| What is spiritual growth? How does a human being | | | | The self-identity of the ego is now complete. The |
| grow from birth to spiritual enlightenment? What is the | | | | agape light of "i am" is no longer able to shine, and the |
| process? | | | | light of all reality not consistent with the ego's "beliefs" |
| I believe that spiritual growth is simply the process of | | | | cannot get in. |
| awakening our consciousness; becoming conscious of | | | | We forget our essential self even exists. Both "i am" |
| ultimate reality and "what is". | | | | and "I AM" disappear! The idea that we are pure |
| Like many things that are "simple", it is not easy to | | | | agape love, that we are co-creators with "I AM", is |
| achieve. If it were, there would be many more | | | | rejected as ridiculous. |
| enlightened persons in the world than there are. What | | | | Once formed, the ego is very invested in surviving; |
| do I mean by awakening or becoming conscious of | | | | both; physically and psychologically. The ego "self" |
| reality? And why is it so difficult? | | | | does not like change because it means that some part |
| Let me begin by saying that whatever your personal | | | | of it's self-identity must die in order to make room for |
| understanding of God, or Creator is, the commonly held | | | | a new ego "self". If the ego "believes" something to be |
| theistic view of God as a "person" who lives in a place | | | | wrong, not consistent with it's beliefs, it will label it as |
| called "heaven" is not going to be helpful when we try | | | | "not true, or not right" and then reject it. In this way the |
| to understand the process of human spiritual growth. | | | | self-identity of the ego is protected from change. The |
| I find it much more useful to understand God or the | | | | ego's belief is "THE" truth. In other words, when a firmly |
| Creator as the creative spiritual energy of pure agape | | | | held belief of the ego encounters reality, reality will |
| love or perhaps the radical Consciousness of pure | | | | change, not the belief. |
| being; the creative Consciousness of the Universe | | | | Said simply, the psychological survival of the ego |
| itself. | | | | requires that the ego avoid change by being rigidly |
| If we are born in the image of God as many believe, | | | | invested in being right. The need to be right is a primary |
| then at the moment of birth, before the world get its | | | | source of conflict and suffering in the world. |
| hands on us, we are essentially a pure, untarnished | | | | Unless we are able to understand how powerful this |
| child of God; a child born in the image of God. | | | | tendency of our ego is to allow in only what we |
| At that moment we are nascent consciousness | | | | already believe, we cannot grow. This is especially true |
| manifesting pure creative agape love; able to love | | | | when it comes to spiritual growth. |
| without a "because". At that moment we are able to | | | | Removing the log in our own eye is not easy work. It |
| manifest the infinite. We are simply a wave called "i | | | | can be achieved only when we deeply understand |
| am" resting in the ocean called ""I AM"". | | | | and fully accept that the seeds of conflict and |
| We do not need a "because" to elicit our love. We | | | | suffering are embedded in our own heart. Not just our |
| love because agape love is our essential creative | | | | neighbors. |
| energy. It is simply who we are. The agape love | | | | Spiritual growth therefore, is simply a process of |
| energy of " i am" is the same as the creative energy | | | | getting back in touch with our essential selves; a |
| of pure agape love and compassion of "I AM". | | | | process of awakening consciousness and discerning |
| This is how I understand the idea of "being born in the | | | | what our ego "believes" to be reality. |
| image of God". The goal of the enlightened person is | | | | To summarize, spiritual growth is growth in |
| simply to return to this essential self; this place of pure | | | | self-awareness. Any growth in self- awareness is |
| awakened consciousness where we began our | | | | spiritual growth. Spiritual growth is nothing more than a |
| human journey. | | | | process of understanding and accepting the many |
| Conceptually, I find it useful to think of this "essential | | | | layers of "ego stuff" that keep us from sitting with |
| self" or localized "i am" as the center of a small circle | | | | reality as it really is, and manifesting our essential |
| that is surrounded by "I AM" --- "THE" creative ground, | | | | energy called agape love. |
| the creative essence of all reality. | | | | Growth in self-awareness means understanding and |
| As we grow and develop over time into a separate | | | | accepting the simple reality that each of our beliefs not |
| ego "self", a "unique" individual, opaque layers of "ego | | | | only distort reality, they reject all aspects of reality that |
| stuff" called beliefs, certainties, expectations, fears, | | | | do not exactly conform to that belief. |
| desires, likes, dislikes, attachments, assumptions, | | | | A friend once told me humorously that the plum line for |
| conclusions, prejudices, illusions, judgments, roles, labels, | | | | what is right and true ran directly down the middle of |
| and worries begin to build up layer by layer as | | | | his ego. |
| concentric circles around the "i am". | | | | Change, the fundamental act of creation, and spiritual |
| The essential light of "i am" is slowly covered by the | | | | growth, are both challenging work for the ego. Both |
| impenetrable grime of this ego stuff until the light of | | | | require an awakened consciousness. Each time we |
| agape love of "i am" is no longer visible. Instead of | | | | grow in self awareness and empty the ego of its |
| manifesting the agape love of the Creator, we | | | | many layers, we move closer and closer to |
| increasingly manifest our individual ego or self-identity. | | | | manifesting the essential energy of the authentic self, |
| Over time, these layers of "ego stuff" become the | | | | the creative "i am" agape love energy that co-creates |
| definition of who we "are"; an "object", separate, apart, | | | | with the creative agape love energy of "I AM". |
| and unique from all other unique "self" objects. The | | | | The reality is we are co-creators with "I AM". The |
| beliefs, assumptions, and other "ego stuff" that we call | | | | wave can never be separated from the ocean. The |
| our "self-identity" and which effectively blocks the light | | | | only choice we have is---are we going to consciously |
| of "i am" or the essential self, are each like small lenses | | | | create love and compassion, or unconsciously create |
| that distort reality. The more rigid the belief, the thicker | | | | pain and suffering. |
| the lens. These "lenses", or ego "beliefs", distort reality | | | | Spiritual growth is nothing more than our ability to |
| in that they allow into the ego only those aspects of | | | | increasingly manifest this essential agape energy that |
| reality that the ego believes to be true; they effectively | | | | resides at the center of who we really are.....our |
| block out the rest of Creation by labeling it as "not | | | | essential self. |
| true". | | | | |