August is that time of year when children are going back to school and we are heading into the activities of fall and winter. It is a good opportunity to regroup and make sure we’re paying attention to the things that support our inner peace. Here is a reminder of four important basics.
Space
We need room in our lives to connect with our innermost being. In a world full of busyness, it may seem difficult to carve out time for ourselves, for creative expression, for self care, for Spirit care. But the payoff is more than worth the effort! Space allows grace to flow to us/through us; busyness (and the resultant stress and irritation) crowds it out.
Silence
Our soul doesn’t need sleep; only our physical body does. However, it does need silence, as in meditation. Meditation is one of the most important things you can do for your Self. Not only does it quiet, relax, and de-stress the mind and body, it establishes a relationship between your human self and your Spirit Self in a way that empowers every aspect of life.
Soul Food
Are you “consuming” the right sustenance for your soul? It is essential to have something to study, read, and otherwise remind us that we are more than our human self, to help us access the richness of our Spirit Self. I have provided one of my favorite soul foods below. You’re welcome.
Structure
Just as we care for our emotional well-being and physical bodies, we must tend to our Spirit Self as well. Inner strength does not happen by accident and it does not happen overnight. In order to live in serenity, power, and freedom, we must practice regularly, over a long period of time (the rest of our lives would be best J). How will you structure your life to build in time and space for these important activities?
Today’s Helping of Soul Food (from Sri Babaji Haidakhan)
Have faith. Everything depends on faith.
Love and serve all humanity. Assist everyone.
Be happy. Be courteous. Be a dynamo of irrepressible joy.
Recognize God and goodness in every face.
There is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future.
Praise everyone. If you cannot praise someone, let him or her out of your life.
Be original, be inventive. Be courageous. Take courage again and again.
Do not imitate; be strong, be upright. Do not lean on the crutches of others.
Think with your own head. Be yourself.
All perfection and every divine virtue are hidden within you. Reveal them to the world.
Wisdom, too, is already within you. Let it shine forth.
Let the Lord’s grace set you free.
Let your life be that of a rose; in silence, it speaks the language of fragrance.
Truth – Simplicity – Love