Jesus Christ, Krishna, Buddha, Moses and the Prophet Muhammad are among some of the most prominent figures throughout history that humankind has looked to for guidance in their search for meaning. Whether one believes in a God, is an atheist or an agnostic, the search for meaning is universal. How one conducts this search, with what vigor, the direction one takes, whether proof is necessary or faith plays a distinguishing role, is however a totally individual choice.
This is perhaps related to one factor, that is TRUTH ! What is truth, how do we define it? For each of us truth seems to have relative degrees. The same event, circumstance or experience is perceived somewhat differently by every individual. If a group of people were involved in a common situation and one were to interview each member of the group afterwards one would have as many reports of what took place as there were members of the group.
Truth is therefore relative to what one perceives. Over time we have a vast collection of perceptions which become, "life's experiences". We, who we are, seems to be a reflection of our experiences. Yet as we go along through life, how we perceive changes and thus we change, our truth changes. Once this takes place the world seems to have changed. Is it in fact both the essence of our being and the world around us which are reflecting each other? We and the universe are not static beings but growing, evolving, dynamic living entities who create both ourselves and the universe in which we exist.
In the Bible, in Genesis, it refers to Man as being created in the image and likeness of God. If God is the creator and we are created in It's image and likeness then we too, are creators. This perspective is not a common one among humankind but if one has read about the spiritual giants of earlier times, some of which I have mentioned, a careful examination of their teachings will reveal, even though it may be subtle, that they too understood that we, you and I, are creators in our own right.
We are creating both ourselves and the universe around us. We are on a voyage of self discovery and we are becoming more of what it is that we are. However as most of us are aware, painfully at times, life seems to be too short to have our most basic understanding of who or what we are, develop to a satifying degree before we arrive at what is commonly known as death. Is there not a faster way for the natural growth we all have, to take place?
Some think that the solution is to join a monastry so that one could dedicate far more time towards reaching a truely fulfilling understanding of ourselves. For most this solution is not a practical one nor should one drop one's responsibilities already committed to. For the majority of people a method which fits in with their present life style would be much better. It was this concept that made me search for many years. I had grown up in the Catholic church and all that I learned was in my experience wholesome and good. I had also studied other religious pathes and philosophies, finding each one had good things to offer, each contained truth. Still there was one element that nagged at me. It was the speed at which I was unfolding.
"Ask and you shall receive" stuck in my mind. So I asked. A friend of mine, with whom I had been exchanging books, gave me more books one day. Among the lot were some by an author called Paul Twitchell. I read these with interest. They contained something Mr. Twitchell referred to as "spiritual exercises". These exercises were very simple, could be done by anyone, even with a busy modern life and required only twenty minutes each day. Mr. Twitchell explained that by doing these exercises you could build on and accelerate your personal growth. Seemed like just what I was looking for.
People have been seeking answers for eons. Mr. Twitchell explained that he too had sought answers and that his search had lead him to a line of spiritual masters. They had helped him find answers and so he now helped others find answers. The interesting part was that the answers everyone is looking for are inside themselves. The spiritual exercises accelerated the finding of the answers. Whether you believed this or not was irrelevant. If you did the spiritual exercises regularly the experiences that would follow would in effect be self validating ones.
That sounded fair enough to me. I thought I'd give these spiritual exercises a try. That was the year 1982. I haven't stopped since then. In addition I found that there were many more books that I could read to help me digest the experiences I have by doing the spiritual exercises. Also available is a monthly "discourse" and there are seminars held throughout the world at various times of the year. The organization set up to assist one in ones personal unfoldment is called "ECKANKAR". Paul Twitchell has passed the reigns to Harold Klemp, who continues the work.
In a nutshell, I have learned that I "AM" Soul, as apposed to I am this physical being who "HAS" a soul. As Soul I am eternal. This life in the physical dimension is the classroom for Soul. All the experiences we have in life are lessons designed for Soul to become more conscious. If one does the spiritual exercises regularly one can experience two aspects of the essence of God, spirit, in the form of light or sound. Contained in the Light and Sound is the wisdom we seek. Through consistent practice of the spiritual exercises you will attain a higher state of consciousness.
"ECKists" can share their experiences with other members of ECKANKAR by joining classes in which the monthly discourses or other writings of ECKANKAR are discussed. Every individual has their own unique experience of the Light and Sound. The wisdom gained by the experiences brings a greater understanding of who we are and why we are here, in short a greater understanding of Life !
Of course you don't need to be a member of ECKANKAR to also experience the Light and Sound. As Soul you are capable of tapping into Spirit and partaking of its wisdom. All you need to do is to have an open mind and above all an open heart. My experience is that if you hold any preconceived ideas of what you might experience or your heart is not in a pure loving state then the experience is "short circuited". Spirit, in its wisdom, will bring you what you need to grow spiritually, not what you may want .
That brings us to what it is precisely, that we as Soul, are here to learn. The briefest possible answer to that is, LOVE. So what exactly is LOVE. To that there certainly is no short answer. Everyone experiences this differently. There are some virtues though that will lead you in that direction, if you practice them. Among them are Discrimination. This is the ability to make right choices in our thoughts, acts and feelings. Forgiveness and tolerance, is the ability to do to others as you would want them to do to you. There is also contentment. This is creating a state of joy within yourself. Detachment ! This is a willingness to let God's will be done, knowing and accepting what we can and cannot change. And there is humility. This is a surrendering of the ego.
All that might seem far too much to accomplish but if you realize that, as Soul, you are eternal, this lifetime is not your only one ! You have a long time in which to learn what love is, how to give love and also how to receive love. God loves Soul so much that IT will always give you another chance to learn any lesson, even if you didn't do so well on the last try. All your experiences in life are lesssons. Each one contains something for us to learn. It is up to us to figure out what that lesson is. Once you practice interpreting what lesson a given experience is teaching you the lessons are learned faster. You will slowly unfold to higher states of consciousness
If expanding your present horizons interests you and you feel that the views expressed herein, ( the views being strictly my own, developed from my own experiences ) interest you, you can also visit the ECKANKAR Web Site where you can learn more about Spiritual Exercises and other aspects of unfolding to a higher state of consciousness.
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