Friday, December 7, 2012

Everything you need to know about spiritual development in three links.


The three excerpts below explain the essence of spiritual development. We incarnate for the purpose of learning to love. We are supposed to make mistakes because that is how we learn. Meditation can help us to develop the spiritual qualities that will make us fit for the higher levels in the spirit world:

Mary Jo Rapini's near-death experience from the side bar on nhe-nde.org:

“I went into this tunnel, and I came into this room that was just beautiful. God held me, He called me by name, and He told me, ‘Mary Jo, you can’t stay.’ And I wanted to stay. I protested. I said, ‘I can’t stay? Why not?’ And I started talking about all the reasons; I was a good wife, I was a good mother, I did 24-hour care with cancer patients. And He said, ‘Let me ask you one thing -- have you ever loved another the way you’ve been loved here?’ And I said, ‘No, it’s impossible. I’m a human.’ And then He just held me and said, ‘You can do better.’ ” -- Mary Jo Rapini, describing her near-death experience

From Near-death.com

Howard Storm was given the following insights after his life review when he was afraid of returning to Earth life because he feared he would make the same mistakes again:

Mistakes are an acceptable part of being human. We are here to make all the mistakes we want because it is through our mistakes that we learn. As long as we try to do what we know to be right, we will be on the right path. If we make a mistake, we should fully recognize it as a mistake, then put it behind us and simply try not to make the same mistake again. The important thing is to try our best, keep our standards of goodness and truth, and not compromise them to win people's approval. God loves us just the way we are, mistakes and all. When we make a mistake, we should ask for forgiveness. After that, it would be an insult if we don't accept that we are forgiven. We shouldn't continue going around with a sense of guilt, and we should try not to repeat our mistakes. We should learn from our mistakes. God wants us to do what we want to do. That means making choices - and there isn't necessarily any right choice. There are a spectrum of possibilities, and we should make the best choice from those possibilities. If we do that, we will receive help from the Other Side. (Rev. Howard Storm)

Marines expanding use of meditation training at the Washington Times:

That benefit is the impetus behind Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (“M-Fit”), a fledgling military initiative that teaches service members the secular meditative practice of mindfulness in order to bolster their emotional health and improve their mental performance under the stress and strain of war.

...

studies have shown that habitual meditation:

  • Changes the way blood and oxygen flow through the brain;

  • Strengthens the neural circuits responsible for concentration and empathy;

  • Shrinks the amygdala, an area of the brain that controls the fear response;

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