Who is God for you?  God is more than any one of us can imagine.

It is God who gives you life. It is the Spirit that connects you to all people and life on planet earth.  It is Holy Oneness that gives you direction in life.

Connecting to God in everyday life is possible. It is possible because God resides right within us and around us.

You have been given a glimpse of God in people, nature, and the universe. This glimpse of the holy has made you hungry for more.

An excellent place to renew your relationship with God begins with yourself. The Spirit will reach out to you through your mind, body and heart.  Here are some tools and practices to help you to remain open to divine energy

Mind

The Holy Spirit, if given a chance, will reach out to you through your mind. When your mind quiets down, it becomes like a holy receptor. There are many ways to quiet your mind.

·        Meditation and Prayer:

Many meditation practices help you to experience the holy within you. I highly recommend Centering Prayer, a method with ancient roots, brought to modern Christianity through the work of Father Thomas Keating.

First, you come up with a focus phrase through prayer.  Then you use this phrase every time you meditate.  Start meditating for five minutes or less depending on how comfortable you feel with silence. The goal is not to empty your mind but to allow it to quiet down.

I like how someone described the process. You just let your thoughts roll by like you watch the credits at the end of a movie. You only use the phrase to focus your mind when you are getting too attached to a thought.

·       Music:

Music is a powerful tool to quiet your mind.  Music is personal, so you need to find what works for you.  Here are some types you might want to try:

•  Classical

•  Instrumental

• Meditation music

• Spiritual

• Gregorian Chants

• Earth drumming

·        Walking:

Start your walk with a prayer or meditation to center yourself. Open your mind, heart, to whatever you experience.

Look up to see the beauty and wonder of your surroundings.  You will see things, you never noticed before because you had been too caught up in your thoughts. Pay attention because God is everywhere.

In the beginning, you may start to feel some intense emotions and sensations in your body.  Just be with these emotions, sensations and thoughts. If you are feeling anxious, do some deep breathing.

You might want to write down your experience in a journal when you get home.  Journaling is a great way to process what you experienced.

·        Writing:

Processing your thoughts through journaling, writing poetry or prose can help you to acknowledge and release your feelings.

·        Gardening:

If you love to garden, this can be an excellent way for you to quiet your mind. Hanging out in the garden in the soil and among the plants can help you to calm down. Watching the plants can fill you with awe. Feeling the soil on your hands and feet can help us to become more at home in your own body.

·        Creative Expression:

Working with your hands whether that be painting, ceramics, sculpting, or graphic arts, these forms of self-expression help you get in touch with your true self.  

The creative process helps you to quiet your mind through focusing on what you are creating. The process requires you to not only learn from your quiet mind but from your heart and body.

Body

Your body is a fantastic conduit to the holy.  Your body is full of wisdom. God speaks to you through your body.

·        Intuition:

One-way God speaks through our body is through intuition. Intuition is a gift from God to help nudge you into doing what is right for your soul. You might suddenly think of a person and realize you need to call them. 

You might wake up one morning and know that you need to leave your job.  Another time you may have this feeling that you need to go back to school and you know exactly where and what you need to study. The important thing is to pay attention to your gift.

·        Body Scan Meditations:

Body scans are a form of meditation that takes you on a journey through your body to get in touch with the sensations of every bone and muscle.  The more you become attuned to your body the easier it becomes to learn from the sensations of your body. Often the body will notice stress before the mind becomes aware of it.

For more information on Body Scans: Click Here

·        Bodywork:

There are many forms of bodywork.  Experiment until you find one that works for you.  They include:

• Massage

• Yoga

• Dance

•  Tai Ci

• Circle Dancing

• Sports

·        Intimacy:

When you find intimacy with someone you trust whether that be a friendly hug from a friend or an intense embrace with your love can heighten your body awareness.  Note, your first embrace may be overly stimulating because you are getting in touch with sensations that you have repressed for years. Learning to enjoy being in your body will help you deepen your relationship with your body and God.

Heart

Your heart is the part of your body that makes sure the whole body gets nourished with blood. It is also the emotional center.  God works through the heart encouraging us to build deep, nurturing relationships with others. It is the heart that binds us together.

God calls us through the heart to care for others. God speaks through the heart to end social injustice in the world.

By learning to name and honour your emotions will help guide you in your daily living.  Your feelings are beacons of wisdom. 

·       Connecting with Others:

Every time you connect with another person you connect with God.  Your heart will guide you to the people who will help you to be your true self. 

The heart yearns for you to discover the holy in every person you meet especially the people that you don’t like or feel uncomfortable around.

Your heart will reveal to you the power of unconditional love. It is about learning to accept someone just as they are.  In reverse, it is about learning to receive unconditional love from another person.

·       Vulnerability:

When you open your heart, you become vulnerable. Vulnerability is a requirement to truly connect with God. 

Vulnerability, allows you to connect deeply with yourself, friends, family and strangers. When you are vulnerable people, see the real you. When you experience vulnerability in others, you have the potential to build a deep relationship that benefits you both.

When you can admit your own vulnerability, it becomes easier to resolve the conflict because we know that no one is perfect.

Vulnerability helps us to be honest with ourselves and each other.  It is much harder to lie when you are vulnerable.  You no longer feel ashamed to name your rough edges.

·        Innocence:

An open heart helps you to see the world with fresh eyes as God does. To be able to see things as though it was the first time.  To be able to live in the moment and stay open to surprises. 

Innocence can open you to your inner child.  We can become engrossed in play enjoying the pleasure of being with other people.

Innocence can prevent you from getting caught in your ego. When you are in a place of openness and integrity, it is more difficult to get caught up in the old narrative that prevents you from being your best. Connecting to God in everyday life requires openness of body (sensations), head (thoughts) and heart (emotions).

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It is a matter of learning to observe yourself without judgment.  With time and practice, you will get more in touch with the holy wisdom that comes from our quiet mind, emotions of the heart and sensations of the body. 

Don't be afraid by the uncomfortable thoughts, sensations or emotions that you experience.  To let them go, you need to experience them. The more you run away from them, the worse they will get.

Pay attention to your intuition.  Remember this is a gift from God. With practice, you will know the difference between your intuition and your ego. The ego voice is usually loud, impatient and demeaning.

Take the risk of revealing yourself to another person.  Your heart will show you the person whom you are meant to get to know.  Don’t be afraid of your emotions.  They are signs for you.  They will be markers on your road of life.

One of the best ways to get to know God is through another person.  God reflects his or her love through each of us.  It doesn't matter what your skin colour is, it doesn't matter what your ethnic background is, it doesn't matter what your religious beliefs are, it doesn't matter what your gender is, and it doesn't matter what your sexual orientation is.

Every time you spend time with another person you are getting to know God better.  As well, the more you spend getting to know yourself the more you will get to know God.

Learn to honour yourself because you are a temple for the holy.

 

I am, Roland Legge, a Life Coach here to help you connect with God in everyday life. You can join my private newsletter list for Free Monthly Advice and get Your Free Enneagram Test and sign up for a Free 30 Minute Discovery Call with me in my Acuity Scheduling Calendar.