The more you know yourself,
the more clarity there is.
Self-knowledge has no end -
you don’t come to an achievement;
you don’t come to a conclusion.
It is an endless river.
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti
1. The Evolution of the Soul – what does that actually mean?
We are often hearing the expression of referring to an “old soul”, a “mature soul” or a “highly evolved soul”. But was does that actually mean? Does it simply mean that a soul has experienced a certain amount of incarnations and therefore has gained a certain amount of human experience? Or is it referring to the momentum of awareness and (Self-)consciousness that a human being has actually achieved, regardless of the amount of incarnations on this planet? Or maybe both? Or none of that at all? And if it means either one or the other, what does evolution actually look like and how does one see whether he/she has actually evolved on a soul level?
The teachings are suspiciously quiet when it comes to the soul in general and even more quiet in respect to any indication to which and/or what degree a soul has to make an experience on the earthly realms. Some people argue that a soul has only completed its path of evolution once it has experienced each and every possible human experience on the planet, some limit it to a certain amount of experience and realization according to the specific archetype of the soul (meaning that each soul belongs to a certain linage or soul family that is addressing a certain aspect of human experience) and others say it´s not about the actual experience (and the integration of the same during the human life time) at all but only about the realization of the Soul of its true nature in the sense of Self recognition as pure awareness and infinite consciousness.
From the writer’s perspective each perspective has to be respected and most likely holds at least some truth within itself, but let`s go a step further and explore the process of incarnation in more detail:
Irrespective of the spiritual linage and/or perspective one is following, most so-called spiritual aspirants are seemingly comfortable to describe the phenomena of reincarnation as the process of the soul body (as one of several energetic bodies that exists within a human being) of coming back to the earthly realms again and again, to gain certain knowledge and wisdom in respect to what it means to be a spirit in human form or – in other words – a unit of consciousness encapsulated in a somehow limited form yet still being connected to and containing the entire universe as a whole. This experience is gained through the (often repeating) occurrence of certain situations and encounters with other incarnated souls, the gaining momentum of understanding of why and how the course of action and circumstances is turning out the way that it does (as to in reference to the law of Karma), the recognition of the soul`s true nature as an unlimited spiritual being beyond the given physical and mental restrictions due to the nature as a human being, and last – at least from the writer`s perspective – the essential (if not THE most essential) recognition and fully matured integration of all the learning in daily life as a human being within all of the so-called spiritual experiences and wisdom acquired while acting and being in the earthy realms.
Many people tend to limit their evolution to the – as they believe – more spiritual part of the process of evolution, meaning a lot (if not basically all of their attention) goes to the experience of certain spiritual momenta – referring to the experience of the flow of energies (Prana) in the body, sensations of light, visions, the sensations of internal sounds and so forth. The extent and intensity are often – form the writer`s perspective mistakenly – used as a measure for maturation and evolution of the human being or even the Soul. It`s not seldom that people are enthusiastically reporting about all their experiences during meditation and other spiritual practices, yet rarely one is seen reflecting over what these experiences actually mean for the human being in their daily life and the learning, evolution and finally the full (self-)realization of the soul.
2. Why spiritual experiences are NOT the key to full Self-realization
First of all, we have to note that the list of so-called spiritual experiences is long and never exhaustible and by nature, one cannot clearly define what a spiritual experience actually is. Whatever experience one has – meaning whatever one person is perceiving with any of its senses or a person is sensing with his/her general perception in the sense of an inner knowing – is highly individual. What is perceived by one person might not be perceivable by another person, yet the non-perceiving of the latter person does and should not in any limit the experience of the first being and vice versa: just the fact that the perception might be less clear doesn`t necessarily mean that an experience hasn`t been experienced in one`s system.
Yet the question is, when do me classify an experience as a spiritual one as opposed to a more mundane experience? Further, many of the so-called spiritual experiences that are referring to the movement of energies, light visions and others or far less “spiritual” as one might think. Sensations of movements of energies in the body are often automatically classified as highly spiritual awakenings of the (Kundalini) energies. This might be the case in some instances, yet in most cases the felt sensations are due to an heightened awareness that was gained through a more intense (yoga) practice for example yet in the end simply is the perception of the movement of Prana in the body, which by nature takes place in each and every human being throughout all day and night, which is completely normal and a natural phenomenon and not of any specific spiritual importance.
