Site Header
AH-MAN FREEDOM NEWSLETTER

News from Ah-Man

 

February 2012   

In This Issue
SPIRITUAL RECOVERY
SPIRITUAL AWAKENING AND THE DIVINE EXPERIENCE
AWAKEN WELLNESS FAIR
Quick Links
Dear Friends,

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

I am excited to announce the launch of my new Ah-Man Spiritual Recovery Program Facebook Page, which includes information and resources related to spiritual recovery and healing, and features a personal video welcome and overview from me.

As a very special welcome, those who visit and "Like" my new page will receive a free autographed copy of my latest book "Recovering WHOLENESS...Discovering Ah-Man." You can find out more about the book HERE.

We're still tweaking the page, but please visit, "like" it and come back often to view and share updates about your own journey to spiritual recovery.

 

As you can probably tell by now, Spiritual Recovery is a compelling topic that is very much at the top of my mind. I explore the topic of "Spiritual Recovery" in the main article below and in my February blog posts.  

 

I will be speaking about Spiritual Recovery at the Awaken Wellness Fair in Tarrytown, New York, in April. If you're in the area, I hope you consider coming out to join us. You'll find details below.  

 

I would be delighted to have the opportunity to serve as a conduit in helping you to achieve your own Spiritual Recovery in 2012! 

 

Namaste,

Michael

SPIRITUAL RECOVERY

 

What is it?

 

In essence, it's Returning to Wholeness; it's the feeling of fulfillment from within.

 

We can say it is a process of reconnecting to our Inner Spirit that has been lost, forgotten about, or just plan ignored. Please note that as human beings, Spirit is always with us and is only separated when the body expires. For too many reasons to go into here, we humans will at times try to replace that connection to Spirit with other things, things outside of ourselves, and for a while they do fill us, but since they are of a temporary nature to start with, the feeling of fulfillment is impermanent.

 

So when we come to a place where we are feeling unfulfilled, we do one of two things. We begin to look for a more permanent solution for happiness, peace, love and/or joy. This search leads many of us to go within ourselves to know more about what makes us tick, why we feel the way do or, more importantly, why we are here. Which leads us to ask: what is my purpose here on earth? The questions can go even deeper; not only why am I here, but also where am I going in this life and after this life?

 

When it comes to looking outside of ourselves for peace, we might look for a new relationship, a new place to live, a new job, a new family, new friendships, etc. While none of these things are inherently negative, we have to understand the motive behind them. Remember that relationships come and go (not always by our choice). It's rare to stay in one home for a lifetime and even then, we frequently remodel it, trying to make it better. And then there is the new job. That, too, will only work for a while, until we become dissatisfied or complacent. If we keep looking outside of ourselves for lasting peace aren't we just doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results...and you know what they say about that, don't you?

 

There are many types of people attracted to this work, including those in Twelve-Step programs, because they have already begun to think and see things differently.  

 

Others are those who have a negative, poor, or no relationship with God. Something happened in their lives that was painful and led them to stop believing in and communicating with God. They've now reached a point where looking for fulfillment outside of them is not satisfying, and so they begin to go within.

 

Yet others were raised in a faith that was forced upon them or didn't make any sense to them. Perhaps they were made to fear God. Many times something surrounding their religion caused them pain and humiliation. As adults, they now know there's more to life than what they're experiencing and they begin searching for a religion or spiritual path that makes sense to them. They want something that encompasses love instead of fear, joy instead of pain, respect rather than disrespect.

 

There seems to be an underlying thread running through all the ways of being disconnected from Spirit. That underlying thread is pain. Why? Because it is our natural propensity to be connected to Spirit and to be content, fulfilled and happy. Because we are Spirit, when we are not connected to Spirit, the experience we are having is not fulfilling or lasting, and eventually brings about some form of pain.

   

Looking for answers on the outside sometimes takes the form known as "mid-life crisis." Between 40-50 years old, things just don't satisfy us the way we want to be fulfilled. Men try to look young again, replace their old wife with a new one, or buy that sports car they couldn't afford in their youth, etc. Women continue to do whatever they can do to keep themselves from aging and to make themselves look younger. We've all seen it; some of us have tried it. It's all about looks. "If I look better, I'll feel better," they think. And it works...for a while.

 

Now I'm not saying that we shouldn't have nice things in our lives. Or that we shouldn't take care of ourselves. But when we believe those things to be the so-called answers to Happiness, Joy, Love and Peace, we are deceiving ourselves and looking for those things in the wrong places. Remember that Waylon Jennings' song..."Lookin' for love (in all the wrong places")?

 

Again, pain is very patiently waiting to awaken us. We cannot fulfill our Inner Self with temporary things.

 

"Pain is the touchstone of Spiritual growth," said Bill Wilson, co-founder of AA. And many saints and sages of all traditions have said the same.

 

In the Ah-Man Blog this month, I will talk about some of those things that have brought us to our knees. And how, from that touchstone of pain, we are able to change our perspective to see things differently because of a spiritual awakening or Divine experience.

MICHAEL TALKS ABOUT SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

      
Click on the player to view Michael's video on Spiritual Awakening and the Divine Experience. Then visit the Ah-Man Blog for additional information.  
JOIN MICHAEL AT THE AWAKEN WELLNESS FAIR ON APRIL 29

Michael will be a featured speaker on Spiritual Recovery at the Awaken Wellness Fair on Sunday, April 29 at the Doubletree Hotel, 455 South Broadway, Tarrytown, New York, 10591.

 

The goal of the wellness fair is to make the world a better place. How? By educating people in the very best and latest means to wellness of body, mind and spirit.

 

Don't miss this great day!

 

Tickets for the April 29, 2012 fair are available now -- at the early bird discount price of only $10 through April 25. The price at the door is $15.

The first 500 guests arriving at the Fair will receive an ecologically-conscious, fun-colored, reusable bag chock filled with gifts, special offers and discounts from fair vendors!

 

If you're in the area, come to the fair. And be sure to stop by and say hi to Michael.

 

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: Awaken To Your Best Self  

Like me on Facebook Follow me on Twitter View my profile on LinkedIn View my videos on YouTube
Michael Hoare, D.D., is a minister and certified Angel Therapy Practitioner, who has a wealth of experience and expertise in healing his own life and helping others heal theirs. He is the author of the new book "Returning to WHOLENESS...Discovering Ah-Man."
 
For more information, or to learn more about Michael and Ah-Man, visit his web site at www.ah-man.com and his blog at http://www.blog.ah-man.com/