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The world is an interesting place. And people are interesting creatures.

Some might feel a little uncomfortable being referred to as a ‘creature’ but, in the end, we are creatures, just like all living things – animals, birds, fish, and so on.  In fact, the argument can be made that plants, trees, and even molds and fungus are creatures, too.

Plants, trees, and other organisms are living ‘beings’, each given life by the same inner essence as we animals.

Some will find this concept easy to accept and understand. Others will have trouble – finding it confusing – especially in the context of their religious training.

So, what am I really saying?

The short answer: All life emanates from consciousness. And, consciousness is the one binding energy from which all things come, including non-living things like rocks, dirt, and water.

Connecting the apparent ‘dots’ in this puzzle leads to a logical conclusion: Everything is connected. We are, indeed, one. We’re all have the same stuff within – a Spirit – and this is the stuff which gives us life.

And this is the foundation of Spirituality. We are, by virtue of our existence, Spiritual in nature.

The Spirit is eternal. It lives forever. In other words: we don’t die. We live forever.

Many people believe we are physical beings who have a soul, or spirit. Obviously, we are physical beings. But…

The physical aspect of all living things – of all creatures – is not the foundation of life. The belief that physicality is the basis of life is a misunderstanding of the true nature of ourselves, of our world, and of the universe.

The foundation of life is Spiritual. And the key to finding and maintaining the happiness we all seek is understanding this, and then integrating it into our everyday existence.

Again, it is not the body which gives life. Rather, it is the Spiritual essence innate to all living things which gives the body life. Without this Spirit within, there is no life.

(Many erroneously believe that the body dies and then the Spirit leaves. The Truth is: The Spirit leaves the body first, then the body dies.)

For those who have not yet come to this realization – that we are Spiritual beings currently inhabiting a physical body – once you make this minor, yet very critical shift in your awareness and beliefs, you will begin to see profound changes in your life.

Now, just a quick note… The bigger changes many seek may not become apparent immediately upon making this subtle shift, but that doesn’t mean these changed are not happening.

Changes often take time to fully manifest. There can be many components which need to come together before a change can become our new reality – to transform from an idea to a physical manifestation.

So, patience is a factor. Immense life changes usually are not immediately apparent. Their manifestation takes time, forming in the background, unseen, until everything comes together. When everything is ready, they manifest into the physical world. That’s when reality changes.

With diligence and devotion to this minor shift in belief and awareness, little-by-little, your life will change and the changes you seek will begin to emerge, slowly revealing themselves when they, and you, are ready for them.

Helpful people and new opportunities will suddenly appear. Joy will begin to bubble up from within. And greater happiness will be a natural result.

So, then, does daily meditation make you Spiritual?

What about crystals and those who fill their living and working spaces with crystals? Does this make them Spiritual?

And there’s prayer. If you pray each day, does this make you a Spiritual person?

The answer to all these questions is No.

Doing these things does not make you Spiritual. They are not bad; but doing them does not magically transform you. They do not make you a Spiritual being.

In fact, there’s a key piece of information about Spirituality: You already are Spiritual, even if you never do any of these things. You are a Spiritual being. You are a Spirit currently inhabiting a physical body.

By your very nature, you are Spiritual.

Meditation and other similar practices, objects, and more are only tools you can choose to use, or not, to help increase awareness; grow in consciousness. But you don’t have to use them.

Some are powerful. Others… Not so much. But they are not needed to be a Spiritual being.

Spirituality is the essence of who you already are. Accept this. Nurture this. Be aware of this. Then, be open to transformation. This is all you need to do.

Do this and your understanding of life and your innate powers will reveal themselves to you. And your life will change. It has to.

By accepting yourself as a Spiritual being, you will begin the process of elevating your awareness, of opening yourself to evolve, to advance to a life lived in the energy of the higher levels of consciousness.

Even a small step in this direction will create movement to a better, happier life. More love will come your way. You will be drawn to it and it, in turn, will be happy to oblige, rewarding your efforts.

Accepting that you are a Spiritual being is the first step toward higher consciousness. This opens you to the reality of the Duality within: The inner battle for control between the Ego self and the True Self.

And this understanding of this inner battle is the essence of our physicality, of our humanity. It is who we are and, ultimately, is the road to Enlightenment.

