Spiritual practices for everyone
Lynne Bundesen
Spirituality is not the prerogative of the few that attend a church regularly. Spirituality is for everyone. As someone said: In every peach there is a stone. So likewise, we all have spiritual sense. And we can discover it as an asset. It is the most individual task how to cultivate spiritual sense best. It opens up a new world - many describe this as feeling safe and secure all the time - as having an inner compass around continually. With spiritual sense you are not alone anymore.
Christ Jesus taught us that there is something like "spiritual sense", he showed us how to use it, and we can learn from him. Like Mary Baker Eddy did. She shares in Miscellaneous Writings something that resonates with all of us, talking about "a true sense not unfamiliar":
"Two individuals, with all the goodness of generous natures, advise me. One says, Go this way; the other says, Take the opposite direction! Between the two I stand still; or, accepting the premonition of one of them, I follow his counsel, take a few steps, then halt. A true
sense not unfamiliar has been awakened. I see the way now. The guardians of His presence go before me. I enter the path. It may be smooth, or it may be rugged; but it is always straight and narrow; and if it be uphill all the way, the ascent is easy and the summit can
be gained." (p. 347)
When it comes to training our spiritual sense, I have found inspiration from Lynne Bundesen's work. So lets meet her:
Lynne Bundesen is an author of books, articles, columns, a world-famous photographer and photojournalist, foremost a thinker, who lived and worked in the US, in Asia, and in Europe (currently she is sharing her time between Brighton, England, and Santa Fe, New Mexico). She has been learning from Biblical spirituality and Mary Baker Eddy's works all her years, and she has been dedicating her life to spirituality in a unique way. In five books she wrote about spiritual issues in such a compelling way that women and men from many faiths listened and listen. Her dedication to the Christian Science movement runs deep, although she has published almost exclusively outside Christian Science publication channels.
I feel she is kind of a Christian Science diplomat moving with ease between cultures and religious diversity. An example you can find on her website: Ten spiritual practices. A friend with whom I shared this list had already a healing by putting into practice #5. For #3 I pick every week the current Christian Science Bible lesson. And I read with quiet attention two pages of Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy. Every day. No matter what. Here is Lynne's list of Ten spiritual practices:
Christ Jesus taught us that there is something like "spiritual sense", he showed us how to use it, and we can learn from him. Like Mary Baker Eddy did. She shares in Miscellaneous Writings something that resonates with all of us, talking about "a true sense not unfamiliar":
"Two individuals, with all the goodness of generous natures, advise me. One says, Go this way; the other says, Take the opposite direction! Between the two I stand still; or, accepting the premonition of one of them, I follow his counsel, take a few steps, then halt. A true
sense not unfamiliar has been awakened. I see the way now. The guardians of His presence go before me. I enter the path. It may be smooth, or it may be rugged; but it is always straight and narrow; and if it be uphill all the way, the ascent is easy and the summit can
be gained." (p. 347)
When it comes to training our spiritual sense, I have found inspiration from Lynne Bundesen's work. So lets meet her:
Lynne Bundesen is an author of books, articles, columns, a world-famous photographer and photojournalist, foremost a thinker, who lived and worked in the US, in Asia, and in Europe (currently she is sharing her time between Brighton, England, and Santa Fe, New Mexico). She has been learning from Biblical spirituality and Mary Baker Eddy's works all her years, and she has been dedicating her life to spirituality in a unique way. In five books she wrote about spiritual issues in such a compelling way that women and men from many faiths listened and listen. Her dedication to the Christian Science movement runs deep, although she has published almost exclusively outside Christian Science publication channels.
I feel she is kind of a Christian Science diplomat moving with ease between cultures and religious diversity. An example you can find on her website: Ten spiritual practices. A friend with whom I shared this list had already a healing by putting into practice #5. For #3 I pick every week the current Christian Science Bible lesson. And I read with quiet attention two pages of Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy. Every day. No matter what. Here is Lynne's list of Ten spiritual practices:
- Resolving to bring Spirit nearer and dearer to us is the first step. Motives lead to action.
- Don't be afraid of good. Good is natural, and though it may not seem as interesting as the convoluted byways of dramatic horror, good is enriching and normal.
- Make a spiritual text your own. Pick one that speaks to you: The Psalms of the Bible; The Bhagavad-Gita; a poem by the Persian mystic Rumi, or for those who would like an easier start, perhaps the works of Khalil Gibran. Commit to reading ten minutes each and every day. The effect is both immediate and cumulative, and is unique to you alone.
- Watch your thoughts. Listen and discern. We hear so much of our own thought that often the Voice of Spirit is distant and muffled. Listen to good ideas, ideas that benefit you and others, and elevate and nurture them. Look for the profitable and hopeful.
- Give up an opinion. Heavily weighted opinions wear us down. Simply surrender one, let it go. You alone know which of your opinions, your prejudices, is a burden to you and the world. Let that one go. And then, another.
- Take a day off. Once a week, take a day for not shopping, not watching television, and not participating in business. A Sabbath day is not a useless, outdated, boring concept but a day for refreshment, for walking, writing letters, arranging flowers, reading, cooking a meal that is better than usual, loving yourself and all the life around you. The world will survive without you and you will be the richer for the day.
- Breathe deeply. Practice breathing. It's free. Dr. Weil has three simple breathing exercises that clear the mind and help to calm stress and create wholeness.
- Adopt a pet. Yes, they can be a nuisance, but they can also add years to your life, provide solace, and give a focus outside the self. Even fish in a tank bring serenity and comfort. If a pet is not possible, bring plants into your home and take an interest in them, how they grow, what they need to thrive.
- Walk. The view from the sidewalk, the park trail, the nature path is not the view from behind the wheel of a car. Look up and out and see what is around you with a 30-minute daily walk, no matter the weather. Remember the aphorism: there is no bad weather, only bad clothes.
- Do something for someone else each day of your life. Count it a poor day when you have not volunteered, gone to a community, or church, or faith meeting, or taken cookies to a neighbor. We find our own spirituality in our connection to others' good. There is always something we can do for another and our motives lead us to action, a spiritual life, and a connection.