A Horizons eBook

Meeting Your Spiritual Side An Introduction to the Spirit Self

Reece W. Manley, DD, M.Ed., MPM®

eBook compliments of The Human Handbook

4 | P a g e

To Be Used with

Crossing Twice: Answers from the Source

The Importance of Meetings

An old Southern term is to “get on your Sunday, go to meeting clothes”

when we are getting dressed up. In other words, meetings are exciting

events! Depending on the situation, you may be nervous as well.

Meetings are always life changing events. Sometimes they make a very

small life difference, and sometimes they change your world forever.

Most of the time, important meetings are planned. We may do a little

asking around about the person we are going to meet. We may try to

learn more about their background, and what they like. We may go out

of our way to look nice and make our very best impression.

Let’s get you ready for your meeting of your spirit-self. It is the meeting

of your lifetime.

There are three things that must take place before any meeting.

An acknowledgement. You recognize you are going to meet

someone new. You understand they are likely to be different

than you are. You are going to treat them with respect, and you

should expect to be treated the same way.

Effort to contact. You have to take action to have a true meeting

take place. Whether it is just walking down the hall or a flight

across the globe, a choice to take the action of meeting requires

choosing to make some effort. Part of the effort includes making

contact with your new friend or new situation. You must take an

5 | P a g e

action, whether it is saying “Hello, my name is Reece” or picking

up a kitten.

Response. Now it’s time to allow the person, place or thing to

react to you. You can’t control how they will react, but you can

hope for the best. Your mind-self is readily standing by to quickly

make connections to past experiences similar to the meeting you

are about to have.

From here great conversations take place. Plans can be made. You can

reac

h

the

Moo

n,

Alic

e!

No

grea

t act

take

s

place without a first meeting.

6 | P a g e

The Meeting of a Lifetime!

There is someone desperate to meet you. It’s You. You see, you are

made up of three parts. Your body-self and your mind-self you most

likely know. They are easy parts of you to experience. Whether you are

stumping your toe or receiving a hug, your body-self is always on the job.

It provides you with sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. It is the part of

you that communicates to the mind-self.

The mind-self you know very well, too. It is the part of you that acquires

and processes all the millions of bits of information your body-self sends

to your mind-self. It also regulates all the parts of your body-self. The

mind-self sends out chemicals that produce the changes you feel as

emotions. Although, they are not true emotion, but we are going to talk

about that later!

But, let’s do talk about the emotions as you know them. The mind-self is

the producers of these as well. It’s a fascinating process.

Let’s say you are going into your favorite coffee shop. If you’re not a

coffee shop type person then head on into the bar. When you get there,

you see your wonderful friend Alice across the room! A grin spreads on

your face because you’ve had some great times with Alice. Why, just last

week you and Alice… well, we won’t go there. But, you and Alice know

how to have a good time! Then you remember Alice owes you $20. You

smile even more broadly. Not only are you going to get to see this

fabulous friend of yours named Alice, Alice is going to pay you back $20.

This is just great! You say “Hello there, Alice” as Alice gives you a quick

warm hug. Oh, how you love those hugs from Alice! Now, if someone

were to push the pause button on the scene of you and Alice: PAUSE.

How are you feeling emotionally right now? You feel happy to see Alice,

7 | P a g e

happier that Alice seems happy to see you, and you are even probably

going to get paid. There is no reason not to be happy.

Okay, let’s hit PLAY. As Alice, your good friend, ends the hug she says, “I

know I already owe you money, my good friend, but, could you buy me a

cup of coffee (or a bottle of beer, depending on where you and Alice

are!)”. Oh no, that’s not something that’s really great news.

Down goes the happy feeling and up comes a feeling of hesitancy. Hmm,

your mind-self thinks: She is a good friend, and she is right here. The

body-self receives some signal from the outside world. It sends the

information on to the mind-self and awaits instructions. The mind-self

springs into the mind accessing your entire life experiences and

information about past your situation. Your mind-self cannot access the

future, so it has to go on experience. If your mind-self could access the

future, you wouldn’t be reading this. More likely you’d be on the beach

with someone famous with a pina colada and a billion dollars in the bank!

The Role of Spirit-Self in Relationships

You have probably thought of your life in terms of your body, your mind,

and your emotions. But, you may also define yourself by relationships.

