waking up

Another important spiritual analogy is waking up, as opposed to being asleep. We find this distinction, of course, in everyday life. A middle state would be dreaming, and we know that sometimes we daydream in wakefulness much as we dream in sleep. These everyday facts become a spiritual analogy, because along the path of spiritual realization there are various degrees of being awake and various degrees of being asleep (or dreaming). In other words, spiritual realization, the realization of our Divine Being and Its Qualities, can be described as degrees of waking up (from sleep), or degrees of becoming conscious (rather than being unconscious).

We begin the spiritual path asleep, unconscious of our Divine Being. The actual path begins when we first have a moment of spiritual awakening, when God enters our consciousness in some manner. This first awakening can be different for different people, and it may or may not involve a kind of vision); yet people will agree that there is a distinct sense of waking up from a sleep or dream state. After this first awakening, though, there are plenty of times when we are just as asleep as ever, even among the most diligent of spiritual aspirants. We can just as well describe these times as dreaming. And thus, we are often in various states of dreaming (while physically awake). In these times we can say that life is but a dream. This does't mean that actual things and events are dream images, but rather that our experiencing of the world is a kind of dream.

The dream state is when we are lost and engrossed in thinking, worrying, or in emotional attachments or reactions. The key words here are lost and engrossed, whereby the mind (or consciousness) is contracted and constricted in thoughts and emotions, and thereby unconscious of the greater self-beingness. The fullness of self-being is not then consciously present in these moments.

Any moment in which we are not experiencing God, or at least self-beingness, we are asleep or dreaming. This means that many times we are asleep or dreaming. In this state we are running on automatic, so we can call this the automatic state of being. In the automatic state we can usually perform quite well in the world, and the average person will not know that we are simply running on automatic or that we are in a dream state. Most people are in the dream or automatic state, so the very issue does not come into question.

The chattering and rattling of our automatic mind, along with ongoing automatic desires and attachments, as well as distractions from the outside world, keep us in the dream state and keep us from being spiritually awake. We first need to an intention to wake up. Having this intention, or even the prior step of remembering to have this intention, is itself a degree of waking up, but the intention and subsequent effort to wake up makes it possible to wake up further. We need to stop the usual habit of automatic mind and emotions. This requires intention, decision, and a special kind of effort, all based on an inner motivation or desire to wake up. But the intention to wake up should not include any preconception of what waking up is, because what we will awaken to is at first a mystery - until we actually awaken. So the needed attitude is openness and receptivity, and a desire to discover what we have previously been unaware of. We want to discover and perceive more of who we are and more of the world around us. But we cannot make any new discoveries if we are trapped in the automatic habits of mind and emotions. So we need to stop the automatic train. We need to stop the usual ruzzleness and slow down. We need to come into a state of peacefulness, and into a receptive state of listening and increased awareness to what is present, both inwardly and outwardly. This is how we become awake. We might practice looking very inward, or we maybe looking very outward, or we might just open up our awareness generally to what presents itself. We might open up and awaken to God within us, or open up and awaken to God around us.

We will know the difference between true wakefulness and dreaming when we actually wake up to our inner self-being, which is essentially waking up to our deeper spiritual intention and also to our breath and the inner qualities of our being. Being conscious of our self-being will develop a conscious connection between our spiritual soul and the functions of this body, and each conscious moment makes the soul stronger and more developed. Our spiritual soul and our inner self-being are basically different terms with the same meaning. So being awake to self-being is being soul-conscious. And each moment of soul consciousness is developing the soul light, making the soul more radiant and actual in our everyday life. Our soul contains the Potentials of Divine Being, which include the potentials for greater consciousness, intelligence, love, harmony, peacefulness, and all the other Divine Qualities. Yet these potentials are merely latent until realized or until they become conscious. These qualities of the soul are in the dark, or unconscious, until they are brought into the light of consciousness.

Being awake also involves an increased awareness of the world around us. It is not simply a withdrawal from the physical, sensual, and social world. In the awake state we are able to see and hear more of the world around us, not less. The sensuous and aesthetic properties of the world also become more clear and radiant. So the outward awakening is an increased awareness of the physical and social world around us. This may involve being more perceptive to the aesthetic beauty in the natural world, or it may involve being more sensitive and considerate to the people close to us.

For example, we might suddenly wake up to new qualities of people we have known for years, or in other words, seeing the person with clear fresh eyes and ears, instead of seeing them with our old colored glasses of preconceptions or presumptions. Old habits of seeing, of listening, and of understanding become like distortions in the lens of our experience, whereby we tend to perceive the people and places of our everyday lives with a memory view rather than with a fresh view in the present moment. We tend to take for granted the people and places most usual in our lives, and see them with routine preconception. This automatic and habitual mode of perception is really a dream state; it's like sleepwalking through life, whereby we don't actually see anything new anymore but rather see through our previous memory patterns. This happens in our interactions with people and with places. So waking up involves breaking through these habits of perception and seeing more carefully what is here. It involves seeing more clearly and freshly in the present moment. If we are not awake to the present moment, vs. being caught up in the automatic memories of the past, then we are not really awake but merely sleepwalking. Also, whenever our awareness is attached, reactive, or constricted in the surrounding world, we are less awake. The awake state is a more fluid and expanded awareness, rather than static or constricted upon particular attachments.

