Questions and Answers
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Alignment with Spirit
You often talk about the value of alignment with Spirit, or opening oneself to the influx of Spirit (and its qualities); how does this fit in with the Four Foundations? Could not this alignment with Spirit be seen as a foundation itself?
In the Four Foundations we talk about “success” as the degree to which a person is able to open to, and embody, Spirit and its qualities. It is the degree to which a person can act as a conscious co-creator with Spirit; the degree to which the divine qualities of Spirit illumine and “spiritualize” one’s life; the degree to which a person can live as Spirit lives and create as Spirit creates. So, we are talking about the essential factor which brings fulfillment to each foundation, and not a foundation itself. “Success” in each foundation is determined by the extent to which we align ourselves with Spirit, or embody Spirit, in that dimension of our lives.
In terms of the first foundation, we want to open up to, and embody, a higher dimension of love. Our coming together with others allows a higher dimension of love to enter; it operates through a collective “we” and not a singular “I.” Spirit is always moving toward more integrated forms—forms which are more capable of embodying, and expressing, its infinitely divine qualities. When we are alone, on our own, we can experience the joy and wonder of becoming “one with Spirit,” yet this aloneness cannot embody the same degree of love which comes from a group of people coming together and interacting in that shared state of love. (If Spirit could experience the fullness of its love alone, then it would not have been impelled to create this world).
In terms of the second foundation, we can master our human skills, become a successful leader or president, make lots of money, have a nice family and a loving primary relationship—and all this constitutes a high level of success. However, our human dimension and its fulfillment remain incomplete if we are unable to access, and allow in, the greatness of Spirit, which can illumine and enliven every aspect of our human life. If can imbue every aspect with more love, joy, fullness, meaning, beauty, etc. Our human dimension, rather than being a thing in itself—and capable of capturing the mere shadows of Spirit—can become a living expression of its luminosity and joy.
In terms of the third foundation, we cannot truly create what we want, or utilize our creative power, without an alignment with Spirit; and we cannot create anything of true wonder without opening our creation to Spirit, and allowing the miraculous and inconceivable to enter. The “alignment” with Spirit is integral to the operation of the third foundation—whereas in the first two foundations the alignment with Spirit is only needed for fulfillment. In this foundation we realize that we, as human beings, are always in a co-creative partnership with Spirit; that we, alone, cannot create anything. Our creative power is in our ability to direct the infinite power of Spirit to create whatever we conceive for ourselves; yet, through our power alone, without Spirit, we create anything. The more we realize the very source of our creative power—which is Spirit and our one-with-Spirit essence—the more fully we can actuate that power. (And, since Spirit is the very source of our creative power, to truly co-create with Spirit, to create something of real value, we must create as Spirit creates—which is a creation born out of love and the highest good, rather than a creation which is merely self-serving and exclusive).
In the fourth foundation, there is less of an alignment and more of a realization of an already-present oneness or unity with Spirit. There can only be an “alignment” between two things which are separate; when those things are out of alignment they can, through our conscious intervention, be brought back into alignment. However, what if those two things are realized, on a higher level, to be united, to be of the same essence and nature? In such a case, we need not align them, but merely realize or recognize their inherent unity (where they cannot be separated enough to then be aligned). It is that realization of unity—that our own essence is one in every way with that of Spirit—which constitutes the “alignment.” Our conscious awareness of who and what we already are, the realization of ourselves as a one-with-Spirit being, constitutes the “alignment” at this stage. In our prior state we were also one with Spirit yet did not realize it; our beingness was not in alignment with our awareness of that beingness. In the state of realization, we abide in the state of our true being, in a conscious way; we are who we are who we are, and from the perspective of our human dimension, we are conscious of who we are.
