Go into any bookstore in the country and you can find an entire section devoted to New Age philosophy. There, you will find book after book telling you what you must do to make your life better. I began thirty years ago to explore alternative spiritual paths and have read many of those books. Unfortunately, none of them are very clear about how to put your life together. I have been asked to meditate, pray, worship, walk on hot coals, lay quietly in a float tank, attend this seminar or that workshop, this church or that temple…the list goes on. Essentially every style of spiritual study has some things in common. Here are the tips for any seeker of spiritual wisdom.
1. BE HERE NOW
There is no other time than the present and we live in a continual present. Worrying over what happened yesterday or what may happen tomorrow is a waste of your precious energy. Try sitting in a quiet place and close your eyes. Listen to the world around you. Identify each sound you hear without focusing on any one sound. Do this long enough, and you will find that you are hearing everything at once. Then open your eyes and let your vision off focus. Take in everything you see. Bless everything you notice and let it go. Your world is just as it is, perfect in its imperfection. Practice this daily and you will find a calmness amid the chaos of life.
2. EVERYTHING IS ILLUSION
Did you ever think that the only things that make your world seem real are your five senses?
That world beyond your body only exists because your senses tell you it is there. When you become able to release your connections to reality via step one, your old familiar world will begin to dissolve. A lot of folks, at this point, clench up, because they suddenly find themselves bodiless and in unfamiliar territory. Just know that you are ok where you are at and, guess what, you’re still intact.
3. THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS
Nothing in your life has ever happened by accident; even if it is called an accident, it wasn’t. You created your life plan and every day you are living it out in its perfection. The people you meet and the interactions you have were planned out by you expressly so that you can know that you are on your chosen path. In other words, you plan your “accidents” while you sleep. Every one of those “accidents” is like a signpost, marking your progress. Once you realize that you are responsible for your “accidents” and really ‘get it’, the “accidents” will become less jolting, less frequent, and take on a positive spin.
4. THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG SPIRITUAL PATH
Every path, every religion, every belief system, has one destination, reunion with God. It doesn’t make a bit of difference how you get there, rest assured that you will. Why? God lives in every heart of every person in this world. It is your personal GPS, God Pointing System. Listen to your heart in quiet times and you will find yourself home again. If God, who is Love, created you in his image, then are you also Love? OF COURSE, YOU ARE! Guess what, God has no grandchildren either. He is a loving parent who carries your picture in his wallet and he looks at it often. He wishes you well on your journey. In this ‘God created’ universe, all roads lead home.
May you find much love and many blessings on your journey home, Namaste.