Here you go then! A few of my musings on the so called spiritual journey, and spiritual practice in general. Don’t worry though, it’s only my take on it and may, in all probability, struggle to find a foot-hold among your particular inclinations.
It appears to me that many see this ‘spiritual’ stuff as some sort of ‘extra curricular add-on’; Just another thing to do, in amongst the myriad of other things that need doing.
But really, I’m not sure they can so easily be separated from our daily life!
The first point to note is, that the vast machinery of public influence: Media, culture, advertising etc, is intent to lead us in quite the opposite direction!
All these resources, capital, intent and energy are required, because it is such a hard sell; Invariably, what is being pushed is against our nature and against our best interests.
The ideas and notions propounded by ‘culture’ need elaborate and costly life support equipment. They would just wither away if the flames were not being constantly fanned.
On the other side, the ‘ideas’ that do naturally resonate with us need little fanfare. They don’t need looking after and can survive quite easily in the wild.
So this is ‘the labyrinth’ we have found ourselves in.
To come across one of these ‘resonant ideas’ and with it, the realisation that it has been entirely shunned by the vast edifice of culture, is the beginning of ‘the spiritual journey’.
We start to take note and weigh things up. The scrap we have found becomes like a little waypoint marker, dropped in one of the maze’s cavernous corridors and we start looking around for other clues and even start to imagine that there might be some way out.
And the hermit heads in the opposite direction from the throng, searching with a lantern in the bright light of day.
These scraps accumulate. Like attracts like. The snowball rolls down the hill. Seemingly separate parts start to communicate and we call it ‘synchronicity’.
The goals of the spiritual journey are everywhere to be seen, and we have all come across them, because they are given to children as fairy tales.
To wake from the enchanted sleep…
To go on a quest to find the sacred chalice…
And then we come to discover that ‘the chalice’ is really another broken off part of ourselves.
And then comes the further revelation that we, are, in fact, the broken off part; The chalice is trying to reach us!
But what about spiritual practices?
As stated, these are only practices. They are exercises for perception. Just as we exercise the body to better navigate our world, we exercise our attention to link and communicate better with the ‘lost parts of ourself.’
A particular ‘spiritual exercise’ can either widen our perception by dissociation; A letting go and falling away into ‘receiver mode’. Spreading ourselves wide like a net to catch whatever may come along. Or we can sharpen our perception; Working on focus and one pointedness, like a spear. This is ‘transmit mode’ how we respond and show our intent.
The sacred chalice, daimon, holy guardian angel, the other (unknown) part of ourself, (god?) seeks and is intent to mould us.
Before the spiritual journey, we are inanimate clay. A pebble rolling in the stream. But we are being called and sung to.
When we begin on our journey. we start to hear the call and even seek to meet it halfway. We start to tunnel from our side of the mountain!
