June 19, 2015

Stalling Out Spiritually

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When people begin a spiritual awakening, they begin to awaken to the true spirit of the self, and the first thing they say is, “I want to be a healer.” They think they should leave the work they are already doing in order to be a healer, but what they are really saying is, “I want to heal.” They think they want to heal others, but what they really want is to heal the self. To heal means "to become whole," which means that we begin to know, acknowledge, and honor more of the whole self, including the parts that have previously been black-balled or stuffed in the closet. People stall out spiritually when they get stuck on being a healer...and fail to recognize that this is an early stage of awakening. Once healed – physically, mentally, or emotionally – it will be time to move on. The second thing they say is, “I want to help the world or to make the world a better place.” To help make the world a better place is only a reasonable goal if it makes your world a better place, i.e. you have enough money, food, shelter, clothing, warmth/cooling, safety, education, experience, all the physical/mental needs met...and you are doing something you love. It does not make the world a better place if you are doing something you think is helpful but you do not have what you need for yourself. This is the blind leading the blind. People stall out when they get stuck on doing something that benefits others but not them. Once your needs are met and your life is full, you can begin to extend some of that to others. The third thing people say when awakening is, “I want to be a teacher/healer/speaker/creative/preacher in the world of spirituality.” What they are really saying is they want everything they say and do to embody the great traditions of love, compassion, truth, gentleness, honesty, etc., and for all of their interactions to demonstrate these great ethics. However, people often leave their current work in the world to pursue work in the field of spirituality…and then they struggle. They fail to understand that they can be a teacher/healer/speaker/creative/preacher in the world of construction, politics, medicine, education, farming, manufacturing, etc. People stall out when they leave what they’re doing and go in search of a perfect world elsewhere instead of creating their perfect world right where they’re at. If everyone would see that the world will only be really changed when each of us finds our true niche of passion and contributes to the whole reality from that place while demonstrating the "great qualities." The real contribution is your own joy and satisfaction with your life. That’s what makes a well-rounded, balanced world of great diversity! If you are undergoing a spiritual awakening, it is important to understand that spirituality will probably become an aspect of what you will do, but may not be the main focus at all. This isn’t saying you are going to become a heathen, it just says that perhaps you have stalled out in the way so many awakening ones do. If you have abandoned your former life, love, relationships, and work to pursue a more spiritual life, only to discover that your life is not working very well, consider a change of pace and direction. When something isn’t working, we need to go in new directions without feeling like a failure, without delay, and without trying to apologize or explain to family or friends. The only thing needed is the time and space to explore more of your Self.