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The Transformative Potential
of Spiritual Exercises
Our SoulÍs Journey | by Zeal Okogeri
As we travel on the path of truth, we must be careful not to overlook the object
of our journey because of the compelling scenery we encounter on the way. I will
elaborate on this later. For now, please come with me to the Island of Diamonds.
ThereÍs a marvelous story of a gifted candle maker who was quite poor. For a long
time, he struggled to turn his candle-making business into a profitable venture,
but to no avail. He began to pray, asking God to provide him with a means of generating
additional income to better care for his family. Not long after his plea to God did
a dear friend come to his house with the most amazing news! He told the candle marker
about a distant island that was saturated with diamonds. Anyone could go there and
take as many diamond as they desired.
The candle maker was absolutely excited, but he felt the news sounded too good to
be true. Rightfully, he remarked, ñThere must be a catch to this.î
ñWellƒyes,î replied his friend. ñThe only problem is that the island can be reached
exclusively by boat, and the only boat that sails there travels just once every seven
years. And it just happens that the boat is about to sail there tomorrow.î
Determined not to miss an opportunity of a lifetime, the candle maker quickly talked
it over with his family, and was on his way to catch the boat. Everyone wished him
a safe journey and looked forward to the riches he would bring back.
When the candle maker arrived to the island, he was overjoyed to discover that his
friend was right ¿ precious stones were glittering everywhere. Diamonds were so plentiful,
like sand on the beach, that the local residents ignored them. And since there was
no law against collecting them for personal use, the candle maker brought out his
large bag and starting filling it with diamonds. Just then, a native of the island
walked by and asked him, ñWhat are you doing gathering those useless stones?î
The candle maker rebutted, ñThese stones are not useless. They are real diamonds
and IÍm taking them home to make a better life for my family.î
With a curious smile, the native inquired, ñHave you forgotten that you cannot return
home for at least seven years? How do you intend to feed yourself in the meantime?î
It finally dawned on the candle maker that there was no need to pack up diamonds
just yet, because the boat sails only once every seven years. He wondered how he
could support himself. Because the only trade he knew was candle making, he decided
to reactivate the business. Within a few months, he became very popular. The people
of the island loved his work and everyone told him how great his candles were.
For once in his life, he really felt significant. By the time the candle marker had
spent six years in the island, he was very famous. Consumed by the publicÍs adoration
for his candles, he completely forgot what brought him to the island in the first
place. When the boat came in the seventh year, the man boarded the boat with a bag
full of candles. Upon his return, his family and friends rushed to see the diamonds
but were disappointed to find a bag of candles. The candle maker explained that the
people of the island loved his work, so he decided to continue making candles. Needless
to say, he returned to his usual candle-making business and continued to struggle
financially.
We become like the candle maker when we allow ourselves to be derailed by the scenery
we encounter on our path to enlightenment. What scenery am I talking about? We spend
so much time reading books, attending lectures and seminars that we often overlook
the most important part of our spiritual journey ¿ spiritual exercises! No matter
how many books you read or how many lectures you attend, if you do not exercise regularly,
you probably will not get far. Spiritual exercises lead us beyond intellectual knowledge
and enable us to experience and understand some of the mysteries that underlie life.
Spiritual exercise is to the seeker what physical exercise is to a person who wants
to stay in good shape.
Just as there are innumerable paths that lead to the sacred, there are equally as
many exercises that can help awake the seeker. Each seeker must, however, search
and find effective and suitable exercises for him or her, because an exercise that
works for another person may not necessarily work for you. Spiritual exercises need
not be difficult or complicated in order to be effective. To the contrary, simpler
exercises tend to be more effective. The prerequisites for success are sincerity,
consistency, persistence, devotion and fearlessness. Why the prerequisites? Because
of the inevitable and relentless tests you will encounter along the way, designed
to assess the seriousness of your campaign for spiritual emancipation.
The following are three of many time-tested spiritual exercises used by ancient mystery
schools and still used today by a variety of spiritual traditions. These exercises
are designed to purify the body, purify the mind, and purify the spirit. Purification
leads to higher states of awareness.
Purification of the Body
To purify the physical body, a balanced diet that includes vegetables, fruits and
fiber is important. A vegetarian diet is cleaner if you can accommodate it. A physical
fitness program that includes cardiovascular exercise and resistant training will
help you stay fit and alert. Use the dry sauna after your exercise regimen to further
cleanse the body. The sauna does more for the physical and astral body that most
people recognize. It is a potent weapon against elemental attachments ¿attachment
of entities. Remember to drink plenty of pure bottled water, especially before and
after using the sauna. And if you are under medical care, get permission from your
healthcare provider before using the sauna. Improve your lifestyle by avoiding cigarette
smoking, alcohol and the use of recreational drugs. Lastly, maintain good hygiene.
Bear in mind that the physical body is the temple that houses the sacred within you.
