Thomas Berry, Catholic theologian

T V E HAVE COME TO A POINT in hurnan history where we need to redefine spirituality in a way that goes beyond religion—one that is satisfying to atheist and deist alike. Many of the squabbles we have today in regard to religious faith are not about spirituality at all. Rather, they are about layers of identity that we have piled on our spirituality. We keep trying to give specific form to something that is actually formless and beyond the limits of our rational minds. The more we try to define spirituality through theology and philosophy, the more it slips away from us.

I believe that spirituality is actually quite simple, so simple, in fact, that our rational minds wrill barely allowr for it. Ironically, the tricky part is not learning to be spiritual. That part is automatic and requires little effort. The real trick is getting your thinking mind out of the way so that you can experience it directly and purely.

I really don’t believe in greatness that is bestowed as a rare ;;:: to a few lucky ones. Rather, I think everyone has greatness inside them. It is really just a matter of persistence— sticking to what you have envisioned until it is reality. I have a deep conviction that everyone, including you, has been given exactly the right set of gifts to fulfill some magnificent purpose for their lives. Greatness must simply be chosen. And if you choose it, it will happen.

Mary Kav Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

CAME INTO THIS WORLD wanting to be someone who makes things happen. From day one, you were a creation machine. You picked up objects in your tiny hands as soon as you could manage to grasp them. You fumbled them around in your hands, feeling their shape and texture, and even popped them in your mouth, wanting to know everything about the world around you.

As you gained knowledge of the world, you wanted to assert your influence over these objects. You pushed your bowl off the table, just to see it fall. You cooed and squealed, trying to understand the nature of your own voice. All your senses were open discovering the living world around you.
This same drive eventually pushed you up through your own developmental process as you experimented with your body And you eventually learned to walk and talk. All the while, magical events were happening in your brain—brain cells growing and connections developing.

The problem with the physical world is that it is easy to for get what lies under the surface of things. When you were that in fant exploring the world, you had just come into the world with a purpose. But the world of form distracted you, and you forgot, for a moment, who you really were.

It has often been observed that there are two selves within the human being. There is the self who is present in the surrounding world—interacting, doing, making, having—and then there is the sell watching the self. The false self is a mask we wear for the world, a manufactured product of the ego.

But how do you know you have set the right goal? Joseph Campbell is famous for saying, “Follow your bliss.” I think this applies here. If your goal makes you genuinely happy over the long term, it is probably in accord with your true self and therefore will be genuinely satisfying to you. Since the true self thrives on service to others, rather than to self, you will probably find some goal that will do amazing feats to heal and transform humanity and the world.

The brain has the remarkable power to procure results according to its master’s intention. That i* why it S important to use the brain only for causes that are productive, creative, and peaceful. If the brain only works for the attestation. no matter how productive or creative it might be. it will make your life miserable—you will never have peace. That is why setting the right goal becomes crucial.

This is not as esoteric or magical as it might seem; it is just the common sense way that things happen. For example, if you admire a tall building in the middle of the city, you can be certain that it all began in the mind of the architect working in tandem with the investors, contractors, and workers who brought it into being. As all these minds came together, energy began to flow toward the fulfillment of the vision. In that way, imagination became reality. Every space mission, very classic piece of art, every saintly act began as a thought in someone’s mind.

You can think of your life as being a little like knitting. When you first begin, there is no shape to it, but YOU keep knitting with some goal in rnind—to make a sweater, a sock, or whatever.

From the Book ” Brain management” by ilchi lee