AWAKENED: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO SPIRITUALITY by au-designcenter

BISMAN KAUR MINHAS

AWAKENED A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO SPIRITUALITY

YOU ARE EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE MEANT TO BE

CONTENTS About this book

CHAPTERS

Spirituality

What is Spirituality Signs of Spirituality

1 7

Spiritual Awakening

Spiritual Awakening Signs of Spiritual Awakening How to Know Where You’re On The Path

Manifestations

Manifestation and Spirituality The Laws of Manifestation

15 21 31 41 49

Manifestations

Spirituality and Meditation Meditation Techniques

55 59

Affirmations Tear-able Posters

III

XI 13 39 53 65

About This Book

This book is intended for those with an interest in spirituality or who wish to understand how to pass on fundamental practises, ideas, and knowledge. An introduction to spiritual world is given here. Just a small essenance to this endless search of soul and self. Spirituality involves the recognition of a feeling or sense or belief that there is something greater than myself, something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater whole of which we are part is cosmic or divine in nature. And in this book we will just begin the journey to our higher selves.

welcome to your spirital journey

VII

SPIRITUALITY

1 WHAT IS SPIRITUALITY

Spirituality does not mean any particular practice. It is a certain way of being. To get there, there are many things to do. This is like a garden in your house. If the soil, sunlight or stem of a plant is in a certain way, it won’t yield flowers, you have to do something. You have to take care of those things. So if you cultivate your body, mind, emotions and energies to a certain level of maturity, something else blossoms within you – that is what is spirituality. When your rationale is immature, it doubts everything. When your rationale matures, it sees everything in a completely different light. Whenever any human being experiences something bigger than himself, the traditional way of looking at that is, “this is God…” The whole idea of God is just that - anything bigger than you. It could be a human being or an experience or some aspect of nature. But is this spiritual? No, this is just life. When I say “just life”, I am not trying to dismiss it as a small thing. It is the greatest thing. Only when life becomes an overwhelming, powerful, blissful experience for you, you want to know what could have created this. If you want to know the process or the source of creation, the most intimate part of creation for you is your own body, isn’t it? There is a captive creator here, trapped within you. You shouldn’t miss him here. If you don’t miss him here, if you know the source of creation within you,

you are spiritual. An atheist cannot be spiritual. But you must understand that even a theist cannot be spiritual. Because an atheist and a theist are not different. One believes there is God, another believes there is no God. Both of them are believing something that they do not know. You are not sincere enough to admit that you do not know, that’s your problem. So theists and atheists are not different. They are the same people putting up an act of being different. A spiritual seeker is neither a theist nor an atheist. He has realized that he does not know, so he is seeking. The moment you believe something, you become blind to everything else. The whole conflict on the planet is not between good and evil as they are trying to project it. It is always one man’s belief versus another man’s belief. The need for belief is more psychological than spiritual. You want to cling to something, you want to feel secure, you want to feel like you know it all. That is coming from a very immature mind. What is the problem if you don’t know anything about this existence. You actually don’t know anything. It’s beautiful! And you see how to make yourself beautiful and joyful within yourself, which is within your hands. Spirituality involves the recognition of a feeling or sense or belief that there is something greater than myself, something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater whole of which we are part is cosmic or divine in nature. Spirituality means knowing that our lives have significance in a context beyond a mundane everyday existence at the level of biological needs that drive selfishness and aggression. It means knowing that we are a significant part of a purposeful unfolding of Life in our universe. Spirituality involves exploring certain universal themes – love, compassion, altruism, life after

death, wisdom and truth, with the knowledge that some people such as saints or enlightened individuals have achieved and manifested higher levels of development than the ordinary person. Aspiring to manifest the attributes of such inspirational examples often becomes an important part of the journey through life for spiritually inclined people. The spiritual journey involves first healing and affirming the ego so that positive states are experienced; with secure self-esteem, belief in self-worth and a capacity for love and generosity, a person becomes less constrained by ego defences. An opening of the heart is an essential aspect of true spirituality. In this regard one may question the spiritual nature of masochistic religious practices such as self- flagellation, which is based on a belief in the wickedness inherent in the body rather than on any real connection with, and therefore compassion for, the body. This illustrates the fact that religion does not always serve the progress of spiritual development but may get side-tracked into practices that create pride,

