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Having started a spiritual journey thirty years ago, I have had lots of interesting experiences which I feel has helped me understand myself, as well as others, much better than before. Most of my writing has a spiritual “flavour”, but I’m certainly not religious about it 🙂
I like to think of myself as an optimist, but beyond just the ordinary sense of the word. One day, I feel that everyone will be able to see with a clear spiritual vision. Not “airy-fairy” stuff that makes no sense, but an experience that countless mystics have searched for, attained, and shared, throughout time. Yet, those experiences are available to everyone – with what can be very little effort – with the primary experience being love… divine unconditional love to be exact, after all, isn’t that what everyone wants? Or at least to be happy? Having experienced it, it answers every question, it fulfils every dream, and it is beyond any everyday experience, but it can be experienced in your everyday life.
For the greater part, politics hasn’t solved our problems, nor science, nor religion, nor even humanitarianism, although all of these have taken us such a long way, and they have been extremely beneficial and have moved Humanity forward, in many respects. Yet, none of these have created a lasting, truly positive change, at least one that will secure Humanities existence well into the future, as distant as that may be.
When all else has failed, when the world seems as though it is heading for an end that can only be described as “less than desirable” – why not make use of the mystical? Even if only as a last resort, it can be something that connects us to the deepest and most positive part of ourselves, giving us answers that often go beyond our everyday experience and expectations.
Rarely thought of by the general population, except within the wonderings of “Why am I here?”, sometimes we have a glimpse, even if only for a moment, that there is something greater than ourselves, even if it can sometimes be beyond our comprehension… We can tap into it, and we can discover, learn, understand, and benefit from what it truly is.
Even though the world is in such a plight, what with COVID-13, climate change, environmental catastrophes and so on, the way I see and feel about things (even though for most it probably seems more delusional than optimistic), for me, nothing is impossible. Hope is such a powerful word. But waiting for some individual to “turn up and save us”, well, with my way of thinking, I feel it is more important that people are given what they need on an inner level, given tools within themselves, even if it is primarily on a subconscious (or spiritual) level, so that they can make positive and lasting changes in their own lives, for themselves, beyond what any website, self-help book, or podcast can offer.
After all, no one likes to be told what to do, in some situations at least, so discovering your own life-direction “from within” is always a better strategy. Have you ever found your life going in a particular direction because of a chance, perhaps uncanny event? Maybe you read something by flicking to a page for no reason, heard or saw something odd, maybe you turned left when you intended to turn right, or something just “clicked”, or was really random.
From there, you may have made a choice, or thought in a different way, and in one way or another your life changed for the better, beyond what could have otherwise been expected. Sometimes what we put down to just an everyday event, coincidence, or serendipity, could be our heart or the mystical helping us get to where we need to get to, without us knowing how, or even why.
A key spiritual principle is to “change yourself first, and everything else will follow.” As an analogy, if a person is confused and stressed, rearranging the furniture in the lounge to get a better look won’t work. You will never really know, or more importantly feel, where things should go. Take an hour, go for a walk, go back to feeling calm and relaxed, and then go back to rearranging the furniture. You will have a much better idea of what goes where, as the stress and confusion that was in the mind before, has gone.
“Change what’s within you, and the outside will change as well” can be applied naturally even without having any spiritual thought or spiritual intention. Recognised as a principle within the counselling vocation, if you remove, heal or express a deep-seated emotional trauma, or similar, releasing this will help in everyday life, it can be no other way. Feeling lighter, happier, and being more able to focus and tackle each and every day are all benefits of this kind of healing or therapy, especially emotional healing… There’s nothing like a good cry, as they say.
In addition, with just the right “energy”, spiritual energy, if this can be seen as a possibility, healing can be accelerated and be even more profound. Saying this, sometimes ordinary life situations can be catalysts for the greatest transformation, and in my own case, receiving treatment in 1995 for a mental health condition was the greatest healing event that could have happened to me, although the most difficult, at the same time. Looking back though, in hindsight, I can see how I was supported in mystical and uncanny ways too, even during my darkest moments, and of course with family more than anything, and some wonderful health care, I was truly fortunate in every respect. As I like to say; whether you believe in a higher power or not (and it’s fine not to), that higher power believes in you.
Similarly, have you ever felt you have listened to someone, relieved them of their of hurt, removed a burden from their heart, uplifted them, and made them happier, all with the power of your love and attention? Saints and sages for thousands of years have done the same, and they have often helped many people all at once with their love, compassion, empathy, and spiritual energy. Why not consider yourself a saint? The traditional, dogmatic set of skills that were once needed are outdated, I feel, and I reckon it’s much easier to land that job in these times now.
With this principle of “hearts changing and healing hearts”, with this taken to its ultimate and most optimistic potential, with it all happening “under-the-surface” to begin with, without any effort, in some mystical way, this whole world and everyone in it can be transformed and uplifted. They say what you aim for you can achieve, and it’s always better to think positively and aim for the highest, I feel.
Saying this, not everyone who calls themselves “spiritual” has the ability to heal (or guide) other people as they claim. There are many fakes out there, but when someone who is genuinely spiritual has truly “got it right”, where their own heart is healed and happy, and they serve a spiritual purpose with humility and selflessness, everyone benefits. Yet, those who hold a role as a spiritual leader, indoctrinating, controlling, and manipulating their followers, it is the exact opposite… destructive, and it can be such a tragic scenario.
I feel true spirituality has no boundaries or limitations, but for many people who go about living their lives, they look at spirituality and religion and see nothing more than card tricks, abuse, and control, and it is no wonder why they turn their backs on the thought of a higher purpose, or power.
If you haven’t considered much of this before, don’t be too dismissive of a mystical (or spiritual) aspect, if you feel it is all just “mumbo-jumbo”. After all, we are nothing but a bunch of atoms and molecules, and there are already so many stories in cinema, and the written word that gives us insights and clues into the possibilities of “what might be”. So importantly though, there is nothing wrong with a healthy sense of scepticism, and that should be encouraged.
For most, having a world full of people that have little or no problems, and having some sort of global transformation along the way, this will all seem like a pipedream, a bit difficult to grasp, or just completely out-of-touch and naïve. Yet, great spiritual teachers such as Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Moses, even Gandhi to name a few, have lived their lives in such a positive way (as we have come to know), have lived as an example of what they teach, and they have shared their energy and message with everyone who have wanted to hear.
This world needs to change, it must change. For myself at least, I feel this cannot be denied. Without it, if you were to prescribe to the thinking that is so prominent in this time now, many would say we, as Humanity, are almost certainly lost.
Your life is the most important story, every moment of it, every experience, good, not-so-good, or completely unwanted. Perhaps, as I like to think, everything you have gone through can be looked upon with a sense of compassion towards yourself, understanding, and with forgiveness, if you look at things through the right “lens”.
If you do begin to feel changes in your life that seem more than just coincidental, know that your life is unfolding in the way of the mystics. Even though many people live the hardest lives, everyone is supported, mystically or by a higher power, and love is always there, even though it may seem so far away, or completely non-existent.
Regardless of anything I have written here, you are more important than you realise, and you are loved in every respect, warts, and all. I know, I have lived this reality for myself.
Light, love and blessings,
Jason
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Jason Remfrey | Website 