I know the title of this post sounds contradictory (spirituality is full of paradoxes!) as I always say things like Stop all doing and simply be, and I write about being still and meditation, reflecting and contemplation and so on.

Well, the reason for this article is this:

In some non-dual circles there’s the typical standard phrase “there’s nothing to do, nowhere to go, there’s no one doing anything” and so on, and that is true, but if one only perceive it from a level of mind, then it’s s total waste of life basically.

If someone who hasn’t had a maturing of his/her spiritual experiences and openings and there has not been a deepening of the inner knowing, then it’s going to stay on a superficial and shallow level. It will merely stay as a memory that fades.

So the title of my article has nothing to do with “keep looking for spiritual experiences” or anything, this has to be clearly stated and understood.

I’ve got inspired to write it because of one of my most debated articles “The Experience of Spiritual Awakening Does NOT Automatically Make You An “Awakened One”!”:

https://mariaerving.com/spiritual-awakening-versus-being-awakened

Lots of people like the article, and there are some that don’t, and some of the comments on the article perfectly also illustrates the point I wanted to make in the first place.

In one of the last ones a young man shared a beautiful spiritual experience and from that he now believes that he’s ‘like a spiritual master’. Another person writes that they are “hoping to reach Buddha-like enlightenment any day now” after they experienced some openings, and the point with the article was exactly this!

There’s more to the whole spiritual awakening-thing! Experiences come and go, and they are far from being “It”.

That’s why I say Keep Looking! Don’t stop.

This is what I observe, that the ego takes ownership of the experiences and then the person (ego; the person we think we are) thinks it has arrived and are now enlightened. And it’s all very innocent, while other times it’s not so much so..

I sometimes receive emails from people that very arrogantly think they are the saviors of the world now that “they are awakened” and that we are in some kind of enlightenment club together.

Spiritual awakening is not about the person gaining or achieving anything.

There’s nothing in it for the person, at all. The deeper you go, the more you realize that you are not the person. That’s why I’m saying ‘don’t stop’.

Don’t stop with the experience. Look deeper.

Spiritual awakening is freedom from the person, not for the person. It’s about moving from person to presence.

Some of the comments on the article are also from people that come from a level of mind saying that I should let people have their experiences and not take it away from them. (As if they could be kept anyway; experiences are experiences).

That’s the ego defending itself, saying “Don’t look! You have arrived, you are enlightened, you are awake, don’t listen to her! That’s rubbish, nonsense, bah! See how un-spiritual she is, being all critical and judgmental, how un-spiritual of her! Don’t look within!”

The ego is in fact very fragile (but when identified with it its’ very strong, it runs most peoples lives) and petrified and gets really upset when their illusions (beliefs/thought system) are challenged so of course they will fiercely protect them for oy vey if they got crushed!

So of course there will be resistance to the process. Because awakening to our true nature includes the disappearance and death of the ego.

But believe me, the ego will cheer you on, making you believe that you have achieved something special.

Spiritual awakening is also a maturing process, it’s not a one time happening and Boom! You’re now an enlightened master. No, there’s some integrating to be done before one is established in Spirit, embodiment will take place and it will not always be a blissful and ecstatic process as the experience you have had. The experience is more like the first kiss. And it doesn’t’ stop there. You need to marinade in the realization.

It’s beautiful if you have experienced a profound spiritual opening of some sorts, and I’m sincerely happy for you, but you really are cheating life and deluding yourself if you take that experience to be “it”.

My articles are merely invitations for you to look deeper, and sure, stay with the experience if you want to, that is fine, absolutely fine. But if you want to look deeper, then lets talk more, then I’m with you and we can inquire and discover that which is real and true together.

To share what I share seem to be the role I play now (how God is expressing itself through me), and I would do you a dishonor if I didn’t let you know that there’s more to come after the experiences, and if I didn’t let you know that I’m here if you wish to look into that deeper with me.

So, when perceived from a place of spirit non-doing means surrendering and letting the doing be DONE. But it’s not passive at all.

It doesn’t mean that it’s fine to just sit on the couch watching sit-comes all day long doing nothing (mindlessly rambling about how you are everything and nothing at the same time etc) just because you have had a glimpse into reality where you realized that you don’t exist and that you are life itself.

It means Be Still, and LISTEN.

The listening-part is probably the most important thing in the whole process. And ego doesn’t like to listen; it likes noise and distractions. It actually demands to always be occupied!

And then obviously to act according to what the heart is telling you, let God live through you, and know that the person, or ego, will still be there for a while longer, and it can take ownership of your spiritual experiences if you are not aware and continue to dig deeper within your own consciousness.

But realize that the small you is still there too. Ego death is a process.

The “journey” is about realizing and seeing that which is not true, and by that that which is true can take it’s place, and that will require a willingness to relinquish the person who thinks he/she has achieved something, or that they have “arrived”.

And I mean this in the most sincere way and not to diminish anyone’s experiences.

Keep looking and listen to the Guru within. 

Also read this article with over 15 self-awareness questions:

https://mariaerving.com/self-awareness-questions/

 

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