Spirituality is life. It is practical, grounded, real and sensible. It is about living in such a way that I bring happiness to myself and others. It is about doing the right thing, in the right way, at the right time so that there is benefit for all. This is more than just about pleasing others: it is to have the clarity (uninfluenced by people’s demands and personalities) to see what is needed and to act to fulfil that need. Real spirituality creates real self esteem, enables generosity and inspires dignity and royalty of spirit.
To live is to act. In every moment of being, we are performing actions. An action means everything that I do that has an effect. Besides the obvious physical actions, breathing, speaking and thinking are all actions. Take words, for example, with them we can uplift, encourage, comfort, cheer, put-down, discourage or hurt others. How about all those words that we regret saying? Once said they can’t be taken back and it may take months or even years to repair the damage they caused.
Edward Lorenz, who died recently, is known as the father of the chaos theory. In the 1960s he discovered ‘deterministic chaos’ (that a small event can have a big knock on effect). This resulted in a big shift in our view of how nature works, of its’ inter-connectivity. His theory became know as the ‘butterfly effect’ as he explained it by saying that if a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil it could cause a tornado in Texas.
Deterministic chaos and interconnectedness are know in spiritual terms as the ‘Law of Karma.’ This law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, i.e. whatever we do has an effect and that effect comes back to us. Our actions, words and thoughts all come back to us like an echo. Sometimes we see this effect immediately and sometimes it comes back in time.
How aware are you of your actions, words and thoughts? Have you ever considered the effect that they are having on others and on the world, and what the return of that effect will be? Particularly your thoughts, as every single action begins with a thought.
Have you noticed the connection between thoughts and feelings/energy levels and your breathing? When your mind is racing see how your breathing becomes shallower / faster / more laboured and your energy levels go down. Then notice how when your thoughts are calm, your breathing is calmer and your energy is relaxed.
What about an outburst of anger? Before the outburst there are the angry thoughts, and then afterwards we feel drained. These angry thoughts may have been building up for days or even years. How much energy do we waste over the years building up this reservoir of angry thoughts? Then when it ‘comes out’ what is achieved? It isn’t that we should suppress feelings, rather do not let them build up in the first place.
In contrast, if I have an inspired thought a life time of good work can come out of it. This is because there is such pure and positive energy in that thought. The energy behind a thought is very important. Don’t underestimate the value of and power of your thoughts. If our thoughts are for world benefit, for humanity to know peace and happiness, then we will inspire others too. Visionaries lead with their thoughts, attitude, values and determination.
To be truly in touch with spirituality, become like a flawless diamond reflecting our true and original state of being in every aspect of our lives. The purity, peace, love, joy and wisdom. To be a flawless diamond is to value, appreciate and understand yourself and to know your own potential and capacity for greatness. Flaws come when we think about and look at others, in the sense that we compare, judge, become jealous, wonder what they think about me etc.
