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In recent years, large numbers of books, tapes, workshops, and seminars have been devoted to previously undervalued concepts such as intuition, flow, guidance, spiritual healing, empowerment, motivation for success, and reinventing ourselves and our work. One quality these concepts share is the fact that, during humanity's thrust toward enlightenment, industrialization, and technology over the past three centuries, they have all been gradually played down in favor of logical thinking, rationality, a general speeding up of the pace of existence, and a disenchantment of everyday life. But these concepts also share a less obvious characteristic: They are also the work of the Holy Spirit. If we can begin to understand how the Spirit operates continuously in our lives, then our daily existence will become less stressful and more relaxed, filled less with drudgery and more with enchantment, and we in turn can become more creative and begin to enjoy a new sense of purpose, fulfillment, and enthusiasm.

Spirit has everything to do with the energies that impel us into more fulfilled and satisfying lives. It is the divine essence at the center of our being, but as long as we remain ignorant of that holy energy, it cannot be fully operative in our lives. Because of this, until we learn to recognize and then embrace the presence of the Spirit, we cannot be as productive, creative, and fully alive as God intends.

I found out years ago how dearly I needed to be informed about the workings of the Holy Spirit for my life to flow with increasing abundance on every level. Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake, but if I keep my mind open, eventually I get the message. When I left my last parish and resigned from the institutional priesthood, the diocese gave me a certain amount of time to find a home of my own, but I had trouble locating a place, and I was down to my last week at the parish house. As I worked with a local realtor, I was especially attracted to one house, but I knew that I couldn't afford it, so I tried to put it out of my mind, even when the realtor kept suggesting that I look at it. Although I often teach the importance of not putting limits on our thinking, I was guilty of doing so myself. I kept driving past the house, though, because something wouldn't let me completely forget about it. At the same time, I had been given a life-size statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by a parishioner whose wife was healed of cancer. It was a very expensive statue, but I almost didn't want to accept it because I had no idea where I could put it. I began getting a picture in my mind that when I found the house I was looking for, I would open the front door and see a niche where the statue would fit easily.

After driving past the house a number of times without going in, I decided to call the realtor and have a look. I also invited a friend who was a member of the parish to go along with me. And when I opened the door, the first feature that caught my eye was a brick niche perfect for my statue of the Sacred Heart. Even so, I wondered how I could afford the house, which required more of a down payment than I could presently muster. Noticing the look of consternation on my face, my friend asked what was bothering me. When I explained, he said that he would help me financially so that I could get the house. As it turned out, it was a good investment all around, because the value of the house has doubled in the eight years since I bought it, and I was able to pay him back. Some people might say that was coincidence, but I don't believe in coincidence. I believe that this is what living in the Spirit is all about.

A similar thing happened when I was shopping for a new car some years ago. Because I'm big and tall, most of the models I tried didn't have enough leg room, and I struggled to find one where my knees weren't up to my chin when I sat in the driver's seat. All along I had been eyeing a Lincoln Town Car that looked like it would be plenty big enough, but once again I thought I couldn't afford it. After four months of trying to squeeze into smaller models, I finally gave up resisting and took the Town Car for a test drive. That night I realized it was the right car for me, and after I bought it, the money materialized to pay for it. The Holy Spirit had been whispering in my ear all the time, trying to help me overcome my resistance to getting what I needed, but I had pretended not to hear.

Once you learn to listen and tune in to the whisperings of the Spirit, you will be amazed at how much energy is freed up within you because the Spirit is energy.

At a time when spiritual teachers are increasingly working with energy as a healing force, we would be foolish not to examine this energy that has long been honored as the creative force of the universe, the very breath of all that lives. The energy of Spirit can assist us in our daily lives to be great healers, enthusiastic entrepreneurs, motivating speakers and teachers, great artists, innovators, or inventors.

Just to be aware of the workings of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives will lead to an awareness of our own limitless possibilities, for the very reason that at the core of our being we are Spirit, emanations of divine light. To be aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit will help alleviate the stress, tension, and sense of hurriedness that is already the cause of so much discomfort and disease in our lives. In place of that stress will come a sense of peace, harmony, balance, and tranquility arising from the knowledge that you are protected, guided, loved, and never abandoned. You will exude joy as your desires for success and fulfillment spur plans that seem to evolve from nowhere at the instigation of the Spirit.

Since the Holy Spirit guides us without our conscious knowledge, you may think it unnecessary to be aware of what's happening. Yet knowing that the Holy Spirit is at work will save time as you learn to trust your instincts, the "still small voice" that urges you to do one thing, or to refrain from doing something unhelpful that you may be about to do. As you begin to recognize that the Holy Spirit guides your actions and protects you, helps you remember things, and instills in you both desires and the plans to fulfill those desires, you will become more accepting of the impulses that spring to mind unbidden. Once you do, you can welcome the Holy Spirit's comfort, vitality, and enthusiasm, and begin to realize your visions and dreams.

Author's Note: The Christian scriptures and most traditional theologians refer to the Holy Spirit as masculine in gender. Yet, throughout the Hebrew and early Christian scriptures, references to the divine Presence that represents the Spirit of God often use the feminine, as in the Hebrew words ruach and shekinah, and the Greek pneuma. Although God comprises both genders, the English language requires a choice of gender for personal pronouns. Because I have come to think of the Holy Spirit as feminine, I choose to refer to the Spirit throughout this book as She or Her. If that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to substitute the pronouns of your choice.

This article was excerpted from:

Holy Spirit
by Ron Roth.

Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Hay House Inc., ©2000. www.hayhouse.com.

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About The Author

Ron Roth, Ph.D., is an internationally known teacher, spiritual healer, and modern-day mystic. As a leading-edge voice bringing us into the New Millennium, he has appeared on many television and radio programs, including The Oprah Winfrey Show. Ron is the author of Holy Spirit and several other books, including the bestseller The Healing Path of Prayer and the audiocassette Healing Prayers. He served in the Roman Catholic priesthood for more than 25 years and is the founder of the Celebrating Life Institute in Peru, Illinois, where he lives. You can contact Ron at: www.ronroth.com.

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