The Knight in Rusty Armor - A Story of Life Lessons

I’ve always been a bookworm. Ever since I could read the alphabet and make phrases, I would have a book in one hand and licorice in the other. I would read for hours, totally forgetting about people, time and space. Back then it was my escape as child. However, not a mandatory / stressful escape, but a pleasant and completely voluntary one where I would dive in the riches of my fantasy world… a world where there were no limits to my imagination. Those where golden times...

Fast forwarding 30 years later, there are several things that has changed in my life. Except for my mother and father (thank God for that) I hardly can recognize anything from my past. Things have changed drastically, some for the better and… unfortunately, some for the worst. Despite this I know there’s a reason for everything, and I’m overly grateful for the beautiful spiritual journey I’ve departed on since a couple of years.

One great thing I’m learning to do once again is reading. And no, I never stopped reading (if that’s what you think I meant). In fact, there were many academic books, self improvement books and several other similar literature over the years. No, in this case I’m actually referring to back to those days, when all I needed as a child to be happy and content, was a good storybook in one hand and…uhm…well, maybe not licorice this time, but a chocolate frappe in the other.

I now find myself all over again engaged in hours of reading, releasing whatever stress or tension the day may have brought. Good ol’ days in present time…what else could I want? Well, one added element I did not do when I was a young kid, is the fact that now I want to share…    

In this case I just read The Knight in Rusty Armor by Robert Fisher and I must say it’s one of the most meaningful stories I have read for a long, long time. Fisher skillfully uses various elements in the story as metaphors for the challenges we face in life. Moreover, he includes important lessons we should all learn so as to help us find more clarity in this seemingly complicated world.

The story is about a knight who led a busy life fighting battles, slaying dragons and rescuing damsels in distress because he wanted to prove that he was good, kind and loving. He loved his armor so much that he decided to keep it on at all times, so much so that his faithful wife Juliet and young son Christopher forgot how he looked without it.

When he finally reluctantly agreed to take off his armor for fear that his wife and son would leave him, he realized that he couldn’t remove it. He had kept it on for so long that it was stuck on him. The knight subsequently set off on a difficult and punishing quest to remove his armor and in the process, he rediscovered his true self and the meaning of life.

I absolutely love this story because I can relate to it so well. Actually, I have no doubt everyone can relate to it. The rusty armor can be considered a metaphor for the masks that we put on in life. These masks protect us but they also prevent others and especially ourselves from seeing the real us. Most of us have adopted social masks for so long that we believe we are those masks. But this couldn’t be more far from the truth. A sad thing is that we are all born with the greatest potentials, but along the way most of us sell ourselves short.

I highly recommend reading this book, which you can download here totally for free in PDF form. Enjoy reading… and feel free to leave any comment!

Melinda

Why We Are Limited As Human Beings And How Acquiring Spiritual Wealth Will Greatly Enrich Your Life

spiritual wealth is wealth that derives from knowledge. To gain spiritual wealth entails acquiring spiritual knowledge. Facts and information about the spiritual aspect of life are what constitute spiritual knowledge. Such facts and information include: facts about our spiritual nature and the purpose of our life; information about God and the role He plays in human affairs; facts and information on the way our spirituality shapes and orders human life and society; and information on the spiritual principles and processes that regulate our activities and influence the outcome of our pursuits.

We require these facts and information if we are to avoid groping through life guided only by our instincts and emotions. We need these facts and information if we are to perform at our full potential and so get the most out of life.

Let us now examine the many benefits a person will derive from acquiring spiritual knowledge.

Human ability is limited. So is our life span. Consequently, no one has the ability or the time to acquire knowledge and skill in all areas of human endeavour. And so each individual acquires training and then participates in a particular trade or profession. No human being can accomplish all things. If a businessman’s car breaks down, he will need a mechanic to fix it. And in the event that the mechanic falls ill, he will need to see a doctor for treatment. We need others and others need us. The sexes need each other in the domestic enterprise of starting and raising a family. It is an apt description of our situation when we say: “no man is an island”.

