Interfaith Spirit Quest

The Prayer - Love will lead us - by Cecilia

You will love Cecilia's pure, heart and soul touching voice. The focus on keeping Inner Harmony is of utmost importance in today's world. She wants you to look at your inner beauty.  The Prayer is from the album 'Inner Harmony'.

The Prayer

Sung by Cecilia

On the path of life
Mountains rise above
We’ve been climbing so high
To open up the sky
Chasing a vision of the world
That’s in your love

When the darkness falls
And I fear I’ll lose my sight
I just breathe in the sounds
Of beauty all around
It’s your grace that will
Lift me to the sun
Beyond the heights
In the light

Don’t lose your way
It’s just the hatred and the fight
In our hearts
Love will lead us to the sun
Beyond the heights
In the light

Lyric: James Redfield
Music: Fridrik Karlsson

 

Beautiful & Free Mandala Patterns

This site offers several free Mandala Patterns to use freely:  Subtle-Body Images

Thank you Subtle-Images - for being so generous with your gifts.

Sanctuary - Soft Contemplative Music mp3

Sanctuary, by Girts Ivans - soft contemplative music:

The Life of Jesus - a Video Story

Awesome video story about the life of Jesus - all in pictures, no words.  There is a long explanation in the 'more info' section on the right hand side of the YouTube video page.  We hope you will watch this video and read the words that go along with the video often, it is very inspiring and comforting to say the least!  

"Truth cannot be defined with words, only by living. Truth is always more than knowledge. Knowledge pertains to things observed, but truth transcends such purely material levels in that it consorts with wisdom and embraces such imponderables as human experience, even spiritual and living realities. Knowledge originates in science; wisdom, in true philosophy; truth, in the religious experience of spiritual living. Knowledge deals with facts; wisdom, with relationships; truth, with reality values...." (see rest of story on YouTube here )

The Life of Jesus - Video Story (no words, only pictures)

Healing & Healthcare for the Mind, Body & Spirit

Healing comes in the form of material methods as well as prayer, encouragement through faithful progress and a good attitude. A personal transformation of mind and spirit oftentimes leads to healing because bad habits and unhealthy living practices are exchanged for a healthier lifestyle. The expectation of health is in the mind of strong and positive personalities. Fear and anxiety lead to thoughts that are negative and weak, which may lead to physical illness. Not that we think ourselves well or sick, but that our actions (material effect) are a direct result of our attitude, and our actions are what cause health or disease in many instances. The lazy mind resists the efforts that bring about healing.

Good health, a sound mind, and a happy disposition are the result of integrating truth, beauty and goodness into our human experience. Truth - material, philosophical, or spiritual - resonates with the soul. Beauty brings joy and pleasure to the human senses. Goodness brings stability to our world. An abundance of truth, beauty and goodness can heal our hearts, minds and bodies.

The physical body is not afflicted with disease by God, by by the consequences of material effects. Diseases or accidents of nature or material thing are not in any way pre-ordained or arranged by God or any other spiritual force. You are free to reap the rewards of a healthy lifestyle, just as you are free to reap the negative effects of an unhealthy lifestyle. We are equal in our capacity to receive our reward for our actions. Remember that our choices may also affect the lives of others – including our children and other loved ones.

Selflessness – the opposite of selfishness – creates an abundance of joy, which in turn produces medicine for good health, motivation for the heart, and an energizing effect on the mind. Should illness or accident strike, know that these situations will always work out for the welfare and progress of those involved.

To get through trying times, rely on true spiritual faith:

1. Make progress upward and not toward animalistic tendencies
2. Trust God, even if….
3. Have courage
4. Dig deep, stand strong
5. Be at peace
6. Trust the outcome
7. Believe in God
8. Life goes on – even after death
9. Remain triumphant
10. Remain selfless
11. Seek divine guidance, pray faithfully, listen
12. Continue to praise God

Have an extraordinary attitude toward the material environment and a strong faith in the power of the mind, and of God, to heal.

What about miracles?

What if everyone was healed through miracles? How would that advance our world spiritually? What reason would people have to behave responsibly and what would an irresponsible world look like?

If God chooses to heal or help someone through a miracle, we just need to be thankful and smile back.

Interfaith Prayer for Healing:

O Lord my God! I cry unto Thee,
this prayer of faith, for Thou it is Who cures me.

Free us from suffering and disease,
and Unite us with life eternal.

Thy Name is the best bestower of health.
Thy Name is the healing remedy.

