Living in the Light: Lessons and Tools For Your Spiritual Journey - Softcover

Duncan, Susan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1440165688 ISBN 13: 9781440165689

Publisher: iUniverse, 2009

Synopsis

Life can be tough, and you might be searching for inner strength without knowing where to find it. But it doesn't have to be that way.

With the right attitude, you can confront everyday and extraordinary challenges in a positive and proactive manner. Susan Duncan, a longtime spiritual teacher, helps you find out how with a series of essays that explore numerous spiritual and practical approaches for overcoming obstacles and achieving your goals. You will learn:

• How to develop more patience;
• Ways to create your desired reality;
• How to develop a consciousness of health;
• How gratitude can change your life;
• And much more!

You will also uncover other methods to bring light into your life, which include trusting your intuition, meditating and encouraging others. Twenty-seven other tips round out a comprehensive list of actions that will bring more peace, love and joy into your life.

Get ready to put away your negative thoughts and take steps to overcome the obstacles in your life. Decide to start Living in the Light.

About this title

About the Author

Susan Duncan writes the "Living In The Light" newsletter, and she has appeared on radio programs and led seminars to encourage spiritual growth and natural healing. She designs and sells jewelry through her company, Crystalight Designs. A graduate of Howard University, she lives in the Washington, D.C. suburbs.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Living in the Light

Lessons and Tools for Your Spiritual JourneyBy Susan Duncan

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2008 Susan Duncan
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4401-6568-9

Contents

INTRODUCTION.................................................................................xiTHE ESSAYS...................................................................................xvChapter 1 Progress Along Your Spiritual Path May Not Be A Straight Line.....................1Chapter 2 Bless And Honor Your Body.........................................................5Chapter 3 Gratitude Changes Situations......................................................9Chapter 4 Develop More Patience.............................................................12Chapter 5 Create Your Desired Reality.......................................................15Chapter 6 Communicate Through The Spiritual Internet........................................18Chapter 7 Always Maintain A Prayerful Attitude..............................................22Chapter 8 Music Brings Joy And Health To Our Lives..........................................25Chapter 9 Infuse Your Life With Childlike Energy............................................29Chapter 10 Be Prepared For Constant Change...................................................33Chapter 11 Joy Is Our Birthright.............................................................37Chapter 12 Strengthen Your Connection With The Divine........................................42Chapter 13 Are We Helping?...................................................................46Chapter 14 Find Your Tree....................................................................50Chapter 15 Stay In The Present Moment........................................................53Chapter 16 Begin To Enjoy Your Employment....................................................58Chapter 17 Choose Love While On Your Inner Space Odyssey.....................................63Chapter 18 Cherish The Moments With Your Family..............................................66Chapter 19 Develop A Consciousness Of Health.................................................69Chapter 20 Get Excited About Life............................................................73Chapter 21 Sleep In A Quiet Environment......................................................77Chapter 22 Release The Old And Make Way For The New..........................................79Chapter 23 Make Time For Fun In Your Life....................................................81Chapter 24 Non-Judgment Brings Peace.........................................................84Chapter 25 Aromatherapy Is The Creator's Fragrant Pharmacy...................................87Chapter 26 Create Happiness In Your Life.....................................................92Chapter 27 Loneliness vs. Solitude...........................................................96Chapter 28 God Is Energy.....................................................................98Chapter 29 The Healing Process...............................................................10030 "INLIGHTENED" THINGS TO DO................................................................1051. Forgive..................................................................................1072. Give Your Gifts to Others................................................................1073. Stop Seeking External Approval...........................................................1074. Be Ready to Change.......................................................................1085. Bring Nature Indoors.....................................................................1086. Trust and Use Your Intuition.............................................................1097. Write it Out.............................................................................1098. Overcome Fear............................................................................1109. Get an Earlier Start on the Day..........................................................11110. Take Charge of Your Life's Play..........................................................11111. Ponder the Positive......................................................................11212. Live in the Present Moment...............................................................11313. Remember That God is Always With Us......................................................11314. Listen to Our Children...................................................................11415. Pray for Loved Ones......................................................................11416. Stay in Flow With The Weather............................................................11517. Choose to Have Quiet Times...............................................................11518. Laugh....................................................................................11619. Always Take the High Road................................................................11720. Make Time for Meditation.................................................................11821. Tell It to the Appropriate Person........................................................11822. Do One Thing at a Time...................................................................11923. Become a Source of Love..................................................................12024. Bless Your Food..........................................................................12025. Bless and Respect Animals................................................................12126. Avoid Negative Thoughts and Conversations................................................12227. Forgive Yourself for Your Mistakes.......................................................12328. Be Grateful for the Positive Things in Life..............................................12429. Go Out Alone.............................................................................12430. Encourage Others.........................................................................125AFFIRMATIONS.................................................................................1271. Love.....................................................................................1282. Peace....................................................................................1283. Health...................................................................................1284. Prosperity/Abundance.....................................................................1285. Faith....................................................................................1286. Protection...............................................................................1287. Letting Go...............................................................................1288. Patience.................................................................................1299. Relaxation...............................................................................12910. Divine Order.............................................................................12911. Fearlessness.............................................................................12912. Gratitude................................................................................12913. Relationships............................................................................12914. Worry-free...............................................................................12915. Giving...................................................................................12916. Guidance.................................................................................13017. Transformation...........................................................................13018. Joy......................................................................................13019. World Peace..............................................................................13020. Creativity...............................................................................13021. Responsibility...........................................................................13022. Harmony..................................................................................13023. Comfort..................................................................................13024. Prayer for Others........................................................................13125. Strength.................................................................................13126. Self-Worth...............................................................................13127. Being Alone..............................................................................13128. Stillness/Quiet..........................................................................13129. Forgiveness..............................................................................13130. Will.....................................................................................131