Purification of the Mind/Emotions/Heart
The Heart Center Meditation is what I call ñthe anti-oxidant for soulî meditation.
Similar to the way nutritional anti-oxidants detoxify your body of free radicals,
the Heart Center Exercise clears daily accumulation of emotional debris, as well
as hardened emotions that have already turned into habits. This exercise is suitable
even for busy professionals who may have just a few minutes for contemplative exercises.
You can do this exercise at home, in the office or anywhere you can be alone for
five minutes or more.
¿ Sit comfortable on a chair and close your eyes. Gently place your attention at
the location of your heart. Imagine your heart as a light bulb. Make it as bright
as possible and just keep your attention there. After 5 or 10 minutes, open your
eyes and return to your activity of the day. While doing this exercise, it is not
unusual to feel relaxing sensations at different parts of your body.
¿ When you become proficient with the basic exercise, you may wish to expand it.
As you visualize your heart as a bright light bulb, allow the light to engulf your
entire body. Sit quietly and enjoy the illumination for up to 30 minutes. Then open
your eyes.
¿ To take this exercise even further, visualize the light from your heart as not
only illuminating your entire body, but also actually extending a few feet from you.
When you get to this point, which might take several months or years to develop,
you unconsciously begin to touch everyone and everything that comes within your proximity
with the pure love from your heart.
Purification of Soul (Soul is your spiritual counterpart)
To the ordinary person a mantra would appear to be nonsensical. Thus, the thought
of sitting and chanting an ordinary, seemingly make-believe word or phrase is bound
to provoke feelings of resentment. But in reality, a mantra can be a powerful instrument
of love and detachment for the aspirant who practices it regularly.
The mantra is like a key that unlocks and links you to the source of the particular
vibration that you are sending out. As you send out the vibration, the returning
wave bathes you with unconditional love and a sense of detachment. You can experience
a greater flow of this returning wave by participating in a group mantra session.
A mantra also is a form of meditation in that, as you repeat the same word or phrase
over and over, you are able to momentarily override the egoÍs grip on the mind and
sneak into the silence within.
As you are probably already aware, the mind is dominated by the ego, which is preoccupied
with maintaining inertia ¿ the mindÍs random and habitual thoughts, and telling us
who we are. Fortunately for the spiritual aspirant, the mind is incapable of maintaining
full attention on two distinct activities concurrently. This is where the mantra
comes in. By insisting on repeating the same word or phrase and thereby competing
with the mindÍs habitual tendencies, you are able to slip through the ñcrackî (in-between
the mindÍs stream of thoughts, so to speak) into the silent space within. With practice,
you will be able to interrupt the mindÍs random thoughts more easily. The longer
you maintain the interruption and remain in silence, the more your life will be benevolently
impacted by the sacred space within.
Method for the HU mantra: The HU, pronounced ñhue,î is an ancient word for God. It
has been called a love song to God because of its capacity to open the heart to unconditional
love. It is a mantra linked to the purest spiritual plane. By singing or chanting
the word, you are basically saying to spirit, not my will, but may thy will be done.
This holy word can be used by anyone regardless of his or her religion.
The HU is to be sung once or twice a day for 15 to 20 minutes, preferably upon arising
in the morning and before retiring to bed at night. The way to do this is to find
a quiet place where you will not be disturbed or disturb anyone. You can lie down
or sit with back straight, feet planted on the floor, and hands resting comfortably
on your lap. (Sitting is recommended because lying down can lead to falling asleep
during the exercise). Then recall an incident that brought love to your heart, or
think about someone, a pet or something you love. (This is done simply to open your
heart to love. Once your heart is open, you donÍt need to continue thinking about
the event or person throughout your exercise.) With your heart filled with love,
gently put your attention at the point between your eyebrows, often referred to as
the spiritual eye, third eye or tisra til. Then in a very long, drawn-out breath,
simply sing the word HU-U-U-U-U. Lovingly sing this song either silently or softly
in prayer or meditation sessions. The HU can also be used when you find yourself
in a situation where you need more insight, rejuvenation or protection. Your aim
is to purify your spirit (Soul) and bring more divine love into your life.
Spiritual books and lectures can be likened to an international passport, whereby
the spiritual exercises function as visas for the passport, without which access
to the inner worlds and its mysteries are denied.
Dr. Zeal Okogeri is a spiritual scholar, teacher, columnist, frequent radio guest,
and author of the best-selling book, GodÍs Relentless Generosities¿An Inspiring Journey
of Soul, available at www.Amazon.com, www.Powells.com, or by calling (800) 431-1579.
When schedule permits, Dr. Okogeri also provides individual spiritual coaching. He
can be reached at (952) 393-7246 or zeal@zealokogeri.com. Contact him with any questions
regarding any of the exercises mentioned in this article.
Copyright © 2005 Dr. Zeal Okogeri. All rights reserved. |
March 2005 |
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