Thy Love is the best bestower of health;
Thy Mercy my healing remedy.

Action: Faithful Prayers

Pray sincerely:

• To heal the sick, and heal ourselves
• To receive guidance to bring about healing
• To receive courage, strength and wisdom
• For God's will to be done – exchange our will for God's will
• For God's comfort, peace and love
• For a word of truth

What you can typically hope for in response to your prayer is information and peace; information from the wisest counsel to ever-exist, information that's true, beautiful and good, peace that passes all understanding, peace that comes from God and upon the realization that you have exhausted all efforts toward separation or healing.

Pray for spiritual strength and wisdom to carry you through and to guide you as you work through the issues or problems at hand. Be truthful, selfless, unafraid and personal.

(Above article was originally published here on InterfaithSpiritQuest.com on 2/28/2009)

Also see: 

Interfaith Spirit Quest article:

Health & Healing - Material vs Spiritual vs Crackpot Methods

American Holistic Health Association (AHHA) Free Booklet: 

Wellness From Within:  The First Step

Health & Healing - Material vs Spiritual vs Crackpot Methods

Have you been sicker than a dog lately?  Maybe we can help. 

Perhaps you've heard this quote before: 

"Physician, heal thyself!" It's from the Bible - Luke 4:23.

Let's paraphrase it:

Healer, heal thyself!
Minister, heal thyself!
Miracle Water Merchant, heal thyself!
Health Nut, heal thyself!
Drug Maker, heal thyself!

Everybody's got a cure - so why isn't everybody healthy?  Are we conditioned to believe we'll get sick and stay sick?  Is it all in our mind?  Here's how we typically handle things when we're sick: 

Material Method:  Take some drugs from a supposed reputable source, and/or go to the Doctor and have them prescribe some drugs, wait and see what happens. 
Does it work?  Sometimes. 

Crackpot Method:  Buy some miracle potion from some website or health expo, (far superior to regular drugs, right?), assume the risk and swallow, wait and see what happens.
Does it work?  Sometimes. 

Spiritual Method:  Pray, have faith, wait and see what happens.
Does it work?  Sometimes.

Since all of these methods have some chance of success, what are we supposed to do? 

Maybe it's as simple as using a little common sense. 

Common Sense Method:  Practice healthy lifestyle habits, take care of yourself and those you are responsible for, eat right, exercise, get enough sleep/rest, give lots of love to whoever needs it, get out more, get regular check-ups, you know the routine.  Receive the spiritual benefit by being thankful for the abundant resources the Creator provides.  Work in tune with nature, not against it. 

Why is this method any better than the others? 

Because you're not sitting around doing nothing, just popping pills, or even just praying.  You are taking an active role in your health care by making sure you're doing everything you should be doing.  You don't have to be a health nut or fanatic - but you should know that your actions play a major role in how you're feeling.   

Our next article will focus on this more in depth, the article is titled 'Sickness & Health' and will be posted on 3/3/10 - please watch for it.

"Some people have recently said some things that lead me to think there is confusion about me and what I do – so I want to take a minute to clear things up." (He does not walk alone.)

http://blog.hughlh.com/here-i-stand/

Passion, Sage, Roses and Time

Time to begin anew.  It's a brand new day.  The possibilities are seemingly endless and limitless.  Should I do more or should I do less, we think. 

What or where is your Passion?  Are you pursuing your passion with all your passion? 

Who is your Sage?  Who inspires and motivates you lately?  Are you acting on this inspiration, or are you just letting is float through your consciousness? 

Who is the person you think of when you think of giving Roses and Love?  Who deserves a flower and a bit of your love today?  Is not everyone worthy? 

How do you spend your Time?  Frittering away the hours in self-pity, in front of the tube or the PC, or out there somewhere looking for love in all the wrong places? 

PASSION is what makes an Olympian speed down a luge at 95 miles an hour, despite the risks.  PASSION is what takes you to the next level.  Passion is what God used to create your universe!  Be passionate about something good, something great!

SAGE - like a spice, Sages inspire us and motivate us to use our passion for good.  Good Sages love everyone - Jesus was a good Sage, a Divine Sage.  There are regular, normal, everyday people that are good Sages too, they use their time to bring out the passion in you to help you make your life a little bit better. 

ROSES are the world's symbol for love in material form.  Give someone a Rose or Flower - be it someone you love or someone who needs love.  God gave us a bounty of Roses - just look at this place, this Earth! Love is the universal language we all long to speak and hear. 

