselves, whether it's shyness, insecurity, anxiety, whether it's a physical block, and the story of a person overcoming that block to their best self. It's truly inspiring because I think all of us are engaged in that every day.”

Tom Hooper

 

“Become a worry-slapper. Treat frets like mosquitoes. Do you procrastinate when a bloodsucking bug lights on your skin? 'I'll take care of it in a moment.' Of course you don't! You give the critter the slap it deserves. Be equally decisive with anxiety.”

Max Lucado

 

 

“There are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature.”

Henry David Thoreau

 

“A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.”

Aesop

 

“If I take death into my life, acknowledge it, and face it squarely, I will free myself from the anxiety of death and the pettiness of life - and only then will I be free to become myself.”

Martin Heidegger

 

“Happiness is not a brilliant climax to years of grim struggle and anxiety. It is a long succession of little decisions simply to be happy in the moment.”

J. Donald Walters

 

“The components of anxiety, stress, fear, and anger do not exist independently of you in the world. They simply do not exist in the physical world, even though we talk about them as if they do.”

Wayne Dyer

 

 

“The courage to be is rooted in the God who appears when God has disappeared in the anxiety of doubt.”

Paul Tillich

 

“Comedy is defiance. It's a snort of contempt in the face of fear and anxiety. And it's the laughter that allows hope to creep back on the inhale.”

Will Durst

 

“Generally speaking, the anxiety will pass, which is easy for me to say when I'm not in the middle of an anxiety attack. When you're in the throes of one, it's hard to feel anything other than utter misery and terror.”

Scott Stossel

 

“Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.”

Plato

 

“There is great beauty in going through life without anxiety or fear. Half our fears are baseless, and the other half discreditable.”

Christian Nestell Bovee

 

“Concentration is a fine antidote to anxiety.”

Jack Nicklaus

If you like more insights into life and anxiety visit the Spiritual Inspirations page by clicking here.

 

Dreams are another reality

Do you have dreams? Do you have nightmares? Are they real? Think about their reality for a minute.

When you are in the dream they are real and when you are in a nightmare the situation you are going through is all too real. Very often in a nightmare we are struggling to escape from the reality because it can be so painful, sorrowful, horrid or frightening. When we do get out of that world and back into this one we are very happy to have been able to escape from the nightmare. 

I'm sure there are dreams you've had which were beautiful, wonderful and loving. You wanted to stay in them forever. When we wake up from this kind of dream we often keep the feeling of warmth and love with us for most of the day and look forward to it again when go to sleep that night.

In the Western world we have some confused thinking about dreams, nightmares and their reality. When we are awake we say they are not real but when we are asleep and in them we know they are real. How do we sort this out in our heads?

 

Two realities

We are dealing with two realities. Our physical outer world is real when we are awake and moving around in it. Our dream or inner world is real when we are asleep physically and awake in the dream worlds. When you leave the dream world they are no longer real because you have moved your focus from one reality to another. You, your focus of attention, Soul, has moved from your inner world to your outer world, from your dream world to your physical world. This switch of realities happens as soon as you start to move out of your bed.

When I wake up in the morning the first thing I notice is the light. Is it dark or light? If its light i know its close to getting up time. Then I check my mind for the day of the week and also if there are any appointments I have to meet early this morning. If there is no rush in getting up, I'll roll over to see the time on my bedside clock. I'll also check to see how my body feels. Am I still tired or do I have a lot of energy? The answer will determine my next move. 

If I don't have to get out of bed  I may drift back into my dreams. I'll see if there are any still lingering around from a few moments ago. There may be some of interest which I'd like to continue. Getting back into a dream depends on how sleepy I am.

If I'm a little too awake to drop back to sleep, I'll go over the dreams I had last night. As I lie snoozing in bed I'll recall as many dreams as I can from the previous night. If there is what I consider a significant dream I'll go over it in detail, trying to remember it all. I'll piece it together as I lie almost asleep in bed. This way I can bring the dream from my inner memory into my outer memory. Once I have a satisfactory amount of it transferred, I'll reach for my journal and start wring what I can recall of the dream. While a lot of what I write may not make logical sense in this physical world, it is all possible in the dream world. Keeping a note of the dream will help me relate it back to something going on in my physical world in a few months time if I don't already recognise what it relates to.

 

 

Writing my dreams

What I've found from writing my dreams down, is that I am able to see what they relate to more easily and can sometimes get an insight from them straight away. Other dreams reveal their message after some time has passed and I've been through some experiences. Then the meaning of the dream becomes apparent. This is how I move my inner dream reality into my outer physical world.

If the dream relates to something happening at the moment in my life, when I come to that situation I'll remember the dream insight because I wrote it down earlier. If I didn't spend the time writing it down I probably wouldn't recall the dream as I go through the situation and so miss the chance to use the wisdom.

 

In reality we are living in two worlds

Hopefully this helps you see that we are more than our physical body. We are living in two worlds, our outer physical and our inner dream world. When we are in one we generally disregard the other. When we wake up in the morning as soon as we open our eyes we begin to engage in our outer world. Our focus, our true self Soul, now moves into surviving in the physical world. It requires the gathering of our energy, paying attention to where we are going and getting ourselves organised to start our day. Our dream world is only a distraction in this physical world so we completely forget about it as we focus on what is going on around us. Thus our dream world is no longer real but only minutes ago it was our main reality and existence.

Another reason to be aware of this is to use the wisdom and insights we receive while we are in our dream worlds. Our dream worlds are usually a higher level of existence. Our dreams give us insights into the situations, people and challenges of our physical world. Once we realise the existence of these two realities we can begin to uncover the wisdom and vision from our inner world.

Wake up slowly, gather the memories of your dreams together and bring them into your outer memory, your second reality.

If there is a significant dream, write it down in a dream diary or journal.

We aware that you can slip into your inner world at any time using your imagination and daydreams. You don't have to wait  to go to sleep.

