Category Archives: Expression of the Spirit

Charity Doth Call My Spirit Forth

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Charity that comes from the heart is an act of love and compassion where the spirit reveals itself in all of its divine glory. It raises us up ever so slightly so that our feet seem to lose touch with the ground, if only briefly. With each charitable act, a wave of happiness and fulfillment washes over us and for those few moments, we understand the meaning and purpose of life. We realize that our joy comes from giving of ourselves—our spirit selves—to others.

But too often these moments are fleeting. When our feet touch the ground again, we find ourselves yearning to soar once more, free of the constraints, obligations, and selfish desires of the physical life. But it is not our time to fly away just yet. We must prove ourselves worthy of wings.

It is my belief that charity is a human and spiritual responsibility. We must strive to make charity a central part of our everyday life. Charity is an important way that we can express our spirit or spirituality. In its pure form it is an act of unselfish love and compassion with no expectation or desire for material gain or recognition.

If you make a big deal about how much you contribute to charity or about things you do to help others, you seek to raise yourself up in the eyes of others. On the other hand, if you are humble and your charity is motivated only by genuine caring for others, you raise yourself up in the eyes of God.

The charity of a spiritual person is generally done privately and seen only by those they are helping, or by the charitable foundation receiving their donations. That is to say, they do it because they see people in need and they know the right thing to do is help if they can.

We Exist in the Ethereal Spaces Between the Atoms

We Exist in the Ethereal Spaces Between the Atoms Copyright 2013 by Blair Atherton

We Exist in the Ethereal Spaces Between the Atoms
Copyright 2013 by Blair Atherton

As noted in my book and in previous blog articles, I believe that our true life is one of spirit. That is why I promote the idea of living a life of spirit rather than one anchored in the physical world.

We were created in spirit and will remain so forever more. Our spiritual existence does not stop or go into abeyance during the brief periods when we are clothed with a physical body. We may lose touch with our spirit-self from time to time, stupefied by the many distractions of the physical world.

But in the background, out of the din, our spirit cries out for expression. The challenge is to have the presence of mind and desire to hear it.

Our spirit calls to us with the sweet, soft voice of a lover, to remind us that we exist in the ethereal spaces between the atoms of the physical world. We are merely passers by and should consider what spiritual legacy we wish to leave behind in the physical world, because that is the only thing that will follow us when it is time move on.

While all that is composed will eventually be decomposed, our spirits will continue to exist as a part of our everlasting Creator. Just as He has always existed and always will, so shall we.

Note: The last paragraph above relates to my blog article of August 2, 2013 titled All That Is Composed Shall Be Decomposed.

Prayer: Spiritual or Self-Serving?

Lord, please hear my prayer! Copyright 2008 by Blair Atherton

Lord, please hear my prayer!
Copyright 2008 by Blair Atherton

Prayer, for most of us, is the primary means by which we communicate with God. The question is: what should we be saying when “speaking” with Him?

It seems that many who pray use it mostly to ask for things they want, even though God has already provided what they need. This is in keeping with the self-centered, materialistic mind-set of society today.

Why should one ask for more than they need when there are so many around the world who are barely able to scratch out the most basic existence? To ask for more when we already have enough, may be offensive to God. He has a life plan for each of us and He will provide precisely what we need to support that life plan and the service to which we have been called.

I question the value of saying prayers prescribed by a religion in a long chain over and over again. The repetitive nature of this form of prayer can quickly make the process one of a mindless drone. If the first repetition was said from the heart with sincere and conscious intent, then enough said.

Saying the same prayer again and again is not likely to give it greater force. In fact, it may even have a negative effect. Who wants to hear the same thing over and over? Soon one stops listening. When you say a single prayer with all of your heart and soul, it will be heard throughout all of the heavenly spheres with clarity and power.

And praying should not be restricted to time spent at one’s place of worship. Prayer should be an ongoing, frequent, daily practice said anywhere at any time. This is especially true for prayers of thanks. As a continuous process, prayer is a spiritual presence of mind where one is always aware of the presence of God in all things.

We should not make “promises” to God such that if He gives us X, then we promise to change our ways or do Y. Instead, we should attend to how we live on a daily basis, and always treat others with kindness. Then we will be rewarded without asking.

We are all human with limited ability to protect ourselves from harm and to cope with pain and suffering. If we find ourselves in a dangerous situation, or we suffer from some malady, prayer can often bring the help and strength we need to endure.

When we ask for material things for ourselves, prayer becomes a hollow self-serving exercise that may fall upon deaf ears. However, prayer becomes an expression of our spirit when we use it to give thanks for what God has chosen to give us, to ask for help for others, and to seek guidance concerning how we can be better human beings.

What is Spiritual Awareness?

