Through Spiritual and Physical Integration, our Life’s Vision and Purpose are Clearer

Many times, as we experience the struggles of everyday life on this plane, we wonder what life’s lesson is for us within this specific framework or pattern of our existence. Is there a lesson in my struggles, or are my circumstances some cruel or unrelenting act? The sadness that we often feel as a result of this quandary can certainly force us to come to terms with the significance these experiences have in our lives. I believe that when we confront our darkness and demons, we come to terms with the perceptions, experiences, and mental constructs which may block our sense of self-realization. As we seek to reemerge from the abyss of confusion to the oasis of soul-purpose actualization, our journey and place within the world become clearer and the path towards self and planetary transformation are much more tangible. The Spiritual realm seems to put these obstacles in our path to help us grow and learn, painful as these experiences may seem at the time.

It is when we realize that we do not have to live our lives in struggle and pain that we can become free of our self-imposed mental or emotional constraints.  When we develop ourselves towards a life-affirming awakening by integrating the spiritual and physical aspects of existence, we experience profound clarity on how to resolve the issues that consistently prevent us from achieving happiness and a sense of oneness. If we solely focus on the physical and material world then we will experience emptiness and unhappiness. If we attune only to the spiritual, then we will neglect our physical selves and this will also create unnecessary imbalance.  By integrating the physical and spiritual, we pave the path for true enlightenment and transformation and can heal the disenfranchised aspects of our psyche that have prevented us from achieving a sense of balance and happiness.

We undertake enormous challenges as we live within the physical realm with an openness to our Spiritual divinity – fully aware that as we grasp and understand our soul’s unlimited potential, we can shed old ideas that were far too limiting and self-constraining. When we are in alignment with our soul-purpose, life flows amazingly without struggle or limitation. We bring our unique gifts and contribute to the world, just as God has always intended once we have awakened to our calling and path.

So, when we are “stuck”, or we do not seem to manifest what we longingly wish to see in our lives, we must view our dreams and goals within an entirely different perspective. If we grasp the idea that we are spiritual beings living in the physical world – then we are much better able to comprehend the vastness of our potential. Yet, if we focus on limitation, it will return to us in the form of scarcity, struggle, hatred, deception, sadness and a sense of not fulfilling our destiny. If, however, we focus on the enormous potential we have within us through an alignment with Spirit, then it is possible to co-create the life we so ardently desire. As we awaken to our spiritual side, our purpose becomes much clearer, and we can shape our value system, beliefs and actions to bring our unique vision to actualization.

Healing from the Past

To heal from the past, we must correct the errors in perception that prevent us from forgiving those who have harmed us. In relinquishing anger, fear, and hatred and completely forgiving past errors, we free our lives and hearts from experiencing emotional devastation and we can live fully in the present open to unlimited love. This is a path towards a renewed and transformed sense of Self that takes us closer to God and our true, Higher Self. Correcting errors of perception such as anger, fear, jealousy, and the need for retribution heals the disenfranchised aspects of ourselves that have long searched and yearned for clarity and atonement. The mental process of dissociation slips us further away from the all encompassing nature of God’s love and we develop a false sense of security – further emboldening the nightmarish dream rather than awakening from its terror and stronghold on our emotional and mental well being. In the process of trying to escape or avoid emotional danger, we actually create more negative disowned energy by psychically dividing aspects of ourselves and furthering the split between our personality and Spirit.  We should, instead, pray for healing and integration and infuse our shadow selves with rehabilitative energy and careful, spiritual nourishment. This consistent and repetitive nature of denying the present by emboldening egoistic divisions within our psyche takes us further away rather than closer to the spiritual realm. Our task is to remember Spirit’s unlimited ability to heal all atrocities rather than creating more perceptual errors which obscure our spiritual sight. Any act that is not of love is counter to the world of Spirit and is an illusion, further reminding us that our task on earth is to heal and awaken from this dimension’s obsessive identification with the physical and its associated anguish.

