Spiritual Growth: Return to Godhead

Spiritual development is a systematic, methodic process that needs to be learnt and practised like any other skill. But very few understand spiritual growth as being systematic or methodic.

Most people randomly pick up books and practices without understanding their significance and place in the overall process. Consequently they remain where they are - or they could end up harming themselves.

Read more here: » Spiritual Growth: Return to Godhead

Each soul is potentially divine. "We are not human beings learning to be spiritual; we are spiritual beings learning to be human," said Jacqelyn Small. If this be so, why this forgetfulness about our divine potential?

What causes this amnesia? Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin has summed up the ultimate aim of Satan as: "The worst thing that the evil one can achieve is to make man forget that he is the son of a king."

(See also: Spiritual Growth, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Do you know who I am? I am a questioner. I am the possessor of an invaluable gift to wonder. Most people forget to wonder along the way or channel it into logical, empirical, scientific questioning. I did not. I turned to others for answers, I looked within myself. I looked in the abstraction of pure wondering for answers. I found some, but not most.

(See also: Spiritual Growth, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

We face many challenges on the path to liberation. We also have an ego to deal with. I am often asked: "Are these challengers different for men and for women? Or is the path fundamentally the same for both sexes? Shouldn't there be different paths?"

Assuming that the goal is enlightenment, there is only one path. Of course, there are fundamental differences between men and women and, if we want to be free, these traits need to be acknowledged and deeply understood.

(See also: Spiritual Growth, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Who we think we are, is what we grow up to be. Simultaneously, we also develop a corresponding sense of who we are not. What we think we're not is the stuff that makes up our 'shadow', that part of us which consists of the unexplored, feared and unwanted qualities - whatever does not fit into our image of how we should be.

Poet Robert Bly says we dump what we consider personally and socially undesirable into a sort of invisible bag we carry around, with its contents growing as we grow older. The shadow is not about our 'bad' parts. What makes it so undesirable to us is what we put there has remained unattended for long periods.

(See also: Spiritual Growth, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

" That is the essence of science: Ask an impertinent question and you are on the way to the pertinent answe r", wrote Dr J Bronowski in Ascent of Man.

This statement is probably equally - or perhaps more - valid in our spiritual quests. The Kathopanishad starts with Nachiketa posing a question to his father Vajasravasa, who was giving away gifts after a Yagna .

(See also: Spiritual realisation, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Nothing worthwhile in life is sudden. As a poet said, we wait for birth. We wait for love. We wait for life to reveal its meaning to us year after year, experience by experience.

Waiting is the law of life and the measure of love . 'Waiting' is a common Biblical theme. Simeon, who was waiting for Israel to be saved, and the prophet Anna, both find a lifetime of waiting for the Messiah worthwhile when Jesus is presented to them in the Temple.

(See also: Waiting, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Moving out of my apartment to reach anywhere in Mumbai, I pass through slices of time. 'Yesterday' shows up, among other things, in the buffalo sheds I pass along-side my drive through the new, slick highway, which is 'today'.

'Tomorrow' is seen in the amazing imported car showrooms, right next to the buffalo sheds. Rows of shining cars that can go at dazzling speeds - for which we do not have the right roads.

(See also: Spiritual Growth, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Spiritual Growth: The Certainties of A Changing World

You can be at ease with the uncertainty of the world when you realise the certainty of the consciousness. Often people do just the opposite. They are certain about the world but uncertain about God. They rely on something that is not reliable, and they get upset. Uncertainty causes craving for stability. The most stable thing in the universe is our Self.

Read more here: » Spiritual Growth: The Certainties of A Changing World

Where does the average seeker find stability in spiritual growth? Is there a 'how to' manual of integration into daily life? Many a spiritual seeker is becoming aware that he is more than his physical body.

There is a deep craving to understand what is their calling. The revival of ancient wisdom is growing and that growth is having an effect on the way we perceive spirituality.