In the awake state we may also realize and feel the greater Presence of Living Being in the space around us, and we feel an appreciation and gratitude for this. So awakefulness is not just about the physical space around us, but also about the spiritual space all around us. In higher states of wakefulness we actually experience the greater Being of God permeating everything all around us, or we might experience Divine Love permeating the world. The very Qualities or Powers of Divine Being, such as Love, actually enter the world with more energy as we each become conscious of it, because each of us are channels for these higher energies to enter into the world through our individual consciousness.

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Awakening must also become our own responsibility. We can acknowledge that God is the Awakener, that we are ultimately awakened by a Greater Power than ourselves. But again, we need not be simply passive to this awakening or realization of God-Spirit. God awakens us when we are sufficiently receptive to awakening, and this awakening may come unexpectedly and without conscious intention. But we can intentionally encourage our own higher awakening. We can will ourselves to awaken more. Of course we could not do this if we are simply asleep in our automatic states, but when we are awake to some degree we can intentionally awaken to further degrees. Just like our potential power to open, we can intentionally awaken to Divine Being. It's not just up to God; it's up to us. It's within my power and choice to more awaken, or to more remain asleep. This power and choice is at every moment of my life. Though this, of course, requires some degree of already being awake, or conscious.

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Opening

One of the highest goals of spiritual practice is to enter into the being-state of openness: an openness to the Universe, to Life, to God, to Love, and to Insight. It is also openness to what is within and an allowing of this to come forth into consciousness. Without openness, we are closed off from the Greater Universal Being (God) and also closed off from the Truth deep inside us. Yet while openness is a goal of spiritual practice, the practice for achieving openness is our will and willingness to be open. The practice is to consciously open, to become open and remain open. It is opening the heart and mind to the Greater, within and around us.

Openness is an aspect of Love. Love is being open, heart being open. At the same time, this openness is openness to Love Itself.

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Consider for example the Power of God to open our hearts and minds. We might call this God-The-Opener. There are times in our lives when an opening occurs without any apparent dependence on our conscious will; that is, the opening just occurs suddenly and unexpectedly. Yet this can only occur to the degree that we are receptive, even though we might not be intentionally or consciously receptive; that is, the general state of our being must be receptive to some degree. These are times when we are graced, beyond the power of our own conscious will.

Yet we would be silly to merely wait for any further openings, since it is possible for us to consciously and intentionally encourage our own opening. This means taking responsibility for our openings and awakenings. What we can do is rather obvious. We can consciously and intentionally open ourself to the Greater Universal Being. We can intentionally empty our mind and clear our heart, while opening to the Great Mystery of Being - opening to God or opening to the Universe. This is by an intentional act of will, or willingness. Inwardly it is, "I will open," or "I am willing to be to open." For it is I who must be willing to open, rather than remain closed. The ego tendency is to be pre-occupied with ego's little concerns and to be closed up in these concerns. This has been our tendency or choice. So we must be willing to change this tendency, and make a new choice. he new choice is to become open, opening our heart and mind to Greater Mystery, Greater Being. Thus, opening becomes our own responsibility, and it is one of the most essential practices we can consciously do.

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This can be experienced as opening to God, or opening to Life or to the Universe. Yet becoming open does not mean that we should become openly vulnerable to every person or circumstance we meet. The opening should be an opening to Greater Being and Life, not necessarily opening to every person or circumstance. We can open to the spiritual essence of any person or circumstance, but not always be open to particular manifestations of people or circumstance. This is because some people or circumstances may not be manifesting divine love and truth. Then, we need to look beyond the particular and open to just the Greater Being of Life. So we need to balance discrimination with opening. The guiding principle here is to open unconditionally to Greater Being, but exercise discrimination in how we open to particular people and circumstances.

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Open to the Universal Energies now available to the world. In this opening, we are receiving these higher energies and channeling them into the world. His very simple practice of opening to and receiving the Universal Energies from on High has profound effects, for ourself and the world.

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In the state of freedom, when one is free of the regular self-ego, its ongoing concerns, its endless thinking and planning; the self can change from a mechanical-active state to a state of voluntary receptivity. This voluntary receptive state requires active-will to get into it and active-will to remain in it; and yet the receptive state is virtually opposite to the usual active state of will. In the receptive state, one is ready to receive whatever is being given from the divine world ‘above/within’ this manifest world. A deeper feeling, a finer quality, a higher presence is penetrating into our world, but we so seldom even notice it because of being wrapped up in the mechanical regular concerns of everyday ego stuff and our dealings with the world. We are lost in our little bubbles of concern and thought, which we call ‘our world’, and so there is no consciousness of that which is emerging from the higher world, the divine world. Yet true expansive vision comes from the higher world, not the normal world of regular consciousness - which is most often merely mechanical and repetitive. So unless we can reverse the normal active-mechanical mode and enter into the receptive mode, there will be no consciousness of this higher world. Unless we become empty, by voluntarily emptying ourself of our little self, there is no chance for real receptivity and consciousness of divine quality emerging into this world in the present moment.

This receptive state must be empty and purely open, and open without any expected preconceptions or any insistence from the self about what is given to it from above. A receptive, open heart and mind, in relation to the divine, is the true state of meditation. The heart is then ready to receive divine qualities from within, and the mind is ready to receive higher vision and wisdom from above. In the deepest state of meditation, all of this happens simultaneously in one unified experience. In the deepest of deepest meditation, Divine Being and Knowing is immediately present, and there is only an experience of the Greater Self, which is God. If these higher states can become stable and sustaining for enough time, the energies of the lower self will be transformed and higher energies of Light will come into the whole world.

