Enhancing Your Spirituality

When was the last time you leapt out of bed in the morning, excited about the day ahead? How about the last time you stopped to smell the flowers? Danced in the rain and jumped in puddles? Or felt totally at peace in your world? To reconnect and enhance your spirituality essentially means rewiring those inner channels of excitement, wonder and joy. Tapping into this energy creates wholeness, peace and a renewed sense of meaning in life. It is so easy to do, enjoyable, and the results are instantaneous! Firstly, let's look at the word `spirituality.' What does it mean and what meaning does it have for you? We have two definitions in the Webster Dictionary: `1. pertaining to the soul or spirit,' and `2. relating to sacred things.' The definitions of soul and spirit include: `the inspiring principle or dominating influence,' `the essential part of anything,' and `the essence or real meaning.' Such ambiguity inadequately explains a force which is easily and readily available to all who wish to savour it. On a practical, mundane level, spirituality is an awareness and appreciation of the energy or life force which moves us - yes, spirit! What it means to an individual varies according to their degree of awareness and focus. What is spiritual is what inspires us, lifts us and somehow broadens our senses. What inspires you? It could be a beautiful place in nature, a painting, music or uplifting literature. A dear friend can lighten you, an invigorating conversation or an unexpected happening. Achievement or successfully crossing our boundaries can also bring about a heightened sense of aliveness. By consciously appreciating life and aligning yourself with these finer aspects, you become more in touch with your spirituality automatically. So how does developing an appreciation of life enhance spirituality? Modern science has proven what the Eastern mystics knew all along that everything is energy at varying rates of vibration. Recognized also is the existence of energy fields. Crystals, for example, have a measurable energy field, as does the activity of our brains. Robert Sheldrake coined the phrase `metamorphic resonancy' which refers to energy which has built up enough charge to form a field. Most people can sense the energy in a church or temple, or can sense the mood in a room full of people. We can consciously become sensitive to our own energy fields, and we can manipulate this energy to increase our sense of pleasure and enhance our spirituality. When we admire something, our energy expands to encompass the object of our desire. We are more open and receptive. Now imagine getting a fright - can you sense how your field reacts? It constricts close to you, as if protecting you. It is possible to visualize and sense our energy fields expanding and contracting, as well as being compact or diffuse. It is an interesting experiment to try this for yourself -fill a room with your energy, imagine it in whichever way suits you. Make the energy thick like a fog, the diffuse like soft mist. Expand outwards, cover your house, town, country to the universe itself! Then constrict it into a tiny point of awareness inside your body. Your ability to perceive your energy field will develop as you practice noticing how you react on an energetic level. By consciously expanding energy fields (and you can use whatever inspires you to facillitate this) you can tune into t he pleasure and sense of well-being it evokes. During conflict, a challenging time to practise this, expanding your energy field will certainly have a calming, healing effect. By raising our energy fields, through 'feeding' them with positive input (this includes appreciation of beauty, visualization, meditation, healthful diet, etc.) we become more aligned with our spiritual or higher selves, as well as our sense of purpose in life. Once we begin to consciously participate in raising our spiritual awareness, an amazing and remarkable thing starts to happen... A stronger sense of life direction will emerge through the medium of guidance. This guidance can take many forms - co incidence or synchronicity and through the avenue of dreams. Jung was fascinated by synchronicity. A chance encounter changes the course of a life, a dream becomes real through a n amazing series of events, or thinking about someone just before they call are all a part of this. Many cultures have believed in omens or messages from spirit, and were aware of the many forms this guidance takes. Guidance is an answer to a question, it gives direction and shows you a way. To receive this guidance, you must have a clear question in mind, and be 'open' to read the answer. The answer will manifest through coincidences in life - it may be part of an overheard conversation, or a casual remark made by an acquaintance. You might open a book randomly and see the answer there. Forms of divination such as the I Ching or Tarot may give you answers, even your idle daydreams could hold a key. It is a matter to be alert and to expect an answer or confirmation. To expect that life will offer guidance in this way may see m incredible. In fact, many philosophies believe in the importance of omens and unusual events - the Hawaiian Kahunas, the American Indians and many of the self-help therapies including affirmations (Florence Scovel Shinn), Science of the Mind (Eric Holmes, U.S. Anderson), Theosophy, A Course in Miracles and many others. The essential, underlying principle behind all these (and it's mentioned in the Bible) is that if we are open, and ask, we shall receive. And it may not be in quite the way we expect! Dreamwork is a fascinating and vast subject. Dream interpretation relies upon a perspective that can relate your life to the thoughts and emotions the dream images invoke. Dream s which are very intense or emotional, and those dreams that leave a lasting impression contain important messages - t hey have such an impact it seems as if they try to force you to take notice. Be aware of this, keep a dream diary and look closely at your dream symbology; it is the language of guidance. The Australian Aboriginal people, American Indians and many other indigenous cultures analysed their dreams and acted upon them. The Bible also talks about dreams, particularly in the First Testament. The plethora of books available today on this fascinating topic is a reflection of the interest it generates. The oldest known book on dreams dates back to the second century AD, so it isn't really a recent attraction! It appears we are currently experiencing a spiritual Rennaisance. This is evidenced by the increasing interest in energetic forms of treatment (ie. acupuncture, Reiki, flower essences, homeopathy and so on), channelling, meditation and other alternative practices which aim to heal ourselves from an energetic point of view. People are becoming more aware of the need to acknowledge their spirituality, especially now after generations of material distraction. Spirituality and science are finding a common ground in the arena of energy dynamics. It is here, perhaps, we will see and experience a mass transformation that will have its collective origins in the personal lives of individuals. As more 'tune in,' the way is made easier for others, like the hundredth money effect. The analogy of the ripples which result from a pebble tossed into a still pond is quite apt here. So, to enhance your spirituality, it is important to cultivate an awareness of what heightens your perception, of what lifts you out of your normal consciousness. Allow spirit to touch your soul! This creates a certain energy (like brain waves or magnetic force) which attracts guidance in the form of synchronicity and dreams. There is a new sense of direction backed by affirmations in the physical world in the form of guidance. Your spiritual awareness, when enhanced and acted upon, can only lead to a more fulfilling and enriched life! by Donni Hakanson