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Weblogs Second Half 2008
August through December 2008
Hanukkah and Christmas
Weblog December 25, 2008
By Chris DiGiorgio
Hanukkah and Christmas fall usually around the same time every year, although sometimes
Hanukkah will fall differently because the Jewish calendar is based on a lunar calendar. Hanukkah is called the festival
of lights its origin is from the time when the Jews were revolting against the Greeks, who were defiling their temple.
The Jews were successful in the revolt. After the revolt they had only enough oil to light the menorah for one day;
however the menorah miraculously continued to be lit for eight days until more oil could be re-supplied. So a new holiday
begun in celebration of this miracle and symbolizing the restoration of the temple and spiritual renewal. Christmas
has many meanings to Christians the birth of Jesus on this day brings the birth of possibilities. We ask each year how
does a child’s birth change the world? At the time of the birth angels tell shepherds that a savior is born and
it is a great and joyful event that will have great meaning for people worldwide. The shepherds rush to the site to
see a future king born in a manger, but this is no traditional king. He will not inhabit a throne in this known world.
He will however change the known world by his death and resurrection. He will be a great philosopher and sage.
He will heal the sick and create great miracles. The birth of the baby Jesus symbolizes a coming of a new era.
So we celebrate both holidays for its possibilities. Both have similar themes spiritual renewal, miracles, and
change to name a few. Both holidays remind us that miracles can happen in unexpected ways. How can a king be born
in a manger? How can oil that should last for one day last for eight? Sometimes we can doubt our faith and here
comes Christmas and Hanukkah to remind us that light from darkness can occur either through a baby or enough oil when all
looks bleak. Weblog December
18, 2008Dear President-Elect Obama, I have never written a President before or a President-Elect for that matter. Allow
me to introduce myself, my name is Chris DiGiorgio. I am a queer spiritual activist, I am not sure others
introduce themselves as that, so let me try to explain. I am a queer organizer, who encourages queer folks
to return to religious and spiritual institutions. My organization SAFE: Spirit and Faith for Everyone
mission is to provide safe, sacred space for the queer community and to educate these needs to religious and spiritual communities.I was also a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention and a former
chair of a Town Democratic Committee. As you may be aware, many in the religious community have welcomed
queer folks into their religious and spiritual institutions, many have not. As we were celebrating your victory of hope over fear
on Tuesday November 4, 2008, we queer folks woke up the following morning with the bad news of passage of Proposition 8 in
California and other anti-queer legislation throughout several states. It left many in the queer community
asking why? How is it that this country voted for hope over fear, but allowed fear to win against queer
people? Our queer community has been living in fear for a very long time including these past eight years
with a Bush administration that openly closed the door on basic protections for queer people including its recent decision
not to support a French backed resolution in the United Nations asking other countries to decriminalize homosexuality.
In part the 2004 Bush re-election campaign was an open war on queer people with anti-queer ballot initiatives in many
key states. Even our last “queer friendly” President Bill Clinton backed away from allowing
gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military and he signed the Defense of Marriage Act. With this
record of the last sixteen years, it is only natural for the queer movement to almost have this here we go again mentality.
Your words that you are an unequivocal supporter of lesbian and gay rights is reassuring, however allow us to have
the concern that these words might be hollow. Your selection of Rev. Rick Warren as the minister who will give the invocation
at your Inaugural, is concerning to us. Rev. Warren openly supported Proposition 8, but that was
not his worst offense in my view. His comparison to queer people to people who commit incest or child marriage
is reprehensible. So many in the queer community are asking how you can allow someone who equates us to
these actions, someone you invite to give the Inaugural invocation. I believe the person that should give
the Inaugural Invocation should be someone who all Americans should be proud to be standing at the Podium that can inspire
us to believe God is a loving God. Rev. Rick Warren sadly is not that minister. Blessings
to you Mr. President-Elect, your family and future administration, I wish you well and hope your Presidency is one where queer
people can feel safe and secure and finally feel part of the American family instead of feeling left out. Daring to Challenge ConventionWeblog December 4, 2008By
Chris DiGiorgio As LGBT folk, we are no strangers to challenging convention. In fact, culturally especially in
the past, our coming out has not been well received. We had to explain why living a truthful life is the
best life for us, and challenge the notion that we can be cured or change our sexual orientation or gender identity.
