You’ve undoubtedly heard of this quote by Teilhard de Chardin: “We are not human Beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual Beings having a human experience.â€
This quote is a great favorite of spiritual students and seekers everywhere. We have taken sayings and teachings like this to mean that our “real†identity is as a spiritual Being, that our Soul is who we “truly†are. But the last time I checked, my physical body was pretty real to me!
It seems to me that many of us are working so hard on embracing our spirituality that we are struggling with our humanity! Sure, our physical experience may be temporary. Some call our physical existence the ultimate illusion, which we are here to transcend. And yet, we all chose this human experience as our vehicle for growth, learning, and creating.Â
A lot of us spiritually-minded folks are trying very hard to apply spiritual principles to our human existence. We try to live through concepts of infinite abundance, of effortless manifestation, of unconditional flow of energy between all living things. But our human existence is defined by effort, conditionality, and limitation. We can try to argue with this reality … but arguing with reality means we lose every time!
Our human existence is conditional. In order stay alive, there are things we MUST do.Â
We must breathe.
We must eat and drink.
We must sleep and seek shelter.
All of these things require effort. Just staying alive requires taking action.Â
Our human existence is also limited. There is only so much of which our human body is capable of, no matter how much we push these limits. The fact is – there are always limits.
Now that we have awareness of our spiritual aspect, we may crave the ease, unconditionality and abundance of the spiritual realm. But we cannot deny our human existence – not while we are incarnated. And many who try to live as spiritual Beings in a human experience seem to be arguing with their human reality. This inevitably manifests itself as very “human†lack – a lack of physical health, financial abundance, or relationships.
What if, instead of trying to transcend human conditionality and limitation, we embraced our humanity with the same enthusiasm that we have for our spirituality? What if we reveled in our ability to take action as much as we delight in the whispers of our intuition? What if we valued our effort (and let’s face it – human life is effort!) as much as we did the miracles of manifestation we can witness in our lives? Most importantly – what if we learned to appropriately translate concepts such as Divine Abundance into our human existence?
The great shift towards higher consciousness is not about leaving our humanity behind. It’s about embracing both aspects of our existence into seamless integration, where one is a clear and perfect reflection of the other.
Are you embracing spiritual law while arguing with human reality?
Tagged with: Spiritual Development • spiritual growth • spirituality
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No argument here!
I think most of us go through the pendulum-swings from one extreme to the other. Ideally those swings eventually shrink until we find the best centering place for us.
The pendulum never becomes perfectly still – it sits there and vibrates but the goal is to keep it within a balanced range.
Good one, Andrea.
Hi Michael – well, you know I like pendulums! But here’s the thing: what if there is no pendulum? The idea that we can be more spiritually oriented at one time, and then more physically oriented at another still indicates separation, no? What do you think?
I could not agree more. I’ve “disappointed” a few people with the advice that they may be “trying to solve physical problems with spiritual solutions (alone).”
While I can certainly allow that there are many interconnected dimensions to an experience (spiritual, psychological, emotional, etc) we can’t forget the… AND physical. It’s not an Either/Or — it’s Both (or All).
While one may be applying a physical action, yet missing a spiritual component, the solution is not to substitute the spiritual component for the physical one, but to introduce, to add, the missing ingredient into the mix, so that all the dimensions are “covered” or “embraced” as you suggest.
So true, Slade. I’ve had clients come in for energetic clearing who were highly disappointed that what they really needed to do was take some “real-world” action! I agree, it’s about ALL in Oneness and integrity. Yummmmm.
I just received an issue of my friend Jason Randhawa’s Metaphysical Mind with this timely quote:
“I’m a lover of reality. When I argue with What Is, I lose, but only 100% of the time.”
– Byron Katie
Love, love, love that quote. I’ve heard it before – it’s weird, I’ve been talking about this concept of “arguing with reality” a LOT. It’s such a great concept – and we do always lose that argument!!!
Absolutely agree 100%!
As a Teacher I have stopped using the word “Spiritual Path”, and now use “Path of Enlightenment”.
We are Spirit having a Human journey and as such we are here to experience “humaness” and all it’s lessons first and foremost.
To be enlightened is to “have our eyes opened” to our various lessons that our soul needs in this incarnation to “grow”.
There needs to always be a “balance” between spirit and human!
My favourite quote:-
Before enlightenment chopping wood, carrying water. After enlightenment chopping wood, carrying water!
Lin – another one of my favorite quotes! It’s true – I think one of the big lessons of spiritual transformation is that practical life goes on, still needs doing, and we must figure out how to be both Spirit and human as we evolve and grow.
For me, SOUL is the connection between being human and spiritual…its our individual expression of our divine essence in a human form.
As CS Lewis said, You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body. And I agree with Slade it’s both/and. It’s the integration of everything–light/dark, material/spiritual that will help us to become Whole and Holy.
Hi Michelle – you know, I would argue that we ARE a Soul AND we ARE a body. Even if it’s temporary … but that’s our current reality. The idea that we “have” a body vs. “are” a Soul still somehow indicates that we “should” identify with the Soul, while the body is just something we are wearing temporarily? But our body is as much identity as the Soul for now, right?
