Traci L Slatton On Impact Of Spiritualism, Meditation, Prayer And More

Traci L Slatton talks boldly on various topics and their impact

Traci Slatton has a long journey covered since her first book titled Immortal

Traci L Slatton resides in Manhattan. An intriguing discussion with her on various touching topics

This is the second time I interviewed Traci L Slatton. You can read the first one here. It is really difficult to ascertain if she is more beautiful than her thoughts and clarity of mind or vice versa. After her first book Immortal published in 2008 in Portuguese, Spanish and English, she had never to look back. Her books are so well acclaimed that those have been published in many other languages. Here in this introspective and thought provoking interview with her she is boldly talking about various subjects like meditation, spirituality, prayer, scriptures, cultures, and naked bottom cover on one of her books. Read her answers carefully especially the one that talks about the impact of cultural changes on personal, family and social life of an individual.

Welcome, Traci Slatton, one more time on my blog for such an impactful interview. It has always been interesting to read your work and interviews. I liked your deep thoughts on spiritualism.

What made you bend towards spiritualism? What age did you first notice it? What changes did it make in your routine life?

My mother says she took me to church for the first time when I was three years old. She explained beforehand that church was where we went to worship God. So when we arrived at the church, I marched up to the altar, looked around, and demanded, "Well, where is He? Where is God?"

I think my whole life, since that moment, I've been asking that same question. "Where is God?"

Of course, the answer is, God is everywhere, God is within me, God is within you, God is All. But asking that question, "Where is God?" has been a kind of touchstone for me, as Ramana Maharshi asked, "Who am I?" in the process of self-inquiry to find liberation. How do I find God in every moment and in every situation, even the painful ones?

What is spiritualism in your own words?

For me, spiritualism is a way of seeking the soul in all things. There's a greater light inhabiting all conscious beings, indeed, all things, and spiritualism seeks to behold that light.

Who is your spiritual Guru and why?

I suppose Jesus Christ. I was born Christian and converted to Judaism to marry my first husband, and I have deeply studied Hinduism and Buddhism. I have had an eclectic experience of religion in this life time. When I pray and meditate, my mind often gravitates to Christ Consciousness, to the great light of agape love and healing that Jesus represents.

How will you define meditation in your own words?

For me, meditation is focus. It is sustained focus that often evolves into something deeper than focus.

What is a prayer? Is it a media to connect yourself to some supreme power?

I have a simple attitude toward prayer: it is the way I speak to God. I know this is very simplistic. I send out a thousand prayers a day from my heart, and they are part of my on-going conversation with God.

Is there any minimum time limit for meditation? What are various stages of meditation?

Well, I have a relaxed approach to meditation. I think it's useful to spend even five minutes quieting myself and my mind and body. I have a busy life with children and work and a home and pets, so I can't afford to be too rigid in my approach to meditation.

If I have longer than 5 minutes, I like to do 20-30 minutes of meditation. I will go in and out of being very calm and being agitated. My 'monkey mind' likes to hop around. Sometimes I go into a very light trance state. Sometimes I lift into an exalted state where everything shines with gold light. A couple of times when I've been on weekend retreats, I have entered very strange states of consciousness where there is vast emptiness with little thickenings of less-emptiness. I don't know if that makes sense, that's the best way I can describe it.

Your learning of various scriptures and cultures?

As I said, I've studied many different scriptures. I've read the Vedas, and I always return to the Bhagavad Gita, trying to understand consciousness. I love the Gnostic Gospels, the Psalms of David, the Song of Solomon, the epic of Gilgamesh, the Pirkei Avot, and the teachings of the Buddha. In college, I took Arabic, and I read some passages of the Koran. I've read Toltec wisdom tales, Norse and Greco-Roman mythology, and Native American stories. I'm trying to answer that question, "Where is God?" and I keep reading holy scriptures, looking for God.

Any real life instance of Humanity getting tortured by inhumanity?

My father was an alcoholic, and that kind of addiction often makes a person unkind to those around him. He was a harsh and punitive father.

How cultural changes impact personal, family and social life? How one can overcome it?

A wiser person than I am would probably say that Compassion helps deal with cultural changes; for me, curiosity helps--asking questions and being open-hearted. An attitude of playfulness, a willingness to explore and discover.

Is it possible to really understand yourself? What all it takes? How much time does it take? What difference does it make?

Really understanding yourself means owning and integrating the Shadow, and I think it's hard. I think it's the work of a lifetime to really come to know yourself. The difference it makes is that the soul evolves toward greater harmony, love, insight, and compassion.

Suspense and Adventure are integral part of human being. Is it true? To what an extent?

I think some people really love suspense and adventure, and some people don't enjoy it as much. To some extent, life gives most of us some suspense and adventure.

One of your book has very bold cover? Any specific reason for that?

Do you mean the woman's nude back on THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE? There are a few reasons for that cover. For one, it's supposed to attract attention. For two, it's supposed to intrigue the reader. For three, it speaks to an underlying and very playful theme in the novel that revolves around the derriere. The novel is not as erotic as this luscious back suggests, but there is a subtle humor around the naked bottom.

Now some quickies - Select one for each 2 choices –

Coffee or Tea? Coffee
Cold or Hot? Hot  

Silence or Sound? Both! 

Water or Fire? Water 

Wind or Thunderstorm? Thunderstorm
River or Sea? Sea 

Bird or Animal? Dolphin 

Emotional or Physical? Spiritual

These are great answers Traci. When I asked emotional or physical, you answered spiritual. Thanks for fabulous insights on spiritualism, meditation, and other subjects that are deeply connected with life. Everything we discussed above have a strong impact on our life and lifestyle. 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can  apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.