Practical
Spirituality
Lessons that we can all grow from.......
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- Michael J. Malette, PhD
Founder, Global Connection Network, Inc.
What is Practical Spirituality?
By Michael Malette, Founder of Global Connection Network, or GlobalCnet.
What are some of the forces of Practical Spirituality?
I would like to present some of my personal thoughts that seem to update daily.
These thoughts inspired me to create GlobalCnet, to give you a new thought that would cause you to make better decisions or even save a life.
I believe that the connection to Spiritual understanding is in you...not an organization.
GlobalCnet connects you to expert and personal stories so you can make better decisions for many items, including:
The relevance of having joy in your life.
Living in harmony with all tasks and relationships.
Have a good day every day, and discard the complications or distractions.
Start every day with gratitude and awe for our precious thoughts and opportunity.
To understand that The universe (or God) wants us to co-create miracles.
Live and love and do the best we can.
And a million more valuable thoughts to help you create your perfect life.
Some of the thoughts that I believe and share with this Practical Spirituality came from my experiences and, most definitely, my joy of sharing and caring.
You matter to me.
I am making the bold assumption that.....
Visit the Church of Natural Health here on GlobalCnet.
Visit Michael Life Coach here on Global Cnet.
Most important, visit Everyday Life Challenges here on GlobalCnet.
Want answers? Visit JAY. You already have to power to solve any challenge.
4 Clear Signs of Spiritual Bypassing
Spirituality should never be an excuse to ignore, deny, or rationalize our emotions
Spirituality is all about connecting with ourselves so that we’re able to connect with something greater than us.
It’s a journey of self-discovery, introspection, and growth, leading us toward a deeper understanding of the Universe and our place within it.
However, on the way to this profound connection, there exists a subtle yet significant pitfall: spiritual bypassing.
Coined by psychotherapist John Welwood, spiritual bypassing refers to the tendency to use spiritual beliefs and practices as a means to avoid facing unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds, and the challenges of personal development. Essentially, it’s when the ego takes control and sabotages our spiritual journey.
It’s particularly easy to fall into this trap if our initial exposure to spirituality revolves around content centered on manifestation or the Law of Attraction — content that tells us how important it is to have positive thoughts and feelings in order to manifest something into our lives.
Here’s the thing: while it’s true that our thoughts and subconscious beliefs have a significant impact on our lives, it’s not the whole picture.
There are other crucial factors at play, and spirituality should never be an excuse to ignore, deny, or rationalize our emotions.
1. You always try to “stay positive” and “look on the bright side”.
Sometimes, positive thinking is not that “positive”. Sometimes, it’s a sign we’re avoiding uncomfortable thoughts and emotions.
We all have unresolved issues. We all have wounds, fears, and ‘negative beliefs’.
True spiritual growth involves embracing the full spectrum of our feelings and understanding that transformation always requires processing uncomfortable and painful emotions.
I’m sorry, but there’s no way around it.
Prioritizing positivity above all else is usually a form of self-deception — a way of convincing ourselves that everything is fine, even when it’s not.
It’s like putting a bandage over a wound without cleaning it first; it might cover up the problem temporarily, but it won’t promote genuine healing.
Besides, there’s a difference between actively addressing negative thoughts and choosing healthier alternatives, versus merely using positive thoughts as a means to suppress or ignore the underlying negativity. While the first approach helps us grow and handle emotions better, the second one just keeps us stuck, ignoring the real problems we need to face.
2. When “negative” emotions arise, you immediately try to find a spiritual lesson behind them.
It’s true that there’s often a hidden lesson behind most of our experiences.
For instance, if we’re always attracting the same kind of relationship dynamic, there’s something we need to learn there.
However, this doesn’t mean that every negative emotion or challenging situation comes with an immediate spiritual lesson attached. And, even if there is a lesson to be learned, chances are we’ll only become aware of it once we allow ourselves to sit with it for as long as we need to.
This urge to quickly discover a spiritual lesson often stems from a desire to escape discomfort — a subconscious attempt to fast-track our emotional healing process.
We convince ourselves that if we can just find the lesson quickly enough, we won’t have to endure the discomfort of negative emotions for long.
But, once again, that’s not how life works.
Sometimes, we just need to sit with them, allowing ourselves to fully experience the depth of our emotions without rushing to find meaning or resolution. It’s in these moments of discomfort that the most profound growth and healing can occur.
3. When someone/something triggers you, you play the victim.
This is a typical trait of the ego, which often seeks to protect itself by externalizing blame and minimizing personal accountability.
When we play the victim, we allow the ego to maintain its grip on our consciousness, reinforcing the illusion of powerlessness and deflecting responsibility for our own experiences. We avoid confronting the uncomfortable truths about ourselves and our role in creating our reality.
