Stephen O'Brien

The following revised and updated article was written by renowned British spiritual healer, medium and author, Stephen O'Brien, who has dedicated his life to the propagation of soul-healing and spiritual truth. The original, much shorter, piece was published in Psychic News in 1994 as part of a series he wrote called ‘Spirituality Matters’.

Each year, Stephen lectures throughout the UK on the development of spiritual and psychic abilities. He also holds large public meetings at 30 or so venues nation-wide where, through the gift of his sensitivity, he offers Evidence of the Survival of the Soul after death to the thousands of people who witness his work. He currently writes for Psychic World magazine, and is also a contributor to Two Worlds, as well as being the author of five best-selling books and a series of informative self-help cassettes, recorded to help people to develop their psychic and spiritual abilities. Over the past 25 years, he has received thousands of letters from spiritual seekers; and through the written, spoken, and broadcast word his spiritual and mystical teachings have circled the world many times and helped countless people.

The Need For Spiritual Strength

How to survive as a sensitive person in the modern world.

How can you live a happier, more peaceful life in this modern world that bombards you with constant stress?

Those who are gifted with the power of clairvoyance, or 'second sight', and who can see the soul-world and the energies that it radiates, know that spiritually developed people are relatively free from stress. They shine out from the centre of themselves a psychic aura of healing peace; and so wonderful is their presence that to meet such a person is to touch Heaven upon the earth. To be near these souls is to bathe one's tired mind and body in the life-giving waters of quietening spiritual harmony and cleansing love. But how does one attain this peaceful and contented state of mind?

It is true that a man can only express outwardly what is present within his nature. A man whose mind is stilled and uncluttered by such disharmonious and negative thought-energies as selfishness, anger, bitterness, hatred or revenge etc, who carefully chooses polite speech and is never garrulous, and whose actions are only those of a kind and helpful person - this man is well on the way to becoming the master of his mind and emotions. Such noble characteristics as these mark him out as a peaceful, spiritually evolving soul.

According to many ancient mystical schools, God - The One Mind Which Created All - dwells in utter peace and stillness; the Spirit of Consciousness that fashioned every manifestation of life exists at the back of, and is also expressing Itself through, all of Its outward Forms; yet paradoxically It dwells alone in the Great Silence.

It is not surprising, therefore, that people whose minds and personalities possess not only a depth of genuine tranquillity but also a fuller expression of Unconditional Love, are sometimes regarded as God-like beings.

People who are advancing spiritually are truly radiating the invisible yet living soul-lights of God's Peaceful Love into the atmosphere around them; and, without doubt, they possess a greater recognition of, and attunement with, the Great Spirit's spiritual omnipresence.

By your Light you shall be known.

No reasonable person would argue that true sensitives should be compassionate people. I would define a compassionate soul thus: a person who is so aware of, and so in sympathy with, another soul's distress that he takes immediate action to stem or alleviate his brother’s suffering. This is kindness in action: this is active compassion of the highest order.

But such bright spiritual qualities as these, which encourage their possessor to freely offer selfless service to others, do not present us with the whole picture of an evolving spiritual nature. There is another equally important aspect to the development of spirituality, an aspect about which many sensitive people often remain unaware - and this is the vital need to generate within themselves their own powerful battery of soul-strength.

No sensitive person could possibly survive the stresses and trials of modern life without a well-disciplined mind: without doubt, mental strength is a vital part of any soul’s spiritual armour.

Without inner strength and firm resolve to accept personal responsibility for his own actions and thoughts, a man's spiritual harmony can be easily upset by the noise and clamour of a world that often grates upon his responsive nervous system.

Unchecked, a man's thoughts have a tendency to gallop out of control like wild unbroken stallions; but in order to achieve and maintain inner harmony and peace - and therefore a state of happiness and contentment - he must learn to rein in and control the wild horses of Thought, or nothing but chaos will rule his life.

Mastery over the mind is one of the goals a person must achieve if he or she is to progress spiritually. Inner strength is also needed to overcome the daily temptations that lure us into worshipping materialism and its many temporary gods.

The mind should be man's servant, and not his tyrant.

Many sensitive people neglect to develop a strong will power and, because of this, their resolve to walk self-chosen difficult and testing spiritual pathways can falter, and sometimes break. But they must learn to be strong. The Generals in the Army of the Spirit must not run away at the first sign of battle.

To achieve harmony in your Triune nature - in your body, mind and spirit - you must face with fortitude and positivity, and then do all that you can to overcome the many challenges that life on earth will certainly present to you.

In order to advance spiritually, man must grasp ‘the beast’ of his lower selfish nature and tame it through the power of his will, until it becomes ‘the angel’ of his compassionate higher self.

