Thursday, April 26, 2018

Signposts on the Spiritual Journey




 "We are made of star stuff”~~ Carl Sagan

Post © 2018 by Joyce Mason

I walked into a metaphysical store recently and, to my surprise, the only thing I walked out with was a thank-you card for a friend. Nothing rang my chimes; I felt there was nothing there I needed.


In direct contrast to the early days of my spiritual quest, I would walk into one of these stores wishing I was as rich as Oprah so I could buy the entire lot. Every crystal, every inspirational plaque, every stick of incense, bottle of essential oil and sage called my name. And let’s not get started on the jewelry and t-shirts. I craved reminders and symbols of what I knew, instinctively, would help me feel better, loved, less anxious, and cured of past relationship pain. At one with a divine essence that didn’t feel ominous or a life that seemed to demand such difficult psychological work.

The day/night contrast made me look back on 40+ years of finding myself through my relationship with God/Goddess/All That Is, or my shortcut word for the Invisible, the Universe. I guess that’s the first big takeaway from years of studying mysticism, Edgar Cayce, astrology, tarot, meditation, and religions, among other tools. God and the Universe are One.

Science and spirituality are not enemies but simply the visible/invisible twins that run the Earth Show.

Reflecting on all this, I now realize that the accoutrements, whether they are crystals, Mala beads, statues or mantras, are simply keys to help us get inside ourselves—to unlock the God Within. That’s what Jesus meant when He said we could do anything he could. I don’t need another crystal necklace to help me find God; I just need to get quiet and open my mind to the Infinite. I can speak or listen or just hang out in the Divine Oneness.

This small observation with big ramifications feels like a good report card. I’ll never know everything (who could?), but in this part of my life, I have passed many tests and am comfortable in my own soul, just like I’m getting more comfortable in my own skin. The skin is just the shell that houses spirit, so it makes sense that there is penetration between the two.

Another sign of how I’m doing is that religion or spirituality has become integrated into my life. They are no longer separate quests or subjects in Earth School. I use the tools less, including astrology, and I find All That Is in my everyday interactions with my fellow humans. Gone is the snobbery of only wanting to hang out with “people who are evolved,” an idea that now is now laughable. As the Dalai Lama says, “Kindness is my religion.” I try to meet every body-and-soul wherever they are and find ways to bridge any language or belief barriers.

Lest I start sounding too angelic, rest assured I still fight with my husband, say things I regret, cut a little too sharp with my witty remarks at times and observe my own pride, envy, jealousy, vanity and a host of other imperfections. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about finding the divine in human form—in every one of them.

I invite everyone reading this to take out the scrapbook of your spiritual journey. Look where you’ve been, where you’re going, and where you are in this moment in time. What do you love? What is embarrassing? What came as a surprise?

If you’ve grown even an inch in loving kindness and in breaking down the barriers of Them and Us, you deserve a star on your forehead, just like the good sisters used to give me as a kid.
If you find your evolution needs a boost, do some random acts of kindness for others to show yourself you’re made of star stuff in more ways than one. Just as I finished this piece, I found this posted on Facebook that seems to frost the cake of this conversation:





 ~~~

Photo Credit: © gustavofrazao - Fotolia.com