1/15/13

A Spiritual Practice

 

 

In my previous entry I talked about spiritual practice as a means of quieting distracting mind chatter.  Spiritual practice also is a means of connecting consciously with our Divine nature.  Put another way this is heightened awareness.   Spiritual practice also grounds this heightened awareness in daily life.  We shift our awareness of ourselves from the mundane history of our lives to that of a Divine creation originating from the One Source of all that is.

 

The hardest part might be to begin.  I encourage you to pursue a spiritual practice that appeals to you.  Don't feel that you have to limit yourself to a certain practice. The practice is for your spiritual benefit and there is no one practice for everyone.  If you try a practice and it doesn't seem to be "doing it " for you, then my suggestion is to modify the practice to better suit you or try another one.

 

A simple practice is likely to serve you best.  You can always add more elements later.  Can you do the practice whether you are traveling or at home? Make it doable.  If you don't have twenty minutes then do ten minutes or five minutes, start wherever you are. Perhaps you can do your practice first thing in the morning when the house is quiet or at night when you are lying in bed before going to sleep.  Maybe you could do five minutes in the morning and five in the evening.  If the time extends itself, so be it. 

 

Some find that using guided practice such as a C.D. or an MP3 works well.  Some find reading prayers or daily meditations works well for them.  Some repeat a mantra.  For others, silence is key.  I have found that repeating a written or audio practice soon becomes familiar and I can then do the practice on my own.  The ritual of a repeated process can accelerate entering the state of heightened awareness.  You might find that you want to engage in some added spiritual practice when you have s few moments of time like waiting at the dentist's office.

 

Blessings from the heart,

Reverend Marya OMalley