Clearly, we are a social species which is why we are constantly interacting with one another. The day begins at home with interaction amongst family members. At the work place we are involved with colleagues, superiors or subordinates. Here also, we have to attend to those who need our products or services and deal with those whose products or services we need. In between the home and work place we have to contend with other road users.

How skillful we are at relating to others goes a long way towards determining how happy and successful we are at home and at work. One of the benefits of acquiring spiritual knowledge is that it enables us to develop interpersonal skills.

Things do not always turn out happily or successfully in spite of our best efforts, individually or collectively. There have been instances where doctors have asked patients to go home and await death as nothing more could be done for them – medical science has reached its limit. In spite of impressive advances in modern medicine, sickness is still a major cause of untimely deaths. Technical faults, human error and natural causes have resulted in tragic loss of human lives in accidents involving the different modes of transportation. Our sophisticated early warning devices and protective measures have not always proved adequate in safeguarding us from natural disasters caused by floods, violent storms and earthquake.

Apparently, our limitations as human beings make us unable to cope with every situation or circumstance. On our own, we cannot always ensure our safety, welfare and the success of our pursuits. This is why humans, all through the ages, have instinctively sought to reach out to a power much greater than them to help ensure their well being. And the good thing is this. God created us with limited ability but in His infinite wisdom He has made His unlimited capabilities available to us.

Another benefit of acquiring spiritual knowledge is that it makes us able to access the unlimited powers of God through exercise of faith in Him. The dictum, “knowledge is power” clearly applies here. The spiritually enlightened individual is a spiritually empowered person.

Human beings have conscience which makes them aware of the choice they ought to make between right and wrong. This, in effect, means that some things we say or do are wrong and some things we say or do are right. A natural consequence of this is that human beings need to be discouraged from doing wrong and they also need to be encouraged to do good. Hence, wrongdoing usually attracts unpleasant consequences while the good we do usually brings us reward.

In fact , our criminal justice system conforms to this pattern. Punishment is meted out to wrongdoers to serve as deterrent. On the other hand, society, by way of encouragement, offers all manner of rewards and awards for those who contribute positively to the system. And this includes the wages or salaries we receive for doing even the most mundane jobs. A porter who helps someone carry their baggage will be rewarded with a tip. But if he steals a bag and is caught, the law will punish him.

And this brings us to yet another benefit of acquiring spiritual knowledge. We are moral beings and spiritual enlightenment enables the individual to attain a high moral state. In addition to being able to tell right from wrong, such a person will be very responsive to their conscience. This way, they will be able to avoid wrongdoing and its repercussions. Such a person will always strive to do good since they know that good deeds will, sooner or later, be rewarded.

It is said that “where there is a will, there is a way” and that “if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again”. But not everyone is aware of the amazing results determination and perseverance can produce in our efforts to realize our goals and aspirations. Human beings will be spared a lot of worries, doubts and fears if they are aware of the spiritual principle which provides that success will inevitably crown our efforts if we persevere in the pursuit of a goal and if we have faith in God.

Fidel Castro, the Cuban leader, is a man who has made it to the top. His view on what it takes to journey from the bottom to the top is noteworthy. He said: “It does no matter how small you are if you have faith and plan of action”. Awareness of the abovementioned spiritual principle is another important benefit we derive from acquiring spiritual knowledge.

Many people, at one time or another, may have experienced the situation I am about to describe. You have just gone through a bad situation and you are upset. Then someone says or does something annoying and you flare up and respond harshly. What this person has said or done is something you would ordinarily have overlooked but on this occasion you fly off the handle. Why did this happen? Here is the explanation.

The human mind is a creative device such that mental conditions tend to spontaneously manifest as observable phenomena. Any condition, image or vision we hold on to in the mind will, sooner or later, translate into physical reality. This is a natural creative process – the process that produces the awesome power of belief. The power of belief is a spiritual resource we can employ to achieve seemingly impossible feats.

