by Marilyn Muir, LPMAFA
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Little by little in this series of articles, we are exploring the development of our spiritual selves.
- From deep asleep in matter,
- to initial awakening,
- to our first few baby steps as consciously developing spiritual beings,
- and to dedication and commitment for our growth and our path,
- we must do the steps necessary to become all that is spiritually possible.
This is a journey that requires much thought, effort and time – but it is so worthwhile. The prize is our spiritual evolution and our eventual total connection with universal consciousness.
There is no time or experience limit to our journey. The universe has all the time and experience we need, including repetitions when necessary (what we do not learn, we are doomed to repeat). What universal consciousness does require of us is commitment, tenacity and perseverance. There is no one “right way”. All ways exist within the universal as part of the universal. There is no other game in town. We live within the all-ness because the all-ness is present everywhere. If you fall off your path to develop universal consciousness, you fall into that same universal consciousness and your path will continue.
Responsibility There are so many methods or techniques we can employ, but all of them exist within the oneness that is universal consciousness. By whatever label we choose to place on it, universal consciousness is the all-ness we seek. It is union with the Infinite that drives and motivates us. We may have companions as we explore our spirituality, but at its core, spiritual development is a one-man show. You are completely and totally responsible for your own developing spirituality. You may walk part of your path with companions or you may walk alone. You may chose to follow or emulate another spiritual figure or belong to a group dedicated to a particular belief system. You may revere a spiritual being who is thought to intercede on your behalf.
All paths lead to the one source because all paths and all experience exist within that one source. Those travelers who have gone before us have created a rich history of success that can educate us in our own personal journey, so emulation of a respected and honored entity is good. It is just not the whole journey. These spiritually aware entities have traveled their path and are willing to share and to help us as we travel ours. But we can travel on their path only so long as it merges with our personal path. The paths might separate as we progress. However we travel our path, it is our personal path. We are in charge and responsible for our own success or failure. If we do not get it right this time, we will have future opportunity. The universe has all the time and experience we individually need to succeed.
Commitment What propels us forward towards our goal is the commitment we make to ourselves to follow our path regardless of any shortcomings or failures we encounter. To fail is not a crime or deadly, but it sometimes happens even with our best intentions. Failure of any attempt does not defeat us; failure merely delays us, but time is not a problem for us. It is important to know that we learn from all experience and that there are no real errors in our choices. It is important to remember this while experiencing what appears to be failure or a lack of success. It all counts. Even in the business community, failure is common and is part of our education. It may take repeated “failed” attempts before business success occurs.
We have a tendency to discount such failures as unimportant, but that is just not true. Each purported failure is part of the learning curve to eventual success. If we learned what not to do or where we do not belong from an experience, it is a valuable lesson. We did not waste our time or effort. We eliminated one fork or obstacle in our road to eventual success. Commit to your personal spiritual development and give your best effort. Should your effort end in a less than anticipated conclusion, see it as an important facet to your overall education. Stay with your commitment and try, try again.
Published on EZine online May, 2010, republished with slight editing.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.