Spiritual Path: No Exemption From LIFE

“	And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all of them who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.	”
	— Matthew 21:12-13

We have an obligation to ourselves to seek happiness, joy, love and peace in our lives.
Many seek, find and follow a spiritual path to find these things, especially to ensure Peace.
The bad part, though, is that as many find this path to Peace, they totally reject the other parts of life. Many deliberately avoid situations or events that would in any way disturb that Peace.

Truth is: 
This is not authentic living! This also sabotages wholeness.

To exclude any aspect of being just to be in peace, love, joy or perpetual state of happiness is simply to fool yourself and cheat yourself out of the wholeness of life.

This Presidential election year in the United States, many spiritual seekers and leaders seem to be facing this dilemma. Some have totally absolved themselves from any involvement in speaking up or out, as they leave the fight to "lesser beings." This is cheating.

Even  priests, ministers and pastors are finding creative ways of standing for what they believe in, without distancing congregants. The Rev. Ed Bacon of All Saints Episcopal Church, Pasadena, CA, is my role model for a spiritual and religious leader!

I deeply admire Rev. Ed Bacon for his authenticity: Living Truth+Wholeness 

To see some people who try to lead others in walking a "spiritual path" stay totally *SILENT during times of intense public debate on critical issues is disconcerting. The key reason for this is that many are concerned with their public image.  To stand for nothing so as not to disturb a public image of tranquility and peace is truly in-authenticity at its core.  

Despite claims to the contrary, no one can be so highly evolved that events surrounding their daily lives don't matter. Indeed, we see from the opening quote on this page, even Jesus took a position where it was warranted.

Being "spiritual" becomes meaningless if it cannot be tested in "less than peaceful" waters. Any one can claim to have evolved to certain mystical heights---until it's put to the test.

There can be NO wholeness in a life that is un-engaged in living! That is a fallacy!

Not one of us would be having this human experience, were it not that we need to be engaged in all aspects of life and living.

 Although it may not seem evident to the rest of the world, those cloistered in nunneries and monasteries are involved in activities of life and living,

Spiritual people want to believe that being "spiritual" somehow has taken them to a higher plane than Earth. So, it matters little what happens on Earth.

In  their book, "The View From The Center of the Universe," Joel R. Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams  propose that many were called to the spiritual path to provide more light in a Universe growing increasingly dark. So by withholding full engagement in all aspects of life, many deny themselves and others critical and necessary contribution to life on Earth.

I say: Wake up to Truth! It's time to be real! 

When we read in the bible, the admonition "to be in the world but not of the world," this did not  mean to fully disengage from events and life happening around you and for you!

The United States has many critical issues under debate at this time that threaten the quality of life for many people here. No one can afford to stay on the sidelines, while others risk their lives and reputations to wage these battles. This is not being "spiritual," it's being ridiculous!

On any given day, I get several emails promoting seminars, workshops or programs. Yet during this time, only one from *James Redfield, author of many popular books, including Celestine Prophecy, called for a Global Day of Prayer, promoting Truthfulness.  Redfield did his part in a tasteful and discreet way; others can do the same if they so choose!

God wants us to be involved  and engaged in life.
In fact, this is demanded of us.

This is what Mark Nepo writes in his Book of Awakening:

"As we all know, by swimming, the smallest fish takes in water, and its gill turns that water into the air by which it lives."

"...and just like fish we must keep swimming to stay alive. We must keep swimming through the days. We cannot stop the flow of experience or the need to take it in. Rather, all our efforts must go into learning the secret of the gill, the secret of transforming what we go through into air." 

"...it is more important to swim through the days and honor the gill inside you than to figure out how it all works." 

Jesus, the Buddha, Muhammad, **Krishna and all of others  were fully involved in the living of their spirituality!

Recognizing yourself as a spiritual being having a human experience does not absolve you nor anyone else from life or living!

"When we falter in applying who we are to what we know, we experience a lapse in being real. This is a chronic condition that I,  for one, have experienced often."- Mark Nepo, Book of Awakening.

