| |
Finding Spiritual Faith since 9/11
by Vicky Thompson
Nearly one year after September 11, America is still experiencing
a crisis of faith. Many Americans have lost their faith in national
security, corporate ethics and the church as acts of terror, scandal
and abuse continue to rock the foundation of society. As a result,
spirituality,
an antidote to religion, is becoming more accepted by the mainstream
as more people explore a direct spiritual connection with God
to find their faith during these trying times.
Eastern, Western or New Age -- all spiritual methods are welcome in this search for
faith.
During the 1980s, New Age thought entered the American consciousness,
forever changing the way we view spirituality.
Shirley MacLaine went out on a limb, telling us that God exists
within us all. Many people responded by calling her the queen
of woo-woo, branding this quest for inner spirituality
as another fad from California. New Age concepts may seem good
when you've been out in the sun too long, but for the rest of
the Christian world, the idea of connecting directly with God
is far-fetched and outside the limits of the Ten Commandments.
But over the past two decades, the stigma of New Age spirituality
has faded. What once seemed outrageous is now standard fare on
Oprah and common practice among many Americans. And our worldview
on personal spirituality
has changed since September 11. The attacks on Americans' personal
security set off a national wake-up call to find comfort in the
arms of God. But surprisingly, many people didn't seek a long-term
relationship with God inside of a church. Church attendance increased
by 25 percent immediately after September 11, but dropped again
to normal seasonal attendance figures by November 2001, according
to Barna Research Group, a California-based Christian marketing
research company.
Where are people going to find God? Inside of their hearts, searching for a direct
experience of knowing and feeling the presence of God.
Many Americans no longer identify with religion, but are interested
in this direct spirituality.
One out of three adults has turned away from church teachings
because of a negative experience with religion, Barna Research
Group found. Behind this shift is the search for an experiential
faith, a religion of the heart, not of the head, according to
American Demographics. It's a religious expression that downplays
doctrine and revels in the direct experience of the divine.
Many people are going directly to God to renew their faith. Nearly 85 percent of
Americans pray weekly, with 47 percent remaining silent during prayer time to listen
for God's response, according to Barna Research Group. Prayer, one of the oldest
traditions in Western Christianity, is familiar and comforting to most people in
times of trouble. Other Americans have looked to the Eastern tradition of meditation
to feel the presence of God and a sense of peace in a chaotic world. And some have
embraced New Age practices for spiritual healing.
But methods for finding a spiritual connection with God don't have to be separated
based on their origins. Active prayer combined with meditation techniques can promote
healing and create a greater self-awareness of the connection between our body, mind
and spirit and God.
Many of us grew up in Christian traditions and prayer comes naturally to us. But
when we use the power of prayer combined with meditation, we can tap into infinite
possibilities and allow God to work through us. We focus our intentions and will
with God, creating powerful outcomes through a force that is greater than our own.
This type of intentional meditation allows us to experience God on a very personal,
spiritual level.
Knowing God and experiencing the miracle of faith are strong desires among many Americans.
According to a Harris Poll, 94 percent of people believe in God and 85 percent believe
in miracles. I discovered the miraculous hidden wisdom of God when I prayed for help
in finding my faith at the turn of the millennium.
I lost my faith when I was a little girl. I was sexually abused by my grandfather
when I was a child and this loss of faith continued into my 30s. My Catholic upbringing
taught me how to use rote prayer, but it didn't help in letting go of the pain. So
I bypassed the religious teachings of my youth and went directly to God for healing.
I finally found my faith when I began using intentional prayer meditation. And that's
when miracles started happening in my life.
Turning inward to heal issues of abuse, I prayed through meditation for God to help
release this pain. Through silent moments of communion with God, I began receiving
intentional meditations for letting go of old patterns and behaviors in my life.
The practice of intentional meditation incorporates the Western method of prayer
to know and communicate with God on a conscious level, and Eastern traditions of
silent meditation to feel the presence of God on an unconscious level. Intentional
meditation uses the mind as a bridge between the body and spirit, aligning your will
and intention with God. When the mind creates prayers during meditation, spiritual
qualities flow into the body, manifesting this divine power in human form.
Through intentional meditation, you focus on inner spiritual qualities
and strengths, and then actualize them into physical form. If
you focus on love and faith within, you will create those states
of being in your physical world. Intentional meditation refocuses
our awareness on our inherent, ever-present spiritual qualities
and allows them to become a natural, flowing part of our conscious
reality. If you unconsciously experience a higher state of being
through meditation, you can integrate that state into your conscious
life. We can find our faith again by directly seeking and experiencing
our inner spirituality.
Strengthen your faith during trying times by connecting with God through the following
simple intentional meditation:
Close your eyes, and with each inward breath, see white light pour into the crown
of your head, filling your entire body. The light intensifies and pushes all pain
and fear out of your feet. Now say, "God, I willingly accept your power and
grace to renew my faith and love for myself and all people." Now see a pink
light enter your crown, filling your body with its loving embrace. Open your eyes,
knowing that you hold God's grace, love and faith within you.
Faith is always present within us. We only need to remember its power to change our
world.
Vicky Thompson, producer of the meditation CD Journey to Spiritual Awakening and
author of The Jesus Path: 7 Steps to a Cosmic Awakening (Red Wheel/Weiser, March
2003), helps people open a powerful connection with Spirit for guidance, hope and
inspiration through the use of divinely-inspired personal growth tools. Visit her
website at www.journeywithspirit.com to view inspirational web movies, meditations,
affirmations, book excerpts and free monthly e-newsletters.
Copyright (c) 2002 Vicky Thompson
|
|
