A Review of Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path

This book by Mariana Caplan, PhD has two significant points 1) the importance of dealing with the psychological as well as spiritual aspects of our lives and 2) the need, or not, of having a spiritual teacher.

We cannot ignore our psychological hang-ups. Just “being spiritual” isn’t enough if we still harbor old resentments, hurts, and other issues that have been ignored for many years. As a psychologist, Caplan may be a little biased on this topic, yet she is correct. Being spiritual is about being a healthy human. That includes using some form of therapy to clear our past. Caplan claims that we “must be willing to suffer our own darkness if we truly aspire to know the deeper spiritual potentialities that exist within us” (20).

When going through hard times, we may be experiencing our own karmic payback and “that it is necessary, even unavoidable, that we endure it” (101). Despite past lives and their significance, however, the fact is that “What is important is whether we are able to meet our present circumstance with a clear and discerning perspective and refrain from taking actions that further the endless repetition of unfavorable and limiting aspects of our karmic conditioning” (102).

The good news is that “future suffering is prevented through intensive self-study and practice that allows us to become aware of our unconscious processes and to intercept them” (102). Our awareness of our faults and limitations, and our desire and intent to change them, creates a better future. The control of our lives is within our reach.

The second significant point in this book is that we may not need a spiritual teacher. Caplan is very specific on this topic. She has had years of experience with teachers from different spiritual paths. While she continues to work with one, she warns of the difficulty in finding the right teacher who is both psychologically and spiritually healthy. Too many of the encounters she describes involve so-called gurus who take advantage of students emotionally, sexually, and/or financially. She mentions warning signs that can be sensed, even if not fully understood. She encourages us to listen to our instinct and steer clear of individuals claiming to have answers while making us feel uncertain and uncomfortable.

There are ways to grow spiritually other than running to an ashram in India or finding a personal coach. While we all need guidance, there are other forms of receiving assistance. Many people find a guiding book appearing at the right time in their lives. Others discover a connection to a guide on another dimension, and while there is caution against assuming or misinterpreting such a presence, there is a way to validate that. Again, trusting one’s instinct is crucial.

Caplan also warns against a “new-age” groupie mentality of following the latest, greatest person and/or idea. Chasing after this external gratification doesn’t allow one to fully develop one’s own talent or spiritual connection. There is no specific right way. That is the misleading part for many who desire answers, which may come in a variety of ways. For some, a teacher does physically appear. For others, that teacher may come in an unexpected form.

Caplan’s personal experiences bring validity to her discussions. She has lived through the psychological struggles, the spiritual quest and the multiple spiritual teachers. This book provides crucial challenges with affirming answers.

Are You An Entrepreneurial Spirit? Take the Quiz and Find Out

An entrepreneurial spirit is a person who is spiritually independent and not locked into any one set of dogmatic beliefs. An entrepreneurial spirit is a person who recognizes the importance of creating a better spiritual life.

Creativity and risk are entrepreneurial characteristics. Creativity is not just about painting a picture, acting in a drama, writing a novel or some other artistic endeavor. Creativity is being intellectually and spiritually inventive. Spiritual people must be imaginative and innovative. We must also be willing to try new ideas, new ways of thinking and acting. This involves a certain degree of risk.

An entrepreneurial spirit understands non-linear thinking, in which there is no one cause and effect. Non-linear is a different way of thinking. We can no longer expect to find one result from an event, or expect an outcome to have a single, definite cause. Linear thinking, or moving in a straight line, is no longer the only way to reflect. Instead, imagine a web of ideas spreading out in a variety of intricate patterns, but with an underlying order.

Assess yourself as an entrepreneurial spirit. Do you have the qualities necessary to adapt to change, take control of your spiritual life, and think differently?


ARE YOU AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT?


Directions: Assign one point for each characteristic that describes, or mostly describes, you.


Creates or seizes an opportunity and purses it regardless of current resources.

Never, never accepts “no” for an answer

Is creative and innovative

Uses both left and right brain

Works hard, is driven by intense commitment and determined perseverance

Sees the cup 1/2 full, not 1/2 empty

Strives for integrity

Burns with desire to connect with the Divine

Is dissatisfied with the status quo in spiritual life

Seeks opportunity to improve all spiritual connections

Uses failure as a learning tool

Strives for effectiveness, not perfection

Is comfortable with a certain degree of risk


Scoring: Highest Possible Score is 13

Congratulations! A score of 10 or more makes you an entrepreneurial spirit.

