Daily Spiritual Practice is not only important, it is essential!
In ACIM we learn all problems stem from the illusion that we are separated from God. That faulty idea is in our mind and it is there that we need to ask for healing. We think we are alone, a victim of our existence. If you seek a different experience, you have to ask a different teacher. Not the voice for the world but the voice of our Inner Teacher, the Holy Spirit. That is the purpose of serious daily spiritual practice. Through our commitment and dedication to looking WITHIN for answers, we strengthen our communication to our Source, which will correct all errors and give us direct answers to our questions, guiding us step by step, if we so ask. That is our free will.
Connecting everyday with the Holy Spirit through our daily practice will lead to heightened intuition, deep faith, certainty, clarity, calm, and an unwavering sense of inner peace. This is the antidote to the depression we are experiencing in the world today. There is no pill, no virtual reality device, no quick fix to this global pandemic. The pandemic of our separation from our Source, ourSelf.
So I ask you, are you ready to take this step, to seek for the Kingdom of God first, so that all else will be added unto you, which really means you will be aware of your everlasting state of grace. I am sure you are, or else you wouldn’t be here. Daily sacred study and practice will increase your faith. You will become aware of the divine in you and in life. Slowly you will come to realize how essential these practices are. You will become aware of the experience of being guided by your Holy Spirit. And your own experience is your proof.
Creating a Sacred Space
Creating a sacred space in your home reminds you of your commitment to your spiritual path and the importance of daily practice. This space doesn’t have to be an entire room. It can be your night stand, a corner in your living room or kitchen, or any place that feels good in your home. All you need is a comfortable chair and table. That’s it really. You don’t even need a chair, a pillow and a shelf works just as well. Work with what you have. The energy of the time spent in this area is what is going to make it beautiful. You will feel peace there and you will know that healing is happening every time you see this area in your home because the energy of your devotion will be felt.
The mystic in me would like to add this becomes a portal for sacred energy in your home! Make this area beautiful by decorating it, just don’t become obsessive about the material things. If you don’t have them now, you can gather them slowly as you come to know what you want to be surrounded with in this area, but honestly don’t lose focus of the goal which is uniting with the Holy Spirit. You don’t need anything for that. At all! I like to keep my book open at my altar. The energy of the words permeate the room, healing me , my children and the space. This is mystical thinking. This is the mystic experience, awareness of the sacred technology of spiritual tools, rituals, practices, thinking, feeling, being. The following are some examples of things you can place in your sacred space. Ultimately you want anything that is sacred to you or reminds you of the Spiritual Realm.
Ideas for Your Sacred Space
1. Night table or bedside.
2. A corner in your living room, kitchen, dining room or bedroom.
3. A room if you have extra space in your home.
Ideas for your Altar:
1. Candles
2. Crystals
3. Incense
4. Essential oils
5. Things from nature, rocks, flowers, feathers, seasonal things for nature walks, etc.
6. Oracle Cards
7. A shawl to cover your back and head during meditation if you’d like
8. Anything that is sacred to you or reminds you of the Spiritual Realm
9. Your Sacred Tools: Guidebook, ACIM, Journal, Pen
Sacred Tools
You only need 3 things for this practice, the text of ACIM (third edition by the Foundation for Inner Peace), a journal and a pen. That’s it! Now, if you can, get a beautiful journal, one that you enjoy holding and that you will look forward to writing in everyday. Same with your pen. Find one that you love, that flows across the page, that inspires you to write something, anything! I love soft feel gel pens in black, and am constantly trying new ones. Play around with purple ink or gold encasing. Really, any notebook or pen will do but if you can go out and get yourself a brand new one, I would highly recommend it!
For our daily spiritual practice we will use the following:
- A Course in Miracles 3rd edition.
- A New Journal
- A New Pen
This practice is so simple, yet so sacred. And you can do it anywhere. You won’t forget your sacred tools next time you travel because they will be as essential as your toothbrush and underwear! During your practice you want to also have either a glass of water, cup of tea, coffee or any (non-alcoholic) beverage of your preference. A special mug for this time can be fun too. I like to anoint myself with medicinal essential oils before practice to even further consecrate this time. You will eventually find what works best for you, but all you really need is your book, journal and pen!