Wishing you insights, wisdom and love as you explore your two realities.

 

*Ed Parkinson

You'll find more insights about our different realities on the Spiritual Writings page by clicking here

 

Inspirational Reality Quotes

“As we unfold spiritually, the reality of our inner life enters new dimensions and we must change with it.”

Harold Klemp

 

“A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”

Colin Powell

 

“Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you're riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!”

Bob Marley

 

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

Lao Tzu

 

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”

Soren Kierkegaard

 

“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”

Jesse Owens

 

“Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.”

Tupac Shakur

 

“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.”

Plutarch

 

“The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask.”

Jim Morrison

 

“Don't lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.”

Ralph Marston

 

“Love is the only reality and it is not a mere sentiment. It is the ultimate truth that lies at the heart of creation.”

Rabindranath Tagore

 

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.”

Napoleon Hill

 

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

Albert Einstein

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”

Yoko Ono

 

 

“We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality.”

Iris Murdoch

 

“The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.”

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

 

“Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.”

John Lennon

 

“Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.”

Nikos Kazantzakis

 

“Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.”

Jonas Salk

 

“Let us live for the beauty of our own reality.”

Charles Lamb

For more quotes on different types of reality visit the Spiritual Inspirations page by clicking here.

 

Count your blessings every day, every hour, every minute

There are many blessings in our lives but we don't see most of them. We can get into the habit of being in our habits, where we continue on the same circle of thought, actions and behaviours day after day which leads to month after month and even year after year. We can get stuck in a groove.

One way of escaping this is to count our blessings. We can count our blessings each evening as we lie in bed at the end of the day. We can go through the day in our mind and notice the positive things that happened. We can also take note of the negative things and try to see how they could be a benefit for us. What lesson is it trying to teach us? What can we learn from it? How can we do it better next time? 

We can count our blessings every moment of the day. As things happen we can say “Thank You” to Life, the Divine, the Holy Spirit, the Higher Power or whatever you wish to call this loving and generous power which organises this list of benefits in our lives.

 

Write these down

It's a good idea to have a journal where you can write these down. Writing them down helps them become more real. It moves them from our inner world into our outer world. It gives them a presence in our physical world. Writing our list of blessings creates a treasure we can draw on when we are going through a tough time. As we go through dark times, this list of gems will brighten our attitude and lets us see there were gifts in our lives previously and they will return to our life again. 

 

 

List of blessings

On the list would be things like:

A smile from someone

A nice drink of water or coffee

Completing a task or part of a project

The lunch you had

The nice email you received

A phone call

How you came through a difficult situation

The article or magazine you read

 

Then there are lots of blessings we take for granted such as:

Our health

Our breathing

The fact that we can walk, run, talk, eat, etc.

The many friends we have

Our local area

Nature around us

Our home

The list can go on and on.

 

Two small boxes

Here is a technique I use on a Friday. I have two small boxes, about 8 cm long x 4 cm deep x 2 cm high or 3 inches long x 1.5 inches deep x 1 inch high. One box is full of small beads which came from a Christmas decoration. The other box is empty. On a Friday I open the two boxes and as I notice the positive things happening around me I'll move a bead into the empty box. I continue this throughout the day. If I haven't moved the beads for an hour or two, I'll then look back over the few hours and see what blessings have come to me. Some days there will be thirty or so beads in the box by the end of the day. Sometimes there is double that. If I was to really take notice of all the benefits in the day, I'm sure I'd have several boxes full.

The boxes work for me as I'm at a desk most of the day. I originally got the idea from a friend who works in a shop and she puts marbles in one of her pockets. As she notices a blessing she moves a marble into an empty pocket. If she moves all of them into the "empty" pocket, she will then start moving them back to the original pocket and continue her counting.

The objective is to became aware of the benefits and advantages in our lives. By noticing that we do have a number of nice things happen to us we will begin to see the positive side of our life. We will realise that our life isn't so bad and that we have many things to be happy about.

Wishing you love and blessings throughout your life.

 

*Ed Parkinson

You'll find more insights and blessings on the Spiritual Writings page by clicking here

 

Blessing Quotes 2

"True contemplation is reflecting on the blessings of God in your life."

Harold Klemp

“Every day I feel is a blessing from God. And I consider it a new beginning. Yeah, everything is beautiful.”

Prince

 

“God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty.”

Peter Marshall

 

“When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance.”

Joel Osteen

 

“The thing to do, it seems to me, is to prepare yourself so you can be a rainbow in somebody else's cloud. Somebody who may not look like you. May not call God the same name you call God - if they call God at all. I may not dance your dances or speak your language. But be a blessing to somebody. That's what I think.”

Maya Angelou

 

“When you begin to worry, go find something to do. Get busy being a blessing to someone; do something fruitful. Talking about your problem or sitting alone, thinking about it, does no good; it serves only to make you miserable. Above all else, remember that worrying is totally useless. Worrying will not solve your problem.”

Joyce Meyer

“Since many of you do not belong to the Catholic Church and others are non-believers, from the bottom of my heart I give this silent blessing to each and every one of you, respecting the conscience of each one of you but knowing that each one of you is a child of God.”

Pope Francis

 

“Humor is mankind's greatest blessing.”

Mark Twain

“The most important thing is God's blessing and if you believe in God and you believe in yourself, you have nothing to worry about.”

Mohamed Al-Fayed

 

“A man filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”

Joseph Smith, Jr.

 

 

“It's never too late. Don't focus on what was taken away. Find something to replace it, and acknowledge the blessing you have.”

Drew Barrymore

 

“Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.”

Abraham Joshua Heschel

 

“A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world.”

Joseph Addison

 

“It is a holy blessing to be born with the exquisite qualities of a daughter of God. Women of God, both old and young, are spiritual and sensitive, tender and gentle. They have a kind, nurturing nature. This is your inheritance. Never belittle the gifts God has given to you. Develop the divinity that is within you.”

