Spirituality

Let us take the word “Spirituality”. Scientific and skeptic people associate it with religion, or with unfounded belief and lunacy. Religious sorts, on the other hand, are often uncomfortable with the idea of Spirituality outside religion.

When people in general listen to the word “Spirituality”, immediately their minds are flooded with images of outdoor fairs and cloth tents, with fringe/weird types dressed in multi-colored clothing, and a bit of weed-smoking here and there. On a side note, I’m personally not fond of this kind of event, because I find it still carries the energy of weirdness, ungroundedness, and not being taken seriously. Although the outdoors and nature are positive, when you are truly committed about what you’re doing in any field, you’ll generally be less inclined to conduct your trade in cloth tents or sitting on grass.

Other pre-made notions a common mind may have about Spirituality: the image of the psychic and the crystal ball; charlatanism; an idealism of perfection which can’t really be applied to practical, modern, informed, western day-to-day life; or, a set of possibly boring and un-creative practices, rituals, systems, prayers, affirmations, healings, etc. The ones who talk about Spirituality and Spiritual things often have to circle around the word, using other terms such as “metaphysics”, or better yet, “consciousness”.

In broad terms, Spirituality is everything. You are a Spirit. Therefore, as long as you’re doing or choosing something, it will be Spiritual. Even if you are unaware of the fact that you’re a Spirit, or you’re actively choosing not to believe it, it’s still the Spirit who’s doing the choosing. If you prefer a less relaxed, less all-encompassing concept, then I’d say Spirituality is every time your Spirit plays an active role: be it your choice of clothing, your emotions about your children, or why did that girl leave me. Of course, there are more critical or important moments in life where one is invited to open up it’s “spiritual self”: emotionally challenging moments; great loss; weird and paranormal phenomena, to name a few. And in those occasions it’s most often used the word Spirituality, or consciousness.

Yet, everything is Spiritual in nature. It’s the nature of reality. Neglecting that, not being aware of that, has been at the source of man’s most deep-rooted fears and concerns. Simply because the answers to basically everything always sit at the Spiritual level. Without connection with it, no true solidity, certainty, or resolution, are possible. That which is Spiritual is true; that which is not is merely ephemeral.

The Fundamental Uncertainty

It is perhaps outside the scope of this text to justify what I’m about to state. But, it is my belief that mainstream history neglects advanced civilizations that existed prior to the accepted Sumerians and Egyptians, aged 10.000, 20.000 years, sometimes more. Artifacts and structures are being found which date prior to known recorded history, at a time when there should have been only cavemen. Yet they are frequently crafted with technologies that can’t be replicated by today’s means, and with scientific and mathematical knowledge that only recently was “discovered”. But because these things don’t fit the accepted model of the evolution of man, artifacts are simply discarded as if they didn’t exist, and man-built structures are dubbed natural occurrences. In my view, discarding evidence is not a particularly intelligent scientific behavior. Still, over the course of the path to Oneness, one way or the other, the essential truth regarding these realities becomes clearer, at least to the ones who are willing to see. So with this in mind, I’ll proceed. Please bear with me for the next paragraph.

A very long time ago, humanities, civilizations, and parts of humanity, who were spiritually and technology evolved, self-destroyed or decayed – many times over – and sometimes in a particularly painful way. These civilizations were in some aspects more advanced in consciousness and technology than even today, and science wasn’t separated from the dealing with spirituality – much the contrary. The dealing with subtle energy and its manifestations, and with sacred geometry and mathematics, was at the core of all knowledge. Yet, despite this advancement, the consciousness of man inevitably fell, and along with it the civilizations themselves, leaving a strong memory of distrust and disillusion about the benevolent design of reality.

If there is a God, how can He allow this to happen? Is there really a God? This is the question that is still asked today.

This existential self-doubt was reinforced consistently throughout history. On an individual level, many people experienced dismissal, persecution, and even torture and death, every time they attempted to follow an individual spiritual or scientific path – or at least one which was outside of the norm. Others at some point dealt with negative, dark, or misunderstood energies, and got a negative and misunderstood experience out of it. Today, a medium/psychic is a charlatan, until proven (or given the benefit of the doubt) otherwise.

