Ra Wrote:There is but one technique for this growing or nurturing of will and faith, and that is the focusing of the attention. The attention span of those you call children is considered short.
The spiritual attention span of most of your peoples is that of the child.
Thus it is a matter of wishing to become able to collect one’s attention and hold it upon the desired programming.
This, when continued, strengthens the will. The entire activity can only occur when there exists faith that an outcome of this discipline is possible.
what do you think improves (or disimproves) the spiritual attention span?
does having things like the internet and constant opportunities for distraction decrease this ability to focus the attention?
Would the realization that your outer environment is a reflection of the inner environment make one realize all is spiritual and where else can you place your attention?.
I presume Ra is talking directly about consciously placing one's attention onto a very specific matter, which is deemed to be 'more' spiritual. For example meditation, Tai Chi, Yoga are all deemed to be 'more' spiritual than reading a book on psychology. Although the psychology book could give one a greater understanding of their inner environment.
I agree that the internet is a distraction but only as much as I choose to go onto other websites that are for entertainment purposes and not spiritual forums such as this.
Spiritual Attention > Will > Faith.
I think it refers to how most people in ordinary life simply don't have the time to concentrate on spiritual matters even if they wanted. Working, looking after family etc leads to simply not having the energy to put into such matters.
(08-13-2014, 06:43 AM)Steppenwolf Wrote: [ -> ]I think it refers to how most people in ordinary life simply don't have the time to concentrate on spiritual matters even if they wanted. Working, looking after family etc leads to simply not having the energy to put into such matters.
Do you not consider working and looking after the family as a 'spiritual' act?, Thus requiring spiritual attention. I don't really see what constitutes non spiritual attention everything is spiritual at it's crux is it not?.
I understand watching tv might be considered a distraction, but that's only if you view it as a distraction. If you view it as a way of relaxing and releasing stress does it not do this? is that not for the benefit then of the mind, body and spirit?.
I think it comes down to perception of your own experience. If you view all acts as spiritual would you not only be able to apply 'spiritual attention' as Ra put it on anything?. If you thought like this would you not always then be strengthening the will and faith at all times?
(08-13-2014, 05:28 AM)Bring4th_Plenum Wrote: [ -> ]Ra Wrote:There is but one technique for this growing or nurturing of will and faith, and that is the focusing of the attention. The attention span of those you call children is considered short.
The spiritual attention span of most of your peoples is that of the child.
Thus it is a matter of wishing to become able to collect one’s attention and hold it upon the desired programming.
This, when continued, strengthens the will. The entire activity can only occur when there exists faith that an outcome of this discipline is possible.
what do you think improves (or disimproves) the spiritual attention span?
does having things like the internet and constant opportunities for distraction decrease this ability to focus the attention?
The act of consciously choosing what we place our attention on strengthens our spiritual attention, which, I would define as "conscious attention", as opposed to "unconscious attention" which is just normal attention. A regimen of meditation is extremely helpful in this regard.
I think that the many distractions of modern day society do tend to weaken the attention span. Out of all the practices offered in the Ra material, I consider this section the most important to me, personally.
Attention is
everything.
(08-13-2014, 05:28 AM)Bring4th_Plenum Wrote: [ -> ]what do you think improves (or disimproves) the spiritual attention span?
does having things like the internet and constant opportunities for distraction decrease this ability to focus the attention?
Hatton speaking through Don in 1972 on the concept of maturity.
Quote:So you see, my friends, there is a dual process occurring. However, the meditation is always of the primary and greater importance. Once, however the art of meditation has been fully mastered, the intellectual mind becomes a useful tool in the development of spirit. It is of little consequence until this state of communication between the two is mastered. Therefore, my friends, all is of no avail until receptivity is made possible through daily meditation. This not only breaks down the barrier between the intellect and the spirit, it also breaks down all other barriers between the spirit and the one great All.
http://www.llresearch.org/transcripts/is..._0300.aspx
On the second query I don't see all of our modern distractions as something that decreases our ability to focus, but as the word implies, leaves that focus undeveloped.
I'm thinking spiritually probably 1% of my day. Perhaps if I did more. I've meditated for sometimes 3 hours, which is a long time.
I am much more calm and able to concentrate upon the spiritual aspects of life outside of work but at work, it's incredibly difficult due to the pace at which we work.
