February/March 2006
Politics
and the Web of Life
Lesley Adams
Another
World Is Possible
Gar Alperovitz
The
Cochabamba Water Revolt
Jim Schultz
In
the Kingdom of the Half-Blind
Bill Moyers
The
Man Who Sold the Iraq War
Amy Goodman interviews James Bamford
The
Translucent Revolution
Arjuna Ardagh
Rescuing
a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble
Lester Brown
Is
There a Friendlier Option for a Post-peak Future?
Bill McKibben
Awakening
The Unique Potential in Each Child
Danella M. Shea
The
Education of Jarvis Masters
Anna Smith
The Ashland Independent Film Festival
5th Annual Siskiyou Environmental Film Festival
Daily
Life and Stillness
Christine Breese, DD, Ph.D
The
Science of Spiritual Marketing
Andrea Adler
Books in Brief
Moksha Mokma
Necessity
is the Mother of Invention
Asha Deliverance
Cosmic
Calendar
Salina Rain
The
Science of Spiritual Marketing
By Andrea Adler
Spiritual Marketing is a concept that the creative entrepreneur may find preferable to traditional marketing. Spiritual marketing is a process that does not manifest through our will alone but is an initiation that guides us into working with the invisible. Before any marketing strategy, before any marketing materials, there needs to be a connection to source—the indefinable place inside us where all thoughts and actions arise and subside, where pure intelligence reveals itself. And then, as Rumi (the Sufi poet) says, “There’s a push and another push, the necessary dyings, the ground crumbling that lets wildflowers come up.”
In the initiation into the science of spiritual marketing there is a quality of being that invites us to develop somatic/sensory foundations, a sense of wonder and intrigue, and to adopt beginners mind. When an artist steps up to a new canvas, there is a sense of awe, reverence, and humility. When a composer begins a new song, there is a quality of vulnerability, an openness to his or her listening. To be in the true spirit of initiation, we graciously drop our ego, shed the familiar, and enter a door through which re-invention can take place. Once inside, paradigm changes need to occur. How we remain open to these changes is an individual undertaking that can be explored at our own time, at our own pace.
In connecting to source, we acknowledge the need for contemplation, setting aside time for daily meditation so we may enter the void of non-doership. This practice empowers us to let go of all thoughts and desires and … listen. For until we have bathed in the refreshing depths of our own self, until we have wrapped ourselves in the velvet blanket of the soul, can we even think about touching the core of who we are? When we surface from basking in this beingness, we are more alert, more refreshed, able to receive insights we never knew were possible.
The more we connect to this inner source, the more effective we become in our outer circumstances. This is an undeniable principle that has been proven throughout time. Once we have become rooted in this beingness, questions arise: Where do we want to go from here? What do we want to become?
Many people think they know the answers to these questions. They think from an intellectual point of view and, from this perspective, they begin to set goals and timelines. They create challenging tests and hurdles to jump through. But I have found that this technique has little positive effect on creative, right-brained thinkers who need a more spiritual subtext to motivate them. What is essential is how we align with our soul’s calling, for unless we know where we want to go from our soul’s perspective, we will never reach our soul’s destination. Once aligned with this destination, we can create a marketing strategy to move toward it, becoming a magnet for all the synchronicities and coincidences, all the people and situations that we want to bring close to us. And they will come—effortlessly, gracefully.
An important concept is seeing ourselves as whole (wearing one hat, not two or three), changing our focus from old beliefs to a new awareness; the need to use diverse, sensory approaches, and to apply these principles to our outreach. We can design marketing materials that flow from the divine inner space, not directed toward a potential client; mastering the art of relationship-building through alliances and sponsorships and understand the true value of our products and services.
By moving out of our comfort zones, we understand that when we alter our lives, even in the smallest way, our consciousness expands and doors fling open to new possibilities. We can become skilled in arranging our ideas and their interconnections visually, providing us with easy access to limitless marketing options that are many times closer than we think.
When we break through our resistances we bond with potential clients and open numerous possibilities. Of course, none of these things happen without our full commitment and discipline, for as the Buddha said, “It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.”
We come to understand the importance of offerings, whether monetary or work donations, or simply helping someone in need. Making offerings, sharing our gifts with others, is not only our dharma (right action), it is our social responsibility.
And then there is “the story”—the story of your business. How do you tell your story, how do you feel it, how do other people’s eyes light up when you share it, how do they feel and react as they listen? The response to your story will be in direct proportion to the passion and significance with which you share it.
By imbibing these practical and spiritual concepts we can create an outreach that resonates with who we are without compromise. We blossom as whole integrated beings, and our audience resonates with our message, and buys into our promise. Then, and only then, do we produce to our highest potential and succeed.
There are many aspects to the science of spiritual marketing, but the most impressive one is how it transforms us energetically. How we begin to walk with a different rhythm, vibrate at a new frequency, speak from a place of conviction— moving from fear to fearlessness, from apprehensiveness to pointedness, from rigidity to fluidity, from ignorance to higher wisdom.
Once again, as Rumi says, “There’s a push and another push, the necessary dyings, the ground crumbling that lets wildflowers come up.”
You can begin this initiation at any moment. It is a choice you make and then act on. Initiation into the science of spiritual marketing begins with you and your commitment to allow the wildflower to push through. I invite you to contemplate its meaning and explore the possibilities.
Andrea Adler, an international speaker and author of Creating an Abundant Practice and The Science of Spiritual Marketing, is founder of HolisticPR.com. By using ancient traditions of knowledge, Andrea empowers the holistic/therapeutic community, as well as creative business owners, and her passion is to support those whose purpose is to raise consciousness and bring more light into the world. Join Andrea in Ashland, Oregon for an introductory program “Marketing Your Business Without Compromise,” Tues, March 21, 7-9pm, Rogue Valley Metaphysical Library, 258 “A” Street, Suite 2A; and a one-day workshop “The Science of Spiritual Marketing: Initiation into Magnetism,” Sat, March 25, 10am-6pm, at The Windmill Inn 2525 Ashland Street, $175 by March 11/$195 thereafter (plus book). Call (541) 324-3855 to register.
