Mind, Body, Spirit And Discovering the Purpose of life

By Diane Kurtz Calabrese

The purpose of this book is offering every one of you who reads it the opportunity of having a clearer perspective of life…. God’s greatest gift… Life really is a miracle in itself and it is so easy to take that for granted. You are not here by chance; I can assure you that. You are God’s miracle, not by luck or chance… but by purpose.


Each and every one of us are here for a divine reason. We are equally gifted by Jesus Christ our life force energy, by God. We are unique in our physical appearance as well as our spiritual essence. We have one soul that is on a journey to learn what it is like to live on the earth plane. And, this is the earth school. We are here for a very short period of time. Don’t leave here not recognizing what it is you came here for.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Sep 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781982271992

Diane Kurtz Calabrese

Diane Calabrese worked as a recreational therapist for over three decades in hospitals, nonprofits, public schools, and universities. Today, she is an adjunct professor at Florida International University, the author of two self-help books, a member of the Long Island Authors Group, and an active participant on holistic wellness platforms. For more about Diane and her books, visit dianecalabrese.com.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 Diane Calabrese.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com

844-682-1282

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Interior Image Credit: Diane Calabrese

Scriptures taken from St. Joseph’s edition of the New American Bible, 1986,

ISBN: 978-1-9822-7200-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-7199-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021914816

Balboa Press rev. date: 10/27/2023

28251.png28561.png21620.png

Dedication

Special thanks to Jesus Christ, God–our eternal father who I am eternally grateful to.

My parents who brought me up with a strong faith and trust in the Lord.

My husband and children who have supported me throughout this writing journey.

And, to all the people who read and follow my publications I hope this book serves you well on your journey of life.

To the support of Balboa Press staff for making this publication possible.

21620.png

Introduction

For this reason, I tell you, whatever you pray and ask for,

believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 11:24

The purpose of this book is offering every one of you who reads it the opportunity of having a clearer perspective of life—God’s greatest gift. Life really is a miracle, and it is so easy to take that for granted. You are not here by chance; I can assure you that. You are God’s miracle, not by luck or chance, but by purpose.

Each and every one of us are here for a divine reason. We are equally gifted by Jesus Christ our life force energy, by God. We are unique in our physical appearance as well as our spiritual essence. We have one soul that is on a journey to learn what it is like to live on the earth plane. And this is the earth school. We are here for a very short period of time. Don’t leave here not recognizing what it is you came here for.

In this book I would like to mentor you on how to utilize holistic healing modalities in your life to help you cope, to help reduce anxiety and stress with life’s struggles. We are not in this alone. Whether you are rich or poor, have sickness or in good health, no matter what up bringing or childhood experiences you’ve endured—you are not alone. You have never been alone. We have to remember we are all children of God. We have unique personal experiences and encounters in life, but we all came from the same universal life force energy and that is God.

I have worked 35 years in the healthcare industry. As a recreational therapist I worked with emotionally disturbed children in various non-for-profit agencies, I’ve worked with mentally ill adults, I’ve worked with the geriatric population, I’ve worked with the patient’s suffering from MS and multiple disabilities; I’ve worked with the developmentally disabled/Autistic populations; and lastly, I’ve worked in palliative care and with disabled Veterans. Each experience and position I’ve held I’ve felt eternal gratitude to God for the ability to give back to him. It is very rewarding work, and there is a sense of clear purpose going to work knowing what you do does make a difference in the lives of others. The greatest gift for me is for a patient to let me know that what I’ve said or what activity I’ve implemented that day made a difference in their life or changed the way they’ve viewed something in a more positive light. There are challenging days working in healthcare, some good, some bad. As a recreational therapist you have to be cheerful and happy to elevate the spirits of others in your group. And there are a variety of techniques and activities a recreational therapist will do to enhance the lives of their patients; to help them discover their interests and passions that stimulates their cognitive, physical, social, and spiritual health.

In this book I will cover many holistic healing modalities that anyone can learn and benefit from. The core purpose of a holistic therapeutic intervention is to recognize what’s already within us, what’s in nature, and that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience to learn and grow and be one more like our maker—God.

Many people have difficulty discussing topics related to God or the purpose of life because it reminds them of their mortality. The truth of it is the more we do talk about our existence here, the more focused we will be on our purpose and the less we will be afraid of death. I have found with people in general it is more of a belief system that was instilled in them as a child. We are societies of culture, and cultures are diverse… so depending upon your original family’s thoughts on life and how to live will determine your comfort level on discussions of our life’s purpose. Having no belief in God and raising children to believe it is survival of the fittest, as in the Darwinian theory of evolution will only lead to depression and anxiety from fear that there is nothing. We are spirits of energy, we have souls, and we are capable of much more than we can even imagine. Some people utilize their gift of intuition on a stronger level of vibration than others. It is less about them being more gifted, and more about their trust and faith of God and their understanding that they are more capable and intelligent than they can imagine. We are creatures of God. We are supreme beings. How we spend our time here on the earth and what we think of ourselves is up to us. What you think you become. There are a few verses of a poem on that.