This victim mentality runs counter to the essence of spirituality.
Spirituality calls us to examine our reactions to triggers with honesty and humility.
It invites us to explore the deeper layers of our psyche, understanding the root causes of our responses and taking ownership of our emotions.
This process of deconditioning not only fosters personal growth and self-awareness but also deepens our connection to something greater than ourselves — whether we perceive it as God, the Universe, or the interconnected web of existence.
In this state of heightened awareness, we begin to perceive the divine presence in every aspect of our lives — from the gentle rustle of leaves in the wind to the beating of our own hearts.
We realize that we are not separate from the Universe but integral parts of its interconnected whole.
The ego, however, doesn’t want us to peel back the layers of our psyche, fearing the loss of control and the dissolution of its dominance over our thoughts and actions.
4. You use spirituality to justify everything you feel.
We see this a lot in spiritual coaches and guides who, when faced with criticism or feedback, often resort to spiritual beliefs or sentences to justify their defensive reactions.
Instead of genuinely considering the validity of the feedback, they may dismiss it by saying things like “I don’t need your negative energy in my life” or “I’m just protecting my energy”.
This one is tricky because there are situations where this way of thinking really does apply. Sometimes, we really are surrounded by insensitive or negative people, and we do need to protect our energy.
However, if we’re setting harsh boundaries in situations where people are simply offering feedback or constructive criticism in a polite and balanced way, chances are we’re just avoiding genuine self-reflection and playing the victim once again — and, we’re using spiritual concepts to justify our defensiveness.
This tendency to spiritualize our experiences can also lead to a sense of spiritual superiority, where we believe that our spiritual beliefs and practices make us immune to criticism or self-examination.
But true spirituality is not about escaping from reality or avoiding difficult truths — it’s about embracing them with courage and compassion.
It’s all about balance.
Spiritual bypassing is a defense mechanism.
When we embark on the inward journey of self-discovery and begin to peel back the layers of conditioning, the ego perceives a threat to its dominance. So, it tries to gain back control using all these tactics.
It’s a pattern familiar to many of us, a subtle dance between our authentic selves and the protective barriers constructed by our ego.
We all encounter moments where ego-based patterns creep into our lives, veiling our vision and diverting us from the path of genuine growth.
What matters is the choice we make in those moments.
Do we succumb to the ego’s narratives, allowing them to dictate our actions and perceptions?
Or do we summon the courage to turn our awareness inward once again, peeling back the layers of illusion to uncover the truth beneath?
3 Signs You’re Becoming One With Your Higher Self
You no longer sweat the small stuff
Because it's just small stuff.
There is bigger, deeper, much higher stuff to sweat.
1. You Accept Yourself
There’s a divine plan for your life, whether you can believe it or not.
You were created on purpose, and then you were given a purpose.
You were going to forget everything you knew and then your work would be to rediscover and remember what was forgotten.
On a spiritual path, there are many battles you’ll face and sometimes it’s a battle against yourself that disconnects you from yourself.
When you’re disconnected from something, you can’t love it as it is. You can’t accept it for what it is.
Once you remember you’re spiritual in nature and start reconnecting with all the parts of you that you ignored and the things you’d forgotten, you reconnect with your higher self, which can help you find your way back home.
When you can remember and see it all, then you can accept it all.
You know you’re becoming one with your higher self when you start accepting certain things. Your ‘self’ is very much included.
You accept all of who you are and the purpose you’ve been given.
You have faith and believe in yourself to be able to fulfill your given purpose.
You also accept that there are some things in life that you just can’t understand, no matter how much you seek.
You learn that things are revealed when it’s time to be.
This state of acceptance is a much higher vibration.
On the scale of consciousness, you climb up and can now accept everything and every one just the way they are.
You accept the ups and the downs and everything in between. You accept your dark side, and you embrace your flaws. You make friends with the dark things in your shadow so they don’t scare you anymore.
You know everything that has happened is preparing you for the work you’re doing or about to start doing.
Some days, even when you’re not able to do everything, you know you have limitations, and you can accept that and rest assured, knowing that things will work out.
You know that everything is planned and will therefore fall into place, and you don’t have to force anything.
You let things flow, and it falls into the right place when it's time.
When you’re merging with your higher self, you can accept yourself without a need to change to please others or to fit in.
You don’t care that you don’t fit in anymore.
In fact, when you become one with your higher self, you can see clearly that you were never meant to fit in.
You’ll be okay standing out of the crowd and watching over them.
You accept everything about your life the way it is because you know that everything will soon come together and make perfect sense, even if it seems crazy right now.
