Credit: Apollo 8 & NASA

A person asked Buddha:“Are you a God?” Buddha’s reply was “No.” “Are you an Angel?” “No.” “Then what are you?” “I am Awake.” -- Unknown Source

Our lives really begin to change when we learn to shift our perspective on ‘problems.’ From the spiritual perspective, problems offer our best path to growth. Like it or not, pain gets our attention. Pain also challenges the ego's perception thati t is in complete control of life. This opens the door for soul’s guidance. If we want to be rid of the pain, we must do the work that leads us to greater consciousness. Paradoxically, we can only get rid of the pain by moving through it. The next time you feel “poor me,” stop and ask, “What needs to change? What does my soul want me to learn?” “No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” -- Source Unknown

"There are only two ways to live your life: One is as though nothing is a miracle, The other is as though everything is a miracle. I believe in the latter." -- Albert Einstein

“We live in a world of theophanies. Holiness comes wrapped in the ordinary.There are burning bushes all around you. Every tree is full of angels. Hidden beauty is waiting in every crumb. Life wants to lead you from crumbs to angels, but this can happen only if you are willing to unwrap the ordinary by staying with it long enough to harvest its treasure.” -- Macrina Wiederkehr

The Tibetan teacher, Chogyam Trungpa, warned of the trap of spiritual materialism. He says we must be ever diligent to spot the ego’s use of the spiritual journey to further its own ends. We may think it’s spiritual to yearn for divine connection. And yet, if the longing is to fill an emptiness inside, just how does this differ from the one who yearns for money or possessions to fill the inner void? Do we look to our spiritual practices as proof of our evolved consciousness or as protection against fears? Any time we use spiritual disciplines to maintain our identity and security, weare not yet on the path of genuine spiritual development. "Enlightenment is ego’s ultimate disappointment."-- Chögyam Trungpa