How Do you Think

author unknown

If you think you are beaten, you are.

If you think you dare not, you don’t.

If you’d like to win, but think you can’t,

It’s almost certain you won’t.

Life’s battles don’t always go

To the stronger or faster man.

But sooner or later the person who wins

Is the one who thinks he can.

https://inspirewithpoetry.com/inspirational-poetry/how-do-you-think-by-anonymous/

One of my favorite books is Gary Zukav’s, The Seat of the Soul. He’s been interviewed by Oprah many times on air and in her Super Soul Podcast. He stated, Every action, thought, and feeling is motivated by an intention, and that intention is a cause that exists as one with an effect. Meaning—how you think—what your thoughts are have an impact on the effect of something. In other words, someone who participates in a cause of good will that doesn’t have the same intention as the purpose of the cause, that comes back to you. Your intention must be in alignment with the cause, or it will change the effect. People see through other people. Somehow in the world of politics that we live in we have become sellers of our authenticity. Businesses are selling their slogans…politicians are campaigning on their causes, and even some religions are claiming only their own salvation from Christ. Thoughts and intentions can directly and indirectly affect the outcome of any given circumstance. To be truthful to yourself, to be truthful to God, and to be truthful to others your intentions do need to be pure. It can’t be otherwise. People are much smarter than you think, and you can’t pull the rug under God’s feet even if you tried. He is all loving, all forgiving, and all merciful. And thank goodness for that or we’d all be in trouble!

The root of the issue here is to be true to yourself, and all else will fall in place. This is your journey. It’s your time right now to make a difference in this world. Everyone has a purpose, and purpose is on-going. Our purpose doesn’t end until the day we die. There are many levels and doors to our purpose. You’ve heard the phrase before, When one door closes another one opens. It’s true. God leads you through those doors, when you open the wrong door at the wrong time, God has a way of letting you know that… your consciousness lets you know, it’s that feeling that I don’t belong here. The timing just doesn’t feel right. Sometimes the feeling is subtle, other times it screams at us in volumes.

In the chapters you learn tools and techniques to help bring yourself back to you. What you value, what your gifts are, what is most important to you in life. We need to go through life’s lessons to raise our level of vibration. It is not a choice; it is God’s will. The most important lesson to learn is love, but we also need to find peace, to find tranquility, to appreciate joy, to show gratitude, to be forgiving, to be humble, to understand compassion, to feel compassion, to avoid all negative thoughts including: fear, anger, hate, jealousy, and judgement towards others. It is a life lesson to learn and discover each of us are no better or more worthy than anyone else. We must appreciate what we have; we must appreciate nature and everything in it; we must have respect for others and the planet we live on. When we fully understand that—we know we are on the right path.

Contents

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1     What Is Mind, Body, Spirit?

Chapter 2     Guided Meditation and Prayer

Chapter 3     Laying on of Hands/Healing Touch/Reiki

Chapter 4     Modified Yoga and Stretching Exercises

Chapter 5     Benefits of Crystals

Chapter 6     Aromatherapy

Chapter 7     Color Therapy and Creating Your Own Sanctuary

Chapter 8     Hand Reflexology and Sensory Stimulation

Chapter 9     Creative Expression

Chapter 10   Health and Wellness

Chapter 11   Leisure Awareness and Inner Peace

Chapter 12   What is My Purpose & Living in the Present

Chapter 13   Forgiveness and Letting Go

Chapter 14   Faith, Trust & Encounters with Christ

Chapter 15   Creating Goals & Service to Others

Chapter 16   Affirmations

Long Island Author: Diane Kurtz Calabrese

References

21620.png

Chapter 1

What we think, we become.

-Buddha

001_a_imahe.jpg

What Is Mind, Body, Spirit?

The mind-body-spirit connection is the understanding that our physical, mental, and spiritual domains are all connected—how they are all linked. When one is out-of-balance—they are all out of balance.

In ancient times as well as in the modern age, people have understood the concept of the mind and body as one, that oneness has been part of belief and healing systems for thousands of years.

Let me start out by explaining the chakras of the body illustrated in the above picture. There are seven chakras of the body. They are our energy centers, and when they are not aligned as they should be, we experience physical or emotional weakness in the misaligned area. Certain crystals have special healing modalities that help restore or realign the chakra to its proper level of vibration.

The first chakra is the root chakra, it is associated with the color red. The root chakra resonates with red crystals such as red jasper. The root chakra grounds you to the earth, providing stability and balance. The root chakra determines how grounded or stable you feel and is related to ailments from the hips down, including hip pain;