Introduction: Wholism is a way of living that encourages us to adopt some form of spiritual practice as an important step in creating balance and harmony in our life. The intent of this guide is to offer some characteristics to look for and standards to apply when choosing a new spiritual practice or evaluating one we are currently following. Please note that this material is biased by my own nature and life experiences and is meant to be helpful rather than true for everyone.
Section A Personal Benefits:
Healthy spiritual practices provide personal benefits. They help us:
- connect with something greater than our physical selves and this material world
- quiet overactive thoughts and feelings and experience periods of inner calm
- observe and change unhealthy beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours
- receive guidance and direction in our daily life
Section B Positive Effects on Our Community:
Healthy spiritual practices have a positive effect on our community. They enable us to:
- express feelings of love and compassion for all forms of life in our community
- treat all forms of life in our community with kindness, dignity and respect
- co-operate with all living things in our community rather than compete with them
- see the unity of all living things and eliminate "us" versus "them" thinking
Section C Empowerment: The Key Component
Healthy spiritual practices empower us, they don't enslave us. They:
- provide us with a direct personal connection with the Universal Life Force which we sometimes call God or the Creator, without the need of a human intermediary, a "spirit guide", or a spiritual group's "process". If after adopting a spiritual practice we start to have less personal freedom and choices in our life than before, something needs to be carefully looked at!
Section D Distractions and Dangers:
Be watchful for and consider avoiding spiritual practices that:
- rely on "props" such as costumes, symbols, crystals, emotional music, etc.
- are led by spiritual teachers or gurus who do more than motivate and encourage
- use mental or emotional "techniques" to gain power and advantage over others
- focus on the "spirits" of material objects, plants, animals, and human beings
- ask for large financial or other commitments for more than facility upkeep or general expenses
Section E A Simple Test
One way of finding out if our current spiritual practice is right for us is:
- after giving our practice enough time to have an "effect" on us, we can ask ourself if we are now treating ourself and others in a more loving, kind, and gentle way then before we began this practice. Gaining new insights and wisdom are wonderful benefits of being on a spiritual path, but its ultimate value can be seen in the love and kindness we are able to show in our daily actions. If our practice is making us more clever than kind, somethings wrong. In the end it's always about love.