Tag Archives: Expression of the Spirit

Disasters: An Awakening

Spiritual Awakening
Artist unknown

With regard to those directly affected by disasters such as the recent hurricanes and the earthquakes in Mexico, I think it’s important to maintain the right perspective. These events can lead to great suffering and many people lost all of their possessions. But in the midst of this, it is important for those directly affected to reflect and give thanks to God for what was, for what and who survived, and for what will be, going forward.

After the devastation of typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines some years back, a journalist came upon a man standing in front of a pile of rubble that was once his home. He asked the man how he felt about the destruction. The man simply said, “Blessings, [God’s] blessings.”

These events often bring out the best in people. It’s as if they have had a spiritual awakening or renewal and realized who they really are and how they are intended to live. We heard about neighbors helping neighbors and how volunteers flooded into devastated areas to help any way they could. Others organized or contributed to the collection of relief supplies.

These acts of love and compassion are expressions of one’s spirit. They give us joy and happiness like nothing else can. For some, experiencing a disaster is a life-changing experience and they make a commitment to always help people whenever they can as they go forward with their lives. For others, their old ways of living quickly return and sadly, an opportunity for spiritual transformation is lost.

 

Spirit’s Answer to My Prayer

From new-wallpaperz.blogspot.com

From new-hdwallpaperz.blogspot.com

Love and compassion are not mental processes; rather, they are an expression of the spirit. Follow your heart and let them flow freely without thought, fear, or any other product of the mind. Do what comes naturally and have faith that you are being guided. Be of the conviction that the actions to help others compelled by the expression of love and compassion (of the spirit) always will be healing and nurturing to the soul of the recipient.

*****************

The following is an excerpt from one of my previous articles that expands upon the message above.

From Charity Doth Call My Spirit Forth

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.

Copyright 2013 by Blair Atherton

You might also like the following related articles:

The Spiritual Mind

To What Doth My Heart Hearken? Part 1

 

An Expression of the Spirit

Many Facets, Many Views From httpthewordwhisperer2-blogspot-com

Many Facets, Many Views
From thewordwhisperer2-blogspot.com

My dear God,

I ask for your guidance,
and for the strength, determination, and courage
to serve you to the best of my ability,
at all times, without fail,
in any manner you ask of me,
without hesitation or fear.

My only desire is to serve and honor you
by expression of my spirit
through continual acts of love,
compassion, and healing.

This is my heart’s desire.
This is who I wish to be.
This is who I am.
This is who I have always been and always will be.
This is my purpose in this life and the next.

Lord hear my prayer!

You might also like to see the following related articles:

Prayer: Spiritual or Self-Serving
Shall the Meek Inherit the Earth?
Prayers for Harmony

How is My Divine Self Revealed?

With permission. Copyright 2012 by www.phatpuppyart.com

With permission. Copyright 2012 by http://www.phatpuppyart.com

If I am a child of God, then what is the essence of my divine nature? How is my divine self revealed?

I believe that the divine self is manifested by the spirit and that love and compassion are spiritual attributes. Therefore, one way in which we reveal our divinity is by expression of love and compassion for all things.

Compassion is not an attribute exclusive to people of religious faith. In fact, it did not originate in religion; rather, it is an aspect of our in-born divine nature. It is an attribute of humanity. Everyone has it, but we often get lost from time to time on our life path and stray from our inherent loving and generous nature. What is important is that we recognize that the spiritual gifts of love and compassion are at the core of our being; that when we express these qualities, we are revealing our divinity to ourselves and to those whose lives we touch.

Nothing is more rewarding or more important in life than sharing these spiritual gifts with others. What is important in the pursuit of meaning in our lives is that we all aspire and strive to express our divinity in various ways on a daily basis. It is through these actions that our divine self is revealed.

You might also like to see the following related articles:

The Quintessence of Life

Can Love Save the World?

On the Pursuit of Happiness

The Golden Morning

Golden Morning Light

Golden Morning Light

I love the golden morning light.
It’s warm glow so beautiful.

