Dr. Al Danenberg ● Nutritional Periodontist
July 29, 2019
Spirituality is defined as “the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.” It is “the measure of how willing we are to allow some power greater than ourselves to enter our lives and guide us along our way.”
After writing My Depression a few weeks ago, several readers asked me to talk about my spirituality. They had questions like, “Are you religious?”; “What do you believe in?”; “Do you accept a higher power?”
The subject of spirituality is charged with emotions on many levels. Sometimes, people take their emotions about their spirituality to the extreme and become intolerant of those who don’t believe as they do.
Let me begin by saying that I respect everyone’s beliefs. However, I have a problem when some individuals try to push their beliefs on me or shun me because I don’t believe what they believe. Please be considerate of my beliefs. As all of you know, your spirituality is a very personal thing, and so is mine.
My Belief
People with a strong religious belief system take comfort in their faith and its tenets. My comfort stems from my strong spiritual belief in our immortal soul. How I differ with most is that I do not subscribe to specific religious doctrines. I don’t align myself with any organized religious group. However, my deep spirituality rests in my unwavering belief that we are created by a higher power and that we are on earth for many purposes.
I believe all of us are immortal souls “residing temporarily” in a mortal body. Dr. Michael Newton has written two excellent books that detail his research regarding the immortal soul – Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls[1].
I believe that our souls were created by an incomprehensibly superior, all-encompassing power. Our soul exists within a physical body here on earth. Our soul’s purpose is to experience important lessons – so many life lessons. After death, our soul returns to its spiritual home with other souls. After a while, our soul may return in various human forms many times at our discretion to complete our learning process. I also believe that we all are going to the same place eventually to become One with the ultimate creator of the cosmos.
This belief is comforting to me. I can’t prove this belief to be true, but there is much documented evidence that suggests that my belief is universal for humanity. Evidence from documented writings like Dr. Raymond Moody’s book, Life After Life[2], and Robert Monroe’s personal experiences and journey in his final book, Ultimate Journey[3] – both explain the beauty and marvel of our soul’s home in the universe. Here is a 2-minute interview with Dr. Raymond Moody from 2016 on YouTube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYuniH2jYRI
My Priorities
My priorities at this moment in my life are to provide for my wife, live a quality life, enjoy the moments, and create new memories. I will clear my plate of extraneous demands, follow a path that is right for me, and dive into my bucket list – all the while striving to manage my malignancy called IgA Kappa Light Chain Multiple Myeloma.
But when it is my time to transition from today’s earthly existence to my spiritual existence, I know where I am going. Eventually, my next incarnation will be determined by what lesson or lessons I need to learn going forward in my soul’s journey.
[1] https://www.newtoninstitute.org/books/
[2] https://www.amazon.com/Life-After-Bestselling-Investigation-Experiences/dp/006242890X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TXHNQH7CPBWX&keywords=dr.+raymond+moody&qid=1564147321&s=gateway&sprefix=dr.+raymond+moody%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=8-1
[3] https://www.monroeinstitute.org/catalog/61
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6 Comments
Al, these are such beautiful thoughts. Yet I refrain from commenting too much on them, and for the very reason you mention: the intensely personal quality of them. What I want to offer is a simple reflection on one of the four priorities you mentioned, living a quality life. I see you as a pillar of this priority, half because of the immense help you and your book have been to my health and half because of the wonderful spirituality you’re sharing in your weekly messages. You continue to help people both physically and spiritually, surely a core part of living a quality life.
Amen Dan,
I concur with your beliefs and sentiments.
Enjoy the rest of your journey however long it is for us as individuals and souls.
Thank you for sharing, I agree with much you’ve written. I’ve been reading a lot of Near Death Experiences on the NDERF and IANDS websites, and am amazed at the similarities of these reported experiences. I also think that each individual’s beliefs and thoughts about the Divine and the afterlife will color their transitional experience. This makes sense to me as our beliefs and thoughts color our perception now in the physical world. It sure supports the case for positive thinking! : )
Dr. Danenberg, thank you for sharing. I will see you (maybe) when we’re both out of our bodies. Until then we will continue what we’re here to do.
My view is that stars are homes of (our and other life forms’) energy bodies. I can’t wait to see if I am even close – but until then, I’ll continue my ‘job’ here on Earth. As we all do.
I feel sorry for people who don’t dare to indulge themselves into the world of spirituality even a bit, mostly due to social constraints/expectations that want us believe only in what we can prove as true. How silly this seems to me (and I’m a trained and former ‘practicing’ scientist). But this way, realists make good, even though often unhappy and very insecure, ‘machines’ with little hope for better options even on the ‘earthly level’.
Best of wishes to you, your family and readers.
Thank you so very much for sharing your faith. This topic fills me with joy and excitement. What you wrote is so beautiful it lifted my spirits. What a blessing to have such a strong faith of only positive concepts.
Dear Dr. Dannenberg,
What gives us hope is there is more out there than what we can perceive with our senses. There is a world of knowledge waiting to be discovered. Our journey continues.
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