Awakening the Spiritual Consciousness

 
Recent world developments indicate a trend that mankind’s spiritual consciousness is not only rising but it is doing so at an unprecedented rate. The tremendous amount of data collected and the incredible pace it is being processed and disseminated are resulting in the rapid development of new technologies and in the faster rates of changes in every aspect of our lives. Shaken by the destabilizing wave of changes, mankind’s spiritual consciousness has awakened significantly and began to ride the accelerated pace.

Market research indicates that a significant spiritually-oriented market segment named the "Creative Intuitive’s" is fast emerging and will impact business significantly in the immediate future. This trend is apparent in the entertainment industry where we are witnessing mystical concepts portrayed by super hero mythical characters, psychic abilities being utilized by professional crime fighters in TV police stories, and a preponderance of science fiction themes bordering the absurd and the surreal.

Spiritual consciousness is that state when Man becomes aware that he is "a spiritual being undergoing a human experience rather than a human being undergoing a spiritual experience." This process of realization has three aspects to it. First, the recognition and awareness of the soul. Second, the appreciation and acceptance of the unity of all creation. And third, becoming and being beacons of light to others.

Over the ages, Man has intimately identified himself with the material form that he has lost the awareness of his spiritual essence. Spirituality is that which he has forgotten, but is constantly seeking to express. In his wondering, he finally reaches a conclusion that behind all causes is the One Cause. God then becomes the goal of his search. He assumes awareness that his true nature is not the body, the emotion and the mind, but the spirit-soul. He begins deliberately to nurture intuition and to achieve illumination.

As Man progresses in his search, he begins to see the light, the reality of his soul, and the inner worlds. He then recognizes universal inclusiveness and sees the nature of that Unity as he learns to cope with polarity issues of good and evil, right and wrong, harmony and chaos. He achieves unity consciousness and becomes the light as his unconditional love for all of creation develops.

He then advances as a conscious center of life-giving force; transmitting light to the darkness until he becomes a bridge between the world of spirit and the world of material forms. He devotes himself to the service of mankind and its evolution; making knowers and masters out of every man and woman. He guides by "teaching them to know themselves." He nurtures by "setting them free from authority; awakening interest and enquiry in their minds, and then indicating the direction in which the answer should be sought." He empowers by "giving them those conditions which will force them to stand on their own feet and rely on their own souls and not on any human being, be he a beloved friend, teacher, or a Master of the Wisdom."

These are the aspects of spiritual consciousness which mankind aspires and which all servers of humanity collaborate to attain collectively as a planet. And a disciple of the mysteries, together with all world servers, is an active participant in this task of global initiation.

How does a disciple of the mysteries raise people’s spiritual consciousness?

When we teach the mysteries, we shift our students’ and our own consciousness to the reality of the inner worlds. As we experience and witness the hidden realities, we begin to marvel at the spiritual principles that govern our lives and our physical world, and the urge to investigate further ensues. Curiosity leads us to higher spiritual truths which transform our consciousness further and consequently our way of life. The student ultimately becomes the teacher - not only to himself but to others as well; "stimulating the light that is in them, and leaving them to walk in their own light and way upon the path."

There are pitfalls that afflict the students along the path however. I will focus on three areas that demand our awareness at the present time.

First, "spirituality is a state of being and not so much as a state of achievement."

Very often, there is a tendency for students in the spiritual path to distinguish themselves from each other by their level of technical proficiency, by their degree of yogic attainment, and even by the identity of their teachers. This need to placate the ego has resulted in official titles and distinctions that have blurred the essence of spirituality and have reinforced elitism and separateness. There is nothing wrong with establishing levels of proficiency and attainment. They have their purposes. It becomes problematic only when a person’s recognition of self-worth assumes greater importance than his state of being. There is therefore a need for students to accord the appropriate emphasis in this regard.

Second, "the unfoldment of the love nature is that which opens the door to higher evolution, and that nothing else will open it."

There is a story about Paramahamsa Yogananda dining with his disciples. A senior disciple instructed the waiter that the meals they were having should be strictly vegetarian - no meat whatsoever. When the prepared dishes were served, the food contained meat. Embarrassed and outraged, the senior disciple angrily shouted and demeaned the erring waiter. While this altercation was happening, Yogananda began to eat the meat. His shocked disciples were silenced by this unexpected action of their teacher. When asked why he ate meat, Yogananda replied, "Better to eat meat than to degrade and violate your fellow man."

The essence of vegetarianism is to teach man compassion for all of creation by practicing ahimsa or non-violence. A man who is a strict vegetarian but has not learned compassion has mistakenly given the means more importance than its true goal. This is why Jesus said that what comes out of the mouth is more important than what goes in it. Developing compassion and love is the goal, and the techniques are simply the means.

There appears to be a tendency for students to focus on technique rather than developing compassion. In situations of this nature, the development of power rather than love becomes paramount. As teachers, there is therefore a need to nurture unconditional love among our students as the underlying spirit behind all technical considerations. Although the Light may bring us to the door of higher evolution, it is only Love that will open it for us.

Third, "the minds and lives of men everywhere must awaken and resonate to the reality of planetary unity and non-separateness."

In order to achieve the elusive universal brotherhood of man, we have to begin by instilling unity consciousness in our minds. This is a higher expression of Love. It demands the recognition of every man as a child of God, the establishment of right human relationships, and the promotion of goodwill everywhere. It espouses all inclusiveness - unity in diversity.

Indonesia's national motto is Bhinneka Tunggal Eka which means Unity in Diversity. This means that you and I are no better than anyone else. That each one of us has an important role to play in God’s Greater Plan no matter how seemingly insignificant it may be. Any sign of exclusivity, and any hint of superiority are contrary to the Divine Scheme.

In the following eloquent statement, Robert Monroe described Unity as,

There is no beginning, there is no end,
There is only change.


There is no teacher, there is no student, 

There is only remembering.


There is no good, there is no evil, 

There is only expression.


There is no union, there is no sharing,
There is only one.


There is no joy, there is no sadness,
There is only love.


There is no greater, there is no lesser,
There is only balance.


There is no stasis, there is no entropy,
There is only motion.


There is no wakefulness, there is no sleep,
There is only being.


There is no limit, there is no chance,
There is only a plan.

We must be guarded to the dangers of exclusivity and narrow parochialism that institutional unity breeds. We must appreciate the fact that disciples of the mysteries belong to a greater community of spiritual workers striving for the same goals, and must therefore subordinate institutional interests in conjunction and in cooperation with other world servers specially during these critical times.

Events throughout the world give witness to the changes in the new millennium. How we will undergo these changes and evolve to higher spiritual dimensions will depend on our states of being. How much we have learned to love and to express unity consciousness in our lives will determine the nature and quality of that transition.

Laoshi

22 May 2010