Trafford Publishing: Living in the Spirit: Applying Spiritual Truth in Daily Life

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Living in the Spirit: Applying Spiritual Truth in Daily Life

by Kathy L. Callahan

146 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-0882; ISBN 1-55395-168-9; US$17.50, C$23.95, EUR15.60, £10.80

Discover the key to unlocking your creative abilities as a co-creator with God by applying spiritual ideals in the ordinary moments of daily life. These ideals, also called the fruits of the Spirit, include patience, understanding, compassion, forgiveness, and love. Learn how to choose your ideal, cultivate that ideal within yourself, manifest your ideal through a daily spiritual practice, and live your ideal in your attitude towards life and in your relationships with others, so you may bring about positive change in your life and in the lives of others. Based on the Edgar Cayce readings.

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about the book about the author table of contents and sample excerpt catalogue info

About the Book

We live in a time of great change. The social, political and technological changes experienced in this generation make our world very different from that of our parents and grandparents. More intriquing than the changes occurring in the physical world, are the changes that are taking place within humanity itself. Slowly, but steadily, people everywhere are coming to see themselves as spiritual beings. More importantly, we are coming to realize that as spiritual beings, we possess the power of co-creation. As co-creators with God, we have a duty to ourselves and to future generations to create as responsibly as possible.
One way to do this is to practice spiritual ideals in all that we think, all that we say, and all that we do. These ideals, also called the fruits of the Spirit, were considered the key to spiritual enlightenment by all of the world's Great Teachers. The fruits of the Spirit include patience, understanding, compassion, forgiveness and love. In this book you will learn how to choose your ideal, cultivate that ideal within yourself, manifest your ideal through a daily spiritual practice, and live your ideal in your attitude towards life and in your relationships with others.
As you do so, you will rediscover your creative capacity to change your life for the better. You will also learn that as you change yourself, you can change the world as well. For the opportunity to make a difference exists not only in the great acts of history, but also in the ordinary moments of daily life. By choosing to manifest spiritual ideals you will bring joy, harmony and peace into your life and the lives of others. As you manifest the fruits of the Spirit, YOU become a catalyst for positive change in the world and help hasten the spiritual awakening of humanity.

About the Author

Author and lecturer, Kathy L. Callahan, Ph.D., is a career Naval officer currently holding the rank of Commander. She has an educational background in Anthropology, with both an M.S. and Ph.D. for Purdue University. She wrote her doctoral thesis on alcoholism treatment among the urban Tohono O'Odham (Papago Indians).

