The Opportunity of Crisis

Is Your Life Crisis Really a Spiritual Calling in Disguise?

February 28th, 2019

By Mateo Sol

Guest Writer for Wake Up World

So many are alive who don’t seem to care. Casual, easy, they move in the world as though untouched. But you take pleasure in the faces of those who know they thirst. You cherish those who grip you for survival. You are not dead yet, it’s not too late to open your depths by plunging into them and drink in the life that reveals itself quietly there. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke (Rilke’s Book of Hours)

In our journey towards “civilization” we’ve found more and more ways to numb and disconnect ourselves from Spirit. We live and work in gated communities, shopping centers, and office buildings, with air conditioned houses and cars, fences, landscapers, animal controllers, and we spend our leisure time immersed in complex and absorbing technological worlds.

In order to deal with our soul starvation, we drown ourselves in prescription medications, alcohol, recreational drugs, consumerism and other soul-numbing forms of escapism. We even suffocate ourselves in rigid belief systems that moralize and judge others, promising to alleviate our sense of alienation from life and existential turmoil.

But our souls are wiser than all of this. There comes a moment in our lives where we grow out of the collective values and ways of living common to our societies. At a certain point in our lives, we realize that the values, attitudes, relationships and beliefs we’ve held no longer contribute to the development of who we truly are: our authentic selves.

This life crisis, although painful, provides a vital opportunity for us to begin our spiritual journeys towards wholeness.

Quarter-Life, Middle-Life and Deathbed Crisis

In our Western soul-suppressing societies, many of us experience our “true callings” towards the spiritual journey throughout life, but most of us never truly “hear” or answer to them.

This spiritual calling presents itself in many ways throughout our lives such as the death of loved ones, suicidal depressions, illnesses, near-death experiences, divorce, and so forth. But there are three main milestones that call to us the most loudly.

The first calling is what we modernly refer to as the “quarter-life crisis.” The quarter-life crisis happens in the first quarter of life: generally after we finish high school or university. At this time in our lives, we intuitively know that we need to “find” ourselves by leaving behind our family, friends and hometowns. These people and places formed our juvenile identities as children and teenagers.

When I answered this calling, I remembered feeling intense fear and uncertainty. Saying goodbye to everyone and everything you love is a very hard task.

The second great calling presents itself as a “midlife crisis.” This crisis may come in the form of an affair, a divorce, severe job unhappiness, an empty nest, lifeless relationships, endless life dissatisfaction, or disappointment with the way life has gone. Ultimately, in my opinion, the midlife crisis comes at a moment where you’ve gathered enough wisdom to know that you’re not going to live forever.

Most people who experience midlife crises have spent their entire lives raising a family, or working in a career. They haven’t had the time, or capacity, to ask the important questions in life. Eventually, something triggers the question, “Is this all there is?

The third and final calling often comes as a deathbed crisis if we didn’t answer the previous two callings. The inevitability of an imminent death creates such immense turmoil and ego distress, that the light of consciousness is finally permitted to shine through us. Many hospice workers have confirmed this with me.

Although it’s better late than never, what a shame that so many people wait until their last moments to taste truth, deep insight and peace. Some never even experience it.

We all have to accept our imminent death someday in order to live life more fully. The sooner we come to terms with this, the better. But even if we receive this calling late in life, we are still blessed to receive it.

Surrendering to the Hurricane

Listening to your calling and accepting your spiritual awakening comes like a great hurricane.

Suddenly everything you’ve ever known is ripped away from you and lost in the tempest. The more you struggle, the more you get thrown around mercilessly. But the moment you surrender, you stand in the eye of the hurricane peacefully allowing everything that doesn’t serve you to be swept away.

Surrendering is extremely important in two ways. Firstly, it allows you to let go of your former limiting self, e.g. all of your beliefs, ambitions, roles, and perceptions of how you were suppose to be. And secondly surrendering allows you to embody your Soul, that is, all of your deepest longings, dreams and wildest passions.

It’s natural to experience fear and resistance in the face of the hurricane. You’ll need to deeply explore what parts of you are creating resistance. There are several ways to do this but the simplest way (in my opinion) is to write down how the fear feels in your body. What images and memories arise during your process of surrendering? Writing down what happened when you were “called” to the spiritual journey is also a great exercize, for example: where you were when it happened, what catalyzed it, how your body felt, what emotions arose within you, and other significant life events connected to it.

