Many of us nowadays are going through a Spiritual Awakening, but we may not recognize this for what it is. In this episode, let's explore some of the different aspects of life which can comprise a Spiritual Awakening and, if you are finding it challenging, how you can make your experience more graceful - and more pleasant. 

Sometimes a Spiritual Awakening may happen when we are engaged on some form of recognisable "spiritual" activity such as meditation, yoga, or on retreat. Yet, often an Awakening may be working its way into our daily life via the things we enjoy; or the very things which trouble us the most. A spiritually uplifting event can be a joyful experience; such as the transcendent beauty of a flower, or other aspect of nature, or it can be when we are inspired by the teaching of some spiritual teacher. However, it can also come to us through people or events we find difficult or challenging. The experiences of life, some of which pain us so much like rejection, separation, divorce, loneliness, and so on, can assist our spiritual awakening when we learn to see them in a different way and learn to handle them differently. This is because such things push us beyond ourselves to discovering a larger more encompassing sense of self. 

A Spiritual Awakening can be very dramatic, sudden and short, such as an NDE (Near Death Experience) usually is; or it can be subtle and happen over a long period of time. Once we have had such spiritual experience, it may take type for us to be able to integrate this into our daily life. We may find it challenging to relate to the people we know and the life we lived before. For example, people who have had NDE's report that it come sometimes take them a few years to integrate the experience. When the awakening is more gradual it is probably more easy to integrate. The key is to not focus so much on how you now different from other people or how you were before; but to focus on how you are able to share love with others and how you are able to be helpful towards others.  

There is a source of a deep and profound sense of wellbeing, and even inner wealth inside you. If you don't know how to connect with your inner source, and access your inner resources, you may find yourself in a constant search for something outside you. You will become too concerned about approval from others and your life will become too much about outward success, and even an attempt to become enlightened can become about chasing something outside you (a better mediation technique, a more advanced type of yoga).  Even if you obtain those outer things something will be lacking. You will not be properly aligned to your own inner self and you will feel that something is missing until you do look inside yourself.

The idea of looking inside yourself may make you worried or even afraid, You may fear that you will discover some horrible monster lurking there. That is only because you don't really know yourself. Even if you have looked within it was probably only to look at your own "problems" and "issues"; not to look at your own goodness, wisdom and inner light. Until you do this, you may well feel stuck in all the usual side-effects caused by someone not living from their inner self; such as neediness, grasping, loneliness, anxiety and depression.

In this episode of Transform Your Life, I will share with you a very simple exercise which can really help you discover this inner goodness, this inner light inside you. Some refer to what they discover as their "inner self", "higher self", or "inner wisdom". Some even refer to it as their "inner divinity" or "God within", but that is a scary notion to some, so just call it what seems comfortable to you.  

The sages through the ages, those wise being who have guided the human race for thousands of years, have mostly told us to "look within" and have told us that the answers we are looking for are inside us. Yet, each person needs to discover the reality of this for themselves; not just as a philosophical idea, but as a literal and visceral experience. My hope is that this episode will help you discover the deeper, wiser part of you and that you can begin to feel "loved up" from inside yourself. I hope will find that the Pleasantness Practice that I share with you in this episode, leads you to know yourself more fully and  

One of the keys to transforming your life, and freeing yourself from the situations and relationships in which you get stuck, is to see things from another perspective - from an Inner Perspective or a Spiritual Perspective. This means looking beyond the personal to the inner causes at work in your life. 

In this episode we look at a unique way of handling difficult people (and difficult situations) from the perspective of inner causes - in a spiritual way, in other words. We explore the possible inner causes of a difficult situation or difficult relationship. We look at how the situation itself may well be giving us clues as to exactly what we need to do to transform it. A difficult or challenging person may well be expressing the very qualities we need to develop, but in an unpleasant, unbalanced and unproductive way. A difficult or challenging situation may also be calling for us to develop very specific spiritual qualities - and once we do so, we are free...

The key to freeing yourself and transforming your life is to recognize the specific qualities you need to develop at this time. it might be dynamic qualities like boldness or courage, it might be more reflective qualities like kindness or compassion. Once you become able to read the clues in the situation itself (which is what we explore in this episode) you can cultivate the necessary qualities and then - things may well change very rapidly. Your life will open up. It is like you have graduated and can move on. New opportunities emerge, doors open and you find yourself with a much wider range of options. This is for the simple reason that once you have developed the necessary qualities you don't need that situation anymore. 

We also explore going to the next level, which is where we learn to listen to the promptings of our inner guide and develop ourselves in accordance with its purpose and direction. This brings a deeper level of connection to our source and a deep sense of fulfillment as we reconnect to the inner cause for which we were born.

Most of the things which stop you forgiving are not your fault. They are usually a mix of not having a clear specific method, being afraid (sometimes wisely) that someone you are trying to "forgive" will just hurt you again and the widespread unclarity and confusion around what forgiveness actually is and how it works. 

Many people feel secretly guilty and ashamed that they are no as forgiving as they believe they "should" be. Berating yourself for not being forgiving does not help you become more forgiving - just the opposite, in fact. Trying to push yourself, against your own better judgement, to "forgive" someone who has abused you in some way is not the answer either. That way you can end up in a situation where someone who has hurt you (and who has not changed in any meaningful way) can do the same thing all over again. 

We need to elevate ourselves and get a new perspective before we can adequately assess whether a particular relationship can become healthy and beneficial to both people, or not. We also need to understand that: Forgiveness can include 'Goodbye'. Above all we need to realize that blaming ourselves for our inability to forgive, and assuming that something is wrong with us because we can't forgive (or can't do it very well), is usually pointless and self-defeating.

In this episode we explore some of the common blocks which could get in the way of you being able to forgive and how to handle those blocks so you can learn to forgive and enjoy all the wonderful benefits (happiness, peace of mind, freedom) that forgiveness brings.  

How to forgive others and yourself quickly and easily using The Four Steps to Forgiveness. Takes you step-by-step through this unique and powerful method of forgiveness. Transform you life in ways you perhaps never thought possible. 

The ability to forgive helps to free you from the past and let go of old pain that can be holding you back. You don't need to worry about whether the person will hurt you again if you forgive them, because with this forgiveness method, because "Forgiveness can include 'Goodbye'" (see book Forgiveness is Power). You can decide not to reconcile with someone if they are abusive or harmful to you; but, you can still forgive them with The Four Steps to Forgiveness.

This approach to forgiveness empowers you and helps you be free of entanglements in unhappy relationships. It helps you be free of being manipulated by guilt and shame; or getting entangled in a troublesome cycle of petty vengeance and retaliation that too often can come to characterize some types of relationships.  

Forgiveness helps you rise above the complicated maze that life can become and see your way clear to a new and better life.  Forgiveness sets you free. Free to become the highest and best within yourself.

A short and to the point presentation which takes you step-by-step through the process of forgiving yourself. Have a pen and paper ready before you start and then get ready to transform your life.

Many people assume that forgiveness is difficult, yet William Fergus Martin, founder of The Global Forgiveness Initiative and author of Forgiveness is Power, shows that forgiveness can be much easier than we realize and a much more pleasant experience that we expect. In fact, with a little bit of practice forgiveness become so easy and natural that we would not consider living life in any other way. 

Lest you assume that forgiveness is only for 'religious' people, not to worry. The method William shares with us can be used by anyone whether religious or not. The method, The Four Steps to Forgiveness, can be used by anyone as it does not require you to believe anything. 

Forgiveness sets you Free! Forgiveness is Power: the power to change all aspects of your life for the better.