feelings of superiority etc. or else lead to a person becoming bogged down in unworthiness, guilt and shame - all of which emotions are commonly suffered by psychiatric patients. In short, religion will be taken up by a person in a way that inevitably reflects their own level of development and maturity. The development of spirituality is generally recognised as requiring some sort of practice or discipline in order to make ‘progress’. This can involve the aspirant in paradoxes such as non-striving, the gateless gate, or coming home to oneself. Contemplative practices such as prayer and meditation are the common denominator of many religions and the foundation of spirituality. Without them, personal growth is much slower and haphazard. A teacher or mentor is usually recommended. Spiritual development often involves spontaneous happenings that cannot be accounted for scientifically and that may be attributed to an external force, for example: grace, or angelic or divine interventions. Development may not necessarily be an instantaneous event but can happen more gradually as when going through an experience of severe illness, or a terminal diagnosis, when the fragility of life is revealed and a person re-evaluates the meaning of their life. Religion formalises certain aspects of spiritual awareness into a coherent belief system that can be taken on trust, even if the person has no direct experience of the Divine: for instance, a person might believe that Jesus is the son of God because that is what the Bible teaches whereas another person may have had a vision of Jesus in person telling him/her that he is the son of God. The belief systems of religion extend beyond the individual’s experience to his/her role in society and morality-based rules are formulated to govern relationships and activities. Usually religion is manifest as a collective through church, mosque, synagogue or temple, and is involved with community as much as with individuals. This provides a real framework through which the ‘greater than me’ can start to be experienced. Neuroscientific research is showing that with the practice of mindfulness, the cortex of the brain literally grows, with an increase in grey matter and more gyrification.

“Spirituality does not mean any particular practice. It is a certain way of being. To get there, there are many things to do.”

2 SIGNS OF SPIRITUALITY

Spirituality is not a single path or belief system. There are many ways to experience spirituality and the benefits of a spiritual experience. For some people, this might involve the belief in a higher power or a specific religious practice. For others, it may involve experiencing a sense of connection to a higher state or a sense of inter-connectedness with the rest of humanity and nature. Some signs of spirituality can include: Asking deep questions about topics such as suffering and what happens after death. Deepening connections with other people Experiencing compassion and empathy for others Experiencing feelings of interconnectedness Feelings of awe and wonder Seeking meaning and purpose Wanting to make the world a better place Seeking happiness beyond material possessions or other external rewards.

Not everyone experiences or expresses spirituality in the same way. Some people may seek spiritual experiences in every aspect of their lives, while others may be more likely to have these feelings under specific conditions or in certain locations. For example, some people may be more likely to have spiritual experiences in churches or other religious temples, while some might have these feelings when they out enjoying nature.

While specific spiritual views are a matter of faith, research has demonstrated some of the benefits of spirituality and spiritual activity. The results may surprise no one who has found comfort in their religious or spiritual views, but they are definitely noteworthy in that they demonstrate in a scientific way that these activities do have benefits for many people. The following arWe a few more of the many positive findings related to spirituality and its influence on physical and mental health: Research has shown that religion and spirituality can help people cope with the effects of everyday stress. One study found that everyday spiritual experiences helped older adults better cope with negative feelings and enhanced positive feelings. Research shows that older women are more grateful to God than older men, and they receive greater

stress-buffering health effects due to this gratitude.According to research, those with an intrinsic religious orientation, regardless of gender, exhibited less physiological reactivity toward stress than those with an extrinsic religious orientation.Those who were intrinsically oriented dedicated their lives to God or a “higher power,” while the extrinsically oriented ones used religion for external ends like making friends or increasing community social standing. This, along with other research, demonstrates that there may be tangible and lasting benefits to maintaining involvement with a spiritual community. This involvement, along with the gratitude that can accompany spirituality, can be a buffer against stress and is linked to greater levels of physical health. Dedication to God or a “higher power” translated into less stress reactivity, greater feelings of well-being, and ultimately even a decreased fear of death. People who feel comfortable and comforted using spirituality as a coping mechanism for stress can rest assured that there’s even more evidence that this is a good idea for them. Prayer works for young and old alike. Prayer and spirituality have been linked to: Better health Greater psychological well-being Less depression Less hypertension Less stress, even during difficult times