And when it touches me
It feels so soft and satisfying,
Like a lover’s caress.

I imagine that the hand of God is touching me.
That I am amidst His presence
And feeling His loving embrace.

As the golden morning turns to the brightness of a sun rising higher,
My spirit rejoices and I am filled with joy!
The gentle warmth of the early hours has set the tenor of my day!

Copyright 2016 by Blair Atherton

On the Pursuit of Happiness

Pure Happiness Source: HD wallpapers.cat

Pure Happiness
Source: HD wallpapers.cat

The pursuit of happiness leads far too many people down countless blind alleys and confusing twists and turns. Just when we think we have found the key, it vanishes leaving us once again feeling empty and unfulfilled.

Placing a high value on material things and living a material lifestyle naturally leads one to seek happiness from material things. A common misconception is that if I had a new car, or could buy a house, or had more money, or could find the love of my life, or get my dream job, etc. then I would finally be happy.

But each of us has proven this approach and vision of happiness to be false. For many of us, it is easier to identify worldly things and circumstances that might make us happy, rather than doing the soul-searching needed to understand how personal happiness can be nurtured.

None of these worldly things bring genuine, lasting happiness. One reason for this is that such things are transitory, and subject to changes in circumstances that are out of our control. Each of us is responsible for our own happiness. It cannot be given to us by some thing or someone else.

That said, then how does one find true happiness? What exactly does it mean to be truly happy? I believe that true happiness can only be found within ourselves and exists independent of the world around us. Happiness is a reflection of the state of our spirit-selves. Those who have achieved harmony between spirit, mind, and body have found the key to happiness.

I believe that happiness is a natural result of spiritual fulfillment. Nothing brings a greater sense of fulfillment, satisfaction, and purpose than expression of our spirit through love and compassion, and helping others. Reflecting on this, we all know it is true. Loving and helping others brings jubilation like nothing else can. Therefore, we all know that this is the key to deep and meaningful happiness.

The challenge we all face is keeping the spiritual perspective of happiness always foremost in our minds. We must constantly strive to reorder our lives, values, and priorities to pursue spiritual fulfillment and progression, rather than worldly pleasures, satisfaction, and status.

Deep inside we all know the right path for the pursuit of happiness. How many of us can muster the conviction and determination needed to take and stay on that path?

You might like to see the following related articles:

The Law of Service
Wherefrom Comes Happiness
The Quintessence of Life

The Aura of Pope Francis

Photo by Reuters

Photo by Reuters

Whenever I see or hear Pope Francis a big smile comes to my face and I am filled with joy, love, and hope. Previous Popes or other prominent religious leaders that I have seen and heard did not have such an affect on me.

I have no idea why he makes me feel this way and I wonder if others have a similar experience. He seems to have an aura about him projecting love and compassion that fills the hearts of those around him, Catholic or otherwise. He inspires hope and points the way to a better world and a better humanity.

When I see the huge crowds that gather to see him, I am encouraged that we are on the verge of a quantum change in the level, pervasiveness, and expression of genuine spirituality in humankind. I see a hunger by the masses for goodness, compassion, equality, and respect among people around the world.

I hope and pray that when the TV news moves on to another story or the Pope retreats to his quarters that the change and noble aspirations he embodies and inspires will remain in the forefront of people’s minds and compel them to emulate this holy man.

You might also like to see the following related articles:

The Law of Service

Charity Doth Call My Spirit Forth

Shall the Meek Inherit the Earth?

 

A Presence Palpable

Source: Wallpaperup.com

Source: Wallpaperup.com

I believe that God should be a part of our every waking moment—a presence palpable. We should honor Him and pay homage to him throughout our day. We can do this in many ways. A very important one is for goodness to permeate our every thought and action. Working and living for good encompasses selflessness, a strong desire to help others whenever we can, and when needed, self-sacrifice to serve others before ourselves.

The attribute of goodness is a state of elevated spiritual being and connection with God. It is an expression of our spirit-selves. Inherent in (and requisite for) a life of goodness is compliance with Gods commandments and mindfulness of His natural laws.

