Maybe I Think Too Much ...

Some people feel spiritual frustration when they reach a certain point in their progression. I’ve certainly felt this way, at several points in my spiritual growth. Something was there, something deeper and more infinite than I was currently able to find, but I had no idea what that something was, and the more I thought about it the more disheartened I became. Why couldn’t I reach it? What was wrong with me? I wanted to achieve that Divine Unity, to grasp and understand that higher level, but I wasn’t quite there yet.

            What I now realize is that my approach was wrong. The key word in the above paragraph is “grasp”—I wanted to grasp that truth, whatever it was, and make it my own. But what happens when you grasp something?

 

Think of a toddler. You’re in the grocery store, and he’s just learned to run—how exciting! He wants to zip to the candy aisle (after all, you’re just browsing through the boring carrots and spinach), but of course you can’t let him roam freely. You grasp his arm to hold him back, and what does he do? He squirms and wiggles and does all he can to get free. Must. Have. Candy!

That’s what grasping does—it starts a fight. This effort of struggle creates inner chaos and noise, whether we realize it or not—think of a screaming two-year-old—which drowns out the voice of the Divine. When we grasp, we won’t reach—ever. Spiritual growth cannot be coerced, cajoled, or forced. Spiritual growth comes like physical growth, when the body is ready. Sometimes you’ll have magnificent growth spurts, sometimes periods of aridity in which there’s no growth for months, or longer. You can’t make it happen, you can’t force the progression. You simply have to release and wait.

            Rather than grasping, we must allow the peace of spiritual release to thoroughly settle within. It’s only through this peace that we can achieve silence, and only through inner silence can we dialog with the subtle voice of our intuition, which is the direct voice of the Divine.

            This requirement of release means we need to let go of all things holding us back from spiritual development. The paradox of this is that “all things” includes a desire to understand God. We need to let go of the need for more understanding, deeper grace, increased insight and yes, even a more profound relationship with our spiritual side. If we try to gain these things through the intellectual faculties—which is what grasping and wanting is all about—then we miss the point completely. We need to release the desire to know God and simply rest in the “naked intent” of that Incomprehensible Presence. As 16^th century mystic John of the Cross said in The Ascent of Mount Carmel:

            As we have always insisted, souls must go to God by not comprehending

            rather than by comprehending, and they must exchange the mutable and

            comprehensible for the Immutable and Incomprehensible.

            (The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, ICS Publications, p. 277)

            This is just a pedantic and archaic way of saying, Stop thinking so much!



copyright 2012 Sophia duBay

Aridity

by Sophia duBay

The setting of the desert represents dryness, barrenness, an expanse of what seems to be nothing.

The Gospels tell us that the Spirit “carried” Jesus into the desert (Matthew 4:1 and Luke 4:1). He had experienced an infiltration of the Divine during baptism; like a high-powered electrical charge, such an infusion of spiritual energy tends to leave a person euphoric yet peaceful, calm yet energized. When particularly intense, this can also lead to physical exhaustion and a need for rest.

God vibrates at such a high frequency that we “cannot see His face and live” (Exodus 33:20)—in other words, we cannot take the Spirit’s full power into our systems without physically depleting our systems. We have to accept and integrate that power piece by piece, bit by bit. Thus, periods of high spiritual energy must, by necessity, be interwoven with periods of spiritual rest.

This rest can be difficult to deal with when not fully understood. Also called “aridity,” we can read in the works of such great mystics as Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross the anguish the soul feels when it’s been in high communion with God, experiencing all sorts of raptures and inspirations, then suddenly those inspirations are gone. The book of Psalms has many instances of describing this anguish, with its laments on the absence of God and its begging for God’s return.

In reality, God hasn’t left. God never leaves. God simply knows what we need at each moment of our lives, each stage in our progression, each step in our spiritual growth. We’re given only as much as we can handle, then allowed a period of Savasana. If we ask any yogic practitioner what the most vital pose in their practice is, they’ll always say Savasana—the necessary rest at the end of an asana routine. All the physical and emotional work that has been accomplished during the practice needs to be integrated into the system in order for the full benefits of yoga to be utilized, and this can only be done in “corpse pose,” lying in full surrender in peaceful, integrative tranquility.

This is the nature of spiritual progression. The experience of aridity isn’t something to lament, but rather is a time to rejoice. If we’re experiencing Spirit-driven aridity, that means we’re being prepared for another growth spurt. It means we’ve been given the grace of spiritual advancement, but in order to fully realize its implications we need to rest. The times of aridity are those of strengthening and preparation. In order to receive more Light, we have to be able to withstand and accept it. To develop the stamina to accept it, we need to gather our strength.

