The 8-Fold Path of a Spiritual Life

Many of life’s skills improve with practice and consistency. A mindful, repetitive practice, done well, reinforces positive outcomes. In hockey, basketball or music, the coach or mentor asks their students to go through a series of ‘exercises’ regularly to first of all acquire skill and proficiency so that they can improve the quality of their game or performance. As your spiritual directors, we encourage you with these guidelines for your journey, hoping that they will, over time, improve the depth and quality of your whole life. Without straining or trying too hard, these practices will help you become who YOU really are: a loving, compassionate person, living your life with ease and grace and making a difference in the world. We will be emphasizing the attitudes and dispositions of mind and heart as we explore the eight practices of a healthy, balanced spiritual life: Prayer Mindfulness of the Presence of God Spiritual Reading Self-Discipline Work Kindness and Compassion Leisure Spiritual Friends/Director/Community These eight practices will hopefully become the balanced daily rhythm for many spiritual seekers in families and communities today. If we understand the lavishness of God’s universal call to holiness, then we can more readily respond with generosity and gratitude. Be mindful that these eight practices evolve throughout the years until one moves ‘beyond the practice’ and they all seem to blend together and become one continuous flow of life and love that is simple, joyous and effortless.