And My light rose up... Copyright 2008 by Blair Atherton

And My light rose up…
Copyright 2008 by Blair Atherton

My personal spiritual experiences have led me to view what we mean by spiritual awareness differently than many people. Perhaps the most common and basic concept of spiritual awareness is simply an awareness of, or belief in, a higher being. I see this as a very limited and somewhat passive perspective.

My view of spiritual awareness is much more expansive and active. As discussed last week, this awareness most often begins with a belief in God, but spiritual awareness is not a belief, it is an experience.

As one’s spiritual awareness expands beyond basic belief, things happen. One begins to have inspirations and revelations. New knowledge and/or understanding blossom within us. Sometimes knowledge we already had springs forth with a new perspective, or takes on a deeper meaning and significance. This new meaning sometimes compels us to take action of some sort.

Expanding spiritual awareness and knowledge often bring with them new responsibilities that may require personal sacrifices. An example from my own spiritual evolution was the realization and belief that it is wrong to raise animals for food. This grew out of my expanding spiritual understanding of how all life forms are interconnected with each other and with the Source.

I took responsibility for this revelation by committing to vegetarianism and I am now a staunch supporter of animal rights. As one acquires more spiritual knowledge, one must adapt their thinking and behavior to reflect that knowledge. This is why I refer to spirituality as a developmental or evolutionary process.

To experience a more expansive spiritual awareness, we must truly open our minds and put aside any preconceived notions and prejudices. If we want to experience deeper levels of spiritual awareness, all we need do is ask, but we must be willing to change in response to the spiritual knowledge and understanding we receive.

Harmony Between Spirit, Mind, and Body

South Rose Window, Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France. Copyright 2000 by Blair Atherton

South Rose Window, Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France. Copyright 2000 by Blair Atherton

It seems to me that one of the goals as a spiritual person is to achieve harmony between the spirit, mind, and body. Here, I would define harmony as congruity between these three aspects of being. All three are integral parts of our existence, and as such interact with, and influence one another.

I think congruity is a key word here. In order for there to be harmony, the mind must be aware of the spirit and understand the nature, meaning, and purpose of a spiritual life. The mind must also be committed to a life of goodness and virtue. The body finds congruity by cultivating good health to fully support expression of the mind and spirit through outward action.

The state of the mind determines the extent to which the spirit is able to express itself. If the mind is at peace, open, and seeks spiritual awareness, it will come. When this happens, the mind is compelled to seek outlets for expression of the spirit-self. There is a transformation in one’s motives, intent, and desire.

When harmony is achieved, love and compassion for all things dominates the person’s world view. One’s thoughts are outwardly directed toward the needs of others. There is a strong desire to serve God and humanity, and material things become relatively unimportant. Expression of the spirit energizes mind and body bringing feelings of happiness and well being.

Prayer for Harmony

Dear God,

I strive to make myself whole, and by doing so come closer to you.
I wish to find the sacred harmony between spirit, mind, and body.
My only desire is to serve and honor you by expression of my spirit
through acts of love and compassion.

I pray that my spirit may one day become attuned with, and radiate your divine love for all things.

Amen

A Spiritual Lifestyle

Behind This Door... Copyright 2008 by Blair Atherton

Behind This Door…
Copyright 2008 by Blair Atherton

This blog has discussed what it means to be a spiritual person from a variety of perspectives. From what has been covered so far, we can begin to see the attributes of a spiritual lifestyle.

How many of us have the fortitude, commitment, and determination to actually live a spiritual life? It would seem that much of the world is headed in the opposite direction. There is immense pressure for us to conform to the materialistic, self serving, and ego driven ways of the majority. Truly spiritual people are oftentimes unseen, sometimes down trodden, and seemingly left behind in today’s fast-paced, narcissistic society.

However, in reality, it is the materialists who are being left behind. Society fosters the attitude of “live for today” without regard for the consequences of our actions for tomorrow, for the karma of this, or our next lifetime, and especially for one’s spiritual development and progression.

We are all caught up in this windstorm of materialism to varying degrees. It is all around us, and it has shaped the values of a declining society. It seems a great many people do not know any other way to live.

The disillusionment and distrust with organized religion has certainly not helped. It has resulted in not only a self imposed excommunication from religion, but also from many of the moral and scared values embedded in religious teachings. I hope that those who have left their religion have not also abandoned a belief in God.

A major theme in my writing and in my beliefs is that the most important thing whether you participate in organized religion or not is to live a life of goodness, moderation, compassion, humility, and charity. What matters most is how we treat other people. To a great extent this is what defines us as individuals and as a society.

“What would you have me do I ask [of God]?
The answer came swiftly and powerfully in a single word
That echoed and resonated in the essence of my being—LOVE!”

(This quote is an excerpt from my blog on 6/8/13 titled To What Doth My Heart Hearken?)

