Spiritual Thoughts are my Soul's Medicine

Spiritual Thoughts - the thoughts and words of mystics and the great spiritual teachers draw me. My attraction to them does not waver. A book of transcribed dialogues between Huang Po and his students from hundreds of years ago excites me. The ancient wording may be obscure, but like reading Shakespeare, I adjust my inner ear because its strangeness, its truth, and its poetry, soothe the unnamed malady within me.

I hold the spiritual thoughts within my mind

I take a statement and hold it within my mind. I "be" with it. I use it as a constant contemplation. I allow it to do its work within me. I allow it to reassure me. Spiritual thoughts inspire answer after answer, so that the words become a constant inner chant flowing with meaning.

I take it in like poetry

I find that I am bound to read spiritual thoughts differently than any other words. They draw me into a different vibration. They trigger a sensation that requires me to stretch and open my mind. The feeling is exciting, bringing out an echo of something almost lost. I become pliant and hyper-alert to the words.

A certain consciousness rises in me, providing an alertness to subtleties, innuendo. I find I am pulled beyond the words and into their essence.

Spiritual thoughts are healing

Profound spiritual thought — enlightened thought, speaks from a wider understanding that encompasses all of humanity, rather than from a certain belief system. Sip some. Let it work its wondrous healing within your mind. Let it begin to wake your spirit from its physically focused coma.

The sacred words soothe, invigorate, and strengthen my determination to endure. The truth nestled within them is more than what is read. It reflects the vibration of consciousness the spiritual thoughts carry. It can set you on a journey. It has often done so for me.

Spiritual thoughts can break open the illusion

This is the specific teaching focus of Zen koans. The koans are statements that boggle the rational mind. The fever we believe to be our life, breaks by taking such medicine. Though we must be prepared and receptive to them, spiritual thoughts kill the world in us.

I get spiritual thought and contemplation medicine from: Dr. David Hawkins, Huang Po, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Byron Katie, ACIM, - some of my favorites.

The mystic poets such as Rumi, Hafiz, Gibran, St Teresa of Avil, Lao Tzu, Blake, Shakespeare, or Yogananda offer a varied sampling of spiritual medicine.

The great avatars express profound thought. I offer you a miniscule sampling of what they said:

• "Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule." - Buddha
• "On this path, effort never goes to waste and there is no failure. Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear." - Krishna
• "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" - Jesus Christ
• "Taking the first footstep with a good thought, the second with a good word, and the third with a good deed, I entered Paradise." - Zoroaster

Inspire Yourself

Inspire yourself with the writings of spiritual teachers or mystic poets. It will bring you into the high vibration of the Teacher — a transforming experience. Reading spiritual teachings, spiritual thoughts is a first step. Taking one of the statements within your mind and contemplating it is the next, powerful action. Expressing the essence, the "feel" of the statement is the final step — the step of healing your life.

Suggestions taken from the book list in "At Your Heart's Pace":

• A Course In Miracles. Tiburon: Foundation for Inner Peace, 1975.
• Hawkins, David R. Power vs. Force. Sedona: Veritas Publishing, 1995.
• Hawkins, David R. Eye of the I. Arizona: Veritas Publishing, 2001. I. Arizona: Veritas Publishing, 2003.
• Hawkins, David R. Discovery of the Presence of God. Sedona: Veritas Publishing, 2006.
• Hawkins, David R. Transcending The Levels of Consciousness. Sedona: Veritas Publishing, 2006.
• Hay, Louise. You Can Heal Your Life. Carson: Hay House Inc., 1984.
• Jampolsky, Gerald. Love Is Letting Go of Fear. Millbrae: Celestial Arts, 1979.
• Katie, Byron. Loving What Is. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002.
• Katie, Byron. I Need Your Love - Is That True? New York: Harmony Books, 2005.
• Levine, Stephen. A Gradual Awakening. New York: Anchor Books, 1979.
• Nisargadatta, Maharaj. I Am That. Mumbai: Chetana, 1973.
• Nisargadatta, Maharaj. Consciousness and the Absolute. Ed. Jean Dunn. Durham: Acorn Press,1994.
• Nisargadatta, Maharaj. The Ultimate Medicine. Ed. Robert Powell. San Diego: Blue Dove Press, 1994
• Nisargadatta, Maharaj. The Experience of Nothingness. Ed. Robert Powell. San Diego: North Atlantic Books, 1996.
• Nisargadatta, Maharaj. The Nectar of Immortality. Ed. Robert Powell. San Diego: Blue Dove Press, 2001.
• Ramana Maharshi. The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi In His Own Words. Ed. Arthur Osborne. London: Rider and Co., 1962.
• Ramana Maharshi. The Spiritual Teaching of Ramana Maharshi. Boston and London: Shambhala, 1972. Talks with
• Ramana Maharshi. Sri Ramana Maharshi. 3 vols. Tiruvannamalai: Sri Ramanasramam, 1972.
• Wilber, Ken. No Boundary. Boston: Shambhala, 1979.
• Wilber, Ken. Grace and Grit. Boston: Shambhala, 1991.
• Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1977.

Related Videos: Videos on Ellen's video blog at www.beingspiritual.com related to Spiritual Thoughts:

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Questions, ideas or suggestions? Please feel free to email me anytime at ellen@ellensutherland.com. I look forward to hearing from you.