These times of rejuvenation are crucial in order to advance in a spiritually healthy, Divinely-paced way. On a physical level, this can be compared to weight training. Muscle mass isn’t created during the actual act of hefting a barbell. As we’re lifting weight, we’re creating micro-tears in the muscles. These tears need to repair themselves in order to grow stronger, but they can only repair during rest. If we lift weights on consecutive days, we’re not giving our bodies the necessary rest time and are actually doing more harm than good. At least 48 hours are required between weight sessions so the muscles can repair; it’s during the self-repair that the increase in strength and endurance takes place. This is the nature of spiritual aridity.

Jesus received a powerful infusion of Spirit during baptism, and needed time to integrate it. The setting of the desert describes the intensity of his rest, the dry nothingness he needed to experience in order to fully utilize what the Spirit had given him. When the Gospels of Matthew and Luke tell us that it was the Spirit who “carried him away” into the desert, we realize that spiritual rest isn’t an option. It’s a mandatory experience in order to progress Spirit infiltration.

As I said before, these periods can be difficult, yet the challenge is a necessary trial to increase spiritual strength and endurance. Aridity can lead to doubt and confusion—even Jesus wasn’t immune. Toward the end of his desert solitude, his surface-self began creating temptations. If you’re the Son you could do this... if you truly are who you think you are you can do that ...

We need to doubt Spirit in order to trust Spirit. Blind faith is just that—blind. We have to develop the eyes that See, and this can only be done through periods of self-exploration. The doubt means we’re progressing, but how we handle the doubt is another matter altogether.

In the Gospels we see clearly that Jesus would have no part of the disbelief. He refused to give in, and commanded it to leave. By triumphing over the challenge of his surface-self, he allowed his spiritual self to fully emerge. In doing so, he was then able to emerge from the aridity of the desert strengthened and rejuvenated in spirit. The experience helped him to realize his full power, giving him the spiritual endurance necessary to begin his divine mission.

“Then the adversary left him alone; and behold, angels drew near and ministered to him ... From that time, Jesus began to preach ...” (Matthew 4:11 and 17)

copyright 2012 Sophia duBay

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The Paths and the Way

According to the New Testament book, Acts of the Apostles, the first believers who followed the lifestyle of love and compassion which Jesus taught called their faith simply the “Way.”

Using that term feels right to me: it holds no labels, no “this or that,” “right or wrong” ... it’s simply an individual expression of a relationship with the Divine Source. I like to think of the “Way” as a mountain with various trails. Some of these paths are steep yet short, while others are long but more level to climb. Regardless of the chosen trail, they all lead to the mountain’s summit. At the top of the mountain in my hometown of Camden, Maine—Mount Battie—a small tower marks the peak. Once we reach the top, after climbing our various paths, we’re granted the gift of enjoying the beautiful vista from the top of the tower.

Spirituality is culturally diverse, and necessarily so. We’re human, which means we perceive things in different ways. We’re molded by our environment, thus our basis for understanding shifts depending on our cultural exposure. This variety is necessary to maintain the integrity and global life of every creature on this beautiful planet, and it also makes a variety of spiritual paths necessary. The thing to remember is that the paths aren’t the end, but merely the means. The summit is the culmination of all paths.

One of the sacred texts of India, the Rig Veda, reminds us that “the Truth is one, the Paths are many” while the Gnostic Gospel of Philip says “Truth made names in the world, and without them we can’t think. Truth is one and is many, teaching one thing through the many.”

SoulCollage and Spiritual Mentorship

As a part of my spiritual mentorship, I use SoulCollage to help facilitate healing, inner growth, and spiritual progress. This hands-on work engages the intuitive senses, shutting off the inner critic while allowing for self-exploration in a non-competitive, non-judgmental way.

Self-competition is one of the largest barriers to personal growth. You may wonder how you can compete with yourself, but the answer is quite simple once it’s broken down.

You have many inner aspects. Just as physically you’re made up of different parts that comprise the whole of who you are—hands, toes, heart, kidneys, blood vessels, hair, fingerprints, and more—internally you’re also comprised of different parts. SoulCollage works toward the exploration of these levels. Physically, if a strand of hair falls out of your head, you likely won’t notice; yet if a clump falls out, you’ll start to panic. SoulCollage works on the level of integrating your inner parts so no clumps fall out or, if they already have, it works to facilitate re-growth and expansion.

Self-competition arises when one part of your inner self attempts to do battle with another part. Spiritual mentorship, specifically when using SoulCollage, helps them to eliminate their battlefield differences, come to a truce, and work together in a balanced, healthy way. The most common example of this is the battle between your inner critic and your inner creator.

We all have both these parts within us, whether we realize it or not. The inner critic is usually easy to recognize, and is in “shadow” form for many of us. This means that the part isn’t balanced with the rest of your inner aspects—for most of us, the inner critic shouts too loudly, drowning out the other voices.

The inner creator, who can also be thought of as the inner artist, is more delicate. Some people argue that they don’t have an inner artist, yet in reality we all contain this part, even if it’s underdeveloped or not acknowledged. The growth of the inner artist is the framework and foundation for the growth and balance of all our other parts.