Chapter One

Progress Along Your Spiritual Path May Not Be A Straight Line

Have you ever felt that you had overcome some undesirable trait in your personality, or an unwanted habit, only to find that it shows up later on in your life? For example, perhaps you are someone who is self-centered, and you do not like to share. For years, you may have tried to change this trait and, in your opinion, you had succeeded. You feel that you have become more generous with those around you. But, just when you thought you had mastered the art of "giving," along comes some situation where you may really hate to share with others. It may not be as obvious as sharing the last piece of pie at the dinner table. It may be as subtle as not wanting to share praise given for a successful work project that you accomplished with a deserving fellow colleague.

Usually when we are on our paths to spiritual development, we take stock of ourselves and analyze our feelings and our actions from time to time during our journey. This, of course, needs to be done so that we know whether we should change directions in order to make our lives and ourselves better-ultimately arriving at our desired spiritual destination. Once we decide upon the traits that we want to change, we may use many tools to assist this change, such as prayer, affirmations, meditation, and spiritual readings. All of these tools help us develop positive traits within ourselves that are more reflective of the way God, the Creator, lives through us.

In time, after traveling along this spiritual path, we may feel that we have overcome whatever trait we identified as undesirable in our lives. We may even feel like transformed individuals. Some of us may even feel a little smug and "better than" as a result of our assumed transformation.

Time continues to elapse and it really is sometimes depressing when we see this very trait that we have removed from our being pop up again. And it is even more perplexing when it comes back in a subtle form, which sometimes makes it difficult to recognize that it is the same old trait. We wonder, "How can it be showing up again? How can we be doing or feeling this same thing again?"

I have actually experienced this phenomenon. Although I was raised in a religious family, I was a very fearful child. (It would seem that having faith, as taught by religions, would eliminate fear.) As far back as I can remember, I was afraid of some "thing" or another that I feared may happen in the future. As I grew older and had my own family, I went from my adolescent fears such as "What if I lose my boyfriend or scholarship?" to my adult fears of "What if I lose my job or my child becomes seriously ill?"

As you can imagine, such fears can go on and on into infinity. So when I decided some years ago to begin my own spiritual journey, the first thing I wanted to work on in my consciousness was increasing my faith in God. I felt that if I really believed in God's power, I did not have to worry about the infinite numbers of "What-ifs ..." I knew that I was on the right track because on my first day with my new faith-filled attitude, I experienced a miracle. I knew that God was telling me that I was on the right track.

You see, like so many people, I sped up my spiritual journey (started jogging down the path as opposed to sauntering) when I was going through a particularly difficult situation. I had retired from my federal government position because I had become ill as a result of working in a "sick building." I worked in the building for about 14 years before I began experiencing disturbing physical symptoms. Several years after the onset of these symptoms, the building was identified as a health hazard. After I left my job, I began to become fearful about my financial situation, because I had a substantially smaller amount of money coming to me every month. I thought that I had developed so much faith over the years, yet I was feeling insecure about my finances, even though my business interests were doing pretty well. However, my lack of faith in my ultimate entitlement to the abundance in God's universe prompted me to look for a part-time job.

