Spirituality

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience,

we are spiritual beings having a human experience

I like this. I like it a lot - it has been on my mind a lot lately and I've been wanting to blog about spiritualism and my journey ... but wanted to get it right.... so I put it out there and....

Closed my eyes made a wish and blew.....

Spiritualism and it's definition is such a personal thing and so open to interpretation - I guess that's one of the things that I love about it. It can mean one thing to you and another to me - but in doing so it can still have the same desired affect - pretty cool, huh?

A few posts ago I mentioned the "church" that I go to... it's not a regular, mainstream, dare I say "normal" church - it's a Spiritualist Church ( one of my dearest ( cynical?) friends calls it my hocus pocus church!!!) So, what is a spiritualist church I hear you ask? Good question. I won't go with a standard definition or look one up on the www... instead I'll tell you what it is for me.

 

It is a bit of a sanctuary for me... a place that I walk into and go "AHHHHHHHH :) " I remember very clearly the first night I went.. I was so nervous and wound up like a kids toy ready to fling off to the other side of the room, BUT, the moment I walked into that room - it was like a calm came over me and I felt completely at ease. I still get that calm every time I go - I leave there feeling grounded again and ready to face the next week ahead!

One of the things that I like about it the most, is that it's about LOVE - love in it's purest form - that's what it comes down to, very simply. Love and positive energy. What I don't like about a lot ( not all but a lot) of other churches is what I call the "fear factor"... they literally put the fear of God into people. I disagree with this. Surely, a God of Love wouldn't want you to fear him?? There is no "fear factor" at my church - far from it. I love that.

Wise man...

I like that it's about personal accountability -it reinforces  that you are responsible for what happens in your life, that you control what you say, do, feel and how you act .That you and only you  have the power to change you for the better, to change your thought patterns. Personal accountability is hard. Really hard. It makes you reflect and be really, really honest with yourself... and some of us find that harder than others, maybe that's why I like the church - I struggle with this. One of my favourite lines from our healing meditation is something like this:

"... if the ego in you speaks, the ego in others will respond....so too, if the Christ in you speaks,the Christ in others will respond.."

Now I know some of you will freak out at the use of the word Christ here... BUT, bear with me..... what if I replace the word Christ with: love... or kindness.... or compassion... or gentleness... or humour... or ...  are you with me??? I think it's a great way to look at things - and it's helped me to stop sometimes and reflect and THINK before I speak/respond to people ( not always... of course, but I'm really trying and trying to be conscious of my words - and it's good to be reminded each week)

"You are today where your thoughts have brought you;

you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you"

I like the reassurance that I have guardian angels and guides that watch over me and my family and friends to protect, guide and support...even if we don't always see, believe or feel them. I like that sometimes I get "proof" of those around me and the messages that they send..

I think I'll leave it there from my personal perspective for the moment... I could go on for hours... and I will come back to it. But I will share the 7 Principles of Spiritualism before I go. These simply act as a guideline for the development of a personal philosophy I guess of how to live your life. As I mentioned before, the liberty of interpretation is given to us all ...

1. The Fatherhood of God

2. The Brotherhood of Man

3. The Communion of Spirits and the Ministry of Angels

4. The Continuous Existence of the Human Soul

5. Personal Responsibility

6. Compensation and Retribution hereafter for all Good and Evil deeds done on Earth

7. Eternal Progress open to every Human Soul

( Disclaimer:I don't claim to understand and /or "know" all of these principles.. but it's a journey,right?)

Danni xx