Margaret D. Nadauld

 

“Death is really a great blessing for humanity, without it there could be no real progress. People who lived for ever would not only hamper and discourage the young, but they would themselves lack sufficient stimulus to be creative.”

Alfred Adler

 

“Indeed, it is as important to learn how to receive a blessing as it is to be willing to give one.”

Joel Osteen

 

“A man's felicity consists not in the outward and visible blessing of fortune, but in the inward and unseen perfections and riches of the mind.”

Thomas Carlyle

 

“I am so blessed. I've been way over-blessed. At 64 years old, I look forward to going to bed every night so I can wake up in the morning and see what blessing is going to come my way that day. Because you never, ever know what God's got in store for you.”

Paula Deen

 

“I believe that whatever comes at a particular time is a blessing from God.”

A. R. Rahman

 

“I think in every lesson there's a blessing, and there's so many blessings from all the lessons I've had to go through in life.

Alonzo Mourning

 

“God offers us counsel not just for our own safety, but for the safety of His other children, whom we should love. There are few comforts so sweet as to know that we have been an instrument in the hands of God in leading someone else to safety. That blessing generally requires the faith to follow counsel when it is hard to do.”

Henry B. Eyring

 

“No blessing goes uncontested. It will take a long time to get your dream.”

Miranda Hart

 

“Life is not always easy to live, but the opportunity to do so is a blessing beyond comprehension. In the process of living, we will face struggles, many of which will cause us to suffer and to experience pain.”

L. Lionel Kendrick

You'll find more blessings in the quotes on the Spiritual Inspirations page by clicking here.

 

Detachment, a key to freedom and happiness

Firstly, let's define what we mean by detachment. For our purpose the definition is, the ability to separate ourselves from the objects, emotions, memories and attitudes of our outer world.

Our lack of attachment to these things will allow us to be free from the effects and limitations they can have on us.

Being able to achieve this state will free us from the need to control or be the victim of these things along with being happier in our selves. A few examples and stories will help illustrate what this means.

 

Objects

As we have a physical body and live in an outer physical world we often think of it as the only reality. With this view some of the things in our outer world become very attractive to us, such as cars, houses, our home, personal affects, technology, friends, family, places, etc.

An accountant friend of mine, when he was younger and starting his career,set himself a number of financial goals for different periods in his future life. He discussed these with a number of his friends and one warned him of attaching too much importance to financial goals. "Don't be too rigid with your financial goals. If you set a goal of having 100,000 by a certain time and you only have 80,000, you will be disappointed with yourself. You will still have 80,000 more than most people but you will not be happy. You'll probably be upset with yourself. You'll be a lot richer than most people and you will be unhappy. Be relaxed about your goals. Be patient with yourself and be happy with your small achievements. All the small ones will add up something big in the end. It can just takes time and persistence."

He took that advice and when he didn't achieve his goals, he was happy that he did achieve something and could see ways of getting closer to his goal through what he had learned getting to where he was now. By being detached from his goals, he was a happier person. 

 

The Funny Guy

The emotional reaction to an event or a person's actions can tie us into a pattern of behaviour which is not good for us or can have a negative effect on us.

"John" was the funny guy in most social gatherings. He could be relied upon to get a laugh out of a situation. He'd find something to joke about or make fun of someone. That was in his younger days. As he matured he realised that he was doing this to be accepted socially. He needed to be approved by his peers and having them laugh at what he said was a sign of approval for him. This behaviour was forcing him into being the funny guy wherever he went. The pressure of keeping up this funny guy role got to him and he turned to alcohol to help him perform. Eventually even the drink and prescribed drugs he relied upon failed to help him keep up this pretence. His life began to fall apart. He couldn't handle social events, his concentration and ability to work got less and less. John had to face the fact that he was not the funny guy he thought the world wanted. He was a vulnerable, sensitive human being with many challenges and issues in his life. Once he detached himself from the funny guy image and accepted this hidden self he was able to rebuild his life.  He was no longer John the funny guy but John the real guy with his failings and talents.

He achieved a detachment from his funny guy role by going through a very tough breakdown of the outer personality he portrayed to the world. It was a very hard journey to take but he was a lot happier to be able to live truly as the person he is.

 

Attitudes

Our attitudes and opinions can dictate how we view the world around us. Some attitudes will only allow for particular things to affect us. When we come across a situation our attitude dictates how we react to it.

A man I met in Sri Lanka has an interesting attitude toward the mosquitoes which come out in the evenings. For me they are a pest and a possible carrier of disease and so to be avoided if at all possible. However this guy's attitude is "Four or five of you can bite me and drink my blood but the rest of you should leave me alone". This works well for him. He doesn't mind the few bites he gets and is happy to be out in the cool evening air, whereas I and others with similar attitudes of avoiding the bugs at all costs do not have the freedom and contentment of this guy as the mosquitoes fly around us. 

My lack of detachment from this attitude means I do not enjoy anywhere there are mosquitoes. I can be in a beautiful place but view is obscured by my attitude to the mosquitoes. It's such a pity.

 

 

People

We can easily become attached to the significant people in our lives like our parents, siblings, spouse, partner or friends. They usually fulfil an essential role in our lives but if they were to leave suddenly or even over time we would miss them a lot. 

As you get older you are more likely to have the experience of someone significant in your life leaving your world. You feel the large gap they leave in your life when someone we love dies or goes away. This is a forced detachment by the circumstances in our lives.

 

A spiritual exercise to reconnect

To overcome the pain of being detached from something or someone we love we can use a spiritual exercise to reconnect. Firstly find a place which is comfortable and where you won't be disturbed. Then sing the sacred word HU on your outgoing breath about six times. It's pronounced like the word “hue”. The HU Song helps you connect with the loving, happy and beautiful core of your being, Soul. Once you've relaxed a bit, in your imagination gather thoughts of the person or thing you've been detached from. Get involved in the scene, have fun with the person, ask questions, enjoy your time with them. Spend as long as you like with them.

