Where to Now?

I've previously refered to spirituality as that which comes from within. It is a way of being that transcends the mind. It is not a belief system and yet it compatibly embraces all belief systems that are uplifting to the human spirit. It is an inherent part of all that exists, though often not realized or expressed.

The expression of that which is natural and comes without effort is usually sourced from one's inner self. The expression itself are skills, knowledge, and competencies unique to each of us. For example, I have a friend who started out as a scientist with a brilliant career in front of him. He was driven to excel in whatever he pursued having to do with his success as a scientist. Then, all of a sudden personal tragedy occurred with respect to his family. He became disoriented and disillusioned about what he was doing with his life. The questions of meaning and purpose started to emerge in his consciousness. Prior to the tragedy, his purpose and meaning were apparently clear, but not driven from from that inner space I refer to as spiritual. His prior driving force was ego-focused and personally-gratifying for success. (Such a force is normal for most of us, particularly, in our youth.)

Out of his disorientation came clarity about what he wanted to do with his life. The first word that came to him was service. It was no longer about him and his personal needs, but about how his life activities affected others. The second word was compassion. The understanding and acceptance of how others choose to fashion their lives; and if appropriate, how might his interaction with them bring greater clarity and understanding of themselves. The third word was transformation. The active participation in influencing others to experience an expanded dimension of themselves.

Without prescribing what is best for others, he discovered the emergence of natural compatible relationships. This fundamental shift, as he describes it, is from a survival-driven way of viewing the world to viewing differences as the "human puzzle" that, when solved, results in peace, prosperity, and unity. So, his spiritually-driven purpose became the achievement of that condition.

Now the second piece of the spiritual way was to examine what his natural talents for expression were. He rather quickly surmised, from his life as a scientist, that his special talents were conceptualizing new ideas, writing, and speaking to public audiences. My friend moved to Europe about five years ago and is successfully living his dream. He is one of my most profound teachers.

So, how might you explore your spiritual way, if you haven't done so already?

1) Ask your self, "What is the major belief structure that I feel a desperate need to hold on to or my life or who I am will seem invalid?" (This is very, very difficult to do!) It is, however, the essential breakthrough step! Take several days or even weeks if necessary to explore this question. Keep in mind truth can never be invalidated by exploration and answers from within yourself!

2) Initiate communication with your small inner voice, below the sounds of the outer ear, that comes to you in moments of centeredness, relaxation, or conscious unawareness. You will know that voice because of its intuitive surety, detachment, and wisdom beyond yourself. You will feel empathy, compassion, humility, and love. Confirm that these qualities accompany your inner voice.

3) Be open and receptive to your "calling." You might take several weeks for this process unless you have an immediate, overwhelming feeling of self-discovery. Your unique expression in the world will probably be in service to others; to bring about greater understanding, wisdom, and learning among us all. Examine your calling to discover if it is self-serving or serving others.

4) Match your calling with your competencies, talents, and skills regardless of how these have been used in your life to the present time. They are tools for the delivery of your calling in human form.

5) And lastly, select your "customer-base." Who is the forum for your calling and your unique tools for delivery? Examples include students, ethnic/cultural groups, women, men, political groups, legal forums, etc, etc, etc, the world!

That's it! I look forward to your feedback that might bring greater insight about the spiritual way, since I am clear that no one person "sees" or "knows" it all. But together, we are powerful beyond description!

Thanks,
Bill

Notice the improved and new audio downloads. Coming soon: a new audio book for children titled, "Rodney." It describes the life of a young boy growing up in Kansas City, Missouri, trying to deal with the learning experiences of life. It is intended for parent-children conversations as each chapter unfolds. It will be a free download for the first month.