TIME is yours to use and to give.  Use your time wisely, set your sights on your passion and give it some of your precious time.  God gave us time, spend some time seeking the One who gave you this time.  Spend some time listening to the inspirational Sages of our time and times of old.  Use this time to show someone a little love, give someone a Rose today, or better yet - some of your time. 

Passion, Sage, Roses and Time.

Rev. Sheila Hansen

Interfaith Spirit Quest 2010

Body, Mind, Spirit & Service – Love, Fear & Attention

Interfaith Spirit Quest – Topics for discussion: Body, Mind, Spirit & Service – Love, Fear & Attention

Prayer for Spiritual Community: God of all creation, First Source, Force and Center of all things and beings; we yield our hearts and minds to you and we seek unity with the Divine Spirit within that is You, O God. May we feel your love, presence and guidance more fully today and every day, evermore. While we are here in human flesh, may we seek to do your will, may we seek to love others as you have demonstrated your love toward us. Thank you for this day, for keeping us safe and warm, and for providing for our sustenance. We ask for your blessing upon this meal and upon our fellowship here today. At this time, if there are any special prayer requests, aloud or in silent prayer, please mention them now for inclusion in this unbroken, connected chain of prayer….

Your prayers…______________________________________________________________________________________

…_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for hearing our prayer. In thanksgiving and in remembrance of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

~*~

Body & Spirit: Love & Fear: (The following section on Love & Fear is from an article written last year called 'What is Love' written by Rev. Sheila Hansen for Interfaith Spirit Quest – it's an excellent conversation starter!)

What is Love? If you could create love in your life simply by choosing right actions, would you? If you knew that your negative actions and reactions were the cause of your pain and misery, would you stop?

You can learn to recognize thoughts that lead to desirable consequences simply by choosing positive, love centered actions over fear or negative actions and reactions, which only create destructive consequences. In addition to creating love in your life, you will also deepen your relationship with God, because God is Love. If you fully understand who is walking beside you in your earth journey, fear would not be possible. You have extraordinary power, power to choose how you will think or act in any given circumstance. Your thoughts and your actions create your world.

Learn to act and react in loving ways by recognizing the emotions and physical sensations you are experiencing. For example, if you feel anger welling up inside you – react with tenderness. Are your relationships cold and distant? Warm them up by being warm and affectionate. Do you have a tendency to react negatively to almost everything that comes along? Try looking for the positive, bright side of things instead. It really works!

Actions and reactions based on love make you feel warm and beautiful inside. Try it, you'll like it! This is easier said than done, mostly because our previous ways of acting and reacting have turned into habits, and habits are hard to break. This is where you must realize the extraordinary power that is yours, this is the time to be selfish and use this power to make yourself a happier, more loving person. Trust me, the rest of the world will love your for it!

Interfaith Spirit Quest

Following is a list of words about Love and Fear. In the Love column are things we are and do because we are acting out of love. In the Fear column are things we do because we are frightened or feel threatened in some way. Learn how to use these emotions and/or actions to create a more loving life.

Love

(Consequences of love and loving)

 

Happy

Peaceful

Affectionate

Warm

Patient

Kind

Caring

Positive

Spiritual

Beautiful (inside)

Handsome (inside)

Giving

Faithful

Friendly

Truthful

Passion

Joyful

Romantic

Persevering

Pleasant

Tender

Protective

Grateful

Masterful

Creative

Free

~*~

 

Fear

(What we do when frightened or threatened)

 

Depressed

Restless

Distant

Cold

Impatient

Mean

Unsympathetic

Negative

Questioning

Ugly (inside)

Self-absorbed (inside)

Selfish

Cheat

Rude

Liar

Lazy

Vengeful

Jealous

Give up

Hateful

Angry

Obsessive

Sense of entitlement

Addictive

Exploitative

Enslaved

Interfaith Spirit Quest

Discussion: Mind

The quality of one's life depends on the quality of attention. Whatever you pay attention to will grow more important in your life.

— Deepak Chopra in Ageless Body, Timeless Mind

Mind - Attention: The following tips are gleaned from the following sources.

• Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School - by John Medina.
• Spirituality & Practice: Alphabet of Spiritual Literacy — practices that are common in the world's religions.

Brain Rule #4 - Attention: We don't pay attention to boring things, but sometimes we give our attention to things that are non-productive. Multi-tasking is a myth. While we think we can do several things simultaneously, we are really working sequentially – doing one thing at a time. If you really want to get a lot done – eliminate as many interruptions as possible. Turn off the TV, Radio, Email, Cellphones, etc. for a predetermined period of time so you can focus on the most important task of the day.