Happiness is a state of mind, an attitude, a way of looking at situations. It is not so much what happens to you that matters - what counts is how you deal with it.

The attainment of true happiness is not an easy process: but then, anything worth possessing must be spiritually earned, diligently worked for, personally achieved through applied Thought, effort and often hard work; and slowly you will progress: step by step; day by day.

There is no instant soul evolution; by its very nature it is always a gradual advance from the 'lower' to the 'higher', from the 'less aware' to the 'more sensitive'. So be patient with yourself, and persevere. And, if you stay the course, you will win through.

Each day, take time to still your mind, to think about your problems and try to solve them, to release any hurts you are holding from the past: the past is gone and you can't change it.

Forgive and forget - move on. How can you embrace the future if your arms are holding firmly on to the past? You can't.

Start each new day with fresh hope and a more positive attitude to life: try smiling again; be kind and thoughtful; be considerate to everyone around you, and gradually you will feel more content.

Here is another of the Great Spirit's Universal Natural Laws, to which we are all subject, which may help you: the Law of Cause and Effect. Spiritually, you will receive from others exactly what you have radiated out into the universe in the past (perhaps even in past lives).

As you have sown, so you shall reap...

Many people bemoan their circumstances and claim they don't deserve the lifestyle they endure, that they've never harmed another soul. But is this true?

For example, there are millions who regularly eat meat and thereby support the world-wide mass slaughter of countless millions of God's sentient creatures - animals who possess conscious awareness, thought and feeling, who have souls, and who also survive death.

People who support this cruelty are radiating definite Causes (dark energies and thoughts) out into the Universe - and they will undoubtedly experience the precise Effects of these Causes. That is the Universal Law.

Actions and Reactions are equal and opposite. We will receive what we have spiritually earned. Divine Justice rules this Universe; everything is known to The Great Mind.

If we judge our lives only from a physical viewpoint, we may delude ourselves into thinking we are blameless - but if we view our lives honestly through spiritual eyes, we may often be surprised by what we find…

Today, millions of people around the world will wake to greet the sunshine and they will feel reasonably peaceful and content. If you are not one of these souls, then maybe it is time to change your actions and thought patterns.

Here is another Universal Natural Law to help you in your quest for peace: the Law of Personal Responsibility. You alone can change your attitude, you alone must resolve to be a happier soul. You can be advised and counselled by others, certainly, (and this guidance and inspiration is always available); and you can be supported in your efforts, but the task of changing your outlook is yours alone.

Once we realise that all life is Spiritual in essence and that physical matter is nothing more than a temporary shadow cast by a much greater Spiritual Light, our studies will reveal that Life is composed of incessant vibrations, or undulating wavelengths of energy which are in continuous movement. We can then liken the surface of our existence to a furious ocean where huge waves of constant activity break against everything in their path, including us.

But spiritually developing souls can stand firm against any storm because their feet are firmly planted on the ocean bed - deep down in the depths where the absolute calm, stillness, and power of God reside. And it is from Him, The Great Spirit (Who Is Our Father/Mother God), that we will draw the unlimited healing strength and inspiration we need in order to deal with life on earth.

Earth is a temporary training-ground for souls: a place for learning and growing, a plane of existence where souls find opportunities to expand their awareness and develop their characters through the expression of personality. We are bound to encounter difficulties here: that is why we were born - to grow spiritually.

And after earth life, we shall all move into the world of the spirit, which is our natural birthright: everyone will survive, whether he believes it or not. We survive because we are a part of God, the Great Spirit, which is Eternal...

A well developed, balanced spiritual personality resembles a fine silk thread: it possesses a sensitivity and responsiveness to the multifarious vibrations of life around it – and yet this seemingly delicate spiritual thread is as strong as flexible steel wire.

So: where do you stand on the road of spiritual development?

Are you weak-willed and likely to succumb to the slightest stress or misfortune that befalls you? Or do you possess a strong and determined mind that has the sensitivity and firm resolve to muster all the love and strength within it so that you can face each life-challenge as it presents itself, until you win through?

Is your mind open to change?

Do you radiate and express the Peace and Love of God in all that you think and do? Are you a kind person? How developed is your own spirituality?

Copyright © Stephen O’Brien 1994 and 1999

To learn more about these subjects, or to contact Stephen O’Brien to gain further information about his life and work, or obtain by Mail Order a catalogue of his Books, Psychic Tapes, or Spiritual Healing Products: please send a Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope to: ‘Voices Management’ PO Box 8, Swansea, United Kingdom, SA1 1BL.

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