Table of Contents and Sample Excerpt

Foreword, by Mr. Jim Dixon
Introduction
1 The Fruits of the Spirit
2 From Unity to Separation and Back Again
3 The Fruits of the Spirit as Ideals
4 Culivating the Fruits through Affirmation Visualization
5 Cultivating the Fruits through Prayer and Meditation
6 Manifesting the Fruits Within Self
7 Living the Fruits in Daily Life
8 Becoming Co-creators with God
Endnotes
Diagram 1. Levels of Human Consciousness
Diagram 2. The Creative Process
Excerpt from Foreword by Mr. Jim Dixon
Drawing on an impressive background in Ancient Wisdom teachings, the literature of world religions, the great variety of present-day spiritual/metaphysical methods, and her own many years of study in the Edgar Cayce materials--as well as a keen awareness of current philosophical/psychological convictions--Kathy Callahan has developed a compelling case for striving to live the fruits of the Spirit.
At times inspirational, yet always maintaining a focus on the practical aspects of trying to be "spiritual" in today's materialistic society, she presents practical, down-to-earth reasoning with how-to steps while never wavering from the theme that all persons are spirit beings--souls--and are capable of becoming one with the God-force. On the theme that this Third Millennium will see humankind move from its prevalent state of separation-consciousness toward full expression of God-consciousness, she was motivated to write this book by the desire to explore simple ways in which individuals might, in their daily lives, help hasten the spiritual awakening of humankind. She succeeds admirably!
Kathy, and I use the familiar because of the warm relationship I enjoy with this fine author, outlines in her introduction how the "Great Teachers" have all agreed that one's thoughts, with the actions that follow, are the determinants of both individual and collective experience. All point out that daily experiences provide opportunities for the manifestation of behaviors fostering either spiritual growth or retardation. Both small and large choices, made on a daily basis, represent a step toward God-consciousness or a step back into separation-consciousness.
Such reasoning is directly in line with the concept in the Edgar Cayce readings that tells us that once we have entertained a thought, we have created a fact that is--a fact that will be manifest--and there is no way to stop or to alter it as future manifestation. Universal spirit law decrees that it will be. In this very real sense, we are co-creators with God. The only freedom we have is the manner of responding to it once it has become material fact and that response becomes another fact that is. One of humankind's most important tasks, therefore, is both to understand and to accept personal responsibility for individual thought processes.
Also pointed out in this book, at the very outset, is the universally agreed principle that each person's thoughts and actions in "the little acts" of daily life have ramifications affecting all of humanity. Again, the Edgar Cayce readings concur by stating, in effect, that every thought we think affects all souls everywhere, whether they are incarnate or discarnate! An awesome concept, but one that points out the potential that each of us has for helping bring about an overall spiritual awakening in our times.
Having established the basic ideas about our thoughts and their effect upon others, Kathy then develops the principle that our thoughts are generated in accordance with the ideals (either conscious or unconscious) that we hold and those ideals can be deliberately molded to conform to the fruits of the Spirit.
Human thought, she says, is creative and depending on the ideals we choose, we can bring about either miracles or monstrosities. It is incumbent upon us, as the co-creators that we are, to assume ideals that will bring about our own spiritual transformation and, at the same time, hasten the spiritual awakening of humanity. In doing so, miraculous changes for all humankind can be wrought. Our personal choices can and do contribute to such miracles.
All of this has taken place within her introduction to the book!
From that point, Kathy guides the reader through a well-developed discourse on "the fruits of the Spirit," a phrase coined by Saint Paul in his letter to the Romans. Such fruits, of course, refer to the virtues or spiritual attributes that all Great Teachers tell us are the keys to personal spiritual transformation. Far from being isolated to Christian teachings, the fruits of the Spirit are referred to in both traditional and current theological instruction. The Edgar Cayce readings, as well, point out that consciously choosing to focus on these fruits will awaken within the awareness of the soul the personality of God's indwelling. That, in turn, leads to understanding of our unity with all creation.
We are then led, gently and lovingly, through discussions of assuming the fruits of the Spirit as spiritual ideals, cultivating those fruits through affirmative visualization, prayer and meditation, and the process of both manifesting and living the fruits in daily life. At every point along the way, we are given step-by-step guidance in how to develop practical applications of these concepts in our own lives.
The final chapter of the book offers the view that global spiritual awakening not only is a possibility for humankind but it has already begun taking place. The increased reports of experiences with "angelic" beings, the vast increase in reports of near-death experiences, and both awareness of and confirmed occurrences of psychic sensitivity of all varieties point out that humankind's consciousness has been drastically removed from its former material/physical focus. Holism developing in health practices, as well as affirmed relationships between prayer and healing, point to heightened spiritual sensibilities among human beings. And openness in today's society to the possibility of the reincarnation/karma theories--all point to the growth in human consciousness that all are, in fact, souls and are fast moving toward a time when being "spiritual" will be the norm.
