Tradition or history or Custom? Or background? Or Context or Beliefs or belief System
Quote: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein
The ancient tradition of spiritual companionship is found in almost every belief system. Spirituality is ubiquitous regardless (and sometimes, in spite) of religion.
“Spirituality is our way of being in the world, both within, in our interiority, and without, in our interactions and connections with the outer world through our words, thoughts and deeds”.
“Spirituality is our deepest values and desires, the very core of our being” Gerald May, Psychiatrist, Author, Spiritual Director
“Spirituality is heart knowledge” David Ariel, Jewish Scholar
"Sometimes people get the mistaken notion that spirituality is a separate department of life, the penthouse of our existence. But rightly understood, it is a vital awareness that pervades all realms of our being…To be vital, awake, aware, in all areas of our lives, is the task that is never accomplished, but it remains the goal." Brother David Steindl-Rast, Benedictine Monk, Author
“God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him” St. Peter (Acts 10:34-35)
“Religions are like separate fingers and are quite distinct with different revered teachers, sacred texts, dogmas and rituals. But if you trace each finger to its source, the palm of the hand, you see that religions all come together in their depths.” Bede Griffiths, Benedictine Camaldolese Monk, Christian Yogi, Hindu, Mystic, Theologian
Christian Spiritual Direction:
"The whole purpose of spiritual direction is to penetrate beneath the surface of a person’s life, to get behind the façade of conventional gestures and attitudes which one presents to the world, and to bring out one’s inner spiritual freedom, one’s inmost truth, which is what [Christians] call the likeness of Christ in one’s soul. This is an entirely supernatural (spiritual) thing, for the work of rescuing the inner person from automatism belongs first of all to the Holy Spirit." Thomas Merton, Trappist Monk
Islamic Spiritual Direction:
“Whoever travels without a guide, needs two hundred years for a two-day journey.” Rumi
"Islam means to surrender to God in peace. The journey of surrender is the lifelong work...We need to bring Divinity into the center of our lives. The guidance, inspiration, and support of a spiritual director, spiritual teacher, or spiritual friend is crucial to this process” Jamal Rahman author of The Fragrance of Faith: The Enlightened Heart of Islam
Sufism Spiritual Direction
Sufism holds that while we transform and grow individually, profound challenges and changes require a ‘guide’ who listens and accompanies us on the sacred journey to actualize our inner, divine natures. The relationship with this companion is itself an expression of Divine will.
Yogic School of Hinduism:
“If you continually write out checks without depositing anything in your bank account, you will run out of money. So it is with your life. Without regular deposits of peace in your life account, you will run out of strength, calmness, and happiness. You will finally become bankrupt — emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. But daily communion with God will continually replenish your inner bankroll.” Paramahansa Yogananda
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