THE SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE Issue #1 January, 2009

INTRODUCTION

"Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God" - William Carey

 


Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Spiritual Perspective. My intention is to bring you information for inspiration, a way of allowing you to further open your hearts and minds to a broader life perspective - a spiritual perspective.
I believe absolute spiritual truths exist intended to facilitate unwavering joy into our lives. The path to the awakening and fulfillment of these truths differs for each of us, either subtly or grossly. We are all presented with multiple opportunities to move away from illusions to these truths, from following ego desires to being spiritually aware and from living a mundane existence to a joyful life. I trust The Spiritual Perspective" provides such an opportunity.

Each issue will contain two main sections. One will concern itself with the temple, the physical body and the other with the altar that is present within, our spiritual essence. The altar is where we can commune with divinity. It is the greatest desire of fully conscious beings to do so. The temple is the vehicle we have chosen in this existence to travel back to the altar. We will explore information that concerns the body and suggestions about how to help keep it functioning well for the mind's greatest expression. We will also delve into the metaphysical to explore matters of spirit. And when stirred I may add my take on current events.

I want to thank all of you who responded to my last letter. I trust the information resonated with you. I am now making The Spiritual Perspective available to my entire mailing list. If you know of others who may be interested in receiving it please forward
me their e-mail. If you do not wish to receive it please send me an e-mail to that effect. If you receive it by Canada Post and can provide me with an e-mail address, kindly do so. hypnotherapyunlimited@rogers.com. Your Feedback is Welcome.


COMMENTARY

Something appears not quite right in the world and more likely something is terribly wrong. The economic crises we are experiencing, for example, is not a singular event but a process many years long. The illusion of economical and political wellness was fuelled by fear and camaflaouged by deceit of and hopes from its victims. The victims are not exonerated because of their blind acceptance of morsels tossed their way, which were prized and sought after by them, at times, above all else. Many hope that somehow the corrupt institutions and their leaders would be magically turned around. The magic will likely not be cast because the illusions are becoming transparent and the fear exposed.

Fear has been our companion far too long. Like a baton in a relay race, fear is passed from one generation to the next. It remains our bane. The craftier of our species have been able to turn the fear of their fellows against them as a way of dealing with their own. We have given these opportunists our minds; and in return they created fancy fashions and twinkling trinkets to feed our baser desires. And we shake our heads at the Native Indians who sold their heritage for a few blankets and beads! At least they knew their lands were not theirs to sell.

No one seems to be coming up with good solutions to our predicament. All that knowledge, experience and technical expertise is of no avail. So don't look to those guys who are responsible for the mess to protect us. They are just as scared as anyone else. Einstein stated, real solutions to problems can't come from the mindset that created them. Watch carefully what they do! They are likely not acting in our best interests. And act they do. Smoke and mirrors is their show. Duck if you see any morsels flying your way. Getting struck by one can be hypnotizing and you're fooled once again.

Despite the grim realities of the day, I do not subscribe to doom and gloom for the months and years ahead. And neither should anyone else. I am optimistic about what is to come. What are going under are institutions and systems built on fear, greed and corruption. I trust this cleansing is good. The challenge is how we respond to it. The way I see it, it is critical that we get our own house in order. That is, cleanse ourselves of fear and move forward with its blessed opposite. Know yourself, know your purpose and know your energy. Then you will flourish!

Begin by allowing much less negative energy into your life, such as is reported non-stop by the popular media. In its stead strive to bring beauty and wonder into your life.

Meditation
You are much too tolerant of the mind's wanderings & passively condone your mind's miscreations - CIM

Meditation can be particularly important in these chaotic and uncertain times. It is an effective tool for reining in the effusive mind, comprehending its dynamics and potential, being present with your spiritual self and harmonizing with the divine.

The purpose one assigns to meditation is vastly more important than how you meditate. Rather than give you another meditation technique, 1 will offer information on some of its essential dynamics and trust it will lead you to the "why". As for techniques, research meditative styles that work for you.

Spiritually I see meditation as renewal. It is a rejuvenation of the mind. It is a cleansing prayer that can take us into the realm of divinity. Meditation is the mind stripping itself of its limited 3 dimensional ego identity - the "I am". This identity includes accumulated beliefs, disciplined behaviors, expectations, goals, desires, obsessions, emotions (particularly fear, the mother of all emotions), defenses and will. In meditation one surrenders his known self in order for the unknown to be consciously present

We live our waking lives with perceptions veiled by past experiences. The more experience we accumulate, the more filters we bring into our present awareness, the more the present looks like the past and the less spontaneous we can be. Little children are wonderfully spontaneous because they are not burdened by the expectations of the past. That, I believe, is what Christ meant when he said, "unless ye be like little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven". That is to say, surrender encrusted physical vision in order to see with your inner eyes.

