All too often, doesn’t it seem in our “have to have” world that we forget to appreciate our life as it is? It may be true that we don’t live in a palace, and perhaps we haven’t gotten all that we would like to have in this world quite yet, but surely there is much in our life for which we can be grateful.  I knew a young man once, named Miguel, who didn’t appear to have many worldly possessions. His home was a minuscule room built on the side of my neighbor’s garage. He worked as a janitor at night and as a handyman around the neighborhood during the day. Rumor had it that he sent most of the meager wages he earned to his parents and younger siblings who lived somewhere in Mexico. Yet, I’d never seen a happier person. He walked with joy in his step, he actually whistled while he worked, and there was always light in his large, brown eyes. Curious as to how he could sustain such joy, I asked him his secret. He told me, “Any day above ground is a good day.”

Let’s face it, earth life is a limited offer. Life in this world is finite. But, we’re here now! Just being alive was reason enough for Miguel to feel gratitude. Our life is a miracle that we have not made or earned. As the saying goes, “Life is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present.” But, have we said, “thank you” for the gift and does our life express our gratitude? Are we waiting, instead, for more…and more “things” before we sing our song of thanksgiving?

If we had all the material possessions that money could buy, but we couldn’t feel appreciation for them, what good would our possessions be to us? And, likewise, if we were able to feel joy in being alive, whether we possessed anything at all, then our “neediness” would disappear.

Prosperity and abundant good but come about for us in the future, but we hold the gift of “the present” in our hands right now. Let the music of our hearts play a song of praise so the we may dance with the Spirit today.

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Within a forum, it’s possible to share your ideas and gain useful feedback immediately. This does not mean that you have to accept what they say unconditionaly, but it can give you a much deeper understanding or even help you to grasp a particular concept that was difficult when you studied A Course In Miracles on your own.

There are some times when a group will not only help you in coming to a greater understanding of the fundamental concepts, but they can also offer you a supportive environment that will nurture and foster you both mentally and spiritually. It becomes easier to explore your own ideas and suggestions when you know that others interested in A Course In Miracles welcome your thoughts.

Sometimes ideas and thoughts in relation to forgiveness, personal sacrifice and dealing with spiritual feelings can be very emotional, and it is often very helpful to have others around you that can offer you advice and support as you come to grips with your own spiritual awakening.

Though it is fine to study a course like A Course In Miracles on your own, your understanding and awareness will almost certainly come at a much faster pace when you are able to participate in A Course In Miracles forum setting. In this kind of environment, people quickly see that they’re encouraged to open up and even learn to enjoy doing so in such a friendly place.

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A spiritual story can also be seen in a similar light as the 3D pictures from a few decades ago. You may remember the elaborate pages of art that had hidden pictures within them. Even when many people were prompted they could still not see the hidden drawings that the pictures contained. This was because they were letting the colorful pictures overshadow the little buried treasures. It is much the same with spiritual stories. Sometimes the teachings within a story aren’t apparent the first time people read it.

The benefits to these spiritual parables are in the challenge to our thinking and also the growth that they bring to an individual’s spiritual and emotional being. There is never a right or a wrong lesson to be taken from any of these words. The experience is completely unique and personal. This is perhaps one of the greatest blessings that are brought about through the sharing of a spiritual story. Teaching others is not always required for them to receive new understanding and insights. These stories concisely point out lessons and obligations that all can gain from in some way.

Spiritual stories that have spiritual knowledge and lessons to share offer benefit to all who hear them and read them and this knowledge does not leave us. The words of a particular parable may fade over time but the core meaning will steadfastly be an ever present part of our spirit. Therefore, whenever needed we can still draw upon it.

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When you ask for help or guidance, you are signaling that you truly desire that help or guidance, and that you are willing and anxious to accept it. As you might expect, asking for the help you desire sends a clearer, stronger signal, making an answer easier to receive and increasing your sensitivity to the answer in whatever form it may take, whether direct or symbolic messages sent to your consciousness, or hints, whispers, and metaphoric messages that manifest themselves in your outer world.

You are likely already asking questions internally in your day-to-day life, though seldom in the conscious, directed fashion that brings answers. Do you ever find that your inner dialog contains questions and thoughts like these: “I wish I knew just what to do here”, or “Is this job really right for me?”, “I really want some help with this!”, and so on. If so, whether you realize it or not, you are requesting for guidance from your intuition. And you are already receiving answers, yet are not really in the proper frame of mind to receive them, leaving you despairing and insensitive to the Replies you do receive.

Learning appropriate practices and settings with which to apply your questions and receive responses will profoundly affect the clarity of your asking and your sensitivity to the responses you receive in a deep way. Likewise, learning the nature and form of questions that you are most attuned to is key, meaning that refining and empowering such will empower your intuitive potential. When you are more conscious of your questions, you invite greater focus and clarity, both to your current standing and perspectives, and to the guidance you invoke when you ask them.

The Intuition Zone program provides deep insight into the types of questions to ask when you seek this kind of guidance, with specific guidelines, including frames of reference, settings for Yes-No questions, open ended questions, what to avoid, and more, with specific examples. Click to learn more about Aine Belton’s Intuition Zone program.

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