Common Questions about Service
What is service?
Service is life itself. When we truly serve, we draw upon the spiritual strength, wisdom, and directing power of our own soul and that of the person we are serving. A dynamic system of natural laws brings the soul’s urge to serve into full expression. These include the laws of synchronicity, dharma, omnipresence, evolution, receiving, uniformity, extension, agreement, transmutation, and transcendence. Through service, we become equal partners joined in a common purpose rather than separated individuals doing something to one another. Joined in this way, we release something far greater than is otherwise possible: a holy relationship in which we support the emergence of each other’s higher potential into a joint masterpiece. The goal of all work, of all service, is simply to bring out what is already there, to unveil the soul.
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What does "advancement of service" mean?
“Advancement of service” means to further the knowledge of service by moving beyond superficial definitions of service to an integrated psychospiritual understanding. To accomplish this, we are invited to explore our motivations for service and its many forms of expression, to discover how our soul and personality evolve through service, to learn how to extend unconditionally the fruits of our evolution in service to humanity, and to understand the relationship between our psychospiritual growth and the quality of our service.
He who would be a friend of God must either remain alone or make the whole world his friend. ~ Gandhi
What is the relationship between my soul and service?
The purpose of life, and thus of service, is to awaken the knowledge of the soul. By accepting the rigorous discipline of this partnership, our soul’s essence emerges and we attain our fullest potential to show another way to ourselves and others. Until we understand and address the cause of suffering and have compassion for ourselves, humanity, and nature, suffering on our planet will not cease. Once we understand service as an expression of a Divine Plan and of our soul, we will no longer experience short-term solutions leading to new and greater problems. We will recognize that the purity of our service is a direct expression of the purity of our motivation for serving. We will step off the cycle of suffering and help others do the same.
How can I practice selfless service?
“Selfless service” is giving that is free from personal desires or hidden motives. When we practice selfless service, we experience the profound truth that giving and receiving are reciprocal. The purity of our desire to serve selflessly, to surrender to the will of the Divine, washes away resentment, anger, feelings of superiority or inferiority, and the sense of being separate from others and from God. We touch feelings of bliss, joy, and a profound lightness of being.
Selfless service is also referred to as True Service. Practicing True Service is a state of high consciousness, and is a combination of self-effort and Divine Grace. Virtually all spiritual paths acknowledge the concept of this highest level of giving and receiving in the service of mystics and saints. Even though such service may seem unreachable to those of us less advanced on our spiritual journey, our desire and subsequent intention to practice selfless service sets in motion the alchemical shift in our inner state which allows us to taste this experience ourselves.
Is prayer a form of service? What is prayer and how do I pray?
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Prayer can be a powerful form of True Service. To pray is to make a solemn request for help from God, saints, or angels on behalf of ourselves, humanity, and Planet Earth. We receive God’s grace, guidance, healing, and protection through prayer. Prayers can also be an expression of thanksgiving or a confession. Other names for God are Divine Presence, Divine Source, I am Presence, God-Goddess-All-That-Is. Prayers are practiced in all major religions and metaphysical traditions.
Prayer allows us to powerfully respond to humanity’s cry for help in a world that can feel forbidding and dangerous–to the Earth’s cry as its seas fill with plastic and its forests burn. An awareness of how to respond purposefully to the ongoing crises and injustices of our world emerges when we invite the Light of Heaven to infuse ourselves and others through prayer.
The following teachings from Susan Trout's Blog discuss prayer in more depth and the various ways we can pray:
Infusing the World with Light through Prayer Radiating Light to All That Is S.O.S. ~ Pray for Planet Earth How to Pray for a Group
