Authenticity, Initiation & Truth on The Spiritual Path

[This is an expanded version of a previous post I wrote]

Whilst spiritual experiences are important, feel wonderful and are necessary for our growth and healing, it is essential that we stay grounded and do not let our spiritual life separate us from truly relating to others at a human level; that we do not let our spiritual connection breed narcissism. Some of the things which may separate us from others are aloofness, secrecy, claiming it's necessary to have initiations via certain teachers or to belong to a specific spiritual group or mystery school. In my experience spirit provides the real initiations, if we are truly ready to embark on the journey of deep inner work that such transformation requires, necessitating healing and authenticity: an embrace of all aspects of ourselves; emotional, mental, physical and spiritual. We have to integrate all parts to feel whole, and this may involve a period of putting ourselves, metaphorically speaking, through the alchemist's fire to reach the pure gold of our true spiritual nature. 

If we are meant to have a specific teacher or teachers on the physical level, then we will be guided to the right person at the right time. This may well involve not one fixed teacher, as spiritual initiations can come in many different forms through every day experiences as well as through activities that shift our consciousness whilst we receive energy, such as through healing sessions. Many times healers channel higher energy similar to what one might experience in a Shaktipat initiation or shamanic ceremony and those doing this sort of healing work should keep themselves clear and aligned so that the highest energy can come through.

Diana Cooper has spoken in her writings of the varied initiations that she and others have gone through. For instance, a type of higher initiation she calls 'the crucifix' meant that one lady had all parts of her life suddenly fall apart, including her husband leaving and receiving a diagnosis of terminal illness. It was a real death of her life and identity as she had known it. Similarly, Rudolf Steiner in his classic book 'How to Know Higher Worlds' talks of an initiation from the soul, in which an individual is suddenly alienated from all forms of support that have previously been available to them. The individual has to take action to get his or herself out of a difficult situation on their own. 

In the novel Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, the protagonist Siddhartha after having displayed amazing spiritual abilities earlier in his life, then had to go through many earthly challenges and experiences before he could truly embody genuine compassion and humanity, which finally enabled him to find the deep inner peace of enlightenment.  This provides us with a metaphor for the spiritual journey as represented by the symbolism of the the Merkaba or 'Star of David' - a merging of earthly and spiritual experiences. It seems that for many of us, this manifests in the form of; first we go up, towards the light, and then we come down, bringing the light down into daily life. The sorts of tests and forms of higher learning manifesting in our lives that facilitate this great spiritual journey are as good a reason as any why we should never judge another if they are going through difficult times. 

Often the real reason behind life's events is obscure to us and sometimes even if we ask, we are not meant to know at that time. A person seen to be suffering is most likely doing very important soul work on themselves or possibly sacrificing themselves to help another, as has been described in various near-death accounts. That is not to say we do not step forward to help them, as helping might be part of our lesson, but rather that we do not judge. We can never fully know another person's path and in the Tibetan teachings there have been many times when everyday folk leading simple lives have surprised their families by becoming enlightened as they die.

In the beautiful hope-filled books 'The Ringing Cedars' series by Vladimir Megre, about the spiritual Siberian recluse, Anastasia, we see that despite her advanced abilities and otherworldly life, Anastasia constantly tries to explain the mechanisms behind everything she does and to show that these abilities are intrinsic to everyone. She tells us we just need to purify our thoughts, which I equate to aligning with our higher selves or souls, so that we can remember the knowledge of our forebears who were our wise ancient selves. Vladimir Megre states that unlike many spiritual teachers he has known, Anastasia does not veil herself in an air of mystery. She wants to prove the true capabilities of what she calls 'Man' (a human standing in their divine power), which are inherent to us all. 

In the famous spiritual Classic 'Autobiography of a Yogi', Paramhansa Yogananda recounts that the first kriya yoga master to teach to the public, Lahiri Mahasaya, pleaded with his guru Babaji that the secret knowledge of kriya yoga be made available to all who came to see him and not just a select few 'evolved' souls. Babaji saw the purity of Lahiri Mahasaya's intentions and granted this request and we are told that many were greatly helped through receiving these teachings. 

Furthermore, despite his amazing spiritual prowess, Lahiri Mahasaya never liked anyone bowing down to him because he recognised the oneness of all souls. Many times if a new student offered pranams to him he would then return the gesture, demonstrating that we are all the same and that it is important to be 'down-to-earth'.

For spiritual teachers and any of us wanting to represent a spiritual way of life, there are the everyday practicalities to think of too! My healing teacher used to say to us, "do not put me on a pedestal because I'll fall off". I have seen this play out in real life on various occasions. One girl I know of who was working publically and quite prominently as a healer and spiritual teacher stated that she did not want children because it would interfere with her important life mission. As often happens in life when we think we are certain about something yet have no experience of that thing, the very thing that had been denounced then occurred; this young woman then fell pregnant and had a beautiful baby. She later acknowledged how what she had said before was deluded, using her own growth and example to guide others towards a more balanced view of spiritual life. 

The great Hindu teacher Vivekananda has stated that the purest souls have no desire for self promotion or teaching and being in the limelight. They have lost the bonds of attachment and their Sattvic (pure) nature shrinks from the very thought of pushing themselves forward, as their whole self is dissolved within the Absolute. They are so at-one with God and so satiated by communion with the Divine that they have lost the sense of their own identity and no 'worldly' task or reward has any meaning or appeal to them. So, along that note, any of us wanting to promote ourselves still have some ego to deal with - and this is good! Because without the ego we would not have motivation to take action and do the spiritual work of dharma. Souls working for the highest good are needed in all areas of life and to not follow our inner prompting and true heart-based desires in this way is likely to lead to a lack of inner fulfilment. The ego part of ourselves is only a problem when we do not have an awareness of our inner motivations. Then there is the risk that our unconscious mind may become our master. 

