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Whatever you believe about God or the Divine, your spiritual nature is a part of you. The center of your spiritual self is love. Christians are taught to love their neighbor as themselves, but what if you don’t feel love for yourself? Sometimes we’ve been hurt by family or friends, and we harden our hearts to guard our love. If we don’t have compassion for ourselves, it’s difficult for love to radiate from us. We can lose our connection with the world around us because we’re trying to stop the suffering and pain.
Let’s start with an easy fix if you are in this predicament. Nature can be a gateway to radiating love without protecting ourselves from hurt or pain. Try a simple experiment that has been replicated in research studies. Choose two plants in your home or out in nature. The plants should be equal in size and similar locations. Direct all your loving feelings, thoughts, and words to one plant and ignore the other. You may already know that plants are sensitive to vibrations and our energy. Measure the plant’s growth and general health, and journal how you feel when sending love to the plant. You can also note how you think about ignoring the other one. You might not want to ignore the other plant if you’re like me. Either way, notice how the plant flourishes and how you radiate unconditional love and joy. Radiance describes someone or something glowing, like the sun or someone’s smiling face. If we can find radiance in any situation, we can start to soften our hearts. I’m far from achieving a state of clarity and ease in the present moment, but practicing helps to reduce the suffering. Once you add radiance to your life, be ready for an awakening. Challenges will arise like popcorn popping in a hot pan. But if a plant can respond to loving kindness, just think how you could grow with self-love and compassion. Being love is what we need right now! Sharing our love with nature and extending the love to ourselves is a good place to start. I like this self-compassion test by Dr. Kristin Neff because you can access the results immediately, along with tips for improvement.
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Have you ever used this saying when asked how things are going with you? What do you imagine? I recall the old physical education test known as the flexed arm hang. Instead of doing pull-ups on a bar, the students would hold on tight with their arms bent and try to keep their chins above the bar. The timer stopped when their arms gave out. I think this compares to holding onto something positive or negative to change the outcome. Some might view prayer as a gripping, but I see it as a letting go.
The act of prayer is one way to connect with God and our spiritual nature. One of the most popular Christian prayers is the Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer praises God’s holiness and the Divine position as ruler of heaven and Earth. There’s also a part that allows us to ask for forgiveness for ourselves and others. We thank God for all of the blessings in our lives and ask for deliverance from evil. Most importantly, the prayer states that we will ultimately accept God’s will to be done. The Shema is a prayer in the Jewish faith. Similarly, the Divine nature of God is praised, and we are reminded of the commandments given to Moses. The prayer states that we will follow those rules beyond what our hearts and minds seek. During religious holidays, we celebrate our relationship with God, and those that last for extended periods of time help us to let go of what we want in exchange for our dedication to the Holy One. Beyond religious practices, tracking moon cycles, noticing changes in seasons, and living in harmony with the sunrise and sunset each day connects us to the natural world. Have you seen someone wearing shorts and a T-shirt in freezing temperatures? With modern conveniences, some tend to ignore what’s happening in nature. The disconnect can have an impact on our spiritual development. Our attitudes toward the weather can also separate us from the Divine. On the farm, I used to get upset when it rained for several days, and the ground was saturated. It was as if I were trying to fight nature. I had to learn to let that go. Letting go of the gripping can take many forms in our lives. I’ve heard that people become so depressed about climate change that they no longer feel joy. When we grasp ideas too tightly, our body begins to tense up, and that is when we disconnect from God. Letting go of your thoughts about how things should be can help you grow spiritually. Watching the sun rise or set, taking a walk in the rain, noticing if the moon is waxing or waning, listening to the birds sing, feeling a breeze, or standing on the grass without shoes are all practices that open your heart and let go of the gripping. The ancient Tibetan Yogis practiced Dzogchen or finding the beauty in the present moment. My definition couldn’t do Dzogchen justice, so it’s best to consult the experts for a full description. The term “dzogchen” means “great completeness,” referring to the fact that all the qualities of Buddhahood are complete on the level of rigpa (pure awareness), the deepest foundational level of them all. When we release our preconceptions about what is correct, we become open to finding joy in every moment. We can stop fighting and let the Universe handle it, allowing us to relax in the moment. Letting go doesn’t mean you’re giving up. It means you’re embracing your spiritual self. Try this meditation on letting go and see how it feels. |
AuthorDr. Lisa Clow Archives
April 2025
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