More positive feelings Superior ability to handle stress It’s a sign of the times that the word “awakened” has made it into the urban dictionary, where it is defined as “spiritually aware of the universe and [its] direct metaphysical connection to one’s own being and the connection it has to all life forces.” It is so mainstream, in fact, that political candidate Marianne Williamson has made part of her platform a call for “moral and spiritual awakening.” One of the problems with the idea of a spiritual awakening, however, is the lack of a clear definition. What exactly is a spiritual awakening, and is there a way you can tell if you are having one? According to Deepak Chopra, awakening happens when you are no longer living in a dream world where you filter everything through your ego and focusing on the future and the past. Instead, you have an almost simultaneous awareness of your individual self and the connection between that and everything else. Take, for example, the metaphor of a wave in the ocean. You are the wave, and you are the ocean. The ability to maintain both separation and connection seems to indicate a different level of spiritual evolution. When you look across faith traditions, there is a common thread that describes this state as nirvana, enlightenment, or awakening. This consciousness happens when you stop being the observer, and instead you ask yourself, who is observing? For example, think about being engrossed in a movie—your emotions and physiology behave as though you are in deep space with Luke Skywalker or with Dorothy when she stands up to the Wicked Witch. In that moment, the experience of the movie feels real—your heart races, you feel excited, scared, or hopeful. Then your phone rings or the person behind you coughs loudly, and you are brought back to a different reality: you are sitting in a movie theatre sharing the experience of space travel or yellow brick roads with others.

“Spirituality is not a single path or belief system. There are many ways to experience spirituality and the benefits of a spiritual experience.”

SPIRITAL AWAKENING

3 SPIRTUAL AWAKENING

What is the meaning of ‘spiritual awakening’? When we undergo a spiritual awakening (also known as spiritual ascension), we literally “wake up” to life. We begin to question our old beliefs, habits, and social conditioning, and see that there is much more to life than what we have been taught. It is common to ask questions such as, “Why am I here?” “What is the purpose of my life?” “What happens after death?” “Why do good people suffer?” and other questions that examine the fundamental nature of life during your awakening. Spiritual awakenings stir the deepest and most significant questions within us that we have been putting off asking or have been too scared to touch. Going through a spiritual awakening is one of the most confusing, lonely, alienating, but also supremely beautiful experiences in life. Put simply, spiritual awakenings mark the beginning of your initiation on the spiritual path. Without experiencing a spiritual awakening, we go throughout life pursuing the emptiness of money, fame, power, and respect in an attempt to find “happiness.” The unsettling and equally beautiful thing about spiritual awakenings

is that they occur at the least expected times. There is no way you can plan for them. They lurch into your life and shake everything up like tornadoes. But the hidden gift buried deep within them is that they occur at the precise time that you need them the most. If you have experienced a spiritual awakening, you have come to see through the lies and illusions of this world. Deep in your soul, you realize that nothing external has ever, and can ever, bring you true happiness or fulfillment. This profound realization leaves you craving for something richer, more fulfilling, and something that will make you feel whole once again. If you’ve experienced a spiritual awakening, you might crave to find the meaning of your life and whether there is a “higher state” of being. Searching for God, or for the Divine, is a common desire during this experience. So, why do spiritual awakenings happen in the first place? Spiritual awakenings happen as a natural product of your Soul evolving, expanding, and maturing. Just as everything in life grows, so too does our connection with our Souls.The more you connect to your Soul (whether accidentally or intentionally), the more you experience transformation. The more you come to embody your Soul, the more you taste true and lasting joy, peace, fulfillment, freedom, and love. While the spiritual awakening process can feel painful and disturbing at first, it ultimately helps you to live a more meaningful life. The sensation that your life doesn’t make sense anymore is the product of having all of your former beliefs, desires, and paradigms challenged and often disproven. This is traumatic, but a necessary part of your expansion. You might be curious to know what activates spiritual awakenings. The answer is that innumerable circumstances can trigger this process!

