RECONCILING THE MATERIAL WITH THE SPIRITUAL 
UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES 

In the next series of blogs I plan to talk about those spiritual principles that are slowly coming into the main stream and are being validated especially by research, positive psychology and neuroscience. Meditation is already one of those but it was not so long ago that it was felt to be a bit weird in the West. Now even the U.S. army is using mindfulness meditation to help Veterans with PTSD. When I began to practice yoga in the 80's most of my colleagues thought I had lost it but now you almost cannot walk down a street in California without seeing someone with a yoga mat. Granted this is Asana yoga only one of the eight limbs of the discipline.
Even when it comes to some of the more esoteric spiritual phenomena such as kundalini, samadhi, the search for the Higher Self, shamanism or distant healing rather than giving credit to their origins modern researchers tend to make them more official and believable by inventing their own titles for phenomena that have been with us since the beginning of humanity such as; 
physiological arousal, cathartic conversion experience, coherence, superfluidity, congruence, medical intuitive, distant influence on biological systems etc.
We are returning to what we once knew with a certain arrogance in the "discovery."

Sadly with the sophistication of technology, the power of social media and the hypnosis of compelling material "stuff" it is becoming more challenging to stay on the path to spirit. There are now an ever increasing number of technological "golden calves" to distract us from truth. Many of these are useful - many are just  sexy or money making gimmicks which make us lazier. Most alarming is that our very impressionable youth are burying themselves in smart phones and violent video games rather going out to play or exploring nature's wonders. 
Jung said that the search for the higher Self is at the core of all human motivation whether we realize it or believe it or not. 
The Zohar says that when we are born we are shown the first light that occurred when the earth was born and from that time we are all impelled knowingly or not to go back to that light and to the embrace of our Creator. Maybe this is the same light and feeling of overwhelming love that folks who have had a Near Death Experience witness. It is so compelling that they do not want to come back and are coerced into doing so to complete work not yet complete. 
There are many things that get in the way of our "becoming"  or spiritual evolution.




At the end of the day its simple though difficult - attend to needs rather than wants and keep it simple so as not to distract ! 
Our ego reflects our persona which is a hazard; how we look, the car we drive, where we live, our certificates on the wall of our office, our Facebook post etc. In other words fame. 
Lao Tzu said; 
"... care about what others think and you will always be their prisoner."
 And the Ancestors affirm;

We are here to enjoy our sentient bodies but to enjoy them responsibly. The Ancestors say that we will be accountable for any physical pleasures that we are legitimately entitled to partake that we did not enjoy 

as long as they do not interfere with our karma. 

(i.e. following our destiny, help heal the planet, do no harm, subordinate the ego to the higher Self and to love or at least treat others as we ourselves would want to be loved or treated.)

 Apart from these rules which have consequences, we are here to be in joy of the creation and of ourselves.

The Ancestors

The glue that holds all of this together is spiritual practice, without which we would be lost. Just as we ourselves are all unique it behooves us to find a practice that works for our unique and special Selves. The Ancestors teach;

"There are many holy prayers and paths to transformation, you are to find the one made and meant for you."

That practice can almost be anything that is done for its own sake (not to perform, perfect or look good,) that is regular, enjoyable and sustainable. For the busy Western mind it can be more than just one thing, yoga and walking on the beach, meditation and playing ones guitar or drumming. 

It is of no use to us to follow the path of some "guru" when it does nothing to enhance our own vibration. Even if something works for a while, when it stops being useful its time to move on no matter how enlightened the teacher. One needs to be careful of teachers who insist theirs' is the only or the best way, even if it is for them and for many of their students. Krishnamurti advised strongly about avoiding the guru complex and finding one's own way. In other words to find ...

A guide from the side rather than a sage on a stage.

Also...

Many books are filled with self invented spiritual principles and untruths about profound spiritual encounters that never happened.

These next blogs will be about some of those techniques - ancient and modern -that refine our vibration and make us better human beings. Anything that aligns our chakras and our energy channels, nadis or meridians is commendable. The Ancestors are very much in favor of sensory, active forms of meditations - think of a Gospel church and Africans who say we pray by singing and dancing. There is a Chassidic saying that with song one can open the gates of heaven and...

“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.”  de Chardin

Joy and gratitude are powerful form of practice. Think of the ecstatic Sufi poets. 

In future blogs we will also talk about:

 The hero/ine's journey 

Positive psychology 

 Research on gratitude

How our subconscious sabotages our progress and how to counter it with imagination 

These are universals we can all relate to and that work. They also interconnect and augment one another.

An effective spiritual life and practice should help enhance the following:

Make us more forgiving and compassionate with an increased capacity to love.

Lead to a greater ability to trust and surrender.

Help us avert complacency and encourage us to embark on more hero/ine journeys.

Bring us into alignment with our true Selves our destiny and congruence.

Bring more gratitude, meaning to our lives and equanimity.

Align our energy bodies in such a way that we have greater access to the "Field," our guides, dreams and non local information.

Click on the link to highlight and then play

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