Are you spiritually awake? Maybe. Maybe not. Let's see...
What is spiritual awakening, exactly? You get a flash of light and suddenly, you can levitate, or walk through walls, or predict someone else's future, or speak in tongues?
You may believe that those who are "spiritually awake" are somehow very different, set apart from the rest of the mundane world, superior in some mystical, galactic way. God or Buddha or Krishna or Yahweh now holds them in special favor, in a brighter light. Their everyday world has changed to continual bliss, no more troubles, no more pain. They're already in heaven. It's just a matter of sending in the change of address card.
This may come as a surprise, even a disappointment, but people who are spiritually awakened know that the journey has just begun. When the spiritual eyes and the spiritual mind open, the one who is waking up realizes that, to this point, little progress has actually been made. It's back to square one. The beginning. Kindergarten. Now the real work starts.
Almost immediately, the demons strike. "I want what I want when I want it. And I don't beg anyone's pardon." The ego rears its frightened head again in ways you never thought possible. Everything that you think is the right way, the spiritual way, the holy way, becomes the ego's target. Who do you think you are? There's no real spirituality in you. You're the one who thinks only of herself, the one who thinks helping others is a sign of weakness. You're the one who hides the truth of himself from the rest of the world. How can you possibly be spiritual? You're such a liar...and a hypocrite. Oh, yeah. The spiritual walk is a piece of cake. Well, guess again.
Your demons will do everything to bring you back into conformity with the old ways, the safe roads, the familiar paths-even the ones that continue to bring suffering into your life. They've become habits that the ego is reluctant to release. The spiritual path, the awakened path, is a path you must choose daily.
The great spiritual teachers of every generation remind us to "keep your eye on the Light for it shines only through the darkness and the darkness is always close at hand." It is where we still live. We do the same work, interact with the same people. We continue to chop wood and carry water, as the saying goes. Awakening then, is not about leaving the world, but recognizing it as our home and as our responsibility. This is where the work is. This is where awakening takes place-within the mundane, within the daily plodding, within the ongoing connections with each other.
The spiritual path is the path we've been traveling all along. Only now, we see it for what it really is: The Teacher. The Mentor. The Master. Awakening then, is finding yourself right back where you started, only this time with a reminding appreciative bump on your spiritual head that says, "Pick yourself up, join the hubbub. You've arrived."
In this moment, peer into your own heart. Are you willing to start from the beginning each day and let everything and everyone be your teacher? Can you see your daily experience as the gift it really is? Look closely. Look deeply. The answer is there, ready for you to find it. There is no longer any need to fear the darkness for it is only through the darkness-the pride-that the light can shine.
Richard Matthews is an ordained New Thought minister and currently serves a friendly, open-hearted, and joy-filled Unity congregation in a beautiful suburb of Portland, Oregon. He has been actively and happily ministering since 1993. His articles on abundance, prosperity, spiritual growth and inner guidance have appeared online, in newsletters, and local newspapers. He is a singer/composer/musician, specializing in spiritually uplifting music of the heart and soul, and has performed in venues throughout Oregon and southern Washington State. He is also a professional business speaker and executive coach. "My purpose is to help you become your best so you can share your best with the world." Connect directly with Richard at RichardSpeaks@Minister.com
Gregg Braden
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