Everyone has A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder). Generally, we can really only focus intensely for about 10 minutes at a time. So to enhance our focus ability, we need to give ourselves a break – every 10 minutes. Or at least vary your tasks every 10 minutes, even if ever so slightly. Are you preparing a speech? Break it down into 10 minute segments to maintain the attention of your audience.

Our attention is influenced by our memory, what we already know or have learned. We react to new situations from our learned perspective. We can control some of our reactions by getting more information from other sources – other sources besides our own memory. So, in situations where you have a little time to think something through, it pays to give new information some of your attention. We also tend to give our attention to things that we are emotionally connected to, so if you want to improve your memory, create an emotional connection to the things you most want to remember.

Spirituality & Practice: Attention is also known as mindfulness, awareness, concentration, recollection. It is a primary practice, and not just alphabetically. We must stay alert or we risk missing critical elements of the spiritual life — moments of grace, opportunities for gratitude, evidence of our connections to others, signs of the presence of Spirit. The good news is that attention can be practiced anywhere, anytime, in the daily rounds of our lives.

-Effort is its own reward-

Ben Hei Hei – in Wisdom of the Jewish Sages by Rabbi Rami M Shapiro

 

We are here to do,

and through doing to learn;

and through learning to know;

and through knowing to experience wonder;

and through wonder to attain wisdom;

and through wisdom to find simplicity;

and through simplicity to givn attention;

and through attention

to see what needs to be done…

Body, Mind, Spirit: Healthy Dinner Ideas – Rewiring the Brain

A Prayer for Spiritual Community: Creator and Sustainer, in this spiritual community, in this time and place, may we feel your presence ever stronger, ever deeper. As we gather in a spirit of fellowship, may your love, strength and Spirit of Truth bless us all in every way. Thank you for our daily sustenance, food and strength, we ask for your blessings upon this meal. May each one present here tonight receive a special blessing of insight, may we go on to encourage, love and support each other as you would have us do. At this time, if there are any special prayer requests, aloud or in silent prayer, please mention them now for inclusion in this unbroken, connected chain of prayer….

Your prayers…______________________________________________________________________________________

…_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for hearing our prayer. In thanksgiving and in remembrance of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Body – Healthy Dinner/Supper Foods: Some of you may prefer a light dinner (supper) and heavier lunch, others may prefer to have their bigger meal in the evening – either way – we just need to pay attention to our bodies and do whatever works best. Parts 1 and 2 of this 3 part series may be found online at www.InterfaithSpiritQuest.com.

Healthy Dinner/Supper Ideas – Control your own portions and remember - everything in moderation.

• Soup or Chili, Hearty Bread/Crackers/Pita, Pickles/Olives/Veggies
• Big Salad Bowl, Loaded with Veggies, Light on Meat/Cheese/Egg/Beans, Hearty Bread/Crackers/Pita
• Grilled/Baked/Roasted/Boiled Lean Meat, Side of Stir-Fried or Fresh Veggies, Tossed Salad, Hearty Bread/Crackers/Pita
• Baked/Boiled/Grilled/Roasted Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes/Veggies, Fruit Salad/Fresh Fruit, Hearty Bread/Crackers/Pita, Pickles/Olives/
• Stir Fry Veggie Bowl, Lean Meat/Fish or Beans/Tofu, Brown Rice, Sliced Oranges or Fruit Salad
• Baked Fish, Boiled Cabbage/Carrots/Potatoes, Rye Bread

Interfaith Spirit Quest

Mind & Spirit - Brain Rule #3- Wiring: Every brain is wired differently. See Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School - by John Medina.

Every brain is wired differently and each brain can be re-wired to think differently – at will! Do you believe this?

In the book Brain Rules by John Medina, it talks about a Michael Jordan quitting Basketball to focus on a new challenge – Baseball. Michael Jordan failed miserably at Baseball, not even rising to the level of a minor league farm team! But this is Wisconsin and we love football, so today, we're going to talk about Brett Favre – our favorite NFL Quarterback and his 2009/10 NFL Football season with the Minnesota Vikings! J As you all know by now, the Vikings lost the NFC Championship game against the New Orleans Saints on January 23, 2010. Had they won, Favre would be playing in his third Super Bowl this year, his first two being with his beloved Green Bay Packers way back in the last century. J Favre threw an interception near the end of regulation time in the 4^th quarter, which sent the game into overtime, never to regain possession of the ball in overtime themselves, the Vikings promptly lost. The Saints make it to the Super Bowl. Go Indianapolis Colts! While I do not blame the loss on Favre, many people have picked up on the fact that Favre has been in this situation on two other occasions as a Green Bay Packer; once against the Philadelphia Eagles and once against the New York Giants. In both of those games, Favre also threw and interception that ended their hopes of heading to another Super Bowl.

