Anthony J. Fisichella...
The Practicality of the Spiritual Life
An Excerpt From "Echoes From Eternity"
"Your consciousness created it; if you are dissatisfied with your present situation, recreate it." With those words, Hank had placed the full weight of responsibility for my plight squarely upon my shoulders. He had not only suggested that I take responsibility for my identity but also for my environing set of circumstances. How dare he? How dare he suggest that I could and should exercise total command over my life and circumstances? Everyone knows there are situations that are beyond our control. Why was he insisting I was master of my own destiny? Did he know something I didn't?
About three months had gone by since that first eventful meeting with my new spiritual mentor—three months of daily discussion, debate, and sometimes even argument over some metaphysical principle or another. I could sense dramatic changes of a positive nature taking place within me and within the framework of my thinking. It occurred at such a rapid pace I found it difficult to contend with the process. There was no doubt that my subjective perspective on existence was achieving a heightened degree of definition and clarity. My sense of personal identity was shifting polarity from anchorage in my personality to a new focus in my Soul. I was beginning to shake hands with my Self. The subjective process was indeed proceeding beautifully.
The same could not be said for my objective circumstances, however. Things had started badly and grown progressively worse with the passage of time. My business was nearly gone and my family and I were being threatened with eviction from our apartment. I had no visible means of support and I don’t think I would be overstating the case if I said things really looked bleak. The one ray of sunshine was the new developing perspective I was achieving through my interaction with Hank. Because of my shifting perspective on reality, I was no longer prone to panic. Still, I wasn’t certain as to what my next course of action should be either. This spiritual stuff is all well and good, but let’s be practical; after all, a guy has got to earn a living. When basic instincts—like survival—occupy the mind and ground the energies, it’s difficult, if not impossible to concern one’s self with spiritual matters. There is a time and a place for spiritual things; but, physical needs must come first, and the two simply don’t mix. Religious principles aside, business is business.
Here was my basic materialistic conditioning reasserting itself. It demanded my time and attention exclusively. The new set of values welling from within posed a threat to my already-established life rhythms. Without a doubt, there was a basic conflict of interest occurring within my consciousness.
Does all this sound familiar? Have you too, found yourself wrestling with the apparent incompatibility of spiritual and material needs and values? Why must this dichotomy exist? And, can it be resolved?
In retrospect, I see now what the trying circumstances of that period of my life were intent upon teaching me. The very important lesson I learned was the viability of the spiritual life. I had to overcome my years of conditioning which accepted the premise that spiritual principles were merely abstract ideas that served no purpose in the practical world, and were really an escape from reality. How often I had rejected a spiritual principle with the retort, “That sounds terrific, but let’s be realistic; let’s get back to the real world.”
It took longer than I care to admit before I began to realize that the principles and ideals taught by the enlightened beings of all ages were not ineffective, inefficient, and endowed with a high degree of fantasy. It took even longer for me to grasp the full implications of the interdependency that exists between spirit and matter. For instance, I had to learn that the laws governing matter and the operation of the physical world also govern thinking and the operation of the world of ideas and thought forms. More importantly, I had to realize that a relationship existed between ideas and substances, and, that once understood and mastered, it made the truly spiritual life the most creative, productive, and practical on earth.
Our ignorance of the laws and processes that govern the operation of the multifaceted and multidimensional universe within which we reside misleads us into expending unnecessary volumes of energy in conflict with the process. We often literally spin our wheels going nowhere as we combat the universal flow. A truly practical and effective lifestyle occurs when we learn the “laws of Being,” and align our energies with this universal flow. To summarize: first learn the process. The process is what is truly happening, what is coming down within the universal scheme of things and within your own individual life. Learn this process, free of embellishments, like rationalizations, justifications, and arbitrary judgments. Second, trust the process. Realize that it is all happening properly. The universe is exquisitely perfect; there are no accidents and no coincidences. It is all happening just right.
Now comes the hard part: trust yourself. Sit quietly whenever you feel troubled or uncertain as to what course of action is best in a given situation. Begin a dialogue with the wise, old guru that sits in your heart. This internal guru (“The Christ within you, the hope of glory,” in St. Paul‘s words), the Buddha, which is your higher Self, will guide your path if you will function with trust and faith. Learn the process, trust the process, and trust yourself; then you will know how to live.
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