THE TWO PATHS TO ENLIGHTENMENT
When we think of spirituality, we often think of the yogi on the mountain, the Tibetan monks in silent meditation, of priests and nuns committed to the light of the Universal, by whatever name they call it. Our souls recognise their calling, and often wonder at their ability to disengage from the rest of life so calmly and serenely.
The trouble is that we are all souls within human bodies on this earth in School. We are in this form to have the human experience, to feel our feelings, to grow and open. This means, as much as we dislike it sometimes, that we are forced to be in relationship with other human beings on the planet. This is our karmic lot, and there's not much we can do about it. It's a little like going to the dentist - you know you have to, but you don't really want to.
So how do we grow while we are here?
It's said that there are two paths to Enlightenment - one is Transcendence, and other is Transformation. These paths are very different and the energies within them feel different too.
Transcendence is the path in which we get to strengthen our connection to spirit - the divine spirit, our connections to the heavenly realms as well as the earth beneath our feet and the wisdom of Mother Earth. So we learn how to sit quietly, how to have faith in something we might not yet see or understand fully, to see our lives in a greater, more loving perspective, to let go of our judgements that separate ourselves from loving other people, and from loving ourselves. To open up to the light, to work with powerful vortex energy, to clear a space inside so that we can hear better. That is transcendence - and its energy is passive and opening, a surrendering..
Then there is Transformation - this is more active in energy - and one in which we look at the choices we have made in life, what we have learned from every relationship, every connection we've had with others, a path in which we also take a good hard look at ourselves and take responsibility for our limiting thoughts, attitudes and actions. In order to grow spiritually, we have to do the personal work too, and there will always be some who do not understand that.
One cannot be truly spiritual unless one is being honest, acting in integrity with oneself and choosing love over fear, awareness over ignorance and having an impact on the world that is very loving and utterly harmless.
Personal growth is a journey and one is never finished with it unless you have no more reason to incarnate.
This path is about letting go of the stuff that gets in the way of loving and being loved.
The catch is this: we have to travel both these paths during our lifetimes.
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