As you walk into the heart of your life crisis, you will need to confide in others who are going through similar experiences. This can bring a great sense of emotional alleviation and kinship, and you can find many online and local groups dedicated to inner awakenings. (For example, you’ll find a lot of kindred spirits on this website!)

Be prepared to experience immense loneliness as well. After all, surrendering your former worldview essentially separates you from your habitual way of life, including your old anchors, comforts and even friends or family members. Here are some ways to handle this temporary loneliness.

Unfortunately some people that go through life crises handle their previous responsibilities and commitments in unhealthy ways. You don’t necessarily need to quit your job, get divorced, sell your house, abandon your children, and leave your friends to embark on the spiritual path. Instead, starting your journey means becoming more in-tune with your soul, and exploring what is no longer supporting your growth and self-exploration.

I like to think of this period in life as “spiritual simplification.” In other words, what roles, relationships, activities, and possessions are in the way of Spirit flowing through you?

4 Signs You’ve Had a Spiritual Calling

So how do we know if we’re experiencing a deep calling towards spiritual awakening, or just a momentary mood swing or desire to escape from our life responsibilities?

Mythologist Joseph Campbell notes four qualities that accompany the spiritual calling. I’ve found them to be quite accurate and useful:

1) It’s not an avoidance of responsibility. Rather than providing you an opportunity to escape from your problems or burdens, a spiritual calling feels almost ominous. We all have problems we’d rather not face in our daily lives, but if you’re experiencing a spiritual calling, you’ll somehow sense that a difficult and overwhelming journey lies ahead of you. Despite this, there is a profound desire to embark on it.

2) It’s familiar yet frightening. Many describe the sensation as déjà vu or familiarity when listening to the voice of their souls.

3) You feel as though you’ve reached the end of your current journey. Whether you want to realize it or not, you feel as though your current path has reached a dead end. What once made you happy and excited now feels empty.

4) You weren’t looking for your true calling, it found you. Your calling was unexpected and unwanted. But now you face the fork in the road that demands your decision.

Other signs include feeling intensely powerful emotions and even altered states or mystical experiences during spiritual awakenings.

Ask yourself, what would happen if you ignored this calling? What emotions arise within you at the thought, and what do they reveal? You might also like to listen to whatever you feel drawn towards, pursue it, and pay attention to whether it feels intuitively right, or has undertones of fear beneath. When it’s a spiritual awakening, a true calling, you’ll feel closer to home with every step.

from:    https://wakeup-world.com/2019/02/28/is-your-life-crisis-really-a-spiritual-calling-in-disguise/

Moving into True Seeing

Removing the Veil

Posted by February 15, 2014

FLickr-Nebula-NASA-GoddardDr. Stewart Bitkoff

“You yourself are under your own veil.” -Hafiz

Q:  I have been traveling the road to higher consciousness for many years and it has been a long hard journey. Fortunately there have been occasional Divine Breezes along the way, but I cannot say I feel any closer to God for my efforts. Also, sometimes traveling gets so lonely and I wish I had someone to talk to about this struggle; can you help me understand, why the difficulty and mystery?

Earth Phase: Physical & Spiritual 

“The lower self prevents you from remembering God.” -Traditional

In the spiritual journey, each traveler is both question and answer; goal and door which blocks the way. That is the Design, or earth phase, that we have immersed our self in; one of physicality and spirituality. This duality of knowing and not knowing; seeking and finding are one of the universal laws of our earth experience. Yet beyond this duality of knowing and not knowing, is the first universal law: Oneness of Creation.  For you see, knowing and not knowing while at polar opposites are both part of the One; this Oneness may be experienced in spiritual states like the Beloved’s Caress or Oneness of Creation experience.  These are sublime experiences and many seek to repeat these states over and over; yet, when thinking and working this way, they miss the point of the journey

One day, I asked my teacher; why this struggle? Why this struggle between the ego (daily consciousness/lower self) and the wisdom of our heart (continual awareness of God).  Wouldn’t it simplify things if we were all born being continually aware of the Divine?

He answered, the ego serves as a boundary between this world and the next. Without the ego, we would all be lost, absorbed in the splendor of God and of no use in this earthly life. This journey is much more than being continually absorbed in God; the journey is about serving others as God’s Servant. Added spiritual capacity is necessary for specific tasks and functions; these are a tool to manifest something Higher.

Manifesting the Real

In order for that which is hidden behind the veil of our daily awareness, to be revealed, 2 processes must be at work. And the outcome of both of these processes is always dependent upon Grace; because in this endeavor, ‘love is never earned it is bestowed.’

