  Spiritual
This week: Creating a Sacred Space Edited by: Shannon  
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Welcome to the Spiritual Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week. |
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I love rituals and have incorporated a few into my spiritual practice. I don't really know why, but somehow repeating certain steps relaxes and grounds me, preparing me for meditation and prayer.
Of course you don't need a special place, special items, or special rituals to meditate and/or pray, but I find relegating certain spaces, items, and rituals to my spiritual practice makes it a priority, and I believe that something as powerful as prayer should be a priority.
If you want to create your own sacred space, choose an area inside or outside your home and beautify it. I prefer the outdoors when the weather's nice. A small garden bench or blanket on the grass suits me perfectly. Candles or incense add a nice touch, as does somewhere to place your sacred items. I also love twinkle lights. They are very beautiful and soothing, and they set the mood for when you want to worship in your yard or garden at night. When I'm outside, I prefer the sounds of nature as my soundtrack: birds, a river or stream, the wind whispering through the leaves, squirrels chittering at each other. There's nothing more spiritual than immersing yourself in God's creation, and just the act of communing with nature is prayer in and of itself.
During inclement weather I stay indoors and dedicate one small corner of the spare upstairs bedroom to my spiritual practice. A comfortable chair or meditation cushion works quite nicely (I prefer to sit on the floor). You may beautify your sacred space with candles, incense, flowers in a vase or potted plants, inspirational artwork (I prefer nature scenes, preferably photos I've taken myself and printed on canvas), soft music, an altar, various sacred items ... the possibilities are endless and as individual as you are. There are many options available to choose from in an attempt to personalize your practice and make it your own.
Do you have a sacred space? What does it look like? What items (if any) do you incorporate? Tell us about your rituals and I'll share them in next month's newsletter.
Thank you for reading.
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I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. Please do the authors the courtesy of reviewing the ones you read. Thank you, and have a great week!
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A Christmas tale told to a former skeptic on the eve of his execution, 1,950 years ago.
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The following is in response to "Mortification of the Flesh" :
kevint writes, "Thank you Shannon. Great newsletter. One of my favorites. Love the Cult-'ism' analogy. I was lost and suffered from Sin-'ism' and then was found and became a happy, joyous, and free cult member.  Now I consider myself just another Bozo on the bus and thank god I'm not the one driving. My basic core belief system is rooting in the following and posted on my personal blog: My Anchor and Core Belief--A few words on my Faith philosophy and core beliefs on the fate and condition of humanity: I'm a believer in the Bible and the basic doctrines the Christian church is founded upon. Christ is the promised Messiah and will return again. I believe that we humans do not possess the wisdom, knowledge, intelligence, or understanding to care for ourselves and our planet. In the course of our history we have attempted every conceivable type of rule and governmental system, to govern ourselves and civilizations, none of which have ever prevented wars and/or human suffering at the hands of other humans. Nor has any of them prevented us from polluting and slowly destroying our planet. Yes, I have no doubt whatsoever in my mind that should these ancient writings and promises prove to be just fantasies and wishful thinking on the part of the writers, then we as a race are screwed, and all hope is lost. Yes, without Christ the whole of humanity is destined to self-destruction. However, regardless of the end outcome it is the responsibly of each and every one of us to fight to make a difference and to try and make the world a better place."
Quick-Quill  writes, "When I read the first part I immediately thought of the white monk in Angels and Demons. Yet, I just talked to a woman who informed me she didn't want to discuss writing on Sunday. Her husband didn't trust social media of any kind. She has no platform for her book and thinks it will be a best seller because a couple of ladies thought it sounded 'interesting.' Her dress and manner is one of entire 'fasting'--denying self to elevate ones status with God. Is it pleasing? I feel this way: If a person looks at you and says, 'There is a modest, nicely-dressed professional woman I'd like to talk to,' rather than one who takes a look, then stares and turns to look again? Or looks and laughs as you pass. I'd rather be the first one. I don't want to be an oddball, but to stand out as one with good taste? That's what I want."
The following is in response to "Cults in America" :
donnab writes, "Nature verses nurture comes to mind with government-controlled experiments, especially this one! Selective participants indicate an apprehensive approach to the study, especially in a prison system. True research involves never acknowledging your existence and being an observer. False environments provide false data, and room full of skilled volunteers in preset conditions only spells disaster!"
Thank you all for taking the time to read and comment. I appreciate your support and feedback. 
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Spiritual: September 03, 2014 Issue [#6509]
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