The Quest for Spiritual Awareness

I’ve been reading a great deal lately. Since I moved from my townhouse and into my apartment, I have become much more introspective.  As I unpacked many of the books that I had in boxes, I realized how “out of touch” I was with many of the spiritual and personal development ideas and techniques I had learned in the past.  So, I have been reading new books as well as reexamining works that have inspired me and from which I have learned authentically powerful and transformational concepts.  I have been particularly influenced by several authors whose works include perceptual frameworks surrounding human potential, the Collective Unconscious, the power of the God and the Universe and the big questions about our existence on this plane and our soul-based evolutionary path.  When I recently went to LA this August, I attended a live seminar on overcoming depression by Marianne Williamson.  Widely regarded as one of the foremost influential writers of this generation, her books have sold millions and have introduced countless individuals to the principles within New Age Spirituality and A Course in Miracles.  I thoroughly enjoyed her seminar and began reading her latest book Tears to Triumph on recovering from depression through spiritual rather than pharmaceutical methods.  Her first book, A Return to Love, Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles is a New Age classic.  Her writing and ideas are highly inspirational, and her grasp on the principles within A Course in Miracles is very enlightening.  I was first introduced to the Course back in the early nineties, but I found it very confusing and so I distanced myself from its teachings.  However, when I underwent therapy in the early to mid-2000’s, my therapist and spiritual counselor was very influenced by the Course, so the inherent concepts within its teachings became a vital component of my therapy, along with the principles discussed by many New Age authors such as Shakti Gawain, Wayne Dyer, and Deepak Chopra.  Although I resisted its teachings, I have found that I continually return to the Course’s principles and attempt to digest as much as possible without becoming fearsome of understanding every single aspect. Williamson’s grasp on the subject is enlightening and refreshing, and I find that I am understanding the course much better and it is influencing me greatly.  Much of what Williamson interprets and expresses concerning the Course is very pertinent to me right now so I am gladly learning new principles that tackle the very big questions about God, the Universe, and our existence in this realm. Williamson’s work as well as her reflections on A Course in Miracles remind us that fear is the opposite of love and it is an illusion meant to distract us from his Love which is all-empowering and all-encompassing. Our task on earth is to remember who we once were before we made the decision, a huge error in perception, to separate from God and become part of the earthly, physical plane. At the very beginning of our existence, before we were physical beings in this world of limitation, we were joyful, abundant, spiritual creations who were fully in touch with our unlimited potential. Our soul-based path leads us to remember who we once were. By correcting errors in perception and awakening from the nightmarish dream of this world, we return to our origin, which is a place where only love exists. According to the Course, nothing else exists; everything counter to love is an illusion meant to distract us from His all-encompassing nature. What is all-encompassing can have no opposite and is, therefore, an illusion. When I was first introduced to the Course nearly thirty years ago, before Williamson’s profound work  A Return to Love was published, I resisted this notion of an illusory world because I could not comprehend the magnitude of this conceptual framework to view our existence. Yet, as time has passed, I continually returned to the Course and its teachings as a source of meaning and fulfillment, and I can now honestly say that I understand the Course’s major component that we live in an illusive world, often in conditions and circumstances that are the opposite of love. God, with his all-encompassing nature, could not have created or envisioned a world full of bitterness, hatred, war, poverty or sickness. These facets of existence are errors in perception that man has created, not God. Once we fully accept this concept, well-knowing that while on earth it is our divine duty to learn and grow in Spirit, then we will eventually return to the Spiritual realm from which we have originated, where Love only exists. It has taken me a long time to understand this basic and most profound principle within A Course in Miracles, and thankfully we have a bright light in the Universe such as Williamson to help guide us along our pathway towards a more Enlightened and loving Universe.

