This Week’s Intention
To deepen our understanding of ourselves and life and become more receptive to wisdom.
Knowledge can tell us many things. Wisdom helps us understand what to do with what we know.
In this week’s exploration of Essential Spirituality, we’ll turn toward the practice of cultivating wisdom—developing a deeper understanding of ourselves, our lives, and the world around us.
What might wisdom look like in everyday life? And how might we become more receptive to the insights that help us live with greater clarity and understanding?
This Week’s Reading
Read chapters 27-30 in Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind.
Carrying It Forward
Wisdom doesn’t always arrive as a sudden revelation. Sometimes it emerges when we pause, look beyond our first impressions, and become curious about what an experience might teach us.
This Sunday, we explored how we can cultivate spiritual intelligence by paying attention to our experiences, reflecting on what they reveal, and remaining open to perspectives beyond our own. As we move through the week, we can practice making room for deeper understanding rather than rushing to conclusions.
Revisit the experience through this week’s video or podcast.
Continue the Practice
Pause, Reflect, and Listen
Once a day, take five minutes to reflect on something that happened recently—a conversation, a decision, a challenge, or a moment that stayed with you.
Recall: What happened? Notice your experience without judging it.
Reflect: What did this experience help you understand about yourself, someone else, or life?
Reconsider: Is there another perspective or insight you haven’t considered?
Receive: What wisdom might you carry forward into your next choice or interaction?
You don’t have to find a profound answer every time. Simply making space for reflection can help you recognize the wisdom that grows through everyday experience.
Reflection Questions
What experience in my life has taught me something important about myself?
When do I tend to react quickly instead of pausing to reflect?
How can I become more open to perspectives that differ from my own?
What insight or lesson am I ready to carry into the week ahead?
Affirmation
I pause. I listen. I choose with awareness. I bring my wisdom to life.
Looking Ahead
Next Sunday, October 25, we’ll explore Express Spirit in Action: The Joy of Generosity and Service, the final practice in our Essential Spirituality series. We’ll consider how our spiritual growth can flow outward through generosity, service, and meaningful contribution.
Essential Spirituality
Join us for Essential Spirituality, a seven-week book study and journey exploring practices designed to help us awaken, grow, and live more fully.
About Dr. Nancy Little