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Sage Narada had the knack of bringing about social change and spiritual growth wherever he went. Adored and respected by Lord Krishna, Narada employed different ways to bring people nearer to God. He convinced the dacoit Ratnakar to chant "Mara, Mara" - the reverse of "Rama, Rama" - helping him evolve enough to get transformed into a sage (Valmiki).

Narada taught five-year-old Dhruv how to meditate. The result? The Lord manifested Himself before Dhruv. Narada'spointer that all eight children of Devaki could be a threat to King Kansa'slife led to Kansa being killed and liberated at the hands of God. Somehow, Narada brings all to God.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Why have children? I often put this question to parents and I get varied answers: For the sheer joy of having them around, to ensure the continuity of the family tree, to produce heirs, for security in old age, and so on.

Others say that children enrich their lives. But how? I've always wanted to hear more on this, but they usually stop short of giving a deeper explanation.

In fact, very few parents have been able to give expression to the learning experience they undergo in the process of raising or interacting with children. Raising children or educating them is not just a one-sided affair where all learning / teaching flows from the parents or teachers to the child-students.

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

 While the ultimate result of any truly spiritual path is the negation of the individual ego-self, one cannot begin on one's own personal path of spiritual realization unless one establishes his/her individuality. That means freeing oneself from the demands of organized religions, creeds, socially accepted beliefs, the dictates of any prophet. All of these characteristics of religious participation establish only the group-identity, the body of like-minded believers. People can spend an entire lifetime following the teachings and beliefs of others, without ever finding the path that is right for them personally.

Read more here: » Spiritual Growth: The Individual Path

 We are no longer looking for things to change so we can feel better after we see them change. We are remembering that in order to see things change, we must change the way we see things. Doing this is what integrates the feminine principle, within both male and female. Some claim the Law of Attraction (like attracts like) is a female principle, and that is what the planet is all about at the moment - reclaiming our feminine energies.

Read more here: » Spiritual Growth: Fluffing Pillows

There are two types of knowledge, the knowledge you have and that your soul has. Similarly, there is the knowledge amnesia patients have about themselves and the knowledge they would like to remember. The knowledge you have does not assist you in knowing your true identity and what your soul has done. Likewise, the knowledge amnesia patients have about themselves does not help them to remember what they have forgotten.

Read more here: » Spiritual Growth: Raising your Consciousness

Too many choices sometimes create conflicts and problems, and lead to unhappiness. Recent scientific and sociological studies done on a large number of subjects show that there seems to be a direct correlation between unhappiness and the number of choices available.

Read more here: » Spiritual Growth: Options for Sustainable Life

When Jesus said: - The kingdom of God is within - what He meant was that heaven itself would be a disappointment to restless, worldly people.

If a person has no true joy in his heart, he will not find true joy outside though he be in heaven itself, and in the company of angels. Heaven must be experienced right here, right now, within ourselves if we are to experience it ever.

Read more here: » Spiritual Growth: Make Friends With Your Self

The life of a plant is hidden in the roots beneath the ground. If the roots are not taken care of, the flowers and the leaves will die no matter how much you care for them. By taking care of the roots, the flowers will get nourished automatically. For, the flowers come out of the roots, and not the other way round.

The head or the heart are perceived to be the most important parts of the human body. But the truth is that our roots are more important. Just as the plants have roots in the earth from which they draw their life-energy, in the human body, there are roots which draw life-energy from the soul. The day those roots become feeble, the body begins to die.

Read more here: » Spiritual Growth: Reach For Your Soul - Nurture Your Roots

 When you let go and experience the world as a child experiences the sandbox, then you are open to the Truth that what is real never ends. The reality is that you are eternally the master of creation -- and destruction. You create, you enjoy your creation for a while and then you dissolve it, so that you can do it all over again. Forever.

Read more here: » Spiritual Growth: Finding The Joy In Your Universe