A primary tenet of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, New Thought, etc., is that we are made in the image and likeness of God. However, are we aware of ourselves in that likeness? Do we live and breath with that inherent certainty?—or do we occupy a different version of ourselves? One in which we feel and act as if we were separate and cut off from the Divine Source? One where we are not certain that we have the same qualities and powers as that of Infinite Spirit (albeit in an individual capacity as opposed to a universal capacity)? And do we think about ourselves in the same way we think about Infinite Spirit? Probably not. So, we are made in the image and likeness of God—and, in essence, we share all the same divine qualities—but this truth is lost on us, it is not integral to our human experience. So, in terms of “alignment,” what we feel and believe to be true about ourselves has to be aligned with the reality of who we truly are.
Our Souls’ Longing
To feel good about ourselves (as this person)—is that good enough? Will this lead us to satisfaction and fulfillment in life?
It’s a start, a solid foundation upon which we can base our spiritual development—but there is something more. So long as we completely believe ourselves to be this person (and exclusively identify with this limited part of our being)—even if we feel good about this limited part—our soul will long for more. Our soul knows that there is something much more profound about who we are, and so it is never satisfied with this limited identity we have adopted, this limited person we believe ourselves to be. It simply cannot feel its fullness and joy when locked into this person-based identity. So, no matter what, no matter how much we love or enjoy ourselves as this person, our soul will always want more. Our soul wants the fullness of itself.
The obsession with food (and every other obsession) is an attempt to appease our soul’s longing; it is an attempt to fill that sense of emptiness, that sense that something deep in our core is missing. And, indeed, the deepest part of ourselves is missing from our own lives. How then can our soul ever be satisfied?
So long as our soul is confined and imprisoned in this mental version of self, this personal identity—which we believe ourselves to be—she is going to suffer, and we are going to feel that suffering as the fundamental pain of our being. The soul will suffer because she is totally displaced from her true abode, which is the Heart. Experiencing that pain (and not really understanding what it is) we try to run from it (or cover it up) through various pursuits, goals, activities, obsessions, etc. But what are we running from?—the call of our own soul! That pain or longing, when properly understood and acted upon, is the very thing which can take us beyond the pain altogether into the radiant wonder of our own being. The Sufi poet, Rumi, writes:
“It is the burn of the heart that I want. That burn is everything;
it is more precious than a worldly empire because that is what calls
the Beloved secretly in the night.”
________________________________________________
Alignment with Spirit
You often talk about the value of alignment with Spirit, or opening oneself to the influx of Spirit (and its qualities); how does this fit in with the Four Foundations? Could not this alignment with Spirit be seen as a foundation itself?
In the Four Foundations we talk about “success” as the degree to which a person is able to open to, and embody, Spirit and its qualities. It is the degree to which a person can act as a conscious co-creator with Spirit; the degree to which the divine qualities of Spirit illumine and “spiritualize” one’s life; the degree to which a person can live as Spirit lives and create as Spirit creates. So, we are talking about the essential factor which brings fulfillment to each foundation, and not a foundation itself. “Success” in each foundation is determined by the extent to which we align ourselves with Spirit, or embody Spirit, in that dimension of our lives.
In terms of the first foundation, we want to open up to, and embody, a higher dimension of love. Our coming together with others allows a higher dimension of love to enter; it operates through a collective “we” and not a singular “I.” Spirit is always moving toward more integrated forms—forms which are more capable of embodying, and expressing, its infinitely divine qualities. When we are alone, on our own, we can experience the joy and wonder of becoming “one with Spirit,” yet this aloneness cannot embody the same degree of love which comes from a group of people coming together and interacting in that shared state of love. (If Spirit could experience the fullness of its love alone, then it would not have been impelled to create this world).
In terms of the second foundation, we can master our human skills, become a successful leader or president, make lots of money, have a nice family and a loving primary relationship—and all this constitutes a high level of success. However, our human dimension and its fulfillment remain incomplete if we are unable to access, and allow in, the greatness of Spirit, which can illumine and enliven every aspect of our human life. If can imbue every aspect with more love, joy, fullness, meaning, beauty, etc. Our human dimension, rather than being a thing in itself—and capable of capturing the mere shadows of Spirit—can become a living expression of its luminosity and joy.
