Does Your Spiritual Philosophy Help You Find Meaning And Purpose?
Living Our Deeper Song
Ashe
(“Ah-Shay”)
The Creative in me honors the Creative in you!
How do you define your personal spiritual philosophy? Have you ever questioned the religious beliefs you were taught as a child? They came from your parents who got them from their parents. Have you explored different spiritual philosophies to identify your own beliefs and a path that resonates?
I was brought up Presbyterian. In my thirties I explored the low Episcopal church for a bit and then stopped when that church would not conduct my second marriage. I was in my forties when I started seriously exploring to identify spiritual beliefs that resonated with me. I found them in several sources – particularly the Tao Te Chin of Lao Tzu and the Sufi poetry of Kahlil Gibran, both of which expressed philosophies and ways of being that resonated with me.
Research shows there is a global shift away from organized religion. Those of us who are questing and exploring and reframing our spiritual and philosophical guidelines are identifying an eclectic collection of esoteric concepts that resonate and help us express our humanness in a deeply spiritual manner.
These conscious philosophical choices impact our actions, our belief in what is possible and the way we interact in the world.
Here’s an important point. Our spiritual philosophies are ours to shape in our own lives but they are not ours to try to impose on others. We are each responsible for our own actions. If how we live our lives is an inspiration to others, so be it, but our responsibility is to live our own lives as morally responsible and as meaningful and inclusive and compassionately as possible. It is not our place to impose our views on others.
Those of us lucky enough to have the freedom to question and choose the spiritual philosophies that call the most deeply to us today have an obligation to do just that. I rely on observation, experimentation, and what resonates with who and how I want to be in the world.
I want to express myself in the world as a kind, inspiring, wise spiritual explorer and philosopher who enhances the lives of others. If my presence plants the seeds of change in others, so be it. My role is to express myself with as much kindness and awareness and inclusiveness as I can muster.
What is your personal spiritual philosophy? Do you express it fully in your life? Expand your perspective. Live more consciously and let your life create change by its example.
DEEPER SONG AFFIRMATION
I live my life conscious of how my presence impacts and influences others.
DEEPER SONG PROCESS
- Take time to look closely at how you express your life. Is there an area that needs to be improved?
- Look at the people you admire and identify what qualities or actions you would like to incorporate into your own life.
- Do that.
===INNER WORK===
Deepen Your Inner Awareness
A Peaceful Pause
The winter sun flows through my window. I pause, close my eyes and accept its gifts.
The winter sun flows through my window. I pause, close my eyes and accept its gifts. My mind quiets. My shoulders relax. My breath slows. The warmth brings a stillness that flows through my body.
The winter sun flows through my window. I pause, close my eyes and accept its gifts. My mind quiets. My shoulders relax. My breath slows. The warmth brings a stillness that flows through my body. I listen to the messages of nature and am at peace.
- Cara Lumen, November 2023
Re-Envision Your Self Image
Too often we don’t outgrow the image we had of ourselves as a young person. We may have been shy, we may have been smaller or larger than other children around us. Our parents may have been having a hard time and took it out on us and made our home environment difficult. All of those things are easy to blame yourself for and add to the self-image we continue to build upon as we mature. So how do you go back and change your self-image that was built on the past?
First you have to identify what is no longer true. A good way to do that is to list your strong points. Notice what you have developed as skills. Notice how you express yourself, how others reflect you back to you. Make sure the picture you hold of yourself is not built on the past but on the present. Noticing what is true now will help you release the limitations you felt in younger years that are no longer true today.
Then notice the signals you are getting today. A long time ago I had a blank notebook in which I wrote down the positive things people said about me along with the date and who said it. When I was feeling down, I would go back and read that book and was often surprised at how other people saw my strengths and my gifts. It was very empowering.
Perhaps sit down and write a list of how you see yourself today. Then ask someone who is close to you to describe what strengths and weaknesses she/he sees in you. You may be surprised at both your strengths and your weaknesses. Perhaps you will revise how you see yourself.
Give some thought to how you view yourself and your potential. Begin to re-envision a more impactful you.
===SELF-HEALING===
Take Responsibility for Healing Yourself
We Must Learn Patience When We Depend On The Help Of Others
I’m not good at this. I’ve been self-sufficient all my life and now I need help to do certain physical things. I’m not very good about being patient until a Care Partner can come and help me. I have a lot of work to do on that.
I try to stay as self-sufficient as possible but there are things I simply can no longer do for myself. There are call buttons within easy reach to alert the staff to come help me but there are a lot of people who need two people at a time to lift them, and sometimes I have to wait longer than I would like to get the assistance I desire.
What kind of a person will you be when you have to depend on others for some of the more mundane aspects of life?
===OUTER WORK===
Explore New Potential and Possibilities
What Do You Still Have To Do?
