Don't Be a Grasshopper: On Becoming a Spiritual Giant

EDITOR'S NOTE: This post is dedicated to all those seemingly ordinary people I know who became extraordinary by reaching within to become Spiritual Giants. 

Becoming A Spiritual Giant Requires Us to Walk Unencumbered Through Life 

                                         With The Spirit, Joy and Freedom Of A Child

Grasshoppers are intended for special, "low-flying," missions. Now, if that's not telling it about the species' role in life, then nothing else will offer clarification.

So: Who among us wants to be a grasshopper?

Frontal and closeup view of grasshopper shows more character than the hopping creature we know 

Now, we may interpret the "low-flying" part as meaning a reconnaissance mission, giving it more potency, but for the purposes of this discussion, let's take the term on its face value.



Again, then:
Who among us wants to be a grasshopper?

South African grass hoppers. Photo Credit: Matt Harvey via Trek Earth

No? 
So...let's move on.

The next stage for us then is to be an ordinary human being, going through life not exactly sure why we're here but following the next step by next step...just not making trouble. Life is good...but it's....ordinary.
Or-din-ary. With little excitement...little disruption...little purpose. 
We go along to get along.

Rumi, the esteemed Persian poet and Sufi mystic, warned against an ordinary life. 

If we're lucky, one day we may wake up to some disruption in our lives. Something unsettling happens via a person, i.e.a spouse, partner, family member or friend; an event, such as an accident or illness, loss of a job or  finances, or a thing, such as reading a special book that gives us a totally different perspective on life.

        That is...if...we're lucky!

All we know is that our tidy pattern is suddenly disrupted, and life is not ordinary anymore.
                                                      Count it a blessing!

In order to move from ordinariness to extra-ordinariness, where we move from innocence in childhood to spiritual giants in adulthood, we must break the steadiness of an unimaginative life, overcome fear and claim our greatness.

I'm not talking about the type of greatness that so many actively seek,  where everyone knows your name. In speaking of Spiritual Greatness, I'm also not talking about making lots and lots of money.*

 I'm talking about the type of Spiritual Greatness where you have the confidence to know that you can overcome any situation...any obstacle course... placed in your life and in your way. I'm talking about a Spiritual Greatness that allows you to look at any situation you encounter on any given day with the eyes of an elephant to an ant.  

Day to day, so many things can come against us. But it's our ability to rise above these situations...some, mere annoyances; others, major challenges...that makes us spiritual giants, or little grasshoppers jumping around as if our house always is on fire.

I'm talking about Spiritual Giant-hood that allows us to jump over and climb over any person, place or thing placed in our way, trying to stop us from moving forward to reaching our goals...  however little or big those goals might be.

Spiritual Greatness does not come from cowardice
Spiritual Giants are not born from cowards, or those seeking to protect the status quo.





For us to achieve Spiritual Greatness and become Spiritual Giants:

We must grow strong enough spiritual muscle and spiritual boldness to walk unencumbered through life, seeing problem people and problem "things" the way a lion views sheep, or the way a giraffe views a turtle.

We must be able to walk by these "obstacles" with the confidence of a lion and stand with the calmness of a giraffe.

When we begin to sense that there's more to this ordinary life than responding to those who would try to push us down, or those intent on causing strife in our life and our world, then we are moving more towards a peaceful existence and the discovery of the reasons why we are here on Earth at this time doing what we're called to do. Once we begin to sense that life has a deeper purpose for us than just being here "going along to get along," we are at the start of our spiritual journey.


And when we're awakened to the startling truth that life is more than the next thing to do, the next right people to meet, the next right job to take, the next high salary to achieve...we have then given our Souls permission to launch a full-scale disruption to our days and ways.
There's really no turning back to an awakening of Truth, seeking a way to emerge through us and within us. 

There's no being born half way. Truth will find a way to push itself out of us.

And just like a baby needs nine months of gestation, Truth needs a cycle of time to fully emerge.

Then, like a child going from babyhood to full maturity, Truth needs time to slowly develop and grow a new way of being and seeing into the world.

What the Truth that's emerging from you ...and me...needs...is time.We must be patient with ourselves in order for us to be led to Spiritual Greatness... so that we can become the Spiritual Giants we're intended to be.  