Everytime one ventured in the unseen in some form, it tended to end badly. So there is at a deep subconscious level an ancestral memory, of some type or another, of distrust in one’s own internal drive and guidance, but especially, of distrust, doubt, and fear regarding spirituality. And that is what you see today, in many aspects of society.

Religion and Science

Religious people cling to scriptures and the (many times distorted) teachings of the Masters of the past, and to the safety in numbers of like-minded individuals. Some followers become aware that not all parts of their particular religion are in integrity, or in alignment with how they feel personally, yet, still seek the spiritual truths and guidance from within the established beliefs of their religion. It is my belief that they are afraid and insecure to trust fully in themselves again (or they never did). Still, regardless of the positive notes or negative things that can be associated with religion in general, at the heart of even the most dogmatic and partial follower is the desire for true devotion. There is a desire for deep connection and commitment with the unseen, and with Spiritual truth. For this reason, I am not very fond at all of institutionalized religion and religious belief, but I do have a deep respect for the Soul who intents to truly devote itself to Spirit.

Scientific and logic-oriented people, on the other hand, frown upon the spiritual, because to them there is no true basis or solidity in belief without proof. These want to know for sure, without doubt, to avoid going through a path which may be wrong without them being aware of it. And their convictions are only justified by the fervorous, irrational, and often negative things that happen in the name of religious devotion or so-called spirituality. The problem is, mental reasoning and science, without guidance from Spirit, can so often be narrow, biased, and misguided, while all the time feeling secure in their own proof and evidence. This is because the mind itself is vulnerable to outside influence, and heavily biased in nature. And ironically, today science itself is heavily controlled and steered by outside influences, such as financing and lobbying.

One thing I learned from my own Awakening process is that something you believe one day, may be altered, or even change dramatically, once you raise your spiritual awareness. Awareness is key. Often, a question between A or B which seemed like a paradox, turns out to reveal itself as A and B being true at the same time, in a larger scope of a much more complex reality that your initial awareness couldn’t understand – because it didn’t know. For this reason, you get used to hold all belief as temporary, as flexible, and without identifying too strongly with them. This then allows you to extend or modify them as you receive new information, once your awareness increases. Once you do, a new expanded version of your current beliefs arises, and your awareness is now expanded. And so forth. But for this to happen, there needs to be a fundamental trust in our own Spiritual inner guidance, which is a personal and internal choice.

The issue here is that the rational mind by itself is linear. Without any guidance from inner Spiritual discernment, the mind will tend to run around in circles wondering about A or B, because they don’t seem to be true at the same time. This is why spiritual Truth is important, as well as an openness to new information. If you have a science who by nature clings to the mental reasoning alone and discards either A or B because they don’t fit, then you are in a narrow linear path, which prevents (or makes it more difficult) to perceive the bigger picture.

Plus, consciousness itself is capable of affecting reality, like quantum theorists observe. Thus, the observer affects the observation. So, a rather comical realization is that science is sometimes observing what it already believes in, confirming itself! Or, for example, an observation can vary depending solely on the emotional/spiritual state of the observer. This is something that currently lies beyond the scope of mental-based science. So at a given point in time, science may set in stone something as “truth”, without realizing that truth was dependent upon the awareness level with which it was seen. And then if that awareness level changes, the engraved “truth” is no longer so true and needs to be revised, as so often happens.

Despite scientific advancements today, all of these issues end up limiting the true scope and potential of science, and turning it into another realm with a mainstream thought and then a fringe, with unaccepted, ridiculed, and dismissed ideas. Paradoxically, history has taught us that it is from these fringe places and lone individuals with clearer minds and willingness to explore, that true breakthroughs often emerge.

True science is fearless and open-minded, unafraid of exploring new input and reformulate its believed systems. Because, at the heart of science, lies the desire to know.

