Has Your Spiritual Well Run Dangerously Low? 6 Ways You Can Restore The Flow

Love is the only water that can quench the heart's thirst.

- David Kam

Love is like an endlessly filling well. It must flow constantly, as that is its nature. Cancel its destination and the soul begins to die of thirst.

- spirit communication from the book, Lighten Up   

A lot of people ponder the meaning of life. Why are we here? What is the purpose of living? These are questions that man has asked himself throughout the ages. The answer, of course, boils down to one word – love. We are here to love one another. We were born to apply love in all we do, whether it’s soaking up the sun on a beach in Aruba, preparing a meal for friends and family, or scrubbing a floor on our hands and knees.

Love is similar to water in the sense that its very nature is to flow everywhere it can flow, both to us, and from us to others. To block the flow of love through our own selfish actions creates illness and bad effect for all. If a person hides away from love, it becomes easier for him or her to act in a loveless way. This, in turn, affects society as a whole, opening the door to things like anti-social and criminal behavior. A chain reaction results, affecting everyone this person meets, which affects everyone they meet and so on. The greater a person starves his soul through withholding love for others, and only taking from it, the more he becomes a wounding part of the world as a whole.

The reverse also holds true. When we open our hearts and souls to others, we unlock the dam gates and allow love to flow – again, both to us and from us to others. Look at the furniture in your rooms, the foods you eat, the things we take for granted. Consider that they were once someone’s idea and someone worked hard using the love within them to make them a reality for everyone to enjoy. Stop and think how the water of love affects every little thing you see, smell, taste and feel.

The crop you plant out of love inspires others to plant their own seeds. Love provides work for others, food on tables, and goods in shops to be happily bought and enjoyed by many. It is an example that everything in life is a product of giving. The reason man began saying grace before meals was to give awareness and appreciation to the love that nourishes souls. Once people start using loving awareness toward all things, life becomes richer and more fulfilling. Life then flows liquidly, just as love itself flows.

Here are 6 life-changing steps you can apply starting today –

1. Think. Think from your heart, as well as your head. Think about the nature of love and how easily it is to turn the tap on simply by choosing it. This is not advanced calculus – every child intuitively thinks from the heart without a second thought. Lay down on the bed in your spare bedroom or go for a long, quiet walk in nature and think about love as a simple concept that you can easily share with others every day.
2. Faith. You needn’t be religious or even spiritual to apply faith in your life. Your faith can be as simple as believing that giving and receiving love is the true purpose of life. Understand that your smile, the light that shines from within you, touches everyone you meet. Not every person you meet is going to like you for it or appreciate your offer of kindness. But, they become part of a chain reaction, whether they are aware of it or not. You might not even like the person very much, but that is not the point. Love flows to love, period.  Faith allows you to accept that life is about giving and receiving love from others – both living in the world and outside of it. That is, after all, what you were designed to do in the first place. Simply that.
3. Acceptance. If I was asked to define acceptance using 10 words or less, it would be “it is what it is and that’s okay”. Faith and acceptance combine to form a strength and resilience that will see us through anything life throws our way. A lack of acceptance in dealing with life’s challenges is akin to an ant demanding that the elephant do things his way and see things from his point of view. The ant stands no chance of making the elephant submit to his expectations, no more than you or I shaking our fist at the universe will change anything – it is what it is. Faith offers a depth of acceptance that allows love to flow during both pleasant and horrible times alike. By applying faith, you create more of it. In creating more, your life becomes richer because you are at one with yourself and one with your world.
4. Practice. Practice makes perfect, which is why you need to review step one before applying this one. Learn to imagine love as an energy that flows from your heart and soul in all your daily affairs. Random acts of kindness was a pretty random expression once, but the expression has been used far more often than the act itself over the years, which is why we need to practice. What can you do to practice? Read the next step.
5. Baby Steps. You needn’t strap a crucifix to your back or find a cure for cancer in order to change the world. The love that flows from you to others starts with each of us in the smallest of ways. Smile at everyone you meet every Thursday, allow three drivers to merge ahead of you on Tuesday, and roll around on the carpet with your child and/or your dog on Saturday morning. Invite a neighbor over for coffee or volunteer to bake brownies for the next community fundraiser. If enough of us do it, we will cause a ripple effect that will – not might – change our world.
6. Lighten Up. So many of us view life as a struggle that must, somehow, be dealt with each and every day. We think we must work harder to acquire more money to buy more possessions, which will somehow make us happier someday in the future. The key to happiness is appreciation for the air we breathe, the roof above our heads, and sharing our heart with others. Quit focusing on the “problems” that won’t mean diddly squat when you’re breathing your last breath of air. Laugh often, let the small stuff slide, and have a good time sharing the love within you with friends, family, and strangers alike. It’s why you’re here.

