To Be Present in Life

By Channie West

One of the foundational concepts within spirituality is Trust. To believe in something “higher” than ourselves and what that actually is doesn’t matter at all. What is important is we surrender ourselves to something higher. Believing in something higher that can help us through life with all of its maturations, developments and adventures. Something that will help support and comfort us through our suffering as well as our joyous moments. When life is smiling towards us and it’s playful and easy, this “Something” will smile with us.

Trust opens ways to true beliefs. A belief is about being a part of everything and taking responsibility for one’s choices and decisions. To have an open heart and mind to deliver oneself also to higher powers, to the ones that we might not understand and touch, the invisible becomes more understandable. We can pray, hope, wish, and dream, and sometimes when this is happening, it is by the help of something from above. What is important is to dream and to really know what you are dreaming of. If you do not know what you are dreaming of, how would anything or anybody else be able to make your dreams come true. This leads us to the next step of spirituality.

This next step of spirituality is Gratitude. Those who within their mind or in some kind of way show their gratitude and are humble enough to realize that we alone do not carry all the answers will get more out of life. By having the insight that we can’t do everything ourselves, but are willing to search, ask for help and for the answers, we will receive what we are seeking. This happens even if we do not understand where the answers are coming from or even the source of the things that are happening around us and for us. It is not obvious who or what is helping us, we are just accepting and trusting the higher power that will help us in the end.

Gratitude can be turned towards God, Angels, Guides, your Higher Self or whatever source you feel comfortable with. The foundation for gratitude is the more genuine and real the gratitude you show, the more gratitude you will get back. Everyone knows being a truly grateful receiver of a gift will be getting more gifts. Also, it is much more pleasant to give something to someone who shows true gratitude than to someone who is indifferent about the gift or feels entitled that they should receive the gift.

Everything in spirituality is about opening your heart and your mind. Spirituality is being open to the “unseen” and accepting that you do not know everything, but still can be receptive to a higher power. These higher energy sources that you can’t see or touch are still helping and leading you through life in a very soft way and in positive ways affecting you every day in your daily life.

Spirituality is nothing mysterious or strange. It is only about the realization to be open enough to know that there are really significant Truths in life. We have never been abandoned or alone. There has always been something there maybe hidden in the background. Even though we might not be aware of it, it is filled with care and a forceful protection for us, but also a mild loving energy filled with warm light. So, have an open mind and allow yourself to search!

Meditation

Start by sitting down - relax and be in peace and quiet.
Light a candle.
Look at the candle’s light. Slowly breathe and relax more and more.
Close your eyes and let go of all the stress from your daily life and let your thoughts slow down and become quiet. You are now peaceful and still inside.
Think you are receiving a bright, but soft ray of light from above.
Let this light embrace your whole being. Feel that you are safe and cared for within this light.
Think you are in contact with your higher belief or thought of what you have as a faith.
Now think like this: I search for a contact with thee, them or whatever is protecting me, caring for me and helping me through life.
Continue sitting quietly and wait for a feeling. It’s more of a feeling and not taking down visual images, hearing voices or words. Don’t put any expectations on yourself; just relax and feel.
Go into the feeling that you have received. Don’t start analyzing it or mentally look into it too much; just live in it in the Now.
Be open in your mind for all the things that are quiet and unsaid and laying behind everything – the things that you might not have noticed before or have known about that you now have more access to and can be more aware of and take in.
End this little meditation by thinking again about the candle that you were looking at from the beginning of the meditation.
Think about the light that you took down from the beginning and feel it once again around you – embracing you - and let it be with you for the rest of your day.
In the evening when you go to bed, think about a question that you would like to have an answer to. Maybe it is a challenge or problem that you have been thinking about. Ask for an answer to come to you during the night.
In the morning when you wake up, you may be with the answer, or you get the answer later, or the problem is already solving itself. Whatever happens that is positive for you, show your gratitude.
You can show your gratitude in many ways. You choose in your own way how you want to show your gratitude. It can be with a little mysterious smile, a little prayer of thanks, looking upwards with your thumb up or even showing kindness to others throughout your day.
You can show your gratitude in any way you want when it comes to giving thanks. The important thing is that your thought is with it – the thought of what you have realized when you received that help and that you are grateful for it and for what has happened to you.

Spirituality Everyday

How can you integrate spirituality every day in your life and work? What does spirituality look like when you don’t talk about it out loud or show it outwards, but are still using it maybe in the form of feeling things, intuition, psychic knowing, healing or whatever your interest is?

When you have a person who is working in a high position in the business world, they could have even more use for their spiritual gifts than you might even realize or believe. It can be even more important for them to be more spiritual than their co-workers. This can enable them to be able to feel and choose the right employees, to make good decisions and choices for the company, to be open and strong for changes, dare to take risks and new directions for the company and much more. They can take their force from having a spiritual way of thinking and a spiritual energy and strength for the challenges of their business position.

In today’s world and society, there is a lot of stress and pressure on a leader, and they need to stay calm even more than ever before. By finding a focus, maybe by using a meditation technique, a leader can feel and maybe see the business’ future, which will allow them to make the right choices for the company. A doctor in quiet ways can do pre-work or prepare before a surgical procedure for his own focus or for the healing and health of his patient. This might be for a decrease in bleeding, less pain and for a quicker healing process for the patient after the procedure. A teacher can create a healing environment in a noisy classroom. A sensitive midwife before a birthing process can become aware that there might be a problem during the delivery of the child. These are just some examples of how spirituality can support and help us in our daily lives.

Through all my many experiences and many active years of spiritual work, I can say that you become more open for changes and see more clearly all of your possibilities when you use a healing gift. You can find your inner force and focus through, for instance, meditation.