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Living Your Spiritual Life Purpose
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Who am I? Why am I here?
3. Universal Consciousness
4. Spiritual Laws
5. The Power of Thought
6. Dealing with Difficulties
7. Surrender
8. Spiritual Self Mastery
9. Purpose of Life
10. Spiritual Life Purpose
11. Gratitude
12. A Few Final Words
Living Your Spiritual Life Purpose
This article was inspired as I looked back many years to when we had a therapy room in an extension to our home. I loved making notes from books and articles I read and I purchased index cards on which I wrote down quotes which I found inspiring. I used Blue Tack to put these on the wall of the therapy room in the hope they would inspire others as well.
I have learned so much from extensive reading and research on the internet, and have kept a note of inspiring spiritual quotes, short prayers, mantras, inspiring hymns etc. for future guidance and reference. These assist in taking our consciousness to a higher vibration and also serve to remind us of our spiritual identity. All religions contain an aspect of truth, and the quotes come from many and varied sources such as spiritual writers, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and from our own books, Living The Spiritual Laws for Health and Abundance, Words of Wisdom and More Words of Wisdom. I will abbreviate the first one to LTSL the second one to WOW and the last one to MWOW when I quote from them. I will print quotes in bold to make it easier for readers to select what feels appropriate for them. This saves readers from having to keep reading through the entire article to find what is helpful for a particular situation or difficulty. This article is simply guidance and I encourage readers to seek specific guidance and information by further reading or searching the internet. However, the best guidance lies within us
and can be discovered by prayer and meditation. Time must be allocated daily for this as it is our higher self /soul that knows what we need to learn. However, we need to listen for answers.
Before going further in this article some background explanation follows particularly for those new to this topic and following that there will be specific guidance for dealing with situations we encounter on our spiritual pathway.
We will now consider (a) Who am I and why am I here? (b) Universal Consciousness (c) Spiritual Laws and (d) The Power of Thought.
(a) Who am I and why am I here?
Our true self is our soul, a spark of the Divine. It is immortal and evolves through many lifetimes each time incarnating in a new physical body to reach enlightenment and end the cycle of reincarnation. It is only the physical body that dies and the soul eventually evolves to become one with the Divine/God/ Supreme Being. We each have to decide which term feels most appropriate. The following mantra reminds us of our spiritual identity, and should be repeated three times.
The Soul Mantra
I am the soul I am the light divine, I am love, I am will, I am fixed design.
Fixed design refers to the fact that our soul has incarnated with a divine purpose which we will consider later. This mantra was given to Alice Bailey, a theosophical writer.
Karma and Reincarnation
Karma and reincarnation are closely linked. Karma means action and we have incarnated to evolve by balancing our karma, and achieve unity with the divine. We are constantly accumulating either good or bad karma by our thoughts, words and deeds. We would not have incarnated if we had nothing to learn. Every moment of every day of our earthy existence means we are either creating good karma or else adding to negative karma accumulated in past incarnations
When we accept our current incarnation as an opportunity to evolve spiritually this enriches not only our life, but the lives of others. Taking responsibility for how we live our lives gives us the opportunity to evolve and free ourselves from future incarnations. This article is intended to provide guidance on building good karma, but it takes a sincere desire and dedication to see others as spiritual beings, and being willing to support them on their spiritual journey.
The following quote from Wayne Dyer who was a self help author gives good advice. ‘How people treat you is their karma, how you treat others is yours’. This reminds us we each have to take responsibility for our actions.
Reincarnation
It is deemed that over half of the world’s population believes in karma and reincarnation. This belief is widely held in Hinduism and Buddhism. It is important to note that the words reincarnation and rebirth are often used interchangeably. The word rebirth is frequently used by Buddhists as they do not believe in a soul, but believe that at death consciousness and karmic energy continue from life to life until enlightenment.
The three Abrahamic religions namely Judaism, Christianity and Islam do not believe in reincarnation. It is worthy to note that in 325 ad. at the Council of Nicea the Roman Church removed the belief in reincarnation from the doctrine of the church. Many believe that this was to give the church more power instead of each person taking responsibility for his or her spiritual development. The word karma does not appear in the Bible although the words “As ye sow so shall ye reap” may possibly apply to a future lifetime as well as to the current incarnation.
Reincarnation emphasises personal responsibility for how we live our life even when faced with difficulties. Much information on karma and reincarnation can be found on Theosophical websites.
Universal Consciousness
Universal consciousness is not part of Christian teachings. However, many spiritual traditions do believe in universal consciousness and the interconnection of all life. Many Hindus and Buddhists believe consciousness is a fundamental reality as did many Greek philosophers.