There are two kinds of openness: inward openness and outward openness, an inward openness to the Presence and qualities of Spirit, and an outward openness to the lessons and qualities of the manifest world. There are some differences, between these, in how we should open. The inward openness to Spirit should be unconditional and acceptive to whatever is given; but the outward openness must be more cautious and discriminating. The outward openness to the world is important because the divine often expresses through the outer world, through people, places and events. Important lessons and knowledge and wonderful experiences can come from the outer world. But not everything from the world is good and useful; so we need to use wise discrimination in this kind of opening, and the guidance of Spirit from within will help us to discern what is good from what is not. If we can remain inwardly open to Spirit, to spiritual knowing and guidance, then we will be continually enriched by Spirit and also guided by discernment in our openness to the outer world. Nonetheless, openness to the events and circumstances of the outer world is important in the spiritual path, because often we are given significant experiences and lessons from the outer world. Yet we need to remember that the outer world manifests the truth and goodness of Spirit in varying degrees, such that any particular manifestation, event or expression might be less true or less good - while something else might be more true or more good. The spiritual path calls us to focus on and become involved with the more good, rather than the less good. Complimentary to this, in our inward life we need to open up to the Good and the True, which is our invocation to the True and Good Spirit within. At the moment when we openly want the Good and True of Spirit to emerge from within, then Spirit (God) will immediately emerge into our experience and being. This is the voluntary and wanting receptivity to Spirit.

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Receiving the Divine

God and man, Source and receptacle, have a certain kind of relationship. God is the Giver, man the receiver. God is the Source, man is the destination. These exist as relations within the Unity of Being, so we are not speaking of two opposing realities. There is a mutual dependency in these relations. We depend on God, the Radiant Being, like the earth depends on the sun. Yet God depends on man (and woman), the receptacle of Being, like water needing something to contain it and give it shape. Now God is perfect as the Radiant Giver of Life, Love and Light; in other words, God cannot and does not alter Its nature of being ever radiant, compassionate and giving. But man has the free possibility of not being open to this radiance of God/Being. God is ever conscious in Its own Being. But man may not always be conscious of his/her true Being; in fact, the real purpose and potential destiny of man is to become open to the Radiance of Being and become more conscious of Being, to realize more of Being and give Being form in the world. So to complete the working relationship between God and man, we need to consciously enter into an attitude of opening to God and being receptive to God's Radiance (God's Love and Intelligence, or God's Will). And in order to be in this right attitude, we need to first have the attitude of dependence on God as the Source of ongoing spiritual realization and self-transformation. Thus, we need to maintain an attitude (or orientation) of dependence, opening, and receptivity. This is our responsibility in this divine relationship. This dependence on God does not mean that everything Just depends on God. Some teachings have made this confusion. There is dependence on God, but there is also dependence on ourselves. For the spiritual Purpose will not actualize without our needed cooperation - our needed right attitude and intention.

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What we receive from God, or from higher levels closer to the Source, are higher realizations, higher intelligence, and higher qualities of Being. In one sense these are received like gifts from on High (or out of the blue). In another sense, they are uncovered like treasures already within us - as we clear away the clouds of conditioned thought and attachments which obscure these realizations and qualities. In either sense, there is a need for us (the receptacle for God and the reflective manifestation of God) to be free of old self attachments and old motivations, and to be empty and open. Then, these Gifts (or awakenings) flow naturally from Being Itself, the One Being of whom we are. For all of this is in the very nature of Being, and it is also of the nature of Being to radiate and express the Realizations and Qualities in it. Thus, the ultimate spiritual path is to return to Being, or allow Being to realize and express through us. This is also the meaning of God's Will. For it is God's Will that we realize God and express God through ourselves and in the world. If this seems too high of aim, then we can at least aim to realize and express our higher or deeper true self.

In a higher understanding, the Way is deeper and deeper realizations of Being (God). It is knowing God, which is knowing God as around us and knowing God in us. God is around us because we are in God, and God is in us because our being is essentially God-Being. We are in God and God is in us. These are two ways of knowing God/Being, but in the deepest realization there is only God-Being and we are of it. Thus, the Way (and Will of God) is to realize or awaken in God, which is to realize or awaken the Qualities of Being in us. Here, we are consciously in the true Being, awake in true Being. This is the aim of any true spiritual path, and it is the deeper meaning of surrendering to God. Then, righteous intelligent and loving action proceeds from these higher realizations (assuming that we remain in the realization long enough). If we are in a higher realization of Being, in the realization of our deeper true Being, then action and response in the world will proceed from this state of consciousness. In this higher realization, the sense of 'following' the Will of God is replaced by the sense of 'expressing' the Will of God. In other words, one naturally expresses the realized God-Being (to the degree that it is realized), which is synonymous with expressing God's Will (to that degree of realization). God's Will is then emerging from this realization of Being.

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We are receptacles, containers, for the Divine Light and Love. So just be open to receiving, allow, let in, and accept what is given. It is that simple. Actually, the Divine Light and Love is already present, but obscured by thinking, doubt, worry, resentment, and all of the etc. of ordinary ego experience. So the receiving, in a sense, is actually an awakening or recognition of the Light and Love already here. It is simply a matter of veils being dropped. Now once we live as a chalice for Divine Light and Love, and if we are in conscious recognition of this Light and Love filling the space of our being, then this Light and Love naturally overflows into the world around us. It naturally overflows and also naturally radiates vibrationally into the world. So whatever degree of Light and Love we have in our being is also our service to the world, by the esoteric law of vibration.

