What you Need to Know to Live a Spiritual Life

By

Joan S. Peck

BEJEWELED PUBLISHING

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Preface

One of the most profound results from living a spiritual life is a sense of ease in your daily living, even if surrounded by chaos. This effortless flow of life is easier than your mind may, in the beginning, allow you to believe. It takes only one step, a little peek in the door, a toe dip in the acknowledgment of an ocean of messages, to guide you each and every day. Then you do it, you take that first step…you pick up this book or one similar that calls you. You can almost hear the angels and your guides singing with happiness that you are awakening, as you consume the messages that are meant for you within the lines that you read. Congratulations, you are in for an amazing ride!

There are many wonderful characteristics that immediately drew me to Joan Peck when I first met her in 2009. Her natural, authentic nature is one of my most favorite qualities about her. When you are in Joan’s presence you are wrapped in love. It may sound trite to some, maybe even a bit airy-fairy, but the truth of the matter is that feeling that I receive from Joan is what our souls are striving for, that kind of acceptance, love and authenticity. This is part of the path that you will walk when you live a spiritual life. Can you imagine it? Many are living it right now…why not you?

Joan’s ability to simplify a subject that countless make so challenging to understand is invaluable to me in my practice of running a center focused on vibrational healing. She has a great gift in bringing spiritual and personal growth material to life clearly, which takes a lot of the mystery out of certain subjects and makes them accessible as with her previous works on the chakras.

One such clarification is that there are many names for the same Source with which you are making a higher connection. Some such names are Higher Power, God, Source, Divine, Universe, Internal Navigation, Creator and so many more. Whatever name feels right to the individual is the perfect name. It is important to understand that this is a personal journey – your name – your connection. Each person has their own inner guidance that will help them on this spiritual path of a renewed way of living. Through the inner voice, your path will be lit up like runway lights guiding you in the right direction and choices to make.

Each author who participated in this book, many whom I know personally from working with them at the center, are incredible souls on their own paths. There is no guru or master per se that has all the answers for you, but their experiences of their spiritual journey will touch you, will assist you to recognize and to encourage your direction. The beauty of this type of book is that you will receive a taste of so many modalities, in so many different voices, collated in one place for you to explore in the comfort of your choosing.

And there again, lies the magnificence of this composition. There are many therapies, viewpoints and personalizations, it is important to remember to take what resonates for you and to discard the rest. To paraphrase what the Historical Buddha once said about the technique of meditation – “So you are eating a fruit salad, you don’t like bananas, discard the bananas. It is still a fruit salad.”

What resonates with you about these stories will stand out, what may not seem relevant now may prove to be extremely helpful later. As you journey along this course, remind yourself that you are a Divine being, just as you are. Right now, at this moment, the Universe is shining on you, so in love with who you, exactly as you are. Always Divine, and always perfect.

Once you open the door to your own healing, raising your vibration by just the very act of reading this book, changes will occur. There will be a shifting of internal and external forces that will align you to your new vibration. This could look like releasing old habits that no longer serve you, distaste for propaganda news and violent types of movies, a moving away from certain friends or learned negative thought patterns. There will be a thinning of the illusionary veil that shielded you from the very knowing of your Divinity, the very part of you that is the energy that makes up all creation.

You are awakening to your true self. It is quite the difficult path to turn back on. It reminds me of the 1989 movie, “Field of Dreams” with Kevin Costner. His character and his family could clearly see the baseball players from “the other side” playing on this field that he was guided to build; his brother-in-law could not see them until he changed his vibration, opening his heart. It is hard to stop seeing once you have seen. Experiencing living with ease, authenticity and compassion, as well as the joy and love that you feel for all life and humankind could well mean you having to cancel your “bug-man,” as you will come to experience all life as being precious and part of you.

There is mention of Extraterrestrials relating to spirituality, which some may find a bit strange or even off-putting. I encourage you to keep an open mind. Explore the subject of Galactic guidance when you are ready – maybe this is the time to do so. Use your internal “feeling” monitor to know when the subject is of interest. From my experience, their loving, non-physical assistance has been extraordinary but, as with all people and energies, there are high vibrational entities and low ones. Use your discerning guidance to know the difference. You can access this knowing, if you will quiet yourself, listen, and allow it.

Everyone’s journey to awakening and leading a spiritual life is as diverse as we are individual beings. There is no “right” way. As this book will introduce, there is an array of subjects within the umbrella of spirituality, let your inner knowing guide you to the areas that are meant for you. This combined effort is a beautiful introduction to the God-spark that is truly you and your higher vibrational energy that will transform your life as you know it. Welcome aboard!

Lee Papa
Founder, Ganesha Center, Sanctuary for the Spirit – Las Vegas, NV

Chapter One: Spiritualism Spirituality

When you first choose to live a life of spirituality, there is always confusion on other people’s part when they ask you what you mean by that. Does this mean that you denounce organized religion of any kind? Does this mean that you don’t believe in God? Does this mean that you sit around holding séances or having tarot cards read? Does this mean you meditate all day? What does it mean?