Science is also Spiritual.

I’m not suggesting for science to abandon the scientific method. Instead, I’m suggesting it should be open-minded, as opposed to being judgmental and dismissive and resistant when facing things it cannot understand, or can’t fit linearly in what it already “knows”. Science uncovers that which was, until then, unknown. It’s its job description. Therefore, it must assume the existence of things which are unknown, which therefore might – and will – at a first glance appear as weird,improbable, and ridiculous.

Trust in One-Self

Distrust in Spirit, in the nature of Spirit, in the existence of God or a higher power, is a profound doubt in humanity. It’s is one of its fundamental main questions. It was this very doubt which caused every fall in consciousness in the first place. We externalized Divinity, placing in a higher power outside and above of ourselves. Either that, or we thought we could just do anything, without care, responsibility or accountability for the consequences. An higher power was either outside or nowhere at all. We faced energy and technology as something external to ourselves, and focused on their wonders with less and less discernment over the way they were being used, with ethics, with care for one another, or concern about being in integrity with benevolence alignment. Placing responsibility on the outside was what caused all the falls in consciousness, which could only reinforce distrust about the benevolent nature of all things. Until eventually we doubted the unseen so much that we didn’t even know anything about it, what it was made of, or if it even was there. We don’t know, because we doubted it. This is the reality we are currently on.

Only now are we realizing, after a very long journey, the one and true answer: that each one is God itSelf. That the only true solid anchor is the decision to steer oneself according to its own inner guidance – and the choice and commitment to do so. Losing sight of that, or not being aware of it, was the cause for the process of descension.

But how can that be? How can one really trust oneself in any solid way? The human nature so often has propensity to greed, addictions, often conflicting and contradicting impulses. How can a simple man full of flaws be God? How is it possible to simply trust in one-self? How to tell what is right or wrong?

The first step to the answer is the recognition that there is, indeed, a Spirit which permeates all things and all reality, that in its purest form is Benevolent, and, finally, that each person has, and IS, a Spirit, also Benevolent in nature, which belongs to the greater Spirit that connects all. At this point then, the questions becomes, how to discern between what is the nature of Spirit and other impulses? What is the Truth to Spirit and to My Spirit?

When you are addicted to something, let’s say gambling for example, it’s not your Spirit which is giving you the impulse to gamble and to engage in a seemingly destructive behavior. In fact, the inner recognition or subtle sensation that the behavior is destructive, comes precisely from your Spirit, which is actually telling you so. You see, you already know the Truth at all times – it’s just a matter of choosing it. This sensation that you are indulging in a behavior which is not beneficial to you if often accompanied by a persistent feeling of self-shame, and a need to justify or hide your behavior from others – as opposed to a sensation of inner pride, accomplishment, or growth.

This is an example where you already have within you the answer and guidance. Granted, it is often the case where one is so deeply corrupted and submerged in the negative behavior, that there is a need to external help, support, sometimes a nudge, for you to stop something, which could potentially lead you to a point of no return. There are situations of extreme sickness, for which the only solution is a doctor. Still, all of these seemingly external events, the external help, would be brought upon you by yourself, since you couldn’t, or didn’t want to, recognize them from within. The solution is always at hand, and the fundamental issue at hand remains the same: choice.

Once you realize you already know yourself the behavior is destructive, the issue isn’t anymore to do it or not do it, what is right or wrong per se, but. why do you want to endeavor in it in the first place. And THAT questioning will lead you to the true issue at hand, and that is, the underlying origin of your will: your belief, your sorrow, or any other emotions, which lead you to endeavor in a behavior which is destructive to you. And it is often not only the behavior itself which needs to stop, but addressing the emotional issue behind it, where true healing lies. Otherwise, you’ll be “a gambler for life”, relying solely on your willpower to “not gamble”, but without any true Spiritual healing having taken place.