Our spiritual, as well as our material, world is changing. As an entrepreneurial spirit, you are willing to modify your views to accommodate new ideas. This does mean changing your beliefs. This means not limiting your thinking, but allowing new thoughts to permeate your being.

If you are not an entrepreneurial spirit, do not worry. You might want to take a look at the characteristics to see which ones you want to incorporate into your life. Being an entrepreneurial spirit is not the only way to live spiritually, but it is one way to better flow with the changes that are occurring.

Eight Values That Define Our Lives

Who are you? What defines you? What are those ideals or values most important in your life? Are they things such as honesty, loyalty and/or respect for others? We know not to lie, steal or cheat, but what other values do we honor?

Eight concepts define our ethical beliefs:

Compassion – caring about ourselves and others
Unity - feeling connected to others
Truthfulness – being honest with ourselves and others
Fairness - treating ourselves and others fairly
Tolerance – allowing diversity in ideas and beliefs
Responsibility – assuming the consequences of our actions
Respect – accepting our own and others’ opinions
Service – helping ourselves and others

Which ones make you who you are? Then think about which ones you honor in others, but fail to allow for yourself:

Do you treat others fairly, but not yourself?
Do you respect others’ opinions, but not your own?
Do you help others and volunteer for many charities, but fail to take time for your own chores?
Do you show compassion to others, but neglect your own needs?
Know your beliefs, acknowledge them, and honor them for yourself, not just for others.

In situations of conflict, we know the right thing to do. We tap our inner wisdom to see how any potential decision feels. Trust that. Honor what is right. Act on your beliefs.

What beliefs reflect your parent within, the nagging voice that warns you when you are doing something wrong, even when you try to quiet and ignore it? What are the beliefs that, when ignored, wake you up at night and disturb your sleep?

Think of a dilemma in which you debated what to do. What helped you make that final decision? Were you at peace with it? Remember those values that allow you to believe in your decisions, and trust yourself.

Spirituality is the larger part of the ethical issue. 95% of us believe in God or something greater than ourselves. Despite differences, most religions and spiritual paths teach the same eight principles as mentioned above: Compassion, Unity, Truthfulness, Fairness, Tolerance, Responsibility, Respect, and Service. We live spiritually by honoring these values and focusing on the ones most important to us. Trust who you are and what you do by respecting your beliefs.

Are You a "None?"

The Hartford Courant, on September 29, 2009 (A1), reported on a study that showed 15%of U.S. adults were not part of any organized religion, up from 8% in 1990. While those numbers don’t surprise me, and I agree with their predictions that the numbers will continue to rise, I did find the article disturbing. There seemed to be an underlying negative statement concerning that 15%, who were described as the “American Nones,” as if those of us who do choose not to participate in any organized religion were somehow lesser than the majority. Half of these “Nones” believed in God, and some were atheists. I have no problem with anyone who chooses to be part of any organized Church. I just wish that there were more openness for those who do not. Perhaps this same lack of acceptance of any differing views is what is driving the higher number of “Nones.”

What is Your Practical Spiritual Trust Factor?

Eight basic values determine our spiritual lives: Compassion, Unity, Truthfulness, Fairness, Tolerance, Responsibility, Respect, and Service. These are the common principles taught by most religions and spiritual paths. These same principles define trust. The concepts are not new. Many of us just lost track of them as we find ourselves in a complex and confusing world.



WHAT IS YOUR PRACTICAL SPIRITUAL TRUST FACTOR?


1. Compassion
Do you care about and like yourself?
Do you care about the people you interact with on a daily basis?

2. Unity
Do you believe that in working more closely with others, something better
can be accomplished?
Are you willing to make a commitment to work more closely with others?

3. Truthfulness
Are you willing to be honest in your dealings with others?
Are you willing to be honest to yourself about your needs, wants and desires?
Are you willing to be honest with yourself about the integrity or lack of it your life?

4. Fairness
Are you willing to treat people around you fairly?
Are you willing to insist on fair treatment for yourself?

5. Tolerance
Are you willing to accept the diversity of others?
Are you willing to allow others to have different views and opinions?

6. Responsibility
Are you willing to assume personal responsibility for your life?
Are you willing to assume your share of responsibility for the overall
Advancement and evolution of our society?

7. Respect
Are you willing to learn to respect others, their opinions and their beliefs?
Are you willing to respect yourself and what you do?
Are you willing to have respect for the earth and be conscious of not polluting the environment?