As the scene ends or fades be aware of the feelings of joy or love you have just experienced. Be grateful for them and for the chance to be with them again. Taking note or writing these experiences down can help you appreciate this inner link with the person and ease some of the hurt you feel with their absence. Over time you may come to realise that they are not gone, they have just moved to a different area of being.

 

Detachment

Detachment is not an easy thing to achieve but it is a valuable ability to work on. It can make our lives happier as the stories above illustrated. The accountant was happy reaching part of his goal, even if he didn't get all he hoped for. John, the funny guy, was eventually able to drop his pretence and embrace his true self by detaching himself from the false image he had portrayed for so long. The man in Sri Lanka who had an agreement with the mosquitoes had the freedom to enjoy his environment. The HU Song spiritual exercise can be a great help in many aspects of our lives including finding a sense of detachment.

When we are detached from the results of our wishes, from the things around us, from the people in our lives and we let Life move them as It wishes, we will have a more contented and fulfilled life.

 

Wishing you love and detachment in all areas of your life.

 

*Ed Parkinson

For more information on the HU Song, click here to visit Eckankar's HU Song page

For more insights on subjects like detachment visit the Spiritual Writings page by clicking here

 

Detachment, a key to freedom and happiness

Firstly, let's define what we mean by detachment. For our purpose the definition is, the ability to separate ourselves from the objects, emotions, memories and attitudes of our outer world.

Our lack of attachment to these things will allow us to be free from the effects and limitations they can have on us.

Being able to achieve this state will free us from the need to control or be the victim of these things along with being happier in our selves. A few examples and stories will help illustrate what this means.

 

Objects

As we have a physical body and live in an outer physical world we often think of it as the only reality. With this view some of the things in our outer world become very attractive to us, such as cars, houses, our home, personal affects, technology, friends, family, places, etc.

An accountant friend of mine, when he was younger and starting his career,set himself a number of financial goals for different periods in his future life. He discussed these with a number of his friends and one warned him of attaching too much importance to financial goals. "Don't be too rigid with your financial goals. If you set a goal of having 100,000 by a certain time and you only have 80,000, you will be disappointed with yourself. You will still have 80,000 more than most people but you will not be happy. You'll probably be upset with yourself. You'll be a lot richer than most people and you will be unhappy. Be relaxed about your goals. Be patient with yourself and be happy with your small achievements. All the small ones will add up something big in the end. It can just takes time and persistence."

He took that advice and when he didn't achieve his goals, he was happy that he did achieve something and could see ways of getting closer to his goal through what he had learned getting to where he was now. By being detached from his goals, he was a happier person. 

 

The Funny Guy

The emotional reaction to an event or a person's actions can tie us into a pattern of behaviour which is not good for us or can have a negative effect on us.

"John" was the funny guy in most social gatherings. He could be relied upon to get a laugh out of a situation. He'd find something to joke about or make fun of someone. That was in his younger days. As he matured he realised that he was doing this to be accepted socially. He needed to be approved by his peers and having them laugh at what he said was a sign of approval for him. This behaviour was forcing him into being the funny guy wherever he went. The pressure of keeping up this funny guy role got to him and he turned to alcohol to help him perform. Eventually even the drink and prescribed drugs he relied upon failed to help him keep up this pretence. His life began to fall apart. He couldn't handle social events, his concentration and ability to work got less and less. John had to face the fact that he was not the funny guy he thought the world wanted. He was a vulnerable, sensitive human being with many challenges and issues in his life. Once he detached himself from the funny guy image and accepted this hidden self he was able to rebuild his life.  He was no longer John the funny guy but John the real guy with his failings and talents.

He achieved a detachment from his funny guy role by going through a very tough breakdown of the outer personality he portrayed to the world. It was a very hard journey to take but he was a lot happier to be able to live truly as the person he is.

 

Attitudes

Our attitudes and opinions can dictate how we view the world around us. Some attitudes will only allow for particular things to affect us. When we come across a situation our attitude dictates how we react to it.

A man I met in Sri Lanka has an interesting attitude toward the mosquitoes which come out in the evenings. For me they are a pest and a possible carrier of disease and so to be avoided if at all possible. However this guy's attitude is "Four or five of you can bite me and drink my blood but the rest of you should leave me alone". This works well for him. He doesn't mind the few bites he gets and is happy to be out in the cool evening air, whereas I and others with similar attitudes of avoiding the bugs at all costs do not have the freedom and contentment of this guy as the mosquitoes fly around us. 

My lack of detachment from this attitude means I do not enjoy anywhere there are mosquitoes. I can be in a beautiful place but view is obscured by my attitude to the mosquitoes. It's such a pity.

 

 

People

We can easily become attached to the significant people in our lives like our parents, siblings, spouse, partner or friends. They usually fulfil an essential role in our lives but if they were to leave suddenly or even over time we would miss them a lot. 

As you get older you are more likely to have the experience of someone significant in your life leaving your world. You feel the large gap they leave in your life when someone we love dies or goes away. This is a forced detachment by the circumstances in our lives.

 

A spiritual exercise to reconnect

To overcome the pain of being detached from something or someone we love we can use a spiritual exercise to reconnect. Firstly find a place which is comfortable and where you won't be disturbed. Then sing the sacred word HU on your outgoing breath about six times. It's pronounced like the word “hue”. The HU Song helps you connect with the loving, happy and beautiful core of your being, Soul. Once you've relaxed a bit, in your imagination gather thoughts of the person or thing you've been detached from. Get involved in the scene, have fun with the person, ask questions, enjoy your time with them. Spend as long as you like with them.

