Quality of Life Improvement

[Plenum]

A question was recently asked in another thread about: "What is the goal of Spiritual Development?".

I would say, in my own response, that the seeking that comes through the spiritual lens is about completing an understanding of the Self.  And through those understandings, a certain measure of "quality of life improvement" can result.

That is not to say that the Dark Night of the Soul cannot plunge in at any time.  I can honestly say that in the first 18 years of my life, as hard as some of the circumstances were, that I never really experienced Depression.  Part of that was because I had implicit faith in Conventional Politics, Conventional Science, and Conventional History as being able to explain things, and offer a way forward in terms of advancing our Society and Humanity.

My first taste of Depression came at the same time as the First Spiritual Awakenings.  With an awareness that 'other things' and 'other explanations' were possible, I couldn't buy into the Consensus Reality Model anymore.  My FAITH in that system had been undermined enough.  And yet, there was nothing as complete and as thorough to put in it's place.  So I was caught between two worlds, in a nether-land.  I couldn't go back to just believing in our status-quo society's explanations; and yet, I didn't have enough knowledge, understanding, or experience to have a personally satisfying replacement system/worldview.  Without explanations and deep faith in a system, hopelessness and despair can strike.  And it did.  And so while I never really experienced extended phases of Depression, it was there as an experience when I got stuck on things.

/ /

That makes Spirituality a dual-edged experience.  One is no longer an affiliated member of the Consensus Reality tribe, and yet, on a social and interpersonal level, one can be very isolated and estranged because of alternate views.

But I still believe that in the quest to find spiritual meaning and understanding, it offers a general quality of life improvement in the long run.  The answers may not be easily forthcoming; but in seeking and asking, clues and opportunities are revealed.  And it is a long term quest.  We have multiple mini-awakenings or initiations along our Path.  It's a unique journey that we can only glimpse snippets of from this Side of the Veil.  And yet, I've reached the point where my 'faith' and 'trust' in the spiritual framework is almost back to the point of confidence that I had in the Consensus Reality system.  Except, this time it's something self-chosen and self-elaborated, rather than being the language and the accent that I inherited and just took for granted, uncritically, as a child.

/ /

If we take Ra on face-value, and they describe entities as being 'mind/body/spirit complexes', then it would be totally incomplete to view the self without the spiritual angle.  It would be like taking the third leg out of a camera's tripod; it's no longer honoring the original intention and construction.

So I truly believe that bringing in spiritual understandings and viewpoints, as an adjunct to the body's activities, and the mind's cogitations and stirrings, is a way to greater wholeness and completeness.  And through that action and support, the Spiritual Viewpoints can bring succor and peace.  And in the end, that leads to a greater ease and acceptance.  And a greater quality of life imo.  Or at least, that's been my experience of things on this spiritual journey of mine.

[AnthroHeart]

Nice post. But what question are you asking?

[bodhidharma]

One is no longer an affiliated member of the Consensus Reality tribe, and yet, on a social and interpersonal level, one can be very isolated and estranged because of alternate views.

Such a difficult part of spiritual awakening for many.  It seems the ego at first has the upper hand still and tends to place too much importance on it's knowledge of a shallow nature before the deeper truth's can be grasped by the tree of the mind.  The humble attitude of knowing that one doesn't know anything is of paramount importance with this issue as for some the issue never really falls away.

And yet, I've reached the point where my 'faith' and 'trust' in the spiritual framework is almost back to the point of confidence that I had in the Consensus Reality system.  Except, this time it's something self-chosen and self-elaborated, rather than being the language and the accent that I inherited and just took for granted, uncritically, as a child.

The key ingredient to becoming Human is to unlearn all that you've learned.  Until this has taken place, people seem like very immature children who simply have not developed the courage to think for themselves out of fear and the need to be accepted.  They are stuck with projecting the omnipotent mommy/daddy figure that still controls their minds all over the place towards gov, political party, religious figure and/or doctrine, spouse, etc...  Idealizing Transference I have heard this called I like the term and of course it can be applied to spirituality, to Ra's teachings, vegetarianism, anything really.   Where most people should have a self they find a void, and the void is so terrifying that most will never allow the feeling to rise to the surface.

