Ministries & Spirituality

What is Spirituality? Spirituality can be considered as an inner highway, and this leads only to one place, your permanent and everlasting happiness. As happiness is our real and natural state, spirituality also acts as the transport as well as the highway there.

Why Men are Not Spiritual

The call of the senses, the misplaced use of desire, and lure of the material life all call men away from spirituality.

This is why the ancients believed the world belonged to the devil, and the real life and paradise, belonged to God.

The devil, or non-spirituality, wished to entrap men in the material world, while spirituality leads man to his true nature, and happiness.

The material life does not lead to happiness. In all men’s lives the material leads to old age, sickness, and death.

The spiritual life leads to eternal youth, permanent well-being and eternity. However, the material life masks this, and gives one the impression that:

• There is only one life, so eat, drink and be merry

• There is no spiritual life

• Men are simple biological creations

• The pursuit of happiness lies in money, power and wish fulfillment

With the material presenting such an array of life’s qualities, one is tempted to turn their back on spirituality.

However, the material life betrays itself with disease, decreasing enjoyment of material objects and external stimulation, and finally the specter of death.

A thinking man, once considering the limitations and qualities of material life may (and often) turns to something better. This is the first recognition of spirituality.

The Call of Eternity

Sometimes all it takes is looking at the stars, understanding the impossibility of life without an intelligent creator, or some inspiring life of a saint, and a man considers the spiritual.

Having done so, the road to spirituality opens. Inspiration is at every step, and the roads are many, but like of old where all roads lead to Rome, all spiritual roads lead to the eternal and true nature of man.

It is curious to see the attitude of the modern physicists, who ponder the nature of the universe. Their theories and postulations are all indicating intelligent creation, and a life everlasting. Even science is centering on spirituality.

Spirituality is indeed like a road, and walking this road leads you to the goal. There are no guarantees the road will be easy or strewn with roses.

Rather, it seems the road is razor thin, strewn with obstacles, tests, and detours. The material temptations appear everywhere, and even the greatest of saints were tempted at the final moments of their quests.

The Buddha was tempted while in the final meditation under the Bodhi Tree. Christ was tempted in the desert. If you travel the spiritual road, you too will be tempted. The temptation of the material is sweet, heartrending, and you may find if you give into it, corrupt and full of lies.

Consider the creation, only this and you are already on the spiritual path.



By: Sacha Tarkovsky

About the Author:

Leaders and mentors of leaders agree that emotional intelligence is a key factor in success as a leader. In fact, it is a key to success in any career. To be aware of your emotions, how they affect you, how they affect others, and to be able to consciously change our emotions is essential to success in all human relations. Now, there is a new intelligence on the block. Spiritual Intelligence is really not new, but the term is. Many authors have attempted to define it. All definitions are helpful, but few demonstrate a depth of understanding. My intent is to offer you a brief, but in depth definition that you can apply.

It should be noted that spiritual intelligence has nothing to do with religion or doctrine. Certainly religious people may be spiritually intelligent, but so may nonreligious people. Spiritual intelligence is the ability to transcend the ego and know what to do and when, based on intuition and/or inspiration. For some, this means operating from Divine Guidance. For others, this means living intuitively. Spiritual intelligence is the awareness of when the ego is running the show, and to be able to choose differently.

The first principle of spiritual intelligence is identity–knowing who you are. You are a spiritual being having a human experience. You are not a human who occasionally has a spiritual experience. You are not your body. You have a body. You are not your past. You have a collection of experiences in your memory. You are not your mistakes. You are a spiritual being who has often forgotten who you are. You are not your job or your car or your home. Those are merely possessions. Possessions come and go. Fortunes rise and fall. You are not the role you play whether you call it father, mother, child, grandparent, CEO, secretary, Christian, Muslim, Jew, American, German, Japanese, etc. These are the roles you play. None of these are the real you. If the role is taken away, you still exist. The nonphysical you, your spirit, is who you are.

Your security, then, is not found in roles or possessions. Your clarity about who you are allows you to create whatever roles or possessions you require to live meaningfully in this world. I worked with a man who was a multi millionaire. His best friend told me that if this man lost everything, he would again be a millionaire within a year. His security was within him–not in his possessions. Your security is within you. No matter who rejects you, no matter how many times you “fail”, you are still you. Those are just experiences. You learn from experience.

If you know who you are, then you know what you are. You are an expression of the all-encompassing Creative Intelligence. Whether you call this “God” or by another name, it is the same. Some religions say you are made in the image of God. Since you are of this Creative Intelligence, you are as It is. You are good. Your true nature is to connect with others, to love and be loved. People who seem incapable of loving and being loved are ruled by fear. They are living strictly from their egos. Fear is what causes us to forget who and what we are. The ego is the fearful personality we have made of ourselves that thinks it is separate from spirit and from other people.