And now a word from someone who needs to read this article. These song lyrics represent a man who believes his water of love has run dry and he can't find it anywhere... he doesn't yet realize that his ego is his own little dam and if he'd just open the floodgates of his soul, the water would flow through and fill him with love.  

Are you or a loved one struggling with depression, anxiety, addiction or other issues? You can call me at 360 914 2895 anytime or email Dan@3stepstorecovery.com. Be sure to sign up for your 3 Steps To Spiritual Healing newsletter and receive free tips, helpful articles and special offers.

6 Ways To Your Own Spiritual Experience

Have you ever imagined what an intense spiritual experience would be like? In what ways would a spiritual awakening change your life? If you’re like most of us, you’ve spent more time learning how to grill a hot dog than you have exploring these questions. A bit ironic, really, considering we are all made of mind, body and spirit. Spirituality is all about discovering where we came from, where we will return when our bodies die, and the purpose of life in this world. Yet, few of us will feel the amazing power of a life-changing spiritual experience in this lifetime. You’re not to blame, though. Public schools have never offered classes on the subject, or even offered any indication that spirit exists, and it wasn’t exactly dinner conversation while growing up, at least in my family. Still, there is that fleeting, nagging voice most of us hear in our minds (or in our hearts) assuring us that there somehow must be more to life than meets the eye.

The good news is there is more to life – lots more. Here are a few life-changing benefits that result from a spiritual awakening.

• A new sense of calm and peace within you
• Absence of fear. Fear is one of the first things to go with a spiritual awakening
• You feel content with your own company. You are not lonely, even when you are alone
• Lack of desire to judge others
• A sense of feeling connected with others
• Words like faith, tolerance, and acceptance begin to take on new meaning
• Painful memories of the past become distant memories and have no effect on your happiness
• We no longer feel the need to convince others that our views are “right” and theirs are “wrong”
• A desire to give to others without expecting anything in return. You feel blessed and wish to share the blessing you’ve received with others
• You become grateful for the things you have, rather than obsessing about the things you don’t

The single biggest benefit many people report is an overall sense that “all is well with the world”, which is the exact opposite of the fear-based view of life as a struggle that must be “dealt with” on a daily basis. Years of fear become permanently replaced with a quiet faith, a new inner-strength and calm.

What Is A Spiritual Awakening?

A spiritual experience is difficult to describe to those that have not yet experienced one of their own. For some, it is an overwhelming feeling of intense energy and calmness at the same time. Waves of warmth and pure love flow through one’s entire body. Once the experience ends, some report feeling both exhilarated and exhausted at the same time. There are no words to fully describe the feeling, but you will know it when you feel one and you will never forget it. You have temporarily become one with all the light and love in the universe. For others, the experience is more gradual and less intense. The result is the same, however. We have opened ourselves to Divine Love and our awakening has begun.