As the scene ends or fades be aware of the feelings of joy or love you have just experienced. Be grateful for them and for the chance to be with them again. Taking note or writing these experiences down can help you appreciate this inner link with the person and ease some of the hurt you feel with their absence. Over time you may come to realise that they are not gone, they have just moved to a different area of being.

 

Detachment

Detachment is not an easy thing to achieve but it is a valuable ability to work on. It can make our lives happier as the stories above illustrated. The accountant was happy reaching part of his goal, even if he didn't get all he hoped for. John, the funny guy, was eventually able to drop his pretence and embrace his true self by detaching himself from the false image he had portrayed for so long. The man in Sri Lanka who had an agreement with the mosquitoes had the freedom to enjoy his environment. The HU Song spiritual exercise can be a great help in many aspects of our lives including finding a sense of detachment.

When we are detached from the results of our wishes, from the things around us, from the people in our lives and we let Life move them as It wishes, we will have a more contented and fulfilled life.

 

Wishing you love and detachment in all areas of your life.

 

*Ed Parkinson

For more information on the HU Song, click here to visit Eckankar's HU Song page

For more insights on subjects like detachment visit the Spiritual Writings page by clicking here

 

Inspirational Detachment Quotes

“The real meaning of detached love is to let others exist without forcing our will upon them. That is spiritual love."

Harold Klemp

 

“He who would be serene and pure needs but one thing, detachment.”

Meister Eckhart

 

“The essence of the Way is detachment.”

Bodhidharma

 

“Obedience is detachment from the self. This is the most radical detachment of all. But what is the self? The self is the principle of reason and responsibility in us. It is the root of freedom, it is what makes us men.”

Bede Griffiths

 

“In our Western culture, although death has come out of the closet, it is still not openly experienced or discussed. Allowing dying to be so intensely present enriches both the preciousness of each moment and our detachment from it.”

Ram Dass

 

“I think that writers are, at best, outsiders to the society they inhabit. They have a kind of detachment, or try to have.”

John Irving

 

“All tastes have the quality of being in some way artificial and invented. The secret of life is to have enough detachment from your tastes and your values to see that they are a little bit absurd.”

Mitch Albom,

 

“Manifest plainness,

Embrace simplicity,

Reduce selfishness,

Have few desires.”

Lao Tzu

 

“Detachment means letting go and non attachment means simply letting be.”

Stephen Levine

“Attachment is the great fabricator of illusions; reality can be obtained only by someone who is detached. ”

Simone Weil

 

“If you truly want to be respected by people you love, you must prove to them that you can survive without them.”

Michael Bassey Johnson

 

“The denigration of those we love always detaches us from them in some degree. Never touch your idols: the gilding will stick to your fingers.”

Gustave Flaubert

 

“...for me there is too little of life to spend most of it forcing myself into detachment from it.”

M.F.K. Fisher

 

“Unrealistic expectations often lead to disappointment, while simple unbiased attention and detachment to outcome often lead to pleasant surprises.”

Gary Hopkins

 

 

“...one should act as if the things he cherished the most were already lost or broken.”

H.J. Brues,

 

“Thus shall you think of all this fleeting world:

A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream;

A flash of lightening in a summer cloud,

A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.”

Gautama Buddha

 

“The Sufi is 'One who does not care when something is taken from him, but who does not cease to seek for what he has not.”

Idries Shah

“I gang my own gait and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, with my whole heart; in the face of all these ties I have never lost an obstinate sense of detachment, of the need for solitude — a feeling which increases with the years.”

Albert Einstein

 

“Detachment, properly understood, means freedom, inner freedom. And, although it is not a word Jesus used, detachment expresses very well an important element in his spirituality: the ability to let go. In the Christian tradition this has been spoken of as “purity of heart” or as the process of becoming “poor in spirit.”

Albert Nolan

 

For more inspiration on subjects like detachment visit the Spiritual Inspirations page by clicking here.

 

We are learning lessons from each other

When we get annoyed we are facing a lesson. We are being taught how to deal with that issue, challenge or factor in our lives. We may see the person who is giving us this lesson as an enemy but they really are a valuable teacher, someone who will help us learn a skill which will make our journey through life a little easier. This person could be in our lives for a long time, such as a parent or sibling or a short time such as an acquaintance or visitor. 

The Holy Spirit or the Life-force will put us in the way of these people who will upset us. If we can realise how helpful these annoying people are to us we will be able to deal with them in a more graceful manner and with an appreciation for the gift they have for us. Most of our best teachers don't even realise they are teaching us.

 

This enemy was a real benefit to me

When I was about twelve years old I moved to a new school for what we call in Ireland our secondary education or high school in the States. After a few weeks a guy in a class above me started bullying me. He would get in my way, hit me and generally make life miserable for me. Eventually I rebelled against him and challenged him to a fight on the football pitch, a quiet place where the teachers wouldn't interfere. The next day after class we met on the pitch where there was a crowd of about twenty classmates gathered to see the fight. While it was critical for me to establish my independence from this guy, it was good entertainment for our class mates. 

We set about hitting each other and fight in a chaotic manner. It didn't matter where we hit each other, the objective was to get the other guy on the ground. After a few blows to the face my nose began to bleed, which looked like I was badly wounded. My classmates wanted me to stop fighting but I was having none of that. The nose bleed didn't hurt and I had to beat this guy to make sure I could get around the school without the fear of being bullied by him. After a few more minutes of scrappy fighting he eventually fell to the ground and was not willing to get up again to continue the fight, therefore I was the winner. 

This meant that I wouldn't be hassled by this guy any more. It also showed others that I would fight anyone who tried to bully me, so I didn't suffer from any other bullies for the rest of my time in school. This bully helped me a lot. He let me realise that I had control over my own life if I was willing to fight for it. He helped me gain respect from my classmates. and establish my independence. He showed me that I could survive in life in my own. By going through this process the guy who bullied me was a great help in putting me on the right path at this point in my life. This enemy of mine was a real benefit to me.