There really is no one answer. Spiritual awakenings can happen at any moment or period in your life. They can be spontaneous, but they can also be triggered by major life changes, illnesses, tragedies, and traumas such as life-threatening illnesses, car accidents, divorces, war, midlife crises, and much more. Awakening can also happen due to your temperament. For instance, you might be an old soul or a sensitive empath by nature (these types of people are more ‘plugged into’ the transcendent side of life). Furthermore, for some people, spiritual awakenings are even triggered by deep but challenging twin flame relationships. Generally speaking, the spiritual awakening process happens in conjunction with an experience known as The Dark Night of the Soul. If you’re highly sensitive to the suffering of others and are a deep thinker by nature, it is possible that you have gone through, or are

currently going through, a Dark Night of the Soul. The Dark Night of the Soul is a period in life when we feel completely cut off from God or the Divine. The more aware you become of your disconnection from the Divine, the more chances you have of experiencing a Dark Night of the Soul. Going through a Dark Night of the Soul is profoundly entwined with the process of spiritual awakening. Before seeing the light (i.e. spiritually awakening) we must “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” in order to prepare our minds and hearts for the conscious upgrade. Just think about the analogy of getting dressed. In order to put on new clothes, you must take off the old ones. That, in a nutshell, is essentially what the Dark Night of the Soul is about. The old must be stripped away in order to make way for the new. This means that the suffering you experience during the Dark Night of the Soul is for a purpose – and that is the destruction of the old (outdated beliefs, identities, habits) to pave way for fresh ways of being. This life is a cycle of birth and death. As such, going through the Dark Night is not a pretty or manicured experience – at its core, it’s raw, primal, and the most difficult experience known to humanity. Everything is stripped away from you. There is no light, no clarity, and no peace. But please know that it is a stage, and like everything in life, it will naturally fade. There are ways of speeding up the Dark Night (like doing inner work) which we have explored on this website extensively. I have gone through a bleak and chaotic Dark Night of the Soul, and let me tell you, inner work is vital. It’s kind of like the difference between letting your old clothes just fall off you (which is a long, unhygienic, and tiresome process) or actively pulling them off and throwing them to the wind yourself.

“Spiritual awakenings are the soul’s cry for freedom. Listen to its call and your life will be transformed into something meaningful and significant.” Refuse its call and your life will be like a graveyard.

4 STAGES OF SPIRITUAL AWAKENING The spiritual awakening process is complex, multi-layered, and different for everyone. In reality, it cannot be fit into neat categories. However, with that being said it is helpful to have a kind of “map” to locate where you’re at right now. The following stages are general. They define the overall flow of the spiritual awakening process:

STAGE 1

Unhappiness, Despondency, and Feeling Lost In this stage, you experience the aforementioned Dark Night of the Soul. This is a time of confusion, disconnection, alienation, depression, and great unhappiness with life. You are searching for something, but you don’t quite know what. There is a great looming emptiness inside of you. This stage either emerges spontaneously or due to a life crisis , e.g. breakup, divorce, death, trauma, illness, major life change.

STAGE 2

Shifting Perspectives You start to perceive reality in a totally different way. In this stage, you start seeing through the lies and delusions propagated by society. You feel unhappy with life, disturbed by the suffering you see and hopeless to the ills of the world. You no longer see life as you once did in your previous state of complacent unawareness.

STAGE 3

Seeking Answers and Meaning There must be a point to all this, right? In this stage, you’re asking all the deep questions. You are in search of your life purpose, spiritual destiny, and the meaning of life itself. You will start dabbling in different metaphysical, self-help, and esoteric fields in the search for answers and truth. Your focus is on beginning your spiritual search.

STAGE 4

Finding Answers and Experiencing Breakthroughs There must be a point to all this, right? In this stage, you’re asking all the deep questions. You are in search of your life purpose, spiritual destiny, and the meaning of life itself. You will start dabbling in different metaphysical, self-help, and esoteric fields in the search for answers and truth. Your focus is on beginning your spiritual search.

STAGE 5

Disillusionment and Feeling Lost Again Life is about movement. With the spiritual awakening process, there is always an ebb and a flow. In this stage, you become bored and tired of your spiritual teachers or practices. You may become disillusioned by the faux spiritual BS out there and crave for something deeper. You may have even experienced long periods of connection with the Divine, only to become separated again (this is normal). Understandably, you’ll feel disturbed and deeply upset by this experience. Additionally, while you may have experienced many mental/emotional/spiritual breakthroughs, they might feel superficial. You crave authenticity and for deep spirituality that permeates your life and transforms every part of you. The unhappiness and stagnation you feel will motivate you to go in search for more.