So the true answer to doubt and uncertainty, is… choice and trust. It is your inner willingness to acknowledging, and commitment to following as much as possible, your inner guidance, your Spiritual Truth. Which actually did never went away. Your Soul was never actually gone: it was simply separated from you by your own choice of not listening to it. But it was by your side the whole time.

Thus, the final and only answer to living a life in integrity and balance, is solely the habit of following what is Spiritually True to you. That is the only guidance you ever need. You may them believe whatever you want, receive whatever information from whatever external source, and be exposed virtually to any situation. Because if you’re in permanent touch with what you already know is True, and you actually follow it, you are then protected from unbalanced behavior. And you can start to understand what is True from what is not.

You can only endeavor in improper behavior, or experience negative situations in life, by the degree that you allow yourself not to follow what is truth to you at a given moment. Or, by the degree that you accept or tolerate half-truths, partial benevolence, or things which you “kind of” want, around you and in your life. Otherwise, if you are truly and fully consistent with your true Essence, you are then assured to never again fall in a negative, unbalanced, or destructive situation. The issue in’t any longer about what is “right” or “wrong”, for that is an external consideration. Nor do you rely on someone else, or anything outside of you, to dictate, or even give you clues, about what should you choose, or what your should do: you’ll simply already know.

That is trust. It is the one true answer to alignment.

Cop Out?

Nowadays it is often an argument of religious sorts that claiming general or unnamed spirituality, without one specific affiliation to a religious belief, is a “cop-out”. I have read the expression frequently, as well as labeling of non-religious as “nones”. So let me address this.

The true spiritual concern behind this question, from the point of view of a religious person, would be that the individual who is “spiritual but not religious” is foregoing the devotion and commitment with spiritual alignment. The religious person fears that stepping out of religion implies falling in a black hole of corruption and debauchery. And this comes from the belief that there is no true Spirituality outside of (a) religious belief.

Firstly, if you relate to this doubt yourself, I would like to challenge this belief for a moment, by asking you the following: do you happen to know in your life, someone you would label by your standards as a good person, that you may admire and look up to – but that doesn’t affiliate to a religion? If you know someone that fits the description, I ask you: how can that person manage to be good, while not following a religion? My point is, inner guidance is a natural Spiritual attribute. By “natural” I mean it exists regardless of your external religious or spiritual affiliation (and which you may or may not choose to actually follow). The choice to follow it is also a natural Spiritual attribute.

Secondly, the “cop out” worry could indeed be true – if the individual in question is abandoning all form of moral compass, of trying to do the right thing in life, and abandons himself into randomness and low human impulses. That would indeed be a true descension, a fall in consciousness into animalistic impulse.

But generally, that’s not what’s happening. The truth is that this feature is in fact a part of a process of re-internalization of the individual with its own Divinity inside, to any given degree, and the willingness to trust its own inner discernment about what is right or wrong in life. And in the highest degrees of such a feature, is the true path of Oneness, that is, the complete commitment and devotion into living all aspects of life, from the grandest to the smallest, in all living breaths, theoretical, but most importantly practical, in total alignment with one’s own Essential Divinity – which is benevolent in nature.

So the common issue raised by religious people about loss of devotion from “spiritual” sorts, is actually quite the opposite: it’s is in fact the birth and blossoming of the very spiritual devotion and commitment that they truly wish for.

Final Thoughts

Spirit is first and foremost subtle in nature. Human lower impulses are lowder and easier to follow, while Spirit requires you to seek It, go after it, and then be quiet and pay attention. Furthermore, as a general principle, Spirit will not push you around telling you what to do. That is not the lesson. If it was, it would be about obedience and vassalage to an external power.

Instead, you must be willing to open your mind and pay attention to Spirit’s guidance – which you might not understand right away. You must be willing to trust, and accept you don’t control or know everything. That is the nature of the lesson: trust. But here’s the twist: the lesson is really about YOU. Because it will be YOUR Spirit which you’ll be following. The lesson is about trusting yourself.

Man distrusted God. But because man IS God, what really happened was that man distrusted itSelf.

The lesson is about finding the God that YOU are.