Seeking Spirituality

The theory behind a Gratitude Journal is basic: You write down five things (or more) that you are grateful for every day.

So many of us simply go through life and never think about all the things we have to be thankful for. Instead, we fill our minds — and our conversations — with all the things we don’t like. Did you know that feelings of depression are often the result of negative thoughts?

By keeping a Gratitude Journal, you begin to ‘train your brain’ to focus on the things you like  instead of the things you don’t like. You reprogram your mind to think more positive thoughts. Very soon, you will discover you are truly appreciating life and all that it has to offer.

Even when you go through dark times in your life and feel you don’t have anything to be grateful for, you would be wrong. There is always something to be thankful for. You may just have to dig a little deeper or look a little harder. For example, be thankful for food on your table, your home, your family, your friends, your health, your pets … or even your comfortable bed. If nothing else, just be grateful you’re alive!

Studies have shown that nurturing a positive attitude results in greater amounts of high energy, more positive moods, a greater sense of being connected with others, and improved sleep patterns. You will also have more enthusiasm, determination, and attentiveness, as well as better overall health.

Being grateful sets in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given to you.

Here’s how to get started:

• Keep your eyes open for things happening during the day for which you are grateful. Make mental notes or jot them down right then. Some people carry a small notepad in their purse or pocket.

• Right before bedtime, look back on the day and think about the things that made you feel good … the warm sun on your face, a hug from one of your children, a phone call from an old friend … and write at least five of them down. You can use a blank notebook, a fancy journal, or even your computer. The important thing is to put them in writing.

• Every day, try to look for the positive side of things. Try to see obstacles as opportunities. Remember, the more positive energy you release, the more will return to you.

As your Gratitude Journal becomes more and more a part of your daily routine, watch how your focus begins to shift to a more positive outlook. Pay attention to how people react to you. You may be surprised at the changes that you will experience in your life.

Tags: Gratitude, Spiritual Practices by Nan
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• All humanity is one family.
• Women and men are equal.
• All prejudice — racial, religious, national, or economic — is destructive and must be overcome.
• We must investigate truth for ourselves — without preconceptions.
• Science and religion are in harmony.
• Our economic problems are linked to spiritual problems.
• The family and its unity are very important.
• There is one God.
• All major religions come from God.
• World peace is the crying need of our time.

Do these tenets sound like things you believe? Did you know there is a religion that teaches these? What religion do you think it is?

You may be surprised. I was.

Leave a comment with your answer. 

Tags: Spiritual Practices by Nan
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We say we want peace.

We want wars to stop. We want families to stop fighting amongst themselves. We want people to stop hurting other people.

In other words, we want everyone to ’just get along.’

Yet with all this talk about peace and getting along, we continue to separate ourselves from each other. We continue to fight for power and control. We continue to insist that our way is the ‘right’ way or, in the case of some religions, the only way.

Although many participate in (so-called) peace rallies and marches to call for an end to conflict and war, true peace is much more than ending a war.

True peace is best defined as a “harmonious balance between human beings, the rest of the natural world, and the cosmos.” (Wikipedia)

To take it a step further, I believe true peace comes when we join together in Spirit. That is, when we recognize that the God-Force is within each of us and see ourselves as one body, not separate individuals intent upon having things ‘our way or no way.’

I’m not saying we have to agree on everything. What I am saying is we need to accept each individual for who s/he is and stop trying to mold the person to be like us … to think like us … to believe what we believe.

No one has ever truly been changed by persuasion or force. We may ’prevail’ in an argument or, on a greater scale, in a war, but all that has been gained is a temporary truce, at best.

We need to become conscious of how we treat one another — even how we talk to each other. Is there love behind our actions and words? Or are we simply trying to sway the other person to our way of thinking?

Isn’t it time to put aside our prejudices, our mistrust, our need for power and control and become one with the Higher Purpose that created this world? Isn’t it time to seek harmony? Isn’t it time to unify our collective energy and bring about the peace that we all so ardently seek?

Tags: Spiritual Practices by Nan
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During one of my ’quiet moments,’ the question came to me — what does it take to really know God? Is there anything we must do to experience the reality of the Infinite Spirit/God-Force? 

I feel I know the answer, but it made me think of all the different rules and requirements that organized religion insists people do to know and/or ‘please’ God.

I’ve listed a few of the rules and regulations established by various religions here. Maybe you can think of others.

• Shave head (men)
• Wear certain dress style (women)
• Use prayer beads
• Wear prescribed head gear (men)
• Fast periodically
• Read Bible
• Believe Bible
• Wear certain hair style (women)
• Adhere to vegetarian diet
• Wear cleric robes (black, white, purple, or any other color)
• Have multiple children
• Have multiple wives
• Witness to the ‘unsaved’
• Go on missionary tours
• Wear special undergarments
• Grow beards (men)
• Pray a predetermined number of times each day
• Cease work on the ’sabbath’

The sad thing about all this is that people actually believe God wants them to do these things. They obey the long-ago established rules and customs of their faith because they feel this is what it takes to ‘go to heaven’ or ‘reach paradise.’

Neale Donald Walsch wrote a book a couple of years ago called, “What God Wants.” It’s a powerful (and to some, dangerous) book that addresses the most ’sacred’ practices that people and institutions have put into place as a means of knowing God — and refutes them.

What do you think? Is it necessary to follow established rules, customs, and practices to please God?

Tags: Spiritual Practices by Nan
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