Gurudeva’s Toolbox for a Spiritual Life

FILLED AND THRILLED WITH SIVA’S ENERGY

Alone and feeling depressed?

Depressed? Go over your life, reliving it year by year. Write it all down from year one to the present, ten pages per year. You may run into happy emotion, discouraging emotion, encouraging emotion. It’s good to get rid of it all. Reliving the depression and the unhappy feelings as you write about the experiences in detail and burn the paper unwinds and releases the pranic emotional energy from each memory. You especially want to deal with the traumatic areas of the inner mind and release the discouragement, the regret, the depression, the loss of faith in humanity, the loss of faith in yourself and all those negative emotions that you’ve been carrying for so many years. They will go away like paper dragons. During times of sorrow, difficult karmas, loss and temptation, when in mental pain and anguish, feeling alone and neglected, we can persevere, be decisive and bring forth the strength within us and thus prevail. Courageous and fearless people who are just and honest prevail over all karmas—benevolent, terrible and confused. The spiritual path is a long, enduring process. It does not reach fruition in a year or two years. §

Gratitude and appreciation are the key virtues for a better life. They are the spell that is cast to dissolve hatred, hurt and sadness, the medicine which heals subjective states of mind, restoring self-respect, confidence and security. Shall we review them one at a time and consider a practice, a sadhana, for each? First, gratitude. It is a feeling within the heart that we cannot suppress for long when overcome with abundant memories of all the good that has come into our lives. The sadhana here is to take out paper and pen and list all the good that has come into your life during the past five years. The list will grow as memory is stimulated.§

Loving appreciation is a life-changing force just waiting to be used. Express appreciation to community leaders, business associates, spiritual mentors, family members and friends as often as you can. Loving appreciation is a magic formula that works both ways. When we commend another, we are automatically uplifted.

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MORE TOOLS FOR
OVERCOMING LONELINESS
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  • Express appreciation for others, be specific, tell them why you value them.

  • Learn to distinguish between aloneness and loneliness. Aloneness is your spiritual friend.

  • Actively seek the company of friends when you are sad or feel alienated.