time for a focus on spirituality?

[happystuff]

Since the last post in this forum section was a little over a month ago, I thought it might be nice to discuss some positive personal spiritual benefits folks may have achieved during the last couple of months.

My actual spiritual practice has increased since mid-March to include daily morning online prayers with my temple, as well as live online teachings by both teachers at the temple and HHDL, himself. The morning prayers have become "habit" and I hope to be able to continue them once I am back working. I will admit that I find starting the day off with the morning prayers has helped me to reduce/better control my own responses of anger, frustrations, etc. from my own situation as well as events happening nation-wide and world-wide.

[Tybee]

That is very inspiring, happystuff. Great point about starting the morning with prayer.

[Txbeauty]

I pray, journal, work my tarot cards, talk to Jesus, whatever....just try to spread kindness that I would like to receive back. I am not always good, sometimes I am down right rotten, especially with just plain old rude people, but I keep trying. I never have been able to meditate, rather I just "meditate" throughout the first 30 minutes of my day, enjoying the process of being alive and having a routine!

[catherine]

I, too, have cemented my meditation practice--I do a combination of Zen Buddhist-style meditation and Catholic centering prayer. I do 11+ minutes every morning. I've always been a huge devotee of Thich Nhat Hanh as well as many Christian saints past and present and I've read and enjoyed spiritual teachings by mystics of many different religions, so I try to do some spiritual reading every day. These days I'm into James Finley.

I've been able to establish a more rigorous discipline thanks to a great self-mastery program I'm doing, so I'm hoping my new habits get baked in long after this pandemic is over. .

[LDAHL]

I don’t know if you’d call it spiritual or philosophical, but I’ve been re-reading some of the later Stoics lately. There are a lot of newer writers publishing regurgitated versions with a selfy-helpy candy coating, but I find the original stuff more useful. Also reading from GK Chesterton, as much for the language as the insight.

[Tybee]

I love GK Chesterton--wonderful theology.

[catherine]

I love GK Chesterton--wonderful theology.

I agree.

[LDAHL]

How have we gone from Chesterton and Mencken to Krugman and Dowd in a single century?

[catherine]

How have we gone from Chesterton and Mencken to Krugman and Dowd in a single century?

I personally don't see much similarity between Chesterton and Mencken aside from their early 20th Century erudite prose (which I believe your writing style has been heavily influenced by). The biggest thing Chesterton has done for me is outline a fair and just alternative to both capitalism and socialism.

[JakeSilva231]

Personally helps me focus on the spiritual daily reading of the Bible. Helps me always understand what really matters in life.