Spiritual Resources for Positive Living: News

As I have come to know hundreds of spiritual teachers and thousands of spiritual practitioners through my work and travels, I have been struck by the way in which our spiritual views, perspectives and experiences become similarly "infected" by "conceptual contaminants" -- comprising a confused and immature relationship to complex spiritual principles can seem as invisible and insidious as a sexually transmitted disease.

The following 10 categorizations are not intended to be definitive but are offered as a tool for becoming aware of some of the most common spiritually transmitted diseases.

Let’s start with #1 this week, April 11, 2011…

1. Fast-Food Spirituality: Mix spirituality with a culture that celebrates speed, multitasking and instant gratification and the result is likely to be fast-food spirituality. Fast-food spirituality is a product of the common and understandable fantasy that relief from the suffering of our human condition can be quick and easy. One thing is clear, however: spiritual transformation cannot be had in a quick fix.

Writings by Ed Rabel - from Annotations for Lessons in Truth

Ed Rabel was a Unity minister and former instructor in Metaphysics at Unity School of Christianity

As one of the 12 Powers, Understanding is represented by the disciple Thomas, gold in color and located in the area of the front of the brain.

Understanding represents a divine idea in the Mind of God.

Understanding is absolute knowingness.

From the attainment of spiritual understanding we gain such things as clearer insight, more serenity, new degrees of greatness, a changed tone that allows us to rie above the opinions of others and dwell in the hour that now is.

Spiritual understanding frees a person from the belief in outer appearances for we are able to discern the meaning within all things and the Truth which "stands under" all meanings.