Just because people do not understand us does not mean we need to comply with convention if that convention is not
our nature. I stand before you to challenge another convention that the LGBT community is not spiritual
or religious. That is another myth that will be shattered, because although some of us are alienated from
our religion, does not mean we do not believe in a supreme being or GOD or the universe. Our capacity to
lead spiritual lives is strong whether we chose to forgo sexual relations or not. The more important point
is how are we living our lives and what does it mean for us to be spiritual. I think one important characteristic
is the willingness to learn from life experiences. I know if I look back at the many experiences that have
come into my life that they shaped me positively in the direction I am going. I know that certain activities
and beliefs I have now are shaped by the experiences of the past. Jesus, the Prophet Mohammed, the Buddha and Moses have challenged
convention of their time. Whether it was Jesus or the Prophet Mohammed challenging religious authorities, they were remembered
because they made people realize something that was against convention. I put this out to you because the
parallels are striking in this time. LGBT folk challenge convention on marriage, on raising families, on
sexual roles, and on community to name a few and just like the spiritual leaders of the past we are persecuted.
Now before we get on our crosses or travel the Sinai desert, we must always remember that these great spiritual leaders
stayed to their truth. They were offered riches and comforts if they only stopped telling the truth.
They refused! Suffering comes with the territory! That does not mean we have
to accept the suffering. We have to understand it. We have to continue to struggle and
continue to tell the truth because like the Prophet Mohammed and Jesus people will listen and remember. Think
about the struggle we are going through now and how we are challenging convention. Only living our
truth with strength and conviction can lead to a new belief a belief that LGBT folks can be beacons to a new cultural convention.
Thanksgiving Proclamation by George Washington
Weblog November
26, 2008
By the President of the
United States of America, a Proclamation. Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful
for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint
Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed
by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably
to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the
People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that
was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind
care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies,
and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for
the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in
which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national
One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring
and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon
us. and also that we may then
unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon
our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and
relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being
a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all
Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and
concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us--and
generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day
of October in the year of our Lord 1789. G. Washington Text is in the public domain, from the Library of Congress
Corpus Christi Weblog November
14, 2008 By Chris DiGiorgio
“Terrance inherently knew that the LGBT
community had to take ownership of Spirituality”…..” Corpus Christi was Terrance’s prescient
attempt to remind the community that we too have a right to the stories upon which we were raised; to bask in GOD’s
love”Excerpts
of remarks by Tom Kirdahy about Corpus Christi (Terrance McNally’s partner) I recently saw a revival of the play by Terrance McNally called Corpus Christi.
As some of you might remember the play is based on a modern day Jesus Christ from Corpus Christi, TX who happens to be gay.
When the play first opened in New York City in 1998, it was met with protests and bomb threats from conservative groups.
This revival in New York City was brought in by a church theater group from West Hollywood, CA. They have been doing
this revival more out of love than out of profit, touring throughout the United States. It was also seen at the International
Dublin Gay Theater Festival (honored with the Cultural Dialogue Award) and at the world renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival,
winning rave reviews there. The
plot of the play is a short version of Jesus life and death, seen through a modern view. For me, the play is truly inspiring
because it sends the message that the gospels try to convey, which is Jesus and the Christ are always accessible. Since
I saw the last showing of this play by this particular theater group, they had a question and answer session with the ensemble
and the playwright Terrance McNally. It was truly inspiring to hear the reactions from the audience. Some after
seeing the play felt re-inspired about their faith. It brought to them a feeling of longing that they miss the comforting
stories of Christ’s life and the loss of a religious community they once belonged to. The stories shared by the
audience told me how moved they were by the play and I sensed a sort of healing was taking place. By sharing their stories
with people who were listening they realized how spiritual they truly are and how they missed this connection. It gave
me a sense of renewed dedication to the work I am doing and the need for SAFE to continue its work. The wonderful thing
about art, such as a play is it can bring out things in the human being that can be unexpected. I sensed many in the
audience did not expect this play to move them so, but it did! Many thanks to Terrance McNally for writing this important
piece of work and the MCC Church in North Hollywood, CA and 108 Productions in producing this play.
Marriage, What is Next? Weblog November 5, 2008 By
Chris DiGiorgio
So, we elected
Senator Obama President, but under the radar for most of the country were the anti-gay marriage initiatives in three states.