Further, one might never underestimate the (imaginary) power of the mind – many sensations and experiences that one might perceive during one`s walk on the path of soul growth might simply be pictures and sensations produced in the mind and projected onto the (physical as well as the energetic) body. If for example people learn of certain lights and colors within their chakra system, they become aware of those colors and might simply focus on that (imagined) sensation long enough until the sensation will actually be produced and perceived by the human being. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, all the writer wants to point out is that even the seemingly most spiritual experiences are not necessarily as spectacular (and therefore probably not as important on the path of soul growth) as one would think or wish.
Ultimately and in the end – as we will see in the ongoing course of this elaboration – it`s not even of importance if an experience is spiritual by nature or not, as any experience – irrespective of its nature – has the potential (yet not the automatic effect) of contribution to our growth as a human being and the evolution of the soul.
3. The process of Soul-evolution and Self-realization
The answer to the question of how actual Soul-evolution and ultimately (full) Self-realization can take place lies within the nature of human being itself. As the English term so nicely describes, we as a human being are actually both we are HUMAN, meaning in a very earthly form with all our earthly needs and wishes, our mental and emotional processes and forth. On the other hand, we are also a BEING, referring to something much more subtle, more energetic than material in nature, connected to the higher awareness and unified consciousness.
Therefore, also any kind of growth, evolution and realization ultimately has to take place, to be integrated and to show it`s “effects” on both levels of our existence. Or to put it in other words: the mere experience of a sensation, regardless of its nature or “classification” of spiritual or mundane, won`t show much of a growth on the level of the soul as long as it has not being fully integrated in our way of thinking and behavior, or more generally said, in the expression of our being in the earthly realms. It goes even beyond that as in the end ANY experience is spiritual by nature as much as it is mundane at the same time at it always has to be seen from the perspective of the experiencer who – again by nature – is both: spiritual as well as human.
Therefore, the question is never about how many or how deep our “spiritual” experiences are, it`s about how much these experiences shape our expression and perception on all levels of human being. As we can have countless “spiritual” experiences in the form of energy movements, light and sound sensations and vision, yes, even profound epiphanies about our soul´s nature and path, including past life experiences, ultimately the question will always be: how much does the experience, irrespective what that experience may actually look like, shape our understanding of or true nature of being, influence our interaction with others in our relationships and our overall expression and way of living in the world.
Ultimately, it´s about the experience and recognition of what is actually means to be consciousness in (human) form, to recognized one`s true nature to then to act out of the state of consciousness and pure awareness, to overcome the limitations of the mind and other (self-)imposed or imprinted thought patterns, conditioned behavior and fear-based behavior.
Therefore, the process is always a two-folded one – it`s about the experience that we make as a human being and how much we can see the bigger picture around that experience as well as how much we allow the experience to teach us a lesson.
Otherwise any kind of experience is rather limited in its immediate effect on the soul growth and Self-realization while obviously also never in vain. Or to put it in other words and in the form of a more practical question: What is the gain of any kind of (Kundalini) experience, the visions of past lives and so forth if – as soon as the experience is over – we are falling back into old patterns of thinking and behaving and being prone to using our spiritual practice as a means of by-passing of difficult earthly situations. Therefore, the most profound and therefore also the most beautiful experiences are those that bring us closer to our true nature, free us from our ego-mind structures and make us expand in our emotional and psychological capacity.
4. The two-folded process – where spiritual experience and emotional/psychological maturation congregate
a. Emotional and/or psychological maturation
When talking about emotional and/or psychological maturation one is referring to the level of maturity while being engaged in one`s self-expression and so-called self-realization ("self" in lowercase letters) in their interaction with others or one`s engagement in social happenings. The degree of maturity of people shows itself in the way they interact, the level of self-awareness and self-reflection, the degree of honest and truthful self-expression and the level of capacity how to deal with one`s (negative) emotions such as frustration, pain and anger.
It`s our more human and therefore more earthy part that is learning how to express in relationships, in our profession and other forms of interaction with society, to stand up for one`s inner truth, to cultivate individual strength and self-esteem but also to deal with shortcomings and frustrations, the capacity to cultivate subjective thoughts, feelings and emotions, to open our hearts in relationships and in general to develop a healthy form of togetherness.
This process is further about acknowledging and accepting different word views of different individuals, to take care of personal issues and carrying the responsibility for one`s difficulties due to trauma or other emotional/psychological frustration. In other words: to develop a responsible, truthful and non-violent communication and interaction even in moments of frustration, anger or pain rather than blaming one`s counterpart for being responsible for one`s happiness and fulfillment.
b. Spiritual evolution and ultimate soul growth
The process of spiritual development has very little to do with self-realization as mentioned above.
