Everyone has some concept of what good health and prosperity mean. The options are overwhelming in number, level of commitment and theory. Attitudes, activities and personal discipline are involved. Most ideas don’t include full alignment of the physical, mental and Spiritual as the optimal strategy. It gets mixed up with dogma, subjective experience and less objective evidence. We need to feel confident that we are working with a force both “intelligent” and one we can feel. If it were flowing from the Creator, it should be accessible in a safe and meaningful way. I spent time studying Kalimasada in order to demonstrate that there is a flow of Spiritual energy we can experience first hand. If you search your memory banks, you may also discover times when you felt this connection.
Do you believe that you are part of “The Big Picture”—in a dynamic relationship with the Creator of life and experience? This may be perceived as a passive presence, only initiating the process of life, with the rest left up to us, or one that is interactive, based on your level of participation. Start where you are now in your belief. Let’s take the stance that the Creator put it all in motion as the initiator and continuous sustainer of our system of reality. It’s the continuous sustenance that is the issue for most people. For thousands of years, religious institutions had attempted to be middlemen between the Creator and people. The underlying Axiom from my prior post changes this understanding: your existence is intimately a part of that Presence. The flesh, the mind and consciousness are all made of this Substance. So, at the very least, the possibility of an interactive relationship is “built in.” We can be thankful for this foundation.
Over a 10-year period, I worked with patients to help them recover from various drug and alcohol addictions. One of my lectures was on religion and spirituality and how they could be used in recovery. Many patients had little or no belief, or felt betrayed by God or their faith due to traumas they suffered as children. Most interesting was how they and their family responded to the request to define religion vs. spirituality. Invariably, despite differences in race, culture, and faith or no faith, I kept getting the same answers. Religion was a set of rules to live by: “dos and don’ts—mostly don’ts, doc”, as one person said. Spirituality was different. It was something uniquely personal, a feeling and/or image experienced within consciousness, a sense of inner peace or well-being independent of beliefs. You may have already experienced this in some manner. It can be a major driver for improved health. Inner peace is the ultimate “de-stressor.”
Your first exercise is to find and identify some aspect of creation, either personal or in the world, for which you can be grateful. Start to develop a positive attitude independent of circumstances. Yes, a lot of hurt and tragedy exists, but we can still focus on what’s good in ourselves, in those we meet and in the world. An attitude of gratitude is the core that keeps us moving forward, despite our ups and downs. So, what can you be thankful for?
It also helps to have an affirmation you can recite about yourself, your goals, or your health. It can be as simple as: “I am prosperous,” or “I bring out the best in everyone I meet.” The catch is that, at this level of mind, the power of the higher connection communicates through emotion and imagery. It’s important to do this exercise every morning and evening when you are alone and can practice affirming with positive feelings. The other crucial step, while feeling good, is to imagine all the positive implications of what you just affirmed. What would more prosperity mean to your life—not just money - how about health, relationships, peace of mind? What would it feel like to have more money and the time to enjoy it? That’s real prosperity! Practice this exercise for about 7-10 minutes when you first wake up, before getting out of bed. Picture in mind your affirmation while speaking it with a smile and positive emotion in front of the mirror. Make it part of your routine when getting ready for work. Use this exercise during the day on your commute, break times or before stressful situations. Smile quietly to yourself as you enjoy the positive emotion. Its an important first step to remembering all that you are!
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