On the scale of consciousness, you reach acceptance, and you can accept everything and everyone just the way they are.
2. You’re On a Soul Mission
Soul missions are jobs for the soul.
It is only the soul that can fulfill that mission.
You must live from a soul level to fulfill a soul mission.
To the ego or lower self, this mission is too much.
It’s too big.
It’s too scary and too risky.
But these are not worries of the soul.
The soul has much bigger things to worry about than worldly things.
Nothing is too much, too big, too scary for the soul, no matter what.
A soul must complete all of its assignments or missions — no matter how much, how big, or how scary it appears — in order to move on to the next stage of its existence.
But it isn’t easy, and we face many challenges, difficulties, and distractions along the way.
It’s so easy to be distracted in today’s world.
Everything that is happening in the world is meant to lead you further away from your higher self.
When you can see behind the scenes and see through the veils to perceive what’s going on, you’re up to something.
You’re walking on the right path toward your higher self.
When you’re busy trying to discover your life’s purpose, you’re getting closer.
When your purpose is revealed to you, and you can feel it in your soul without a doubt, regardless of what anyone thinks about it, when you wake up every day with a passion for fulfilling your purpose, you’re merging with your higher self.
When you’re no longer distracted by physical things when you can focus on the work you came here to do and want to do nothing else but that, you’ve become one with your higher self.
When you actually complete your soul mission successfully, then you and your higher self have passed a test, and you can move on to the next mission.
A soul must complete all of its assignments or mission in order to move on to the next stage of its existence.
3. You Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
The higher self knows everything that’s going to happen because it does
This is why it can guide or warn you through your spiritual third eye or intuition.
The higher self and a much higher power plan certain experiences that will help the soul evolve.
The higher self knows the mess you’re going to make, but it hopes you get the messages.
It knows you’ll get your heart broken in that relationship, but it allows you to stay in it to learn the lesson.
The higher self knows that you find knowledge and wisdom in the pain and the lessons.
It’s through your pain that you can connect better with yourself.
Your physical self doesn’t see things this way.
It hates uncertainty because it’s uncomfortable.
It dislikes the unseen because it’s unknown and scary.
When you aren’t expecting something, and it happens, it takes you by surprise.
If you know something will happen before it does, you’re not taken by surprise.
This is why you don’t sweat the small stuff when you’ve merged with your higher self because you intuitively know it’s part of the plan.
You know what’s not worth worrying about and what’s the big and important stuff to focus on.
If you don’t worry about anything because you know worry is pointless; if you’re calm even in the storm while others are wailing, that’s how you know you’ve ascended and touched hands with your higher self.
On a subconscious level, you know everything is planned. You know there’s a reason for everything, so why worry?
You don’t.
You don’t sweat the small stuff.
You don’t worry about what people are saying or not saying about you because when it’s all said and done, you won’t stress about it.
It won’t even matter.
The small stuff is not something the higher self sweats.
Instead, it sweats the much bigger, much deeper, and higher stuff.
3 Ways Your Soul Communicates With You
Your soul never gives up on you, even when you’re stubborn.
School teaches us all about the immense power of the mind, but it never teaches the soul and the role it plays.
We’re not taught about the soul’s pool of infinite wisdom.
We’re not told that we have a soul which holds all the answers to life’s toughest questions.
We don’t learn that it’s our souls that reincarnate over and over again and therefore hold the agreement we made before coming here.
We don’t know that our soul has already chosen its experiences, successes, failures, and life lessons.
We mostly rely on the mind, and soul guidance is not a normal everyday thing for most of us, but the soul is just as important as the mind if not more important.
Without the soul, there is no mind.
The soul knows that life on earth wouldn’t be easy, so it gives us clues and guidance to help us on our physical journey.
As easy as it would be for all of us, the soul does not speak in human language.
The mind can sometimes yell at us in communication because it’s fearful.
It doesn’t know anything, but the soul knows everything.
The soul is quiet.
It never yells at us, no matter what.
Its communication is subtle.
It doesn’t scream because it knew we’d get it wrong where we got it wrong.
The soul already knows everything that will happen, whereas the mind only knows what has happened, so by relying on the mind alone, we miss the big picture.
We miss important signs, messages, and any sacred form of communication.
This doesn’t mean the mind plays no part in receiving and relaying messages to us. The mind’s job is to be open.
With that said, here are three ways the soul tries to communicate with us:
1. Music & Movies
This world would have no meaning without beautiful soul music.
The soul knows the importance of music, so it sends us messages through the songs we love so much.
Our souls know we thrive on music, making it an easy and fun way to send us important messages.
Because of its deep connections with the human brain, music is meaningful and impactful.