All three gay marriage bans passed. As a gay man of faith it pains me to see, religious groups especially champion the
cause of banning gay marriage as a moral crusade. It is not! It hurts gay families! In fact, it is immoral because it
is bigotry. This is why I am so fervent in the need for SAFE. We as LGBT people can no longer hide or have disgust
for religious institutions. It is to our peril if we continue to not understand that we must work with supportive religious
institutions and spiritual institutions that can be swayed. We also must challenge our religious allies to stand up
against anti-gay initiatives. They are the moral voices that we need to blunt the harm more conservative religious institutions
are fermenting. To do this I believe a spiritual resurgence in the LGBT community is needed for a few reasons.
One, LGBT activists see the need for religious allies to stop these anti-gay initiatives. If we are part of religious communities
and we can share our life and spiritual stories to the different religious communities, this will be a powerful tool for change.
Second, the LGBT community is going through a baby boom. Just like our heterosexual parents, we want our kids to have
a moral compass and direction. Religious institutions can play a role. Third, many religious institutions do serve
as a supportive community to some. I know my religious community, in New Rochelle plays a vital role in supporting me
in my life. Lastly, many in the LGBT community do miss the spiritual connection that religious and spiritual communities
can fill that role. To sum up, I believe the next
movement in the LGBT community is going to be a resurgence of spiritual awakening. LGBT folk are increasingly under
pressure—whether it is us fighting for our fundamental rights, raising a family, work commitments or living a single
life. LGBT folks have always blazed a trail. With the new Presidential administration, the pressure from the radical
religious fundamentalists will not have a friend in the White House or the Congress. This gives the LGBT community time
to heal old divisions and figure a way to work with religious and spiritual communities to help protect our families.
Please join us in bringing a new awakening to America.
Community Counts
Weblog October
11, 2008 By Chris DiGiorgio
A minister friend of mine relayed this story to me. He was
giving the homily of a service, discussing how LGBT folk are treated in some churches and their reaction to it. This
minister relayed this message through poetry he wrote and also collected. At the same service, a choir from out of state
was visiting. They were going to sing a few hymns at the service and would be invited to a luncheon in their honor.
The visiting choir director did not like the affirming message that minister was preaching that day. The visiting choir
director informed the Churches Choir director that they would be leaving. At the same time, some of the members of the
visiting choir went up to the minister right after the homily to either come out or mention to him how important it was to
hear this message. Needless to say that choir and its church members will not be the same. The minister
reported to me that there has been a change of attitude in that church. I bring this up, because many of us are struggling
with acceptance in our faith or spiritual community. We are struggling with being authentic as GOD has intended and
struggling with how our community views us. Generally, most humans do not want to feel hated or feel pain so we internalize
this and give credence to the heterosexism that exists. This community we belong to hurts us and just like the choir
we are never the same. Many of us, shut down we say who needs this community that hurts me? We leave it!
Sometimes we just say we are spiritual or sometimes we let despair of a lost community bring us to the depths of darkness. So why is community important to us?
It is a way for us to connect with others or see things in ourselves that we may not see. A church or religious house
of worship is a community. It is increasingly evident to me, that LGBT folks are seeking out religious communities they
can call home. Are these religious communities ready for us? Are we ready for them? The general LGBT community
has looked at religious communities with skepticism or hurt. However many in our community have taken the brave step
in finding spiritual/religious homes. I know in my personal experience that finding these spiritual and religious spaces
has been quite rewarding. Many of the communities I have visited are eager to expand their communities and are openly
welcoming to LGBT community. We must continue to educate these communities with our presence.
Using Spiritual Work to Heal Weblog October 2, 2008 By Chris DiGiorgio
This past week I attended a continuing education course for my profession Optometry. The speaker was talking
about Bacteria becoming more resistant to more and more drugs and that Doctors especially Pediatricians are not giving antibiotics
to children unless the child has a fever for more than five days. The problem that is occurring is that without breast
feeding and the lack of children playing in a dirty environment, the body’s natural immune system is not able to fight
infections like we have over the generations. We live in a world where children’s environment is too clean.