Our developing spiritual vision as the very nature of life itself moves us ever closer to unity-consciousness in which the brother/sisterhood of humankind will prevail throughout the earth. The small but potent book you hold in your hand presents a beautifully formulated guide to becoming a fully conscious, creative "member in the body of God", as St. Paul revealed in the twelfth chapter of First Corinthians. In that capacity, we all can experience their full potential and, as the prodigal sons and daughters that we are, all can make the journey back to our rightful places in Spirit.
Excerpt from the Book
When I first conceived of the idea for this book, I was hoping to discover some ways in which we all might become catalysts for positive change and enlightenment. I wanted to explore some of the simple ways an individual might, in his or her daily life, help hasten the spiritual awakening of humanity.
As I reviewed some of the world's best known spiritual teachings I realized that not only was this possible, but that we are already engaged in this process! Although we may not be fully aware of it, our daily thoughts and actions determine whether we impede humanity's spiritual awakening or serve as a channel for spiritual growth and transformation. The world's spiritual teachings tell us that enlightenment begins not with the great acts of history, but with the simple choices we make each day.
The Great Teachers also knew that our thoughts are as important as our actions. They recognized that thoughts can reach beyond our minds and affect the reality of the physical world. The idea that "thoughts are things" that affect reality is an ancient concept common to many religions and philosophies.
These teachings show us that our simple thoughts and ordinary actions present us with opportunities to make a difference, in our own lives and in the lives of others. Each thought we think, each word we speak, and each action we perform provide us with an opportunity to demonstrate a God-consciousness or to put our self-serving wants above others. The opportunity to make a difference manifests not only in the great acts of history but also in the ordinary moments of daily life.
It is true that in today's secular world it is often hard for us to conceive that we can be a catalyst for positive change. ... Yet it is precisely because of the complexity of our lives and the many alternatives we face each day that we need to ensure the choices we make are the right ones. Each situation, however small or insignificant it may seem, is an opportunity for spiritual growth or stagnation. It is here, in the "little acts of kindness" that each individual soul can and does make a difference.
Further, the Great Teachers recognized that that the decisions we face in "the little acts" of daily life have consequences that affect all of humanity. Each time anyone makes the choice of good over evil it brings that soul a little closer to God. Each time a soul draws closer to its spiritual source, all of humanity moves a little closer as well. The spiritual awakening of humanity thus depends upon individual spiritual development as demonstrated in the ordinary moments of daily life.
At this time in history we are rediscovering that we are co-creators with God. He endowed us with the freedom to choose our thoughts and the creative capacity to bring forth the physical manifestations of those thoughts. We are learning that as we change ourselves, we can change the world as well. Human thought is creative, and depending on the ideals we choose, we can bring forth miracles or monstrosities.
As co-creators, we must learn to practice the fruits of the Spirit in daily life in order to bring about our own spiritual transformation and hasten the spiritual awakening of humanity. The Christian theologian Saint Paul identified nine fruits: patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, peace, joy and love. Other Great Teachers identified understanding, compassion, charity, mercy, hope, humility, harmony, and forgiveness.
The fruits of the Spirit can be thought of as spiritual attributes, virtues, or ideals that help us elevate our thought processes to a higher level of spiritual awareness. By focusing on these ideals, hateful thoughts are converted to loving ones, negative emotions are transformed into positive energy and illness-producing resentments are released. Through the application of spiritual ideals, we stop seeing distressing situations and difficult relationships as hardships and learn to see them as opportunities for spiritual growth.
Just thinking about these ideals, however, even on a daily basis, is not enough. We must practice applying the fruits of the Spirit in all aspects of daily life. Methods that can help us cultivate spiritual ideals include affirmation, visualization, prayer, and meditation. We must then learn to manifest these ideals within ourselves--in our thoughts and attitudes--and live those ideals in our relationships with others. The practice of spiritual ideals through these methods is the key to personal spiritual transformation whereby we move from a separation-consciousness to God-consciousness. In turn, spiritual transformation on a personal level will one day lead us to a global spiritual awakening as human beings everywhere claim their birthright as co-creators with God.
The thoughts and actions of each individual on planet Earth do matter. They shape our present and determine humanity's future. Our destiny lies in the conscious expression of our creative abilities. We must therefore do everything we can to ensure that we use this power wisely. By working in accordance with the Divine Laws of the Universe and manifesting the fruits of the Spirit, we can create the best possible future for ourselves, our children, and for all humanity.

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