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We may receive Divine Presence and Grace. This can enter us. But it doesn’t usually just naturally happen. Rather, it requires a conscious and intentional opening on our part, as well as a desire and a willingness to receive it. It may sometimes happen without any needed attitude on our part, but this is rare. Then it is a gift of mercy. People do receive such gifts at the very beginning of spiritual awakening. But the further we go along the path to God, the more we are required to consciously and intentionally participate in the incarnation of Divine Presence and Grace, as well as Love, Wisdom, and all of the Divine Qualities.

Now, the entering of this Grace occurs because of our opening to that which is Transcendental and the dispelling of walls between self-consciousness and Divine Being. In other words, the Divine is really meant to pervade our consciousness and being, for this is the true Divine Intention or Will. But the self-consciousness has walls around it, a surrounding boundary to protect its present limited identity. This is the ring of our present self-knowing. Thus, we are like a bubble of limited consciousness, within the Ocean of Divine Consciousness. The boundaries of this bubble can disappear in moments of complete opening, whereby Divine Consciousness presents Itself in fullness, but a new bubble or boundary of limited self-consciousness soon forms, though the bubble is now greater than before. This limited self-consciousness can be generally called the self-ego, though this is not derogatory but rather an inevitable occurrence in the overall process of spiritual realization and incarnation in creation. That is, each limited self is gradually realizing more and more of its complete Divine Self. Each bubble is gradually expanding, until finally there is no bubble because all boundaries have been dispelled and there is only One Ocean realizing Itself.

So the entering of Divine Presence and Grace is like the Ocean entering into the dispelled bubble. If we can let of our bubble, dispelling our boundaries, then the Divine Ocean enters and flows through us. Now in one sense, this Ocean of Presence enters us. It enters from beyond or from within. But this is just one aspect of experience and reality. For in another sense, the Divine Presence and Grace is really already here. It is already present and pervading in and through us; yet we are not fully conscious or realizing of it. It is already intrinsic. So in this sense, the Path is simply to realize what is already here. It is opening consciousness to the Divine Presence that is already here. It is becoming more clear about what is here. And finally it is realizing that the Divine Presence is really one’s true being.

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This state of receptivity is a relaxed mind, a relaxed being. It is like taking a vacation from the active-ego. A quality of being on a vacation is relaxing and letting go of the usual concerns and activities of the mind. One relaxes into wherever one is, accepting what is there and who is there; just being relaxed and accepting in the place of the present. Yet this relaxation is not a sleep, but rather a relaxed openness of consciousness. It is a relaxing into openness and a surrender into what is.

This is not just a description of how one can be in the outer world; for it also describes a way of being inward and open to the Spirit within, to relax mentally and emotionally and just be with what is. This might simply be described as just being who you are, relaxing into this and accepting this. Yet one added quality is also important, which is openness. This is not an openness to just any psychic impulse, but rather an openness to what is emerging from the deeper depths of being, to Spirit and Spirit Qualities emerging from deep within being. For the Universal Spirit resides at the very core essence of every being. But it usually remains unconscious to our daily awareness, because of all the other stuff that is going on, all the usual thinking and concerns of everyday life. Yet nonetheless, the Universal Spirit (God) lives at the very depth of our being, even though it is usually unknown to our surface awareness. In fact, the whole ocean of our inner being (the wholeness of our psyche) is a rich emanation of Universal Spirit, with varying levels of purity. The deeper is the emanation of Spirit, the purer it is, and at the very core essence of our limited being is Pure Spirit-Being.

This depth of being is experienced as depth of consciousness and depth of heart, as consciousness and heart are the two facets of being. We could also name these depth of knowingness and depth of love.

The limited self/being is that part of Great Being which is realized as oneself. This limitation can be understood in a few ways. Each self is limited both in its degree of conscious knowing and of love. Each self is also limited in all of the other Qualities of Universal Being, or God. And so we are limited portions of God, or limited spheres of the One Being. In traditional theology this limited sphere may be called the individual soul, but let us for now not bring in a concept of the soul. Instead, just see that your own individual consciousness of Life and the whole potential of your Beingness is limited. Your present knowingness and love is limited, in relation to the infinite Knowingness and Love of the One Divine Being. Yet your knowingness and love can increase at any moment. Your consciousness can encompass a greater portion of the Whole at any moment, and hopefully you are expanding in this respect over time.

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If we see that life is a journey, then one aspect of the journey is what we do in the journey, or what we decide. Yet the other aspect is what is given in the journey, or what is being presented to us. So in the journey we need to balance our own will and decision with being openly receptively present to what is given or to what the world reveals. This is the balance between our active and receptive modes of being.

