One of the gifts of being human is that our individual potential far exceeds the boundaries of our (animal) body, which, like all natural creations, must serve the general laws it's been created to obey. We have the possibility of consciously knowing the existence of another order of body that is in, but not of our physical form. For example, consider the oak tree; it is in the acorn, yet its body is timeless relative to the seed from which it emerges.
To see the truth of this principle in the life of a simple seed and tree as an earthly, or lower, expression of higher laws is more than just promising; it is spiritually empowering. This exact same law holds true when it comes to the nature of our own consciousness. Within our present level of being -- think of it as a seed relative to the tree that will rise out of it -- dwells a timeless level of ourselves that isn't subject to the laws of the natural world. This higher level of self, much like the life of a tree as compared to its seed, is relatively immortal -- and, as such, it is created to serve another order of existence.
The extraordinary possibility of being "born again" -- of achieving Nirvana or Moksha -- is seeded into us from the beginning, yet no seed is the flowering it promises unless it's cultivated and nourished. And this is precisely where the inner work of the willing aspirant must be brought into play. Spiritual rebirth is not evolutionary, even though the cosmos moves and perfects itself to assist as a midwife. The second birth is realized through an act of free will; it is voluntary, not mandatory.
In order to nurture our own awakening, we must first see the need to let go of those parts of us that we sense no longer serve us. This new kind of self-awareness is the interior "seed state" needed to outgrow and transcend our former level of self. But these seeds of higher self-knowledge must, in turn, become new actions if they are to awaken us to our immortal Self.
Consider the following four separate instructions that follow as a single seed and the course of action needed for the flowering of a whole new you. Let them guide you to an incorruptible consciousness that is as timeless as the greater good from which it comes.
- Remember yourself: Be as present as possible within yourself -- to the whole of yourself -- at all times.
- Receive and accept whatever is revealed as the gift that it is: There is no such thing as a bad fact for those who seek spiritual freedom.
- Release yourself: Refuse to judge, justify, blame, or console yourself.
- Endure yourself: Never forget the following: There are two kinds of suffering. One is born of not wanting to see or be what life reveals about your present nature. This is useless, unconscious suffering; it serves only to reincarnate a level of self that always rejects unwanted revelations about itself. The other kind of suffering is the conscious sacrifice of this nature. It is our agreement to let go of who and what we have been in order to make way for the birth of a new and timeless order of being.
