Spiritual Journey

We all are conditioned by society to live a life centered around desires and fears. Most of our actions aim at avoiding certain fears such as the fear of death which is the most fundamental fear and forces us to work on our health. As we grow up, we develop other fears such as the fear of insufficient money, loss of relationships, disapproval from society, punishment by the state, or loss of positions and jobs. We also work to fulfill different desires such as money, fun, power, and positions. 

Such pursuits centered around fears and desires make us undergo different emotions such as jealousy, aggression, irritation, anxiety, inferiority, and superiority complexes. It all depends upon the circumstances and our attachment to desires and fears. For example, guilt comes when we are attached to our self-image and feel that we have done something that should not have been done. Since the center of our life is around the self-image, which is just a creation of our own mind, we develop such feelings of guilt. We will continue to experience different emotions referred to above so long as the center of our lives lies in falsity.

As we move along the path of spirituality, we start connecting to our spirit, which is the source of eternal bliss. Slowly, the center of our lives starts shifting from fears and desires to the divine within. We may call that by different names such as consciousness God or nature. In the process, we pass through different stages.

I feel that the first stage is the stage of "Rejection". In this stage, we generally reject the idea of spirituality as we are completely convinced that nothing exists beyond our experiences. We consider our experiences to be the ultimate guide and accordingly keep our lives full of pursuits to fulfill desires and avoid fears. We are so busy with these pursuits that even if God comes to us, we will just reject him or at best ask for the objects of our desires. Most of the people in this world remain in the mode of rejection the whole of their lives and die like that.

There are some, who enter the stage of "Vacation". Either they take the vacation on their own, due to certain circumstances, or are convinced by their well-wishers who have moved along the spiritual path. During the stage of vacation, they take some time and energy out of the routine, and sometimes in these moments of vacation, something happens to them that lays the foundation for the rest of their journey. However, for most, vacation is just some fun and they come back after the vacation and get busy with their daily routine of fulfilling their desires. 

There are still fewer, who enter the stage of "Experimentation". They feel like experimenting with different things. Some like to experiment with the spiritual journeys of others. They like to read their books. Some like to learn some techniques of meditation or Yoga and practice them. Some start following certain Gurus or spiritual organizations. Some read different books on subjects like Neurology, Quantum Physics, etc to understand the laws of nature.

Out of those who experiment, a few move on to the stage of "Connection". They can establish a connection with the divine within. Once that connection is established, a person no longer has any confusion or doubt about the path to travel. They soon understand the vastness of the divine and limitations of the worldly pursuits. They suffocate in limitations of desire and fear. Once that connection is established, it is very difficult to contain such a soul limited to the pursuits of desires. 

The next stage that automatically comes for any connected soul is the stage of "Exploration". Such a soul would like to explore different things in the world. The phase of exploration is different from the stage of experimentation. In experimentation, there is always a seeking. One wants to know, to experience the divine, or to be realized. One always wants to "become" someone. In the stage of exploration, there is no seeking. One, like a toddler, just wants to explore everything in this world, for the sake of fun of exploration.

The next stage for the explorers is the stage of "Creation". As the connection with the divine gets deeper and deeper, they like to create many things in this world. In fact, they just surrender to the divine and their body and mind becomes just an expression of the divine. The divine fulfill its creative potential through such creative souls and such would write the deepest poetry, make the most beautiful sculptures, and invent the deepest secrets of nature. 

Thus, there are six stages of "Rejection", "Vacation", "Experimentation", "Connection", "Exploration" and "creation" along the spiritual journey. Not so that each soul has to pass through all the stages. Some may be evolved enough to directly enter into the stage of Connection, Exploration, or Creation. However, with experience, I can see different people passing through different stages. I feel that all of us will pass through different stages, till the entire humanity connects to the divine and unleashes its divine potential to explore and create in this material world.