STAGE 6

Deeper Inner Work In this stage, you’re not interested in dabbling in feel-good spiritual philosophies or surface practices anymore. The abiding pain you feel inside motivates you to do deep inner work. You may become a serious student of meditation, mindfulness, ritual, inner child work, shadow work, body work or various other transpersonal philosophies.

STAGE 7

Integration, Expansion, Joy Integration means taking the spiritual lessons you’ve learned from your inner work and applying them to your daily life. Integration happens both naturally and consciously as a habit in deep spiritual practice. In this stage, you’ll experience the most profound and long-lasting changes deep within. Many people experience prolonged mystical experiences and periods of unity with the Divine in the integration phase. Remember that enlightenment, or full self-realization, is never guaranteed: we can strive for it, but it is ultimately a gift from Life. Nevertheless, profound peace, love, and joy emerge and are felt in this stage. You may feel ready to be a spiritual mentor or role model in your community and pass on your insight to others. Life will become less about you and more about We. Your perspective will expand and you will start seeing things from the big picture. Above all else, you will feel connected, at peace with yourself, and deeply aligned with life.

Note: It is common to move back and forth between these spiritual awakening stages. Remember that this is not a linear process – you cannot just move from A to B to C. This is a complex and messy path, so it’s perfectly fine if it doesn’t look like what I’ve described. Your spiritual awakening process is unique to you. But I do hope this analysis has helped (in some way) you to ‘gain your bearings.’

“The spiritual awakening process is complex, multi-layered, and different for everyone.”

5 How To Know Where You’re On The Path We hear so much about finding our “whole selves” and “coming from authenticity,” but so many of us don’t understand how we actually reach that point. We don’t suddenly become that new, better version of ourselves because we read the right book or heard the right speech. Becoming whole is a lifelong process. It is finding and embracing the new self and forgetting what you learned to be.

Forgetting or Losing The Connection to Essential Spiritual Self This happens when we enter the physical world at birth. We develop a personality that allows us to adapt to our circumstances — familial and cultural. This original self is rarely remembered, although at times we catch glimpses of it. Moments of unexpected grace — falling in love, acting from instinctive certainty rather than fear — are reminders. We reconnect with our essence, too, when our senses are moved by the natural world around us.

Remembering is the Key to Most World Religions and to Spiritual Experience It may be prompted by a thought, a poem, a luminous dream, a dramatic event such as a mystical experience, or any transition or change. In whatever way we are awakened, we are reminded for a moment of a different realm of existence with its own truth. Such revelations often signify the beginning of the journey back to our true essence.

Exploring Spiritual Ideas and Religious Practices Moves Us Toward an Awareness of Remembering We participate in traditional and unfamiliar forms of prayer or attend retreats and seminars. We explore the revival of spirituality through books and even pilgrimages to sacred sites — whatever “sacred” means to you.

Practicing Allows Us to Begin using Rituals that Keep Us in Alignment with Our Spiritual Path Each Day Some traditions use ceremonies, liturgies, prayers, or meditation at a specific time and place; some embrace a lifestyle that is its own kind of practice. Without practice, the treasures we find in exploring will lose their light and promise. With practice, the spiritual can intertwine with the everyday, changing our sense of the world and ourselves in fundamental ways.

Shadows on the Path Reflect Obstacles that Inevitably Confront Us, as Our Spiritual Exploration Veers into the World of Emotions and Innermost Thoughts We may feel grief for all the time we have lost to ego-driven choices. These shadows can also take the form of difficulties in our relationships with others, as we try to communicate what we are discovering. Our friends and loved ones may not understand — or may even be threatened — by who we are becoming as we recognize our true nature.

Reclaiming is that Stage in which We Begin to Recognize and Trust those Things that have Meaning for Us At this point, we take hold of the direction of our lives, both inside and out. We work harder to be honest with others and ourselves. We are more accountable for our actions. Sometimes we are even able to challenge others and ourselves with more ease and less judgment, feeling greater compassion for our common human condition. At the end of most stories about a sacred journey, the voyager returns with hard-earned wisdom and many gifts for his or her community. We may find ourselves in the same external circumstances where work and relationships are concerned but standing on different soil, seeing everything through new eyes.

