A regular spiritually oriented practice is a means of making progress along the inner path toward the true wealth that exists within us all.

A disciplined daily spiritual practice can help you sleep better, lose weight, improve your career, have closer relationships, overcome addictions and bad habits, and help you transcend fear itself.  The truth is that a tremendous resource resides within us all, and the more we access it, the more our lives become fulfilled. Having a daily spiritual practice is the way to access and awaken this inner resource.

 Modern civilization’s obsessive drive to acquire excessive material wealth may very well be the externalization of the subconscious yearning to access what lies hidden within. 

I have described this hidden jewel as our true Self or as Jesus called it “the kingdom of heaven within”. This is actually our own internal connection to Divinity. I believe it is the absence of this connection which causes such painful emptiness, and this is the root cause of such misguided desire such as excessive drinking of alcohol, drugs, shopping, sex, power, as well as an assortment of other frantic pursuits, including becoming obsessed with the accumulation of money. In reality, nothing material can fill a spiritual void. 

Although accessing one’s inner riches is essentially as simple as relaxing, this simple, natural effortless experience of just being has become a complicated, mysterious, and mystical thing. That is due to the stress and complexities of modern life and the complete misdirection of our primary focus outside of ourselves instead of within.  

• This kingdom within is a higher level and a new state of consciousness that transcends all earthly concerns.
• This can be developed through a disciplined regular spiritual practice.
• Within this wisdom, I feel it is a simple logical step to realize that when we become overtaken by material, external obligations, we slip into lower levels of consciousness.
• We all know the more we have to manage, the more time and focus it takes.
• It is here that we run a great risk in losing not only our inner peace, but our very sense of self.

Wealth management is my “day job”, and I take it very seriously and enjoy the rewards of serving others and being a leader in my field. However, I discipline myself to empty my mind and always make time for daily contemplation, meditation, and prayer. In fact, I would honestly say that it is in these “empty” states of consciousness that I enjoy my most profound inspiration. 

Christian mystic Thomas Merton wrote, “At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and illusion, a point of pure truth, a spark which belongs entirely to God.” 

This is where we are moving towards when we develop our daily spiritual practice.

There is no doubt that relinquishing the ego standpoint and embracing a deeper sense of self brings with it tremendous benefits.

Life itself, the perfect presence of eternity, holds within it so many riches that it is virtually incomprehensible. As you become more attuned to this presence, more aware of the substance of eternity, tremendous living blessings are infused into your being. 

It is wonderful news that the magnet with which we can attract this living energy into a daily spiritual practice is love itself. Real spiritual practice is an experience of pure and perfect love. The personification of Divinity in the various forms that the world religions revere and adore is a movement toward this loving relationship, but the final step is the revealing of this energy or spirit through our own way of being.

When considering a particular practice, one is well advised to consider how simply delightful and delightfully simple a genuine experience can and should be. 

A Course in Miracles teaches there is no peace without love and no love without peace. I find that to be a wonderful guideline. There is an utter underlying simplicity in life. It is in simple sweet-hearted receptivity that we can merge with the intrinsic nature of life. 

The transformation of the ego nature —from mental concepts, ideology, philosophy, theosophy and religious beliefs into a feeling experience found in silence and inner stillness —is the movement from fear into perfect love. It is through love that the seeds of divine love are watered within us. 

 Buddhists call it “Buddha Nature.” When the Buddha became enlightened, he realized that all beings without exception have the same nature and potential for enlightenment. 

If God is love, and spiritual practice involves relinquishing the ego experience (fear/judgment/separation), then loving oneself puts us on the right track.

The story of Jesus is the personification of perfect love. The Jesus story gifts us with a core archetype, personified as a boy who became a man, a revolutionary who stood absolutely against the political and religious systems of the day, and preached a Gospel of absolute simplicity lived out as His very existence itself. Because He was a man who willingly surrendered His own ego for the greater good, He formed a bridge in the psyche of us all. This bridge is a portal deep within the epicenter of our souls, and the journey to it requires a burning faith soaked in the combustible essence of love. It is indeed the ultimate alchemical combination, the merging of which propels us forward through this world in a state of grace. 

“You could become a victorious horseman And carry your heart through this world Like a life-giving sun though only if you and God become Sweet Lovers.” —Hafiz 

 Go in Peace!