Six Basic Elements Of A Spiritual Experience

1. How bad do you want one? Lots of us imagine a spiritual experience as a mystical, magical adventure trip that takes place within us.  But few realize that making a spiritual connection with the powers-that-be isn’t something that just happens out of the blue. We must be willing to open our heart and bare our soul to a Higher Power than our own. We have to truly want to change our life and must be ready to set sail for unknown destinations completely foreign to all we’ve ever know. And we must do it alone. The truth is that most of us only become willing to change when the pain of living outweighs the pleasure for quite some time. In the case of addiction, for example, this time is called hitting bottom. But we all suffer from some form of spiritual dis-ease, both addicts and non-addicts alike, and we can all benefit immensely from a spiritual healing experience. How willing are you to do what it takes?
2. Do You Believe? Imagine two mountaintop villages. One village is called Fear. Across the great, deep gorge below is a place called Happiness. The bridge that connects them is called Faith. Whether you choose to imagine your own bridge as God/Higher Power/Great Spirit/Eye In The Sky or a very real energy called Divine Love, faith is a critical element of a spiritual experience. How can we become one with divine love (the true definition of a spiritual experience) if we refuse to believe it exists? Faith is the key that opens the door to your heart and allows love to enter.
3. Wave the white flag. If you’ve ticked off the two boxes above and you’re still with us, congratulations! There are a few more steps to discuss, but none more important than this one. Surrender is the third element of a spiritual experience. Surrendering to a Higher Power is not about throwing in the towel and giving up on our self. We don’t surrender our best qualities when we surrender – we are simply surrendering the negative emotions, trauma and pain that have been holding us back from true happiness for years. It’s really more of a merger than surrender. We are actually joining forces with a Higher Power’s energy. We are using the willingness and faith discussed earlier to let down our guard and open ourselves to a spiritual healing experience.
4. Ask for help. If you want spiritual healing, ask your Higher Power to help you. Sounds simple enough, right? It is simple, but simple and easy are not always the same, as you will learn in the next step.
5. Ask like you mean it. You’re not asking your spouse to pass the salt here. You’re asking for a life-changing spiritual healing to take place. The trick here is asking humbly and sincerely. This is where the word “humble” becomes important. Becoming humble doesn’t mean we must tremble in fear or bow our heads in shame before a Higher Power. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. A Higher Power consists of nothing but divine love and never judges or punishes us. Our Higher Power is our best friend.  Asking humbly simply means that we must lower our guard, tear down the ego-driven walls we’ve built to protect us, and open ourselves to the hand that reaches out to us. It is a leap of faith. Think of divine love as a river that flows wherever it can flow. By its very nature, that is what love does. In order to receive the flow, we must open our heart to it, with no ego thoughts, no pride, or other obstacles to block the flow of energy. Set your fear aside and simply ask.
6. Patience, Grasshopper. Patience and persistence are the keys to this step. Like most things in life, practice makes perfect, and we don’t always make the connection with our Higher Power the first time around. We often must ask many times a day over a period of days, weeks, or even months before we experience an intense spiritual healing. But as long as we follow the basics – surrender, sincerity, and asking humbly – it’s not a question of whether it will happen, but when. The energy is always here, with us, waiting to flow to us. We simply need to meet it halfway, which is what the 6 Steps listed here are all about.

We can choose to hold onto painful memories of the past and remain sad, empty, and unhappy or we can choose to surrender them to a Higher Power and live a free, happy and contented life. Franklin Delano Roosevelt once stated that “there is nothing to fear but fear itself” and he was correct. When we hand our childhood issues and other trauma over to a Higher Power, it is actually our deepest fears that we are surrendering.

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3 Steps To Healing Emotional Wounds – Part One

“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
- Rumi

“All healing is first a healing of the heart.”
- Carl Townsend




We have all suffered emotional wounds caused by some form of trauma, be it physical, sexual, or verbal abuse. These wounds have caused many of us to shut down on some levels. Too many of us have built a wall of protection around our hearts to keep the bad guys out, but have inadvertently become prisoners of those same walls. Spiritual dis-ease is the result, which manifests itself through addiction, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and a long list of other emotional disorders.

What is spiritual dis-ease? Well, the disorders mentioned above are really just symptoms of spiritual dis-ease and not the source of the problem.The most accurate description of spiritual dis-ease is a blockage of love, both to us and from us. It is a separation between our soul (our essence) and a very real energy called universal love. Common sense suggests that a spiritual problem requires a spiritual solution. The good news is that we all have the ability to heal emotional wounds through spiritual healing.

Here are 3 simple solutions you can use to heal those nagging wounds of the past and move forward in a happy, positive direction.