The second principle of spiritual intelligence is a clear understanding of Universal Law. You reap what you sow. You receive what you give. Your deep seeded, usually unconscious thoughts and beliefs determine your experience of life. This does not mean you are to blame for illness, poor finances, or conflicted relationships. Rarely do we make a conscious decision to be ill, broke, or emotionally hurt. Yet patterns of thinking create our way of being in the world. Our way of being leads us to experiences that reflect our deepest beliefs about ourselves and our place in the world. This is why some people who have won the lotto find themselves broke again, in a few years. They did not have the mindset to manage that much money. This is why people who are healed by faith healers, often get sick again. They did not have the mindset for wellness.

Given that Universal Law is a law that cannot be broken, we are 100 % responsible for our health, our finances, our relationships, and everything else. The moment you think something is someone else’s fault, you are incorrect. How you feel is based on decisions you have made. To say “I am 100 % responsible” is powerful. Spiritual Intelligence has us turning inward for answers to challenges, listening to the inner voice. We develop that inner voice through meditation and/or prayer. We develop it by intentionally letting go of our opinions and opening our minds to new and better ideas. These ideas don’t necessarily come from our brains, but from the One Mind to which we are all connected. This is the source of great ideas, of creativity and innovation, and of inspiration.

When we live in fear, fear is what we reap. We draw more situations to ourselves that stimulate a fearful reaction. When we believe others are victimizing us, we constantly set ourselves up to be victimized. We draw people into our lives who will specifically do that for us. When we bear good will toward others (without placing our well-being in their hands) we will draw to ourselves more good will. These are but a few examples of Universal Law.

” Is the glass half full or half empty; are you a nasty, miserable, pessimistic, unhappy, and self-centered being…a “looking after number one” kind of person? Or are you a generous, unlimited, caring, selfless, positive, unconditionally loving kind of person? However you choose to perceive yourself, then so you will be. And so you will act, and so will be your destiny. Your perception is both your reality and your choice. If you can learn to make this choice you will be an awakened soul and enlightenment will come easily.” (from The 7 AHA’s of Highly Enlightened Souls, by Mike George)

The third principle of spiritual intelligence is nonattachment. Knowing who and what you are, knowing that by Universal Law, you are responsible, you become unattached to specific outcomes or to the thoughts and feelings of others. This does not mean you don’t care. You care, but your well-being doesn’t come from other people or situations. This mindset of nonattachment, this spiritual intelligence, makes you strong and stable.

In non attachment you are free of stress. Stress is all about trying to control what you cannot control. The weather, other people’s opinions, the stock market, other people’s actions, are all things you cannot control. If you have strong expectations about these things you are attached. When things don’t go your way, you feel pain, hurt, anger, or frustration. You become stressed. The answer to stress is not in a pill or a drink. It is in your own mind. All stress is caused within your mind. It is all about your expectations.

Non attachment requires that you know and appreciate who and what you are, your purpose, and your direction. When you act from this place of clarity, love, and confidence, you influence others. You don’t have to “get” them to do anything. When you act selfishly to get what you want you make enemies and meet resistance. When you clearly desire a certain outcome, but are completely willing to do without it, you are in a powerful position.

Spiritual Intelligence has us listening within to the still small voice and following its guidance. How do you know if the voice is of your Spirit, or of your ego? The ego is about scarcity, conflict, hurry, worry, and fear. The still small voice is of love, confidence, and achieving the highest good for all concerned.

Spiritual intelligence is the awareness of choice–that there is Spirit and there is ego, and nothing in between. There is love and there is fear–and nothing in between. That there is seeking to achieve the highest good for all concerned–or “looking out for number one” selfishness.

Not only awareness, spiritual intelligence is the courage to make the choice, moment by moment, to let go of ego centered thinking and behaving, and to allow the spirit within you to guide you. Some may say “But you shouldn’t look within for guidance; you should look to God.” However you perceive God, as Great Spiritual Being, as Omnipresent Spirit, or simply as “Higher Power”, your point of contact is within your mind. Look within.

Spiritually Intelligent leaders are rarely famous, because they do not seek recognition. They are effective and powerful. They understand that they are a nucleus, not the center of attention, but a center of influence. They are a shining light, with no concern for what they are “getting” from others. Their focus is on what they are giving. And by Law, they are receiving what they are giving.

“Your behavior influences others through a ripple effect. A ripple effect works because everyone influences everyone else. Powerful people are powerful influences…. All growth spreads outward from a fertile and potent nucleus. You are a nucleus.”

The Tao of Leadership, by John Heider

When you find yourself frustrated with others, with life, with yourself–step back. Remind yourself that you are much more than this. Remind yourself that you are of Spirit, and that this person you think is you, is just a small part of the greater you. Quiet your mind and allow inspiration to flow. Breathe and let go of stress, and ask to see your world as Spirit would see your world. Allow your thoughts to be guided by the peaceful, loving, and powerful presence within you. Envision positive outcomes for all concerned without becoming attached to what outcomes should be. Refuse to take the negativity of others personally, and become instead, a shining light. Live from your deepest values and allow the still small voice of intuition and inspiration to guide you.



By: William Frank Diedrich

About the Author:

We are all spiritual, because spirit is who we are naturally. Spirit is part of the mechanics that make up humanity. We are mind, body, and spirit. So that everything that we do is spiritual. I say this without judgment or prejudice.