This is what Jesus Christ, the great religious teacher, has to say about the power of belief: “If you can? Everything is possible for him who believes”. (The Bible, Mark 9: 23). He did not mention this all-important concept only once. He touched on it again on another occasion. Hear him: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”. (The Bible, Mark 11: 24). Napoleon Hill, world-famous author of the book, Think and Grow Rich, expressed this concept very succinctly in this statement: “Whatever a man can conceive and believe he can achieve”.

And so we come to yet another important benefit a person can derive from acquiring spiritual knowledge. The spiritually enlightened individual is able to consciously employ this spiritual resource that is available to us to effectively deal with the difficulties and challenges we all have to face in life. By using affirmations, such a person will hold on to their dream because they know that an unstoppable creative process will ultimately cause their dream to become reality. Such an individual will also appreciate the need to always keep their mind clean by using positive thoughts to clear the mind of negative thoughts and emotions.

That spiritual knowledge is performance-enhancing and life-improving cannot be denied. But then the question arises: “Why is the quality of life of religious people not noticeably different from that of non religious people and the populace of religious nations are not better off than those of secular nations? ”

The answer to this question lies in the fact that the quality of spiritual knowledge available to us thus far is poor. In the established religious teachings, a lot of the facts provided are not backed by proof and many of the beliefs propagated cannot stand up to rational examination. Unverifiable conjectures about existence beyond this life are professed as truths. In fact , fiction, misconception and superstition are being presented as spiritual realities. Obviously, knowledge that is so flawed cannot lead to any great benefits.

But here is cheering news. Quality spiritual knowledge is now available under the name, spiritual Science. This is spiritual knowledge that has been obtained using the scientific methods of observation, experimentation and logical deduction. In scope and depth, spiritual Science provides sufficient spiritual knowledge that will enable humans attain full spiritual enlightenment.

The opportunity to gain spiritual wealth and greatly enrich our lives has never been so good for the human race. We owe it to ourselves to get more out of life by acquiring this knowledge-based wealth.

5 Essentials to Building a Spiritual Home

Good morning to all. Here's a great article about spiritual parenting by Pat Brill. Enjoy!

Copyright 2006 Pat Brill

Building a spiritual home is a top consideration for most parents today. No matter what your religious orientation is, or even if you have one, you want to raise children with a strong sense of morals and a feeling of hope and being connected to something larger than themselves.

There are many things that go into building a spiritual home, but these five aspects are essential to building and sustaining a spiritual home.

1 . Compassion. To raise children with compassion, you want to set an example of being compassionate. Volunteering in your community is one way you can show your compassion—and take the kids with you. It’s a wonderful way for them to learn about people who are less fortunate than they are and also help them be open to the diversity in the world.

2 . Empathy. While compassion is a feeling for people, empathy allows you to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and imagine how they feel, what their lives are really like. The ability to empathize is vital to ensuring that we will be able to understand others. And with the wide range of people our children will encounter during their lives, being able to empathize with them will help them act and react with understanding, rather than frustration and anger in many cases.

3. Discipline. To achieve anything, we humans need to have some discipline. We need it to enable us to get up each day and take care of our responsibilities. Discipline is necessary for setting goals and reaching them. It is also true that on occasions, disciplining our children and giving them the opportunity to reflect on their behavior is necessary. It helps them recognize what they’ve done wrong and discover what they need to do to correct it—and to see what not to do next time around.

4. Gratitude. The ability to be grateful for the wonderful things in our lives is an essential part of a spiritual life and home. We need to set an example for our children by taking time to talk about how thankful we are to have our families, health, homes and all the good things we’re fortunate to have. We need to temper our tendency to complain by spending time reflecting on and talking about the good stuff too. Being able to see the good and be grateful for it is vital to maintaining a healthy attitude when things get rocky and obstacles mount up. Teaching your children to be grateful is something that will be of great comfort and strengthen them throughout their lives.

5. Golden Rule. The foundation of any spiritual home can easily be traced to this simple rule: treat everyone as you would like to be treated. It has been the bedrock of spiritual practices and major religions, practically since the beginning of time, and is a crucial part of any spiritual home. Live by this rule yourself, teach it to your children and expect them to live by it themselves, and your family will have the spiritual foundation it needs to become a strong spiritual home.