You may have started out a long time ago with ambitions and goals for what you wanted to achieve in your life. How are you doing? What new unexpected opportunities and paths have opened up to you and what are you discovering? How does it change your life?
My life has certainly had its share of unexpected paths and opportunities. I could never have foreseen or predicted most of it. But the question is what do I still have to do?
Wherever you are in your life, pause and take stock. Acknowledge what you have achieved. Notice what new paths have opened up. What have your learned? What do you feel is important for you to still achieve?
Your perspective has changed. Your objectives may have changed. Pause in your life and see where you are and where you want to go.
At 91 time is a factor for me. What can I do in the next ten years that will have the most impact? I will have to be on the lookout for the Guidance the Universe provides. I have to be open to the unexpected. I have to stay flexible and thoughtfully responsive. What do you still have to do? Stay inquisitive and flexible.
Change The Energy Of Your Home
When you step into a space, you can feel its energy. Whether it is an empty room or a space full of people, there is an energy to be felt and responded to.
Our homes are filled with energy that we create and allow to flourish. We need to establish a pattern of being aware of the energy of our space and develop some techniques to improve it.
We also need to become aware of the energy we bring with us into a room and develop conscious pauses in which we clear and focus ourselves before we enter.
Energy from old arguments hang out in the space and must be cleared. Visitors bring their own energy into the space and it may need to be cleared. Objects and reminders of the past we have kept around may be contributing negative energy to a space and need to be removed. Take charge of the energy you keep in your home. Become aware of the energy of each space and then take steps to bring it into balance. Stand in the doorway and experience the energy. Notice how it makes you feel. What, if anything, needs to change?
I clear the energy of my space every morning and night. I happen to use reiki but you can create an intentional vibration to clear a surface or a room. Make it an integral part of your day to clear your space as you enter and as you leave.
You might also create a clearing ceremony that you do at the full moon or new moon or the solstice or equinox. Or you might do it weekly – or daily.
Look at your space as the field of energy that it is and decide how you want it to feel, then take steps to clear and refresh it for the purpose you desire.
Be Selective
We only have so much time and energy. We must be selective. To do so, we must monitor our choices to make certain they are the most productive and are taking us where we want to go.
So what does that look like? Does this choice result in furthering my over-arching goal? Is the time spent doing this particular activity the best use of my time and resources? Will this choice create the results I want?
Experimenting can open up new opportunities for change. Thoughtfully identify your goal and what paths are available and make thoughtful choices. How will you know it is not worth pursuing? How will you know it is?
Perhaps spend time journaling your action and the result or conclusion you reached. Notice that some things may be really great ideas but there may not be the time or energy to develop or pursue them.
It helps to know your major objectives. I have two major physical goals – walk better (which will get a lot easier after the second hip surgery) and figure out the tools I need for my changing eyesight. On the spiritual level, I am mindfully watching the unfolding of how I am to contribute next. My intellectual exploration needs no encouragement, I can barely keep up with my ideas now.
Look at the balance in your life. Is it how you want it to be? Are the things you want to accomplish getting done?
The structure in my day has evolved as my awareness of my desires sharpens. Write, explore, learn. I create in the morning because that’s the most rewarding thing I do. Tuck in movement and meditation in the sun and I have a good start.
How do you design your day? Are you creating the harmony you want and need? What do you need more of? What do you need to do less of? Be selective in designing your day.
===DEEPEN YOUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE===
Self-Healing Spiritual Practice and Deepening Awareness of Our Cosmic Oneness
Leave Space For New To Come In – Then Go Exploring
When I moved into Evergreen a year ago, I knew my path was changing but I did not know what it was changing into. It has gradually been revealed and I was surprised. In looking at the shorter number of years I have, I am watching for the revelations an unfolding of what I am to accomplish.
Wherever you are in your life, leave space for new to come in – then go exploring.
===HOW TO BE A STRONG CONTRIBUTING MEMBER OF THE CIRCLE OF LIGHT BEARERS===
Expand Your Role in the Rapidly Evolving Universe
Choose Balance Rather Than Overwhelm
We have a choice. We are in control of what we allow into our lives and what we focus on.
Stop and make three columns. Leave the first one blank. In the second column write down what gives you excitement and satisfaction and rewards you with deeper insights.
In the third column write down what you believe you have to do.
In the first column design your day. Alternate things you love to do with things you have to do. Design a balanced day. Cross off things from the other columns as you move them to the first column.
Notice what you moved from the “things you love to do” column and notice what you left behind. Be aware of your preferences and see how you can rearrange your life to accommodate them.
Live In Tune With Your Own Vision
As we live our lives in this world, we share our energy and our spirit with the people around us in numerous ways. Our presence touches their lives and, through them, we touch the lives of many more people. When we strive to live our lives to the fullest and are true to our own gifts and values, we are doing something big on an inner level, and that is more than enough to make sense of our purpose for being here on this planet at this time. There is no need to hold ourselves to an old idea that we need to make headlines or single-handedly save the world in order to validate our existence.