Some take their aspirations to live a spiritual life as meaning they have to be "holy."  This is unfortunate, as all this does is lead to hypocrisy. Rather than trying to be "holy," we should all strive for  wholeness and truthful living. When we do so with all of our being, this lifestyle naturally leads to "holiness."

We all will make some mistakes in life. But, this is exactly the point of living. Our human experience on Earth is meant for us to grow forward into new life and new ways of living.

Religion plays a very important role in the lives of many people. This is a great thing, as religion keeps us grounded and striving to move in a direction of decency, sharing our humanity for the good of all. Without religion as a foundation for a spiritual life, I believe many become seduced with their own power. Indeed, some even begin to believe that they are God, i.e. Cosmic Consciousness,  that creates all in the universe!

That's the bad part of getting too steeped in spirituality, without any other grounding of reality:
We get presumptuous.

The Huffington Post reported on Monday, Sept. 10, that Tibetan leader, Dalai Lama told his 4 million Facebook friends that religion is not enough. (Click link for story:  Religion is not enough, says Dalai Lama)

The Dalai Lama was right: religion is not enough. neither is spirituality. We must marry both, with science and technology, to evolve to higher levels of living and being on Earth..

The spirit of GOD does reside in us all. We all are individual manifestations of this spirit within us. This is our SOUL. Attached to this soul is our human personalities. 

But let's be clear:  We are NOT the universe. We are not God. We are evolving beings walking this planet, Earth.

Whether it's Christianity, Protestantism, Muslim, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism, Sikhism or any other religious teaching, each plays a valid role in helping us develop our humanity and interactions with each other.

The sad and bad parts to many religions, though,  is where some exceed their bounds. Instead of  providing guidelines and guidance for daily life, many seek to stifle the very spirit within people. They become dictatorial.

There are many groups existing today, claiming to be religious, whose sole intent is to control men and women. Going under the guise of religion, the intention of some groups is to garner  more  finances and control, rather than to empower people. Leaders in these "religions" do not want their congregants to  develop their own connections with the spirit within them. Some have even taught that seeking such a connection is Satan at work.

People born into these groups, generation after generation, have little or no exposure to any other way of life. This has to be the most insidious part to our humanity: stifling the very spirit within us that IS us!

Sometimes, though, the spirit within some of these people bores through any doctrine they are born into and/or coerced into living. (See this important link:Escape from Clutches of Oppression )
It helps these people to be able to witness the other side from the rest of us.

When we see the transformation of individuals who previously had been living under control of a specific religion, teaching or  person, we are witnessing the intercession of God: Grace! 

"The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God." Luke 1:30

Today, know that If you are able to choose freely where, when and how you worship, pray or meditate:  You are blessed!

Without a doubt, it is challenging to live each day solely in peace. But there are ways to stay centered.

Here's what I recommend:

Begin your day in meditation and prayer, taking as much time as you need to get centered.

Throughout the day, stay present to all your activities and conscious in the moment.

When, or if, something seeks to disturb your peace, go back to center by taking deep breaths, If time permits, meditate.

At the end of the day, get back to center and reflect in meditation and prayer, giving thanks for havng made it through another day. 

Remember, gratitude is an important key to staying in the flow of life. 

"I wonder if gratefulness is the bridge from sorrow to joy, spanning the chasm of our anxious striving. Freed from the burden of unbridled desires, we can enjoy what we have, celebrate what we've attained, and appreciate the familiar. For if we can't be happy now, we'll likely not be happy when."

Philip Gulley
Porch Talk***

Choosing to isolate...to withdraw...from life is not a very productive option; it's cowardice of the spirit.

Namaste',

Che'


NOTE: *James Redfield and his wife, Salle, already have in place a forum for a bi-weekly Global Prayer.Redfield's Celestine Vision
**Krishna is a supreme personalty of Godhead in Hinduism, who is said appeared ed in India 5,000 years ago and stayed 125 years.
 ***This passage was contributed by Gratefulness.org on Sept. 15.