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Finding Our Way

What I am presenting today is not based on researching the Internet, nor is it compilation from experts. What I am presenting comes from my perspective and my experiences. It represents what I like to call, my Best Guess. I really don’t know what is going on. So my perspective and conclusions may change. I encourage you to consider what I am presenting as information and compare it to your own perspective and experiences.

I am including some of my favorite quotes. In some cases, I may have changed a quote slightly or not remembered it exactly – but I have tired to retain the essence. My first quote is from Erich Fromm, who said, “Our quest for certainty blocks our progress.” ’Uncertainty is the very condition that impels “us” to unfold “our” powers.’ So lets embrace our uncertainty and forge ahead toward our Highest Good.

One time I was on a schedule where a talk was given once a month, and it was my turn. So I started off by saying, “Well, its that time of the month again.” Which was met with unexpected laughter. Later, someone pointed out to me that the phrase “that time of the month” had a particular meaning. Not one that I had intended. And that is the way of words and language. It is said, “Words point us to the Truth, but they are not the Truth.”

I consider that the concept of a Spiritual Path is similar. To me, my Spiritual Path is made of the events, opportunities, choices, information, etc. that lead me toward a goal. My Spiritual path is a concept that points me towards Truth. Sometimes I can sort of “see it”, sometimes I can sense it, sometimes I wonder where it is, and sometimes I seek it. I once heard, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” As an Engineer, I understood this as saying; you need to know your goal. Once you have a goal, it is much easier to pick roads leading to it. As I Mystic, I now understand that we may not know the goal, and need to be open to taking the paths that appear. In essence, taking the next step with Faith. I also want to emphasize that a “Spiritual Path” is a concept. We may actually “see” a path or paths, but it can also be a feeling, experience, light, sound, or any other means of communication. As an example, consider the “path” of using this microphone. If it is not on, if it is not pointed in the right direction, my voice is not amplified. And some of you might not hear what I am saying. If the goal is amplifying my voice, then you can hear when I am on the “path.”

Some stories from my life may help illustrate the power of a Spiritual Path. The first story I call, the “Goldenrod Flier.” In 1995, I received a flier for the Course in Miracles gathering at Breitenbush Hot Springs. It was included in a box of products that I had ordered from my friend, “Swami Beyondananda.” The Swami is a new age comic and has become one of my mentors. I did not feel drawn to the Course in Miracles, other than Swami, I didn’t know any of the people running the gathering, and was not sure that I wanted to go to Breitenbush. I really did not know anything specific about Breitenbush, but just felt that it was sort of a “hippy” place and somehow felt questionable. So I put the flier aside. Except that whenever I walked by it, I would pick it up and start looking at it. Eventually I gave up and attended the gathering. It literally changed my life. I now believe that the goldenrod flier was calling me to my spiritual path.

The second story is “The Three Tibetan Monks”. In 1997, I was awakened in the middle of the night by a light in our bedroom. But there was no lamp or other light source there. I decided that this was Three Tibetan Monks appearing to me. Eventually I decided I was being called to travel to a Monastery in Nepal on the way to Mount Everest. I had never been to Asia, had no interest in Tibetan Buddhism, had a great engineering job, a wife and three daughters, a small farm, a big old house I was remodeling, a rental house, and not enough money for the trip. However, clues kept reinforcing this call and money showed up, so I went on my own to Nepal in search of the monastery. I found it, and that journey changed my life. In fact, as the airplane was taking off from SeaTac and I was leaving my organized, familiar, left brain, engineering world for the unknown, is the exact moment I became a Mystic. However, I didn’t realize that until I heard it during a meditation five years later.

My third story is “Finding a didgeridoo.” Four of us traveled on our own for two weeks in Australia and I knew that I wanted three things, DVDs of Christmas Music, a Hat, and a didgeridoo. Now I associated the didgeridoo with Australia, but I had no idea why I wanted one. While we were in Australia, I spent a lot of time looking for a didgeridoo, found that they could cost hundreds, even a thousand dollars, and that I could not play one. When I would ask for help in meditation, the message was “You must follow your Spiritual Path.” I kept trying to do that, but was running out of time. At virtually the last minute and in an out of the way place, I found one. Looking back, I can now see my path, and why it was important, but it certainly was not evident at the time.

I call the next story, “Somewhere in Time.” I remember one day feeling that I had completed the minimal amount of tasks that I came to do in this life. I did not feel that it was time to go, so I meditated with the intention of taking on more tasks. What I believe I saw was a sort of time line with a vertical line sometime on the right. I think that this vertical line was death – the end of this life. Then I noticed something to the right of the vertical line. It seemed sort of like an asterisk and I decided that it was a task after death, so I pulled it back to the left of the vertical line into this life. Although I did not know what it was, I felt pretty good.