Slade – Love the Katie quote thanks.
Andrea – This is quite the challenging spectrum and I must admit that many times I’ve strayed too far one way or the other. That’s why I really enjoy engaging concepts like massive inspired action. It includes the effort and the inspiration. No sense fighting the earthiness of where we are.
Tom – Massive inspired action is what I love about you!!!
It’s such a gift that we get to DO, isn’t it? Backed with inspiration, there’s nothing we can’t create!
In a world of duality, why then does it seem easier to embrace one concept or the other, rather than both?
I think many of us err on the side of focusing on spirituality because it’s been denied for so long. Our divinity has been minimized to the point of non-existence in this human form. It sometimes takes a while to re-integrate that Divine aspect of our self into the human form, which too is worthy of embracing.
Here’s to enjoying the ride on our own personal pendulum – swinging back and forth in search of our own balance and point of equilibrium.
Aaaah, Sue – is it really a world of duality? Or have we just created that particular separation?
I agree with you that we’ve had a craving for the spiritual because the emphasis has been on the physical plane. Plus, with everything that’s opening up now, it’s just SO much fun ether-surfing!
Great issue you raise here Andrea!
The only duality that needs to be eradicated through our ever growing awareness is the false “concept” of our duality with God. “There is none.”
I think I personally had a tendency to “compartmentalize” my life instead of expressing as one congruent “being” who is multi-faceted, i.e., physical, mental and spiritual.
I’m reminded of a talk Alan Watts gave in which he compared the earth to an apple tree. The earth “peoples” just as an apple tree “apples” We are the unique expressions of Spirit – “peop-ling” in the earth. The universe is “Andrea Hessing”, if you will, on all three levels – spirit, mind and body.
Our bodies, are the vessels that are carrying us through this earthly experience but we can be so “spiritual-minded”, we’re no earthly good!
Thank you for sharing your insight on this.
Chris
Chris – I LOVE that concept of the apple tree (and the idea of the Universe “Andrea Hessing” really makes me giggle a bit … what a nifty way of putting it!)
I think the big shift is indeed now out of duality, out of keeping everything in little boxes (work, play, relationships, spirituality, body, mind, emotions) and into wholeness and integration. It’ll be fun to discover what that looks like!
I suspect it will be much easier than we are comfortable with.
Of course there’s a pendulum…in perception. Everyone commenting here has experienced it. But like I said, the goal is eventually to get it centered on our own personal sweet spot – that would be the “non-separation” (or unification) of which you speak.
The little vibrating fluctuations there in the center would be, again, in perception: you spend an hour doing a reading or meditating, then you go to the disco and boogie (or whatever you guys do nowadays
). You’re still embracing both worlds but you’re balanced.
Again of course it’s all perception (where we direct our attention), since we exist on all planes simultaneously.
Thanks for making me think (again). Ouch.
Ooooh, Michael – yes, so true. We do create it all through our perception.
I wonder if it’s possible to shift our perception past separation? Or if we can only focus on one or the other?
I’m working on it …
Actually, this is a bit what my new “Cracking Your Abundance Code” class is all about. Integration.
Oh, I think we already do it to a degree, but you’re probably working on making it an automatic ongoing flow without having to consciously flip the switch back and forth.
If anyone can do it, it’s you! Just don’t get too good at it – we don’t want you to up and disappear. You’re not finished here yet.
Yup, Andrea love, yup, all the way!
In India there is a saying which translates to something like this…. “Your arms are the instruments of karma, and your legs take you there… And that is all you need to know about karma!”
I would like to add here that in most Indian languages, karma also means our regular, everyday activities, that we do.
Thus, consciously or not, within awareness or without… here we are!
Love, blessings and namastey!
Mohini
Awareness of how and what we perceive powerfully changes our manner of perceiving. Becoming more aware multidimensionally makes us more aware of the inherent perceptions, and misperceptions, of the biological mind when contrasted with other levels of our being. Few humans consider themselves as conduits of divine love and light, and would rather not step into that intensely vulnerable but powerful place, but anything less is so empty it can be hard to understand such a choice. So the task is to remain as that conduit even when the biological aspects of our being are having some kind of a tizzy fit, ha!
Interesting to learn what is to be considered an “empty” existence. Noted.
Michael, I simply spoke from my own perspective and experience, which most likely is something different from yours, given that we all walk different paths. This does not invalidate whatever yours may be, but I do have to live by my own. And that is no small matter as I nearly died twice in recent months from rampant systemic infection. I lost my fear of dying a long time ago and frankly, it would have been way more fun to die than stick around this time. But I felt an inner knowing I should remain here and I deliberately chose to do so despite the utter physical brutality of the process. If I am not here to bring the joy and light I experience on other levels of my being into this rather messy human realm, I really have no other reason to be here at all. That is not to say I am particularly skilled at it, but it is indeed my reason. So I am sorry if my words were clumsy, but I am only just beginning to speak of this as I continue a truly drastic remodel of my entire physical existence.