PortWatch
Health and Well-Being: Achieving spiritual growth starts from the inside
Many people are searching for depth and meaning in their lives, for refuge from the too-often soul-less life at the surface of things. And so spirituality is of great interest today.
But these days, what passes for spiritual growth opportunities often lead nowhere. Much new-age spirituality, however well-intended, provokes energy and interest, but it doesn't deliver anything of lasting value. And belief-based faith in an organized religion can grant many benefits, but typically authentic spiritual growth is not among them. Spiritual growth requires the right knowledge and tools and the commitment to use them, along with the support to use them effectively.
Consider that the foundation of deep spirituality is insight. Spiritual insight flows from experiential knowledge, not from ordinary thinking and feeling. And experiential knowledge is rooted in deep awareness.
All great religions were sourced from revelations that flowed from this deep and profound awareness. But in time, those who lack a real grasp of the profound experiential knowledge that gave birth to a religion inevitably bring a religion down. They bring it down into an affair of power, control, dogma, belief and even down into their wicked offspring: murder and mayhem.
The profound dictum "Do Unto Others ..." is perhaps the single most important "spiritual call" we'll ever hear. But as the evidence shows all too clearly, no one can do it who lacks spiritual awareness and insight.
So how do we develop our capacity for deep awareness, for experiential knowledge? Again, we need the right knowledge and tools. All religions have a spiritual inner core that contains such knowledge and tools, but they are often buried and even hidden. And they don't come with an up-to-date, clearly written user's manual.
We have to work to find such knowledge and tools and then work hard again to use and test them properly. We're willing to spend four years and $150,000-plus to get a college diploma, but we expect to find God and the sacred dimension of life in a weekend. And when we don't, we say they don't exist or we'll worry about that after we die.
Blindly following spiritual teachers and their teachings is also risky business. I've been a meditation teacher for years, and I've studied with some of the most accomplished spiritual teachers around. And I've treated many people who have been burned badly by spiritual teachers and in their communities.
Spiritual teachers can become a trigger for the release of energies within ourselves that we mistakenly project onto them. We find ourselves dangerously caught in the right experience — but the wrong story line. It takes hard work to reclaim these projections and the story line.
The fact is spiritual teachers never embody what they teach 100 percent of the time. At best, they inhabit what they teach, part time.
The stress-free state that I have mentioned in previous articles is a state of calm, clear, luminous and peaceful awareness. It not only can protect us against the ravages of stress hormones, but it can also allow us to move into the deep awareness that grants experiential knowledge and spiritual insight.
When you find yourself caught in racing thoughts and concepts, take a deep breath and on the out breath, just let your breath go. Don't walk it out, just let it release. At the end of the out breath, you'll find a taste of the awareness I am talking about. This method is an ancient yogic practice, one you can do on your own.
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Dr. Jim Manganiello (www.drjimmanganiello.com) is a clinical psychologist based in Groveland-West Boxford. He is also an author and teacher focusing on stress, personal growth and inner fitness. His "Awareness Minute" spots air throughout the week on WNBP, AM 1450. E-mail him at drmanganiello@comcast.net.
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Newburyport High grad takes1,600-mile ride of a lifetime — by scooter
Mike Avagianos, who grew up in Newburyport, set off from Boston on his scooter July 10 on an adventure to recharge his batteries and contemplate the next phase in his life. He reached his destination of Austin, Texas, this past Sunday.
Mike Avagianos was bored, dissatisfied and ultimately unhappy. However, unlike many in his shoes, he decided to do something to change all that.
He embarked on sort of a cross-country excursion, from Boston to Austin. -
Labor Day Festival packs in final stanza of summer fun
Newburyport native Kathy Heywood is bringing back her Labor Day Festival for the second year, an event that marks the end of the summer season with a nod to helping local charities and organizations.
Heywood, a former chairwoman of Newburyport's Yankee Homecoming summer celebration, planned the festival last year after the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce & Industry decided not to hold its annual Buskers Festival, a longtime Labor Day weekend tradition in the city. -
The Lookout: Artist's watercolors highlight 'Historic Port & Neighbors'
Watercolorist Anne Recchia uncovers "Historic Newburyport & Neighbors" as the featured artist this month at Bridge Gallery in downtown Newburyport at 1R Water St.
Recchia was inspired to create many of the paintings in the exhibit after completing a course on historic preservation at Boston Architectural College. -
Back to School
Ready for a fresh take on the after-school snack? We've dreamed up some delicious new approaches to keeping the kids content after they get off the bus.
DRIED FRUIT AND POPCORN BARS
Start to Finish: 1 hour (10 minutes active) -
When it comes to nutritious choices, parents need to do their homework
You want your back-to-schooler to eat a healthy diet, so you pack a "wheat" bread sandwich and tuck a "juice" drink in her brown-bag lunch. But did you know that loaf simply labeled "wheat" may be just white bread with added coloring? And the "juice" drink may contain more water than juice?
- The Mother Load: Losing control over the remote
- Tim's Tips:
- August 27, 2010
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- Works of wooden art
- Health Beat
- August 26, 2010
- Region's outdoor concerts hitting their final notes
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- The Lookout: A timely 'Picnic' unfolds on Playhouse stage
- August 25, 2010
- FILLING THE LUNCH BOX
- Tim's Tips: Bouncing back from summer's dryness
- Going Green: Step lightly on the Earth heading back to school
- Roll out the fun with paper beads and baskets
- BBQ My Way: How sweet it is
- Biting into the tastiest tomatoes in your garden
- August 20, 2010
- Actress, Buddhist monk bringing principles of peaceful living to Byfield
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