On My Mind
By Joseph Dispenza September 5, 2008 San Miguel de Allende
What is your spiritual IQ?
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Spiritual intelligence is described as “the intelligence with which we address and solve problems of meaning and value, the intelligence with which we can assess that one course of action or one life-path is more meaningful than another.” |
According to Danah Zohar, author of Spiritual Intelligence: The Ultimate Intelligence, SQ (spiritual intelligence) is what we use to develop our longing and capacity for meaning, vision and value. It facilitates a dialogue between reason and emotion, between mind and body.
There is believed to be a built-in spiritual center located among neural connections in the temporal lobes of the brain. On scans taken with positron emission tomography, these neural areas light up whenever research subjects are exposed to discussion of spiritual or religious topics. Neurobiologists have now dubbed the area of the temporal lobes concerned with religious or spiritual experience the “God spot” or the “God module.”
The indications of a highly developed SQ include:
* the capacity to be flexible,
* a high degree of self-awareness,
* a capacity to face and use suffering,
* a capacity to face and transcend pain,
* the quality of being inspired by vision and values,
* a reluctance to cause unnecessary harm,
* a tendency to see the connections between diverse things,
* a marked tendency to ask “Why?” or “What if?” questions and to seek fundamental answers, and
* being field-independent—possessing a facility for working against convention.
Spiritual IQ quiz
Are you well on your way to a higher sense of personal spirituality? Have you found your mystical moorings? Or are you still caught in the lingering temptations of the here and now? How developed is your spiritual quotient? Take this quiz and find out where you stand on the SQ level.
Your spiritual IQ
Ever wondered how open you are to spiritual experiences? Or simply to life? On a piece of notepaper, jot down from 1 to 10. Answer the following questions and discover the level of your spiritual intelligence. Take only one option for each question.
1. When I look at my life I feel:
a) Absolutely contented and want things to stay exactly as they are
b) My life's a mess and it is my parent/spouse/boss’s fault
c) There is nothing I or anyone else can do about it
d) I want to create the life I choose
2. Happiness is:
a) How my spouse/lover and I got along today
b) When my mind is quiet
c) My designation in my organization and my pay cheque
d) A function of controlling others
3. When facing a challenging situation, I...
a) Face it with an open mind
b) Put a smile on my face
c) Turn and run
d) Pretend it’s not happening and hope it will go away
4. I view change as:
a) Inconvenient but unavoidable
b) An opportunity for growth
c) A threat
d) A loss of the familiar
5. When things don’t go my way, I...
a) Try to force them around
b) Speak my mind and complain
c) Pretend it’s not happening
d) Handle the situation at hand
6. When I feel insecure I...
a) Hide somewhere safe
b) Know that is just a feeling
c) Panic and worry
d) Force myself to be happy
7. My personality is...
a) A hopeless mess
b) Something others have to bear
c) Something I am stuck with
d) A work in progress
8. I see others as...
a) The enemy
b) Separate from me
c) Different from me
d) As myself
9. When I feel out of control, I...
a) Surrender to the power that knows the way
b) Try harder
c) Push back
d) Give up
10. When I want love I...
a) Look for it in my relationships
b) Do whatever it takes to get it
c) Blame myself for never getting it
d) Rest in the love that I am
Scoring system
1. a) 3 (b) 1 (c) 2 (d) 4
2. a) 3 (b) 4 (c) 2 (d) 1
3. a) 4 (b) 3 (c) 1 (d) 2
4. a) 3 (b) 4 (c) 1 (d) 2
5. a) 3 (b) 2 (c) 1 (d) 4
6. a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 1 (d) 3
7. a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4
8. a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4
9. a) 4 (b) 3 (c) 1 (d) 2
10. a) 3 (b) 2 (c) 1 (d) 4
Now add up your score. Here’s how to interpret your score:
35-40: You are spiritually adept and act with spiritual intelligence, through sensitivity, compassion and understanding.
25-35: You are a seeker and are striving to strike a balance in body, mind and spirit.
25 and below: Your decisions seem to be driven by ego, rather than any spiritual sense.
Joseph Dispenza is an award-winning author, Atención columnist and co-founder of LifePath in San Miguel. You can read more of Dispenza’s articles at
www.lifepathretreats.com.
Hospice San Miguel: Death in a foreign country
By Dr. Roberto Maxwell
Hospice Medical Director Dr. Roberto Maxwell shares words of wisdom with the community in his preparation list for easing access to your personal wishes and information in case of death in a foreign country.
Choose a local doctor as your primary physician, then ask the following questions:
· Where did you receive your medical training?
· If I need to be admitted to a hospital, where do you admit your patients?
· Do you keep medical records? In what languages?
· If I have a cardiac emergency, where will I be referred?
· Will you communicate with my doctor in the US by phone or email?
· Do you make house calls?
· In the event of an emergency, which emergency room should I use?
· Who shall I call in the event of an emergency?
· Will you cover me 24/7 if I’m in the hospital?
· Can I call you in the middle of the night, weekends and/or holidays?
· How should I get from my house to the hospital?
· If I can’t be treated locally, which hospital do you use?
· If I need to go to the US for my care, do you have access to air and ground transportation?
Provide your doctor with your:
· Medications list,
· Medical history,
· Emergency contacts, and
· Health Care Directives (Advanced Directives)
Your Advanced Directives should include:
· Who will take care of your medical bills—especially in case of death,
· The names and contact information for two or three people you have entrusted to make medical decisions for you in case you are not able to do so, and
· The types of treatment you want and do not want.
· Since hospitals require payment up front, it is important that someone knows where there is cash in your home or has access to your bank account or credit card for ATM withdrawals.
Register with the US Consul’s office to:
· Supply information on who is to be called in case of emergency or death,
· Complete a US Privacy Act Waiver to allow the Consul to contact these people, and
· Designate who has permission to access your premises to care for it.
Documents and finances
· Draw up a Power of Attorney in case you are incapacitated and name a trusted person to have access to your bank account(s), to pay your medical bills and/or final expenses (funeral home, etc.).
· Have all your important documents—such as those listed above—clearly marked and in a location known to a family member(s), your attorney, executor and/or trusted friends.
· Join the 24-Hour Association to pre-arrange all after-death details (e.g., cremation, burial, etc.) according to your wishes. They are listed in Juarde.
· For communications and finances conducted electronically, make a list of all email, bank, PayPal and investment accounts that you have and include your user names, passwords and answers to security questions so that a trusted person (e.g., heir, executor, attorney) can access this information in case you are incapacitated or have died. For emails, that person should be instructed to use the “Auto Respond” feature to say that after a certain date you will no longer be receiving emails.
Call Hospice San Miguel at 154-4287 to answer your questions or schedule a consultation.
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