Two examples he mentioned was in previous generations we were much closer to the animals, in fact we slept with the animals
and children use to play in backyards and playgrounds much more and were exposed to various infectious agents. So our
body’s immune system got use to these bugs and was able to fight these infections in a less severe state. He uses
these examples because now we are fighting cross-species infections such as HIV or Bird Flu or West Nile. These diseases
were not wide spread a half century ago but are now or have been epidemics in the past few years. Two weeks ago I had the chance to visit a religious organization
called the Shumei’s in Southern Colorado. One of their strongest beliefs is Natural agriculture. That part
of the earth’s ecological problems is due to the fact we are not kind to our environment. I asked the person who
showed me the complexes garden, how do you deal with the pests? He said if you balance the soil correctly that there
would be no pests that disturb the crop. I bring this up because as I was sitting in the lecture about childhood illness
and our immune system, how this is related. How much have we thrown chemicals either through the soil or in our bodies
and how much has this harmed instead of helped. I bring these examples to your attention because in the past year, a theme of my spiritual practice has been this--
can I use my spiritual work to heal myself and others? Do we have the capacity either through our immune system and our spiritual
work to heal ourselves and others? I have noticed that at certain times while doing breathing, meditation, tai chi or
chanting that my internal energy or vibration is raised. Let me give an example, two years ago I was doing a breath
session and during the work I felt my whole body was vibrating. Intuition told me that I should take my hands and start
caressing my right leg and calf. I also worked on other parts of my body, but my mind was telling me to work on the
right leg and calf so I did. Later on that day, I was in a sweat lodge and was near a rock that was probably over 500
degrees Fahrenheit. I came out of the lodge and saw that my right leg was very red and I worried whether I would have
a severe burn the next day. The next day came and no burn. I concluded that between the sweat lodge and my own
work that it prevented me from having a serious burn. I come to two conclusions; we do have the capacity through spiritual
work to heal ourselves and others and we must be kinder to our environment and allow our environment to allow us to build
our immune systems. Weblog September 19,2008 Why I Am a Christian..... by Rev. T. Clark A.H.C.
This seemingly simple sentence involves so much self-examination
and prayer before one can even begin to pen one's thoughts about it. Yes, I was raised a Christian in the Roman
Catholic Church, and yes, I attended Catholic School. But, the contradictions of what I was taught about homosexuality
and who I always understood myself to be, from the time I was in my crib, were far too numerous to correlate why I would
up until this present day, at 55 years old, remain a Christian. For me, being a follower of Jesus
Christ has enabled me to live a deeply interior life of Prayer and reflection on the intensity of the power of God's Love,
and how it draws the will into communion within itself, with itself, and through itself. Not so much the teachings
of the Church, per say, but the true understanding of the messages contained in those teachings. Bringing them into
the depths of the reality of one's life has a transformative effect that reinforces itself over and over again.
So much so that to live otherwise would cause pain. As an InterFaith Minister, I can fully appreciate
the Faith Traditions of all Cultures and Peoples. But, even this is an outgrowth of my own deepening awareness of what
it means to be a true Christian. Because when Our Lord opens your heart, whether through the Teachings of your Faith
or by Direct Experience, you cannot help but feel compassion toward every being upon the earth, in the earth, and even beyond
the confines of this universe as we understand it. It breaks through all barriers and prejudices and any feelings
one may formerly have experienced as being separate from, or alienated from a particular people, or group, or classifications
of friends versus enemies. All such terms become irrelevant and cease to exist within this consciousness of God
As an Associate with the Monks of Holy Cross Monastery, I have come to understand the Silence of remaining at Peace within
one's true self, while going about in the world. In short, to carry one's "monastic cell" with you
wherever you go. This is a solitude that excludes the necessity for conditions to be perfect in order to have this peace
at all times. Quite the opposite, it is the Peace that Jesus promised when he said to his disciples that he would
leave them a Peace Beyond Understanding, not as the world gives peace, but as only God can give.
I pray that even some small revelation of Truth may have come to you through these words today. Though
they are not many, I trust that the Spirit of God is more than able, and will open your hearts and minds to exactly
the message you are meant to receive through them. God's Peace be yours. Amen.
The Three Noble Truths of Krishna Weblog September 3, 2008 By
Chris DiGiorgio
The great
Hindu Scriptures are called the Vedas. Veda comes from the Sanskrit root vid, which means knowledge. Therefore,
Vedas loosely translated is the Book of Knowledge of the Universe. There is a section in the Vedas called the Bhagavad
Gita. This is one of the most celebrated sections of the great Vedas. In the story, we find Arjuna and Krishna
(being GOD unknown to Arjuna at first) in preparation for a great battle. Arjuna is a prince wrongly thrown out of power
by his uncle and cousins. Krishna is his charioteer. Arjuna sees the battlefield and all the people he loves ready
for battle and he goes into despair. He tells Krishna he does not want to fight because all the people he loves will
be injured or will die. This story is a metaphor for good versus evil and how one faces it. Krishna tells Arjuna,
you must fight. The forces are already in place and even if you do not fight, the outcome is already pre-determined.