What we want to express spiritually is determined by the ego (body). Killing is just as spiritual as giving birth. Murder is just as spiritual as giving charity. Hating is just as spiritual as loving.

I don’t believe that it is our purpose to become spiritual-what we already are. I know that we are here to experience all aspects of spirituality, and it is observable from our history that that is exactly what we are doing.

If we push past all the limitations of conventional human understanding, and go all the way, we would know ourselves as God in human form. I am God-you are God. The creator is all there is-he is in and around everything-there is nothing or nowhere that he is not. This is a given in convention religion. Therefore the triune in religion of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost or Mind, Body, and Spirit is an illusion. In fact there is only mind. The other two parts are individualized aspects of the physical body. They are necessary for the mind to operate in the physical realm. They are necessary for the bio-mechanical body to operate in this three dimensional existence.

Becoming spiritual is not necessary because that is what we are. So what do we mean when we say that we are practicing spirituality or trying to become more spiritual?

What we are really doing is trying to remember! Most of humanity inherently knows that it comes from something far greater than itself. Man feels this connection and longs to be connected once again. Humanity sees this mind as better than itself, so logically it sees itself as less or inferior. So one would ask is God simply a better murderer, a better rapist, or thief?

If we are part of this better mind, and if we are created in the image of this greater mind, then like minds to like things! So what is it that the creator is doing while we are plundering, raping, stealing?

Humanity believes that these activities do not work for us, given that we want to achieve oneness with the creator. But we assume that the creator is good-whatever that means. We assume that the creator does not do these physical things.

God created all things physical and non-physical. Physical things are just thoughts manifested. Good and evil are physical things manifested through the ego. They are conditions of physical life-not the afterlife.

What we are doing in the physical world is redefining God in an image that we consider better than what we are now. Consciously we do not know murder, rape and theft as progressive. So far it has not brought us what it is that we say we desire. The experiences of these things are or were necessary to define ourselves as peoples who do and do not do those things. We consider not doing these things as better and more inline with our thoughts of the perfect creator.

While “God on the street” is walking around doing these things, he is simply experiencing both what he is and is not. In the realm of the absolute he would not be able to experience these things. God does not consider these things as right or wrong-that is a human convention. God is life, and life is freedom or unconditional love. Freedom has no boundaries and humanity is not bound-except within his own consciousness of what he can or can not do.

If humanity (God in human form) is defining himself physically, and it is his wish to evolve the human species, he will determine physically “what works” and “what does not work” for it through physical experience. Of course this predisposes any thoughts that he doesn’t already know what it is that he wants. I don’t believe that as one that comes from the absolute or in fact is the absolute would not know the outcome of any action. I therefore know that the only reason for being-is one of experience.

Idealistically, this is not how we would achieve enlightenment-what we are doing is not moving us to a higher awareness. But, it is in doing what we do not wish to do that we move to a place of only doing what we wish to do. From a human point of reference, that will only come in another realm of existence. All things that we as humans aspire to, are being done here, now, at the same place in time and space. This is God being God-Good God, bad God, enlightened God and ignorant God.

What we (individualized God) do, is experience through choice. If we want to build a better world, then there is an opportunity for that to happen-if we choose. If we do not want to experience war-it is a choice. If we want to experience peace-that also is a choice. Life is opportunity and choice. We can experience all that we desire now, in this moment or we can experience trying to experience or achieve a thing within a given time or space.

The world is a huge magnificent buffet of experiences. They are meaningless until we choose what will be our experience. Religion teaches us to prepare for the afterlife, but in doing so we are missing out on the most wonderful experience that we can imagine-the opportunity to experience what we desire, and how and when we will do it. The end is inevitable and is no experience-physical life is the trip that will bring the only physical experience. It is physical experience that we now desire, it is what we are doing-it is perfect. We are spiritual beings traveling through the physical realm, because we desire to experience all things physical. Spirit does not have to apologize for being. Spirit will not be damned because spirit is all that is. Spirit will not damage itself. When it has moved to a point of no longer desiring to experience a thing-it will not.

If you wish to move away from all the things that are physically unpleasant for you, you can do that simply-by not giving those things any life. All things exist in this world simultaneously for purpose-your purpose. You are the creator of all things that you experience. All the circumstances of your life were created expressly for the purpose of experiencing them. Life is not a learning experience, this is not a school. You and all things are spiritual-there is nothing you have to do or be, to be spiritual. Your life is perfect the way it is until you decide otherwise.

Life is not about being punished for experiencing life, but being punished for the experience of being punished. Life is not about struggling, but about experiencing struggling because it is an aspect of life. However you think of the afterlife, is how you will experience it. It is simply another aspect of living-just as your experience is now. You thought of this life before you were born-these are your spiritual thoughts in action-this is life! If the spiritual life for you is walking on water and through the clouds-then create it. But you are no more spiritual than the one that is grounded by struggle and hardship, or opulence and arrogance. Life was never meant to be a struggle-it’s a choice.



By: Roy E. Klienwachter

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