The Cancer. I gave a talk on the spiritual lessons that I learned from what I call The Cancer a year ago. That talk did not include a vision that I had at the time. I am not sure if the vision was my Spiritual Path or some other path, but it was important to me. US 64 goes north out of Taos New Mexico, and then turns west where eventually it crosses the Rio Grande. Once I took this route on the way home. The land is very flat for a long ways. As I was driving, I suddenly was crossing a bridge where I was shocked to find a deep gorge. The Rio Grande was about 800 feet down. I continued a short way to a rest area, turned around, and then drove back to confirm what I had seen because it was such a surprise. Last year, when I became aware of The Cancer I realized that this could be the end of my life. In meditation, I saw a path that looked very much like the road in New Mexico. I was crossing the bridge and needed to keep going to the other side. If I did, it looked like the road would be much the same, which I took to mean that my life was not ending, as long as I continued on the straight and narrow bridge. Near the far end of the bridge was sort of a fog bank or something similar. Apparently this represented the trials, and tribulations I went through before I emerged on the other side.

Recently I happened to think of my Spiritual Path so I focused on “seeing it” in meditation. To my surprise, it seemed to go straight up! I had never seen this before, but I started to focus on doing those things that seem to have upward energy. I think that this is a good example of how the concept of a spiritual path can help direct our actions. I am uncertain about the goal, but am not working on moving upward a good goal, regardless? And if my path is upward, isn’t it good to be paying attention?

I want to take a minute to talk about The Course in Miracles. While I became aware of the Course over 25 years ago, I have only joined a study group a few times and each time I found the material difficult to understand, and confusing. Consequently, I did not study the Course for very long. When our former minister, Rev Karen Hamilton started a study group, Kay and I started attending. And we continued with Brian Jones after Karen left. I have really been going because Kay wanted to; I did not find the Course any easier. Brian is widely read in Spiritual books and he now has us reading “The Disappearance of the Universe.” The author, Gary Renard, was visited by two Ascended Masters. These masters talked to him about his Spiritual Path and the Course in Miracles. They disappeared and then reappeared over a number of years and he kept track of what they told him. Eventually he wrote this into books, the first of which is “The Disappearance of the Universe.” Essentially the book is the Course in Miracles in straightforward, present day language. As a result, I am learning far more than I did before. Some of what I have learned has rocked my world. And I feel in chaos. Swami Beyondananda says, “If you are in chaos, rejoice, this is the state that immediately precedes enlightenment.” One of the things that I have not mentioned about my Spiritual Path is that it seems to be unique and involves time. In fact, timing plays a very important part. My Path also involves what might be called sequential learning or sequential revelation. That is, I only get what I am ready for. Unless I have not been paying attention or I am resisting. Then there might be quite a jolt and/or pain to get my attention.

This brings me to, What are the methods that I use to help me find my Spiritual Path? I think that most important one is to Pay Attention. While I have not accepted that there is a reason for everything that happens, I have decided that I need to look for the learning or good in everything. Most of you know that I really trust and value my Intuition. I cannot tell you how much it has helped me and I depend on it more and more. Especially since I use a numbering system to evaluate different choices. I have long thought that I really have not been aware of the Holy Spirit. Recently, I realized that the Holy Spirit might be speaking to me through intuition. There are a number of inner senses. The first five that come to mind are those that correspond to the five senses of the physical world. My primary inner sense is feeling. I see very little. And when I do, it is not very clear nor in color. However, that can make what I do see, easier to remember. Visions, especially in meditation, can be the way I “see” my Spiritual Path. A friend of mine told me that Visions often come in on multiple dimensions. So it is important to check all of your inner senses. For example, what you are feeling or hearing can be as important as what you are seeing.

Here is a quote from our middle daughter, Heather Summerville: “The best relationships are those that expand your horizons.” We find those relationships in this Church, in our meditation group, and in special gatherings. Our meditation group is the Alohem and it was founded by Carole Glenn’s mother. This has been a great blessing to us for over 40 years; it has introduced us to wonderful people, and has changed our lives. Lastly, I find my way be being open to new experiences. Again timing is important. I will mention that one of the things that we do to expand our horizons are to visit a Vortex/Stargate on our property. We have gatherings about four times a year and you are invited to join us. I do want to again mention, Brian Jones and our “ACIM” group, currently reading The Disappearance of the Universe from 1 to 2:30 on Mondays. There is also our weekly meditation Thursday nights at 7pm. These are included in the announcements each week and I think sometimes are not recognized for the opportunities they represent.

How can you tell if something is now on your spiritual path or which path to take if it branches? Intuition.

As a Mystic, what really is important is the meditation. In a talk, we have a chance to learn something new or reaffirm some belief. However, in the meditation, we have a chance for our own experience.

Meditation – How can I get a glimpse of my Spiritual Path? Create Sacred Space, See a Vortex, Open a portal overhead, and hold the intention, play the didgeridoo.

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