Today I'm sharing a wonderful story I came across. It put's your life in perspective. Read one...

***

I walked into the grocery store not particularly interested in buying groceries. I wasn't hungry.. The pain of losing my husband of 57 years was still too raw. And this grocery store held so many sweet memories..

He often came with me and almost every time he'd pretend to go off and look for something special. I knew what he was up to. I'd always spot him walking down the aisle with the three yellow roses in his hands.

He knew I loved yellow roses. With a heart filled with grief, I only wanted to buy my few items and leave, but even grocery shopping was different since he had passed on.

Shopping for one took time, a little more thought than it had for two.

Standing by the meat, I searched for the perfect small steak and remembered how he had loved his steak.

Suddenly a woman came beside me. She was blonde, slim and lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a large package of T-bones, dropped them in her basket... Hesitated, and then put them back. She turned to go and once again reached for the pack of steaks.

She saw me watching her and she smiled. 'My husband loves T-bones, but honestly, at these prices, I don't know.'

I swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her pale blue eyes.

'My husband passed away eight days ago,' I told her. Glancing at the package in her hands, I fought to control the tremble in my voice. 'Buy him the steaks. And cherish every moment you have together.'

She shook her head and I saw the emotion in her eyes as she placed the package in her basket and wheeled away

I turned and pushed my cart across the length of the store to the dairy products. There I stood, trying to decide which size milk I should buy. A Quart, I finally decided and moved on to the ice cream. If nothing else, I could always fix myself an ice cream cone.

I placed the ice cream in my cart and looked down the aisle toward the front. I saw first the green suit, then recognized the pretty lady coming towards me. In her arms she carried a package. On her face was the brightest smile I had ever seen! I would swear a soft halo encircled her blonde hair as she kept walking toward me, her eyes holding mine.

As she came closer, I saw what she held and tears began misting in my eyes.. 'These are for you,' she said and placed three beautiful long stemmed yellow roses in my arms. 'When you go through the line, they will know these are paid for.' She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek, then smiled again. I wanted to tell her what she'd done, what the roses meant, but still unable to speak, I watched as she walked away as tears clouded my vision

I looked down at the beautiful roses nestled in the green tissue wrapping and found it almost unreal. How did she know? Suddenly the answer seemed so clear. I wasn't alone.

Oh, you haven't forgotten me, have you? I whispered, with tears in my eyes.. He was still with me, and she was his angel.

Every day be thankful for what you have and who you are.

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings. Thank you, Lord, that I can hear. There are many who are deaf.

Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible. Thank you, Lord , that I can see. Many are blind.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising. Thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned, tempers are short, and my children are so loud.

Thank you, Lord, for my family.. There are many who are lonely.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the picture in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced..

Thank you, Lord, for the food we have. There are many who are hungry.

Even though the routine of my job often is monotonous. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no job.

Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest.

Thank you, Lord, for life.

Pass this on to the friends you know. It might help a bit to make this world a better place to live, right?

Intelligence vs. Intellect

Spirit has many descriptive names in New Thought. Divine Mind, First Cause, God, Universal Intelligence. Universal Intelligence is the everywhere-present all-knowingness of Spirit. Universal Intelligence knows all things and everything because it knows only itself, which is everything.

Because we are individualized centers of Spirit, we have that Intelligence too. Our Intelligence is our connection to Divine Mind. We are consciously and subconsciously connected to Universal Consciousness and Subconsciousness. When we think, we are connecting with Universal Consciousness. When we use our intuition, for example , we are connecting with Universal Subconsciousness. We have a "knowing" inside of us we need to take heed of. When we have decisions that need to be made, we can connect with Universal Intelligence and know that our decisions will be correct. When we do a spiritual Mind Treatment, we are consciously connecting with Spirit, that all-knowingness of the Universe that can guide us in whatever conditions we need to address. The Intelligence that keeps the planets in alignment, that keeps the Earth rotating, that keeps the Sun shining is at our disposal.