It is necessary to be down-to-earth and stay humble and to be able to acknowledge and even laugh at our own weaknesses and faults - we all have shadows! Otherwise we are presenting a false 'airbrushed' image much like those of models in the media. This can be very disheartening to anyone wanting help and not seeing the full picture as they wonder what they have done wrong and why their lives are not perfect like the images they are seeing. Our acceptance and acknowledgement of all parts of ourselves helps others to also accept and love those parts of themselves they find less desirable, and therefore find their way back to wholeness. 

True spiritual teachers do not resent being questioned. They know how a good question is valuable to prompt new trains of thought and provide new insights; such has been the tradition of debating and questioning in Eastern cultures for centuries, aimed at penetrating deep truth. One practice in the ancient Russian Vedic culture presented in the books about Anastasia, was that the elders would ask questions of the children to test whether their own thinking was pure enough compared to young minds considered to be closer to divine thought. In 'Autobiography of a Yogi' we are told that Yogananda's guru Swami Sri Yukteswar would sometimes get criticised by members of the community. His response was always to listen to any criticism with respect and humility and then thoroughly examine himself to see whether there were any grains of truth in what was being said, and whether he therefore needed to amend anything in his behaviour. 

We all know the potential dangers when leaders 'possess' a lack of self-awareness and go unquestioned: from the many stories of cult members committing suicide to the horrors perpetrated in World War II. Although a true spiritual teacher would never contemplate directing anyone along those lines and most likely not direct anyone to do anything anyway - recognising the importance of an individual's free will - a genuine teacher knows that questioning is still necessary, regardless of their pure motives. Yogananda apparently had a fierce critic who was a journalist. One day the critic died and a disciple brought the news to Yogananda assuming he would be relieved. However, Yogananda was apparently sad, saying that his best friend the critic had died and lamenting that this man was the only one who would ever question him and point out his faults! He saw the immense value in this critic's contribution to his life in keeping him balanced in his personality. 

Obviously criticism can be hurtful and waste time and energy too, but when voiced rationally with balanced and valid view points, such alternative views can aid our growth and we should not be afraid to explore the real messages behind any such challenges. Others' feedback can be important to our self-development. In the poem 'Becoming Human', the  C14th Sufi poet and mystic, Hafiz  advises a man that his visions of God are likely true if they make him "more human" and "more kind to every creature and plant" that he knows. Whilst Hafiz's guidance implies that genuine experience of God brings depth of compassion and humanity, the bible declares "By their fruits you will know them", again, pointing to a grounded and practical application of spirituality. 

All these statements and examples by spiritual teachers who have gone before us can help us see where the truth lies in ourselves and in what we perceive in the world. In the absence of specific teachers or the wise men and women of yore, we have to rely on our inner teacher. Embodying that wise man or woman archetype for ourselves, we enquire within again and again, checking in with our internal compass so that we can navigate the illusions and the, at times, rocky terrain presented to us by life. 

Having grounded examples from genuine spiritual teachers helps us remember both what's true and what's truly important in life: a surrendering to the soul and its teachings, however they may present. It is therefore good during the calm moments to practise enquiry with our souls so that we may more easily recognise our inner promptings during less peaceful times. However, the challenge may be how to discern what is our souls' guidance. 

Many years back I had a vision of an other-worldly being who called himself 'Ishtar' or 'Ashtar'. I had not heard of the being called Commander Ashtar at that time, so I had no reference point as to who this being might be. Whilst the vision might have been genuine, I soon realised I was hearing what I wanted to hear, words from my own mind that satisfied the ego. Since then I have learned that my true guidance comes from my feelings and my heart and not from my head or my mind. 

The only risk with listening to our feelings though, is that some feelings can be conditioned responses, such as fear preventing us from moving forward, based on what's happened to us in the past. In such cases we have to feel into the fear and ask where it comes from in order to gain more insight. I have been blessed with many other spiritual experiences, but overall the greatest blessings are the hard won lessons where life itself has taught me through challenges, as these are the things which actually enable me to live as truthfully and compassionately as possible. The ethereal experiences give me the vision, but the worldly experiences give me the practical knowledge of how to apply the higher spiritual teachings. 

As in my experience years ago, our personalities when not aligned to soul often speak in extremes: either inflated, self-aggrandising ways, or punitive, self-denigrating terms as the ego part of us struggles to keep us bound to what it knows from earlier experiences in life. Our souls, however, speak in practical, grounded terms, guiding us to practise authenticity. We can see that the ego veers to one end or the other of the spectrum, similar to the parent/child exchanges found in transactional analysis "I'm ok, you're not ok" or "I'm not ok, you're ok" whereas the soul takes the middle (adult) path of balance and inclusion of both self and others "I'm ok, you're ok". 

Our souls at the highest level know only oneness and therefore offer guidance that may ultimately restore us to that true state of unity consciousness, where each person has a place and can shine as a radiant individual star, yet at the same time plays a part harmonising in the beautiful divine orchestra of the larger cosmos; the material embodiment of the divine plan. This is the truth which we are all heading towards on our spiritual paths. Simple in and of itself, yet often we need the life lessons to know how to fully put this truth into practise in our lives and no longer continue to react from our mis-aligned personalities as we have done in the past.