The fundamental aim of spiritual study is to get facts and principles into the Heart's fertile ground. Ideas must get through habitual and familiar filters; otherwise, the information is diverted from having its full power. It's not how much you read or hear that counts, but how much you take in and make your own.
How can you receive knowledge deep in your core so the principles work for you in far higher ways? Here are eight proven methods that work wonders:
1. Write your own book of development. Gather pearls of wisdom as you read, listen to audio programs or attend talks. More importantly, when YOU have an insight, get it down! You'll find as years go by that the notebook you've created is filled with wisdom that has special resonance for YOU.
2. Contemplate. Picture yourself flying a glider. The tow plane lifts you. Now it's your time to soar. You pull the connection and you're on your own. The winds lift you higher and higher.
The glider is a perfect parallel to the art of contemplation. Focus on a single word, sentence, illustration or experience that matters to you. Put the spotlight of your attention on it. What's in this idea that isn't presently seen? What does the experience REALLY mean?
Then, let go of the thought. Soar in the silence. It is the silence following the focus that reveals the core. The silence takes you beyond what you already understand. Transcend the word, concept or experience and move from theory to revelation. Soar to a higher level of deep and rich understanding.
3. Read aloud. Read enthusiastically and with conviction. You may even wish to stand and gesture freely. You can imagine that you are addressing a large and attentive audience, like your own thoughts that now wish to change. Reading silently exercises your intellect, while reading aloud combines both your intellect and your power of speech.
4. Read with repetition. Take four or five pages from a good book, and read these same pages every day for a week before going on to the next four or five pages. Read them more than once, if you have the time, but at least once a day. Just before going to sleep at night is an ideal time. Something marvelous happens when you do this. Information seeps through old patterns.
I first learned of this method from Og Mandino in his classic book, "The Greatest Salesman in the World. "The benefits are enormous.
5. Be a metaphor hunter. This is wonderful fun. Simply be alert to daily life experiences, historical examples or encounters with nature that have a resemblance or connection to a spiritual principle. For example, let's say you're on a hike. You observe an old tree that has fallen into a stream. The tree is lodged but the flowing water gradually breaks it away and takes it downstream. You think with delight how the flow of Truth clears away old thinking that no longer serves your Heart.
Again, it all comes down to what you plant in your Heart. The same experience happens to two people. One seizes the experience and plants the lesson deep within, the other let's it just bounce off the old and familiar mental patterns.
6. Express the knowledge you gather. See yourself as a conduit of information, like a lake that stays pure by taking in fresh water on one side and releasing it on the other. Refuse to be a stagnant pond! Find ways in harmony with your talents and interests to live and express what you learn, even though you may sometimes be criticized. Write, speak, paint, dance, start businesses, raise healthy children. These are all ways to express spiritual knowledge in action.
7. Transform your automobile into a rolling cosmic university. So much good information is now available on audio CD. Drive time on the less crowded open roads is a great place to absorb these treasures. It doesn't all have to be spiritually focused material. Helpful ideas can be found in programs on efficiency and vocabulary, for example. In all your listening, however, don't forget the enlightening value of a quiet drive as well.
8. Make the most of group meeting opportunities. A group where sincere men and women meet to delve deeply into life's great questions can be a powerful venue for collecting more knowledge. Just be aware that not all spiritual and wisdom groups are true and healthy, and some take dreadful wrong turns. More than a few foster dependency to support the endless insecurities of the "leaders." For example, unhealthy groups pry into people's affairs. Never forget that your privacy is your sacred right and must never be sacrificed. Just because you participate in a group activity does not mean that you owe them any explanations concerning your private affairs. This prying is a sure sign of a false group.
With self-reliance, what is best and true for you has an amazing way of finding you. Groups are temporary vehicles that can be valuable, but only if there is genuine value in the group.
Use these eight methods and watch your secret garden bloom in your Heart. You'll feel joy and cheerfulness reach you at unexpected moments, and more frequently.
Thomas Russell is the author of Several eBooks, including The Power of Vertical Thinking and Seven Secrets to Light Up Your Essence. He is the host of http://www.superwisdom.com and the editor of the SuperWisdom E-zine, read biweekly by more than 20,000 people in 42 countries. He assists professional salespeople, entrepreneurs and home based business owners live with greater energy, creativity and spiritual insight. He has been interviewed on more than 200 radio and TV talk shows.
car service from Midway Burlington .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareWhen we find spirituality, or it finds us, the experience... Read More
"...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I... Read More
Tony was a professinoal salt-water fisherman. He explained how he... Read More
I believe in the source we refer to as 'God'.... Read More
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,... Read More
Limiting beliefs, just like positive, empowering thoughts, provide a foundation... Read More
"Self-Actualization" is the process of making our self "actual." Our... Read More
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.... Read More
Existence of God: facts and figures Does God exist?If you... Read More
We come into this world alone, we experience physical life... Read More
Some say praising Jesus is just singing. Others say it... Read More
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ... Read More
INTRODUCTIONSpiritual affirmations are positive, statements of intention, that facilitate manifestation.... Read More
I often ask myself this question. Not in the times... Read More
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in... Read More
Natural laws exist that serve to maintain order in the... Read More
Ok, let's start with the amazing story of Robbie and... Read More
Are you looking for a way to improve your accuracy... Read More
The lighter side of Tarot deals with games played using... Read More
The teacher of the future.... will be a master of... Read More
Perhaps one of the most wonderful assertions that can be... Read More
The Planetary Spread is an excellent layout to use when... Read More
Matthew 2:16-18Herod Kills the Children16 Then Herod, when he saw... Read More
"It's a big challenge. It's a journey into the unknown.... Read More
An etheric body, also known as the aura, surrounds every... Read More
Granger limo Chicago ..I said something last week I haven't said in years.... Read More
Part Two ContinuedIn addition to numerous philosophical problems relating to... Read More
Burn out, it can happen to anyone. Some of the... Read More
Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in... Read More
A spiritual event is what happens in every moment of... Read More
"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my... Read More
As the artist and designer for Ashbach Designs, I want... Read More
Spending 'Quiet Time' with the LordFrom the beginning of my... Read More
About a month ago I opened up my bible in... Read More
The gate of every year is the begining of that... Read More
As more and more alternative and spiritual healings are being... Read More
Animal spirit totems can be viewed in different ways according... Read More
Some of my greatest teachers have taught me that faith... Read More
Celebrities and common people all over the world are known... Read More
Greetings Divine Ones, I am going to ask you a... Read More
Ecclesiasts 5:18 Then I realized that it is good and... Read More
Looking for some ways to feed your soul in the... Read More
The question of life after death is one that continues... Read More
As a walked across the gym floor with perspiration coming... Read More
Many look outside of themselves for an experience of the... Read More
Unconditional love means unconditional freedom. Love and freedom are two... Read More
As humans, we are the species that operate with symbols.... Read More
We all have spirit guides and we all benefit from... Read More
Limiting beliefs, just like positive, empowering thoughts, provide a foundation... Read More
Yes, we are living in a world where we are... Read More
Spirituality |