Saturday, February 2, 2013

Practicing Spiritual Purification

From the days of circuit-riding evangelists to modern-day energy work, an attempt to find healing and feel a connection with Spirit has had a profound influence upon spiritual seekers. From what I have experienced in typical church revivals is that the euphoria and emotional surge experienced at the event is short-lived because no real change occurs inwardly. Any vows we take to live a better life fail as soon as the ego (limited self) takes the wheel again.

Our efforts to turn over a new leaf rarely produce long-term results. The change we seek must come from allowing the heart and mind of God to overwrite the fear-based thoughts of our limited self. This requires a daily effort of spiritual purification that keeps the higher self in the driver’s seat of our mind and allows the I AM Presence to create permanent change.

Regularly reading and applying the concepts presented in A Course in Miracles has had a tremendous impact on my thought life. Whenever I feel out of sorts, this is what I turn to. I know I will be reminded of how senseless the ego’s offers are. I immediately allow the Holy Spirit to replace the ludicrous thoughts in my mind with higher thoughts that bring peace, love, and joy. It works every time to bring into captivity any thoughts that are out of alignment with the Christ consciousness!

Even though our soul development is a personal undertaking with which we must be intimately and consistently involved, I certainly won’t discount the value of community-based spiritual renewal events. Every summer at church camp I grew in my relationship to Spirit. As a young adult I always looked forward to revival meetings and seeing how many would get “saved” as a result of the Spirit’s work. In other words, I was hungry for my own soul to grow and be healed and I wanted the same for other people.

A movement known as the “Toronto Blessing” began at the Toronto Canada Airport Vineyard Church in January 1994. This affected me in a positive manner even though the “manifestations of the Spirit” were not accepted in my home church. It opened me to a new level of awareness regarding the spirit world, prophetic signs, healing, and miracles. It displayed some wonderful supernatural phenomena that caused many people to have a shift in consciousness, personality, life habits, and true spiritual transformation.

Prayer and fasting, rebirthing, conscious breathing, and rituals in which you ask to be assisted in reaching the next level have a great effect upon soul development. Each time I embark upon an effort to clear karma from my astral body, I feel a deeper connection to Spirit and undergo a process of “stripping away” things that no longer serve me. My ego and emotions always protest this process, but as I persevere, the results are always good. I feel more loving, less judgmental, and have a peaceful, more enthusiastic outlook on life.

Learn more about the ascension process in Shifting into Purer Consciousness ~ Integrating Spiritual Transformation with the Human Experience. Yvonne Perry is available as a spiritual coach. See http://weare1inspirit.com/coaching.htm for information about a free 10-minute evaluation to see if coaching is right for you.

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