The Spiritual Path leads to the ultimate simplicity, Oneness! When we walk the Path it is inevitable that we will complicate it. We bring our “baggage” that has accumulated over this lifetime and we bring the Karma of past lives. Additionally, we try to understand the Path that we are “walking”.
This gives us a sense of security and control. However, the Nature of the Path is to reveal Mysteries and take us beyond previous Limits. So no amount of understanding can possibly help us. In fact it is the very understanding, which gives rise to preconceived ideas, that gets in our way. In hanging on to what we think the Path is, we get “stuck” and cease to progress. It is only when we let go of these concepts that we can continue the Journey. Luckily for us the Light and Sound (our Teachers) have infinite patience!
Intellect and in particular commonsense do have an important role to play. They are required to help us choose the right Path. We need to have a sense of what we are seeking and then by asking sensible questions to find a Path, which is tried and tested, that “delivers the goods”.
When following a Path of Meditation the emphasis must be on the Meditation. That does not mean that philosophical and esoteric enquiry is wrong. It is a question of balance; the intellect should be used to stimulate enthusiasm for Meditation not act as a substitute.
When a Meditator sits on their cushion all factual thoughts should be suspended. Instead, the focus should be on inspiration, awe and wonder. You cannot think your way to God and the mind does not get Enlightened.
Books are full of information about the Spiritual Realms and are very entertaining. They can be very useful in providing models to hang realizations on. Is there any Real Truth in these models? The answer is an emphatic No!
Just as we can’t capture a 3D image on the page of a book, we can’t conceive of Higher Dimensions in our 3D minds. What we do is project our concepts and ideas and imagine the Spiritual Planes as a reflection of the lower levels of consciousness. In other words we are attempting to create God in our own image!
Take a moment to reflect on some of the transmissions from the Hierarchy:
- You cannot possibly imagine how many Beings populate the Spiritual Realms.
- We can see Everything all at once.
- Dimensional stuff is man made anyway so that you can try and understand what is going on in other Realms.
What They are saying in each case is that we can’t possibly have any real sense of these Regions as we have the wrong perspective. In the same way, we can never directly see the back of our head. Of course we can use trickery such as mirrors and photographs but in the end we will be left with an illusion and a distortion.
We should not therefore get trapped in the details but always seek the bigger picture. The greatest sayings are never complicated; they speak of basic truths and present them succinctly.