From this story comes the Three Noble Truths of Krishna. The three truths Krishna reveals to Arjuna in this story are Yoga, Dharma and Bhakti. Yoga
comes from the Sanskrit root, yug, which means connecting or yoking. Yoga is the yoking of mind and body together.
Its goal is to achieve a perfect unity between body and mind so that you go beyond the limits of thought and language. Dharma
comes from the Sanskrit, Dhri which relates to righteousness, law or justice. Dharma is being in connection to your
duty and customs in life. You are to connect to the path you were put on this earth for. The belief here is we
are all on this planet with a purpose. Each does something. For example, the mouse has its purpose and the cat
has its purpose—so too does the human. Bhakti means loyalty. Krishna tells Arjuna you are to be devoted
to GOD and completely surrender to GOD. The Bhagavad Gita talks about good and evil and our relationship with it. Do we sit on the sidelines or do we
face it. Krishna gives us the path. Yoke body and minds to achieve the results (Yoga). Be aware of your
duty (Dharma). Devote yourself to GOD and surrender to GOD (Bhakti). Many of us look for what is our purpose in
our lives. Another way to put it is what is our Dharma? The path of the Bhagavad Gita suggests that using these
three noble truths we will find it.
Sin Weblog August 28, 2008 By Chris DiGiorgio
The word sin is used in many religious traditions. I have difficulty with this word because I believe it has
been used as a weapon against people especially LGBT people. Instead, I encourage people to look at their actions and ask
if they could do better. I define sin as something that keeps you away from GOD. Many mystics like myself,
like to say we missed the mark instead of saying sin. If you think sin is just a Christian concept it is not, different
religions such as Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam all have this concept. We in the LGBT community have had this word used against us.
We struggle every day to find a balance between who we are and our actions. We also have varying religious experiences,
and therefore varying experiences with the word sin. Therefore, we each define for ourselves what sin is in our own
lives. The word sin can be used as a form of guilt, shame, and separation. What we have to understand is we control
our own suffering. Do we buy into the fact we sin just by being LGBT? We must for our own spiritual growth and
sanity have to answer that question as a strong NO! Sin can not be defined as being LGBT or doing sexual acts
on its face. It is our experience that tells us that our LGBT selves are authentic and a spiritual part of us.
In fact, in the book The Book of Essential Islam: A Spiritual Training System of Islam by Ali Rafea, the author
notes “All revelations came to encourage man to think for himself, to discover realities through experience not blind
obedience.” This concept is very dangerous for organized religion because many in organized religion do not want
us to think for ourselves. They want us to define it as what a few passages in the Bible, Torah or Koran say and not based
on experience and judgment. In large part that is why we have not been welcomed in many religious communities, because
we have discovered our reality and we are not blindly obedient to other’s belief. This is why we need to seek
out places that understand there is no threat, for independent thinking people of conscience. Sin is often a word that
is so easily thrown around, and the consequences of this word are rarely appreciated. In short, sin is a judgment word.
We need to remind others that it is not our place to judge others. It is the responsibility of those to look at themselves
and judge for themselves. Sikhism Weblog
August 14, 2008 By David Hamblin
I was raised in the Christian faith and always considered my beliefs to be Quaker. I have always
held the belief that we should live simply and that we should respect each other. When I moved to Singapore there was not a Quaker community. I found
myself looking for people of like-mind. What I found was kindness and gentleness with the Sikh people that I met.
I was treated with gentleness and charity. I found that I shared many of the beliefs of the people I got to know from
the Sikh community.
During the 1400’s
in the Indian subcontinent there was a lot of religious strife between Hindu’s and Muslims (not much has changed unfortunately).
At that time, Sikhism was founded by the founding teacher (Guru) Nanek Dev Ji. The central teaching Ik Ongar Sat
Nam translates as One God whose name is truth. The Sikh people also believe GOD has many faces. The Guru’s
vision was to bring peace to the Hindu’s and the Muslims with this new teaching which has aspects of both faiths.
His teaching also included that all forms of worship are valid and all people should be considered to be part of GOD.