Generally, the receptive mode should come first, then the active mode. Though receptivity requires some amount of active will, in order to get into that mode. So we might better say that the first step is when the self actively decides (or wills) to be receptive; in other words, when there is an active will to be receptive. Then, in a receptive mode the self openly awakens to what the world around is offering, to the revelation around oneself. Imagine being in a beautiful natural place, or better yet get to a beautiful place; then consciously and willingly open up the mind, the senses and the heart to what is all around. This is the receptive mode. It is an awakening to what life is revealing. It is easier to intensify this practice in a natural setting, but it can also be done anywhere, in any setting. This mode of being also involves an attitude of simple acceptance, which means that there is no moral or aesthetic judgment about what is given. One is simply accepting and receptively awake to what is given, or to what the world around is revealing. This kind of attitude or mode of experience is like being on a journey, and being very awake to what is being revealed on the journey. It is a sense that life is giving us experiences, which is different from a sense that I have to go out and get experiences or make experiences.

So one is now in this mode of receptivity and acceptance. And it is good to practice this mode and sustain it for periods of time, which helps develop this important capacity. Yet to always remain in just this mode would be an imbalance. To balance the receptive mode, there will be times when the active mode needs to kick in. But this does not mean that the receptive mode needs to abandoned; for the greater development is to blend together the receptive and active modes. So we need to keep sustaining the receptive mode, yet now bring in an active mode – which involves an active response to what is given.

This response might simply be a reciprocal response of love or appreciation. Or it might involve a response that actually effects the surrounding world of people or nature. What is important though, is that this active response of oneself is loving and caring and in continual relationship with that which one is responding. In other words, it is optimum that one is actively responding while simultaneously remaining in the receptive mode. For then, there is a real connected relationship, and our active will (and action) is not disconnected from that important receptive mode and relationship. If we remain in the receptive mode, while also entering into the active mode, and remaining in conscious relationship with what is immediately around us; then there is a possibility of spontaneous response from Love, or from the higher consciousness of divine unity. If we can actively respond from this consciousness of unity, from this special kind of conscious relationship, then our response will be harmonious in Love and helpful to a greater divine purpose.

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Another important metaphysical analogy is the Divine Nourishment, which is similar to that of the Radiant Light. Divine Nourishment flows from the Source, Divine Being, and into the recepticles of existence. Divine Being nourishes existence. Though of course existence is none other than Divine Being, but it is Divine Being in its dimension of temporal limitation and progressive evolution. Divine Being nourishes existence with its powers of Love and Intelligence (and the various subsidiary powers of these). This nourishment transforms/evolves existence towards its intended fulfillment - which is the Fulfillment of Being in existence, or the manifestation of Being as existence. Thus, existence (or existences) can be understood as recepticle(s). As humans we can open to and receive this Nourishment, like infants receiving milk from the mother. The Divine Nourishment is also known as the Water of Life, and each existent-being has a capacity to receive a certain amount of this Water or Nourishment, depending on the preparation of the physical and mental recepticle. Humans can always receive more, so one need not be concerned about reaching a limit.

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As this Divine Nourishment (or say Love) enters our being (our spiritual heart), it also enters the world in general. As we receive Light and Love, or as we consciously realize or experience it, this Divine Energy enters the world. That is, we become mediums or channels for the Divine Energies entering the world, through our own conscious receptivity. The metaphysics of this truth is that our world is a recepticle for Divine Energies (fundamentally Love and Light) emerging from the reservour of Divine Being (which is as Potential for our world, the Potential Divine Energy). Everyone is a possible channel or recepticle, so any conscious receiving of this Light and Love will add to the Light and Love in our world. This is part of our responsibility to be of service and fulfill our potential function in the creative Work.

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Most spiritual practices are to contact and align with and receive from the Source, or God, the Central Dimension, to be nourished and transformed by this Great Source. So much is all about this connection and being consciously in it. Then, many lesser concerns naturally fall away, and our life is known to have a cosmic purpose. By making this connection and being in it, we serve the polar cosmic purpose, which is to return to the Source and also to be transformed and renewed by the Source so that we can be strong and loving in our worldly interactions. An important goal in this is to receive and be guided from the Higher/Deeper Dimension, by way of our conscious connection. So seek the Divine, for inner power, love, guidance and healing.

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Remember that God is Good and Loving. If we combine this with Intelligence and Power, then we can begin to trust more in the Power of Good. This is faith in the Mercy of God, the Love, the Goodness and Givingness of God. And this faith is quite a big step, for it goes beyond both fear and doubt of God. The average person lives in either fear, doubt, resentment, or some other negative state. But just imagine if one could live in complete trust in the good mercy of God; in other words, live in a positive attitude of trust, rather than a negative attitude of doubt or fear. One would be trusting that the greatest power of the universe, God, Who is also loving and intelligent, is actually on our side and always available to help, guide or heal us. Or that God is so very close to us and caring about us so very personally, rather than some distant Being or some abstract Entity. Many people have a faith in the caring quality of Jesus Christ, or Mother Mary, or some ascended Master or Saint; whereby this powerfully loving being is caring for one personally. This is a good faith and a true faith. Yet one can also realize that God the Almighty, of Whom all others live within, is just as close to us and just as caring for us personally. This is the greatest faith of all. And it is true, as long as we have the faith. For with the faith the door of Mercy is open, but without the faith it is closed. With faith, God is caring for us directly, and bringing us goodness and healing. God is also caring for us so very personally that She (as our Divine Mother) is always bringing us back to Her, which is spiritual healing.

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Now as part of this faith, one realizes that God is already here. God is already close, already present, and already bringing goodness into our life. This could be called the immediacy of faith, experiencing the Presence of God right here and right now.

The remembrance of God, or better yet, the direct experience of God, is a celebration. It is a celebration of Love and Goodness that is already here, already present. God is already here and already happening in us. Yet this is actual for us only when we have faith in it.