Your Daily Appointment with God
When something is important to you, you make time for it and schedule it in your calendar. You set reminders for important appointments or events. We do this for holidays, birthdays, doctors appointments, etc. Your appointment with yourSelf and God is also important. Actually, I would argue its the most important daily appointment of your life! If we don’t make the time, we will never have it or find it.
What time do you wake up for work or for the day? Whatever time that is, wake up an hour earlier, which also means, go to sleep an hour earlier to allow for this. Give yourself an hour with God a day, preferably first thing in the morning. Maybe you can do an hour over the weekends but only 10 minutes during the week. That is fine. No less than 5 minutes is all that is necessary. Your daily appointment with God will set the tone for your day. You will place your ideas, thoughts, actions in Her hands first and ask for guidance. There is no better way to start your day. Through spending time with Her, you will become aware of your ability to communicate with your Highest Source. You will become aware of synchronicities and signs that will assure you that you are not alone, that you are cared for, guided and loved always. However, you are so respected, that you cannot be guided unless you give the invitation, daily. Just as you would set an appointment with a doctor and mark your calendar, you will be scheduling in time for your daily date with God and setting an alarm reminder to help you. This is your most important meeting today, don’t miss it.
It is important that your schedule with God be first thing in the morning. It will set the tone for the day. It will declare to your guides that you have given permission to be illumined by the holy thoughts of your Highest Self and tune you with your Clair-senses. Otherwise you are giving your power away to the world. And the world most definitely has an infinite number of plans for your life that do not include your highest good or the highest good of all. We have free will. We can manifest what we want based on what the world tells us we need, to be “somebody”, or we can allow ourselves to be guided to our highest purpose and most divine expression here on earth based on a plan not of this world but one that will be of benefit to you and everyone in it. Thats just the way God works. Her way is perfect. Ask Her everyday, first thing and relax, all will be revealed.
Learning to say No
You have made a commitment to making time for you and your Highest Self. You will need to make sure you protect this decision by saying no to demands on your time. By doing this you are creating healthy boundaries. You don’t have to go to every event you are invited to. You don’t have to say yes to every dinner, lunch, or coffee date. Say no to watching countless hours of mindless tv. Say no to scrolling for hours catching up with all your friends on Facebook. By saying no to some of these things, you are saying yes to creating more time for you and God. You are saying yes to caring for your energy. You are saying yes to the things that are truly important in your life. The activities that will bring you peace and well being. This is called self care!
Your friends and family will learn to respect your time when you kindly decline. Don’t feel guilty or the need to explain why you are saying no. You will find that by setting this standard for yourself you are energetically helping others set boundaries for themselves. Gone are the days of having no time. We are now making time and protecting our time in order to take responsibility for our healing and self realization. You are making a commitment to your Highest Self. You will need to make sure you protect the time you have set for your daily appointment with God. Keeping your appointment means you go to bed at a certain time, in order to be well rested for your morning practice. Think about your day and see where you can protect your life changes by saying no to demands on your time. Make a list of people, places, or things that no longer contribute to who you are becoming and can be keeping you in negative patterns and behaviors. It is safe to say no.
Your spiritual commitment to yourself will positively benefit everyone around you. Everything is energy and the energy you walk into a space with can either bless or lower the vibration of an area. By making sure that you take care of your spiritual life first, there will be more of you, and more of the positively radiant you to go around for your loved ones. Saying no may be hard at first, but it is a practice, like everything in life. Start practicing! As you move forward in your journey, you will become very aware of people and places that drain you, that are no longer in alignment with who you are now and who you are becoming. It is safe and okay to say no to friendships or environments that are no longer appropriate, or deplete your energy.
You do not have to be physically in the presence of someone to send love and light. While on a physical realm, you have said no to the next gathering, in spirt you can send your love and light. It will be felt energetically by them, and you will both experience more healing. Take this time to get to know yourself better, honor yourself for this commitment. This is a gift that you are giving you and it is probably the best gift that you could ever give yourself. When you start living your life with inner peace, you change other peoples lives too. They begin to feel your peace and know it’s possible for them too. Your energy alone will heal them, your presence will invigorate them. You’ll learn how to help through prayer and not by telling people what to do, which is very harmful in relationships. Every area of your life will benefit from this time that you take for yourself.
These posts are best experienced in order, the next post is titled Spiritual Rituals
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