Are
You As Spiritual As You Really Think?
I’d like to ask you an important question. Let’s see
if you’ll pick answer A or B. Ready? Here it is: Who are you?
A) I’m
a physical being having a temporary experience in a physical world.
Once my
body dies, I stop existing.
B) I’m
a spiritual being having a temporary experience in a human body. I am eternal.
If
you picked A, you derive your sense of identity from your body, your mind and
your emotions. You see everything and everyone as separate from yourself. You
are mainly driven by your mind and you feel the need to constantly look out for
yourself and your kin to ensure your survival. You see the world as a
competitive place where there is no room for miracles, or divine guidance.
If
you picked B, you fully trust in a divine plan. You don’t see yourself as a
separate, limited body and mind, but as an unlimited, powerful spiritual being
that’s connected to all of creation. You are driven by your heart and you see life
as an opportunity for your soul to experience joy, peace, healing and
unconditional love. You honour the present moment and are able to surrender to
what is.
So
which one did you pick? A or B?
You
may not consciously think “Who am I?” on a daily basis, but the truth is, the
way you answered this question orients your entire life. An “A-type” will experience
the world in a radically different way than a “B-type”. For example, if I ask
you What is your purpose in life? What is real happiness? and What causes suffering? your answers will
be completely different depending on who you believe yourself to be. Which type
do you think will experience the most fulfilling life?
It
doesn’t even really matter who’s right in the end, A or B, because we know that
our thoughts and beliefs shape our reality. But before you pat yourself on the
back for being a “B-type”, it’s important to recognize that the vast majority
of humans today still adopt the behaviours of A’s: me versus you, ego versus
heart, fear versus love and trust, separation versus unity, lack versus
abundance, control versus surrender, past/future versus present. Even individuals who see themselves as
spiritual beings in a physical world fall back into the traps of the ego daily.
Why?
Because our conditioning is so very strong, and we live in an ego-driven,
unconscious world. Individuality and competitiveness are rewarded and the idea
that who we are is our limited, physical vessel is constantly reinforced. Success
is measured by wealth, power, status and influence, often at the cost of true
happiness. The overwhelming influence of this physical, material world constantly
distracts us from our spiritual essence. It seduces us into believing that we
have something to gain from adopting the “A-type” behaviours of the majority. Unless
we make a conscious effort to constantly stay awake and present, we will automatically
fall back into the default sleepwalking ego-mode.
Spiritual awareness is like a
muscle we have to train on a daily basis. There is no other way
around it. It may sound like a chore, but once you start experiencing the
benefits of a heart-centered, more conscious life, you will wonder why you didn’t
start your training earlier!
If
you’d like some tools and resources to help you with your spiritual awareness
training, I encourage you to check out Conscious Health –for adults and
Conscious Kids –for young families. These two programs are currently available
at no charge (for a limited time only).
Wishing
you all the best,
Lise Villeneuve