There is a distinct difference between Spiritualism and Spirituality although by looking at the words, they appear to be much the same. This book is about Spirituality. However, it is important to learn about Spiritualism so that you can understand the differences between the two. If you are a Spiritualist, it does not mean that you can’t live a life of Spirituality or vice versa. For many who practice a spiritual life, they adhere to what Spiritualism encompasses. Let’s examine both so that the differences, though sometimes subtle, become clear.

Spiritualism

Spiritualism is the belief system or religion that has a belief in God, but with the distinctive belief that spirits of the dead reside in the spirit world and can be contacted by “mediums,” who then relay to others messages given to them about the afterlife.

Spiritualism developed and reached its peak from the 1840s to the 1920s, with most of the followers being from the middle and upper classes, both in the United States and Europe. It is interesting to note that when it began, it was not formally organized. Many of the followers were women, who supported causes such as abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage and that alone was an incentive for many others to join in the Spiritualist movement. Spiritualism gave power to the mediums (mainly women) and provided women one of the first forums in the U.S. where they could address mixed public audiences. By the late 19th century, spiritualism suffered credibility because of fraud among those who misrepresented themselves as mediums. Eventually, this gave the followers incentive to formalize Spiritualism as an organization by creating Spiritualist churches in the United States and the United Kingdom.

“Spiritualists believe in communicating with the spirits of the dead through mediums. They believe that spirits are capable of growth and perfection, progressing through higher spheres or planes; that the afterlife is not a static place, but one in which spirits evolve. The two beliefs – that contact with spirits is possible, and that spirits may lie on a higher plane – lead to a third belief, that spirits can provide knowledge about moral and ethical issues, as well as about God and the afterlife. Thus many members speak of spirit guides – specific spirits, often contacted, relied upon for worldly and spiritual guidance.” [Wikipedia]

Spiritualism has features in common with Christianity, such as the essentially Christian moral system. However, Spiritualists do not believe that a person’s level of faith or what he does during his lifetime determines whether a person upon death goes to heaven or hell for eternity. They see the afterlife as different hierarchical planes where a spirit can progress. “Spiritualists differ from Protestant Christians in that the Judeo-Christian bible is not the primary source from which they derive knowledge of God and the afterlife; for them, their personal contacts with spirits provide that.” [Wikipedia]

The great majority of Spiritualists do not accept that the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was to pay for all of mankind’s sins; they believe that each person is responsible for and has to answer to his own thoughts, words and deeds after death upon his return to the spiritual realms. They also believe that there is not a single heaven or hell, but a series of higher and lower heavens and hells.

Spirituality

Spirituality is the inner pathway that enables a person to discover the essence of their being. Spiritual practices include meditation, prayer, contemplation and other modalities for healing a person’s emotions and allowing for a connectedness with the divine realm. Spirituality is a soul journey to understanding your role in life, the universe and beyond, connecting with your higher self and higher power.

Although many equate spirituality with religion, most consider spirituality to be more personalized, less structured and more open to new ideas and influences than doctrinal faiths of organized religions. Even some atheists are spiritual, believing that in some way the entire universe is connected.

Spirituality is often seen as a spiritual pathway or ascension, along which one advances to a higher state of awareness or communication with God. Plato wrote about this in his “Allegory of the Cave.” The spiritual journey is a path that is individual and subjective to the one travelling it. A spiritual path may be of short duration with a specific goal in mind or it may be life-long with every event of living a part of it. Spirituality is also described as a process in two phases: the first on inner growth, and the second on the manifestation of its result in daily living.

“For a Christian, to refer to him or herself as “more spiritual than religious” may (but not always) imply relative deprecation of rules, rituals, and tradition, while preferring an intimate relationship with God. The basis for this belief is that Jesus Christ came to free humankind from those rules, rituals, and traditions, giving humankind the ability to “walk with spirit” thus maintaining a “Christian” lifestyle through that one-to-one relationship with God.” [Wikipedia]

Those who define themselves as spiritual but not religious believe that there are many different spiritual paths and that it is important to find one’s own individual path. They believe that religion is an outward search while spirituality is a search within oneself.

Spirituality plays a large role in self-help movements, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, because it involves a search for inner peace, which is accomplished by spiritual practices. This is where discovering and using the different modalities in this book become so helpful. By using these practices, you can find purpose and meaning in life.

When anyone grows spiritually, it tends to upset those around them because it can force those around them to change, as well. The dynamics are no longer the same, and not everyone is willing to change. Once you involve yourself in the spiritual modalities, your friends may not understand or accept what you are doing, and you may even lose a friendship over it…hard to believe, though it happens.

When you are clear about what spirituality is and stands for in your mind, it is much easier for those around you to accept your choice of exploring your own spirituality and taking part in the different modalities. It is also to your benefit to understand some of the entities and terminology used in spiritual gatherings. And it is for that reason, that the next chapters cover the wonderful, seven Archangels and what they represent, the knowing Ascended Masters and who they are, and often-used references and terms.

Finding your place in the world of spirituality is wondrous. It is personal and quiet. You don’t need to convince anyone else of its value because for each person it is something different. Your spirituality is your own relationship with your higher power; you don’t need someone to speak for you, although you are grateful for positive blessings from others. Everything becomes clear deep within your soul and you have an understanding of how to live your life to your highest good and the highest good of others. You are provided the strength to make any positive changes in your life that you need to make knowing that you are blessed and loved by your higher power and the universe.