Source: Kooma

The assumption is that in order to fully embrace spirituality, you have to belong to a particular faith system or take yourself off to a place of worship on a regular basis. While there is no doubt that, for those who subscribe to these beliefs and practices there are definitely some spiritual benefits, spirituality can mean different things to different people.

However, like most things, we tend only to notice our connection with the spiritual side of our lives once it’s been severed. If the spiritual aspects of our lives are neglected, then we can quickly experience the symptoms of spiritual malaise. Feelings of disconnection from the world around you, apathy and a lack of purpose are common symptoms.

Your Spiritual Timetable

There are plenty of retreats and solutions available online but, in the 21st Century, they’re not always practical. While spending a week at a psychic sweat lodge might seem tempting, family, finances and work commitments can make ventures such as this a bridge too far.

The good news is that there are simple and effective ways that you can reignite that feeling of connection without having to spend vast sums of money or take time off from real life. The key is to incorporate these ideas into your daily routine, so that they become as much a part of your lifestyle as brushing your teeth in the morning or going to the gym after work.

The secret seems to be in creating habitual patterns of behavior that unite the three aspects of our existence: the mind, body and soul. Research carried out by Dr Andrew Newberg found that there was similar brain activity between meditating Buddhists, praying nuns and chanting Sikhs – all of whom were practicing rituals designed to help them achieve higher planes of thought, being or understanding.

Dr Newberg came to the same conclusion that mystics and religious leaders have been telling us for centuries: that making spiritual practices part of your day can help generate and reinforce feelings of spiritual harmony. The good news is that these practices don’t have to interfere with your personal or private schedules and they don’t have to cost you anything more than a bit of time.

Breathing and Meditation

Buddhists use meditation as a way to connect with the world on a higher, spiritual plane. According to Buddhist tradition, Siddhartha Gautama spent time meditating under a tree, after undergoing various trials and learning various lessons. The act of meditation allowed him to suppress his ego and see the world with new eyes, suddenly understanding the mysteries of life and gaining the title of Buddha.

A key part of meditation is breathing. During meditation, Buddhists are particularly mindful of the breath, counting inhalations and exhalations as a way to quieten the mind and root it in the moment. A wandering mind or distracted consciousness can undermine the point of meditating in the first place.

Medical research into meditation has found that the practice of deep breathing has a physical effect on the body, slowing the heart rate, lowering the blood pressure and inducing a feeling of relaxation. If you can spare a few minutes a day to stop whatever you’re doing, clear your mind and focus on breathing slowly and deeply, you’ll notice feelings of tranquility starting to spread.

The good thing is that the brain develops a sense-memory of this and, if you practice breathing daily and at a particular time, you’ll find that those feelings become easier to access.

Avoiding Spiritual Bankruptcy

A part of what disconnects us from the world around us is technology. While we might be able to send and receive emails or make and take phone calls, these forms of communication are spiritually bankrupt and allow us to fall into a very illusion that we are, somehow, connected to all those people where, in reality, we are simply interacting with a computer screen.

The answer is to turn everything off for an hour. Whether it’s on your lunch-break or at the end of the day, switch off your cell phone and don’t go near your computer. You may find that you are suddenly involved with rewarding conversations with your partner or, if you live alone, are inspired to go out and meet people or even just go for a relaxing walk.

Random acts of kindness

Random acts of kindness are a great way of re-energizing your spiritual batteries. Specifically, we’re talking about doing things for strangers without any expectation of reward. However, these moments do come with their own reward. It might be a smile, a word of thanks or even tears of gratitude, but if you can help someone for no other reason than for the sake of doing so, you’ll find that your feelings of connection with your community and the people around you increases dramatically.

There are many, many options open to you, such as volunteering at a local community center, working at a soup kitchen or even just picking up litter in your neighborhood. Give it a try. But remember to do it for the right reasons – not to make yourself ‘feel good’ but simply because you can. Getting in touch with Nature Zen Buddhists use gardening as a method promoting a state of inner harmony. It tends to be the simplest tasks that offer the greatest rewards. Zen Buddhists can spend hours simply ploughing a straight line in some pebbles – but taking the time to ensure that the line is as straight as they can possibly make it is the key. While these tasks may sound a little dull, once you invest yourself in them, you are fusing the three aspects of your being; the mind, body and soul.

Working in your own garden can be just as spiritually fulfilling and give you some physical rewards for your labors. Plant flowers that you know will delight you when they bloom. Plant herbs that you can use for cooking and even those that have healing properties. The very act of planning your horticultural calendar, preparing the soil and nursing those plants to maturity can help you cleanse your mind and put you in touch with the seasons and the ebb and flow of Nature. If you don’t have a garden, buy a window box or something like a Bonsai tree; the plant will become much more than just a plant; it will become a symbol of your quest for spiritual harmony.

Source: Psychics Universe

Sometimes the simplest things can wield immense power.

Take salt for instance. This humble compound used to preserve and flavor food actually contains powerful spiritual properties.

Salt Power in History

In ancient times salt was a highly prized commodity. Long before the days of refrigeration, salt was essentially the only means of preserving food. In some cultures it was even used as currency, due to its value.

It has even been said that the soldiers in ancient Rome were paid in salt. Perhaps this is where the saying, “worth his salt” comes from.

There are even biblical references to salt. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus tells his disciples how valuable they are when He says, “You are the salt of the earth.” And like the preservative, His disciples were to preserve the faith and morality of society.

(Related: How to cast Magic Spells?)

