Spiritualism Lesson 1

Subject – Spiritualism Lesson 1 I am a seasoned healthcare professional who has always been deeply spiritual. I am a feeling, intuitive, analytical ,logical, rational person who has always been receptive to spiritual ideas. As a healthcare professional I have always been guided by scientific principles and evidence based practice models. I have a great love for science and logical , rational thought . so the universe decided to gift me with a profound curiosity about mysticism and spirituality. I am very empathic so much so that I can sense other people's emotions. At times I have literally felt other people's emotions wash over me in torrents. I have had dreams and visions and kept a journal to try to make  some sort of sense or find meaning in my visions . Sixteen years ago I attended a seminary in Florida that was associated with ULC and became an ordained minister. The people I minister to are colleagues in the healthcare field and patients I attend to in the hospital. This past week I observed the Nurses and Doctors who are my colleagues for the most part being "mind driven people" . They would logically analyze a patient's situation and quickly execute a rational plan of care. I listened to my colleague's comments and noticed that not once did I hear a doctor or nurse comment on how they felt or how the patient felt about an emotional situation on any given day. Although the physical care given to the patients was excellent…….the spiritual care was nonexistent. The patients I attended to however did tell me how they felt when I asked them. In some cases, with some patients in addition to listening ,I simply held their hand while they talked and let them know it was okay to cry and feel sorrow. In other cases , with some patients and their families, I hugged them and listened to them and let them know it was okay to laugh and feel joy. Spiritualism from my perspective is all about acknowledging that all beings have feelings, that if positive , can bring joy to the soul, if negative, can be debilitating to the spirit. I came to the conclusion that on any given day, in any given situation, humans have the capacity to be both mind driven and heart driven . In human societies those who are more mind driven than heart driven usually, from my observation have obtained more physically tangible resources. That is to say they have the bigger house, the finer car etc.etc to display to the world. Whereas those humans who are more heart driven than mind driven have fewer physical objects to display to the world and they laugh & smile more often than mind driven people. Respectfully submitted by Rev. Susan K. Bowers