On the contrary. As opposed to optimizing the expression and realization of self (from a more ego-mind perspective) the path of soul growth ultimately is a path of self-transcendence: During the evolution of the soul (at least in later and therefore more “advanced” stages of development) one goes beyond any form of identification with the ego (or self which is basically referring to the same) and therefore takes little to no attention towards one`s emotional and/or psychic maturation or any other mean of earthly attachment or self-expression.
At a certain point of the process the main focus of attention is leaving the development, cultivation and even the expression of the self towards the far more subtle and etheric realm of one`s being and its purely impersonal dimension of existence. The ego-mind is more and more losing it power over one`s thinking and behavior, it`s more and more transcended and ultimately completely absorbed into the infinite consciousness. It`s a process of the Self (in capital letters), rather a process of the self.
c. The merging of two processes into one
The two processes of emotional/psychological maturation and spiritual development or – in other words – the maturation of the self versus the maturation of the Self are clearly to be distinguished, while also be closely connected.
One can say that at least a certain maturation of the self is needed to go deeper into the more subtle realms of one`s being. It`s a reasonably mature stable and healthy ego and mind structure that opens the room for an even deeper inquiry within oneself. Emotional maturity and a stable placement of one`s self in the realms of earthly living are needed to avoid the sword of Damocles of spiritual-bypassing (as referring to one`s behavior of using spiritual concepts, ideas and even practices to escape earthly challenges and interactions which is not only limited any progress on the level of emotional/psychological maturation but also any kind of deeper spiritual development) which is a major hindrance of true maturation in our age of Aquarius.
It is therefore highly recommended to not completely loose one`s psychological and emotional maturation out of sight and give it at least some level of attention and critical self-evaluation. First of all, not only that emotional and psychological stability (at least to some degree) is needed anyways for any deepened spiritual process, but also it is only this part that we truly have a major impact on through conscious and determined decision making.
Further, in the end it is mostly about the tangible imprint that we leave on this planet through our actions and behaviors during our lifetimes. Ultimately, the process of full Self-realization is not only one that is completely only by a rather rare number of human beings, but also a process that is mostly not in our hands.
As much as we can try in respect to our spiritual evolution, the maturation and ultimately the completion of this process (at least to the extend as we can talk about “completion” in this context) eventually it`s a path of pure grace. There is a saying, “spiritual evolution can never be achieved through one`s efforts, (yet, the divine always falls in love with a stubborn heart)”, which does point out clearly the reality. We definitely find (at least some extent of) free will in our actions on the earthlier levels of being, yet being quite dependent on the act of grace in respect to our (full) Self-realization.
One can say that the spiritual process – as strong as it might appear and show itself through any kind of experiences and revelations – is almost never fully able to dissolve our emotional/psychological “shortcomings” and challenges completely, shortcomings that finally do have to be faced and completely solved before being able to return to the ultimate “Kingdom of Heaven” or to experience the unrestricted limitlessness of infinite consciousness.
On the other hand, the emotional/psychological process can never replace the spiritual process. One might be completely stable and clear in one`s human expression in the word of matter while not being engaged in any deeper spiritual process at all – which of course is fine and not to be criticized in any way. In the end this might even be a very healthy and safe way to build up one`s spiritual process on such healthy and stable grounds, even it that might then be reserved for a life time to follow.
Under the viewpoint of pure White Light Consciousness, a suggested approach to the two folded process is to follow one`s spiritual longings, questions, practices and experiences in a stable and most committed way while always keeping a guarding eye on one`s earthly expression and interaction in the word. It not only (psychologically) healthy, but also meaningful to question all of our so-called spiritual experiences and practices as they are gaining it`s true momentum and development mostly upon our capability to integration them in our process of maturation not only of the self, but also of the Self.
It is my uttermost impression and believe that in the end we are challenged and tested rather upon our earthy interactions and our capacity to function as a loving and open-hearted being in this world then upon our spiritual insights and the movement of certain kind of energies in our bodies. Therefore, let`s amend the aforementioned saying as follows: “spiritual evolution can never be achieved through one`s efforts, yet, the divine always falls in love with a PURE and LOVING heart.”
(beautiful picture credit to Christian Felgenhauer© - Thank you!)