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Trust-Faith in God opens the door to the Divine Guest, the Divine Friend. Trust-Faith opens the door to Love and Guidance. The Divine Path opens, and divine opportunities open up for us. In other words, our future actually changes when we trust in the love and guidance of the Divine Power. Our future is not set in stone; nothing is absolutely predestined. The future is open, so how things will unfold depends on our present state of being and what we do. Trust is one part of this dependency. If we have trust in the Divine Power, then Divine Guidance will be revealed and divine opportunities will open up, and the divine powers of love and healing will flow. This is part of divine law. If a channel is not open, then water will not flow. So the Divine Goodness needs an opening, and trust provides this opening. Without trust, the Divine Flow of Love and Guidance gets stuck. So in an atmosphere of non-trust, the future will be different from that which is possible when there is trust. Can you see how this works, how crucial is this attitude of trust? When there is trust in the Divine Power, the Love, the Guidance, the Friend; then this Goodness flows into us and around us. But without the opening of trust, we are trapped in separation and skepticism, and then the Divine Goodness cannot flow freely. So one of the essential spiritual practices has to be trust and faith in the Divine Power of Goodness.

We also need to allow it to unfold.

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If we were to sum up what is the main problem with our regular life, from a spiritual perspective, it is our awareness being scattered in so many diverging directions. Our mind is all over the place. Sure, we are often focused on one thing, and it is usually good to be focused, but then the mind gets diverted off in another direction. Maybe this doesn't sound like much a problem. Maybe each diveregent area of focus as a good justification. Also it might be argued that contemporary life is complex, and so a person must deal with many facets. This is true. Complexity, diversity and 'many-ness' is a fact of our lives.

The problem is that, because of this, our consciousness gets scatttered and fragmented; we, ourself, get absorbed and lost in all these many directions or phenomena of life. It is as though each different attraction or 'need' is like a sponge soaking up some of our consciousness. It is as though each of these attractions or 'needs' break off a small piece of our total consciousness, so that our sum of consciousness is fragmented into so many pieces. And because of this fragmentation of consciousness, there is seldom a wholeness of consciousness. Yet we need to return to our self-wholeness; the lost and scattered parts of ourself need to return back together, reuniting into wholeness. We need a time when nothing is soaking up or fragmenting a part of our consciousness, and nothing is distracting the whole presentness of consciousness; that is, a time when we are all here, when 'I' am all here, rather than being pieced and parted all over the place. We might call this the 'gathering of oneself', or the 'return to one-self', the regathering and return to wholeness of consciousness.

This is also a rediscovery of the Unity, instead of being lost in the fragmentation and separate pieces of life. This is a great goal: to hold a unity consciousness while moving and acting through our life. It is retaining a larger, unfragmented consciousness while living in this pluralistic and complex world; as much as possible, not letting our consciousness get fragmented and lost in whatever little attraction or need presents itself. Hold on to this larger, whole consciousness, and develop an ability to move through the ordinary world without losing this whole and unified consciousness. This is the profound spiritual practice.

We can even raise the level of meaning here, or enlarge the level of consciousness, by opening to an even larger wholeness of consciousness, the greater Self-Consciousness (or some degree of God-Consciousness). Now we are speaking about an even higher spiritual practice, which is an even greater level of unity and wholeness of consciousness. More is coming together into Unity. This a great spiritual work, for those who can understand and practice this. It is bringing all parts and pieces into unity and wholeness. In the final level of experience, there is a great unity and wholeness of God. And everything becomes finely connected and related.

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Light

One of the esoteric spiritual practices is to be filled with Divine Light. Some teachings would say that this could only be a gift from God, a gift to only special people, so there is nothing one can do to make this occur. It is just up to God. But the esoteric teachings show aspirants how to be filled with Light. Divine Grace is still at work, and one is still dependent on Grace, but there are steps one can do to open the door for this Grace. Some people do seem to receive Divine Light by no effort on their own. It just happens unexpectedly. Now we might hope that it happens to us unexpectedly and without any effort of our own. But these people receiving unexpected grace actually were prepared. They had already developed the necessary attitude and receptive mode of being, in order for this Light to enter them. So we need to prepare ourselves, and we can do this consciously and intentionally, in order to come into the right receptive mode for the Divine Light to fill us. There is no sense remaining in a passive state, waiting for God to choose us or waiting for some Guru to direct Light into us. Take responsibility for your own work.

Remember that the human being and the Divine Power are in a relationship, whereby both sides must function together. The Divine Power of Light is like a source of electricity, and we are like a lightbulb and a switch. The Light source will consistently perform its function, but nothing will actually work unless we perform our necessary part. In one sense, there is an ultimate dependency on the Divine, because any actualization of light depends on the source of light. Yet in another sense, there is an ultimate dependency on the human being to open up the channel, open the switch, and allow oneself (like a bulb) to be filled with Light. Thus, there is mutual dependency or inter-dependency in this relationship of human and Divine.

By another analogy, the Divine is like water from the sky, and we are like bowls or chalices for this water. Without a receptive bowl, the rain from heaven is not contained, so it merely recycles back to into the sky. But if there is a receptive container for this precious water, then the water can be carried to places of need and it can become useful for various purposes. Our physical bodies are containers of water, and if not for this movable body of water there would be no life as we know it. So it is necessary, in our relationship with the Divine Power, that we become useful containers of Light, or receptive chalices for the Divine, and also that we open up to the Light, open the skylight of our house and let it in, allowing the Divine Light to fill the whole of our inner space.