Quieting the Lower Self/Ego. The first process involves working on and refining our worldly consciousness or what has traditionally been termed ‘the ego.’ Often our worldly consciousness (lower self) blocks the higher consciousness with its concern for our physical, emotional and intellectual well being. We are multi-level beings and to fully enjoy and participate in this earthly experience, there are many stimuli, thoughts and experiences which are necessary for daily life. So, in this journey, of both physicality and spirituality, the traveler must learn to still and quiet the lower self; in order to allow that which is deeply hidden to manifest.

Often this stilling or quieting of thought, for a time, involves unlearning many things, examining how our consciousness operates and practicing techniques designed to still the lower self. Stilling the lower self is much different than destroying it; this aspect of consciousness, because it is very complex, as indicated, is needed to function in the world. Typically we cannot not have a thought, but can learn how not to act on it and minimize its effect on our total consciousness.  This pushing aside by quieting, temporarily, for most travelers takes much work and guidance by another.

Awakening of Spiritual Centers. The second process involves awakening our inner spiritual centers (or chakras) which must be done gradually and in a certain order.  This awakening of our spiritual centers can be done while the traveler is learning how to still troubling thoughts which create noise in the consciousness. This stimulating of spiritual centers is often accomplished through exercises, guidance of one of the teachers and the Grace& Mercy of God.

When the traveler is ready, spiritual centers can be awakened or activated by the Light at any time or place. It is a question of readiness and the process has been termed organic and part of a natural maturation.

Enlightenment & Misconceptions

When done correctly, adding of spiritual capacity is accomplished gradually so it does not disrupt others portions of a traveler’s life.  This adding of ability is mysterious to most travelers, because they have limited exposure to this learning structure, further outcomes and processes are rarely discussed.  Often this structure cannot be accurately put in words, it is multi-level; and because few have limited exposure to what is actually required and how this is being done, there are many misconceptions and resultant frustrations.

Typically most travelers view this developmental process like other learning situations in their lives. For example, look I have read all the books, said my prayers, given money to charity and talked to every ‘teacher’ I could find. I have been at this activity now for 4 years and worked very hard; certainly if I was going to high school or college I would have my diploma. Yet mystical states elude me, I still get anxious and worried and I certainly don’t feel God/Light aglow in my heart when the kids start fighting and screaming.

Enlightenment, or added spiritual capacity, typically occurs within the ordinary human personality. Enlightenment involves bringing forward latent spiritual skills and capacity to operate alongside all our other skills and capacities. This coming forward is additional capacity that we consciously use to serve the situation and Higher Destiny.  Typically, this ability is not for oneself but to help others and the majority of work to enable this function involves removing from consciousness, for a time, those thoughts, ideas and hidden motives which stand in our way.

Measuring Outcomes

I remember one day, I asked my teacher, look I’ve been at this spiritual study stuff now for 3 years and really don’t feel anything is happening. How do I know I am progressing? With a smile on his face and a kind voice, he offered, “do you think about God now more than you did before coming to see me?”

And of course my answer was, ‘yes.’  However I was looking for outcomes of a different sort: reading minds, knowing the future, being God’s BFF and living in peaceful harmony. Because of my expectations, I had created my own frustrations.

Strangers & Loneliness

One of the technical terms for the followers of the Path, is that travelers are ‘strangers.’  Strangers to themselves and others, yearning for something they cannot define and must find.  Each traveler has an unsettling awareness that they don’t quite fit into the world as most people define it, and for a time may be unclear what the inner unease and burning is about.

If you find yourself on the long road and it is raining and dark, to ease your pain, consider the following.

  • Talk to God/Light. Tell God how you are feeling and what you need. God is inside all of us and listens to all our prayers. Tell God what you want and need, and in time, as God Wills, it will be Given to you. “Remember, if you take one step toward God, God will take ten steps toward you.’
  • Call a friend and find out how they are doing. Share your feelings and experience.
  • Help another. Reach out and assist someone who is having a difficult time.
  • Get-up, do something physical that is fun or helps another. Get out of yourself. A healthy mind and body thrives on activity.
  • If you need the company of like minded believers, reach out and contact one of the many organizations set-up for this purpose. Remember be careful in your choices, there are many who would take from you.
  • Ask the Universe for whatever you need. You are the son/daughter of a King and this has been promised to you.

Just because you do not see a thing
It doesn’t mean it ceases to exist.
The sun also shines in the night.
-A. Hussain

from:    http://consciouslifenews.com/removing-veil/1170688/