1. Recognize Your Own Wounds. We are all exposed to some degree of emotional, physical or psychological trauma at some point of our lives. These experiences remain firmly planted in the back of our minds, no matter how hard we try to forget them. Many of us try to ignore the pain or even self-medicate to escape it, hoping that it will disappear one day, but that is simply not the case.
Past abuse and other trauma issues will always find a way to surface in our lives, often in the late teenage or early adult years. Depression, anxiety, unhealthy relationships, overeating, substance abuse and many other abnormal behaviors are simply symptoms of deeper issues and result from spiritual dis-ease, which describes the condition more accurately than the word disease, which suggests these issues are of a physical nature. When we experience spiritual dis-ease, we feel detached from others, the world around us, and even from ourselves. We feel empty, detached and alone inside.
Imagine our wounds as an old wooden chest we’ve stored in the attic of our mind. The chest is filled with painful memories we’ve been collecting since early childhood. We know we need to throw away the bad junk in the trunk, but the attic is a dark, scary place to visit alone and we don’t like to go there.
The good news is you don’t have to go into the attic at all. It’s enough to recognize that the wounds exist and that they can be completely healed.

2. Recognize Others’ Wounds. There are people that behave badly, but there are no bad babies. Emotional wounds are contagious and are passed from one person to another. For example, dysfunctional parents commonly carry wounds inflicted in them by their own dysfunctional parents. In other cases, it might be a total stranger that inflicts pain on unsuspecting victims or a child might become the target of neighborhood bullies. The people that hurt us are to be understood, rather than judged. It’s important to know that bullies and other predators aren’t born that way, They, too, have become emotionally wounded by others and simply have not yet experienced a spiritual healing. It would be fantastic, of course, if all the walking wounded would read these words and decide to overcome their own issues. But, that is their choice to make and they will have to deal with the consequences of their choices. You, however, can choose to break the chain, rather than become a part of it. Viewing those that have hurt you as victims, rather than “bad seeds”, will help you begin to heal your own wounds.

3. Commitment to healing. Nobody likes to see the bad guys beat the good guys. You have every right to feel angry and betrayed when someone you love and trust hurts you. You also have the ability to channel that anger into determination to break free of the past by refusing to be held prisoner by the pain others have caused you. No one has the power to ruin our happiness unless we give it to him or her. We were born to enjoy happy, peaceful, content lives, despite the challenges we all face along the way. Adopt a “refuse to lose” philosophy and remain focused on overcoming all difficulties that present themselves. This is called resilience and it’s one of the finest qualities we possess as humans.

In 3 Steps To Healing Emotional Wounds – Part Two, we’ll discuss how to connect with your inner self and ways to open your inner self to spiritual healing. It’s not nearly as difficult or scary as it might seem and fortune favors the brave, as some dead guy once said.

Are you interested in your own spiritual growth? Join our mailing list at  http://3stepstospiritualhealing.blogspot.com/2012/10/calling-all-angels.html and get free info, tips and articles to help you re-connect with inner peace and happiness.

Do NOT Kill Your Ego – Embrace It

Has anyone else noticed that ego appears to be a very dirty word lately? Log into Facebook and you won’t have to wait long before someone posts a photo that screams KILL THE EGO! Some people don’t realize that ego is not some horrendous, red-eyed, soulless monster. Ego is an indispensable part of who we are and, with no ego, we would not be able to get out of bed in the morning. It would be impossible to dress or feed ourselves or function in any positive way without ego to guide us. We would sit and stare into space, completely disconnected from any snippet of reality. I could not type this blog article with no ego and you would not be reading it right now without an ego of your own.

All too often, people raise the word ego as a sword against one another. If you dare to say I or me twice in the same paragraph, and it happens to be a sentence about a topic that the other person doesn’t agree with, that is the time you’re most likely to be accused of being some kind of selfish, mirror-loving egomaniac. It’s when our thoughts or views conflict with their own ego-driven thoughts that some people become quick to point the finger of blame in the other person’s face. Ego is not the problem. It is the wounded ego that is the culprit. A healthy, balanced ego is the solution.

