What is spirituality?
 
A friend of mine, who happens to be an atheist, once asked me to define spirituality.  My answer?  “Connected to one’s self, and thereby able to connect to others and the world at large.”  If I was speaking with a religious person, I would have answered:  It is to be connected to our inner divinity or godhead. We are then able to see and connect to the divinity within others and all that is.  Whichever the definition, its effect is kindness.
 
Spirituality is, in the words of Einstein, to be able “to stand in awe at the mystery of life”.   
 
Or in the words of  William Blake:

To see the World in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.

It is in the realization that "The most beautiful things in the world can not be seen with the eyes, but only with the human heart."  (Helen Keller)
 
It is to bow one’s head at the sublime and incalculable power of love.  It is to
have the heart of a child.
 
Aligned to our godhead, we are then able to find the transcendent in our everyday, walking, talking life. The results: joy and inner peace. We also gain an appreciation for the here and now, the gift of the moment. We feel freer, lighter and more centered.
 
If we then proceed on this path with courage and commitment, we reach the higher levels of consciousness. And as Hindus would say, we partake of the divine nectar. Our spirits soar. We reach the heavens, the higher levels of being. 
  
So what is spirituality counseling?
 
It is a process by which you come back to yourself—to your soul.  We do this gently and with compassion. I have found meditation to be the single most important tool in this process. It changed my life and the countless lives of many. Meditation brings you to the essence of yourself and to a power greater than yourself—as well as to the essence of the issues at hand.  Spiritual counseling also employs the power of prayer and affirmation, spiritual healing and touch, and soulful listen and talk. 
 
We attend to what needs healing.  Blockages and negative patterns are eased and then released. In doing this, we give room for the attunement to the soul.
 
Attuned to your soul you can better direct your life, your spiritual path, making decisions from the whole of your being.
 
Vibrancy increases.
Creativity increases.
 
Our capacity to love increases.
 
There is greater clarity.
 
As you raise your spiritual vibration you come more fully into the path of your being.  You become one with God.  In the words of Nelson Mandela:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.“

A commitment to living life from who you really are creates the life you ought to be living. You are then better equipped to fulfill your mission on this earth.
 
Someone once asked me “What are the beliefs of an interfaith minister?”  I told him that I could only answer for myself.
  
I believe that God, by whatever name, is that which exists within, connects and binds all.

I believe God has billions of faces and is always in front of you, everywhere.

I don't believe you have to call God—God—as I do. Yahweh, Christ, Allah, Brahman, Great Spirit, Chi, Love, Universal Spirit, Divine Presence are some of the different names for God.

I believe that the most important goal of every religion should be to respect and revere all life. In doing so, we revere God.
 
I believe that I do my job best when I help others find the transcendent in ordinary life.  In doing so, we hear the song of the universe.
 
It brings me great joy when others tell me that my work has helped them find faith in themselves and in the universe at large. It humbles me and fills me with gratitude.
 
I leave you with a quote by Joseph Campbell:

It is only by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure. The very cave you are afraid to enter turns out to be the source of what you were looking for.

I acknowledge the light of God within you.
I wish you peace.

Susanna

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