You may take great joy in being in a crowded room or friends, or you may

be someone who would prefer to be alone by a quiet lakeside. If in the

above example you found a great deal of joy in being in the coffee shop

(or pub) with your good friend Alice, you are thinking about how your

body-self and mind-self relate together to things outside of the body.

Even so, are they really outside of the body?

Think about it for a moment. You have simply received information from

the body through sight. The mind-self has identified it by looking through

all of your history and decided there is a closely matching experience that

8 | P a g e

was pleasant. When you are interacting with Alice, the body-self is

hearing and passing it on to the mind-self which is accessing information

about language, history, personal experience, monetary goals, and

thousands of other things.

If you are only living with your body-self and mind-self, there are two

things you will never truly achieve. True emotion and true relationship.

Let’s put a capital on those because they are very important. The body-

self and the mind-self are incapable of producing TRUE EMOTION and

TRUE RELATIONSHIPS.

The body-self and the mind-self are enough to get you through life. In

fact, that is exactly what they were designed to do. They are there to

serve you. So, let’s talk about the third part of who you are. You are

body-self, mind-self and SPIRIT – SELF. The spirit-self is the eternal part

of who you are. That part of you which resides and uses the body-self

and the mind-self for your life in this world. The spirit-self is the part of

you which is connected to the Creator, the Source, God, the Universe,

whatever term you wish to use to describe the One.

9 | P a g e

Preparing to Meet Your Spiritual Side

Even so, how do you reach this spirit-self. How do you know it does

exist? After all, if everything you experience comes from the body-self

and the mind-self, why bother with the spirit-self anyway? If you feel

perfectly loved and are completely satisfied with your life, there is no

need to proceed. You have discovered a different path, if every one of

your needs, wants and desired, then stop reading by all means!

However, if you have had moments where your life could have been

better, your love was not perfect or you didn’t feel 100% great about

yourself, then you need to get in touch with your spirit-self. Let’s do it.

Meeting your spiritual side is going to be much like meeting anyone else

new. You may be hesitant or think it’s going to be hard. But, it is simply

you saying hello to you. Your spirit-self differs from your mind-self in

three important ways.

It is eternal.

It is connected to the Creator.

It is connected to others’ spirit-selves.

We are going to begin to explore our spirit-self through a very simple

visualization. If you’ve read Crossing Twice, you know that visualization is

an action of the spirit-self upon the mind-self using the mind-self’s

information. That isn’t important to understand at this point, but when

we talk about visualization. I just want you to make a quick mental note

that I mean the mind-self and the spirit-self are going to be aware of each

other.

10 | P a g e

Our Visualization Journey

To begin visualization exercises you will want to find a quiet place where

you will be undisturbed for a few moments. You will want to minimize

information coming in from the body-self. You should be as comfortable

as you can make yourself. Often, because the mind-self does pay so

much attention to the body-self, people like to play soothing music. That

is completely optional. The journey we are about to go on is available to

you with or without music.

Another thing I highly recommend is a single lit candle. This will give your

eyes something to do and not be so tempted to run about when you are

focusing. Plus, a candle provides grounding. It is something familiar you

can open your eyes and come back to the present should you become

slightly disoriented at any time during the process.

You will find this exercise works best if you have a friend who reads the

visualization below while you listen and then exchange. Alternately,

record this is in your voice first, then attempt to visualize listening to

the recording.

Begin by breathing deeply in through your nose and release it out. Close

your eyes or focus on the white light of the candle. Take another deep

breath, hold it for a second and release it slowly.

As we begin, close your eyes or focus your eyes on the light of the candle.

In your mind’s eye, just using your imagination, imagine a beautiful

beach. White sand spreads out to either side of you as far as you can see.

The sky is a perfect blue. There are no clouds yet it is cool and

comfortable. There is a soft breeze blowing and this adds to you feeling

11 | P a g e

cool and comfortable. The sand is warm under you. Warm and so soft.

So, very, very soft.

Take a moment and breathe in the air. Smell the ocean which now

spreads out before you. For mile and miles there is beautiful, shallow,

brilliant blue water. It starts out the color of a dark navy far away, and as

it approaches the sand, it turns a color almost like a diamond. The waves

are gently coming in against the beach. Take a moment in your

imagination and see the beach. This beautiful beach and the sand and

the ocean are very special. They are the one place in the world where you

are absolutely safe. There is nothing that can reach you here.