But ego comes with all sorts of negative baggage like fear, right? And we all know fear is a very, very bad thing. Or is it? You and I were programmed with fear for a reason. Fear is the life-saving, self-preservation survival tool that kept your ancestors from being eaten by dinosaurs and prevents you from stepping in front of a bus today. Again, the goal is not to kill the ego, but to reduce it just enough to help us become balanced in body, mind and spirit.

How can we best restore harmony to our ego? Along with ego comes personality; and with personality comes a unique gift, such as music, art, writing or other communication skills and talents of the soul. Ego also allows us to feel empathy and compassion for others. When we love ourselves, which is a sign of a healthy ego, we naturally love others, as well. The problem is not ego. The problem is too much ego, the inflated ego - the wounded, bloated, damaged ego that grows so out of control that we can’t step outside of our own little world. It is the ego that has grown to such enormous proportions that it becomes impossible to see beyond the end of one’s nose. The trick is to let some of the air out of the ego, apply a spiritual ice pack to reduce the swelling, and share our own best gift-of-the-ego with others. Sharing our best with others is what gives life a sense of purpose, after all. Use your ego talents to help others.

Some of the finer attributes of ego include a healthy, well-balanced sense of self-esteem and confidence. Here are 9 confidence-building exercises anyone can use to create a healthy ego.

1)    Focus on solutions. A person with an unhealthy ego tends focus on their problems more often than not. When we find solutions, we build not only build confidence, but we also step outside of self and into the real world.

2)    Follow you intuition. That gut feeling that whispers in your ear is usually telling you something very positive. Many people believe their inner voice is a connection between their inner self and a higher consciousness from outside themselves. What better way to step outside of yourself and tap into your innermost self at the same time?

3)    Read. Knowledge is power and the best way to become an expert in any particular area is to learn all you can about a topic. You will naturally become more self confident while exploring a whole, new world.

4)    Stop comparing yourself to others. There will always be someone smarter, stronger, wiser or better looking than us. There will also always be people that are less fortunate than us. Judging ourselves according to the way we perceive others shows a lack of self-confidence. None of us are less than anyone else. Enjoy being you.

5)    Put the past behind you. We all know someone who has lost in love, feels betrayed by a former lover, and refuses to take a chance on love again. This person’s ego has been bruised. He or she suddenly sees all future lovers as up to no good and makes a conscious decision to remain stuck in the past. Leave the past behind and keep moving forward.

6)    Make eye contact with others. Many of us avoid eye contact with others, even if we aren’t always aware of it. Make a conscious effort to look everyone you meet straight in the eye and watch your confidence and self-esteem soar.

7)    Set goals. Get out a sheet of paper, grab a pen, and write down what you want from life, a realistic date to get what you want, and the steps you will take to get there. Then just do it, like a Nike commercial.

8)    List your strengths. Get out a second sheet of paper and list your best strengths and assets. You possess far more strengths than you probably realize. Can’t think of any? Consider hiring a life coach to help identify, encourage and empower you in ways you never imagined.

9)    Refuse to lose attitude. What did Winston Churchill, Jesus, and Galileo share in common? Each used his ego-given gifts and talents to leave a lasting impression on the world and made life better for others, despite harsh criticism and obstacles standing in their path. Don’t let someone else’s definition of ego as something bad or evil define you.

Want to heal a wounded ego and learn how to use yours to its best potential? Sign up for our mailing list and keep an eye out for an upcoming live, online class called 3 Steps To Spiritual Healing, as well as lots of free articles designed to help you live a happier, more fulfilling life.

11 Ways To Lift Your Spirits

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If you’ve been interested in developing your spiritual growth for a while, you’ve probably read countless articles or books on the topic. While learning about chakras, karma cleansing, and the teachings of the Dalai Lama are fantastic ways to develop your spiritual knowledge on a metaphysical level, the knowledge is only useful if we are able to apply it on a practical, realistic earthly level in our day-to-day lives, as well.

There are challenging spiritual lessons we all must practice in order to master, such as learning to forgive your worst enemy or returning a rude driver’s angry glare with a smile - but there are also more fun ways to raise your spirits and feel great about life.

Here are things you can do to raise your spiritual vibration without joining a monastery, shaving your head, and taking a vow of silence.