Nature: A More Expansive Spirituality

Large Cedar in Olympic National Park Copyright 2008 by Blair Atherton

Large Cedar in Olympic National Park Copyright 2008 by Blair Atherton

When we go to beautiful wild places to get away from it all, it is sometimes difficult to describe what we feel. For me, it is an inexplicable feeling of a belonging—a homecoming of sorts. It is a joyful feeling like I have met my soul mate. I want to linger endlessly and I lament when I must return to the steel and cement world.

This feeling of nature—the trees, animals, bugs, rocks, etc—as soul mate says something very profound. For those few hours, days, or however long in beautiful natural surroundings, we are on the threshold of awareness that we are a part of all of the earth and all living things that comprise nature. They are all a part of God and his divinity is a part of us and all things. As Jesus has told us in the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, “All that is born, all that is created, all the elements of nature are interwoven and united with each other.”

Recognition of this truth has implications. One is that we are participating in an evolution of the earth and all life on it. We are but one species among many on a trajectory of growth in consciousness and spiritual awareness. This knowledge carries with it great responsibility. If all things are a part of God, then all things are sacred and demand our reverence, respect, compassion, and protection.

Although we may see humanity as superior to other forms of life, God may not share such an egocentric view. If that is the case, then other species may hold potential for development equal to us in God’s eyes. It could be that they are just not as far along in their evolution as we.

Thomas Berry believed that God placed humanity within the natural order rather than above it. It is our arrogance as a species that sees itself as the one most pleasing in the eyes of God. Given the direction that humanity has taken in recent history, this may not be the case.

If God is everywhere and in all things, then exploitation and destruction of our planet and the life it holds are affronts to God. It is our arrogance in believing that our science and technology can master the forces of nature or improve on what God has created that has led to our current environmental, social, and spiritual crisis.

At the same time, I see a quiet, unobtrusive movement in progress. I see more and more people exhibiting various levels of spiritual enlightenment concerning the environment. I see small steps that help to reduce harm to the planet like buying organically grown foods, moving away from a meat-centered diet toward a more vegetarian diet, avoiding genetically modified food products (GMOs), greater sensitivity to animal rights, recycling, driving hybrid or electric cars, and so forth.

While these may seem like small things, they suggest a growing awareness of what has been discussed here. They are indications of the beginning of a step forward in spiritual evolution and awareness that will change the world in so many wonderful ways.

You also might like the following related article:

One Species Among Millions

 

What Can We Learn About Spirituality from the Example of Others?

Hubble Captures View of 'Mystic Mountain' Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)

Hubble Captures View of ‘Mystic Mountain’ Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)

There are many people who provide examples of how to live a spiritual life. These include not only historical religious figures, but also ordinary people. They demonstrate in their everyday lives what it means to be a spiritual person.

When I heard that the new Pope decided to take on the namesake of Saint Francis, it brought back some childhood memories. I was attending Catholic school in second grade when the class went to the theater to see a movie about the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. I was very captivated by the movie. I remember saying to myself, “I want to be like him.“

I did not want to be a priest or friar, rather I wanted to emulate the way he lived. I wanted to put into action his unwavering humility, selflessness, self-sacrifice and devotion to God. He accepted any and all adversities that God threw at him willingly and without complaint.

Of course at that young age, I had no idea just how hard it would be to imitate Saint Francis. Nevertheless, it became a life goal.

Below is a favorite prayer attributed to Saint Francis that I believe sums up how he looked at spiritual life. This is not a prayer just for Catholics or Christians; it is an approach to spirituality and life that can benefit all of us.

Let us pray:

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.

Dear God, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.”

What really rang true to me about Saint Francis’ view of spirituality is looking past, and going beyond, oneself. He sought to attend to others without regard to his own needs. To me, the prayer above speaks volumes about what it means to be a spiritual person.

At the same time, there are many quiet, gracious, inconspicuous truly spiritual people with whom we come in contact in our everyday lives who may or may not subscribe to any particular religion. Make it a point to pay attention to what is going on around you and you will see them. We can learn much from watching them.

Doing good and helping others is second nature to them. When they see a need, they do their best to fulfill it. They do it without hesitation or having to think about it. Recognition or gain of any kind never crosses their mind even for a moment. It is who they are; they have found their spirit-self.

How wonderful it is that they have chosen to share their divine selves with us! How wonderful it will be for us to join their ranks!

An Insidious Intruder

A Giant Hubble Mosaic of the Crab Nebula, Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Hester and A. Loll (Arizona State University)

A Giant Hubble Mosaic of the Crab Nebula, Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Hester and A. Loll (Arizona State University)

Trying to eliminate ego has been kind of like a teeter-totter for me; just when I think I have it squashed, it pops up again out of nowhere. Over time, I have managed to reduce it to a weak and sickly thing that has only brief rallies of influence before it is sent back to bed.

