AGING IS A CHOICE Part 17 – Spirituality and Aging
By Robert Manni
You might be asking, “What does spirituality have to do with aging, and why does it matter?” After all, we live, and then we die. No one is spared. Spirituality is not going to prevent our growing older or slow it down. Or is it?
Today, let’s see how spirituality can become an important aspect of how we age and how it can impact our longevity.
I have found, and you may have also, the topic of spirituality is usually relegated to organized institutions, typically Sundays, religious holidays, weddings, births, and funerals. It doesn’t usually enter our day-to-day conversations. Instead, it keeps to distinct roles, kind of like the separation of church and state. Yet, our individual spiritual beliefs and practices concerning life and death frame our lives in subtle and overarching ways. They run like a program in the background of all our decisions and experiences affecting how we live and age. Whether we are talking about them or not, our spiritual beliefs have a lot of impact and power over our lives.
Let’s say you are of the mindset that death is the end, and it means “game over,” then you probably have underlying or even blatant trepidations facing your latter years and its inevitable destination. You probably believe that we are physical beings having an experience on Earth. You live, and then you die. There is no other higher power helping to guide you through the tough times. Sure, there’s family, friends, and service professionals if you’re lucky enough to have them, but that’s where it ends. The organizing principle rests on the limits and powers of people. Because of this, your environment greatly determines how you live and age. You are highly reliant on others, and others hold a lot of influence over your life. It’s similar to the luck of the draw principle or as I like to think of it, lateral or sideways consciousness. It places your life into the gamble of the hand you’re dealt. It’s all random. This puts a lot of pressure on every decision you make because the basis of it all is a system of probability. It makes us need to control as many elements as we can in our lives to reduce or increase the probability of something happening. Can you already feel the stress of this kind of belief system?
But what if you believe the opposite— that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience on Earth? What if you believe that we are more than our bodies and have access to a higher power where Spirit, guides, and angels surround us and are ready to help whenever we ask them? This belief that we are more than our physical bodies holds the potential to make a seismic difference on how we age. In this belief system, you have great influence over your life and environment. This organizing principle relies on a benevolent spiritual existence or power that exists beyond the limits and powers of people. If anything, it encourages us to see the potential outside of physical, emotional, or mental limitations and moves us past them. I like to think of this as vertical consciousness because it lifts us above every situation and invites new possibilities. It greatly reduces luck and empowers us to create the life we want to live. Ironically, it does this by encouraging us to let go of our need to control everything and thereby, brings us more peace and well-being.
I can’t say what the truth is, but your beliefs, mindset, and choices shape your experience accordingly. Maintaining a spiritual belief system centered on the soul that is beyond physical death can provide real benefits and extend your journey on Earth. Put another way—you are what you believe to be true. And if you think the end is near and final, it very well may be.
Like Sting sang, I believe we are spirits in the material world.
With this in mind, here are five practices that can leverage your spiritual beliefs, no matter how long your physical body lasts.
Faith and Prayer
When you believe in a higher power that you can connect with and tap into in times of stress, there is a sense of comfort knowing that you are not alone on your journey. You have guidance. You have help. You are eternal due to the Divine spark inside. This “knowing” can protect your heart, mind, and well-being. Invoking prayer is a reaffirmation of your beliefs. You are secure in your faith and connection to Spirit. You are not alone. Not only that, but numerous studies have also shown that prayer can positively influence healing. How can this not ease your mind as you face the uncertainties that befall the aging process? Prayer can keep your spirit young.
Affirmations
Sourcing and creating your own personal mantras helps drive home and lock in those core beliefs that connect you to universal knowledge and Divine power. With the right intention, you can train your body, mind, and spirit to bolster your health and well-being. What’s not to like about that?
Meditation
Any form of mediation helps slow the going process while you are in the flow of your meditation. Taken to another level, studies have show that the practice of Transcendental Meditation can add up to seven years to your life. If you think I am kidding, take look at anyone who has been practicing TM for an extended period of time and ask yourself why they look so chill and younger than their chronological age.
Visualization
Seeing yourself as healthy, vibrant, and full of life is a great way to become just that. When it comes to aging, what you see is what you get. So, create a mental picture of who and what you want to be along the going journey. You may be pleasantly surprised to find yourself in the exact place you’ve visualized for yourself.
Keep Looking Ahead
No matter what your chronological age may be, to remain young in body mind, no spirit, you need to know who you are, what you want to be, how you want to experience life. Winging it can be exciting, but it also places you in a reactive versus a proactive mode. That can be taxing. You want to stay young. Plan ahead!
Regardless of what you believe, most things in life come down to the choices we make. Every day we make hundreds of choices. And guess what? Aging is a choice, too. Make your choices count, especially the ones that affect your body, mind, and spirit and how you age.