 

They taught us a valuable lesson

Another example happened when I started off in business with my partners. We often did work for people who didn't pay us. These devious people taught us that we couldn't accept people's word that they would pay. We had to develop a system to make sure we either got a deposit or else we did small jobs first and only did larger jobs for them as we began to trust them more.

We were in the graphic design business and one of the big costs in a project would be the printing of the job. This could range from a simple business card, to a brochure or even a book with a hundred pages or more. If we were to take on the responsibility for paying the printer and the client eventually didn't pay us, we could be in serious financial difficulty very quickly. We sorted this issue out by introducing the client to the printer and letting the printer collect their money directly from the client. While we may have lost some income by not getting commission on the printing we eliminated a big potential threat to our business. The nasty clients who didn't pay us in the beginning taught us a valuable lesson which helped us become a successful business. 

 

You are a beautiful Soul

 

At the core of your being you are a beautiful, creative, loving and divine Soul. You are living this life to discover the wisdom, power and love you have deep within you. You are a grub crawling around in the dirt so you can become a beautiful butterfly. You are a seed buried in the clay so you can bloom into a beautiful flower. You are the rough rock which is cut, chiselled, ground and polished to become a beautiful diamond. You are the human being living a hard life, realising your lessons, developing dreams, ingesting inspiration and learning to love so you can uncover the beautiful Soul that you are.

Life is the way you learn how to use the divine powers you have. If you can see that the lessons you are learning are helping you become more enlightened, more loving and compassionate then you'll soon see how Life is teaching you to be a beautiful divine Soul. 

The next time you get annoyed, face a challenge or have to deal with an issue, look on it as a lesson to be learned. It is there to teach you a new skill. When you deal with it, handle it and master it successfully you will have a new skill, a new talent and a way of dealing with the issue. You will be free of the limitations it placed on you. You will have gained a little more freedom to be who you are. You will have taken another step on your journey to realising the divine and beautiful Soul that you are. 

Wishing you love as you learn the lessons of life and realise you are a beautiful Soul.

*Ed Parkinson

If you're looking for more insightful lessons on life vist the Spiritual Writings page by clicking here

 

Inspirational Lesson Quotes

"Every experience, waking or dream, has a lesson or message to impart to us."

Harold Klemp

 

“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.”

Malcolm X

 

“A good teacher, like a good entertainer first must hold his audience's attention, then he can teach his lesson.”

John Henrik Clarke

“You can never regret anything you do in life. You kind of have to learn the lesson from whatever the experience is and take it with you on your journey forward.”

Aubrey O'Day

 

“Relationships are eternal. The 'separation' is another chapter in the relationship. Often, letting go of the old form of the relationship becomes a lesson in pure love much deeper than any would have learned had the couple stayed together.”

Marianne Williamson

 

“Never give up, which is the lesson I learned from boxing. As soon as you learn to never give up, you have to learn the power and wisdom of unconditional surrender, and that one doesn't cancel out the other; they just exist as contradictions. The wisdom of it comes as you get older.”

Kris Kristofferson

 

“You know what 'FAILING' stands for? It stands for 'Finding An Important Lesson, Inviting Needed Growth.' “

Gary Busey

 

“One must know the so-called 'lesson of a downpour.' A man, caught in a sudden rain en route, dashes along the road not to get wet or drenched. Once one takes it for granted that in rain he naturally gets wet, he can be in a tranquil frame of mind even when soaked to the skin. This lesson applies to everything.”

Yamamoto Tsunetomo

 

“Sometimes a little heartbreak is a lesson, and the best thing to do is just learn the lesson.”

Jon Voight

“Life is a long lesson in humility.”

James M. Barrie

 

“If you must hold yourself up to your children as an object lesson, hold yourself up as a warning and not as an example.”

George Bernard Shaw

 

“The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well.”

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

 

“In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time.”

Robert Collier

 

“Only when your consciousness is totally focused on the moment you are in can you receive whatever gift, lesson, or delight that moment has to offer.”

Barbara de Angelis

 

“In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.”

Tom Bodett

 

“If God treats you well by teaching you a disastrous lesson, you never forget it.”

Ray Bradbury

 

“The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.”

Horace

 

“That's the reason they're called lessons, because they lesson from day to day.”

Lewis Carroll

 

“Men of sense often learn from their enemies. It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls and ships of war.”

Aristophanes

 

“The Universe is one great kindergarten for man. Everything that exists has brought with it its own peculiar lesson.”

Orison Swett Marden

 

You'll find more lesson insights on the Spiritual Inspirations page by clicking here.

 

How to contact the Life Force

We are all connected to the Life-force but most of us are not aware of this. I was recently asked "How can we get into contact with the "force" that orchestrates our lives so skilfully and lovingly?"

We need to work on some techniques which will help us develop our ability to make contact with and be aware of the Life-force. Below are two techniques you can use. With regular use you'll notice the benefits of making this contact including:

Receiving inside information on our lives, 

Discovering solutions to problems, 

Finding inner peace, 

Making a connection to the Divine Life-force.

 

 

Inside information

After you've built up a habit of going within you begin to notice that you are getting some good insights, the odd bit of inspiration and solutions to issues you are dealing with. You could call this inside information. It's information you haven't been aware of previously. It helps you deal with life in a more insightful way and can clear up a lot of problems. This help usually comes as ideas, random thoughts and a few "Aha" moments while we sit in contemplation. It's information from inside ourselves.

 

Solutions

As our thoughts wander past our awareness while we sit quietly in contemplation, we often drift into a daydream type of experience. We leave our physical world and enter our imaginative world where we now have our focus. This is where we have temporarily left our worldly surroundings and moved into our inner dream worlds. We are now in a higher than usual state of consciousness. From this vantage point we can sometimes view our problems from a different perspective and see new angles to the issue. This viewpoint allows us to see a new way of dealing with them. It may not be the complete solution but it is a step in the right direction. The other steps will reveal themselves during future times of contemplation. We get enough information to do what needs to be done now.