We are all creators on a spiritual level; this relates to our connection with the Ultimate Creator. In the Hebrew and Christian sacred text known as the book of Genesis, it’s stated that we’re all “made in God’s image.” (Genesis 1:27) This means that we all have a spark of God within; it’s up to us to ignite this spark into a bonfire. Developing our inner creator can be thought of as the gentle yet nourishing air which gives necessary life to help that flame grow.

Our inner creator can take many forms. In some people, this part is obvious. They express their soul and nurture their spirit through writing, painting, sculpting, acting, photography, and other artistic endeavors. Those who don’t express themselves through the traditional methods of art often say, “I don’t have a creative bone in my body,” but that’s not true.

Let’s get something straight right now, a piece of wisdom I urge you never to forget: We are all creators, whether we recognize it or not. Creating is our Divine Birthright.

This is so important I need to repeat it:

Creating is our Divine Birthright.

To express yourself through personal creation is a uniquely individual and healing experience. It’s also necessary on the path of spiritual expansion. My spiritual mentorship services encourage this growth, most specifically through the inner exploration of SoulCollage.

We create every day. We create our lives, and the circumstances surrounding us. An example is how others respond to us—in nearly all circumstances, they mirror our own attitudes. When giving kindness, kindness is usually returned. When doing battle, you’re sure to have a feisty opponent.

We create in our careers, no matter how corporate or domestic. We create with our interactions, decisions (or failure to make decisions), speech and body language. At every moment we create anew—and the choices about what we create are up to us.

When our inner critic starts babbling with our inner creator, we get confused, anxious, and blocked. The making of SoulCollage cards during spiritual mentorship helps you to recognize the demanding voice of the inner critic, turn off the leaking faucet, and balance your parts. The inner critic is necessary to maintain perspective and empathy, but not when it’s shouting. The voice of the inner critic and inner creator must be balanced. During our sessions I help you balance those parts, which will then open you to further growth and exploration of your other parts, helping you to develop the person you truly are in a healthy, spiritually integrated way.

If you’re interested in an initial consultation, please contact me for more information.

Knots ...

When you make the effort to loosen a knot …

... it relaxes into a lovely piece of artwork

Online Interfaith Lenten Retreat

Although Lent is traditionally thought of as a purely Christian concept -- after all, it does focus on the forty days leading up to the remembrance of Jesus' death and subsequent rebirth -- this time of blessing can be shared with any tradition. In this course we focus on developing a deeper understanding and relationship with Spirit; your personal conception of Spirit makes no difference. As the Rig Veda says, "The Truth is One, paths are many." You may think of Spirit in terms of Universe, God, Allah, Ein Sof, the Great Mother, Essence, Source, Holy Spirit, One ... It really doesn't matter. Our focus isn't on human labels, but on drawing closer to the Ultimate goal, the Source of Love, the breath of humanity and the Light within.

Lent is a time to think about our personal sacrifices -- both those we've given as well as the ones we've received from others. It's a time of reflection, an opportunity to remind ourselves that we need to ask, each and every day, what we can do for the Divine Spirit. So often our prayers are spent in supplication, asking  for special favors and blessings, that we forget to offer blessings in return.

This may be a radical thought to some people. God needs our blessings? The answer, quite simply, is yes. Without us, God isn't God; a formless Energy, without companions to bless, to provide for and give to, the Bestower can't bestow. No one can be a giver without someone who is willing to receive. Through the creation of Creation, God's graciousness is given placement. It's important to realize that God needs us just as we need God. In these times of shifting awareness and growing consciousness, this realization becomes even more pertinent.

From February 23 through April 5, the Create Soul Space Online Interfaith Lenten course will guide you, week by week, into a deeper understanding of communion with the Energy and blessings of God. There's a vast difference between communication and communion with the Divine, and in the first weeks we'll develop this relationship. We'll then shift into an understanding of what the theory behind a "Lenten sacrifice" truly means. (Hint: It's not about giving up chocolate for forty days.)

This interactive course uses the principals of SoulCollage to help you deepen your intuitive understanding of Spirit. You already hold this wisdom within your Self; you merely need to light the spark that's already there to create a blazing and glorious inner fire.

Each week, via email, you'll receive inspirational guidance on developing communion with Spirit, along with a wisdom quote and a theme for making a weekly SoulCollage card. Don't worry if you're not familiar with SoulCollage or if you feel you're not "artistic enough" to make a card. Complete instructions will be posted in our Yahoo! Group, and artistic ability isn't needed. Just let your intuition guide the way, and you'll be joyously amazed at the results.

Our overall theme of this course is giving and receiving. Divine Spirit, what can I do for You today? When you ask that question daily, you'll be astonished at the beautiful opportunities that arise -- opportunities not only to give, but to receive in abundance as well.

To sign up for this course, please contact Sophia.

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