Healing Garden World

By Carolyn Agosta
Copyright February, 2009

Seven Spiritual Principles

First Principle

There are periods in our lives every when thing seems to move easily – there are few struggles, we are calm, centered and at peace with ourselves and the world, glitches, “burps” and hiccups happen without impacting our flow through life. There are other times when it feels as if getting out of bed in the morning is a struggle, let alone functioning during the day. And we wonder, what changed? What am I doing differently? Did someone suddenly change the rules and forget to send the memo to me? Did I fall off the edge of the planet into a new world? “Toto, we’re not in Kansas any more.”

The difference, though not apparent at first, is that we have “fallen” out of the flow of life – we are not in timing with the Universe, the planets, Nature. We’ve moved out of our soul’s path. Life is suddenly challenging and foggy; we seem to stumble with each step we take.

There are 7 Spiritual Principles (or Laws as Deepak Chopra, Doreen Virtue and Wayne Dyer refer to them) that, when practiced, create a life that seems simple, where manifesting is effortless, and peace fills one’s entire Being. They are simple to understand and make perfect sense – there is nothing new in them … just reminders of a way to live and be on this planet and in your own world that makes everything easier … as (I believe) it is suppose to be!

Each month we will be addressing one principle, giving you the opportunity to practice each individually before embracing them all.

First is the Principle of Pure Potentiality.

What this means is that my “real” Being (my true self – the Being that does not die) is pure potential: infinite possibilities, boundless, limitless! On some level inside each of us, we know this to be true. And because of the limits we’ve created in our own minds, we need help remembering the truth. Here are some ways to remember the potential that we are.

In order to get there, we must silence the mind – or at least quiet it – to allow the energy of potential to flow. The more the mind “talks,” “babbles” and carries on, the less able we are to follow our true path, our true potential. So the first step in experiencing pure potential is to quiet the mind. Following are some ways to do that.

  1. Meditate – I know as soon as I say the word visions of a guru sitting in a yogic position in a quiet room for hours on a “meditation” pillow, undisturbed loom into the mind. And the reality is the kids need to get to soccer practice, dinner needs cooking, the baby’s diaper needs changing, there’s a 9-5 (or 8-6 or 7-7) job awaiting your attention – all of which are given priority over anything else. So what does it really mean “to meditate”? Just taking time each day to breathe and bring your attention to one thing: a candle flickering, a leaf on a tree, a picture of something that brings up no emotions (or few) – a picture from Nature works well for this. Even 5 minutes a day would make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you. Even one conscious breath 5 times a day would make a difference.

  2. Silence – ah, what I would give for silence. Be careful what you wish for – deafness is not your intention (I presume). Create silence – a place that has no noise. That can occur in a room full of people – where you take yourself (in your mind) to a place of peace and quiet. Or go to a place that is quiet: out in Nature, a roaring river blocks out the other noises and creates a “silence” of its own – anything that distracts from the everyday noises of screaming, talking, electrical equipment, cell phones, TV, radio, and the ever-present noisy mind.

  3. Toning – this is probably one of my favorite ways to create space in my life accessing the pure potentiality of this Being that I am. Taking a breath and letting sound come out of the mouth, without judgment, just allowing the sound to be as it is. And the more I do it, the clearer the sound becomes. Toning the vowel sounds is a fabulous way to bring balance to the chakras – energy centers in the body. For me, it distracts my mind and the sounds just flow. And suddenly 20 or 30 minutes have gone by and I feel peace flowing in, around and through me.

  4. Be in nature, walk barefoot in the grass, look at a flower, feel the snow scrunch under your boots – this probably doesn’t need much explanation. Most have experienced the silence, peace and calm of being out in Nature. And if you have not … now might be a great time to experience it!

  5. Relinquish the need to judge – as we judge others, we judge ourselves. And as we judge ourselves, we judge others. We make assumptions about what we observe or hear and then we judge based on those assumptions. And that is all they are: assumptions. We think we “know” and it’s just the mind observing and judging … with little or no basis in truth or fact. When you make a judgment, stop, take a breath. And release the need or urge to do judge … what difference does your opinion mean in this situation? Allow others to be and live their lives (even if it is your adult children!).

--- February, 2009