It is also important to be consciously present to what is unfolding from within, because there won’t be any experience of Light without consciousness. The Light of God fills the self when the self surrenders, allows, and is present to what is. If one is completely still inside, relaxed, and consciously open to the Grace of God, the Divine Light spontaneously emerges. The Light simply appears. It is revealed. It emerges as being present. In other words, it is all of sudden present. And the reason that the Light suddenly appears is because the mind has finally become still and quiet, receptive and open, and also consciously present to what is already here.

It is like when noises or talking finally subsides, and in this quietness one hears a subtle music or a beautiful singing, which was already going on but one never heard it because of the surrounding noise and chatter. Quiet the noise and chatter, let it go, and begin to listen in the silence, for the Divine is already singing, and when one finally hears this beauty the heart is filled with joy. Listen for this beauty coming from deep within the heart. The Divine is singing. Shhh, be quiet, be still, listen. The Divine Light emerges like this. In a sudden moment it appears. All of a sudden there is this experience of Light filling the heart and mind, until there is no heart and mind, but only just Light. This suddenly happens at the point when one finally lets go of the inner talking and the holding on to some idea of self, and it also depends on one’s inner stillness, openness and receptivity.

Thus, as the inner state of oneself changes and comes into the right receptive attitude and mode, the Light will then suddenly be unblocked, the channel will suddenly be open, and Light will then be able to come through. The Light will suddenly be present, because the usual objects of mind and turmoil of emotions will finally cease to obscure the Light that is already behind this usual drama of mind and emotion. Once the obscurations disappear, the Light behind the clouds suddenly appears. The Light is then clearly revealed. Once the window is clear of dust and clutter, the Light can then shine with clarity. Once the lens is clear, the Light is clearly experienced. Once veils are dropped, the Light shines through evermore brightly.

Our mind is like a window or a lens for the Light of God. So if the mind becomes clear, the Light easily shines through. Thus, one important key is clearing the mind of all obstructions, or letting go of all thought and identification. Let the mind be a clear window and a pure receptive space. Then just be awake to the Light that is already present. Don’t think about it; just be present in the Light. This is the Light of Divine Being, which comes through the clear and receptive mind. We are simply uncovering this Light, or discovering it.

Of course, one could also say that this is the essential light of our own mind, or the light of our intellect. Yet it is also the Light of God, because our own light is reflective of God’s Light. God knows through us. And our knowing is dependent on the Light of God. The light of our own mind depends on the Light of God and is reflective of it, just as the light of a lightbulb depends on its Light source and is essentially Light Itself. So our mind reflects God most essentially when our mind is clear and full of Light. But we do not need to invent this Light or try to make it be. For the Light just is, when the mind is clear.

Then, when one is fully in the Light, or when the Light is full in us, it naturally radiates out to all beings. The Light that we allow into us or through us, or the Light that mind is able to experience, is the amount of Light that radiates from us to all other beings, as we become a channel or centre of radiance for this Light. This is what we can give or share with the world, esoterically or secretly. Our light, or the Light that we know, is our secret and it secretly radiates out into the world, serving the gradual spiritual enlightenment of humanity. We are serving, sharing instruments of Light. We are channels for Light, or centres of radiant Light. We could say the same in relation to Love. For the degree of Love that is full in us, is the degree of Love that secretly overflows into the hearts of others. But this has to be a Love that is pure and unobscured by self-centered emotions.

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Now it might seem from this way of speaking that mind and heart are separate, or that Light and Love are distinctly different. Yet mind and heart are only distinct in our usual level of experience. At deeper levels of mediation, mind and heart are one. Here, we could say that the heart is full of consciousness and intelligence. Or we could say that the mind is full of heart love. We could say that the heart has mind, and the mind has heart. But in speaking this way, we are making distinctions that are not really experienced at the deeper levels of meditation; for at this deeper level, the notion of distinction simply does not arise. For here, one is simply experiencing the truth of being. Here, there is depth of sincerity (which can be termed heart) and expansiveness of consciousness (which can be termed mind). Yet the experience itself is much more of a unity.

Likewise, Light and Love are not really distinct in the deeper levels of meditation. At the very Essence of Reality there is no distinction, for they are essentially the same. And so it is in our own experience, for in our deepest experience of Being these are essentially the same reality. It is only at the level of Intellect that Light and Love are distinguished.

In deep meditation, there is no doubt that Light radiates from the heart. This Light radiance is the natural state of the heart. So light is obviously not just an attribute of mind, but also of the heart. Thus we can say that the heart has consciousness. It is certainly possible to have a conscious heart, an awakened heart, an enlightened heart, or a heart full of Light.

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In the tradition of Cabbala, the One Being divides into two primary Aspects, Qualities, or Powers. These then become the two main branches of the Tree of Life, called Chokmah and Binah. Everything which is, including physical events and mental experience, comes from these polarities and ultimately from the One Being. We can understand these polarities in a number of ways, all of which are related. We can see the polarities as masculine and feminine, or as active and receptive, or as mind and heart, or in other ways as well. Each has equal value, each complement one another, and each is needed in the greater purpose; much like the relation between positive and negative poles of a magnet, or the relation between day and night. At any one moment or in any one person, one of these two polarities may be dominant and the other recessive. But the greater ideal is for both to be in balance or in harmony.