Have you ever had such a terrible day you turn on the radio, and the music is just what you need to feel better?
Have you felt stuck trying to make a decision, and the lyrics of the song are exactly what you needed to hear?
Our souls use the words of a song to relay messages to us because music has a way to our hearts.
It even drives our actions and emotions.
Movies work the same way.
Many of us cry when a movie touches our hearts.
Have you ever watched a movie where someone gives advice or tells something to someone, and it’s as if they are speaking to you?
The soul can sometimes use the words of a movie to communicate with us.
Some messages in a song or movie can touch your heart and cause a shift in you.
And sometimes you can’t stop thinking about what you’ve just seen. When that happens, it could be your soul trying to tell you something in words you can understand.
More links, more solid information.......
Our souls know we thrive off of music & movies and therefore make it an easy and fun way to send us important messages.
2. Numbers & Synchronicity
Numbers are the most common way the soul communicates.
How many times have you looked at the clock and seen 11:11, 9:11, or 12:12 right when you were thinking of something very important?
Regardless of the meaning you assign these numbers, they function to wake you up.
Unsurprisingly, many people see repeated numbers right before a major life change or spiritual awakening.
Numbers aren’t just mere coincidences.
They are the language of the universe.
The soul also communicates with us through synchronicity.
Synchronicity is a series of events that happen in a way that seems out of the ordinary. They are the “What are the odds?” moments.
They happen when our inner and outer worlds align.
For example, you turn on the radio, and the lyrics to the song playing are the same thoughts you were just thinking or the words you just read on a billboard.
Or you pray to God to show you a sign, and something crosses your path, and you know it in your soul.
It’s the sign you asked for.
Or you think about your crush, hoping they’d reach out to you, and a few minutes later, they do!
What are the odds?
The thing with numbers and synchronicities is that you must take note of what it is you were thinking before and when you saw the number of synchronicity.
That’s where the message is.
More links, more solid information.......
Numbers and synchronicities aren’t just mere coincidences.
They are the language of the universe.
3. People & Animals
People are messengers and a vehicle for soul communication.
Everybody you encounter has something to teach you.
You might come across someone who says the exact thing you need to hear.
Or a total stranger who says something in a random conversation that inspires you to look at life a little differently.
You have to pay attention to the things that resonate deep within your soul.
The soul also communicates with us through what someone says in a podcast, radio, or even an article.
Animals are also very important messengers.
We come across spirit animals every day, but we may not see them as such.
Animals cannot speak, but sometimes their presence will leave an impact on you long after they’re gone.
The meaning you assign to different animals is highly personal to you.
To get the message your soul is trying to communicate to you, you have to take note of when the animal crossed your path and how it was behaving around you.
Was it calm or agitated?
What was the first thing that came to your mind the moment you saw the animal?
Did you feel as if everything was okay, or did you feel uneasy?
That’s where you’ll find your message.
Each animal has its symbolic meaning, and the meaning of the animal can be found in many places online.
You have to pay attention to the things that resonate deep within your soul.
Also: Intuition & Dreams
We all know what intuition is, but most of us don’t always listen to it.
Our intuition is a powerful information source.
It’s our wise companion.
Intuition is the unexplainable sensation that tells you to do or not do something.
That’s your soul trying to guide you to or away from something.
Your intuition will never make you feel scared.
It won’t be loud, aggressive, or threatening.
Your intuition is calm and subtle, no matter what the situation.
If the feeling makes you feel afraid, you can disregard it as false intuition.
Real intuition empowers you to take action.
It never makes you afraid.
More links, more solid information.......
Dreams are also a common way for the soul to communicate with you.
At the end of a long day, it’s how the soul tries to tell us important things after we’ve spent all day ignoring all modes of soul communication.
When the thinking mind falls asleep, the soul comes to the forefront and leaves us messages.
Dreams are symbolically making them difficult to interpret, but intuition can help us figure it out.
The scenario, the place, and the people in your dream all hold significant meaning.
Dreams are a way to explore the hidden realms of the unconscious mind.
They can serve as a doorway to new insight and information and reflect our true inner feelings.
They can also show us the things in the shadows that need to be healed.
We all dream and know the power of intuition but we don’t always pay attention to their messages.
Final Thoughts
Your soul is always communicating with you, but it’s up to you to figure out the meaning of the message.
You are the only one with the power to know what your soul is trying to tell you.
The soul will often use several of these ways to convey its message, especially when we keep missing the signs.
The soul never gives up on us.
When we've sent a message one way, and we just can’t seem to get it, the soul tries again, using another mode of communication.
It’ll keep trying until we eventually get the message and find the meaning behind it.
More links, more solid information.......