Many scientists are researching the possible connection between quantum physics and consciousness. Quantum Entanglement shows particles of the same origin and which were connected maintain a connection even when separated by time and space. Albert Einstein described this as “Spooky action at a distance”. However, not all scientists are convinced and research continues as science insists on experimental evidence which is not currently available. I highly recommend reading an article on the internet by David Frawley. It is entitled, “Consciousness, The Ultimate Power of Knowing and Healing”. He believes that in Vedic knowledge consciousness and science are related with consciousness being a fundamental reality.
Many believe Jesus’ healings point to the existence of universal consciousness and there are many examples today of distant healings occurring even when healer and client are separated by a large distance. Distance is no object to healing energy as our consciousness is part of the universal consciousness. When we acknowledge universal consciousness our whole view of life changes. This is expressed in a quote by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. He states, “He who experiences the unity of life sees his own self in all beings, and all beings in his own self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.”
Spiritual laws
It is helpful to have a basic understanding of The Spiritual Laws which provide the guidance we need for our daily living. Our book ‘Living The Spiritual Laws for Health and Abundance’ covers 33 laws and has questions at the end to assist putting the laws into practice. I shall mention three laws as they are particularly important for taking a spiritual approach to situations we encounter in everyday life.
The Law of Oneness
This law teaches us the unity of life and the importance of seeing others as spiritual brothers and sisters. This is not easy as we have to acknowledge the Divine in all others even in those who upset us. The following quote from Ken Keyes jnr., a spiritual writer, reminds us, “I can change myself, others I can only love”. We don’t have to agree with what others say or do but we can still love them.
The Law of Forgiveness
Holding on to grudges deters our spiritual progress. We all need forgiveness at times so be willing to forgive others who upset you without expecting them to change. The following quote originates from an essay by Alexander Pope. “To err is human, to forgive is divine”.
The Law of Unconditional Love
We all encounter people at times who are difficult to deal with or even hurtful. These situations are set to test us. Another quote from Ken Keyes reminds us to love others no matter what. and also to love ourselves. “Love everyone unconditionally including yourself”. If we do not love and value ourselves we will find it hard to love others.
The Spiritual Laws are there to guide us so please take time to read more about them. The following poem is from our book already mentioned and is a summary of some of the laws, I hope this will serve as a guide to putting the laws into practice.
Living the Laws
Be still and be silent when guidance you seek
Be honest and kind with the words that you speak
Be thankful be joyful for all you’ve been given
And when you feel hurt make sure you’ve forgiven.
Be trusting have faith when troubles appear
Have hope and have courage to let go of fear.
Acceptance and patience will help see you through
What seems like a tunnel with no light in view.
When others have troubles show compassion and care
Judge not but be generous, remembering to share.
Know you’re abundant with all that you need.
Your kind actions and thoughts are the right way to lead.
Be creative and active in the tasks that you do
And what you give out will come back to you
All life is one, if this you can see
You’ll know how important it is to just ‘Be’.
The Power of Thought
‘We are not trapped by our thoughts. What we generally do is create thoughts that trap us’. This quote is from Joshua David Stone and appears in his book entitled ‘A Beginner’s Guide To The Path of Ascension’.
There is an old saying, ‘Children should be seen and not heard’. As children we were often told to be polite, and refrain from saying anything negative that would upset others. However, we were never told to watch our thoughts. It seemed acceptable to have negative thoughts about others so long as they were not expressed vocally. Most people have no idea how thought energy can have a negative impact on our life as well as on the lives of others. Our negative thoughts add to the negative karma we have already accumulated. So do take time to ‘Choose your thoughts as carefully as you choose your words’. (WOW)
It is well documented that positive thoughts contribute to better health whilst negative thoughts result in stress, poor sleep and many serious health issues. There are many articles on the internet regarding how religion and spirituality have beneficial effects on our wellbeing.
The following Buddha quote reinforces the long term effects negative thoughts can have on our wellbeing. All that we are is a result of what we have thought’. It is believed by many that our thoughts create our reality. They can create wellbeing as well as depression. It is our responsibility to monitor our thoughts and be prepared to change them if appropriate.
As already mentioned distance healing is powerful as the healer’s thoughts reach the client no matter the distance. Two examples are Reiki Healing and Christian Science Healing. The latter was established by Mary Baker Eddy in the 19th century. She stressed that spiritual thought was the key to health and harmony. Both these stress the power of thought along with the understanding that spirit is omnipresent.
The following quote by Lao Tzu reminds us how important thoughts are to shaping our life.
Watch your thoughts they become your words
Watch your words they become your actions
Watch your actions they become your habits
Watch your habits they become your character
Watch you character it becomes your destiny.
Meditation assists in giving us insight into our situation as we observe our thoughts without focusing on negativity. We can receive guidance to make positive changes and also develop positive affirmations leading to peace and better health.
When we need to change negative thoughts to positive ones for healing and peace of mind there is excellent advice in the Bible. (Philippians 4.8)
“Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there can be any praise, think on these things.”