The One Being divided into Heart and Mind, though these remain related. The Heart is compassionate, loving, embracing and unifying. The Mind is discerning, judging, and differentiating. The Heart embraces and includes all in love. It is the Mother Quality of compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. The Mind distinguishes differences and judges in polarities of right and wrong, good and bad, beautiful and ugly. It is the Father Quality of discerning truth and rightness. The Mother Quality of Heart is unifying and mending. The Father Quality of Mind is cutting and judging. Both Heart and Mind are the primal polarities of Divine Being. They are also the primal polarities of our own being. So our balanced work is to accept and develop both, and not neglect or favor one over the other. This is our path, to be strong in both heart and mind, and learn how both can function together in a balanced way.

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the analogy of a light bulb and electricity.

-- We are dependent on God, as a light bulb is dependent on electricity. But who has their hand on the switch? We do. So when I switch on the light in my room, it is true that my lighted room depends on the power of electricity being provided. But my lighted room also depends on there being a light bulb and on the capacity of that light bulb. And even besides this, my lighted room depends on someone actually turning on the switch. So to say that all events or all enlightened experiences are dependent on God, is only part of the whole truth. God is providing the needed power, but similar to electricity God is not responsible for turning on the switch. Turning on the switch depends on our own hand of free will, our own act of conscious decision. And how the phenomena of light emerges in the room depends on the state or capacity of the light bulb – which represents our three-fold individual vehicle of body, emotions and mind.

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Poverty has been a theme in many mystical traditions. Many of the mystics have in fact been materially poor, or wanderers without material possessions, but material poverty is not the significant meaning of this theme. It does not necessarily mean that one must be materially poor or in material poverty. Giving away one’s material wealth and possessions may actually be beneficial to one’s spiritual path, but it would be false to generalize this as right for everyone. Rather, the meaning of poverty, in the context of the spiritual path, is a kind of mental and emotional attitude in relation to God (or Spirit).

This attitude involves humility, in the sense of being humble in relation to the power and wisdom and greatness of God. Humility also involves being in a receptive mode in relation to God. This means being receptive to divine inspiration or guidance, and also acknowledging one’s need for this inspiration. It is like acknowledging one’s essential need for food, air and water; but in this context, one’s essential need is for divine love, inspiration, and guidance. An even deeper need is for experiencing divine union.

A related meaning of mystical poverty is emptiness, for poverty means having little or no possessions. Once again, this has to do with attitude and self-experience, rather than literally about material possessions. The needed experience of poverty, then, comes when one willingly sacrifices or lets go of one’s many attachments to personal desires and self-identities. Thus, the spiritual meaning of poverty is to be empty of these attachments and self-identifications, in order that one is empty enough to receive divine inspiration and revelation.

The mystic willingly surrenders all their stuff, its all given up. If one surrenders one’s attachments and self, then there is no holding on. This is the emptiness and poverty of the mystic. One bows their head to the ground and says, “Here, take all of me and everything I have.” Even the identification of “I” is surrendered. This is done so that one may be a pure servant of Divine Will, or Divine Love (both are the same). This is real humility in relation to the Divine. One is also bowing down in reverent respect to the very Source of all life, the supreme Root of all being and existence.

The sense of poverty also involves an attitude of gratefully accepting what God gives us. However, this attitude of acceptance is often misunderstood as a suggestion to accept whatever the world gives or expresses. Sometimes what is given by the world is merely an expression of someone’s compulsive ego or an expression of someone’s attempt at manipulating others. So there is misunderstanding if one believes simply that everything given or expressed by the world is synonymous with God’s giving or divine good. Gratefully accepting what God gives means accepting whatever inspiration God gives. We cannot demand this or that divine inspiration. In other words, divine inspiration is fully beyond our control. We cannot simply get inspiration by our own efforts, which is why we are in poverty and in need of God as our provider. We have to go out and work for material needs, but we can only gratefully accept and receive divine inspiration. Though, we can make certain efforts, to do with a change in our attitude and relation to God, which will make a more favorable condition (in us) for divine inspiration to come to us.

So with this spiritual attitude of poverty and humility, we seek the pure clear Spring of Divine Inspiration. We seek the Source of Divine Water, and only this can truly satisfy our real thirst or spiritual need. Nothing else will ultimately satisfy but this Source of Divine Water, this Spring of Divine Inspiration, or the pure clear experience of Divine Essence. We only want the pure Spirit. So we leap into this Divine Spring. We cleanse ourselves in this and are revitalized by this, and we drink and fill up with this Spiritual Water of Life and Inspiration. In poverty we are empty and also thirsty, so we know the need for this pure water. We should always remember this need and always remember that we can come to this eternal Spring of Divine Sustenance. Wherever we are and whatever we are doing, we can drink from this pure water of Spirit deep within. This will give us what we truly need, heal us, and protect us. So drink freely from this eternal Spring of Pure Spirit, which is directly within us.

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The greatest human beings have both humility and dignity.

They are humble in their recognition that, they live within a much greater Life, they are conscious within a much larger Consciousness, and their love is reflective of the larger Love of God. They have dignity in their recognition that, they are the representatives of God on earth, they are instruments for God’s wisdom and healing, and they are the reflections of God’s Light and Love.

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God is the Life, Mind, and Love we live in

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