3 Signs You're On The Right Path
Even if you're walking all alone with dark clouds for company
Your soul never gives up on you, even when you’re stubborn.
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Close your eyes, open your mind, and make your wish.
From blowing dandelion seeds into the air to throwing a penny into a fountain, we have all felt inspired to make a wish, to whisper our secret desires into the ears of the universe, and wait for signs that we have been heard.
Some wishes come true, while others remain ethereal visions that either stay with us or fade like a star in the light of morning. Whether they come true or not, wishes are important missives, expressing our heart’s desire as well as our intention to create something new in our lives.
When we wish for something, our consciousness opens to receiving it, like a flower unfolding its petals to receive a bee.
There is something innocent and magical about making a wish, something that recalls the energy of childhood.
Wishing is not about formulating a plan and following it step by step to attain a goal, which is the realm of adulthood.
Wishing is more like a playful volley across the universe, an invitation to play.
Waiting for a response is an integral part of the process.
Wishing inspires an innocent opening to the possibility of magic as we wait to see if the invisible realm will bring our wish to life.
An opening is a beautiful gesture in and of itself, regardless of the outcome.
We place ourselves in a magical mind, and this mind is arguably as wonderful as the fulfillment of our wish itself.
In our straightforward, action-oriented society, we may tend to dismiss the power of this seemingly passive process, yet the power of a wish is well known, hence the cautionary phrase, “Be careful
what you wish for.”
If you have given up wishing in favor of more adult pursuits, you might want to bring its magic back into your life.
The next time you see the first star of the evening or find yourself in front of a birthday cake covered in flaming candles, give yourself the gift of the magical realm that you knew so well as a child -- close your eyes, open your mind, and make your wish.
1. Do not let what is out of your control interfere with what you can control.
Use your frustrations today to motivate you rather than annoy you.
You are in control of the way you look at things.
Truth be told, there is an opportunity in almost every difficult situation to understand yourself more deeply and also to improve your life.
2. When life’s struggles knock you into a pit so deep you can’t see anything but darkness, don’t waste valuable energy trying to dig your way out.
Because if you hastily dig in the dark, you’re likely to head in the wrong direction and only dig the pit deeper.
Instead, use what energy you have to reach out and pull something good in with you.
For goodness is bright; its radiance will show you which way is up and illuminate the correct path that will take you there.
3. When you can no longer think of a reason to continue, you must think of a reason to start over. There’s a big difference between giving up and starting over in the right direction.
And there are three little words that can release you from your past regrets and guide you forward to a positive new beginning.
These words are: From now on...
Again, you are NOT in control of everything, but you ARE in control of how you respond to life.
And in your present response is your power.
Truth be told, as time passes, life educates and humbles us. We gradually realize how much nonsense we have wasted our energy and resources on.
And we begin to understand what it means to let go...
Without a doubt, we are all facing our share of difficult circumstances right now, many of which are not the result of anything we’ve done.
But we all have choices when it comes to how we respond.
With Practical Spirituality, the choices are as simple as they are universal:
- Grit our teeth and try to move the immovable object, and become frustrated and bitter when we realize we can’t.
- Let it be. Let go, and focus on the little things we can actually accomplish.
Paradoxically, the first choice is easier because it’s our default action.
We want full control because feeling out of control is utterly terrifying.
Empowering yourself to relinquish control is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself—the ability to exist peacefully and productively amidst the chaos of life.
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TEARS
Tears are as natural to us as breathing, and there is beauty in allowing yourself to be open to the pain of tears.
How wonderful it feels to give in and let tears flow when we are overwhelmed with emotions, whether we are happy or sad.
Tears come from the soul, from our well of feelings rising from deep down.
When we give in to the prickling behind our eyes and the lump in our throat to let teardrops fall from our eyes, we allow our feelings to surface so they can be set free.
Proud parents shed tears of pride in a child’s accomplishments, a baby’s first step, birthdays, and graduations.
Long lost friends fall into each other’s arms, tears rolling down their cheeks when they reunite after years of separation.
Tears may flow from us when we witness a commitment being made at a wedding or even while we are watching a love story.
Tears of relief may spring forth from our eyes when we hear that a loved one has survived an ordeal, and tears may fall when we bow our heads in sorrow over a loss or death.
Tears born from heartache can flow as they’ll never cease, whether our tears are for a love that is over, a friendship lost, or an opportunity missed.
We shed tears because of disappointment in ourselves, tragedy in the world, pain, and illness.
Tears of anger can burn with emotion as they fall down our faces.
Tears offer us a physical release of our feelings.
Shedding tears can sometimes make us feel better, although it can feel like the tears will never end once the floodgates are open.
There is no shame in letting tears flow freely and frequently.
