Through the years, it has been very rewarding to see the progress that people are making. I think of the group consciousness fifteen years ago when we first started the school and compare it to now. There’s a very good grasp of the superficiality of the astral which, fifteen years ago, people seemed quite identified with. There’s an understanding now that spiritual growth is a gradual evolutionary process. It is a culturing. Fifteen years ago, it seemed that most were looking for a thunderbolt to strike which would instantly transform their life from mundane to sagacious. It is such a relief to see our group leave such thinking far behind. It’s good and perhaps timely with the New Year ahead, to take a moment to congratulate ourselves, pat ourselves on the back, and acknowledge a job well-done.
However, it is my role to continue to look forward. So many people travel great distances, multiple times every year to come to classes and retreats. It humbles me. That dedication to the knowledge speaks for itself. But now is this question of the next step. Where are we headed as we traverse further along the razor’s edge? Though we are moving forward, the question arises, where are we wobbling? Where do we tend to slip?
You can find this out for yourself by simply observing your own behavior. You come to classes and retreats, you read the books and the blogs, but do you live it? We have spoken of the mechanics of purification of world consciousness. We have spoken of the mechanics of personal evolution. We have spoken of moving past identity and thereby aligning with the cosmic flow, the flow of your own true nature. We have spoken of how difficult it is to overcome the conditioning, to overcome your karma which dwells predominantly in your heart and mind. I can see it in your eyes that during classes and retreats, you rest into that Divine flow that dwells within you. Yet, when you return home, it so easily slips through your fingers in the form of fear, doubt, suspicion, greed, or whatever your habits have been. Those habits range from those which may seem quite crude to those that can feel most laudable, such as helping others or fighting for a political cause. The fundamental truth that cultivation of transcendental awareness is the cause of utmost importance easily falls by the wayside.
Moving past that is what I see to be the next major step forward in the evolution of our group consciousness. We can congratulate ourselves for moving past astral affinities. We can congratulate ourselves on moving past desire for emotional eruptions in the name of spiritual growth. The next step will be for our understanding and application of what we learned in class to not be overshadowed by whatever thoughts and emotions grab our attention after we return home.
Two fundamental tools will enable you to attain this. One, of course, is meditation. As your awareness of the Absolute rises, you will naturally live in accord with the cosmic flow. However, attaining this through meditation alone would require many, many, many years. The process is accelerated exponentially by committing yourself to live up to the principles you learn in class. I know you see the truth in what is being taught. Otherwise, you would not be returning time and time again.
Now, with the New Year here, it is a time to resolve your commitment to live true to that knowledge. Stand up, move forward, facing the wind. Know that wind is nothing other than your karma. Face it long enough, and the wind you experience will be the cosmic flow at your back, supporting your progress forward. Making that transition is no easy task. It requires commitment. It requires dedication. It requires inner strength and resolve. It requires humility. It requires a willingness to say, “I’ve been going in that direction, but no more. I will live my life in dedication to the higher truth that I’ve learned. I will not let fear or the wobbling influence of doubt sway me.” There’s not a soul on the planet who can make you do this. To choose to do it and stay committed to it all must come from your own self. You will be able to come up with limitless reasons to stop. Your promises to old patterns as well as your fears, resonate with those around you. If you allow it, they will reinforce your conditioning. Think, ponder, reflect, and discern. There is no faster way to accelerate your progress than to commit to it.
© Michael Mamas, 1/09