Salt’s Spiritual Power

Although salt is powerful in historical and metaphorical terms, its spiritual power often goes unnoticed. Spiritually speaking, salt is considered the great neutralizer. It can help cleanse, heal and balance energy, while repelling negative vibrations.

If you are dealing with any kind of negative energy, black magic, ghosts, demons or other evil entities, salt can serve as a mighty spiritual weapon.

Besides acting as a potent purifier, salt can also help you attract positive energy. It can even aid you in your manifestations.

Using Salt Power

So how can you wield the amazing spiritual power of salt? There are plenty of ways.

Use salt to energetically cleanse your home. Simply add a few tablespoons of sea salt to a spray bottle filled with water and mist every area. You can also fill a bowl with salt and place it in a room to absorb negative energy.

Worried about entities invading your sleep? Place a little salt at each corner of the bed. Want even more protection? Try sprinkling a circle of salt around the bed.

Want to clear your aura? Mist yourself with salt water or simply throw salt around you.

Have an item that contains some bad vibes? Place it on a bed of salt or a box filled with salt.

Want to boost your manifestations? Hold a little salt in your hand, make your wish, and then cast it into a fire or a body of water.

Who would suspect that something as ordinary as salt could be so spiritually extraordinary!

Source: Conscious Life News

“Eating healthy” means a lot of things to different people and it might seem complicated with all the millions of books, programs, and websites available. It might seem complicated with a busy schedule and limited budget. But it doesn’t have to be if you’d like to take the “doctor up your foods” method – which simply means adding a bit more to your already existing diet and getting quick results.

The following are superfoods that you can easily get from most grocery stores and then some additional ones to get online or in bulk from health food stores.

They pack a giant nutritional and alkaline punch. You’re basically taking food supplements but without the great expense. Feel free to add them to anything!

Lemon juice – Forget expensive multi-level marketing water ionizers…who wants to pay $4k when you can just add lemon to your water. Turn your water or tea alkaline and clean out the liver for pennies. Only use real fresh squeezed lemons.

Coconut Oil – Cook and bake at high temperatures with this oil – NOT olive oil which burns and turns into a carcinogen at low temps. Save olive oil for your salads. Eat coconut oil in the mornings for energy or just put it in your tea and coffee – or smoothies. Help the liver, gain energy, and eradicate harmful yeast and bacteria. Go for cold-pressed, not expellar.

Cayenne Pepper – Add this to just about anything and get your circulation going. Make yourself alkaline, kill gut bugs, and ward off sickness.

Cilantro – Have you tried expensive heavy-metal chelators? You could just eat cilantro every day and pull heavy metals right out of your body. Be cautious if you have fillings or implants and whatever you do – do NOT cook cilantro on aluminum – or you’ll get a big dose of that. Do cook on iron. Add to salads, soups, guacamole and anything else your heart desires.

Ghee – I find this nutritional fat to be the best cooking oil on the planet. Fry and bake at high temps and get great results or use like butter. Cooks better than butter – never seen it burn. Great for storage, no need for fridge. Would you believe this traditional food, popular in the East, is credited for reversing tooth decay and cavities?

Avocados – Do avocados make you happy too? they might if you started using them and felt the effects of their anti-inflammatory cleanup abilities. Wonderful in sandwiches on soups, snacks, salads as a substitute for butter or mayo – even make chocolate pudding out of them and never know it was nutritious.

Turmeric – Hailed as cancer’s worst enemy! Do a search onActivist Post and Natural Blaze to see what this amazing food can do. Buy in bulk and add to just about any recipe. Make turmeric teas and milks. Add to desserts and fight cancer-causing inflammatory conditions.

(Related: A Natural And Nutritious Way To Cleanse Your Body In Just 14 Days)

Extra options:

Sea Salt – Very alkaline and actually super good for the heart. No processing like table salt and loaded with trace minerals. Feel free to use liberally.

Hemp Seeds – LOADED with all kinds of nutrients. Sprinkle on everything, use in smoothies, make nut better, and replace sesame seeds and other nuts with hemp seeds.

Chia seeds – Omega-3s and fiber with others, can be used like gelatin. Use in smoothies, soups and drinks, no need to chew. Sprout them – just don’t waste them on the chi-chi-chi-chia pet!

Nutritional Yeast – Vegans love it because it’s loaded with naturally occurring vitamin B usually found in meats. Cheesy or nutty flavor, this works well on recipes, best on cooler foods. It is a by-product of molasses. Great to have in storage for extra additional nutrients and flavor, especially for rice, beans and vegetables. Use on popcorn. Ahem – preppers! You need to look into this. NOW brand is high quality and low cost.

Molasses – Speaking of which, this is probably the most underrated superfood. It’s a shot to the arm providing iron, chromium, magnesium and more. Despite its sweetness, it’s great for diabetics. Great for female health and strength for men.

Kitchen-grown sprouts – These are so expensive in the stores and not so fresh. You can grow these in days right in your kitchen. Get the whole living plant with hardly any care – you don’t even need a garden. Try radish, alfalfa, broccoli and more….

Flax seed – These are best utilized ground and used in flour recipes, smoothies, batters, thickeners, in soups and more. Packed with anti-inflammatory Omega-3s which we all need more of, since we are too heavily exposed to Omega-6 fatty acids from God-forsaken hydrogenated oils. Protects heart health and more.

These are just a few simple ways you can “doctor” up your foods, even if that means adding to your pizza and canned soups. Can you see how these storable foods would be great for keeping on hand in the future?

Do you have any more simple foods to add to the list?