3. HEALING THE SPIRIT

A) Spiritual health means experience of unconditional love / absence of fear B) Social health means depth of commitment and ability to forgive A.  SPIRITUAL HEALTH means  EXPERIENCE OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE / ABSENCE OF FEAR Soul awareness and a personal relationship with God or Spirit Trust in your intuition and an openness to changes

Gratitude

Creating a sacred space on a regular basis through prayer, meditation, walking in nature, observing a Sabbath day, or other rituals

Sense of purpose

Being present in every moment

Prayer : Pray daily in whatever manner feels most comfortable to you.  Spending a few moments in prayer as you start the day and before you go to bed is an excellent way to maintain your connection to Spirit, that power that is both within you and transcends you.

Meditation: Meditate for at least five minutes twice a day, choosing a time when you will be comfortably seated in a quiet surrounding, and beginning with conscious breathing.

Gratitude : Begin your day by visualizing a scene that makes you feel happy to be alive.  Don’t take life for granted; there are numerous blessings for which you can be grateful.  Take a few seconds each day to acknowledge them.  Also focus on what you have, not on what you lack.

Forgiveness : Remember that you are a human being with imperfections, weaknesses and flaws, like everyone else.  Learn to accept your mistakes and forgive yourself for them, canceling the demands that you “should have” behaved differently.  Do the same with others, forgiving the person, not the action.  Recognize your limitations, and also give yourself credit for all that you’ve achieved in spite of them.  Doing so will allow you to be more accepting of yourself and others.

Meaning, purpose and intuition : Take time to reflect on what your life is about, where you are heading, what you enjoy most, and what feels most meaningful to you.  This will help clarify your sense of purpose and provide you with greater opportunities to share your unique gifts with others.  Your intuition, or inner voice, is your best guide in this process.  Take time to listen to it and be willing to take risks as it guides you toward your most valuable lessons.

Eye Contact : The eyes are the windows to the soul

Touch : Touch is both an effective form of healing, and perhaps the most powerful and direct means we have for conveying and receiving love.

Two of the easiest ways of learning how to accept touch are self-touch and hugging.  Hugging and being hugged is another simple, yet powerful means of connecting with Spirit.

Listening exercise : Attentive listening can be a very powerful method for enhancing intimacy in a committed relationship.

Support groups : Support groups comprised of people who meet regularly to share and explore common values, beliefs, problems or common ailments can be an effective tool you can use to strengthen your sense of community and enhance your spiritual growth.  Perhaps the easiest way to become involved is such a group is to organize it yourself, inviting family members, friends, and co-workers who share a common interest.  For the greatest benefit, try to meet together at least once a week.

Altruism : Helping others through donations of your time and resources is not only spiritually rewarding but also pleasurable and is capable of boosting your immune system.  Helping others with genuine goodwill produces strong feelings of connection, a sense of unity, and the recognition that in giving to others you are ultimately giving to yourself.  It is also a potent antidote for the negative effects of self-involvement.  Learn to recognize your opportunities for altruism and take advantage of them.

Relationships : Your role as a lover, spouse, parent and / or friend provides you with the most powerful opportunities for spiritual growth on a daily basis.  Make a commitment to become more conscious in all your relationships, and especially those with whom you are most intimate.  There is a divine spark, a life force energy, residing within each of us.  And it is in those whom we love the most that we can best appreciate that energy.  By honouring that spark in your loved ones, you help them become more of who and what they are – human embodiments of Spirit.  In return, they help you to do the same.  Don’t take your relationships for granted.  Instead cultivate wonder and gratitude for all the gifts you are able to share with your loved ones.  Doing so will reward you with the greatest health benefit of all – the gift of unconditional love

top

B. SOCIAL HEALTH means DEPTH OF COMMITMENT AND ABILITY TO FORGIVE

Intimacy with a spouse or partner, family and close friends

Sense of belonging to a support group or community

Touch and / or physical intimacy on a daily basis

Selflessness and altruism

Your spiritual well-being is ultimately the most important aspect of your ability to care for yourself.  It is also the dimension of holistic medicine that is most often neglected in our society.  Becoming spiritually healthy is a process of diminishing fear and increasing love while developing an awareness of Spirit and allowing it to guide you to a deeper connection to other human beings.  This infinite source of compassionate and forgiving transcendent power is the essence of all life on earth and is the spark of life force energy within each of us.  The most direct path to becoming spiritually healthy is learning to love yourself.  As you do, you will appreciate the greater meaning and purpose of your life, experience gratitude for your many blessings, and become highly attuned to and trusting of your intuition.  As you move beyond the confining restraints of your ego, you will become a more loving friend, spouse or committed partner, parent and member of your community. Ego is the death of life, and death of ego is the real life.  In short, you will achieve the goal of holistic medicine – to become whole.

top