Then there is the Intellect. Intellect is our human reasoning, limited to our five senses and our interpretation of our surroundings. We need our intellect. It performs a very important job. It allows us to observe what is happening in our lives and deduce the Cause -- which is what we are habitually thinking and feeling. Once we know the cause, we are at liberty to change our thinking (the cause) to something better for us.

The sticky part comes when we only use our intellect and not our Intelligence (which is what the human race has been doing in its evolution up until now). When we only use our intellect, we get the "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude toward life. It becomes a tether that keeps us from soaring to our highest spiritual Growth. It keeps us limited to living a life of perception only. Reacting instead of acting.

When has the "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude ever created something or made something happen? Did the first carpenter who made the first chair say, "I'll believe there is such a thing as a chair when I see one"? Did Thomas Edison say "I'll believe there is such a thing as the electric lightbulb, when I see it"? Nothing would ever have been invented with an attitude like that. I will go as far as to say every inventor, every artist has tapped into the Creative Mind of Spirit at those moments. We can all tap into Creative Mind. Universal Intelligence knows all potentiality.

We are at a very exciting time in our evolution. We are moving beyond our Human Intellect. We are connecting with our spiritual Intelligence as we come to believe there is more to Life than just what we experience with our senses.

Continue your Growth, trust in your Divine Nature, be open to the guidance of Spirit.

Sound Heals!

Music Medicine Soothes the Soul and the Body

Researchers throughout the world are reporting intriguing new ways about how sound vibration heals the body, mind, spirit and the environment. The words people choose to speak and the music people listen to have profound power to decrease pain, draw people out of emotional and mental isolation and even clear polluted water. And scientists are discovering that certain deep space sounds are amazingly similar to the sounds of dolphins, Tibetan bowls and human choirs.

Why Is this Important to You?

Because you can use music, song, vibration and words to dramatically affect your own health and the well-being of other people. The impact, potential and mystery of the healing power of sound is demonstrated in the following heart-warming true stories.

Wake Up and Dance, Little Suzy

Do you remember the movie "Awakenings? " Based on a true story, the film features the work of neurologist Dr . Oliver Sacks with Parkinson's disease patients. Many of these patients whose bodies had been immobile for decades from the effects of Parkinson's began groovin' to the sounds of music. Patients who had not left their wheelchairs for years, got up and began dancing to certain types of music.
After the success of these patients, Sacks, teamed up with the music director from the Institute for Physical and Neurologic Function and has been using music as therapy with miraculous results. According to the music director, patients who can't walk "bound out of their chairs and start dancing as long as the music is present. For people who have motor problems, music acts as a catalyst. "

Potent Prayer Power

When a Buddhist priest prayed for an hour over the polluted water in a lake behind a dam in Japan, the crystalline structure of the water changed from malformed and distorted to one of immense beauty and power. The lake was transformed into a healthy source of pure water. A distinctly visible aura appeared around the water crystals in photographs.

Autistic Man "Flew the Coop"

A music therapy instructor from Yale University tells a breakthrough story about Jerry, a 26-year-old man who wouldn't speak, whose mental age was between 2 and 8 and who threw extremely self-destructive tantrums. Jerry was so transformed by music therapy that he was able to free himself from his "autistic mold" and create a way to support himself in the world. What'd he do? Pairing up with a graphic designer, Jerry launches a profitable greeting card company. Jerry writes many of the messages and helps design the cards. Aptly, they name the company "Flew the Coop. "

Trippy Space Sounds

What do the sounds of dolphins, human choirs and Tibetan bowls have in common? The sounds they make are uncannily similar to tones found in outer space. While examining the recordings of spacecrafts Voyager I and II at the California Institute for Human Science, scientists discover that sounds produced by the rings of Uranus are virtually identical to those produced by Tibetan bowls. Sounds emitted by the planet Jupiter strongly compare to the high- pitched cries of dolphins. And sounds from the smallest moon of Uranus resemble vocal choirs.
Researchers believe that this similarity is no coincidence. The cosmic vibrations of dolphins, bowls and choirs are currently being used to stimulate alignment and healing at the cellular level.
"Tibetan bowls" are used spiritually to assist people to relax plus the bowl's vibration gently helps "break up" old patterns of behavior that are no longer useful or healthy.

