Trapped in the mentalities of relationships with people, places & events, we stumble on in despair, ever seeking the liberation from our own self created illusions…

The realization of profound inner stillness and peace came on suddenly.  It was astounding.  Since that time, I have sought the return of that feeling, as it opened an inner door that will remain open for ever.

I read in current mystical teachings that the Reality of Divinity is the ultimate of peaceful experiences.  Each of us is, at a very deep level, struggling to return to this core truth of a profound inner peace and tranquility.  This feeling cannot be compared to any reward or comfort or pleasure that the world brings us, and it is ever present and available to all.

With casual observation, it can be seen that the world is full of distractions. Without a discernable effort to look within, the fixation on external fulfillment can consume us.  This is commonly known to the addict, who recklessly consumes one fix after another, chasing the seeming resolve of an inner need.

There is never any real satisfaction in external gratification

Without the capacity to see, appreciation of an image would not be possible.  What then is doing the appreciating in the first place?  How does the appreciator have the capacity to appreciate anything at all?  The tendency is to believe that the world around us exists independent of our perception.  Rather, without the capacity for awareness, there would be no world to perceive.

Many are caught in their perceptions and do not see the subtlety of how perception arises.  If one were to devote one’s life to “realizing the root of consciousness”, one would certainly discover the fulfillment of all worldly desires is already present in an internal gratification, innate to life.

So how do we “get there”?  

The qualities which one begins to identify with are acceptance, surrender/letting go, listening, devotion and unconditional love.  We progressively withdraw from the material satisfaction for the recognition of an internal satisfaction.  Just as there are goals in the material world, so are their realizations of the spiritual Self.  This is brought about as one withdraws from the need for immediate gratification.

The irony comes when the material gratification has been let go, and instant “soul” gratification is achieved.  This achievement is normally eclipsed by the vice of addiction.  How we arrive at the realization of our full potential comes when our willingness to see reality clearly is exemplified by a disassociation with the world of form.

We are all here to learn lessons

If it were not for a material reality, we would not have the experiences that are unique to living life in the physical form.  It is as if we completely forget the truth of what we really are when we incarnate into a body.  This spiritual amnesia is widespread as the norm of society that values materialism and the body above “holism”.

To detach from a materialistic perspective is the lesson of the material world.  We then replace materialism with consciousness that is in servitude to God.  What we have with materialism is servitude to the body, when the body is only a temporary shell or vehicle of life.

What needs to happen is a shift in our emphasis of life over spirit to a spiritual based existence.  Unlike the stresses of life, the identification with spirit brings joy and ease.  The term “stress less” becomes a mantra for this new way of being.

The resolve to turn one’s perspective within is a choice that can take many lifetimes.  Once the inner truth of the nature of the self in bliss becomes apparent, there is no turning back.  The joy and ecstasy of a spirit centered within the grace of God cannot be matched by any physical means.  It is a freedom that has, and will always be, the core of our true nature as eternal, spiritual beings.