Tears are as natural to us as breathing.
There is beauty in allowing yourself to be vulnerable enough to shed tears.
Open up, release your tears, and let your feelings flow.
Visit DaillyOM.com for inspiration, courses, and new paths to self-knowledge. Share what you experience, share everything......
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The 6 Self-Discovery Tools That
Will Help You Reconnect With
Your True Self
You’re not alone if you feel like you’re just rambling your way through life with no real sense of purpose or direction.
Unfortunately, our society often requires us to ignore our deepest needs so that we can adapt and become the acceptable, conventional, reliable version of ourselves.
It makes us forget who we really are so that we become who we’re supposed to be.
The good news is there’s an alternative path.
That path demands great courage and resilience, but it gives us the freedom we desire in return. I’ve chosen that path, and I couldn’t have made a better choice.
If we’re brave enough to reconnect with our inner purpose, the Universe will reward us with infinite energy and inspiration to pursue our dreams.
It will make us cross paths with the tools, books, teachers, and circumstances we need in order to grow.
One of my life teachers has been Dr. Lindsay Gibson, whose books have helped me immensely and whose wisdom is worth sharing.
In Who You Were Meant To Be, she describes 6 tools of self-discovery that can help us reconnect with our true selves and rediscover our purpose.
Let’s dive in.
1. The Tool of Energy Shifts
We’re so used to living on autopilot that we’ve stopped paying attention to our energy levels and how they communicate with us.
Feeling tired, drained, or bored when doing something is not an accident — it’s a sign that the activity doesn’t bring you joy and enthusiasm.
On the other hand, when you get involved in a topic or idea that stimulates you, you feel a clear increase in your energy.
Think about it. When you really, really want to do something — when you’re bursting with excitement — you can’t even sleep.
At least that’s what happens to me when a thousand creative ideas pop into my mind or when I know I’ll be boarding an airplane to Bali at 6 in the morning.
So, ask yourself, what gives me infinite energy?
2. The Tool of Envy
This one is obvious, but we don’t take advantage of it.
Envy is a feeling we get when we recognize something that could be ours, but for some reason, it’s not. It’s what we feel when we see someone enjoying the kind of life we wish we had.
- Who makes you envious?
- Which qualities and possessions make you feel like, wow, I was lucky,
Here’s the thing: we build our own luck.
If we manage to use envy the right way, instead of feeling jealous or resentful, we’ll feel hopeful because the people we are envious of are actually mirroring back at us our own abilities and possibilities.
I realized that I’d always get envious of people who could work from anywhere in the world without worrying about being tied to one particular place for most of their time.
This feeling helped me recognize that I was tired of trying to adapt myself to fit in a system I was not meant for.
3. The Tool of Appeal
Maybe you’re not necessarily envious of someone, but you definitely feel attracted or admired by what they’re doing.
Being around people who feed your inspiration helps you acknowledge the vision you had for yourself before societal norms and family expectations were a thing.
Dr. Gibson explains it this way:
“Appeal is the attracting pull that desirable people and things exert upon us.
In a store, some items appeal to us, while others are passed over without a second glance.
In a room full of people, we sneak peek at a certain person because there’s something about him or her that we find appealing.
This subtle experience is a reliable guide, nudging you toward something or someone who reminds you of what you need.”
4. The Tool of Recognition
If you catch yourself constantly making comments about a particular subject or skill, specifically comments like I could do that, or that could have been done in a different way, it means you recognize your skills — even if it’s not a conscious process.
- What gets you compliments?
- Which skills, traits, and values do you love the most about yourself? (it can be empathy, communication, leadership, self-awareness, efficiency, critical thinking, or spirituality…)
5. The Tool of Physical Response
We’ve already talked about how a heightened sense of energy is a clear sign of your purpose, but what about your body feel?
What about tingles or feelings of warmth and physical lightness?
Our body has an amazing ability to let us know what’s meant for us and what’s not.
When you’re moving away from the right direction, you inevitably feel irritability, depression, headaches or nausea.
These are signs you’re not following your intuition.
I’d always get cranky and frustrated for not having the time and the freedom to be with myself and listen to my own thoughts, especially in the mornings.
As an introvert, I deeply treasure my alone time — I need it.
Otherwise, my energy levels will drastically drop.
Seeing everyone around me constantly in a hurry made me think there was clearly something wrong with me, so I spent years trying to fit in.
Now I know I should have learned to trust my body and my gut feelings sooner.
6. The Tool of Mental Response
Just as our bodies respond to what we like, so do our thoughts.
According to Dr. Gibson,
“If you are considering an interesting career that fits you well, you will probably experience hope, optimism, and a sense of possibility.
