I once read that Deepak Chopra goes off by himself to a desert every year and spends a whole month meditating. Wise man, I thought. It certainly explains how he continues his phenomenal output year after year.

We all need time out for ourselves. Most people call this ‘down time’. I suppose they are referring to the feeling of laying down their responsibilities for a while. I prefer to call it ‘up time,’ since for me the real purpose of taking time out from the demands of everyday life is to strengthen and develop the higher connections that sustain me.

In our busy world it is all too easy to lose touch with the important things in life. My father, a devout workaholic, had a rhetorical question I heard him pose many times as I grew up: "Do you live to work, or work to live?" He strived for the latter but always ended up back in the former.

Following in his footsteps, I, too, have a very busy professional life, but my spiritual education has better prepared me to deal with this common trap. I elude it by having one golden rule: I always put me on my calendar first.

Born and raised in England, since 1990 I have lived in Bali, Indonesia. I totally fell in love with the place and the spiritual connections that are available to me here. When planning my year ahead I first block out which six months of the year I want to spend in Bali, and then arrange my international teaching schedule to fit in around that. I always put me first. Or rather, I always put the spiritual me first.

In the early days, this seemed an impossible dream. How could I live in Bali for six months of each year and expect to find work in the west for the other six months? But I did it and have never looked back. Not only I have I realized my dream but now the highpoint of my year is when people fly to Bali to take workshops with me here. I don’t even have to leave home.

The important thing is to follow your spiritual integrity. Let that be the guiding beacon in your life. You can tune into it at any time and if you constantly follow its direction, great spiritual forces can gather to support you and assist you on your way. They are already there, just waiting for you, but most people never make the connections.

Do this right now. Sit up straight, close your eyes, and place your attention above your head. There’s a central channel of energy that extends infinitely upwards from the center of the top of your head. If you gently probe this, you will find there are several nodes along this channel. As you click into each of them in turn, feel how it feels. Each of them has a different flavor. The one you are looking for is the one that connects to the knowing of who you are and what you are here to do...

>>> Continue Reading "Taking Care of Your Higher Self"

© Copyright Karen Kingston. This article was originally
published at our website, SoulfulLiving.com, in March 2001, as part of Soulful Living's "Soul Nourishment" Issue.

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