Once the fear that I did not have enough resources took hold of my consciousness, I immediately looked for and found a job, which I really liked. Within a month of working on this new job, I began to experience the same sick building symptoms that had originally forced me into early retirement. As the universe would have it, the building where the new job was located had the same environmental problems that the building I retired from exhibited. I immediately was struck by what I thought was a coincidence. Actually, there are no coincidences. Among the lessons I learned from this situation was the realization that my search for the job demonstrated a lack of faith of God's unlimited ability to provide for me. Although it was subtle, and very deep, I knew I was experiencing that same fear that I thought I had made strides in overcoming.

Although in my mind I thought that I was filled with faith, some part of me must not have really believed that God was taking care of all my needs in the absolute best way. I forgot to "let go and let God."

We must realize that the path that is spiritual growth is not a straight line going forward to glory without any curves or detours. As we are spiritual beings having a human experience, we are frequently shown that some aspect of ourselves needs more work. We can use these moments of awareness to strengthen our spirits and become better people. We should never be discouraged, but look upon these situations as opportunities to recommit ourselves to moving forward in a positive manner. If a trait that we do not like resurfaces, we should attempt to understand why and look at what is happening in our lives at that particular time. However, we must love ourselves for the many times that we functioned without exhibiting the trait and be forgiving of ourselves. Just remember that we are progressing and are becoming better people than we were previously. Life is a journey, and journeys have twists, turns, and sometimes detours. With the knowledge that God is our traveling companion, we will end our journey exactly where we are supposed to be.

Chapter Two

Bless And Honor Your Body

Several years ago, my right arm was injured. I did not know how the injury occurred. All I knew was attempts to move my arm resulted in extreme pain and part of the time I could not even use my hand. Even typing and writing resulted in discomfort. While experiencing these sensations, I began to ponder just what happens when we are forced to become acutely aware of our physical bodies, the service our bodies have given us, and the limitations we sometimes experience (such as my injury) in using these bodies.

Not being able to use my arm was extremely challenging for me. The injury prevented me from performing the myriad activities that constitute my life. The pain I experienced forced me to stop activities that involved the usage of my arm, or to at least slow down. As you can imagine, not being able to use your dominant arm or hand can really slow you down. Once I stopped and became quiet, I reflected on why I was experiencing this injury and how I could get better. Becoming quiet allowed me to hear my inner voice and brought me in touch with some latent emotions.

If you have ever had a physical injury and were unable to engage in your regular physical activities, you will remember that you found yourself with extra time on your hands. Much of the time that you previously used for doing all of your routine activities became available to you. Maybe, like me, you realized that you could use this time for inner reflection, reading, meditation, prayer or other mental/spiritual endeavors. When I took advantage of this opportunity to switch my focus from the outer to the inner, I found myself more aware of the world of "being" as opposed to the world of "doing." In the world of "being," I experienced time differently.

This newfound time can become a time of quiet and growth as well as a chance to take a spiritual leap forward. With my injured arm, I kept struggling to accept that I really did have to stop "doing" and "be" still. This was not easy for me, but once I accepted that I actually had no other choice, I really threw myself into working inwardly instead of working outwardly. Realizing and going with this became so rewarding for me.

For a brief period, I could not use my arm and hand at all. As the injured arm was my right arm, and I am right-handed, I think I learned so much more from the experience than had my left arm become nonfunctional. I began to think hard about all of the service that my right arm had given me over the years. This arm had been writing, stirring food, feeding me, changing diapers, starting my car, making jewelry, lighting candles, raising windows, and on and on and on with innumerable acts of service. It has been the "go-getter" for my body. For my entire life, it had served so much, without complaint. Now it seemed to want a rest.

I started doing work with my left arm. The left arm seemed to immediately begin saying to me: "Do not expect me to take over all that work at this late date. I have been a loyal assistant, but I will not be overused because you pushed the right arm to the point of needing a break." I noticed that the left arm started feeling tired and worn out at the slightest amount of activity. After just one week of taking over, the left arm started feeling sore-after just one week! It, like the right arm, now wanted some time off.

I began to understand as never before that the body is a whole entity. Not only are the physical body parts operating as a whole, but our physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional bodies act in concert as well. Muscle tissues are connected, and overusing one part is reflected and felt in the whole. The body really has a powerful overall intelligence. In this situation, the left arm was intelligent enough to know that one of the major lessons I needed to learn in my life is to slow down and rest. So, the left arm was not about to sabotage this lesson by taking over all the physical labor, thereby enabling me to continue driving myself at my usual pace.

