Higher states of consciousness are naturally interesting to people because we all inherently know that things are simply easier to understand when we aren’t lost in our usual day to day problems that plague us from day to day.  There are rare experiences when we are able to see the higher meaning of our lives and these moments help us to achieve greater clarity and value in the things we do.

In addition to the higher value and clarity that we can all achieve in a higher state of consciousness, we can also alleviate the negative feelings that come from our normal day to day routine.  Higher states of consciousness transcend all of our negative emotions and leave us feeling as though we were “floating on air” in a perfect state of peace and contentedness.  With such great promise as this, it is a great wonder that these higher states are so rarely reached and that the secret to their achievement often seems so hard to discover.

The reason why the difficulties arise has to do with a fundamental difference between what is called “theory” and what is called “application”.  In “theory”, we know that higher states of consciousness exist and we can talk about them, read about them and think about them to no end. In “application”, however, we find that we must actually begin to do things that are more real and concrete.

Thinking and reading and talking are all very concrete things and yet they often aren’t concrete enough to bring about a higher state of consciousness.  Our thinking and our books can only take us so far until we find that we actually need to transcend ourselves and go even further.  This makes spiritual work seem extremely hard or even impossible for most people.  We often decide to just “give up” and later on we discover that our “giving up” was actually part of the spiritual process which was necessary in order that we approach our task from a new angle.

Having “given up” on spiritual efforts, we discover that there is still a part of us which seeks those same higher states of consciousness that we originally set out to achieve.  With a new strategy and a more open attitude, we reach a proverbial “second wind” which is mentioned in the classic spiritual book The Cloud of Unknowing.  In this book, the anonymous writer explains how an initial effort to reach a higher state of consciousness often fails but that a person who returns to the effort again after years of “giving up” is almost sure to reach those higher states which they first set out to attain.

The basic effort that is required to reach these states has to do with letting go of negative emotions and becoming more aware of ourselves in the present moment.  We can practice these things each day but often find that they are very hard to achieve for any extended period of time.  Letting go of our grief, anger, fear and guilt are all part of what spiritual effort is all about but actually doing these things turns out to be much harder than we first imagined.  Watching ourselves, observing our thoughts and coming to understand ourselves better are also important elements of spiritual effort but these things only come slowly over years of work and long hours of reading, writing and participating in spiritual groups.  The efforts sometimes seem to much for many people after one or two years and they eventually become distracted by something and fall away from their path.

Falling away from the path is a normal part of spiritual growth and can actually be viewed as a positive step forward after some initial effort has truly been expended.  If the person who falls away from their path doesn’t fall too far off course, they can often find a renewed hope in the idea that there is a “second wind”. This second wind is something that often indicates a true spiritual seeker and someone who has come to understand the true meaning of devotion and dedication to spiritual principles.

If you are intent on reaching a higher state of consciousness, it will be important for you not to forget your second wind.  Many people begin on a spiritual path and even reach certain higher states of consciousness in the beginning.  The true spiritual devotee, however, is that person who has come to a seeming end in their path and has actually fallen away for a time to wonder how a higher state of consciousness can truly be reached.  It is only after their second wind that they truly come to see what higher states of consciousness are really all about.  Good luck to you on your path and don’t forget your second wind!

“The true value of a human being can be found in the
degree to which he has attained liberation from the self.”
- Albert Einstein

The mind – body – spirit analogy is probably the most widely accepted model for representing our understanding of humankind and what constitutes our being. These three distinct parts of the Self seems to encapsulate our entire experience of ourselves and our lives. For decades now most of the analysis about human consciousness revolved around some version of the body – mind  – spirit model. But there is another way of analysing the self (one of many) that is equally valid and in many ways more useful as a way of understanding more about our spirituality and how we can live a more conscious life.

Looking things in a new way can be mind opening. We tend to get so stuck in accepted ways of looking at things that we rarely stretch ourselves to new level of understanding that often comes from looking at something from a new perspective. With this in mind, let’s take a look at spirituality from a different angle – from an angle that will help you in your everyday life and in consciously growing in both your understanding and in your evolution of your spirit.

Each and every one of us have two distinct aspects about ourselves. These two aspects are our constant companions on life’s journey and no matter how hard we try, we cannot escape them. Together they make up your consciousness and your very experience of your Self and your life. The first aspect represents our appearance and the face we wear in this world. It’s called the ego and it that part of you that represents you to others and to the world at large. The ego is like a mask you wear, a mask that is necessary for your spirit to be able to ‘live’ in this life. The second aspect of You, is your spirit or your higher self. It is that part of you that’s invisible and that quietly lives in that inner space deep inside your consciousness.

Try and think of these two aspects of your Self not as two people living inside you, but rather as two sides of the same you. Like two faces of the same coin they are inextricably connected to each other. Both are part of the life force, the one primarily concerned with where you are while the other is primarily concerned with where you came from and where you are ultimately going back to.

Although ego and spirit are so closely related, they have vastly different demands on both your conscious and your unconscious attention. Your ego is primarily concerned with maintaining it’s importance in the world. It always wants to be right and is convinced of the fact that it is separate from everyone else. It’s always in competition – always wanting to be better than everyone else. Ego always strives to have more, to be better and to dominate. The ego’s value is determined by comparing itself to others to see how it stacks up – the ego’s point of reference is always outside of itself.

The world is filled with ego driven people. One of the key characteristics of more spiritual people is their ability to focus more on their spiritual aspect. In many ways the needs of spirit is almost the exact opposite and is not interested in any of the demands that dominate the ego. Spirit’s primary need is to be at peace and being right and conquering others is of no concern to spirit. Spirit has no need for more because it knows that it’s value comes from itself and not from what it gains, what it wins or what it collects and accumulates.

Much of our own inner conflicts arise from a conflict between these two aspects of ourselves. It presents us with two vastly different and conflicting sets of demands. Living a more spiritual life with a greater sense of inner peace and personal fulfilment is primarily about placing greater emphasis on the higher self and on giving the spirit a greater prominence in your life. It’s not a process of slaying the ‘evil’ ego, but rather about learning to subdue the ego and it’s demands in favour of the higher self’s demand to be at peace.

The real question is who you are allowing to run things in your life. Is it ego or is it spirit? If your life is driven by having more, being better than, being right and dominating; then ego is in charge. If your life is driven by having a sense of inner peace, by being compassionate, reaching out to others and giving – then you allow spirit to take over. Living from your higher self is about living in harmony with the flow of goodness of the universe and you will rarely encounter any conflicts. Ego on the other hand thrives on conflict – it’s a chance to proof it’s importance and dominance over other people and circumstances.

Renowned scientist Albert Einstein’s quote above reflects beautifully what we are talking abut here. What he meant with his statement is that we will discover a higher value in being human when we learn to free ourselves from the demands and expectation of the ego. The ‘self’ that he is referring to is the ego. The question is who is running your life? Is it ego or is it spirit? Learning to break through the facade that your ego upholds you can live a more peaceful, joyous and fulfilled life.

The 3 Spiritual Dimensions Of Living An Enlightened Life is a self study course that hones in on more of these ideas and looks at some revolutionary ideas for making spirituality part of who you are and helping you to create a richer experience of life. Click Here… For More Info
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