Well, in the interest of self-discovery and social and spiritual evolution… it does matter…
One could explain that an energy force flows through the Universe. This energy force connects human consciousness to everything tangible and intangible within the cosmos. The study of Quantum Physics already sheds scientific light on this subject. Yeah, that’s right, a sublime connection to our source – the essence of god – not explained by blind faith, but through math and science. Huh… who knew… It is a positive flow of power that exists everywhere. It pulses through the Cosmos and creates new existence from cessation in a revolving Mandala of life, death and rebirth. We see it with the seasons here on Earth; or millions of light years away as a tired star exhales its final hydrogen fury giving way to the birth of new stars. This energy is everywhere imaginable and unimaginable and we are part of this system of continuous change.
I don’t know… I kind of find this exciting…
It is easy to forget our magnificent connection to the Universe when the OC House Wives are creating fascinating drama on Bravo. Who can take their eyes off of that train wreck? It is hard to find this connection to the sublime when we are grinding out a paycheck; living month to month and feeling the guilt of that fast food binge sitting so comfortably in our stomachs. Yet, it is true; we can manifest our own positive reactions through positive thought and actions, thus creating a new dynamism that echoes through our lives. This dynamism helps us recognize our True Nature and that success and happiness are not necessarily found in a bible, church or at the bottom of a bottle… no, happiness is finding your center of energy right now. A helpful model to understanding this premise is what I call the Circle Theory.
Imagine a circle. In the center of the circle is a form of self-actualization (remember self- actualization differs for each individual). By being centered, or self-actualized, you can attain new knowledge by thinking and living with an open mind. You are able to think for yourself and can successfully weed through societal conformity and be a true individual. This is what social/spiritual evolution is all about: To be centered is to feel that connection to the Universe; that you are not just a social security number; that we are connected to something so extraordinary it boggles the imagination. To be centered is to understand your childhood and upbringing, so that when you make new actions in your life, they are not based on earlier negative models of behavior. To be centered is to tap into positive energy –creating good Karma and positive thoughts for your wellness and the wellness of others. By channeling positive energy into your life, you will create feelings of bliss and even euphoria. On the outsides of this circle, lie the ills waiting in the shadows to knock you off-balance and away from the center, away from self-actualization. These ills include low self-esteem, addiction, hate, greed, jealousy, and conflict – in essence, your false self or ego.
As we wrestle with daily life, challenges repeatedly confront us—stress, relationship frustrations, loss, conflict with a co-worker, credit card debt—the list can be endless. Every negative issue pulls you away from your center in the circle and drags you closer to the edge where chaos and mediocrity reign supreme. At the edge of the circle, the quality of life suffers. Many times we live unknowingly at the edge of the circle. We settle and become part of the herd – following and not leading; conceding that this is life and there is nothing we can do about it.
French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin in his famous statement said,
“The physical body is not truly ours, it belongs to planet earth. We can call it our own while we reside in it but it does not belong to us.”
This raises the question of, what is a spiritual being? According to the dictionary, a spiritual being is defined as “an incorporeal being believed to have powers to affect the course of human events.”
Some consider spirit as energy, of which we are all energy, vibrating at different frequencies.
During quiet moments in our busy lives, we can reconnect with the belief that we are eternal souls or spirits. If we believe that we are spiritual beings having a human experience, the soul is considered as a piece of the Divine, where unconditional love, forgiveness, compassion, peace, happiness and harmony reside. Our spirit is here to experience this life and its lessons.
18th century Swedish scientist/inventor/mystic says the natural world and spiritual world co-exist:
Acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records for having one of the highest IQ’s in history, Emanuel Swedenborg has written more than 35 volumes on spiritual identity. He has shed some light on the topic of humans as spiritual beings.
Swedenborg suggests that the natural world and the spiritual world co-exist. The natural world consists of everything you can see – houses, streets, the sky, people, etc. The spiritual world consists of realities that we cannot see, such as heaven, hell and the places and people in our imagination. Although the spiritual world may not appear to be strikingly different from ours at the onset, Swedenborg suggests that an individual’s inner state can be reflected in their surroundings.
spiritual identity:
Looking in the mirror and recognizing our spiritual identity is not something we habitually do. The physical world is forever reminding us that we’re having a human experience, with the five sensory organs that are telling us what we hear, see, feel, smell and taste. Without realizing it, we have become highly critical human beings that are concerned with body image and other trivial issues.
Swedenborg offered some insight on the origin of our unhappiness, depression and disappointment with ourselves. All body image challenges can be tracked back to the lack of Divine Love for yourself. He pointed out that this stems from a lack of knowledge about ourselves, in terms of who and what we are. Swedenborg argued that we do not see ourselves as spiritual beings adopting a human experience but vice versa.
According
to Swedenborg, our body is separated from our soul when we pass away
and lives on