Acceptance is Less of a Stage and More of a Condition Woven Throughout the Stages It is the knowledge that we never completely “arrive.” We are always on the path. We are always forgetting, remembering, exploring, practicing, integrating, and then forgetting again.

Acknowledging this, we learn to accept the inevitability of lapsing into old responses and our previously limited perspective. We develop more patience and empathy, more humor about our human fragility, and greater tolerance for the journey of finding our way back. That, after all, is life.

“Becoming whole is a lifelong process. It is finding and embracing the new self and forgetting what you learned to be.”

spirituality and manifestation

MANIFESTATION

6 Manifestation and Spirituality

A major component of spirituality is the idea that human beings are capable of creating their own realities through the power of manifestation. To manifest something means to materialize a person, thing or condition that you want to be true for your life. In order to truly grasp and utilize the practice of manifestation, it’s important to understand that it takes place on a mental, emotional, physical and vibrational level. Manifestation was popularized by pop-psychology books like “The Secret” and “The Law of Attraction”. Usually, when people refer to manifestation, they are talking about the ideas presented in books like these. This is unfortunate because psychological scientists will tell you that these books are pseudoscience—which means something that claims to be scientific and factual but is not actually based on the scientific method. Indeed, there is not really scientific evidence behind this approach to manifestation, and caution is warranted if you use these approaches. However, manifestation as an idea is very real. So I believe it’s worth exploring what actually does help people get the lives they desire— to manifest the lives they desire. In this article, we’ll explore both the scientific and spiritual tools that may help you learn how to manifest what

you want.

Keep a manifestation journal Scripting the more technical term for keeping a manifestation journal refers to the practice of writing down all that you hope to manifest in present tense as if you already have it. It’s important to be in a meditative state while you script, clearing your mind of intrusive thoughts and daily worries. Start out by expressing gratitude, making sure to include as many details as possible. For example, let’s say you’re hoping to manifest a return offer from the company you interned with over the summer. You can begin your script like so: “Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to work with (insert company name) in my dream role as a (insert position title). I’m super excited to express my creativity and engage in work I genuinely enjoy. I can’t wait to (insert the role’s daily activities). I’m looking forward to seeing how much I grow and how this position will launch me into greater things in the future.” Scripting is all about setting your intentions, so don’t be afraid to write your little heart out!

Visualize and Act Like You Already Have What You Want to Manifest

The next step in the manifestation process is to visualize and internalize those thoughts and feelings from your journal and incorporate them into your daily life. If you want to manifest your dream car, apartment or partner, practice visualizing how it would look and feel to possess those things in as much detail and focus as possible. If you want to manifest your dream career as a highly successful CEO of your own startup, act as if you already are one. That probably means getting enough sleep, staying physically fit, looking clean and crisp, being confident, displaying leadership and grinding work tasks instead of binging Netflix shows. By acting the way you would feel if you had

what you wanted, you are setting yourself up to be a vibrational match for attracting those things.

Raise your vibration Raising your vibration is a key part to manifesting more easily and attracting positive things into your life. You attract what you are a vibrational match to, meaning that if you’re operating at a high-energy frequency, you will attract positive energy and vice versa. The easiest way to raise your vibration is by feeling good emotions. You can clear negative vibrations through meditating or journaling. In both practices, it’s important to simply observe your thoughts without judgment or emotional investment. Once you’ve vibrationally reset, you can begin to vibrate at a higher frequency by doing activities that make you feel good. You are the best judge of what those activities would be, but some ideas include listening to your favorite music, doing things that energize you and spending time near people and places you love.

Don’t forget to take action! Even through the power of manifestation, you can’t just expect everything to fall perfectly into your lap. You need to be willing to take the physical actions that align with what you want. For example, you aren’t going to manifest your peak physical fitness goals if you refuse to exercise or make dietary changes. You aren’t going to manifest your dream career as a lawyer if you skip classes every day to scroll through social media. You aren’t going to manifest your crush falling in love with you if you don’t make the effort to talk to them. Remember to take the physical actions that align with what it is that you want to manifest. Starting your spiritual journey can be a wildly exciting and confusing roller coaster.

