Spirit

Our beliefs about why we are here and what our purpose in life is are fundamental to our health. If we believe that we are here for a reason and to accomplish certain goals we will have a greater sense of direction and be more motivated to look after ourselves. If we believe that we form part of a much greater intelligence which can guide us and help us towards our goals, we will possess inner strength to help us overcome fears,obstacles and difficulties.

Currently there are a growing number of theories suggesting that a new spiritual awakening is occurring. There appears to be a coming together of Eastern and Western traditions as the latest discoveries in physics confirm that we live not in a material universe but in a universe of sacred energy. Advances in Neurosciences reveal the incredible power of the mind to influence energy flow and tap into vast resources of energy. As more and more people turn to spirituality and discover their potential we will eventually reach a critical mass of the population which is capable of provoking major advances in our evolution. This inspiring and uplifting message is encapsulated nicely in James Redfield’s best selling adventure story- “The Celestine Prophecy”. I also found “The Celestine Prophecy- An Experiential Guide” to be helpful on my own personal journey.

One of the leading and most widely respected proponents of this school of thought is Deepak Chopra. I found his books The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and Synchrodestiny to be particularly helpful in both explaining how the latest science marries with ancient wisdom as well as providing very practical methods for applying these findings in our lives.

My spiritual awakening came the day I believe my life was turned around in a Spanish hospital. I had pneumonia and leukaemia. With my immune system shot I was deteriorating rapidly. When I closed my eyes I saw dark, unknown figures beckoning me towards them. Each time I went to the bathroom and saw my skeleton like frame in the mirror, the dark features of death were written ever more clearly on my face. Despite being resigned to my fate (I wrote a farewell letter to friends and family in England), I was strangely calm and without fear.

Then, after 10 days of feeding on nothing but antibiotics, my angels (in the form of my Spanish partner- Manoli) brought me some of my favourite organic goat’s yoghurt and a tub of organic royal jelly, of which I was able to swallow a large dollop. From that moment on I could feel the life flooding back into me. I also felt a presence- as if something very powerful was communicating with me and helping me to recover.

That presence was to lead me into a battle with the hospital authorities and guide me through it all the way. I decided that the antibiotics were doing more harm than good and took myself off the drip. This prompted visits from a series of doctors, all insisting that I continue with the treatment, followed by psychiatrists, testing, without success, for signs of bipolar disorder (or in layman’s terms, assuming I had lost the plot). Make of it what you will. All I can say is that I have never felt more clarity, lucidity and confidence than in those moments. I knew that in my “normal” state and without my “guides”, I wouldn’t have had the courage to stand up to all those authority figures. I also felt vindicated when, two days later, I was given the all clear from the pneumonia and released.

Previous to this experience, although the intuitive part of me was open to spiritual growth, the rational and “logical” side of me wanted to see some hard evidence before throwing its hat into the ring. Well now I had it. I had faith. I wasn’t sure what I had faith in but I knew that there is help out there (or maybe in there?) for us when we need it and that whoever or whatever it was wanted me to live. I felt a sense of fate and destiny.

Since that time I have developed a voracious appetite for books dealing with spiritual matters. I have explored many different faiths and traditions and have gained something valuable from all of them. Although some have been more useful to me than others, I believe that we must all follow our own paths and that whatever helps us to do so is to be cherished. Our purpose or mission, both individually and collectively, is to grow towards wisdom, joy, serenity, harmony, compassion and love. There are as many paths towards these goals as there are souls.

Having said that, I would like to share with you some of the techniques and teachings that I have found particularly useful, in the hope that they may help you along the way.

Fifteen years before my experience in the hospital I had learnt some meditation techniques which I had used sporadically, without any noticeable progress or effects, other than feeling slightly more calm and relaxed. Afterwards, however, meditation became central to my life and a sacred part of my daily routine. I realised that its relevance stretches far beyond the obvious benefits of improved concentration, calm and relaxation. When practised on a regularly basis it can affect every aspect of our lives.

Meditation is, of course, generally associated with Oriental spiritual practices, several of which have become increasingly popular in the West in recent decades. This, I believe, is partly due to the fact that they possess much wisdom of which we are greatly in need. Particularly relevant and appealing to me are the teachings of Buddhism. Click here to read more on Buddhism.

Recent decades have also seen a substantial growth of interest in Esoteric philosophy. Many different historical spiritual traditions are included under this banner. Probably the concept that best encapsulates their common ground is that of “synchronicity” developed by Psychologist Carl Jung. it subscribes to the idea of nature as a living entity and a common uniting  life force. Esoterism speaks of the universal truths and ancient wisdom contained within all cultures and spiritual traditions around the world. In the age of globalisation these philosophies are particularly fascinating,  relevant and important if we wish to live together in peace.

Alongside the metaphysical aspect of spirituality, which tries to get to grips with the meaning of lfe, is the search for our own true purpose and role in this life. in order to discover our true destiny we must first understand our true nature and uncover personality and behavioural patterns which cause us to react repeatedly in certain ways which may bring suffering to ourselves and others. As many of these cognitive and behavioural patterns are very deep rooted, to the extent that we are often unaware of them, this can mean that the spiritual path can be a long and, sometimes, painful and arduous process, but the more courage that we have to delve into our own psyche and confront our demons, the greater are the ultimate rewards.

Many people turn to psychologists, personal coaches or even psychic mediums, hypnotists or spiritual gurus for help in this respect. Once again we must choose our own path, but I have found that, once we are open to self exploration, we will naturally be led into situations which force us to question our behaviour and deepest held beliefs. I have become convinced that we are here to learn certain lessons and that we will repeatedly encounter suffering as a result of our unwise thoughts or actions until we have become aware of and corrected those unhealthy behavioural patterns.

I have found that there are certain tools which have been developed since ancient times which can be very useful in helping to point us in the right direction in the search for our true selves. One of these is Astrology. Due to its popularisation by the mainstream media we have developed a rather distorted perception of what it actually is. Astrology has actually been developed and used by all great civilisations and some of the wisest sages throughout our history. At its most profound level it is a beautiful synergy of science, art and spirituality, and a very powerful tool for us if we learn how to use it wisely.

During the course of my recovery I have been led to question every aspect of my psyche and have become aware of a whole host of demons inside of me, before finally recognising my major weaknesses and the root causes of all of my problems.

As part of this process I have found it very helpful to work with my chakras on a daily basis. Chakras are the seven major energy centres of our bodies, recognised by many spiritual traditions since ancient times as being pivotal to our well-being and spiritual growth. Although, as we have said, everything is connected and interrelated, we have learnt that each chakra places a greater emphasis on certain aspects of our physical. psychic and spiritual make-up. Each chakra encompasses a world of complexities and sacred subtleties for us to learn, but, at the risk of trivialising their importance I offer here a very brief summary of my understanding of them  in the form of key words:

If you haven’t  already done so I recommend that you develop an open mind and at least explore some of the possibilities I have mentioned above. If, like me, you are a sceptic and need some hard evidence before committing yourself, that evidence will come when you are open and ready for it (probably when you are least expecting it!) Even if you can’t bring yourself to conceive that we are accompanied by forces other than those which we are able to perceive or measure scientifically, many of the teachings contained in the various spiritual traditions are highly useful tools for living healthily and happily.