Seven P's for Building Spiritual Muscle

In my lesson at Unity Spiritual Center Denver this past Sunday (watch here), I shared that as I have been contemplating the ways in which increasing physical strength is analogous to increasing spiritual strength, I devised what I am calling “Seven Ps for Building Spiritual Muscle.” After service, a couple of people said that I only mentioned six of them. I apologize. I am sharing them here in case I missed one on Sunday and for others who are interested.

Purpose

Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore once said,

“Your mission is to express all that you can image God to be.”

The ultimate purpose of our spiritual practice is to integrate and embody Christ consciousness. We engage in conscious spiritual practices to transcend the limits of our conditioned human minds, our learned and habitual ways of thinking and being, and begin to live the mission set forth by Mr. Fillmore.

We are here to express the qualities of the Christ, which were powerfully demonstrated in the consciousness of our elder brother and way shower, Jesus, and lived as love, compassion, and inclusion as he healed the sick, raised the dead, and fed the hungry.

The shorthand version is – Our Purpose is to Practice the Presence of God in all we think, say and do.

Practice

It is imperative that we engage in daily spiritual practice.

Meditation focuses awareness deep within to the quiet of our center. It helps to remove our awareness from the constant mental chatter and invites us into the stillness and silence. Meditation also opens our inner senses so that we are more readily able to hear the still, small voice of Spirit and see into the true nature of Being.

Prayer is the conscious attunement of our minds, our thoughts and feelings, to the Mind of God. Through the activity of prayer, we emanate energy from the consciousness of God and bring our outer world into alignment with our inner realization of God.

Contemplation opens us to deeper awareness and revelations as we focus our attention on a specific word or phrase. In the practice of contemplation we consciously attune our minds to a thought frequency and attract all that is in harmony with it. One of my favorite phrases for contemplation is, “God Is; I Am.”

Spiritual practices can also include physical movement, such as Tai Chi, Yoga, Sufi dancing, drumming and many other kinesthetic activities.

Presence

Focusing on the breath is one of the most effective means I have found to bring awareness into the moment. Notice every aspect of the breath. Feel the temperature of the air as it enters your nostrils. Feel it cooling your sinus cavity. Follow the flow down into your lungs. Notice the expansion of the chest and abdomen as your lungs fill with air. Stop for a second before exhaling to sense the fullness. As you exhale, be aware of the diaphragm gently rising to expel the air. Feel the warmth of the air as it is expels through your nostrils. When we are fully consciousness of the movement of breath, we are fully in the moment.

Now that you have brought awareness to the breath, think about the thousands of times each day that this process happens without you having to do anything. You are constantly in the flow of life, and breath is one tangible demonstration of that truth.

In the same way that we can bring attention and focus to the breath, we can also do the same with the body sensations, thoughts and feelings. In our spiritual practice, it is important to be present with ourselves and notice what is happening with the energy of thoughts, feelings, and body. Only when we are aware of it can we effectively adjust what might be out of alignment.

Charles Fillmore is reported to have said that self-awareness is the prelude to Christ consciousness.

Patience

I know! I get it! We want to be enlightened now! Well, the truth is we are, we just haven’t fully realized it yet. That’s where patience comes in handy.

It is important for us to be patient with ourselves. When we get impatient, we tend to judge ourselves for not doing it better and faster. That is not helpful. For most of us, growing spiritual understanding and strength is a process that occurs over time with consistence, intention and practice.

Think of it like learning the principles of mathematics. We learn our numbers. Then we learn addition and subtraction. We move on to multiplication and division. Once we gain more complex understanding, we can apply the principles to algebra, trigonometry, and calculus.

We begin right where we are, and we take the next step as it reveals itself in perfect time.

Perseverance

For most of us, there are times along the spiritual path when we are tempted to throw up our hands and say “Enough! I give up!” I know I have been there a time or two.

It is at these times that faith is paramount. Faith is our ability to see beyond the limits of what is currently manifesting to the activity of God at work in and through all situations. As Paul said, ‘It is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

When we feel discouraged or disheartened along the journey, it is helpful to go back to step one and recall our purpose. When we have a clearly defined intention for why we are walking the path, we can be strengthened in our resolve.

Call upon the Life of God which is the source of every breath you breathe to be the power to carry through. Know that the Life of God is your life. Know that the Strength of God is your strength.

Persistence

Continue to make your spiritual practices part of your daily activities.

It is not necessary to meditate 30 minutes twice a day, or set aside an hour for prayer and contemplation. You may get to that level someday if you are not already there. Choose a practice that is not too daunting for you. If it seems like too much to do, you won’t do it.

Decide on a practice or practices that you enjoy and that you can easily include in your daily routine. If you can only start with a five-minute practice, do that. Once you realize the benefits of the practice, you will want to increase the time and the frequency.

Whatever you do, persist in your practice.

Praise

Last, but certainly not least, is ‘Praise.’ I recommend that we each stop occasionally and reflect on the path we have walked and the distance we have come. Celebrate!

This is not about being egotistical. It is about honoring ourselves for our intention and dedication to growing our spiritual strength.

It is also about giving thanks and praise to all those who show up along the journey to assist us in our growth.

Charles Fillmore said,

Praise is closely related to prayer; it is one of the avenues through which spirituality expresses itself. Through an inherent law of mind, we increase whatever we praise. The whole creation responds to praise, and is glad.

Animal trainers pet and reward their charges with delicacies for acts of obedience; children glow with joy and gladness when they are praised. Even vegetation grows best for those who praise it.

We can praise our own abilities, and our very brain cells will expand and increase in capacity and intelligence when we speak words of encouragement and appreciation to them. ¹

As we are growing in spiritual understanding, I hope these “Seven Ps for Building Spiritual Muscle” will be beneficial.

Join us on Sunday, August 5, for our service at 10:00. All are welcome at Unity Spiritual Center Denver.

¹ Excerpt from Christian Healing