The Ego self is the basis for all pain, disappointment, and fear. It is the originator of all negative emotions including hatred. If there is a devil, it is the Ego self, and it lives within each one of us.

The True Self is the God Self within. Naturally, it is the foundation all goodness and Love.

We all have a True Self within. This is the essence of who we are. This is what gave us life and is what keeps us alive. This is the part of us which lives forever. It is individualized. It does have a sense of individuality, which is not lost, even with the death of the body.

We do live eternally. We are Spiritual beings who, for the moment, just happen to find ourselves in physical bodies.

As we have seen, the mere fact that we exist at all makes us Spiritual. That is our nature. And, our physical bodies can be likened to vehicles we have chosen to ‘drive’ around in during our stay here on planet Earth.

So, what is the next step? Can we actually practice Spirituality?

Yes, we can.

Practicing Spirituality is not about Meditating, although it can help, as Meditation can be a powerful tool. The same is true for Energy Healing techniques, such as Reiki, Acupuncture, and more. These all can be helpful tools.

But simply practicing them is not Spiritual.

Practicing Spirituality is all about one thing: Building inner awareness of the Duality within. It is the acknowledgement and desire to fully know and understand this Duality so that we can make better choices.

The goal is to learn to listen to, live with, and react from the True Self, rather than the Ego self. That’s all Practicing Spirituality is. And, when one develops the ability to discern between these two, and then is able to continually and consciously make the choice to listen to the inner voice of the True Self, that is Enlightenment.

Do you want to be Spiritual? Here’s how: Continually monitor the inner aspect of yourself to become more aware of the Ego self and the True Self within. This is the practice of Spirituality.

Do this, and you will learn about yourself: Your motivations; Your insecurities; The foundation behind your choices, and more. Learning these things will help you better know the world.

Understanding the Duality within is the true purpose of life. All the other things we do are just experiences to help us succeed at this purpose.

This realization, that we are dual in nature, simply means becoming aware of the Duality within and using this awareness to make better choices – choices based in the energy and essence of the True Self, and not the Ego self. This is the practice of Spirituality.

That’s all living Spiritually really is. Everything else: meditation, prayer, religion, and more, are tools which can help, but they also can hurt. They can become obstacles which stunt our learning and growth.

Whether they are helping or hurting is completely dependent upon how they are used. If you keep your eye on the ‘prize’, the ultimate goal, which is the awareness and understanding of the Duality within – the inner influences of the Ego self and the True Self – then you are living a Spiritual life, regardless of whether you use any of these tools.

You might not realize just how important it is to be Self Aware. If this describes you, you’re in very good company.

Most people are not self aware and they’ve never been taught the importance and immense power of this very basic skill.

Here’s the thing… Understanding the self gives you the ability to better understand others and the world.

Out of water and physically exhausted in the 90 degree-plus, dry heat, I focused on just 1 thing. I believed it was a struggle for my life as willed myself forward, upward, along the seemingly endless climb up the Kaibab Trail at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Exhaustion had reduced my focus to only this: take the next step.

It had come to that. Just take 1 step. And even that felt impossible. Dying on this long, steep trail seemed like a real possibility.

​​​​I parked my rental car in front of the remotely located address in the gorgeous town of Sedona, Arizona. I walked up a little path on the side of the small but lovely home on what appeared to be a very large property and, as instructed by the email they’d sent, I opened the door to a little waiting area and stepped inside.

I sat on a little wood bench and waited, wondering what was going to happen next. A few minutes after the appointed time, Dr. David R. Hawkins walked out and invited me into the little office in his home.

Change is a constant in the Universe (an apparent oxymoron). Life changing events usually come without warning (or, are we warned, if we're paying attention?). Such was the case for me on this day.

I came to the realization many years ago: change is good.

I look forward to it. Relish it. And can feel a little stagnant when there’s not enough of it in my life.

But, in addition to the changes we deliberately set in motion, ‘unexpected’ change also is part of life. In that category, there’s good, bad, and the very bad.

When it comes to unexpected change, everyone is fair game. No one is immune. ‘Things’ happen. Sometimes these things are just ‘one of those things’. Other times, they can not-so-subtle messages from the Universe, trying to get your attention.