Meditation is the practice of being physically situated in a quiet setting while releasing mental content as it arises. However, the crux of the matter is to give you the ability to consciously direct the thought waves of the mind HereNow - not to accumulate time spent practicing or to get that practice just right.

If you don't enjoy meditation and make your self do it anyways (or judge your self for not doing it) you deny your own spirit - thus resisting your own awakening.

Specifically, spiritual practice is whatever creates an opening in awareness for spirit to fill. Whether it be meditation, bathing, walking, sunbathing, appreciating nature, yoga etc -  when in the state of relaxed enjoyment, space is allowed between mental commentary; and in that space, the spirit that is You enters awareness.

Conversely, the perceived 'need' for any method of practice creates a more (or less depending on your beliefs) spiritual self image, thus requiring additional mental activity to uphold the false sense of self - which actually resists the presence of spirit and creates dis-ease. In this way, it's common to believe that one needs to meditate more in order to attain more peace, a better life, enlightenment, etc..

However, this belief in itself judges and thereby gives credence to the self image - the only hinderance to spiritual awakening.

Whether you enJoy a structured method of spiritual practice or not, the point is to relax mental concepts of self, not to create a more spiritual self. To the extent control over the self is released, space is being allowed for You to be more fully 'who you are'.

Notwithstanding any practice, the true test and opportunity to refine your abilities comes in the moment of 'triggered' (uncomfortable/painful) emotion. When you remain devoted to relaxing mental concepts while in the grips of emotion, you allow progress that is exponentially more profound than countless hours of meditation or any other spiritual practice.

Perfect practice is the release of mental tension HereNow. Forget what you think you've done or what you think you need to do and practice perfectly in this moment - the only one you can ever experience.

Although we are conditioned, through our focus on what we know of the material world, that instinct is predominantly necessary for protection from harm and the will to survive, our higher self has infinite other aspects expressed through instinct. The world is only hostile to the extent that we make it so, and when we focus on our need for protection and accomplishment predominantly, we hold ourselves in vibrational patterns that attract more of the same.

Most of us only know God as protective and reactive because these aspects are the most relevant to what is “known” in the material world.  We can move beyond these two God-aspects when we open ourselves to guidance toward a state of peace and pure being - which is the birthright of everyone.

Here are the steps I take to explore the more spiritual aspects of instinct:

• Meditation – with eyes closed, a quiet mind and attention to breath, our source energy can communicate directly with every cell in our bodies.  This allows our whole body to receive information that will direct us toward the realization of our true desires.
• Acceptance – by allowing everything to be as it is now, we are open to new and ever-expansive possibilities.
• Gratitude – appreciating all that we are projects a vibratory pattern that attracts more to appreciate.
• Faith – knowledge that all the beautiful and wonderful possibilities that we can imagine have already been given.  This minimizes doubtful thoughts, thereby allowing us to be more aware of our guidance.
• Joyful action – doing what feels inspired at the time from a perspective of expecting to always create deeper joy throughout our journey in this life experience.
• Love – allowing ourselves to see everything and everyone through the eyes of love is the truest expression of God into the life of the world.  When we are in love with everything, we are one with everything, and then we can experience God as pure being.