We also honor God by being present in the moments of our day so that we take notice of the beauty and wonders of nature all around us even in the most mundane setting. When we do this, we begin to see the beauty of God Himself, in that He is, and is in all things. On these occasions, our spirits soar toward the heavens, even if only for those few precious moments. We cannot help but yearn for more of such time on the wind.

In addition to these ways of daily living, we should also set aside time (preferably a day) each week for rest and relaxation to recuperate from the demands of family and work. In other words, we should always remember the Sabbath and use the time to seek greater spiritual understanding and insight. I believe this time is meant to be spent in a quiet place alone with our thoughts rather than at a place of worship with its many distractions.

This is a time where we devote ourselves to reflection and contemplation about spiritual matters and how it is that we are living our lives. It is a time for obeisance and communion with God. It should be a time when He is a presence palpable, rather than abstract.

You might like to see the following related articles:

Spirituality as a State of Being
Nature: A more Expansive Spirituality

Prayers for Harmony

Copyright 2014 by Blair Atherton

Copyright 2014 by Blair Atherton

In world of divisiveness and fear, I offer the following prayers for harmony. I hope that many of you will join me in saying these prayers on a daily basis. There is so much evil in the world today and so many misguided and lost souls that need our prayers. Thank you.

Prayer for World Harmony

My dear Lord,

I pray for peace, harmony, security, equality, and freedom for all of the children of Earth.

We long for the time when goodness and light will once again prevail over the evil and darkness which have ruled the earth for far too long.

I pray that your sacred light will continually grow ever brighter and purge the earth of all shadows and darkness where evil abides.

May we come to understand that our salvation will not come through blind adherence to the doctrines and edicts of our religious faith.

But rather, simply by loving you and living a life of unselfish goodness and virtue.

May harmony between spirit, mind, and body found by the one extend to the many and
result in peace among nations and a spiritual renewal and awakening of the people of the world.

Lord hear my prayer!

 

The foregoing expresses aspirations for all people. The following prayer seeks harmony within us as individuals.

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

Author’s note

My second prayer is an excerpt from a previous article “Harmony Between Spirit, Mind, and Body.”

You might also like to see the following related articles:

A Letter to God

I Had a Vision

From What Purpose Comes Meaning?

Meaning of Life

“Teacher, why am I here?” I asked.

“You are here to change the world,” the teacher replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

Taken aback I asked, “How can I change the world when I am only one among billions?”

“Ah, but you are not alone in this,” he said. “There are many like you around the world seeking to expand their spiritual awareness. There are even more who seek meaning for their lives, but are not yet spiritually aware.”

“But teacher, what is it that gives life meaning, or perhaps I should say: what is the meaning of life?” I wondered.

He smiled as a parent might to a child’s simple-minded question and replied, “There are some who seek meaning by pursuing a career. Others seek meaning through their family life. Still others seek meaning through devotion to their religion, but the answer is much more basic than these things.”

“I can see where one could get some measure of satisfaction and fulfillment from each of these,” I said.

“Yes, but there is something more fundamental that brings meaning to these and all human endeavors,” replied the teacher.

Not understanding where the teacher was going with this, I asked, “What is more basic than making one’s way in the world, love of family, and devotion to God?” When I heard his answer, I felt as if I were indeed a naive child again.

He said, “You must understand that all of the children of earth have kinship with one another. All of humanity arose from one and the same God the Father. Consequently, you are expected to give all persons you meet the same love and compassion that you would to your own parents, siblings, children, and so forth. It is helping and serving others that is most fulfilling and that gives life its true meaning.”

Trying to grasp a deeper understanding of what the teacher was saying, I declared, “So what you are saying is that love and compassion should underlie and guide all human interactions.”

“Yes, that is why you are here! That is how you will change the world! That is your life’s purpose!” he said. “This is the lesson that humanity must learn!”

You may also like the following related articles:

Spiritual Kinship

Can Love Save the World?