THE SERENITY GUAGE – “Many of us use spiritual principles as a power greater than ourselves.” “This makes sense to us. Because we have tried many times to think ourselves into a better way of life. Trying it the other way. Practicing a better way of life by living according to spiritual principles, will eventually have an effect on our thinking.” (It Works, How & Why, p. 15)
“The real spiritual progress of the aspirant is measured by the extent to which he achieves inner tranquility.” – Swami Sivananda (1887 – 1963) Hindu spiritual teacher
Only Girl in the World – Rihanna (4:11)
Celtic Tranquility Meditation on (8:30)
In what ways have you determined that you’re making spiritual progress, lately?
Outer Calm = Inner Tranquility
By Rivka Caroline
“You shall dwell in sukkot seven days, every citizen in Israel shall dwell in sukkot, so that your descendants shall know that in sukkot I caused the Children of Israel to dwell when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. (Leviticus 23:42–43)
For eight days we camp out in a sukkah. We eat there, we drink there, and we hang out there.
Here’s the funny part: The comforts of home are left inside the house, while we live life outside in a very basic, über-simple structure.
There are plenty of spiritual reasons as to why we make and dwell in a sukkah. I also think we might be onto something for those of us still living in cluttered homes (with its counterpart of cluttered thinking).
What is in a sukkah, exactly? Table, chairs, shared meals, guests, and great The comforts of home are left inside the house conversation. There is something very liberating about having a really bare-bones setup. No ornate lamps, no china closet, no piles of unopened mail. It’s the quintessential example of how the best things in life aren’t things.
The sukkah serves as a reminder of how temporal stuff really is. When we dwell outside in the simple, bare-walled sukkah, we look up at the star-filled sky through the sechach above and have a deeper realization of our dependence on G‑d. What a fabulous wake-up call to reprioritize our lives and make time and space for what really counts.” (https://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/2306039/jewish/Outer-Calm-Inner-Tranquility.htm)
I admit I’m powerless over traffic and other drivers. I know I’m likely not going to be injured driving. It is that I want to get to where I’m going faster. Being stressed and rushing is not going to get me there much faster so I need to take my time. Other drivers and traffic are under my HP’s control and therefore, I don’t need to worry about them.
I seem to measure my spiritual progress through how well handle the difficult times in my life. But instead I prolly should look at the smaller stuff that tends to add up as well.
Listening to the song “Defying Gravity” I begin to think that accepting my Higher Power is very like flying. Sometimes I make the mistake of trying to explain that which is inexplicable – the infinity which is, by definition, that which cannot be comprehended. If I cannot understand all there is of my Higher Power, how can I believe? Surely I can only believe that which I understand. And so, taking faith, I take a leap. My faith says I will be guided – not always given the results I expect. I am guaranteed lessons in this life and unconditional love.