We can each look within our hearts to discover what is true for us, what gives our lives meaning, and what excites us. We can release ourselves from any pressure to perform that comes from outside of our inner sense of purpose. Staying in tune with our own values and living our lives in tune with our own vision is all we need in order to fulfill our time here. Our lives are a process of becoming so we cannot help but create. By being who we are, responding to each moment as it comes, we can trust that we are enough.
===BROADEN YOUR HORIZON – EXPAND YOUR VIEW===
Raise Your Sights and Your Expectations
The Gifts That Others Gave You
Look back over your life and notice the insights that others have given you.
My mother made certain I had the education she had wanted for herself. I can name four or five friends who have been impactful in my life through our friendship. I have a feeling it was mutual but I don’t know specifically what I gave them in return.
I can think of several instances in which someone said something that impacted my thinking and my choices.
Most of my major choices have been made instantaneously and they have always been good ones. They usually had to do with learning something.
Give some thought to the life-changing insights that came from others. It is very often a two-way exchange.
===OUR EVOLVING FUTURE===
Support and Encouragement for Our Unfolding Role in the Future
What Are You Focusing On?
Amidst the wars and hatred in the world we need to focus on what we as individual light beings are helping to create. It’s not that we have to ignore the killing and the destruction, but we can make major change by turning our attention and our imagination and our intention towards a peaceable kingdom – living together in harmony. As hard as it may be, we need to picture collaboration and caring in the hearts of everyone in the world. Granted, that may take some doing but it will be powerful.
Look for what is working to bring harmony and peace in the world. Join those groups of people who are sending positive energy to our planet, to our environment and to humanity.
Do not focus on what is not working, focus on what is working and see how you can maintain those ideas and concepts in your own life. It’s important to control your thoughts. What are you focusing on?
===DEEPER SONG DISCOVERIES===
Resources to Explore
Soul Growth
How do we expand our soul? We do it through thoughtful awareness, contemplation, and observations of the light energy streaming from within us and those people we admire.
I look at people whose actions inspire me to see why they inspire me and what insights I want to adapt and expand in my own life expression. Mostly I take bits and pieces of what I see others express and adapt and adjust them in my own creative way in order to absorb then into my life.
My personal growth is taking me into an exploration of the Universe, the concept of a Web of Life and better still, that the drop of the entire ocean is within each of us. I/we have work to do.
Accept your gifts and be creative in how you express them. Don’t focus on what is missing, focus on the gifts you’ve been given with which to shape your life.
Create time for introspection and imaginative exploration. What if? What would that feel like? Where will that lead? Is that what I want to do next? In your quiet contemplation explore, try out, try on and trust your intuition. Make your choices, go exploring, create and adjust. You will expand as you move through new doors and explore new opportunities.
===REFLECTIONS OF A DEEPER SONG PODCAST===
Listen to my
Reflections of a Deeper Song Podcast on
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Deeper Song Website
===CARA’S CORNER===
Those Who Touch Your Life
I’m reading another book about Michal Newton’s past life regression work. It is about the souls who come into your life to help move you along. My list is fairly short but the impact was deep. Make a list of the people who have impacted your life and how they did it. My mother is on the list. So is the television salesman who told me to write myself into the television commercial. When I did, it opened up a whole new career path for me. There is a friend who was the catalyst for my move to New York City. Dr. Barbara Ray who taught me Reiki in the 80s and three or four friends who have been impactful for me. It’s not a very long list and it does not include some of the people you would think it would, like husbands and children.
Pause a minute and write down the people who have impacted your life by being a catalyst for change. You may be surprised who goes on the list. How did they change your life?
===SING A DEEPER SONG ===
Those Who Touched My Life
I can count them on one hand – the people who changed my life by their presence or their actions.
I can count them on one hand – the people who changed my life by their presence or their actions. A comment, an insight, an example that left an impact, created a change and shifted my vision.
I can count them on one hand – the people who changed my life by their presence or their actions. A comment, an insight, an example that left an impact, created a change and shifted my vision. Where would I be without those nudges and gifts of awareness? Certainly not where I am today.
– Cara Lumen, November 2023
We create our future with every thought we think, every action we take. Move forward mindfully as you sing your Deeper Song.
Namaste,
Cara
Come Sing a Deeper Song
I help Transformational Leaders
deepen our relationship with the Unseen World
and expand our role in the New Consciousness
Cara Lumen, explorer, spiritual philosopher, teacher, guide, leads us on a journey of self-awareness, spiritual expansion and impactful service. She helps us believe in our value, trust in our gifts, express our passion in a unique manner and build something meaningful around our wisdom and expertise. She helps us sing a deeper song.
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