I have been working to rid myself of ego for many years. It’s a work in progress that I find quite liberating. It requires a lot of conscious effort and determination to extinguish ego, or more accurately to keep it at bay.

By ego I mean a need for recognition, excessive pride, and a feeling of superiority to others. I believe that the prevalence of ego in today’s society is a consequence of materialistic values that appear to be the guiding principle of the majority these days.

As a young man, prior to embarking on my career, I was very humble and all about self-sacrifice and helping others. However, I remember an incident later in life that happened at a time when I was enjoying great success in my career. It illustrates how ego can unwittingly overshadow one’s spirituality and disengage one from compassion for others.

I was walking down a city street with my son when he was 12 or 13 years old. We came upon a homeless man walking toward us. The man was dirty, in rags, weak and trembling. When we met, he did not speak but put his hand out for alms. I ignored him and shuffled my boy past.

My son stopped and grabbed my arm surprised at my lack of compassion. He insisted that I give him some money for the man, and he straight away gave it to him. I had no idea how much I had changed until that moment.

It is difficult for me to admit to having had such a failure of character. I attribute it to ego as it happened during a time, I realize in retrospect, when my ego had a strong hold on me. The innocence and generosity of a child had shown me the depravity of spirit that existed in me during that period of my life. It took a while, but thankfully, I managed to crawl out of the muck of ego, put on clean clothes, and reclaim my spirituality.

This taught me that ego is insidious; it gradually invades the psyche little by little so that one does not notice that it is happening. It can slowly become a more and more prominent part of one’s personality and behavior. By the time your ego is full grown, you are not even aware of what a selfish and self-serving lump you have become.

Ego and the materialistic way of life go hand-in-hand. An inflated image of oneself is intimately intertwined with the selfishness, greed, and lack of compassion we see today.
This is because ego is one of the motivators that drives us to try to seek recognition and prestige from the things we have, where we live, and the people with whom we associate.

I may be sticking my neck out here, but I do not think that recognition or prestige are basic human needs. I believe they are created needs from very effective marketing strategies that span decades. So many advertisements we see play to, or seek to create in us, a “need” for prestige or just being noticed whether it is for white teeth, a flashy car, a big house, or expensive clothes. We must find a way to resist and reclaim our humility and dignity.

How does ego conflict with becoming a more spiritual person? The egotist’s primary concern is their needs. Consequently, ego can prevent us from seeing what those around us need. The sense of superiority that comes with ego can cause us to dismiss or overlook the adversity, suffering, and deprivation that others endure. This is one of the main ways that ego compromises expression of our spirit and militates against our becoming a spiritual person.

We are not defined or valued as individuals or human beings by what we have, how we look, or who our friends are. We are defined by the degree of humility we exhibit, how we live our lives, and how we treat other people; these are indicators of the degree to which we have become spiritual persons.

Wherefrom Comes Happiness?

Taken Under the Wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud Credit: NASA, ESA, CXC and the University of Potsdam, JPL-Caltech, and STScI

Taken Under the Wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud
Credit: NASA, ESA, CXC and the University of Potsdam, JPL-Caltech, and STScI

In this day and age, we live in a world that focuses on, and values, material things rather than the spiritual qualities of existence. This has led to the widespread rise of the ignoble qualities of personality in many people such as pride, ego, greed, selfishness, narcissism, and self-aggrandizement. Sadly, it appears that a surprising number of people have not known any other way to live.

At the same time, many of these same people are realizing that success in their career, prestige, and the accumulation of worldly possessions do not bring the happiness they assumed would follow. This has been demonstrated to us again and again through people we know and from stories of celebrities we read about or see on TV. We shake our heads and ask why happiness has eluded such privileged people.

What I have come to know in reflecting on my life is that material things did not make me happy. Rather, loving and helping others has brought me the greatest happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment.

Although worldly possessions will not bring happiness, wanting for things you do not have can make you unhappy. It is the wanting itself that brings discontent, not the lack of things desired.

In my view, we should not be asking God for material things. God gives each of us the gifts and material things that he wishes us to have and that best serve his life plan for us. We should accept these with genuine gratitude and give thanks. Rather than ask for more, we should share what we have with others, especially the less fortunate.

I believe that praying should be reserved for giving thanks for what God has given to us, no matter how meager it may seem, and to ask for help for ourselves or others who are sick, in pain, or who are having difficulty with the trials and tribulations of everyday life. When we focus on others, the “need,” desire, and wanting for material things disappear, and our spirit begins to express itself.

We need to find a way to replace wanting with unselfish giving. It’s not complicated. This truly is the key to happiness and a spiritual way of life.