Crystal Candle Shop Newsletter
August 2011 http://www.crystalcandle-shop.com
Greetings! We hope everyone is enjoying the long sun filled days of summer. Here at Crystal Candle Shop we have been enjoying the summer ceremonies, hiking, camping, practicing our wilderness survival skills and watching the beautiful star-filled summer night skies. Our garden harvests are starting to come in and it is always special to sit down to a meal prepared from foods we have grown or gathered ourselves. Summer is a special time and it is sad to see it go each year, but autumn is fast approaching. We hope your summer has been as special as ours. Blessings!
We want to extend our appreciation to all of our loyal customers and readers. We enjoy your questions and comments very much. Now we want to ask your opinion. We would like to know what you would like to see in our newsletters and what products you would like to see in our Shop. Please email your opinions and thoughts! We look forward to hearing from you!
Be sure to read our Article of the Month and our Recipe of the month! Visit Crystal Candle Shop today!
Spirituality v. Religion
By Shelley Lincoln
I have taught many classes on spirituality and with every class when I say “spirituality” people begin talking “religion.” Although the two can interact and be interrelated, there is a distinct difference between spirituality and religion. One does not have to be “religious” to be spiritual.
In my experience I have found that most religions focus mainly on faith and salvation and these are obtained through the belief in and practice of specific dogmas, doctrines, rituals, prayers and include worship of a specific deity in a specific manner.
Spirituality, on the other hand, is mainly focused on the higher qualities of the human spirit. Qualities such as; love, compassion, forgiveness, patience, tolerance, contentment/happiness, peace, and harmony. There is focus as well on the qualities that bring happiness, health, well-being to self and others and includes a deity or deities of your understanding.
I find that many people have been conditioned to limit their spiritual practice to specific times and specific rituals or ceremonies and to separate their spirituality from their every day life. They seem to lack understanding of how to incorporate their spirituality at work, home, in relationships, at gatherings or out in public.
In order to effectively manifest our personal spiritual beliefs every minute of every day we must first explore our core values, ethics, and core belief system and get to know ourselves on a very intimate level. We must identify how we acquired our values, ethics, and beliefs in the first place and whether or not they still serve us in a positive manner.
Self exploration is not a simple task. One must become consciously aware of every interaction, every reaction and every response to the daily business of living. Then one must question, what was my motivation for my reaction or response? What personal belief is involved? Where does this belief, value, ethic come from? Does this serve the higher good of all involved? Is this action helpful or harmful? What are the potential long term effects of my response?
At this point most people will find that many of their daily actions come in direct conflict with their spiritual beliefs. It is important to not belittle one’s self for this. We all carry the values, ethics and beliefs we have been taught from our parents, teachers, friends and other prominent figures involved in our lives. Many of our values, ethics and beliefs have become unconscious and we simply react to any given situation according to those unconscious beliefs. It is our quest now to bring them into conscious awareness, analyze, examine, and determine whether our core selves are in congruence or conflict with our spirituality and the self we are striving to become.
As I began this quest myself, I found one of the most difficult aspects was becoming present in the moment during my interactions. I found I needed constant reminders. Having a companion present to issue those reminders was not feasible, so I had to devise a method of self reminder. I found a bracelet with little bells on it in my jewelry box and wore that as my reminder. I trained myself to hear the bells and to question and analyze every action/reaction prior to committing it. This technique worked well for me and before long I found I no longer needed the bells because now my mind was trained to be fully present in the moment of every interaction and to question everything I did or said before taking action. Training myself this way I find that I am able to “respond” to an interaction from the values, ethics and beliefs I want to reflect rather than “react” from old and obsolete programming.
Using this technique will also begin to help one to determine which spiritual qualities come naturally and easily to you and which are more difficult. When one determines which spiritual qualities are more difficult one can then discover ways to eliminate the disconnection between one’s inner spiritual desires and outer expressions.
Our spirituality, values, ethics and beliefs are constantly growing and evolving. As we progress on our spiritual path we will find that we must analyze our values, ethics and beliefs many times as spiritual growth is a life long process. Be kind to yourself on this journey. Journey well as you become the change you want to see in the world. Blessings!
Recipe of the Month
GRILLED EGGPLANT
1 eggplant
1 stick butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for about 20 minutes. In saucepan, melt butter. Add garlic and crushed red pepper. Brush both sides of eggplant with butter mixture and grill 6 to 7 minutes. While grilling. continue to brush with sauce. When done remove from grill and sprinkle with parmesan cheese while still hot.
Visit Crystal Candle Shop today and check out our new products! http://www.crystalcandle-shop.com
Company Mission Statement
To always supply our customers with only the highest quality products at the lowest prices available, while continuing to provide the best customer service possible. To assist spiritual seekers with knowledge, education and tools to enhance in the most positive manner their spiritual and personal growth.
Many Blessings—
Crystal Candle Shop