Uplifting fantasies will pop into your mind about how it would be to live that way.
These pleasant and stimulating mental responses occur when you’re on the right track, moving toward your true purpose in life.”
The Universe works in mysterious ways, always forcing us to look at whatever problems we’re ignoring.
These tools seem obvious if you’re connected to your true, authentic self.
You’ve learned to listen to your intuition and follow its guidance.
The problem is that most of us are not trained to connect with our inner world, let alone trust it.
Instead, we’re programmed to follow the rules, stay in our comfort zone and do what’s expected of us without ever questioning if we’re moving in the best direction.
These tools validated my intuition and made me realize that I am finally, for the first time in my life, doing what’s best for me.
I hope you use them as catalysts for the transformation you’ve been longing for.
Paying Attention to Red Flags
Michael Malette edited this article from DailyOM.
Red flags often come in the form of feelings urging us to pause for a moment, listen to our intuition, and reconsider.
Red flags often come in the form of feelings urging us to pause for a moment, listen to our intuition, and reconsider.
We may try to ignore the red flags waving our way, dismissing our unease as illogical or practical.
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THE PATH
Finding Inner Peace
Welcome to The PATH — a weekly reflection with three insights into daily life.
This week’s reflection searches for ancient insights on finding peace. To do so, we reflect on — anxiety, the second arrow, and letting go.
1. Anxiety
Are you anxious?
Believe it or not, you’re not inherently anxious.
You’re intrinsically whole, good, and kind as is.
“When we rest in meditation, we discover that underneath the stories we tell ourselves about our anxiety is anxiety itself,” writes Lodro Rinzler (author of Take Back Your Mind).
In my interview with Rinzler on In Search of Wisdom, he explained,
Anxiety has both a cognitive element and a physiological response (in the form of stress), which means we experience anxiety in both our minds and our body.
One way to think about the distinction between stress and anxiety is that stress is a response to a threat while anxiety manifests even when there is no clear and present danger.
According to Rinzler, we can notice when anxiety arises and not go down the rabbit hole.
“When fearful or anxiety-producing thoughts come up in meditation, you have a choice: you can chase after them or try something new.
You can try to let go of the stories you tell yourself and be with the emotion underneath.”
2. The Second Arrow
There’s a traditional analogy in Buddhism: a man is walking in the forest when he is shot with an arrow out of nowhere.
Instead of pulling it out and tending to his healing process, he begins to spin out, thinking, “Who shot me?
Why am I always the one being shot?”
This mental spiraling is known as the second arrow, explains Rinzler.
The first arrow was suffering inflicted upon us as part of life.
But the second arrow is the suffering we inflict on ourselves.
Similarly, the philosopher Epictetus taught, “People are not disturbed by things themselves, but by the views they take of those things.”
Your condition is the result of your own opinions and interpretations.
Epictetus put it this way,
People who are ignorant of philosophy blame others for their own misfortunes.
Those who are beginning to learn philosophy blame themselves.
Those who have mastered philosophy blame no one.
3. Letting Go
One of the reasons the lessons above are challenging is our tendency to add over subtract. According to Leidy Klotz, the author of Subtract, “Left to our own devices, our first instinct when trying to improve something is to add.”
In my interview with Klotz, he explained,
It might be evolutionarily advantageous for us to think of adding first, but knowing that we do it, we can take steps to make sure that we consider subtraction as a way to solve problems. Fundamentally research shows we’re overlooking this whole category of opportunities to make not just the world better, but our days, and our ideas.
The wisdom of letting go reveals itself across many great thinkers throughout history.
For example, Pablo Picasso defined art as “eliminating the unnecessary.”
Likewise, the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry observed: “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
Thank you for reading; I hope you found something useful.
You can listen to similar short reflections or interviews on one of our podcasts.
Lastly, you can subscribe to our free weekly email meditation to get three timeless insights right to your inbox.
Who Was Jesus, the Man?
A Channeled Message from the Archangels
I wrote an article a while back about leaving Christianity but holding onto Jesus, and honestly, I’ve never felt closer to Him.
I’ve asked the Archangels about Heaven, prayer, High Guides, and God, among other things, but I haven’t asked them to talk in-depth about Jesus.
I did not ask them about religious topics like crucifixion, divine conception, or resurrection.
Instead, I asked them about Jesus and His time on Earth. Following is their response.
Question: I would like to write about Jesus and His time on Earth, and I need your help.
Answer:
We could say many things about Jesus, but the one word that describes Him most completely is Love.
As a soul studying the Earth and its people, Jesus felt great sadness at all the conflict so prevalent on Earth.
The petty vindictiveness, the common mistreatment of people, and the lack of simple kindness extended toward others greatly disturbed Him.