As you are seeing your beautiful beach and the rich blue ocean, I want

you to imagine a small child on the edge of your beach. The child is very

beautiful, and you immediately feel great love for this child. The child is

sad. The child is hunched down, their sweet little head is bowed down

and there are arms are pulling tight across their knees. Their hair comes

down over their eyes, but you can still make out small little tears running

down their cheeks.

Now I want you to walk on the sand toward the child very slowly, very

gently. You cannot explain it, but you love this child very, very much, and

you do not want this child to be sad so you walk up to the child.

As you reach the child, you can hear sobs. You see some scrapes and

bruises on the child. You see the ocean, beautiful and perfect beyond the

child. But the child looks far from being okay. You reach your hand out.

The child is frightened by your touch and pulls away a bit from your touch.

Sooth this child that you are continuing to feel such a building love for.

Again, you can’t explain it, but the love you feel as if you have known this

child for a long, long time.

12 | P a g e

Hear yourself saying to the child, “This is a safe place. It is the safest

place in the whole world. You are safe here.” Imagine the child turning to

face you. Their face is confused but so very hopeful. You sense some very

bad things have happened to this child, but you know this child needs

your love. Here on your warm beach with cool winds sits this child looking

at you now for help.

“This is a safe place,” you say again, and, “You are safe, and you are loved

here, tell the child.” You can tell by the hope on the child’s face. they

believe you. Now reach out your arms to the child. Go very slowly. Very

gently.

Now allow yourself to see the child taking your hand. You draw the child

sweeping them up in your arms. The child feels so very light and so very

fragile. You hug the child close, and they put their little arms around your

back and hugs you very tightly.

Here you are on your cool, safe beach. You are holding the child in your

arms, and you sit down quietly with the child on your lap. The child

begins to smile up at you and your heart swells up with love. You know

you must protect this child. You know you must love this child.

See these things in your hand and begin to slow down all the actions. Let

the waves move more slowly. Feel the wind calming down and lifting the

child’s hair very slowly. Slowly. Now hold the scene in your mind as if you

have a magical ability to slow down time itself. Slower and slower things

move until it is a photograph. A photograph of you holding a small child

in front of an endless ocean on a perfect day. Freeze the image in your

mind and let it fade quietly. But fade into the white light of the sun in the

scene or the candle in front of you.

Take a deep cleansing breathe.

13 | P a g e

Congratulations. You have met your spirit-self. Not the child on the

beach, but the strong, safe, loving person who reached out and took the

child in your arms. That was your spirit-self.

You are the comforter, the lover of the child. That is your spirit-self. It is

capable of tapping into the great expanse and power of the source. It

approaches things as with wonderful tenderness, love and power.

You are also the child. The child is the body-self and mind-self. It is

limited in the ability and is often scared and frightened. Your boy self and

mind-self

Together, you are you. And, you have met your spiritual side.

14 | P a g e

Concluding Thoughts and Blessing

In this session, you have accomplished the following:

You have learned the concept of body-self, mind-self and spirit-

self.

You have learned that without the spirit-self engaged, the body-

self and the mind-self are capable of supporting only a limited life.

You have learned how the body-self and spirit-self interact.

You have learned about visualization.

You have completed a visualization and have met your spirit-self.

To be most effective, you should perform this visualization several times

during a week’s span. Keep your awareness open. See if you can

recreate the visualization during the day, recalling the most important

parts of the exercise for you.

15 | P a g e

Blessing

I offer this prayer for you, dear reader:

Creator, as these words are read, stir your glory and your light and send

forth Your Sp offer this prayer for you, dear reader:ad these words.

Strengthen them, Creator, with all of your love, peace and power. May all

their paths be good paths. May they rise to meet the challenges not with

their mind-self or body-self alone, but with their spirit-self. There where

you dwell. That part of them that is eternally loved, supported and

protected. Whoever, wherever they are, let them know Your love for

them and know that love comes with acceptance and call to follow the

right path.

Creator, bless them this day and all the days to come. May they continue

to seek out Your power and love.

Amen.

If you’ve enjoyed this eBook, we invite you to visit www.SpiritThinking.net

and check our library. Just for you, we have arranged a very special copy

of Crossing Twice: Answers from the Source. Click to purchase.