Separating yourself from your identity also means, being without expectation. When the "I am" no longer dominates your mind there can be no expectation. When you loose expectation you also loose limiting judgment. Judgment flows from expectation as expectation springs forth from experience. When the mind is stripped of thought the unknown can be experienced pristinely.

You might think that a mind without identity cannot exist. Consider that your mind may be only identifying with what it perceives with its physical senses. If what consciously defines "I am" are only conditioned and physically oriented thoughts; then, the mind is limited because it is unaware of its spirituality; and it therefore cannot experience its fullness. Ego domination interferes with the mind's conscious transcendences to being complete. Completeness is a state of mind characterized by full and spontaneous awareness and responsiveness to its divine nature and its infinite capacity and potential.

Anna Wise in her extensive meditation studies has found compelling evidence that meditation "awakens the mind to heightened clarity, creativity, insight, spiritual connection The awakened mind expands into the evolved mind, a transcendent
state known as enlightenment...."

Meditation is presence in the absolute moment. The meditating mind, shielded from the incessant flow of thoughts that usually preoccupy it, is eternally present in the moment. The meditating mind is quiet. Meditation feels like a boat resting motionlessly on a quiet lake, in the still moments of early dawn before the silence is shattered by the motley chatter of the life it stirs.

The benefits of a regularly practicing meditation include:
  • Increased intuition * Calmer disposition * More focused attention * Better
    physical health * A more positive outlook *A mind more physically and
    spiritually balanced.
  • It provides you with inner strength. The strength that comes from wholeness
    and balance as a spiritual being in human form in touch with its Source.

Fluoridation: Coming Out of Blind Acceptance



A number of generations have been raised with the conditioned belief that fluoride is beneficial to our oral health. Water fluoridation is likely an example of consumers' blind acceptance of what is ordered by official authority. In this case a scheme was contrived to manage a poisonous substance by putting it into our water supplies. This was done with the, scientifically unproven, belief that fluoride prevents cavities. Originally, it appears, fluoridation was established as a cost effective way of dealing with an environmentally toxic bi-product of the aluminum industry; and this pretentious practice has recently benefited the phosphate industry economically, to our detriment.
Below are some considerations about fluoride that you may wish to explore and are encouraged to do so. One place you can begin is www.flouridealert.org.

*Fluoride was added to many domestic water systems as a dental cavity preventative measure without sound (and more likely poorly designed) testing of its alleged positive effects on teeth and its adverse effects on the human body.
* Fluoride has not been approved by the American FDA to treat dental decay and to be
put in the water.
* Fluoride in fluoridation is classified either as a drug or a poison depending on the
jurisdiction. Regardless, the substance is being put in drinking water deliberately. We are
being administered a toxic substance or a drug without individual choice to have it. Can
you imagine putting Prozac in the water to help people cope with depression during an
economic downturn? Oops! I hope Jim Flaherty isn't reading this
*Fluoridation of Toronto's water was reduced from 1.2ppm in 1999 to .6ppm in 2005 because of increased dental fluorosis in children.
* Fluoride is appearing in our environment increasingly (pesticides, beverages foods, mouthwash and toothpaste, etc.) and we are ingesting it. Therefore "safe" levels of applied fluoride in the water are hard to maintain.
*The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment opposes Fluoridation.
*Numerous North American studies indicate there is no difference in tooth decay with and without the use of fluoride.
*Fifty percent of ingested fluoride remains in the body and most of it is attracted to bone and as it accumulates the bones become brittle. Early symptoms of fluoride poisoning are similar to those associated with arthritis.
*Other health problems being associated with Fluoride include: fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, lowered IQ, dysfunction of the pineal gland and osteosarcoma.
*Most countries in the world, including almost all of Europe, do not fluoridate their domestic water supplies. International law prohibits dumping fluoride into the oceans.
*In 2006 Quebec City stopped fluoridation because of the health risks.




There is a tendency on the part of professional authority to maintain the status quo, sometimes, even in the face of overwhelming evidence contradicting long held theories and practices. This is unfortunate. For obvious reasons, those in authority must discontinue potentially dangerous practices such as Fluoridation of our water supplies respective of evidence that puts its efficacy in doubt; and endangers public health.

Fluoridation is a case in point why we need to individually take responsibility for ourselves, one another and the environment. We need to be clear about why we relinquish decisions about our welfare to a select few? What are we gaining by doing so? What are we sacrificing? What fears are associated with such passive acquiescence? Name the fear, know it, heal it and reclaim your personal power.

In normal circumstances, when it comes to decision making professionals and government leader are able to bring into consideration only a few more variables than the rest of us. Many other variables are just not visible. We can all do much better at making decisions using fine tuned intuition that allows for powerful spiritual input. Meditation is a way of rekindling our intuitive abilities.


Until next time I trust you will grow in clarity and Love.