Dealing with Difficulties
Our spiritual path presents many difficulties we need to overcome. When we find ourselves in awkward or unpleasant situations remember those are given to test us on our road to spiritual self mastery and achieve spiritual goals. Every thought, word and action creates good or bad karma so we need to take care as to how we respond. We need to do our best to be grateful for every opportunity to balance our karma by being tolerant, understanding and forgiving. Always look for the lesson to be learned, and do not be attached to outcomes or expect others to change. Remember the divine power is omnipresent and within us, and that, ‘All things work together for those who love God’. (Bible Romans 8.28) See difficulties as opportunities to evolve and experience true peace and satisfaction. ‘Do your best then ask the Universe to do the rest’. (MWOW)
St Teresa of Avila gives us good advice. ‘Trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be’. Reading spiritual texts and meditation can guide us towards peaceful and satisfying outcomes that benefit us and any others involved. In all situations keep in mind the spiritual laws, particularly unconditional love and forgiveness and move forward in peace and gratitude for what you have learned.
Surrender
Sometimes our difficulties seem insurmountable no matter how hard we try to find a solution. Even meditation may not be bringing forth guidance. Our only option is to put aside our desire to be in control and hand over our issues to our soul/ higher self which is our spiritual teacher, and always available to guides us. This is not weakness, but trust in a divine power. Keep in mind the saying, ‘Let go, let God’. This quote is not in the Bible, but is often said by Christians when all attempts fail to bring about a positive outcome. It originates in the Bible (Romans 8.28) which says, “all things work together for good for those that love God’.
Surrender is giving up relying on our ego, believing we know best. We have to admit there is a higher power there to guide us. However, we have to ask for help which is always available, but we still have to play our part. There’s an ancient Greek saying, ‘God helps those that help themselves’. As we hand over our concerns and problems to our soul we become more relaxed and open to receiving guidance in meditation. The outcome may be different from what we originally desired, but it will be right for us.
There’s a Christian hymn entitled ‘I Surrender’ which can be found on Youtube. When we feel stuck in a difficult situation, and not reaching a solution this hymn reminds us to submit to a higher power. When we do this Buddha said, ‘Letting go gives us freedom and freedom is the only condition for happiness’. When we surrender we let go of expectations, and open ourselves up to achieving peace of mind. ‘Do you best let God do the rest’. This quote is from our book(MWOW)
In Hinduism the Bhagavad Gita teaches us to offer everything to God, and to trust without seeking personal gain. Krishna tells Arjuna that surrendering to Him brings peace, and to perform duties without attachment to results. He then states, ‘Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful actions. Do not fear’. This tells us surrender is strength when we align with God and follow His guidance. When we surrender we let go of expectations, and open ourselves up to achieving peace of mind thus understanding the universe knows best.
Purpose of Life
There are many different views regarding the purpose of life. We will briefly look at the beliefs held by three religions.
1. Christianity
In Christianity the Westminster Catechism states that the purpose of life is ‘to glorify God and enjoy Him forever’. The teachings of Jesus encourage us to use our talents to benefit others. Bible Romans 6-21. We are to use the gifts we have been given, but not for personal gain. It is helpful to also read in the Bible Matthew 25 14-30 as this relates to the Parable of the Talents spoken by Jesus. It teaches us to use our God given resources to glorify God. If we fail to do this we will remain unfulfilled and will not benefit from God’s power and love.
There is a beautiful hymn on youtube by Lifebreakthrough entitled ‘Has My Life had a Purpose’ The singer is imploring her soul for guidance on living her life purpose. It encourages us to consider what we can do to serve others in our life.
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2. Buddhism
In Buddhism the purpose of life is to end suffering, reach enlightenment, and be free from the cycle of rebirth. Meditation and an understanding of the Law of Cause and Effect are the keys to accruing positive karma. In Buddhism Dharma doesn’t refer to a specific life purpose, but it concerns a journey of self discovery, leading to a life that is compassionate and meaningful which will lead to freedom from suffering and rebirth. “As your deed is so is your destiny.”
Meditation and an understanding of the Law of Cause and Effect are the keys to accruing good karma. The following quote gives guidance regarding our life purpose. ‘Do no evil, do good deeds and purify the mind’. Once again we are reminded of the necessity to watch our thoughts, and live in the present moment. The Gita emphasises the need for selfless action, and performing duties without attachment to results. It reminds us to ‘live in the present moment. The past is behind. Learn from it. The future is ahead: prepare’.
3. Hinduism
In Hindism the purpose of life is to realise our unity with God, and end the cycle of rebirth. This involves pursuing good actions that lead to good karma and spiritual growth. The Upanishads remind us ‘You are what your deep driving force is, so is your deed. As your deed is so is your destiny.’