He also taught all people are equal including women and that everyone should be respected. Mostly Sikhs come from the state of Punjab
(translates to mean 5 rivers), which was divided during the partition of India by the English in 1947. Since the partition,
Punjab has been divided between Pakistan and India this has caused tremendous conflict and loss of life. As a
result of the partition, Punjabi people have become the largest immigrant group in the world. There are approximately 100,000
Punjabi people in Toronto alone. As I spent time in Punjab, I came to know that about 80 percent of the Sikh people dress
no differently than any other people in the Indian subcontinent culture and it would be hard to tell the difference between
a Sikh or Hindu or Muslim. Approximately 20 percent of the Sikh people wear the traditional turban or head covering,
sword (Sikh men), and bracelet this is to symbolize living a truthful life as GOD intended. Since Sikh people
believe all faiths and manner of worship are valid, Sikh people do not proselytize. As a result, most Sikh people
(but not all) are born into Sikh families and are from the Indian subcontinent.The Sikh community not only emphasizes worship in the temple (called
a Gurdwara) but charity and service as part of their belief. It is not unusual for Sikh people to offer you a bed if
you need one or feed you if you are hungry. In fact, as part of their service, Sikh temples feed communities that would
go hungry otherwise. Last year living in Singapore, I found the local Sikh temple feeding immigrant workers who were
not only Sikh but Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Confusionists and Buddhists. All were welcome, respected for their inherent
worth and were fed. Nothing is expected in return for those who come for a meal. This dedication to service that
the Sikh community demonstrates still has a profound effect on me. I realized through their service and demonstration
of a loving community, I found a home in the Sikh community. Leading a Spiritual Life Part 2 Weblog Thursday August 7, 2008 By Chris DiGiorgio (This is
a continuation of the two part blog from May 14,2008)
Some of the qualities that leading a spiritual life require us
to think of GOD, be devoted to GOD and to find the divinity in all we meet. Many world religions and spiritual paths
emphasize these qualities. There are three more qualities; I want to share that help you lead a spiritual life.
These are awareness, willingness to change, and manifestation/unfolding. Spiritual teachers
write there are five steps to manifestation, the order is as follows: awareness, choice, decision, action and manifestation.
For something to be manifested in your personal life each of these steps must occur. For example, in my teenage years
I became aware that my future occupation had to be something that helped people (awareness). I looked at various occupations
from insurance agent to eye doctor (choice). I then made the decision I wanted to be an eye doctor (decision).
Next I went to Undergraduate College and Optometry College, and took the necessary examinations (action). Lastly, I
got my license and started working as an optometrist (manifestation).I give you this understanding of the steps to manifestation because leading a spiritual
life is really an exercise in awareness. Many energies, people, experiences and things bombard us daily. Many
times we are not aware of how these different experiences affect us. Spiritual practice among other things makes us
aware how that is affecting us. Both Eastern and Western spiritual philosophies talk about going within, whether it is prayer
or meditation, these spiritual exercises promote awareness. I know in the past I was unaware for example one of the
primary purposes of prayer is awareness. I am now aware prayer and meditation for me brings me from fear and uncertainty
to calm and peace. Another aspect of leading a spiritual life is willingness to change. Leading
a spiritual life is all about change. It is enviable, when you become aware of actions you are doing. I have become
aware of habits or behaviors that no longer serve me. This has led to change in my life. For example, I realized
lately that certain foods I ingest every day make me feel terrible, however I kept eating them. Now I am more aware
of them and taking steps to remove them from my diet. For me to lead a spiritual life I am more attuned to what my body
is saying to me and I am making the necessary changes.Lastly, is allowing manifestation and unfolding to happen. How often have I been
impatient about wanting to lead a different life? I realized that part of my spiritual work is to allow and have faith
that the universe or GOD has it under control and I only need to let the manifestation unfold itself. This is a hard
lesson for me even now. Sure I have a vision of what my future might bring, but some of the best outcomes occur when
it is time for them to occur and not before. How many times in my life have I thought boy I really want this at the
time only to realize if that occurred it would not be in my best interest. Even in those times, when yes it could
have happened that way and it would have been for the best, maybe it was not meant to be my experience but someone else who
needed to learn from that experience.Leading a spiritual life is rewarding, many lessons are learned. Remember think GOD, devote to
GOD, find the divinity in all you meet, be aware, be willing to change and let manifestation take its time.
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