Spirituality - Aligning in Continuity.

Spirituality is the individual, chosen truth of the meaning of life. Therefore, life has no general meaning, but it’s about what you assign to it.

My truth: Try to align your reason with everything else you do.

Why? Because humans have been doing it since we exist, and research has shown that spirituality is beneficial for health and in curing illenss.

But my personal "why": I simply feel better with than without.

Wisdom that creates a new thought.

"Beware of looking for goals: look for a way of life. Decide how you want to live and then see what you can do to make a living WITHIN that way of life."
- Hunter S. Thompson, in a letter to a friend. Aged 22.

My first "huh" Moment.

One of my teachers asked me to create a vision map by cutting out elements from magazines. It was a rainy afternoon, I stayed in a cave-house on an Island of Greece - with plenty of time. In one of the magazines was an article by Michael Singer (known for his books like "Untethered Soul") - the headline cought my attention: "The World, the Mind, the Heart, and You". Since I had plenty of time, and nothing better to do, I started to read. It starts like so:

"When all is said and done, there are only four things that you need to know about: the world, the mind, the heart, and you - the one who is experiencing the other three. If you know the nature of these four things, you will be considered wise."

Now, bear with me if you have not been in touch with Spirituality much (like I was). If you are anything like me (who wouldn't want to be considered wise?!), you are compelled to check the soundness of the argumentation Singer has to bring forward. So, I try to give you a glimpse into what I must say became a very helpful and awesome call to journey for me:

The journey inwards.

The world. Once you zoom out far enough, you'll understand the nature of the world comparatively easy:

"Its nature is existence, its nature is form, and its nature is that it really has nothing to do with you. You are just the experiencer of the existence of creation".

Thoughts, thinking and the environment.

This is also true about the mind. It's just more difficult to grasp, because you are so involved in your thoughts that you can't step back far enough to see what is creating them. Meditation gives you this perspective. You should see the mind as an ocean of energy in which thoughts form like waves. They come and go, each being different. You can study your thoughts, observe them. You realize that there are underlying laws that determine how the mind created thoughts. Your mind is the sum of the learned experiences, picked up through your senses, which is used to generate different thoughts at different times. It's because you looked in a certain direction, smelled a smell or heard a noise. This is where thoughts come from, there is nothing holy about any of your thoughts.

A song based on Luiz' four agreements (4 "rules" I liked to instill for my Character) summarizes the role of our thinking that shapes our "dreams" beautifully:

The heart: emotions, free wisdom.

The heart has its own nature. If you see something in the world and the heart gets attracted to it, a vector of energy is formed in the heart and starts going in that direction. The next thing you know, you are drawn there. Why? It's programmed by billions of past experiences (like the mind), and your thoughts and feelings about a current experience simply depend upon which of these past experiences is being stimulated the most. Eventually you come to realize that you're so busy dealing with your mind's likes and dislikes that you can't feel the true happiness that springs spontaneously from your heart. So, are you better off following your heart than your mind? Truth is, neither will take you where you want to go. This is because neither is who you are

Waking up to: "You".

You are the one who experiences the heart, and you are the one who experiences the mind. If you can objectively watch something, then it is not who you are - you are the one who is watching. What do you see when you watch your heart? One thing you see is that it can open and close. You experience this as attractions and repulsions, loves and fears. You feel great inner strength when the heart is open to an experience, then if something closes your heart, all that energy drops out or becomes turbulent. That's how you know you're not your heart: You were there when the inspiration started, and you were there when it stopped. You're the one who's in there watching all these changes take place inside. Over time you will come to realize that there is only one you in there. You who sees the world, you who witnesses the mind, and you who experiences the heart is the same you. There is only one conscious being in there aware of all these experiences.

When you reach this state of awareness, you are awake. But you will not be able to truly explore the nature of your being until you come to peace with the world, the mind, and the heart. This is your spiritual work. Only then can you sit comfortably in the Self; only then are you free to naturally merge into the true nature of your being.

“Ask Yourself, “Am I Aware?”.

If you're as committed to a remarkable life as I am, you'll pay attention to Awareness more frequently. Even five minutes per day can significantly transform your life. It's as simple as that.

Beware of your ego.

While there are more and more people who try different approaches to spirituality, they do not realize how it might be used by their ego. We try everything to avoid feeling bad - our ego takes every push it gets. To those playing a game of one-upmanship ("I am better than you"), observe your thoughts. Do you think you are better because you are aware? Think twice, that is not your kind "You" speaking.

My spirituality? With kindness, I bring good.

Until I make peace with the world, the mind, and the heart, my spiritual journey will be guided by one core principle: to radiate kindness every day, to focus on bringing good into the world.

So, for e.g. my work this means that I respect those with meaningful offers and an understanding for a sustainable future. To them, I provide expert advice on the paths for good growth.

We start with "good enough".

As someone with high ambitions, I'm naturally drawn to optimization, always eyeing perfection. However, I've realized that a quest for "perfect" can sometimes hinder our ability to appreciate the "good" that's already present. So, I start with "good enough". To me, that means to pause every now and then, refelct, observe. It means to publicly state my reason of existance and to radiate kindness in what I do.

Having a reason to get out of bed, knowing how to care for my body, mind and emotions, and a character that guides... there's only one element of my inner life missing: Growth. This get's me from A to B, ensures a delta to realize.

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