1. Listen to great music. Music has been described as the language of the angels. Tuning into uplifting, feel good music from your favorite recording artist touches your soul and raises your spirit.
2. Dance, Dance, Dance. This, of course, ties in directly with step one. Turn your favorite boogie-woogie song UP, kick your shoes off, and dance around the living room in your underwear. Just be sure to close the window blinds first.
3. A Soothing Bath. Showers feel great, but when was the last time you relaxed your body in a nice, warm bubble bath? Be sure to light a few candles, turn off the lights and enjoy the ambience. Don’t forget some relaxing music and maybe a good book.
4. Bang on the drums. Don’t own a drum set? Get yourself a five gallon plastic bucket, turn it upside down, and grab a couple of sticks. Release stress and get your spirit groove on at the same time.
5. Laugh at yourself. A great way to lighten your mood is by not taking yourself too seriously. We’re all spiritual beings having a human experience, not the other way around. This life isn’t permanent and neither is your job title, your position as the softball team captain, or the chip in your car’s paint job. Get over the serious stuff and enjoy a good laugh!
6. Call an old friend. It’s been said that there is no friend like an old friend. Your oldest friends have seen you at your worst behavior, as well as your best, and still love and accept you anyhow. Feeling a little lost and alone? Best friends know just how to pull you out of your funk better than anyone.
7. Read a good book. What better way to connect with your spirit than by reading an entertaining book about spirituality? Lighten Up explains how to do just that, by teaching ways you can live more happily. 
8. Write down your thoughts. Got a heavy thought that’s been wracking your brain for weeks, months, or even years? Get it out of your head and onto paper. Writing is an excellent way to recapture the moment. Whether that moment was pleasant or unpleasant, revisiting the experience and putting pen to paper can help put the past behind you for good. There’s something magical about writing down your deepest thoughts and feelings and you feel better about yourself.
9. Play with your dog. Nobody enjoys playing the fool better than man’s best friend. Throw a stick, play hide and seek, or lay face down on the floor and play dead, while your fun-loving pet licks your ears and runs circles around you. You’ll soon forget your troubles, find yourself laughing at Bowser’s crazy antics, and literally feel your spirit lighten up like a Las Vegas billboard.
10. Nature calls. No, not in that way. Get outside and become one with nature for an hour or two. Find a state park and walk the nature trail or head for the beach, listen to the waves crashing and breathe in the smell of the salt air. I don’t know about you, but every time I stare at the ocean I want to put on an eye patch, a pirate hat and set sail for the Seven Seas. Arrggggh!
11. Chocolate. As you can see, we’ve saved the best for last. Eat chocolate in small bites. Take the time to allow your senses to savor the flavor and truly enjoy the moment. Here are a couple of fun facts about chocolate. It stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure. Chocolate also contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant. Plus, it tastes delicious, at least to us chocolate lovers. Combine the three and you’ve just scored a spirit lifting trifecta.

Much like pets and dancing and chocolate, life is to be enjoyed! Dance in your underwear with your dog while eating chocolate. Go ahead, you know you want to!

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Spiritual Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know

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 If you’ve had an intense, life-changing spiritual healing experience of your own, feel free to disregard this article. There’s a good chance you know all, or at least some of the following information. For those of you that have not experienced one and would like to learn what a spiritual experience is all about, you're not alone. Few of us have a clue about spiritual experiences or where to begin looking. It's not like it's being taught in the schools, after all. 

Here are some things you might not know you didn’t know about spiritual experiences.

Before we begin, it's worth noting that there would be no real need for spiritual healing if there were no spiritual dis-ease present to heal. The hyphen is used to differentiate between the spiritual dis-ease (or unease) that far more accurately describes the condition than does the word disease, which suggests the problem is of a biological nature. 

What is the root cause of spiritual dis-ease? For the vast majority of us, the condition stems from mental, physical, emotional or sexual abuse we’ve suffered at some point of our lives, usually during childhood and often at the hands of those we most love and trust. When trust is broken, the flow of love and joy that is meant to flow both from us and to us becomes blocked and our soul, where happiness is meant to reside, becomes damaged. We become spiritually disconnected. We gradually withdraw from others, emotionally, in order to protect ourselves from being hurt again. We build a wall around our inner self to keep the bad guys out, but become prisoners of those same walls.

