Religions come in predetermined packages. They come with an approved name for the creator of existence, the name of their superstar, their all-star team, their approved beliefs, songs, and, in some cases, dress codes and dietary requirements. In A Guide for Spiritual Living, author Rev. George L. McLaird presents a wide variety of alternatives if you are uncomfortable with or frustrated by your present religious experience or spiritual condition, or if you have no idea where to begin searching for your own personal spiritual path. A Guide for Spiritual Living offers a plethora of suggestions for living spiritually-living as healthily as possible, every day and in every way. It includes ideas for activities, contemplation, and self-nourishment, as well as advice for addicts to feed the spirit, mind, and body and exercises to help clarify your path. Advocating a holistic approach, McLaird teaches that spiritual living requires flexibility-growing, morphing, and constantly being revised, refreshed and reinvented. He helps you structure a spiritual path that is uniquely yours by showing you how to listen to your own internal dialogue and how to use that information for your growth. George is a spiritual guru of the highest order. People want what he's got and this book provides a roadmap for how to get it - a more spiritual, fulfilling, balanced and happy life. I'll be recommending it to anyone and everyone who will listen! William Morrison, Founder, CEO, Alta Mira Recovery Center, Sausalito, CA. www.altamirarecovery.com Many people are served by religious belief/practice. Others are either indifferent or have felt harmed by religion. George's workbook transcends either experience, by creating a workbook for spiritual seeking that can deepen one's religious practice or blazes a new trail for spiritual awakening. Sonnee Weedn, PhD, President and Founder of the Sonnee Weedn Institute of Integrated Therapies, www.drsonn

A Guide for Spiritual Living

Hundreds of Suggestions for Finding, Refinding, Refining, Redefining and Reinventing Your own Personal Spiritual PathBy George L. McLaird

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Rev. George L. McLaird
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-0996-8

Contents

Acknowledgments.........................................................................................................................................xiPreface.................................................................................................................................................xiiiChapter 1. Introduction.................................................................................................................................1Chapter 2. Contrasting Religion and Spiritual Living....................................................................................................3Chapter 3. Suggestions for Activities...................................................................................................................15Chapter 4. Suggestions for Contemplation: Finding, Refinding, Refining, Redefining, or Reinventing Your Own Personal Spiritual Path.....................36Chapter 5. Suggestions for Self-Nourishing..............................................................................................................63Chapter 6. Suggestions for Addicts and Those Suffering from Bad Habits..................................................................................74Appendix................................................................................................................................................115Index...................................................................................................................................................121

Chapter One

When using this guide, please keep these words in mind:

• Anything

• Everything

• Flexibility

• Lightheartedness

While identifying your own unique spiritual path, remember the following:

Include anything and everything, both implied and embodied, for maintaining your overall health in spirit, mind and body.

Spiritual living requires flexibility—growing, morphing and constantly being revised, refreshed and reinvented.

Be lighthearted about your chosen spiritual path. Remember to include a willingness to laugh at yourself and relish humor in its many forms.

Spiritual living is being as healthy as possible every day in every way. It can be compared to shopping at a super grocery store and deciding what you wish to eat today, tomorrow and the next day. Spiritual living changes often; it is at its best when it includes endlessly deciding anew.

You may question why some of these suggestions are listed as spiritual when they could be better placed in a self-help or self-improvement book. The reason is living spiritually requires a holistic approach, which is universalist at its core.

This guide is primarily a list of practices people have found useful for nourishing themselves spiritually. Self-love, self-care and self-soothing are essential parts of spiritual nourishing. All three lead to a life of moderation in all things.

Again, the definition of spiritual in this guide includes anything that promotes or enhances physical, mental, emotional, or psychological health. It also includes peace of mind, inspiration, renewal, engagement with the divine, empowerment, awe, purpose in life, expansion of thought, imagination, compassion and similar responses or thoughts.

Ethical behavior and service to others are essential ingredients in the practice of authentic and healthy spirituality. Higher spiritual paths are recognized by the presence of authentic, naturally flowing theological lightheartedness, inclusiveness and open-mindedness toward all other authentic spiritual paths. Evidence of being on the spiritual path is the natural presence of love, joy, peacefulness, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Lower spiritual paths are identified by the presence of fear, guilt, shame and dogma. Followers are controlled by authority figures, purportedly sacred writings and traditions accompanied by the demand of parochial conversion.

Cults are not authentic religions. They are counterfeit pretenders and confining prisons where domination and submission rule—and they usually do so with iron fists. They are dark and dreadful pathways. See the "7 Billion" poem above.

Chapter Two

Contrasting Religion and Spiritual Living

Religion Is Prepackaged and Gift-Wrapped

Whether you are born into a religion or join one on your own, you are presented with a package. Within the package is an approved way of identifying the Creator and Sustainer of existence: Deity, God, the Almighty, Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh, Higher Power and Evolution are a few.

There is always a superstar: Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad and Krishna among others. And there is always an all-star team: the twelve disciples, saints, certain rabbis, mullahs and gurus.

There are a bundled group of approved beliefs, songs, readings, books, rituals, holy days, holidays and approved requirements. Some religions have approved dietary rules and dress codes. Religions usually come with buildings: churches, synagogues, temples or meeting places.

True believers buy the entire package hook, line and sinker. But it is more common for believers to go along with most of the items on the approved list while keeping their doubts to themselves.

Spiritual Living Is Creating Your Own Package

Spiritual living is being as healthy as possible every day in every way. Many years ago, it was not possible to buy one song by one group or one singer. Even if you only liked one or two songs, you had to buy the entire album. Metaphorically, religion is more like buying the entire album while spiritual living is more like the way you buy music today. You are free to sort through, choose and buy only the song or songs you wish to have in your music library.

One of my favorite metaphors for local churches, synagogues, temples and gatherings is they are spiritual restaurants. Religion is like going to a restaurant with a dress code where you choose your entire meal from a specified menu that seldom changes. Spiritual living is more like eating at a restaurant featuring an elaborate buffet where you choose only the foods you want to eat at the time. When it comes to eating establishments, I like both types. But when it comes to nourishing myself spiritually, I prefer spiritual living to established religion, 100-to-1.

My mother remained loyal to and loved her religion: Evangelical, Conservative, Pentecostal, Charismatic Christianity. I prefer mixing and matching ideas and practices from many walks of life.

Which do you prefer and why? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

Why does A Guide for Spiritual Living speak about paths rather than a single path? Isn't there always a best or right way with all other approaches being inferior? My answer is no!

I present multiple approaches for these reasons:

• There are many authentic spiritual paths.

• One size never fits all.

• People learn in different ways.

• We each come with unique personalities, hang-ups and skills.

• There are many methods and styles of...