Article: What is a Spiritual Path?

To me a spiritual path is a quest to find something better than what you feel you currently have. I believe people are driven along these lines to different degrees depending on their past experiences. Some are driven to such a strong degree to find this something, that they eventually do. But when they find this something, they realize that the endless searching can be dropped. What they found they realize they had all the time they just couldn't see it. Now they see that others have it as well and that it is all around.

Then the person realizes that there is nothing more to do, except live life day to day - responding to what shows up as best they can, what they were doing before they even started their quest. They see that all around is just growth or change, and it all revolves around their own concepts. So then they respond to what's there, approaching each thing encountered as a lesson to learn about themselves, thereby having the potential to change themselves, the only thing really under their control.

Over time, they become more acutely aware of their interactions with things around them, and how their behavior affects other things. This gives them more initiative to work on their own behavior and to become more aware of the effect their self-expression is having. This is what is meantby the 'growth process', and continuing to question onelsef gradually dissolves the layers of personality surrounding the individual, allowing for the pure spiritual nature or awareness to surface or be seen more and more.

Approching work or careers, they look for something they like to do, that they have natural skills at. They look to do something that needs doing that they feel capable of. Where what they do challenges themselves to learn and minimizes their negative impact on what is around as best as they can see. The closer this approaches what actually IS without ego getting in the way, the less of the negative impact on what is around, the more it is going with the flow.

They realize that this learning about themselves is only possible with other human reflections around them. They share with others, in a loving way, which means relating to what's there from their own point of growth. They *remain open* to keep turning the eye back on themselves, to work on their self-growth or removal of layers of personality. Seen this way, there is no longer any "level" of spirituality to be attained, it is just a growth process.

Then they realize that all goals are like this, a wanted level of attainment of some type. All goals are a wanting or artificial expection in the future, taking us away from the what is here right now. Then all goals are dropped and they just respond to life as best they can, trusting that what they need will be provided for. They know that life will go on whether we understand it or not, that the most we can do is enjoy it as we learn about ourselves and the world we live in.

So that is my "current" view - subject to change over time.

Betsy
March 2000