The first step on the long path towards autonomy is the one from consensus reality.  But, that's still shallow autonomy.  True Autonomy is autonomy from one's impulses and habitual patterns.

The spiritual path will offer less comfort and less happiness of a shallow nature.  Instead there will be moments of intense Joy, and a steady backdrop of an ever deepening Peace resounding from head to heart to soul to spirit to feet to Earth to the Stars that All is One.

[Diana]

The more aware you become, the more you are aware of the whole spectrum of "the all." In other words, you are less sheltered from things not only of 3D but beyond as well. So, the New Age community that promotes this idea of constant bliss and joy is, to me, silly and ignorant (as, being unaware). Awareness is not selective, though perhaps we can try to make it that way.

So depression and dark nights of the souls go hand and hand with the joy and bliss, as everything expands in awareness. There must be the initial discovery, and balance will come later. You can't expect to balance scales you are only partially aware of. And you can't expect to skip over the bad parts and paste a smile over it all.

To me, it all adds up to the richness of life. When I met my current boyfriend, I told him not to hold back with his truth—whatever that might be as we journeyed together—because he might think something would hurt me. I explained that being hurt by truth was my privilege, and I did not want to be sheltered from it. This was not in reaction to anything, but only me trying to establish what I wanted in a relationship—not to anticipate hurt or conflict, but not to resist it either if it did unfold naturally. My pain is something I want to embrace if it comes along. Only by embracing, and not resisting, can you process and transmute pain, and therefore learn from it about yourself.

Of course I don't want to live in pain, and I would rather just be happy. But that is my mind talking. My "knowing" tells me different. My "knowing" tells me to embrace (but that does not mean accept as a victim) what comes to me, and to remember the richness it adds to who I am—pain, love, happiness, success, loss, everything in a rich soup of experience.

[Nicholas]

Until this has taken place, people seem like very immature children who simply have not developed the courage to think for themselves out of fear and the need to be accepted.

 
Like politicians for example.

The spiritual path will offer less comfort and less happiness of a shallow nature.  Instead there will be moments of intense Joy, and a steady backdrop of an ever deepening Peace resounding from head to heart to soul to spirit to feet to Earth to the Stars that All is One.

That's a beautifully, inspiring articulation of enlightenment in my eyes. Carla consistently spoke in a similar way.

Welcome to the forums bodhidharma  

[AnthroHeart]

Not resisting pain?

Does this mean not clenching a part of your body which is hurting?

My foot was hurting a couple of days ago, and I hobbled around. Does this mean I was resisting the pain?

[Zach]

Thanks for this post, I couldn't agree more.

[bodhidharma]

The spiritual path will offer less comfort and less happiness of a shallow nature.  Instead there will be moments of intense Joy, and a steady backdrop of an ever deepening Peace resounding from head to heart to soul to spirit to feet to Earth to the Stars that All is One.

That's a beautifully, inspiring articulation of enlightenment in my eyes. Carla consistently spoke in a similar way.

Welcome to the forums bodhidharma  

Thank you for the supportive feedback to my comment and for the warm welcome to the forum.  I'm very new to the forum, and I was fully expecting to receive this kind of support on a regular basis from people who have made 1000's of comments.  But, for the most part, my comments have been ignored as well as the addition of my presence on the forum.  I did have someone already take a post out of context, project their issues onto my comments by misunderstanding my words, and then suggest that I was cut off from my true nature.     They did me a favor as I was tempted to react with a post defending myself, but didn't.  Instead I got my record time on my morning workout that day.  It was one of my very first posts ever and I received that from someone with 1000's of comments.  They couldn't find any truth in my post, I guess they needed to find a line or two to give them the opportunity to criticize.

