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Given 30 seconds to say what is most important in life, it’d be simple: give yourself to God.

God gets a mixed review, obviously a favorable spin from religious or spiritual types, but still one with vague undertones of uncertainty. The advice I gave sounds good but what does it really mean, why is it important, and how should one go about doing it?

Let’s cut to the chase. Life on earth isn’t easy. Even when wealthy or healthy, people may be miserable. With no way to know what’ll happen one minute to the next, control and security are illusory. Money, power, fame, sex, etc. promise happiness but inevitably disappoint because they lead nowhere. And more, they distract us from realizing the truth about life:

We are not meant to find lasting happiness on Earth. It isn’t home. We’re immortal souls temporarily incarnate in bodies and here solely to learn, grow, and awaken spiritually. After spiritual awakening, we graduate from the earthly school of life and return to our divine home of omnipresence.

Understand that these aren’t just my fanciful ramblings. No savior ever preached, “Increase thy net worth” or “Be thou a sexual dynamo.” Rather, they taught that life is a journey of maturation, a process of spiritual growth that culminates in reuniting with the source of unending joy- God. So stop chasing toys, creation, and turn your attention toward the divine Maker.

Why is this important? Because we all seek happiness, and lasting fulfillment is only found in God. Everything we think provides joy is either a mental projection or reflection of inner soul joy. Nothing produces joy; God is joy. As one gets warm by approaching a bonfire, so to is lasting happiness gained by going to its source, Spirit. All else withers, God alone endures.

How is this achieved? Meditation.

The biblical maxims “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God” and “the Kingdom of God is within you” reveal universal truths about life’s direction and purpose. There are various legitimate ways to meditate and that’s fine. I recommend finding a spiritual path that suits you, learning to meditate according to the discipline set forth by its master, and sticking to it. That’s what I’ve done for the past 24 years using the Kriya yoga meditation principles and technique taught by Paramhansa Yogananda.

Do I win any prizes? No. Has it delivered? Yes! It’s difficult to know what I’d be like without my practice, but I’m definitely a better person for the effort. Coupled with the blessings and teachings of a spiritual master, meditation is a life-enhancing activity that serves more than the individual practitioner. As one is uplifted, others also gain from that increased love, light, and compassion. Meditation, then, is what I consider the most direct way to realize oneness with God and draw from that connection an unending flow of inspiration, understanding, wisdom, and ultimately, Salvation or Liberation.

So again, meditate! It’s that simple and important.

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Rev. Alan L. Pritz, an Interfaith Minister and spiritual disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, began consulting in 1988. He founded Inner Resource Enhancement - later LifeALIGNMENT (DBA Awake-In-Life) to offer innovative Lifestyle Management, Work/Life Balance, and Performance Enhancement seminars for business, healthcare, and educational organizations. These programs blended holistic vision with practical application to help clients lead more productive, meaningful lives. Noting an increasing need for personal training, Rev. Alan later added Executive Coaching for corporate leaders to aid in the more subtle EQ and Spiritual Intelligence factors of their pre-existing skill sets.

Rev. Alan served as adjunct faculty at the U of St. Thomas Management Center where he developed and taught a workshop on spirituality in the workplace. He subsequently was asked to write a training component on this topic for the American Management Association in Training for Tough Topics (AMACOM: 2000), addressed the National Wellness Conference on Opening Organizational Doors To Balance & Spirituality, developed an integrative medicine training on Yoga, Meditation, and Spirituality for the U of St. Thomas Center for Medical Affairs, wrote numerous articles concerning related themes for Minnesota Physician, Employee Benefits News, Twin Cities Wellness, The Edge and has been on various radio or public speaking events. His work has been written about in journals including Business Ethics Magazine, Employee Benefits News, and Alternative & Complimentary Therapies.

To provide an outlet for his deepest passion, teaching meditation and spiritual practice, Rev. Alan started the Center for Inner Awakening (2005-2009) as a nonsectarian yoga facility to help people nourish their inner lives. As part of this expression, he wrote Pocket Guide To Meditation (Crossing Press: 1997), Meditation As A Way of Life (Quest Books: 2014), and produced several CDs of devotional chants and meditation. He subsequently became ordained as an Interfaith Minister (2010) so people of all faiths would feel included and, accordingly, be more receptive to learning.

His principal interests are expressed through private practice work that offers meditation training and spiritual counseling / guidance / life coaching services to help individuals and organizations address inner growth and work-life issues from a higher-perspective framework.

To learn more see Awake-In-Life.com. To schedule an appointment, call 612-721-4100.

Past and Upcoming Releases: Pocket Guide To Meditation | Meditation as a Way of Life, due out in October 2014 (Quest Books)

For more information, please visit www.Awake-In-Life.com

Recent Releases

Pocket Guide To Meditation - Book Meditation As A Way of Life - Book (out Oct. 2014) The Art & Science of Meditation - CD Heart Songs: Meditative Chants from the Paramhansa Yogananda Tradition - CD

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