Over the years that Mark and I have been leading PTCI programs, we have experimented with many spiritual theories and practices, incorporating them into our own personal transformation process. Out of our personal growth experiences, as well as our work with individuals and groups, we have developed basic principles that guide our personal and professional lives. We have come to call these tenets “Spiritual Energy Principles.” These principles inspire and define the ways in which we can engage the process of Self-discovery. It is from these principles that we have experienced a deeper understanding of and greater alignment to the beneficial flow of universal energy.
I will be sharing these principles with you over the course of the next few months. My hope is that you will experiment with PTCI’s Spiritual Energy Principles and test their validity in your life experience. May they guide you, as they have us, in your journey toward wholeness!
Doing Follows Being
One of Mark’s and my beloved mentors, the late Swedish physician and transformation catalyst Dr. Bengt Stern, had a ready refrain to anyone’s question about what they should do when confronted with a personal or professional challenge. Dr. Stern would say “When you know who you are, what to do becomes self-evident!” This profound truth led us to memorialize his wisdom in our first Spiritual Energy Principle: Doing Follows Being.
Our journey to wholeness is rooted in the discovery of who we really are. Spiritual philosophies teach that for the most part, we are living our lives on “automatic pilot,” asleep to our true nature. The journey of personal transformation challenges us to “wake up” to our real power – our authentic Self – and to live from a steadfast understanding of our spiritual values and our deep connection to a greater whole.
Edgar Cayce, another favorite spiritual philosopher, called those values the personal Spiritual Ideal. Cayce believed that knowing and living one’s Spiritual Ideal creates a strong foundation for making all life decisions, big and small. He believed and taught that our Spiritual Ideal is central to living a life that is purposeful and truly fulfilling. Connecting with the Spiritual Ideal also brings us into the flow of a greater energy, where we experience the interconnected dynamism of the whole.
In PTCI courses we always emphasize the importance of “catching a vision” of one’s Authentic Self. Through an innovative process that includes mental, emotional and somatic learning, PTCI participants come to know their Spiritual Ideal intimately. Connecting at this deep level with one’s spiritual values creates the momentum and commitment needed to apply these crucial values in one’s daily life experiences.
The importance of knowing and embodying one’s spiritual values cannot be overstated. Qualities such as love, compassion, wisdom, patience, etc., provide both inspiration and guidance for meeting all of life’s opportunities and challenges. They help us “wake up” from the reactive and unconscious sleep of our “small self” into the awareness and power of our true Self. We can then live with more clarity, courage and confidence. We will still face challenges, disappointments and sorrows. But, we will do so with a sense of greater purpose and deeper understanding. Living a life guided by our spiritual values and personal Ideal ultimately leads to a felt sense of inner peace, joy and wonder.
It turns out that our every thought, emotion and action can emanate from the wisdom and truth of our Authentic Self. In this way, we align our life journey to the first Spiritual Energy Principle: Doing Follows Being. And, “what to do” becomes self-evident.