Rockabye Baby

Hospitals report that newborns who are sung or spoken to on a regular basis go home 3-5 days earlier and weigh more than babies who aren't exposed to specific periods of adult speech or song. 50% of women who listen to music during childbirth don't need anesthesia.

A New Symphony

We are only hearing the first few bars in the symphony of healing that awaits humanity as we open to the dynamic harmonious effects of sound.

GREAT NEWS! Labyrinthos has teamed up with Mind Power MP3. Now you can get a FREE Sound Transformation Starter Kit. Start working on your (spiritual) health by getting yours today! Simply click on the banner on the right.  

How To Tune Into Your Spiritual Side

The idea of a life coaches asking you to get in touch with your spiritual side is almost a cliché. Words like spirituality, peace and harmony are said so many times they begin to lose their meaning. This is such a tragedy when we consider the rich history of spiritual philosophy across the ages. First, let us consider what exactly we mean by spirituality.

Despite its monastic origins, spirituality is not just a religious idea. We can define anybody who is getting in touch with their spiritual side to be anyone who believes in gaining knowledge, growing and developing within. The spiritual person is keenly self aware to the point of exactitude. The spiritual individual is able to examine their strengths and weaknesses with honesty and without anxiety. If you are spiritual you accept yourself as unique, capable, flawed, and yet incomplete. Because the perfect person does not exist, spiritual people are not anxious about their imperfections; they are comfortable in their own skin.

We associate spirituality as a state of harmony with the world. People who are spiritual tend to see themselves as part of the bigger picture. They are happy in the presence of others; they are happy being with themselves. spirituality can mean different things to people of different faiths. But the essence of spirituality remains the same for all people of the world - a sense of contentment with their position in the world.

Life coaching can enable you to access your spirituality. When you are feeling spiritual, you can handle pretty much anything. Someone with a keen spiritual side is able to draw strength from any situation or event. You should think of spirituality as the treasure chest of all that is good and vibrant about you. It is, therefore , imperative to be spiritual if you desire any level of personal success. People who are spiritual take a philosophical attitude to things such as change, for they understand that change is essential for growth and development.

The spiritual individual is keenly optimistic and yet realistic. Being spiritual involves getting the balance right between their hopes and desires and skill sets and abilities. As a spiritual individual, you will not become disheartened with negative self appraisal; instead you will see it as an opportunity to improve.

Therefore , develop optimism - optimists are self-disciplined and persistent in what they want to achieve in their life. Optimists plan and take action to move forward. They constantly learn about how to get better at their skills. Their self-confidence helps them to look for solutions and leads them to success in their goals. If you are pessimistic it is time you shed your pessimistic attitude and develop optimism in its place. There is no place in the world of success for negative attitudes. Think about what you can do rather than what you cannot.

So , how can you tell how spiritual you are as an individual. The following exercise will help you to assess this. Another strategy which can help is to write down the worst possible result on one side of a piece of paper, and the best possible result on the other. The worst result of losing a job, for instance, might be, 'I'll be unemployed for the rest of my life. ' The best might be, 'My next job will make me a millionaire. ' It's common to focus on the worst possibility, but the best possibility may be equally likely.

End by writing down in the middle of the paper the real likely future: 'I'll look for another job. It may take a while, but in the end I'll find something I'm happy with, or a business perhaps' Now leave the paper alone and come back to it after 30 mins. With a fresh pair of eyes, look at what you have written and assess how dramatic, realistic, pessimistic and/or optimistic it is.

You see the number one, key word to defining spirituality is - balance. As the above exercise probably demonstrated, maintaining balance is harder than it sounds. Cool, calm, rational decision making needs optimism as a counterweight. Becoming more spiritual is a long process, without an end. Meditation is one of the best ways to fuel your spiritual side, and there are lots of free guides out there, available on the internet. Once you have emptied your mind you can fill it up with what ever you want.