If there's a being 'born again,' this is it!

As we try to get through our days, disruption to our Soul/Spirit gets more intense. We can no longer settle into the little lives we may have created. 
We long for more...answers.
We want to know more:
...about where we came from
...why we came here
...and what we are really, really supposed to be doing while we're here.

Yes the job..the career...is fine.
Our marriage is fine.
Our life, including finances and other affairs, is fine.
So is our health: fine

But...where is the... joy?

We can no longer "rest in peace" going through the motion of our daily lives.

                  We are awakened!

The search begins...perhaps by going back to church, if we were brought up with religion.
Then through spiritual group after spiritual group.

We're beginning to change.
People around us don't know what to make of the change.

It's not that if we were not nice we suddenly become "a nice person."
It's not that we care, even to be considered nice.
But we're taking a more thoughtful approach to people...and our interactions with people. We may even begin to push ourselves away from people who no longer seem to fit. 
We've got a greater mission in life. We may not know where it's leading...but our relationship with this inner self is getting more intimate and stronger.

As we begin to change in ways many do not understand,  people in our lives may walk away. Let them. This means they were only there for part of your journey. The people who are in your life to support you will remain. 
As we grow in wisdom, we also may find that not everyone smiling in our face deserves to be in our space.

Remembering what the Soul knows and why we came back here to do the Soul's work is critically important to our peace and state of well being.

Learning our way back to the Soul takes focus and our full Presence to each moment in our lives.
In order to get to the other side of emptiness in our lives, we must rid ourselves of behaviors and habits that may have lulled us into the ordinary life.
It's extremely tough to give up the daily pleasures that others do so freely and without concern, but the only way to get through the fog that's created when we're separated from our Soul is by stepping boldly forward and literally jumping into a new way of living... when we're called by our Soul to do so.

Our minds must remain uncluttered and unencumbered with the daily nonsense others would have us engage and indulge. Don't waste your energy on such things. You've got work to do!

Knowing where you are called and where you should focus will be the greatest challenge of the search. But you're well able. You will find unexpected teachers showing up at times when you doubt your ability to go forward or grow forward.

• Trust. 
• Go within.
• Get past the Fear.
• Decide this is the moment and time
• Pray
• Take the Leap of Faith

To become a Spiritual Giant:

• Remove all doubt from your mind that you deserve the best that life has to offer in terms of Peace, Freedom, Joy and Wisdom. These are the gifts of the Spirit that money can never buy.*   
• Know that the price you pay to get there will not be an easy one. People you once loved may revile you and hate you.
• But ...if you don't give up and make it over to other side...you will know unequivocally that whatever price you paid...was worth it. 

*I want you to start NOW to begin to accept that you are a blessing to the world and you are here for a purpose. 
*I want you to step boldly forward NOW to do your task, looking neither to the left nor right for approval. But walking straight ahead, led by the spirit within and buoyed by the light you see ahead of you.

*I want you to know NOW that life is skewed towards supporting you. 

You don't have to know how God is going to work through you. But you'll begin to see transformation once you begin to commit to living a different way of life.

Your job is not to figure things out. 

Your job is to get out of fear mentality and seek the good you're seeking.

Although I can't tell you exactly how it will work for you, I can tell you what truly will:

1. Meditation
2. Prayer
3. The Silence
4. Staying Present to your life
5. Releasing those who keep you stuck and/or in chains to them.
6. Realizing...truly...that while life may be eternal
your time on Earth is not. 
7. Doing what you must do NOW, i.e. always the next right thing.
8. Believing there is a God.
9. Knowing, beyond doubt, that this God loves you,
wants the best for you, and ALWAYS goes before you
to make your way easy...no matter how trying life may seem.
10. Giving Thanks. Staying Grateful, no matter how things seem.

Awaken to Truth.
Grow through Truth.
Become the Spiritual Giant you were intended to be...filled with light, laughter, joy, peace...and yes...wisdom.

Namaste',
Che'

*NOTE: If you want to make money and buy lots of things, there are several folks on the Internet offering you those ways...ranging from a few hundred or thousand dollars a pop. You'll discover over time, these joys are fleeting.