One thing I do is judge a book by it's cover, knowing you can do so, but that judgment could be mistaken so don't place too much importance on it.  I look at # of posts, likes given, and likes received.  Very few people on this forum are like you, Nicholas, in that you have more than twice as many likes given than posts.  Love it!  Lots of people here have twice as many posts as likes given.  And then there is the notion that it is better to give than receive, you can see what people are really about by their behavior on the forum when they have twice as many likes received as given.  

I did notice there is an ability to ignore people completely and I've already done that with two folks.

Thank you so much for the warmth you make it very easy to see you as the Creator!  

[Nicholas]

Thank you for the supportive feedback to my comment and for the warm welcome to the forum.  I'm very new to the forum, and I was fully expecting to receive this kind of support on a regular basis from people who have made 1000's of comments.  But, for the most part, my comments have been ignored as well as the addition of my presence on the forum.  I did have someone already take a post out of context, project their issues onto my comments by misunderstanding my words, and then suggest that I was cut off from my true nature.     They did me a favor as I was tempted to react with a post defending myself, but didn't.  Instead I got my record time on my morning workout that day.  It was one of my very first posts ever and I received that from someone with 1000's of comments.  They couldn't find any truth in my post, I guess they needed to find a line or two to give them the opportunity to criticize.

One thing I do is judge a book by it's cover, knowing you can do so, but that judgment could be mistaken so don't place too much importance on it.  I look at # of posts, likes given, and likes received.  Very few people on this forum are like you, Nicholas, in that you have more than twice as many likes given than posts.  Love it!  Lots of people here have twice as many posts as likes given.  And then there is the notion that it is better to give than receive, you can see what people are really about by their behavior on the forum when they have twice as many likes received as given.  

I did notice there is an ability to ignore people completely and I've already done that with two folks.

Thank you so much for the warmth you make it very easy to see you as the Creator!  

Thank you bodhidharma,

It is important to help to create an atmosphere where, as you say, we can learn to unlearn. Likes received/given statistics can potentially be misleading though but before you have settled into this community, I realise there is little else to go on. I think more often than not when a new thread comes up, I find myself not being able to improve upon some posts. anagogy being a prime example who consistently displays a fine grasp of metaphysics. consistently insightful and respectful, so it's like like like rather than post post post lol.

And as Plenum points out in the OP (as I attempt to get back on topic), as we begin to lose faith in consensus reality and more questions arise from the answers that are given, it makes places like Bring4th all the more valuable for expressing and sharing freely. 

Awesome use of catalyst by the way. It seems you have channelled that energy wisely in your morning work out and displayed an increase in the quality of your own experience!

Hugs 

[Nicholas]

A question was recently asked in another thread about: "What is the goal of Spiritual Development?".

I would say, in my own response, that the seeking that comes through the spiritual lens is about completing an understanding of the Self.  And through those understandings, a certain measure of "quality of life improvement" can result.

That is not to say that the Dark Night of the Soul cannot plunge in at any time.  I can honestly say that in the first 18 years of my life, as hard as some of the circumstances were, that I never really experienced Depression. 

While I was scrolling down some old posts I came across this link that zenmaster shared. Here is an excerpt that relates to what Plenum is expressing.

True spirituality is not a high, not a rush, not an altered state. It has been fine to romance it for a while, but our times call for something far more real, grounded, and responsible; something radically alive and naturally integral; something that shakes us to our very core until we stop treating spiritual deepening as a something to dabble in here and there. Authentic spirituality is not some little flicker or buzz of knowingness, not a psychedelic blast-through or a mellow hanging-out on some exalted plane of consciousness, not a bubble of immunity, but a vast fire of liberation, an exquisitely fitting crucible and sanctuary, providing both heat and light for what must be done.

Most of the time when we’re immersed in spiritual bypassing, we like the light but not the heat, doing whatever we can to distance ourselves from the flames.

http://robertmasters.com/writings/spiritual-bypassing/

Lower down the text I found a really good quote that I can personally relate to given my own history of repressing, or bypassing painful inner truths, one way or another.  "What gives light must endure burning." - Victor Frankl.      

[AnthroHeart]

I can tell you it burned when I was approaching Creator. Now I cannot get that close.

I loved it though. It felt great returning myself to Creator.