But there are specific ways to turbo-boost your spiritual growth. I’d like to share with you some of the ways that have worked for me. They may work for you, too...
There are specific ways to turbo-boost your spiritual growth.
Before I could make any spiritual progress in life, I first had to undergo a psychic transformation. You see, my entire life had been characterized by a host of negative emotions and character defects — chronic resentment, anger, fear, and depression, just to name a few. These negative emotions and character defects were blocking my spiritual growth. I had to do something about them.
Over the years, I have worked diligently on my negative qualities. I have tried to create a life based instead on spiritual virtues like unconditional love, acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, humility, honesty, patience, and kindness. Of course, in doing this I have met with success and failure. I have not achieved perfection, nor have I experienced enlightenment. Far from it! If I had achieved perfection or enlightenment at any time along the way, I certainly would have no longer needed to hang around here in Earth school.
However, once I had achieved a certain degree of personal growth, I then became aware of — and could devote myself to — spiritual study and practices. In particular, I began to read about all things spiritual. Looking back, I recall how my father took me to join a public library when I was still in elementary school. Life was never the same after that. I grew up, sitting on the porch, reading, all summer long. Now the Internet is my window to the universe. Moreover, I devour electronic books. I spend most of my days and nights reading spiritual materials. From this, I have learned astonishing things. For example, I have learned about the Universal Law of Attraction and how, by using this law correctly, I can attract into my life the kinds of experiences I wish to have. And I have become passionate about studies like A Course in Miracles and the Bhagavad Gita. When it comes to reading spiritual materials, I’m insatiable. I can’t get enough of this stuff.
At the same time, certain spiritual practices have contributed profoundly to my growth. I first began to meditate during my spiritual awakening in the year 2000, and it continues to be my most essential spiritual practice. From time to time, I have done chi gong as a form of energy exercise. And I use creative visualization to travel to the other side of the veil where I meet my spirit guides — to discuss with them all manner of things human and spiritual — and, of course, you have been able to read about my travels in this Spirit Quest blog.
I love to hang out with spiritually-minded friends. I do this in Spirit Quest meetings and in one-on-one encounters with them. Spending time with people who have awakened or are awakening boosts my own spiritual consciousness. Yet it hasn’t always been that way. Except in the year 2003 when I met with my spiritual teacher every Saturday, I lived in spiritual solitude like a monk on a mountaintop for eight years from 2000 to 2008. Then in 2008, I came down from the mountaintop and founded Spirit Quest. Now I get to hang out with my Spirit Quest friends in our meetings. My friends share their knowledge and wisdom with me, and their generous act of sharing raises my understanding of all things spiritual to unprecedented levels.
I have kept spiritual journals from time to time. This practice of journaling has allowed me to record my thoughts and experiences along the way. I journaled faithfully from 2000 to 2003 when I was surging spiritually. Now, when I read those old journals, I’m amazed at how far I have come. Today, I journal only occasionally, but I still consider it to be an extremely useful spiritual practice. Journaling gives me a chance to write, and obviously, I love to write. I began to write short stories in 6th grade. and during high school and college I expected to become a creative writer or journalist in life. But a military career took me away from that for many years. Finally in retirement, I have come back to it. The combination of my passion for spiritual writing and my desire to contribute to the global spiritual awakening explain why this Spirit Quest blog exists in the first place. I am confident that someday I will even publish a spiritual book, thus manifesting a long-held dream of mine.
I love to spend time in nature where I’m transported into a peaceful state of mind similar to meditation. In fact, few places give me greater pleasure than nature parks and gardens. I used to devote 3 or 4 hours to my garden every day, but as I’ve grown older, I have reluctantly turned over most of those chores to a gardener. Now I spend only 3 or 4 hours a week in my garden. I still believe that gardening is a spiritual practice, and I aspire to create a meditation garden someday. I have visited perfect gardens in my travels to the spirit realms during meditation.
I’m a simple country boy from the hills and valleys of central Pennsylvania. So I’ve always been close to the soil, and perhaps especially so since my astrological sign is Taurus. In my grandparents’ enormous fruit and vegetable garden, I could pick and eat warm, ripe tomatoes and strawberries right off the plants. I could climb fruit trees on their farm, and while up in those trees, I could eat luscious black cherries and heavenly peaches, which my grandparents also used in making home-made ice cream. Now I’m condemned to eating that crap in the supermarkets that tastes like cardboard. In my grandparents yard, I could roll on the grass in summer and in piles of leaves in autumn. I vividly recall the soft texture of the grass and smoky smell of burning leaves. My lingering attachment to the earth keeps me grounded, and I think that’s important now that spiritual growth has rocketed me into the stratosphere.
I always ask a lot of spiritual questions, confident that Spirit will provide the answers. I want to know what I really am and what my purpose is here the physical word. I want to know how to develop a closer working relationship with Spirit. I want to understand this illusion we call physical “reality” and why we repeatedly immerse ourselves in it through reincarnation. I want to know how to enjoy a life of peace and serenity. I want to learn how to accelerate my spiritual growth during my short stay here on Earth.
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What Spiritual Growth Means
How You Can Benefit from Spiritual Growth
Great Post! Your experience is very enlightening for people like me looking for a more meaningful life, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteDito!!!!! You're bookmarked brother
ReplyDeleteThank you