How do we break free of those prison walls and learn to live happily again? We’ll get to that soon, but first let’s list some of the amazing changes you can expect to receive from a spiritual healing of your own.

Benefits Of Spiritual Healing

• An immediate, profound sense of calm, love and comfort within oneself
• Years of shame and guilt caused by abuse or trauma disappear
• Become less involved in self-centered thoughts
• Loneliness and self-loathing become things of the past
• A simple approach to life replaces stress and complications
• Fear is the first thing to go. This is a HUGE change to how we feel.
• Painful memories become just that – the past.
• Self-pity climbs aboard a one-way train heading out of town. Bye-bye and good riddance!
• Reduced stress leads to lower blood pressure, better sleep, improved health
• Improved relationships with our loved ones.
• Gratitude replaces discontent. The glass really is half full, not half empty.
• A knowing that all-will-be-well, no matter what life throws our way.
• Awareness beyond all doubt that a loving power greater than our own loves and protects us.
• Renewed sense of wonder, much as a child appreciates nature, people, and the world around him or her.

How To Get One

If more people knew just how amazing an intense spiritual experience feels, they would be lining up for one faster than you can say 90% off big screen TVs at Walmart on Black Friday. There are no words to describe the feeling. Nor do the benefits listed above begin to scratch the surface of the profound, life-changing transformation that takes place. It’s not to say that we spend the rest of our life in some magical La La Land, where all our problems magically disappear and everything becomes giggles, lollipops and bubble gum. Problems and challenges still rear their ugly heads, but the way we react to them changes in ways that are difficult to explain. Perhaps the best way to describe these changes is to say that a spiritual healing/awakening/experience replaces the sense of dis-ease within us with a quiet inner strength that never leaves us again. We feel happy to be alive in a silent, soothing, confident way. It is this happiness that has eluded so many of us for so long that is restored. Learning to live happily is the entire goal of spirituality, quite simply.

How do you get a life-changing spiritual healing of your own? 3 Steps To Spiritual Healing is an affordable, live, online two-part class you can sign up for that will teach you how to transform your life from the comfort of your own home. The 3 Steps go straight to the heart of spiritual healing in the simplest possible way and can change your entire view of life. To learn more, join our mailing list and we’ll keep you posted on upcoming classes, lots of useful spiritual articles, discounts and more.

All happiness results from a flow of love to you and from you. All emotional pain results from a blockage of love to you and from you. A spiritual healing restores the flow.

- Dan  

12 Ways To Simplify Your Life

“Simplify your life. You don't grow spiritual, you shrink spiritual.”

― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

As Cliff Claven, the postman character from the old Cheers sitcom might say, it’s a little known fact that ancient Mesopotamians knew the secret to happiness is living a simple life, which is why they carved dinosaur faces on cave walls.

If the first half of Cliff's claim is true, then logic would suggest that the secret to feeling miserable is living a complicated life. The truth is that we live in a complicated world, where technology has advanced far faster than our ability to keep up with it. It’s a hurry-and-scurry kind of lifestyle for most of us, full of traffic snarls, confusing tax forms and the race to the next blue light special advertised by one of the big box chain retailers on Black Friday. Advertisers scream at us in radio and television commercials as we wait in the fast food drive-through window on the way to drop the kids off for band practice. It’s enough to drive people to drink, literally, or at least drive them to seek anti-anxiety medication from their physicians.

There are some 100% natural, spirit-healing steps you can apply to reduce stress and soothe your soul, and that is to simplify life as much as possible. The following list includes 12 ways you can learn to relax, breathe a little easier, and enjoy life a lot more.

1)    Turn your cell phone off. How many of us will travel long distances on Thanksgiving, only to spend the day checking for Facebook updates, rather than focusing on family time? Our parents and grandparents got along just fine without carrying a mobile distraction device everywhere they went. There was no such thing as an answering machine or voice mail in their generation, yet everyone somehow managed to survive. Believe it or not, many people actually communicated face-to-face with friends and family and rumor has it that some even knew their neighbor’s names and even delivered text messages in person on one another’s front porch.