In terms of the third foundation, we cannot truly create what we want, or utilize our creative power, without an alignment with Spirit; and we cannot create anything of true wonder without opening our creation to Spirit, and allowing the miraculous and inconceivable to enter. The “alignment” with Spirit is integral to the operation of the third foundation—whereas in the first two foundations the alignment with Spirit is only needed for fulfillment. In this foundation we realize that we, as human beings, are always in a co-creative partnership with Spirit; that we, alone, cannot create anything. Our creative power is in our ability to direct the infinite power of Spirit to create whatever we conceive for ourselves; yet, through our power alone, without Spirit, we create anything. The more we realize the very source of our creative power—which is Spirit and our one-with-Spirit essence—the more fully we can actuate that power. (And, since Spirit is the very source of our creative power, to truly co-create with Spirit, to create something of real value, we must create as Spirit creates—which is a creation born out of love and the highest good, rather than a creation which is merely self-serving and exclusive).
In the fourth foundation, there is less of an alignment and more of a realization of an already-present oneness or unity with Spirit. There can only be an “alignment” between two things which are separate; when those things are out of alignment they can, through our conscious intervention, be brought back into alignment. However, what if those two things are realized, on a higher level, to be united, to be of the same essence and nature? In such a case, we need not align them, but merely realize or recognize their inherent unity (where they cannot be separated enough to then be aligned). It is that realization of unity—that our own essence is one in every way with that of Spirit—which constitutes the “alignment.” Our conscious awareness of who and what we already are, the realization of ourselves as a one-with-Spirit being, constitutes the “alignment” at this stage. In our prior state we were also one with Spirit yet did not realize it; our beingness was not in alignment with our awareness of that beingness. In the state of realization, we abide in the state of our true being, in a conscious way; we are who we are who we are, and from the perspective of our human dimension, we are conscious of who we are.
A primary tenet of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, New Thought, etc., is that we are made in the image and likeness of God. However, are we aware of ourselves in that likeness? Do we live and breath with that inherent certainty?—or do we occupy a different version of ourselves? One in which we feel and act as if we were separate and cut off from the Divine Source? One where we are not certain that we have the same qualities and powers as that of Infinite Spirit (albeit in an individual capacity as opposed to a universal capacity)? And do we think about ourselves in the same way we think about Infinite Spirit? Probably not. So, we are made in the image and likeness of God—and, in essence, we share all the same divine qualities—but this truth is lost on us, it is not integral to our human experience. So, in terms of “alignment,” what we feel and believe to be true about ourselves has to be aligned with the reality of who we truly are.
Our Souls’ Longing
To feel good about ourselves (as this person)—is that good enough? Will this lead us to satisfaction and fulfillment in life?
It’s a start, a solid foundation upon which we can base our spiritual development—but there is something more. So long as we completely believe ourselves to be this person (and exclusively identify with this limited part of our being)—even if we feel good about this limited part—our soul will long for more. Our soul knows that there is something much more profound about who we are, and so it is never satisfied with this limited identity we have adopted, this limited person we believe ourselves to be. It simply cannot feel its fullness and joy when locked into this person-based identity. So, no matter what, no matter how much we love or enjoy ourselves as this person, our soul will always want more. Our soul wants the fullness of itself.
The obsession with food (and every other obsession) is an attempt to appease our soul’s longing; it is an attempt to fill that sense of emptiness, that sense that something deep in our core is missing. And, indeed, the deepest part of ourselves is missing from our own lives. How then can our soul ever be satisfied?
So long as our soul is confined and imprisoned in this mental version of self, this personal identity—which we believe ourselves to be—she is going to suffer, and we are going to feel that suffering as the fundamental pain of our being. The soul will suffer because she is totally displaced from her true abode, which is the Heart. Experiencing that pain (and not really understanding what it is) we try to run from it (or cover it up) through various pursuits, goals, activities, obsessions, etc. But what are we running from?—the call of our own soul! That pain or longing, when properly understood and acted upon, is the very thing which can take us beyond the pain altogether into the radiant wonder of our own being. The Sufi poet, Rumi, writes:
“It is the burn of the heart that I want. That burn is everything;
it is more precious than a worldly empire because that is what calls
the Beloved secretly in the night.”