You may get your annual physical. You may see a therapist from time to time for a checkup from the neck up. But we rarely, if ever, check in with that deepest part of who we are. Some call it soul, others spirit. It has many names: source, prana, life-force energy, consciousness, essence, Atman, and Self.Spiritual health is more important than mental and physical health because from our state of…
Last week I talked about how to do a spiritual health check-up. This week, let’s talk about how to go from spiritual health to spiritual wealth.We all have spiritual wealth already, but it gets obscured by incessant thinking, traumatic events, and a chaotic and negative mind. So here is how we can expand our consciousness, raise our awareness, and prolong our presence.It’s first important to realize that from awareness and…
All loving relationships start with knowing. All problems stem from a lack of understanding. If we are to love ourselves, love others as ourselves, and eliminate internal and external conflict, we must know ourselves.The wisdom that arises from understanding who we truly are cannot be told to us. Just as we cannot develop a good relationship with another person by simply reading about relationships, we cannot develop a good relationship…
When we say that humans are social creatures, it doesn’t just mean that we like to gather and communicate. It means that through the many selves, a society emerges. Without society, we would have no language, and thus no thoughts. So while there is a great deal we can learn about ourselves when we close our eyes and turn our attention inward, it is also important to understand that we…
If grief is love unexpressed, then express that love to yourself so the healing can take place. When we relinquish our attempt to control or suppress our grief and simply allow it to exist, we grant it the freedom to unfold naturally. Understanding impermanence on a deep level, and being aware of it rids the mind of any ability to experience loss, grief, sorrow, and detachment. Only the nonmaterial, empty…
We are not just spiritual beings. We also have a responsibility to these physical bodies to make sure they are safe and well taken care of. It is very difficult to be spiritual when our physical needs are not met. This is why we must all work to ensure that people everywhere have access to affordable medicine, shelter, safety, clothing; and clean food, water and air. This survival mode is…
1. It’s so important that we take time to heal. That means not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually too. Others may think that’s selfish and we may feel guilty, but it’s the most thoughtful, considerate, and compassionate thing we can do. 2. As long as you learn from a mistake, there is no mistake. 3. Nobody is perfect. No matter what, no matter how rich they are, no…
Q: Dear Todd, are we really experiencing the universe or are we actually experiencing earth? I can experience a waterfall but I cannot experience a supernova with the same relative ease. Todd Answers: Haha, let's hope you do not experience a violent supernova too closely. Even though we do not feel the heat of the surface of the sun, we can experience the sun's rays from afar. We can understand…
I stayed for some time in a Buddhist monastery in a jungle in southern Thailand. At first, it was my torment. There were no screens in the windows to keep the bugs away and this was my first experience sleeping with a wooden pillow. But as the days, weeks, and months went on, the lack of comforts became my salvation. This monastery became one of the greatest spiritual experiences in…
Q: Dear Todd, space-time does change (Einstein's relativity) and consciousness depends entirely on the function of the physical brain. Bonk someone on the head and they lose consciousness. Give them a general anesthetic and they lose consciousness. States of dreamless sleep lack consciousness. When the brain dies and its function ceases, the consciousness of that being is permanently extinguished. Any thoughts?TODD ANSWERS: Yes indeed, space-time bends and warms all the…
If something here helped you feel less alone, would you help me keep it alive?
Even the smallest support matters.
Weekly Writings from the Desk of Todd Perelmuter
