Groups > Spirituality and Consciousness

Hi, jacquin, you may want to read through this thread:

http://www.tbd.com/group/23/discussion/27364/show?startIndex=0

Hi everybody, spiritual practice is probably the foundation of interest in my life. Recently Ive heard said that any time we remember or think of God, the Ultimate Reality, or whatever the Highest Principle is for you, that this is meditation. I have recently heard that crying to God is one of the purest forms of communicating to God as it is innocent and more powerful than self induced meditation....What say you?

Spirituality can cover many things for many people, but here's my observation: Spiritual practice comes in many forms from the belief in the one true God and the belief in his Son Jesus to the practice of Wiccan beliefs. My main spiritual practice stems from the belief in Jesus of Nazareth and the life style he teaches.But in my studies of other belief structures ive found a common bond "LOVE".From Muslim to Buddhists to Confucianism to Zoroastrianism all have some levels of love for their god and their community.

What ever your belief structure we are connected by LOVE, to me LOve is the ultimate spiritual practice.

Spiritual Practice is Love! '~}

the mystery in me honors the mystery in you...blessings to all of you beautiful people! l o r i

The native spirituality is based upon an inclusive respect for all of the earth. It makes so much sense to me and is one of the few spriritualities that I have heard that make any sense.

1) As John Mohawk most eloquently expressed: [The natural world is our bible. We don’t have chapters and verses; we have trees and fish and animals. The creation is the manifestation of energy through matter. Because the universe is made up of manifestations of energy, the options for that manifestation are infinite. But we have to admit that the way it has manifested itself is organized. In fact, it is the most intricate organization. We can’t know how we impact on its law; we can talk only about how its law impacts upon us. We can make no judgment about nature. The Indian sense of natural law is that nature informs us and it is our obligation to read nature as you would a book, to feel nature as you would a poem, to touch nature as you would yourself, to be a part of that and step into its cycles as much as you can.

2) Big Thunder (Bedagi) Wabanaki Algonquin The Great Spirit is in all things, he is in the air we breathe. The Great Spirit is our Father, but the Earth is our Mother. She nourishes us and that which we put into the ground she returns to us....]

I was listening to a radio show today that was talking about natives beliefs and another thing he mentioned that I really liked is that the natives do not try to recruit or convert. Their system just is what it is. They feel strongly that the other religions promote a lack of respect for the earth and will destroy our physical world with pollution etc. because they disregard the physical world. Their position is that many may realize too late how important our earth is to us. Their celebrations are ones of thankfulness and not fear of condemnation or fear of not being accepted into heaven after life.

each day i am consciously committed to be of

service unconditionaly to whom ever i encounter...to be that good samaritan.....

to extend my self graciously uplfting or by giving suggestions.....to walk in spirit

Deep appreciation to all. It's so difficult to dare to define spiritual beliefs, faiths, and practices; as there are so many various points of view.

Having studied many world religions, I've recently found tremendous peace, respect, and acceptance of a wide diversity of faiths and spiritualities.

The Native Americans teach ancient wisdoms of respect for our earth, and many mainstream religions are coming to also realize that what we do to, and what happens to our earth, eventually directly impacts us, and will, indeed, affect our children, grandchildren, and the coming generations.

Additionally, daily meditation, in which I become still, quiet, breathe slowly and deeply, and focus on inner peace, gratitude, kindness, forgiveness, joy, and healing,truly helps for centering, calmness, and more joyful living in the moment.

I especially attempt to absorb the so very wise,globally recognized Dalai Lama's teachings,and here's a favorite quote of his:

" We can reject religion, ideology, all received wisdom, but we cannot escape the neccessity of love and compassion.

Love for others, and respect for their rights and dignity,

No matter who or what they are,ultimately these are all we need".

~The Dalai Lama