Fwd: 10 ways spiritual building

10 Ways to Build a Strong Spiritual Life

This list comes from an article I read several years ago (March 2001) that appeared in Prevention magazine written by Rev. Natalia Vonnegut Beck. This month I am departing from my career and business tips for a different sort of list. In this holiday season I think it is appropriate. Hope you do too.

1. Start your day with a prayer of gratitude for another day. Draw in the morning's peace by taking a slow deep breath. Feel your breath spread throughout your spirit, mind and body. Exhale and stretch and acknowledge every part of your body.
2. Create a healing space in your home ( a room or a part of a room) for prayer, reading and contemplation.
3. Use a mindfulness meditation to slow down. Most of us are rushing through our lives without noticing that we are alive. Learn to focus on the here and now. Stay present. Once a day go into the healing space you have created and focus on your breathing. Listen to your breath as you inhale and exhale. Be aware of what is happening in your body. Meditate for 10 minutes and then slowly come back into the world.
4. Spend 10 minutes a day reading a book or magazine with a spiritual theme and think about it.
5. Designate one particular friend as your "spiritual" friend and meet with that person to discuss spiritual topics. Keep a list of blocks to your spiritual life to discuss with your friend.
6. Sit in stillness and explore the energy inside you, focus on it and try to sense what it is to you.
7. Build a faith community. Attend a local church or synagogue. Form your own group with whom you share a spiritual connection. Meet with them regularly.
8. Be with people who care about you and share your values. This doesn't mean you don't reach out to other people but don't spend time with people who don't share your values.
9. Honor yourself and your own feelings and ideas. Figure out who you are and then reject any other opinions that do not honor yours.
10. Ask the universe (G_d) to support you. If you feel unloved, untouched, overwhelmed, out of control, scattered, or depressed ask for what you need.