He planned a lifetime with the Creator and the Angels in hopes of setting a proper example of human behavior that would have a lasting impact on humanity.
We are all beings of light, children of the same Creator.
One of the things that made Jesus unique is the pure Love he felt for all living things.
It was always and remains unconditional and everlasting, above and beyond nearly every being.
The other major difference setting Him apart from souls and humans was that He retained His universal knowledge, soul consciousness, and direct connection with the Creator and Angels the entire time He spent on Earth in a human body.
The mission He assigned Himself did not allow time for Him to discover meaning and learn everything He needed to accomplish His purpose on Earth.
Some people become enlightened while they are human.
Jesus was born enlightened.
Many will think this was an advantage, and in some ways, it was, for the gifts that most people do not realize they have, such as channeling, healing, and the abilities connected to the elements, were always present and accessible to Jesus.
However, coming to Earth with this knowledge and these gifts set Him apart from others from when He came to Earth until He died.
While this was part of His plan, it was a necessity rather than a desire.
He required it, but He did not necessarily like it because His life purpose was to become close to people and earn their trust so that He could teach them.
This is very difficult to achieve when one is so obviously different from everyone around them.
People often fear what they don’t understand, then and now.
Rarely do they trust those who are as different from the norm as Jesus.
Those who found trust and faith in Him were the ones who were able to overcome their fears and insecurities.
It was never Jesus’s goal to be worshipped; it is still not something He desires.
He was a humble teacher at the root of His humanity.
His overreaching goal was to set an example of loving-kindness for others to be followed, hopefully.
In this, He was both successful and unsuccessful.
Even thousands of years after His time on Earth, Jesus is well-known and remembered by millions.
His life on Earth is an example of a concept being good in theory yet often unsuccessful in practice in many ways.
We will explain.
While Jesus came to Earth with unrestricted knowledge and abilities, He was surrounded by people with no conception, much less understanding of these things.
To be close to Him was to feel His great capacity for love, potentially changing lives forever.
The miracles He performed added to the awe and reputation He gained in a very short time. However, even with all His gifts and the element of Love, it was very difficult to overcome humanity’s shortcomings.
Many considered Him a person to be feared.
Some even considered Him a trickster, abnormal, or even evil.
Quite a few suggested He was the creation of evil, come to intrigue and mislead people into falling away from their faith.
Those in power, religious and governmental, were fearful and angry toward Him and felt highly threatened by Him.
This eventually led to His death, which He expected and to which He agreed.
While He gained many followers who loved Him, He also gained as many enemies who hated Him.
As well-known as many of His teachings and miracles remain today, they are largely incomplete and often misunderstood.
Anyone who thinks Jesus hated, judged, or condemned others is grossly mistaken.
He preached Love for everyone, regardless of origin, religion, past behavior, race, or social status.
He did not judge or condemn anyone; he went out of His way to show Love, kindness, and acceptance for those considered outcasts in His time.
He loved, healed, and forgave all.
He only wanted His example to be followed and revered rather than His person.
He wanted to bring people together and help them overcome their differences in hopes of promoting unity and the belief in the value of every person and showing kindness toward everyone.
Again, He was somewhat successful in His endeavors, but He has also been used to promote the opposite of what He lived.
Jesus values and loves every person on Earth equally.
While some understand and appreciate His message and example more than others, He has no favorites with regard to religion, race, sexual orientation, political practices, gender, culture, or anything else that sets people apart in others’ eyes. He does not wish to be a god. He wishes to be a friend, a brother, a teacher, a confidant.
Jesus was never concerned with material wealth and lived a simple life.
He never owned His own property, and He largely depended on the kindness and generosity of others.
Why then would He come to Earth to give or restore Earthly power to others?
He sacrificed Himself in order to promote Love and kindness toward everyone.
What more can anyone give?
What more can anyone request?
Jesus is one of several Ascended Masters in the highest realms.
His great mastery was the Love He held for all of humanity and the willingness to live and die setting that example.
Even after all of His suffering on Earth, His Love prevails.
He does not and will not judge or condemn others for any reason.
He has endless Love, compassion, forgiveness, and hope for humanity.
He continues to work tirelessly for the sake of mankind.
Final Thoughts
You’ll notice neither the Archangels nor I directly refer to Biblical references.
Lots of people do that to suit their own purposes.
Please don’t quote the Bible to me in anger or outrage if you don’t resonate with this message.
I don’t believe in the Bible. Literally, I don’t believe in Hell or the devil, and I’m not afraid of judgment or condemnation from Jesus or God.
I love them, and they love me.
Simple.
They love you, too, whoever you are and whatever you do.
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