 

HU Song technique

An easy way to get in contact with the Life-force and your inner worlds is by using the very simple spiritual exercise suggested by Eckankar. It's been around since the beginning of time and been used by mystics and followers of most world religions at some stage in their development. It's a bit like meditation using a mantra but do not attempt to blank the mind. Try to focus our attention on the sound and the light which can be seen within. The HU song is a song of love. Love for life, love for our family and friends, love for ourselves. 

 

 

Sing HU

As you sing HU, you think of someone or something you love. Something that warms your heart. Sing it on your outgoing breath in a long drawn out HUuuuu. While breathing in listen for sounds that you can hear, especially inner sounds. After about six breaths rest for a while. Now listen for the sounds you can hear and just be aware of them. Along with all the physical sounds, can you hear any other soft subtle sounds within yourself? These sounds are the key to your inner insights and inspiration. Getting in touch with these sounds will help you tap into the flow of Spirit, the love of life and some wonderful insights. These are the sounds of the creative force which sustains all of creation. They can sound like the wind, soft distant music, a flute, a jet or train, an electronic or high pitch sound, waves or running water. It varies from one person to another and our current consciousness. 

 

The Light

The other aspect of contemplation is the light. This is the light we can see on our inner screen. Initially it may appear as a reverse of what you just looked at with your physical eyes. After this clears and you approach a calmer state of consciousness the light can appear as a glow, sparkles, flashes or the light of an object in a daydream. I have often seen the light as headlights of a car, during contemplation, which then leads me to a daydream like story where the lights become a car which I get into or someone gets out of to talk to me. From there the daydream becomes an inner experience.

 

Rumi's inspiration technique

The mystical Persian poet Rumi, has some advice for us. Here's an inspiring suggestion from one of his poems. 

"Do you want the sweetness of food or the sweetness of the one who put sweetness into food? 

"There are amazing things in the oceans and there is the one who is the ocean. 

"Think of a carpenter's alert concentration when he builds a house. Now think of the one who creates consciousness." *

Now continue this theme of thoughts within yourself. Read those few words above again, then stop and contemplate on them.

You can do this on a regular basis when you come across some insightful or inspiring thoughts which can pop into your head or you may hear or read them as you go about your life. If you can't contemplate on them there and then, take a note of them and refer back to them when you do your contemplation.

 

Establish your connection with the Life-force

There are two techniques of going within yourself where you can explore, discover, be inspired and make contact with the Life-force. For these techniques to be effective you have to do them regularly. You need to set up a certain time each day where you sit in quiet contemplation. This practice then becomes a habit.  You can start doing these exercises for five or ten minutes, depending on how long your patience lasts. Over time you can work this up to twenty or thirty minutes each day.

The insights and inspiration may not arrive the first time you do these spiritual exercises. It takes time and practice to establish your connection with the Life-force. Give yourself time and be patient, the rewards are well worth the effort. 

Wishing you love in your efforts to contact the Life-force   

*Ed Parkinson

 

*Earsight by Rumi from the book, RUMI Bridge to the Soul by Coleman Barks

 

If you are looking for more insights in the life-force visit the Spiritual Writings page by clicking here

 

 

Inspirational Life Force Quotes

"Fill yourself with love. Then you will learn everything you ever need to know about God and life."

Harold Klemp

 

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.”

Martha Graham

“There is a universal, intelligent, life force that exists within everyone and everything. It resides within each one of us as a deep wisdom, an inner knowing. We can access this wonderful source of knowledge and wisdom through our intuition, an inner sense that tells us what feels right and true for us at any given moment.”

Shakti Gawain

 

“Turbulence is life force. It is opportunity. Let's love turbulence and use it for change.”

Ramsey Clark

 

“I am the life-force power of the universe. I am the life-force power of the 50 trillion beautiful molecular geniuses that make up my form, at one with all that is.”

Jill Bolte Taylor

 

“I have to believe there's some other life force out there. I don't know in what form. But we can't have all these galaxies and universes without something going on.”

John Travolta

 

“We are the creative force of our life, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do certain things, we can accomplish those goals.”

Stephen Covey

 

“Love is a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible - it cannot be seen or measured, yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment, and offer you more joy than any material possession could.”

Barbara de Angelis

 

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”

Albert Einstein

 

“Our patience will achieve more than our force.”

Edmund Burke

 

 

“The little reed, bending to the force of the wind, soon stood upright again when the storm had passed over.”

Aesop

 

“It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance... and I know of no substitute whatever for the force and beauty of its process.”

Henry James

 

“Faith is the sense of life, that sense by virtue of which man does not destroy himself, but continues to live on. It is the force whereby we live.”

Leo Tolstoy

 

“We are the miracle of force and matter making itself over into imagination and will. Incredible. The Life Force experimenting with forms. You for one. Me for another. The Universe has shouted itself alive. We are one of the shouts.”

Ray Bradbury

 

“We must look for ways to be an active force in our own lives. We must take charge of our own destinies, design a life of substance and truly begin to live our dreams.”

Les Brown

 

“I've always been a champion of kids pursuing their dreams. But sometimes in life, extraordinary circumstances may force us to temporarily put our dreams on hold. The most important thing is to never lose sight of that dream, no matter what punches life may throw in our way.”

Marlo Thomas

 

“For those who seek to understand it, death is a highly creative force. The highest spiritual values of life can originate from the thought and study of death.”

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

 

“To be sensual, I think, is to respect and rejoice in the force of life, of life itself, and to be present in all that one does, from the effort of loving to the making of bread.”

James A. Baldwin

For more Life Force inspiration visit the Spiritual Inspirations page by clicking here.

 

Inspirational Physical Quotes

"The greatest thing we can possibly gain from this life is the ability to love, and to love greatly."

