Author: Nick Hilton

There is no “One True Way” to spiritual maturity, which is a condition of true and lasting contentment with life, and the significance of a life worth living. There are many teachers throughout history, and one or another — or a few, or all of them, taken together — can and will help the individual soul to grow, to achieve a sense of personal unity, of moral clarity, of progress and fulfilment. Just as some folks learn by hearing, others by reading, still others by copying exemplary behavior, so do each of us learn from the versions of Truth in the words and the ideas of our teachers, the saints and Godheads which resonate in our souls and show us our way to salvation.

I used to think that spiritual consciousness consisted of thinking about God all the time, every day. But I have realized that thinking about anything all the time would be impossible for a normal, healthy mind; that my spiritual growth is a matter of my heart’s increasing acceptance of God; that the Holy Spirit resides within me in an unconscious, motivational way. My improving behavior, forgiving attitude, and calm reaction to life’s changing  circumstances are constant reminders of the extent to which God occupies my inner mind. My growth shows in my actions.

The message of Jesus Christ is Truth personified; a human life lived only for the benefit and betterment of others. When my thoughts propose difficulty in accepting His teaching, (such as when he says, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God,”) the doubt I express is the only thing that can keep me from the heavenly enjoyment I would experience by following Him constantly. The happiness and fulfillment I seek comes from acceptance of His teaching, the example and the spirit of the Gospel. Between my reality and Christ’s message of salvation the only boundary is the one I erect.

Our perceptions are our reality, and this reality is therefore subject to our emotional and conditional state of mind. If I am sad or afraid, a victim of circumstances, I see the world as my tormentor. If I am healthy and capable the world is full of promise and opportunity. The world, then, changes within me first and my new perceptions constitute the new reality. My health, my strength and my sense of purpose are given to me by my God when I make conscious contact with It, and my reality becomes a wonderful welcoming playground around me.

The only test of our Faith is whether and how easily we are able to quit worrying and remain “in the moment.” To the true believer everything that happens comes from the abundance of God, and though it may seem “bad” or “good” for a time, the faithful person understands that reality as we witness it is the unfolding of the sacred mystery of life; ultimately any event is blessed because only good can come from God’s abundance. The by-product of this belief is that our daily stress is reduced and our ability to thrive and succeed in life is increased unimaginably. We stop fighting everything and everybody.

Let us be careful not to judge others. When we think we see the faults (or envy the triumphs) of another person, we are seeing something of our own soul personified. When we see gluttony, anger, or sloth in another it is our gluttony, our anger, our own sloth that we are seeing, else we would not recognize it. But if we are bringing goodness, happiness and light to the lives of others everywhere, if this is our constant mission, we will not see others’ faults. Finding fault with others strengthens and reinforces the negative thinking that the spiritual life is meant to eliminate. Just so, envy of another’s success reinforces the sense of inferiority that always threatens us.

What is the spiritual life? It is simply a decision by an individual to live in fundamental, continuous belief that the universe is sanctified, holy, Divine; and that as creatures of this universe, so are human beings. This is only a matter of perceiving some significance to and order in life, as opposed to all random occurrence and chaotic chance. Since the origin of this reality is infinitely distant, the nature of the underlying divinity is ultimately unknowable. But despite the absence of proof, a believer makes a decision to live in accordance with the spiritual force he perceives in nature, which has been proposed and elucidated by spiritual teachings and sacred principles, because he or she wishes to live in harmony with the universe, partaking of the divine. All of life is then a pure spiritual experience, and the result is order, meaning, and contentment.

The Truth is communicated person-to-person. One’s experience or insights are passed to another and they become the listener’s own Truth in his or her own individual way. The enlightenment of one will help to elucidate and articulate that of another. But the expression must be genuine. The Truth is not theoretical; it comes from real life. No pretentious idea, no prevarication or outright lie can or will carry the message of salvation; if the experience is not real, not genuine spiritual understanding, it communicates nothing. To be able to teach we must do so with perfect, humble, honest sincerity from the love we have received which we are trying to share.

We are born with faults and defects, inherited or actually learned in our mother’s womb. We add to this arsenal of imperfections as we get older. Some shortcomings we develop from our natural insecurity; others we learn by copying the misbehavior of others. But if we are generally healthy emotionally and psychologically we cannot escape the realization that these faults and misbehaviors are wrong. There is a theme to our existence, and we hear it: at first faintly, but if we listen and heed it, more clearly and stronger with time. It says, “He conquers who conquers himself.” And we do so only by gaining spiritual strength — the opposite of evil.

The universal theme of life is self-perpetuation by nurturing love and harmonious growth. It is obvious everywhere in nature. Therefore the “moral” imperative we feel — our conscience — demands that we nurture, protect, enhance, improve the world around us. To act contrarily to this theme is perverse, bringing anger, pain, and regret. To live correctly and meaningfully, to achieve contentment, is to be a part of the constructive and positive. We are motivated from birth to personify and communicate optimistic energy. There is no call or reason to destroy, but to build on what we find.