Not As You Are

There is a common flaw in most spiritual thinking. One that prevents progress and leaves us spinning our wheels for years if not dealt with. This particular flaw seems to always be lurking close, yet is never seen clearly. When I say what it is, you will nod in agreement and then you will forget...

When we talk of spirituality, we inevitably talk of change.

This is a constant string of change that hopefully will end in a better you. Often in this process there is a major flaw, an oversight in perception that seems to go unnoticed and yet, is vitally important. Throughout my own journey and while studying the journey of others I have seen a common flaw in our thinking. We acknowledge that we must make changes in our lives and that often those changes are difficult. The things we need to do to insure our best interest are sometimes the things we wish we could avoid, they are the things we want to do the least.

When dealing with these issues this particular flaw in our thinking that I mention, seems to always be lurking yet is never seen clearly. It is understood by all and acknowledged subconsciously but relegated to the intellectual garage where we store all of the other things we say we want to sort out, deal with or get rid of. There it sits for years or even a lifetime, untouched and rarely seen.

When I say what it is, you will nod in agreement and then you will forget. You will glance at it as if you are looking at the dishes that have piled up for days and are still being avoided, that unfinished project that you know deep down will never get done, that hobby you say you want to pick up but never put forth the effort to learn.

I am speaking of change of course. Not the little tinkering to your personality that self help books teach, but real change where you become a different person. The change I speak of is where you become the person you look up to in your mind. This may seem obvious as part of your goal but it seems to be over-looked by those on the path.

People seem to forget that they must not just change but change completely. The old self must pass away and be replaced completely by this new vision of what you wish to be. You cannot have kingly aspirations and yet still continue to sleep in the pig pen.

I feel that the majority of people forget this in their journey. We forget that the being we wish to be is not who we currently are. We often feel like we just need to add a new skill set to our old personality rather than experience genuine transformation. Eric speaks of there coming a point when "it just becomes you". He speaks of the point when you aren't struggling to "be spiritual" any longer and simply 'are' spiritual. It is not longer a part of your life, it is your life. It is who you are, in all that you do. It stops being a bubble that you occasionally visit as the once a week religious folks practice. It fills your very being, its influence is felt in every action from start to finish.

Smokers often speak of trying to quit but internally they still see themselves as smokers. They say things like, "I smoke, but I am trying to quit." Because of this they continue to "act" as smokers. They do the things smokers do because they identify with being a smoker.

People tend to take the same approach with spirituality. They see spirituality as an addition to the rest of their lives rather than being a life. So, they 'try' to act spiritual and do spiritual stuff now and then....as long as it isn't too inconvenient, doesn't take too long, isn't too difficult or not too many people disapprove. It's Red Cell Spirituality.

Now I don't necessarily fault those caught up in this. I am quite sure the majority are completely unaware of the problem and the difference. It has likely never occurred to them even on a superficial level. Something we must all keep in mind as we progress is that we still cling to ideas about what spirituality is that are incorrect, they are products for the Gaian masses.

Give this idea of change much reflection.

If you were suddenly catapulted to the advanced spiritual being you desire to be, what would be different about you?

How would your habits be different?

How would you think differently?

Would the things you find so important right now still have their value?

Would you recognize that new you if you met them?

Would the two of you get along?

You can get where you are going, but not as you are now. You must become something different, something other than what you currently are. You must leave behind the trappings of the being you think you are.

It's only a vehicle, don't get so attached to it.

Dare to become something new.