So, what does this have to do with re-wiring the brain? What I'm trying to show here is that Favre actually had his best year ever as a Quarterback in the NFL! All of his stats were way up, his interception ratio was at the lowest number ever, throwing only 7 interceptions all year versus his previous average of 13 at minimum. Many years were much higher; Favre threw 20 interceptions during several years. Anyway, moving on….getting to the point now….

The question is: 1) How did he do it? How did Brett Favre, a 40 year old Quarterback, have his best year ever? How did he get his interception rate down to 7 from his previous average of 13? …and question 2) How or why did he throw that final, crushing interception?

The answer to question #1 is that he effectively re-wired his brain; he managed to eliminate all obstacles to his success by focusing on his biggest problem – interceptions. He changed the way he does business. He proved that he could do it through controlling his mind, thus controlling his actions.

The answer to question #2: So why did he thrown that last interception? First off, nobody is perfect, I believe that Favre did everything he could to lead the Vikings to victory but could have used a little help from the defense that day. Then of course there's the Referees stating publicly, after the game of course, that they messed up on a couple of calls that went against the Vikings. Anyway, so the answer is – perhaps re-wiring the brain is an extremely difficult thing to do and it requires intense, continuous desire and focus without let-up on the part of the individual to change. But Brett Favre did in fact prove that it could be done. He is to be forgiven for his momentary lapses, and this will only lead him to improve his performance should he choose to come back for another year – which I think he will do.

Every time you learn a new task, you are wiring your brain. To solve and old problem, we need to turn it into a new task. Do not think of things as problems, think of things as goals or targets. Do not think of problems, think of ways to reach your destination. Focus only on what will work, not on obstacles. While the author of Brain Rules, John Medina, talks a lot about the physical reasons for the wiring of our brains, and we certainly cannot do everything we think we can, the really cool thing that I have discovered is that our spirit personality is unquestionably capable of willing the physical body and mind to do the impossible!

Interfaith Spirit Quest

Interfaith Spirit Quest - Tips to help you re-wire your brain:

• Pray, meditate, contemplate – focus on your task/goal/target
• Be a reminder to yourself – leave notes, journal, repeat motions toward task/goal/target
• Exercise, eat healthy, sleep well, get some sunshine
• Evaluate your life – do you need to work on your love life, family life, play life and work life?
• Be honest with yourself, seek to understand why you don't make the right choices or changes
• Align your habits with your task/goal/target – that means create new habits and destroy bad habits
• Choose your life, map out your destiny; but accept who you are and soar where you know you can
• Have the experience. A few wise sayings:
  • "What you hear you forget, what you see you remember, what you do, you understand",
  • "Practice makes perfect".
  • "Just do it!"
• The Creator & Sustainer of the Universe wants you to enjoy an abundant, successful and fruitful life!
• Celebrate your abundance and enjoy the fruits of your success!

Interfaith Spirit Quest Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think it's possible for you, or Favre for next year, to be completely successful re-wiring the brain? _________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is keeping or preventing you from changing something about yourself that concerns you? _________________________________________________________________________________________
3. How can we support each other? How can we help and support ourselves? _________________________________________________________________________________________

Brett Favre began his career as an Atlanta Falcon in 1991 throwing 4 passes as a Falcon, 2 of them interceptions, 2 of them incomplete.

He was traded to the Green Bay Packers in 1992 and played there for 16 seasons. His interception ratio averaged 13-20 per season. He led the Packers to 2 Super Bowls, winning one and losing one.

 

 

 

In 2008 he asked to be traded to the Vikings, but Packers Management refused and traded him instead to the New York Jets where he had 22 interceptions and an all around bad year.

 

 

 

Ah, finally, the Favre's wish to become a Minnesota Viking is fulfilled. He takes the Vikings on a whirlwind romance and almost makes it to the Super Bowl. His interception rate during the regular season is pared down to 7. Brain effectively re-wired. There's always next year – one can only imagine what the Favre will do next.