The purpose of life is to become one with Brahman, and end the cycle of reincarnation. There are several aims to be achieved in Hinduism, but the one applicable to this article is Dharma which is righteousness. This entails fulfilling ones duties whilst accruing good karma. Understanding the unity of life, and the need to achieve spiritual growth is essential. Dharma connects with duty, and is seen as leading to self realisation.
Hinduism is different from Christianity in that Hinduism has a caste system which means duty and conduct are linked to one’s caste.
Spiritual Self Mastery
Spiritual Self Mastery is a journey of self discovery, and the key to spiritual evolution. Socrates advised ‘Man know thyself then thou shalt know thyself and God’. When we understand our true self is spiritual we realise the need to set aside time for prayer and meditation which enables us to identify our skills and abilities and also our values and beliefs. This relates to another quote from Socrates which tells us ‘To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom’.
Self Mastery involves monitoring ourselves, and maintaining a spiritual journal is essential. Please visit our website for our Morning and Evening Affirmations which can assist in identifying what to include in your journal.
Time must be set aside for self awareness to assist in balancing our physical, emotional and mental bodies. When we encounter difficulties there is good advice from Victor E. Frankl an Austrian psychologist and philosopher. He states,‘when we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves’.
Carl Jung guides us to look within to awaken spiritually. He states, ‘Your vision will become clear when you look into your heart’. He reminds in the following quote that answers do not come from outside of ourselves. ‘Who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakens’.
A spiritual self master understands the need to be of service to others without any material gain. Using our talents and abilities brings joy to those we serve as well as to ourselves.
Gratitude
Making gratitude a habit has a positive effect on our spiritual evolution as it opens us up to receiving even more goodness into our lives. It also contributes to better health and joy.
So many people in the world lack even the very basics to stay alive. Expressing gratitude to God shows how much we appreciate the little things in our life, and that we understand there is a power greater than ourselves caring for our needs. Give thanks for others in your life, and for the strength to overcome challenges in difficult times. “Acknowledging the good you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance’. Eckhart Tolle
There is a hymn which has the following refrain. “Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings see what God hath done.” This is not what most of us do often enough. If we start the day and end it with gratitude this assists in keeping our thoughts at a higher level. When problems arise ask for guidance as to how to deal with them, and remember to give thanks for lessons learned. ‘A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things’. (Plato)
In Islam Muslims are encouraged to thank and praise Allah for ‘Blessings in all times and in all places’. This is similar to what the Bible has to say. ‘Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’. (Thessalonians 5.13) These quotes remind us to give thanks for everything including our difficulties as they are there to teach us something for our spiritual growth.
There is a song on youtube by Lifebreakthrough entitled, ‘Thank you for everything that I have’. It reminds us to be thankful for sunshine and rain and many other things we take for granted. Take time throughout the day to pause and just give thanks for everything.
There is a beautiful poem on the internet by Ella Wheeler entitled, ‘Whatever is, is best’. I recommend reading it on the internet. It reminds us to appreciate all that occurs in our life as even difficulties are there to teach us something that will contribute to our spiritual growth.
A Final Few Words
I hope that the quotes and references in this article will serve readers to pursue accumulating good karma necessary for evolving spiritually. When we accept the unity of life we understand the need to develop spiritual qualities, and the need to let go of attachment to what brings material gain. We begin to acknowledge that death is not the end, and that every positive step we take will not only benefit others , but will take us forward on our evolutionary journey.
Very often people believe the religion they were raised in is the only truth, and seek no further investigation. All religions have something to offer, and there is a golden thread of truth running through all. Opening our minds to beliefs held by others rather than clinging to those held by well meaning parents and religious leaders can bring greater understanding as to our true identity and guidance as to how we can evolve spiritually. We each have to discover what resonates within us and follow our intuition. The following quote is from our book (MWOW). ‘Keep an open mind or you may shut out the truth’. This is important otherwise we will not continue to learn from others. There’s an old saying, ‘Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water’. Take time to consider new information before accepting it or rejecting it.
Spiritual paths are many and varied, However, they all lead to the same divine source. We have all come from the One Source, and will eventually return to unity with the Source of all life. Let us learn from each other and evolve together in peace and harmony. Do not become disillusioned when things are not working out as you’d like. Remember there’s a reason for everything so never give up.
We all make mistakes at times, but it’s important to recognise this and take steps to make amends. Keep motives pure and sincere, and seek no personal gain. There is a saying ‘as you change others do too’. It would be wrong to try to force others to change. However, as you make positive changes in your thoughts and activities you will be creating positive healing energy which can inspire others to change. What a wonderful way to be of service!
I will leave you with an inspiring quote from Grace Cooke’s small but wonderful book entitled, ‘The Quiet Mind’. It instructs us to ‘Keep on keeping on’.
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