At any given moment, I am doing any or all of the following
Helping a patient stand for an xray or sliding a patient over
Running to another xray room to check on my students
Answer phone calls
Use the computer to look at patient charts
Speaking with nurses/doctors while watching my patient or student
Performing the actual xray while making sure the patient doesn't fall or running back in because they are in pain
Then seeing what's next to do while checkin my images along with the students
Sometimes we are going at such an insane pace, there is simply no way to be spiritually conscious of my actions. I am simply running on adrenaline. Luckily I can still care for the patients which is where my service comes in but consciously analyzing comments/situations/scenarios etc is impossible.
Ra Wrote:There is but one technique for this growing or nurturing of will and faith, and that is the focusing of the attention. The attention span of those you call children is considered short.
The spiritual attention span of most of your peoples is that of the child.
Thus it is a matter of wishing to become able to collect one’s attention and hold it upon the desired programming.
This, when continued, strengthens the will. The entire activity can only occur when there exists faith that an outcome of this discipline is possible.
2 cents.
I don't think "spiritual attention" means paying attention to spiritual things or activities. I think "spiritual attention" is a skill and a kind of focus. I think Ra gives significant clues in the bolded parts of the quote. Spiritual attention is a means to an end ("desired programming" and "an outcome of this discipline").
The Adept is someone who can do magical workings. Magical workings are, essentially, focused will activities. If you have weak "will muscles" you won't be able to do the work of the Adept.
So I see the term "spiritual attention" as meaning that quality of will power that is capable of magical working. Or more colloquially, "reality creation."
Adepts get what they focus on. The rest of us don't pay enough attention and don't have sufficient "focus power" to enable the Magician into High Priestess manifestations.
If we have sufficient spiritual attention, and if we strengthened our willpower, we would be able to dip into the Deep Subconscious and become co-creators. We would manifest events.
We'll naturally have attention towards things in our lives if we actually directed our lives towards things we wanted, rather than act against ourselves towards things we do not mostly want. When we have to force our attention towards something does attention work become an issue.
An adept has released themselves from the societal constraints that cause this attention issue.
Quote:80.10 ↥ Questioner: Now, the fifteenth archetype, which is the Matrix of the Spirit, has been called the Devil. Can you tell me why that is so?
Ra: I am Ra. We do not wish to be facile in such a central query, but we may note that the nature of the spirit is so infinitely subtle that the fructifying influence of light upon the great darkness of the spirit is very often not as apparent as the darkness itself. The progress chosen by many adepts becomes a confused path as each adept attempts to use the Catalyst of the Spirit. Few there are which are successful in grasping the light of the sun. By far, the majority of adepts remain groping in the moonlight and, as we have said, this light can deceive as well as uncover hidden mystery. Therefore, the melody, shall we say, of this matrix often seems to be of a negative and evil, as you would call it, nature.
It is also to be noted that an adept is one which has freed itself more and more from the constraints of the thoughts, opinions, and bonds of other-selves. Whether this is done for service to others or service to self, it is a necessary part of the awakening of the adept. This freedom is seen by those not free as what you would call evil or black. The magic is recognized; the nature is often not.
(08-13-2014, 06:43 AM)Steppenwolf Wrote: [ -> ]I think it refers to how most people in ordinary life simply don't have the time to concentrate on spiritual matters even if they wanted. Working, looking after family etc leads to simply not having the energy to put into such matters.
Bingo.
I take spirituality a little differently. To me, mindfulness is another form of spirituality that is sometimes overlooked. I recently read "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" by Dan Millman, and one of my favorite quotes was at the end, after the main character had found True Happiness. "I closed my eyes to meditate, but realized I was always meditating now, with my eyes wide open."
In our increasingly busy lives, it seems hard to find the time to meditate and "be spiritual". But meditation to me is an opportunity to remember to be present and aware of the One. If we had the same amount of mindfulness to the present in every aspect of our lives as we had in meditation, from working to watching the kids to studying, I think we would be much more appreciative of these moments that don't seem so spiritual on the surface. After the end of a long day, I find myself much more appreciative of a day where I focused on putting my wholehearted attention to the present moment. I interpret this presence as being always mindful of Awareness, and thus it is very spiritual to me!
Just get out of your head and observe the moment. It's very difficult but it always rewards.