Harold Klemp

“Spiritual relationship is far more precious than physical. Physical relationship divorced from spiritual is body without soul.”

Mahatma Gandhi

 

“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”

Henry David Thoreau

 

“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”

Bruce Lee

 

“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

“Even when we have physical hardships, we can be very happy.”

Dalai Lama

 

“A mind at peace, a mind centered and not focused on harming others, is stronger than any physical force in the universe.”

Wayne Dyer

 

“Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.”

Yogi Berra

 

“Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.”

Sophia Loren

 

“Physical strength can never permanently withstand the impact of spiritual force.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

“Never continue in a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined.”

Johnny Carson

 

“The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life - mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical.”

Julius Erving

 

“A man who as a physical being is always turned toward the outside, thinking that his happiness lies outside him, finally turns inward and discovers that the source is within him.”

Soren Kierkegaard

 

“It is not the end of the physical body that should worry us. Rather, our concern must be to live while we're alive - to release our inner selves from the spiritual death that comes with living behind a facade designed to conform to external definitions of who and what we are.”

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

 

“Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true.”

Napoleon Hill

 

“It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgement.”

Marcus Tullius Cicero

 

“You and I are all as much continuous with the physical universe as a wave is continuous with the ocean.”

Alan Watts

 

“Trying to suppress or eradicate symptoms on the physical level can be extremely important, but there's more to healing than that; dealing with psychological, emotional and spiritual issues involved in treating sickness is equally important.”

Marianne Williamson

 

“Ecology should be object lessons that the world sees, that explains in a visceral, physical way, the attributes of God.”

Joel Salatin

 

“The physical world, including our bodies, is a response of the observer. We create our bodies as we create the experience of our world.”

Deepak Chopra

For more insightful quotes on the physical and spiritual live, visit the Spiritual Inspirations page by clicking here.

 

We are all actors in this play of life

In this play of life we are all actors on a stage. We may not like the part we have but we should perform it with as much integrity as we can. There are many in our lives who have some nasty parts, especially when these people affect us in a negative way. These people are there to help us learn something valuable and difficult but worthwhile.

She is teaching me

There is one of the actors in my life who is teaching me to stand up for what I believe is true and right. We'll call her "Mary" and she challenges me regularly. For example when I speak about past lives she will discount my stories and even ridicule me because that is not in her beliefs or religion, so for her it can't be true. She is teaching me how to explain my understandings and insights in a simple way that she can grasp. I don't often succeed which explains why she appears regularly in my life. I still have to find a way of explaining my ideas in a format she finds acceptable. She may be a bit of a challenge to deal with at times but she is teaching me a valuable skill. If I can explain my thoughts and insights in a convincing and easily understood way, she will have taught me a lot.

 

How can we see beyond this play

Many of us don't realise we are actors,we are sure this life is the only one we have. We are lost in our role and cannot see the the impermanence and constant changes happening around us and to us.

The simplest example of this is the ageing of our human bodies. We live in them all our lives and for many of us who have lived a number of decades we still feel like we are a few decades younger but our outer body looks a lot older. We feel we haven't changed but our outer features tell a different story. How can we see beyond this veil of our acting a role in life? 

 

Why is our relationship not "normal"?

The first realisation we need is that we are an actor. This life is a play in which we have a part. We can spend time contemplating on this and watching for ways how this idea reveals itself in our lives. There may be family relationships where we are in the role of parent, a child or a sibling to a person we don't get on with. For the sake of peace we maintain the role whenever we meet. It's not a "normal" loving and friendly relationship. There is tension and unease between us. Why is our relationship not "normal"? What is the root cause of the tension?

With difficult family relationships which don't have an easy explanation we may have to look beyond this life into previous lives where we were with the same Soul at a different time. When you first consider this idea, watch for what stories come to mind about the pair of you. These come from your imagination from a dream like world where anything is possible. Play with the stories, see where they lead. Ask questions like, What kind of place were we in? What time period? What are we doing together? Where does the story lead? How does it unfold? If possible write down notes on what comes to mind. 

 

 

We caused the issue in the past

After you've written down your wild imaginative story, forget about it for a while. A week or two later come back and reread it. Then consider if that happened sometime in the past, is that the reason your relationship with this person is as it is?

One of the hard facts we have to face when we are examining the issues we have between people is that we likely caused the issue at some stage in the past. We made a mistake, did something wrong, hurt this person and now we have to learn what that felt like. We now get to experience the pain we caused. This is the law of karma in action. What we sow we reap. 

We are so involved in our lives that it is hard to get this overview. The only time we get away from our role is when we sleep, contemplate or daydream. Sometimes, watching a movie, listening to music, reading a book or listening to stories can help us move from our current role into a different world.

 

A more loving soul

The secret to finding our way off this stage of life is to love all that we do and do all with love. When we begin to see the love that is in life we begin to see what life is all about. It's not going to solve all our problems but it will help us understand them and uncover the real reason for them. Using the imaginative technique above or watching our dreams for hints about our actions in the past can help us figure out what's behind our difficult relationships.

When we can see that the issues we face, as a result of our karma, is the way our Higher Power is teaching us to be a more loving Soul, we will begin to see the love in the situation. 

When we see how Life is balancing all that we do we begin see how our role is laid out for us. We see how we are given a part to play. When we see how we play our part in our own life and the life of others, it can help us grasp why our lives are as they are. These insights can help us find a little more contentment with our life even if we don't like the part we have to play. 

Getting to grips with our issues and misunderstandings gives an opportunity for spiritual unfoldmeant to all concerned. Sorting out our issues helps us be happier life as well as the person we had the difficulty with along with all who know the pair of us. When we search for the love in life, in the people we deal with, in the things we do, in the things that happen to us, we begin to see that we are all actors in this play of life

Wishing you love as you play with life.

*Ed Parkinson

If you'd like to discover more ideas, insights and inspiration you can play with in life, visit the Spiritual Writings page by clicking here