Stages of the Journey

Spiritual growth often begins with asking ourselves the deeper questions in life– we’re searching for meaning, and hoping to focus on what is lasting and worthwhile. As we grow, we awaken our full potential, activating inner resources and gifts that serve to transform and empower us.

The journey can be triggered by a crisis, or simply the feeling that there must be more to life than the day-to-day routine. However it begins, it gives us access to a vast dimension beyond the material and intellectual realms, and as we progress, we embody spiritual attributes that enrich our lives and the lives of those around us.

Sincere seekers often find that great truths are universal, for there is remarkable commonality among the world’s wisdom traditions. The virtues of unconditional love, compassion, forgiveness, generosity, and service are hallmarks of a life lived in alignment with Spirit. They bring about a sense of meaning, joy and purpose that no earthly accomplishment can match.

Some find meaning in a formalized or traditional path for deepening their spiritual connection, while others observe that the authentic search flows with divine synchronicity and timing in relation to what is most needed in their life. Whichever path you take (and many seekers try more than one), trust the process, ask for grace and guidance, and know that patience and persistence are often required, as you increasingly align your heart, mind, and soul with the light of God.

An expression often used when describing various religious and spiritual traditions is that “all rivers lead to the sea.” This reminds us that at the most profound level, these paths are not at odds with one another. So how does one determine which path to take? Start where you intuitively feel led, whether that is returning to the heart of a tradition learned in childhood, or responding to a new direction that calls to you.The most important thing is to begin; and once begun, to make this journey a sacred part of your life.

Thoughts On The Journey:

-There is a classic pattern of awakening that might apply to your own journey, and it’s sometimes not a linear path. It could begin with discontent with the way things are, or with a significant disappointment. The search for answers follows, as you look for what is truly authentic and reliable. A loss of satisfaction with earthly things and a longing for spiritual connection compels you to keep exploring and learning, and in the process, you might experience moments of extraordinary illumination. Along the way, it’s also possible to have the transitory experience of what has been called a dark night of the soul, where you feel as if you’re losing the familiar, and yet you can’t envision what’s ahead to replace it. This liminal space is actually the sacred birthplace of a new version of you– an apt analogy is the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly.

-There’s an enormous difference between accepting something purely on faith alone, and having the benefit of truly knowing it because you’ve personally had a profound spiritual experience. Seekers who’ve been blessed with one or more illuminating spiritual experiences aren’t relegated to accepting something simply because someone tells them it is so. Their knowledge is first-hand, and that truth guides them in a way that is unfailing. Having those transformative experiences is one of the goals of the spiritual journey.

-Author M. Scott Peck, M.D., wrote a wonderful description of stages of spiritual development, discussing the way a formal-institutional outlook, marked by blind adherence and a lack of flexibility in one’s thinking and belief structure, eventually yields to a more mature viewpoint, after passing though a stage of questioning and skepticism.

As the seeker arrives at this mystical-communal stage, mercy, compassion, and unconditional love are the natural reactions to others, and life is lived for the greatest good of all. Dr. Peck’s books, The Road Less Traveled series (New York Times Bestsellers), are a good launching point for exploring stages of the spiritual path.