Last week, I participated in a special workshop discussing Spiritual Awareness. During the discussion time, we shared situations where we became acutely aware that something beyond ourselves was guiding us.
Bill Sarnowski (Center for Spiritual Living, North Jersey) facilitated the discussion. In his marketing materials for the workshop, he states:
Without Awareness there can be NO change, No transformation, No Freedom! To experience true fereedom, we must stop forging the chains of the past that bind us.
It was an interesting conversation as we described a time when our awareness seemed heightened.
After the meeting, I decided to look up the various definitions of awareness, and here is what I found:
What is Spiritual Awareness?
The Ancient Greek aphorism “Know Thyself” invites us to self-reflect; to look at ourselves and to understand our true nature, and having done so, to live our true nature.
~ SANT RAJINDER SINGH JI MAHARAJ
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That means understanding everything from where you tend to focus your attention to how you handle failure.
“To understand your personal system, you have to take stock of many different things: your personality, life experiences, cognitive and other skills, and emotional makeup.”
When I focused on where I wanted to go with my life, I became acutely aware of a spiritual force leading me in a particular direction. Spending time searching for what and who I was, led me to do the work I am now doing. This time, to me, was my moment of spiritual awareness.
A friend of mine recently received a fatal life-changing diagnosis. She, too, took a long hard look at her life and decided what she wanted to do with her remaining years—one of those decisions included getting a dog. I think she became spiritually aware of her real desires!
Becoming spiritually aware of your life can profoundly change a person and change their life’s direction. Bill’s workshop was directed to those who have limited themselves because of past circumstances. We all live through those times, but it need not define who we are and where we are going in the present.
In the words of Shantanu Kulkarni …
To be spiritually aware and awake, you have to be self-aware.
Aware about what’s holding you back, so you can pray for strength.
Aware of your wellbeing, so you can pray for healing.
Aware of your desires, so you can pray for light on your path.
Aware of your mistakes, so you can pray for forgiveness.