I began to apologize to the right arm for any abuse it had experienced from my pushing me to do more and more when it, and my entire body, desperately needed rest. I thanked this arm for the many things it has done to make my life meaningful and exciting, not to mention being key to helping my body survive. I blessed and thanked this arm and my entire body.

Perhaps you may want to take a moment now to thank and bless your entire body for its service to you. Remember, we are spiritual beings having a human experience. We need these bodies in optimal condition to have the "human" experience and to achieve our life mission and purpose. Our bodies are the vehicles that carry our spirits through the many experiences and lessons we are continually encountering while here on earth. This is a primary reason to honor our bodies with proper diet, proper exercise, much prayer, much love, and rest. We must love our bodies at whatever state or stage we are in.

Now, there are many other ways to look at my experience, and those of you who know me are aware that I have turned this experience upside down and inside out. I had thoughts about the meaning of injuring the right arm versus the left arm, the metaphysical causative factors of the injury, and the purpose of my having a period of physical inactivity. Through all of this analyzing, my foremost realization was that I needed more time to become still and introspective.

I only want to remind you to love and honor your body as the true miracle that it is. As you bless and honor your physical body with love, care, and quiet, you also bless and honor your spiritual body. When we take the time to give our physical bodies the time they need to rest and rejuvenate, our spiritual bodies have the opportunity to get more of our attention. We are in turn rewarded with more insight into our individual spirits. We learn about our inner selves, who we truly are, and that allows us to gain information about our physical selves. Then we will be able to remember that there is only one body after all-only One.

Chapter Three

Gratitude Changes Situations

A few years ago, I woke up in the middle of a winter night feeling like I was sleeping outside in a cold tent, which is something that just doesn't happen to me. By morning, still cold, I looked at my electric clock to find that there were no numbers on it. It was just sitting there giving me a blank stare, and I realized that there was no electricity running through my house. There had been an ice storm that night, so I imagined that the storm was responsible for my lack of electricity and warmth. I did not even want to get out of bed because the atmosphere was icy cold.

For about an hour, I kept thinking that the electricity would come back on at any minute. When that did not happen, I surveyed my situation to see how I could get warm. I mean, my thermostat indicated that it was only fifty-eight degrees in the house! Well, I had no firewood, and no way to get heat. I could not even get my oven to turn on. I was afraid to drive on the ice, so that meant I could not go to my mother's house (which, by the way, was warm) or anywhere else for that matter.

Thank God, I did have hot water in my hot water heater. So, I prepared myself an extremely hot bath, and put essential oils in the water in order to indulge in aromatherapy. Before I got into the hot bath, I brought incense, candles, and quartz crystals to sit on the rim of the bathtub. With all of this, I decided to just sit, be still, and meditate there.

I remember that it was very quiet because there were no sounds from the radio, television, or furnace, as they all run on electricity. My space was quiet, and it felt wonderful. I could see the steam rising from the bathtub; I was very warm and began to be transported to a place of such peace and tranquility. I even began to receive answers to questions I had asked of myself a year earlier-answers which until that morning had eluded me. The experience was absolutely stupendous.

During this period in the bathtub, while meditating, I began to feel such gratitude for the items that I had brought into the bathroom. I felt gratitude for those things that were making me feel so comfortable at the time. With the exception of the crystals, I had never thanked God for these things-the hot water, essential oils, and incense. All of them exist as parts of nature, and I realized that God always works through nature to support me-always.

Often we do not recognize and show gratitude for these things that we frequently think of as being small and perhaps insignificant. How often do we even express gratitude for the heat in our homes when many people live and work in the cold every day? Most of us are so blessed to have warm homes, cars, and food to eat. When I was sitting in that hot water, I was so grateful. The gratitude washed over and through me like the water I was sitting in. It was a tremendous feeling, and I realized that I should practice being more grateful for the things that I take for granted-the so-called "little things."

Gratitude involves acknowledging the gifts we have been given, realizing their true value, appreciating this value, and thanking the Creator for these gifts. Also, our gratitude is such an essential part in creating the good that God wants for all of us. For, while I was in the warm tub sincerely expressing my gratitude for the experience, guess what happened? The lights clicked back on, and the electricity was back. I was so shocked. Being thankful and not resisting my condition created the atmosphere for the problem to be corrected. If we want to experience more goodness in our lives, we need to express gratitude for the goodness that is already here, ever present.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Living in the Lightby Susan Duncan Copyright © 2008 by Susan Duncan. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: iUniverse
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1440165688
• ISBN 13: 9781440165689
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 156