Recently, I read “Conversations with God” by Neale Donald Walsch, and I can tell you that it is really a fascinating book.  I also watched the movie.  Neale wrote “Conversations with God” in the early 90’s and he claims that God began speaking directly to him at one of the most adverse times in his life.  He was disabled from a horrible car accident, had lost his job, and became homeless, and tried desperately to return to work but with no luck.  It seems he just kept being beaten down.  Then, out of nowhere, he began hearing God’s voice and so, “Conversations with God” began. Surprisingly, this book makes a great deal of sense and it really resonates with me.  When it was first published, I scoffed at the idea that God could have an on-going conversation with someone.  I figured it was some writer’s “gimmick” to sell books.  Well, I am happy to report (after all these years) that my perception of this author has completely changed.  The book is highly inspirational and makes a great deal of sense.   And its influence is huge within the New Age/Spirituality movement.  So, I am enjoying and enthralled by this book and the lessons that I am learning and re-learning.  The most exciting idea that I am learning right now is that life is all about creating.  We were brought here to create and to reach self-actualization.  As we learn and co-create with God, we become closer to Him.  We “remember” who we are and become more “God-like” as we co-create.  Conversations with God emphasizes that we remember our divine nature by recognizing that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience.  God has created us out of absolute, pure love, but with a sincere desire to experience this absolute divinity in physical, “experiential” form.  By experiencing this realm in the physical sense, we are different from God, but not separate.  The Holy Spirit connects our physical and spiritual selves with God.  While these are not new ideas, they are very powerful – and these concepts help us to realize our main purpose on earth:  to love, create, forgive and to express compassion.  The most important thing that Conversations with God expresses is the idea that we are self-actualizing each and every day we are on this planet and he provided us with free will.  Now, whether God spoke to Walsch is uncertain.  It is possible that Walsch was hearing his own inner guidance and intuition during a time of seemingly unbearable circumstances.  During this trying time of his life he was able to connect, at a very deep and sincere level, with his own divine nature and, as a result, we all benefit from this highly inspiring and thoughtful work on communicating with God and our Higher Self.

All of this is very inspiring, and it adds to the knowledge and beliefs that I had learned during several years of research into spiritual principles taught and espoused by Shakti Gawain, Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, and several others.  I was specifically influenced by Shakti’s Creative Visualization and Living in the Light along with Deepak Chopra’s Creating Affluence.  Wayne Dyer’s Power of Intention and Manifest Your Destiny were very instrumental in reshaping my ideas, recognizing destructive thought patterns, and understanding patterns that did not aid in my growth or self-actualization. These principles helped me to realize that I am in control of my destiny and that I do not have to be bound by useless dogmas which no longer serve my soul’s path.  We are, in fact, very much in control of our destiny if we listen to our higher selves and stay attuned to our divine nature.

Ideally, I would like to utilize this blog to discuss current topics and events and how spiritual principles can help guide individuals to make the right choices.  For the longest time, I have wanted to put my thoughts together and to write a book that will help those who have experienced similar circumstances and challenges. I hope this blog will be the beginning of that endeavor in that I finally have a platform to express my ideas.

There are numerous societal ills that we are facing within America: poverty, illness, homelessness, inadequate educational systems, income inequality, sexual exploitation and harassment, politics that do not serve constituents, misguided immigration reform, interference from foreign governments in our political process, a broken electoral college process, violence in schools, lack of mental health awareness and social policy,  and long-held racial tensions.  These man-made ills are part of the collective nightmare and hell in which we all reside because we have chosen fear and hatred instead of love, compassion and understanding.  Yet, through the application of spiritual principles, and a sincere focus on humanely solving these societal evils, we can move beyond them to resolution and freedom.  So many people say, “How can God create so much destruction?”  The answer is that it is not God who is creating this mess, people are!  If we do not collectively pray and envision personal and planetary transformation, our future is very much at risk.  It should be our calling to reexamine and re-think what we are currently doing in our everyday lives to manifest peaceful transformation by removing blocks to compassion, love, forgiveness, and unity.

The affirmation that I would like to share is that we should all envision a loving, peaceful place wherever we are in our lives.  It is the most important thing, yet it is the easiest to forget when we are caught in a nightmarish world full of illusion and fear.  My hope is that everyone can live to the fullest by developing their divine potential and dreams, without limitations and with boundless energy and enthusiasm!

With my sincerest love to all,

Michael J. Lovell