AWAKENING TO SPIRIT


Prayer and Meditation Heal and Free Us by Richard Davenport


By its intimate connection with divine love, Spirit infuses human experience with qualities of amazing grace—unexpected clarity, vision, wisdom, peace, compassion, emotional release, inspirational epiphanies, deep understanding and comprehensive healing of mind, body and soul.


W


hile society abounds with scientifi c research, products and practices that promise


to enhance our mind or body and the mind-body connection, without Spirit in the mix, neither rises to its full potential. A heart open to a higher power exponentially multiplies the effects of this crucial connection. “Just as a candle spreads light in a darkened room, people who are living in-Spirit give off a higher energy that can bring light to our hearts and minds. In other words, we can be inspired just by being in their presence,” according to renowned bestselling author Wayne Dyer, Ph.D. Experiential, non-verbal and


life-changing encounters with the unbounded power and presence of Spirit in prayer and meditation are diffi cult to analyze in the same way as mind-body science. However, Dyer points to the


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works and outcomes of Spirit as visible evidence of how it lifts us up. We see individuals with rapturous hearts sending out signals that they love the world and everyone in it. Those that live in Spirit tend to see the world as a friendly place, are at peace with themselves, appear to be open and accepting rather than judgmental and harsh, and often report being healed of all sorts of diseases, relationship challenges, career fl uctuations and questions of purpose and direction. They attest to how Spirit shines a triumphant light in the midst of dark nights of the soul, redefi ning the essence of life itself and declaring us worthy in our innermost reaches.


Personal Healing When a 19-year-old woman entered basic military training at Lackland Air


Central Florida natural awakenings


Force Base, in San Antonio, Texas, and was undergoing initial medical and psychological screening, she was identifi ed as having body and mind issues that would require her to be separated from the service. These problems included organ failures and spinal misalignment, as well as severe consequences of an emotionally abusive upbringing. It was determined that she could not handle the physical and mental demands of military life. Because the policy was to not treat such problems if identifi ed upon entering the service, authorities allowed her to remain in training until her separation from the Air Force could be processed. The woman was impressed and also distressed by the fi nality of the verdict and assessment tools used by mind and body experts among the medical staff. In talking with a chaplain on the base, she came to understand that she could choose to appeal her case to another jurisdiction, a “higher” court of Spirit. Focusing on the voice of divine love, she grew to see Spirit as more than a higher power. She saw Spirit as a higher authority. She surrendered to divine love’s authority as ultimate law, supremely qualifi ed to reorder her whole being. She trusted that aligning with spiritual power could change her view of her identity and the seemingly inescapable consequences of genetics, environment and human history denying her desire to serve her country in this way.


Listening to a higher witness testifying on her behalf and identifying her authentic being as the magnifi cent expression of the magnifi cent Creator, she felt encouraged to the point that her mind and body stopped arresting her progress and became more effective servants, responding with greater freedom and joy. One limitation after another fell away, and the military and medical authorities seemed pleased with her progress as she neared completion of training. Finally, performing a mile-and-a-half run within a required time remained the only obstacle to graduation, and she was still 45 seconds too slow. This helpful passage from the Hebrew prophet Isaiah became central to her prayer and meditation as she approached her last running attempt:


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