There is also research showing that whatever our expectations are, they tend to be confirmed. This is what is known as a self-fulfilling prophecy. For example, if you wake up “on the wrong side of the bed” and you expect your day will be terrible, you’re actually more likely to do things that make your day terrible. You’re more likely to see neutral things as terrible. And you’re likely to feed a cycle of negative emotions that can manifest the exact negative day you expected. Indeed, research shows that if we’re already feeling bad (if we’re anxious for example), we’re more likely to interpret neutral circumstances in an anxiety-provoking way. We literally see bad things when they don’t exist. Research has also shown that a negative mood or attitude puts others off, hurting our relationships. This is how our pessimistic attitude actually leads to the exact outcomes we expect. In contrast, people who are generally happy and positive attract more opportunities, have better relationships, and are usually more successful.

“A major component of spirituality is the idea that human beings are capable of creating their own realities through the power of manifestation.”

7 The Laws Of Manifestation

Law Of Attractation Do you believe there are cosmic forces at work? You may not be alone. The law of attraction (LOA) is a philosophy that suggests you can manifest your deepest desires into being with merely the power of thought. The law of attraction is a philosophy that claims one’s thoughts determine their reality. An individual attracts what they think. “What you see in your reality now are the seeds, i.e. the thoughts and emotions, you planted at a certain point in your life,” offers Maria Concha. The concept could date back millennia. “It is thought that the Buddha introduced the LOA with the belief that ‘all that we are is a result of what we have thought.’ The principles of the LOA are found in many religions and spiritual practices all over the world, it’s just packaged differently. Scholars and followers of the LOA believe that it’s as old as time.” Everything about your current life—from your home and partner to your career—is a consequence of your own thoughts. “If you pay close attention, you will see the correlation between your thoughts and what you have in your reality. This is also known as manifesting,” she explains. Everything

you experience is attracted to you because the LOA is responding to the thoughts that you offered at some point.” The claim is simple: When you focus on a particular thing or person, you create a vibrational pull that attracts it or them toward you. “It means being conscious of my thoughts, instead of reacting to them. Whether you’re remembering a past event, observing something in your present, or imagining something in your future, the thought that you are focusing on in the present moment has activated a vibration within you and the LOA is responding to it now.

Law of Assumption The Law of Assumption is a means of manifesting desires by having a state of mind and the feeling that those desires, wishes and aspirations have been fulfilled. Neville Goddard explains that achieving a desired goal has everything to do with your state of mind rather than mere action. Another essential part of the the law is faith or belief, meaning, to see an assumption’s actual manifestation, one must not just assume it being fulfilled but also believe it is already so. Clear your mind of any worrying thoughts that may distract you. Selflimiting thoughts are like smoke, it blocks your ability to see what you want and can quietly let you question whether you’re actually deserving of the wonderful things you’re assuming and want manifested. Let this be at the back of your mind, no matter the flaws of any individual, everyone deserves blessings.

“You must believe and have faith that your manifestation will work. There are numerous sites and videos talking about different forms of manifestations but whatever works for you is the true one.”

MEDITATION

8 Spirituality & Meditation

Meditation is an experience that takes you to the depths of who you are. You, as your real self, stripped of all the perceptions you had about yourself until that point in your life. In the process, you experience joy and peace. A feeling of love and light warms up your being. Spiritual meditation makes you realize the eternal truth and let go of all that had happened and will happen. The present is where you want to be and find solace in. The need to practice spiritual meditation comes from an innate longing to see and think beyond the chaotic world surrounding you. Benefits of meditationa is that it releases and settles our thoughts and emotions. It relaxes your nervous system and helps your body unwind from stress. It helps you to let go of the past and sink in peace. Spiritual meditation helps you realize who you really are. It empowers you and helps you reach your higher consciousness. Meditation is the delicate art of doing nothing and letting go of all efforts to relax in your true nature, which is love, joy, and peace. The practice of meditation gives you deep rest. It is essential to reduce stress levels and maintain mental hygiene.

