Why Live? Where you Are is not Who you Are

Why Live. 

Where you Are is not Who you Are

So many get depressed. “I don’t want to be here…. On Earth” is the mournful howl of the Personality that has forgotten it is Soul.  When one signs up to hike the Pacific Crest Trail that runs from Mexico to Canada, you can be sure to encounter heavy weather, rock slides, hunger, perhaps even accidents. Times of profound loneliness during the quiet hours, and deep questioning that typically comes with journey can also become familiar friends on the trail.  I have yet to meet anyone who traversed part or whole of the PCT who was not exhilarated by the experience, the effort, the exertion, the adventure. All tell stories if at least one time (if not more) when, in the middle of the journey, they despaired, wished it was over, sure they had made the wrong decision, even wanted to give up completely. It is normal on a trek, to go through all of these emotional colors. It is part of the growth, the experience, and the strengthening.  And Life is a trek, an epic one at that. We can prepare for the trek, or wing it. Either choice is fine, as long as one does not cry “victim” after making the choice. Remember that choices are not permanent; you do not have to “suffer” through a choice. When you make a choice (conscious or unconscious) and discover it is no longer working or notice that perhaps it was not the best decision in the first place, you can change that decision, make a new choice.  Sometimes the new choice is simply a change in attitude or perspective. Don’t underestimate the power of those changes! Changing perspective allows you to see new ideas, seek new support, find alternative solutions, and even bolster one’s immune system as you change from victim to participant.

Changing perspective and attitude is an energetic shift, way beyond chanting affirmations or forcing one’s Self to “feel” gratitude or optimism. Spiritual Cultivation gives one the discipline, inner strength, and skill to deeply shift perspectives, energies, even dimensions. Soul Projection is where one shifts one’s energy from Earth perspective to Infinite. Through Spiritual Cultivation one develops an intimate relationship with one’s Higher Self, the Soul Energy, and under pressure or duress one can access this Soul Energy in order to shift awareness from the Earth Plane existence, to another dimension. It is a bit like taking a rocket ship up and seeing Earth from outer space. Suddenly the challenges in Life are experienced and perceived in a much different perspective. This is not denial, escape from reality or trying to force one’s Self to have different feelings. It is about Shifting energies and dimensions, and from with that new perspective emotions, desires, fears, despair shrink or even evaporate.  It is a practice that can help to anchor one’s skill in living life with detachment. Detachment does not mean one does not feel or care about people or circumstances. Detachment is the ability to feel and care deeply, fully, completely, allowing all experiences to flow in, affect the Heart the flow into river of life. This flow changes the person and reunites one with the magnificent Universality of Spirit.  In many Shamanic traditions hallucinogenic drugs used in Spiritual Ceremony (not for recreation) can give one an experience of Soul Projection. However, the ability to incorporate Soul Projection (and detachment) into one’s daily life without the use of drugs is achieved with Spiritual Cultivation and practice and usually with a Teacher to help one establish the practice. There is no way to fully explain this practice; one must experience it to be moved by it and then inspired to embrace it.

“See from the end” is another great tool one can cultivate with Practice. Sometimes life is extremely challenging making Soul Projection hard to reach. Divorce, death, becoming homeless, cancer, these challenges can make one grip tightly, lose faith, and fog the mind and emotions so completely that one is lucky to put one foot in front of the other. The horizon that is threatening to crush you, blinding you to choices, emotionally turns you into a victim of circumstances, further immobilizing you.  With “see from the end” you can choose (because of your Spiritual practice and discipline) to remember the blizzard will end, the cancer will end one way or another, the divorce will end, the grief over death will end. And you will be able to remember that Spirit exists to help. Now one can use Soul Energy to begin to think of how to GET TO the end of the current challenges, step by step.

Why the emphasis on cultivation and discipline? Because these wonderful practices are difficult to achieve. Like having muscles, you have to build them, so you have them when you need them, to pull you out of a hole or to get work done. When you need them it is then too late to build them. Practice and discipline (meaning you make time to Practice) builds muscle, Spiritual muscle, that you can call up and depend upon when circumstances challenge you. Spiritual muscle allows you to  feel and detach, Soul Project, See from the End, and keep your Faith strong when your Life Path trail requires expert navigation.   

Journey On