8. Service
Are you willing to help others in your life to advance and succeed?
Are you willing to commit to helping others in your community with time as well as money?


Scoring: Assign one point for each “YES” answer.
Scores will range from 0-18. Acceptable scores range from 10-18.

If your score is in an acceptable range, Congratulations! You are a practical spiritual role model and need to be encouraged to continue your quest.

If your score is not in an acceptable range, reconsider which principles you disagree with. How do these affect your view of trust and how others view you? Are you a trustworthy person? Do your friends and coworkers see you as a trustworthy person? You might want to review the qualities that you want to work on.

These concepts apply to our everyday lives but show a practical spirituality. We don’t need to preach to be effective. Being role models with our actions is the best way to promote our spirituality.

A Review of How To Read The Akashic Records by Linda Howe

I always think of the Akashic Records as the “universal library in the sky” or the record of all of our past, present, and future selves. A new book, How To Read the Akashic Records: Accessing The Archive of the Soul and Its Journey by Linda Howe explains that the Records contain, “everything that every soul has ever thought, said and done over the course of existence, as well as its future possibilities.” I love her analogy of the Records being the “cosmic internet” and we can “google” specific information from them.

The Records are governed and protected by nonphysical Light Beings. Our “Masters, Teachers and Loved ones” are our guides to the information of this universal repository.

These Records are not the exclusive domain of any one organization or religion. They are available to everyone. In the past, mystics and saints had access, and Mystery Schools provided entrance information. Today, we have evolved to a spiritual freedom, which allows anyone to gather data from the Records.

A specific prayer, the Pathway Prayer, is used to gain entry. While answers are provided, there is also an energy exchange that allows us to ask the right questions and “feel” the right responses. We are reminded that we are “perfect selves.” The Records don’t hold anything negative. They contain our potential, which is “eternal beings of Light whose essence is wholeness and wellness and goodness.”

Howe suggests that the Records provide an “energetic tune-up” for everyone, especially for those feeling out of touch or lost in the complexity of the material world. Remembering that we are connected to a Divine Being provides a comfort. “All souls desire to experience their wholeness and Oneness with all of Creation,” although not all of us are aware of this.
Accessing the Akashic Records is aspect of our Practical Spirituality. We are all capable of a spiritual independence, one in which we can help choose and define our spiritual connection. The Records provide another avenue of support, one in which we can connect directly to a Divine or higher Energy.

The Records show us that whatever our soul is seeking, we will find. What a liberating time to be living in, when we can gain this inner spiritual awareness and have access to help whenever we need it. Each of us has a unique light to shine. Our challenge is to accept the gifts we are given to help find and shine that inner light.

A New Look at an Old Favorite Book: Gift From The Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

My Mom, who recently died, loved this book and this author. But I had never read this gift until after her death. What a treat!

Lindbergh has a quiet determination in her writing. Perhaps this helps explain how she survived being the wife of the world’s famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh, and the kidnapping and death of her son.

She focuses on creativity and women, solitude, and relationships. Her words remind me of the wisdom of my Mom’s generation. We can learn much from our elderly if we are only willing to listen.

“While man, in his realm, has less chance for personal relations than woman, he may have more opportunity for giving himself creatively in work. Woman, on the other hand, has more chance for personal relations, but these do not give her a sense of her creative identity, the individual who has something of her own to say or to give. I believe that true identity is…found in creative activity springing from within…Woman can best refind herself by losing herself in some kind of creative activity of her own.”

This reflects Step Seven in the Do It Yourself Guide to Spirituality: Seven Simple Steps, which shows that one of the spiritual rules is to create and develop our unique ability. Lindbergh’s writing has a practical spiritual component.

“All relationships are in process of change, of expansion, and must perpetually be building themselves new forms. But there is no single fixed form to express such a changing relationship. There are perhaps different forms for each successive stage.” Lindbergh reminds us of the Step Three of Change, which affects all relationships.

"Perhaps one can at last in middle age, if not earlier, be completely oneself. And what a liberation that would be.”

Ah, if only we could all be completely ourselves. I find that 50 years after those words, the idea is becoming significant again. That internal liberation, however, still escapes most of us. Lindbergh understands the importance of the inner life. That inner life is necessary now. That inner life is part of our spiritual evolution.

Searching for our creativity, allowing relationships to change, and finding peace within – what words of wisdom.