The benefits of meditation are manifold - a calm mind, focussed attention, good concentration power, clarity of thoughts and feelings, balanced emotions in stressful situations, improved communication skills, the birth of new skills and talents, unshakeable inner strength, healing powers, ability to connect to an inner source of energy, relaxation, rejuvenation, and even the ability to attract good luck! These are all the natural effects of regular meditation practice. Today, meditating daily is not a luxury but a necessity. To be unconditionally happy and to have peace of mind, we need to tap into the power of meditation. The purpose of meditation is to make one calm, stress-free, free from pain, healthy and happy. Meditation helps in maintaining good physical health, mental health & emotional health. Practicing meditation is as easy as inhaling and exhaling. It does not require you to go to the mountains and shut yourself up. It is a dynamic practice that can be easily incorporated into your daily life. You can choose any form of meditation from many different types of meditations - all of them help you get to the present moment effortlessly. In fact, in the very first sitting, many people’s experience has been so wonderful that they find it hard to express it in words. As you practice meditation exercise on a regular basis, perhaps once, or ideally twice a day, you feel a transformation - inside out - so much so that people around you also start recognizing the beautiful energy you carry along with you. So, everyone should meditate for a few minutes every - day to make life stress-free and happy.

“Spiritual meditation makes you realize the eternal truth and let go of all that had happened and will happen.”

9 Meditation Techniques

Choose A Comfortable Position Before you begin the practice, the most important aspect is to find a place and position that you will be comfortable in. This involves staying away from the noises of the city as much as possible and surrounding yourself with greenery and the gentle chirping of birds. Spiritual meditation can quickly put you to sleep. To avoid that, you must be extra cautious of the position you wish to meditate in. Choose a position that you are comfortable in, but not something that is way too relaxing and will make you easily drift into sleep. Sit in the Vajrasana, Padmasana, or the Sukhasana. Or you can even sit on a chair with your back straight, or stand up with your back leaning on the wall. Whatever works. Then, close your eyes lightly.

Experience The Process When you have a task to accomplish, what do you usually do? You plan, have the procedure in your head, and follow the pattern consciously. That is how we are used to doing tasks. We plan and execute them in a controlled manner. However, this is not the ideal way to deal with

meditation. Here, you will have to let it go. Loosen up and let it take its course in a natural and organic manner. You should be a passive spectator, allowing the process to happen on its own. Do not bother about getting it right or be concerned about the outcome. Let it flow in its natural course.

Acknowledge The Thoughts We live in a world that runs on information. You are always fed with new data in the form of live updates, breaking news, and social media. As a result, your mind is always abuzz with new content and your brain’s reaction to it. It is a never-ending game as long as you are awake, and even during sleep, it is quite a task to calm your whirring mind. You invariably react to every thought and end up being affected by it. Even while you sit to meditate, thoughts will bombard you. But, the challenge lies in not responding to them and allowing them to control you. Let the ideas seep in like they usually do, but control the urge to react to them. Let them waft away, enabling you to get back to your meditation.

Utter A Prayer As you sit there, preventing your thoughts from maligning your calm composure, choose a prayer in your head. A prayer need not necessarily be related to religion. You can utter anything that means something good for you or something that you like. It could be a word or a phrase. It could be something related to wildlife if you are a nature lover or something that makes you happy. It could even be a mantra. Now, keep your body loose and relaxed. Breathe naturally and slowly. Observe your breath as it goes in and out. Thoughts interrupt your process, but you know what to do with them. Get back to your body and breathing after every thought interruption. Then, at each exhalation, think of the prayer you chose. Utter it in your head every time you breathe out.

Use the prayer as a means to bring back your attention to observing your breath.

Reflect On Yourself Turn your attention to your body and your awareness and presence in the space. Become conscious of your surroundings. Observe how your body feels. Be attentive to your thoughts and breath. Relax completely and stay calm. Open your eyes slowly and sit in the same position for some time. Let the effects of meditation sink in. Feel it, and enjoy the lightness your body feels. Think about the entire process and how you went about it. Notice how you have become less agitated than before the meditation. Accept that your reaction to the process was natural. Finally, come out of the meditation zone, stretch a bit, and go about your day.

AFFIRMATIONS 65

You can tear these posters and stick them anywhere you like for all the motivation and positive affirmations you need.

your journey has not ended here, it has just begun

Credits Editor Bisman Kaur Minhas

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Information

Bruce I. Goderez, MD Lonerwolf Mindbodyandgreen Isha Sadhguru Dr. Maya Spencer

“Spirituality involves the recognition of a feeling or sense or belief that there is something greater than myself, something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater whole of which we are part is cosmic or divine in nature.”