Spiritual paths lead nowhere
When people are on the spiritual path, they can be at any level: starting out or just waking up to the possibility that there is more to life than beer and football. People begin to awaken when they search for answers that reveal the nature of the Universe, its mysteries, the truths, the mechanisms of how the earth works and how we as humans can become something beyond what we know and understand.
We see others who seem to have “all the answers.” Using various forms of knowledge that are based on both physical reality and metaphysical theories, we seek your advice, your guidance, and follow you on our journey. As we learn, we tend to develop a filter and develop a set of antennae that are programmed to gravitate towards a particular ideology or vibration. Since everyone is in the middle, talking about the same thing, we can’t go all the ways at the same time. However, we can follow a path and change paths, at the same time that we learn from different points of view and explanations of our true nature, how to live, how to feel and how to BE anyway.
So where are you on the road? Are you in the Syndrome of Spiritual Overwhelm? Are you the type of person who likes to try every type of candy in the store before deciding which one to buy?
Within the University of Spiritual Development, there are those who live in certain classrooms. There are great teachings and writings on the theories of the Universe, what its origins mean, the philosophy of existence, etc., they all provide keys to what we seek, but they never quite get to the Holy Grail of the state of mind and awareness of what we are. we seek. These classrooms focus on information as if the words and knowledge imparted in and of itself magically provide that transcendental experience and thus lift the veil of our true nature along with a rich experience of how, why, where, what and when. . questions we all seek.
Some classes are held in group settings offering the information to many people at once; others are tutorial sessions, where practitioners or gurus handle the information one on one. Of course, the information is available in books, tapes, videos, workshops, conferences, retreats, and other focused venues for disseminating the information.
The concept of experiential learning imparts another dimension and possibility to the student. As Confucius said, “I listen and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” Thus, the best way to learn is by doing and experiencing first hand.
As we learn about the nature of the Universe, we are bombarded with a myriad of messages claiming to be authentic. Our knowledge comes from the documentation of our history through the ages like every culture; regionally dispersed over the earth defend their own version of the nature of the Universe. Belief systems are instilled in our culture and passed down from generation to generation through folklore, myths and legends. Symbolism, archetypes and iconography provide the keys to this great knowledge and wisdom.
We can certainly learn from the past, through history, both written and oral, but the greatest form of learning is direct experience in the here and now. That is why we turn to psychics, astrologers, healers, and spiritual guidance counselors to open a window into our soul and seek messages that will forever crush our doubts, fears, and resistance to what we know at a soul level is real.” . If we could only reach out and touch it…
There is another University for Spiritual Development, and that is organized religion. Most have a central deity or God who represents the source of all knowledge and reality. Most have a Divine plan that envisions an afterlife or Heaven, often as a reward for being a true believer or devotee of the religion and its principles of life.
Organized religion has it all figured out. All one has to do is follow the leader, live a life in accordance with the teachings of the Church. All his promises are based on the inherent attraction of the human being to know his creator, his source of being, his Father and Mother on a spiritual level. He also promises that we will all be together again in the afterlife to assuage man’s fear of death.
Those on the spiritual path who are not inclined or have veered away from a particular religious ideology are akin to free souls, albeit alone in finding their way. A spiritual wandering is subject to the normal inquisitive thoughts of a human being. His search for knowledge is relentless. Questions like, What is the purpose of my life? Is there a God? Why evil exist? What does this all mean?
As humans, we tend to “think” like humans. Our brains are wired to live on earth. We are evolved creatures that have survival instincts, but we have a developed consciousness that has a sense that there is more than we can perceive and measure through science in the three dimensions of the physical world.
As we dwell in our thoughts, our brain, we are always trying to make sense of our world. We classify and categorize everything. We compare our experiences with our memories as in retrieving data in our memory storage devices, also known as our brain. Our thoughts are most often triggered by our memories that are associated with the circumstances and current perception of what we are experiencing. Thus we become predictable, both in thought and behavior.
Living a life or perpetuating a state of mind like that of a child without preconceived ideas about his environment is alien to us. We are too “wired” and have developed routines and habits to “survive”. Yet we still seek what we cannot see. We have a sense of knowing that there is a greater purpose in everything we do every day. We strive for meaning in our lives, either to justify our own existence or to feel like we contribute to the larger whole of the Universe and therefore by default give ourselves purpose as individuals.
As we attend more advanced studies of Spiritual Development, we graduate to not only educating ourselves intellectually with knowledge, but also consciousness and an evolution of our consciousness that is a sponge for real experiences. Our left brain centers, sought after in linear thought and analysis, provide data for our consciousness to synthesize. Our right-brain experiential centers develop a multidimensional, interconnected sense of awareness that complements our left-brain tendency to want to classify and label everything we experience. The state of “experiencing” in its pure form often cannot be described, classified, or even put into words.
“A dog knows, but a dog doesn’t know that it knows”
On the spiritual path, are you seeking knowledge as a human being? Are you looking for a remedy to cure your pain? Have you been told that the root of all your problems is that your body is out of alignment? What should receive treatments to heal in mind, body and spirit?
Do you believe that in order to answer your highest and most revered questions about the nature of the Universe, you must, on a human level, become centered, balanced, holistic, and pure in all forms of existence? Will that be on an emotional, spiritual, mental and physical level?
Does it seem then that in order to achieve a spiritual connection and a sense of our connectedness with what we believe to be our “Source or our God-Creator”, we have a huge obstacle in the way known as the human body?
We are told that God exists all around us, that God is within all of us and everything around us. If it’s true, why can’t we see it? The sage would say, “Because you are searching too much” or “Stop searching and it will appear.” It seems that we are continually told about such ‘jewels of wisdom’, but why can’t we just experience their true meaning? Maybe it’s because they are simple words. And as said above, deep truths cannot be put into words, and therefore the hidden secret has not yet been revealed.
“You can’t get there from here, and besides, there’s nowhere else to go.” -Sheldon B. Kopp
Each of us has gifts that we can harness to help ourselves lift back the curtain of reality and help others to do the same. By recognizing what these gifts are, we can answer a question about higher life purpose, and that is, what is my purpose here? How can I feel cut off from the Universe? We are all interconnected. We are a social being. By being with each other, we help each other communicate and exchange each of our gifts. We must recognize in each other that there are gifts within us and that all our gifts are wrapped with the same ribbon.