2)    Quit multi-tasking. Stop whatever you’re doing and focus on doing one thing at a time. Cooking spaghetti sauce on the stove while working on that office report on your computer is a great way to fail on two levels at once. You’ll end up with a burned dinner, a half-baked office report, and frazzled nerves, all of which will lead to more complications.

3)    Just say no. Don’t commit to donating your time and energy to the local charity bake sale unless you have both the time and the desire to participate. If you do have the time and desire, then do it. It’s that simple. Learn to say no and mean it. If the other person refuses to take no for an answer, let them know you have other obligations or are simply not interested. If they continue, repeat yourself only once, but use conviction. A simple “Thanks, but no thanks” will do just fine. 

4)    Apologize when necessary. We all make mistakes and we all step out of line at one time or another. When we do or say the wrong thing, we hurt the other person, and that hurt will grow into resentments on their part and guilt on our part over time. Bite the bullet, swallow your pride, and apologize in order to restore peace and to sleep with a clear conscience. Clean up the mess you’ve made on aisle 9 before someone gets hurt. The sooner the better, of course, but better late than never also applies.

5)    Don’t live in the past. When we re-visit the past, most of us tend to get stuck into woulda-coulda-shoulda mode. We convince ourselves we could and would do a lot of things differently, given the opportunity to turn the calendar back. This view of life only complicates our thoughts and leads to stress. Visit the past just long enough to learn how you will do things differently the next time and then get the hell out of there. Living in the present is a far simpler and vastly more satisfying place to spend your time.

6)    De-program from the status quo. Who amongst us is qualified to tell anyone else how they should live? Just because we’ve been told that a college education, working a 9-5 job, buying a big house and raising 2.5 kids are the keys to happiness, doesn’t necessarily make it so. Some of the happiest people on earth have never had a car payment or climbed the corporate ladder, but find great pleasure living the simple life.

7)    Accept people as they are. This can be a tough one, especially for a parent. We all want the best for our children. But what we think is best for our kids and what they want are not always one and the same. A simple way to accept their choices is to first accept that, while our children are a gift in our lives, they come with a birth certificate, not ownership papers. Guide them and love them the best you can, always, but accept that one day they will grow up to become adults with their own free will to live as they choose. Want to change someone? Start with the one person we can change, which is yourself.

8)    Prioritize. One of the best ways to simplify your life is to create a list of priorities and list them on paper, in order of importance. For example, your priorities might include continuing your education, finding a better paying job, and a dream vacation in Maui. Sit down, jot them down and decide which comes first. Will it be in the order listed here or will your priorities be different?

9)    Stop worrying about what others think. Not one of us walking the earth has all the answers, nor really knows any more about life than the next person, although some like to believe their knowledge is superior. Until God himself shows up to explain the meaning of life, it’s pointless to fret over others’ opinions. Listen to your own inner voice and follow your own path without fear of what others think. Keep it simple by not allowing anyone’s opinion of you to rent space in your head.

10) Make “me” time every day. Plug in your headphones and listen to your favorite music, spend a quiet hour at the library, or enjoy the pleasure of your own company by taking a long walk alone at the beach. Find a quiet spot to meditate, polish your nails, write a daily journal, or find other activities that will help you re-connect with your soul.

11) Cut ties with negative people. Most of us have heard of setting boundaries with people that would choose to trample on our privacy and destroy our peace of mind for their own selfish reasons. Boundaries are fantastic, but what do you do when those same people refuse to respect them? Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do in that situation, except to cut all ties and keep on walking without looking back. Until you do, your life will be anything but simple.

12) Think before you speak. A wonderful way to avoid stress, misunderstandings and the resulting complications is to stop and think before you speak. This is not difficult to do if we are truly listening, rather than planning our reply before the other person has even finished talking. Thinking from the heart, as well as the head, is a wonderful way to keep your words (and your life) simple.

All happiness results from a flow of love to you and from you. All emotional pain results from a blockage of love to you and from you.

- me

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