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Psychotherapy and Spiritual Growth
The teacher of the future....
will be a master of integrating both of these pillarsthat normally operate independently of each other.
The poor ego gets a bad rap.
Historically, the psychotherapist has worked on helpingan individual develop a healthy ego while the spiritual teacher assists intranscending the ego.
It is important to understand that ego is nothingmore than a Latin word for "I" -- so the therapist is assisting the individual in developing a healthy identity that isabsolutely necessary. Think about it...how can you transcend something you don't even have?
Your ego is way too small!
In reality the "ego" which defines us as separate andindividual from the world around us is really way too small. You actuallyneed to develop an identity that is congruent with the "Ego" or Higher Self of Infinite power and potential versus the finite smallego-self.
"You must go through madness to mergewith Truth."
The madness referenced here is the madness of definingyourself by the small ego versus the big Ego, which is your true identity. Butplease understand that you cannot transcend something you have not yetfully developed.
The traditional therapist has very little ability, andsometimes even an aversion, to assisting an individual in moving beyond the egoor separate identity; and this metaphysical search has normally been solelywithin the realm of the spiritual teacher or guru.
Now the guru is no panacea either....
Conversely the typical guru or spiritual teacher haslittle to no ability to assist you in developing the ego/identity that is sonecessary for healthy development. Imagine building a skyscraper with nofoundation.
To fully understand this concept we must discuss allfacets of evolution from the practical to the mystical.
"The descent into matter must becomplete
before the ascent to spirit can commence."
-- Dion Fortune
In most traditional systems, there exists a hierarchy ofdevelopment. While those can be discussed as any number of levels or stages,I prefer to discuss them as The Seven Stages of SpiritualEvolution (reference The Creating Wealth Experience).
Coupled with these seven stages, which we will call"vertical growth," there are also lines of development within each stage, which wewill call "horizontal growth."
So for instance, let's assume that you are at stage "3"in your seven-stagepotential. You have done the spiritual work to move you fromstage "2" upward (vertical growth).However, within each stage you operate horizontally on fourdifferent linesor phases, spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical. Spiritualwork and experiencetends to move you vertically while traditional psychotherapeuticwork moves you horizontally.
In other words....
A major factor in moving you vertically is the abilityto move into altered states of consciousness. You can have a full-on spiritualexperience at any stage of development but your physical body and financialstate of affairs may be a wreck. Likewise, you may have a full-onspiritual experience but your relationships really stink (technical term :o).
The weakest link
The phase within each stage that lags behind will hinderyour ultimate growth. Therefore you must focus on height/depth and breadth. The weakest link in the chain will either haunt you orhinder you.
If in the aforementioned situation you have this full-onspiritual experience while you are still sick and broke, you could ask the typicalspiritual teacher/guru for advice and most likely s/he would tell you to"observe it" or just to "meditate."
While this may work in the East....
...if you sit around and meditate in the West they willcome and take your furniture away, you'll still be sick -- broke -- and on top ofthat, your friends and family will leave you!
Obviously the guru's advice gives very little immediateassistance with the physical challenge you are facing.
The Journey of Power is an integrated approach.
The integrated teacher may tell you that you need tochange your diet, exercise, help you get a financial action plan, send you torelationship counseling, and assist you in releasing limiting beliefs andemotions that hinder you in all these areas.
And, oh by the way....
...I still encourage you to keep up with yourmeditative/magickal practice.
There are way too many individuals in the "New Age"arena that I lovingly call cosmic foo-foo's. These wanna-be spiritual adepts are way too quick to rub their crystals, talk with their groovy shaman, and move furniture around.... but tellthem to get a job and go on a diet....and they want no part of that!
I remember reading of the spiritual teacher Adi Da(formally Bubba Free John) approaching his teacher for the first time in his earlyyears and asking the way to enlightenment. His teacher quickly responded, "Lose twenty pounds and get a job; then come talk to me."
What does a job have to do with spiritual advancementanyway?
Well just about everything! Unless you are bornindependently wealthy you need a means of earning an income or you can never attainthe heights of your potential.
Personal and spiritual growth isexpensive!
I cannot tell you how many times I have receivedpush-back from my students who are so called "spiritual aspirants" when coaching them to "get to work" in some area of their life that necessitatesdiscipline and/or difficulty.
I recall one individual wanting to do more work inaltered states of consciousness and I told her that what she really neededwas a level of prowess in non-altered states first. This wasevidenced clearly by the lack of tangible results in her life.
But I like the sexy stuff better.....
Her response to me was "but I like the fun stuff" --exactly!
The question I have is.....
"What has to happen for the 'stuff' that moves you forward in your life power and accomplishment to be considered'fun?'"
The Journey of Power (true power, not somewatered-down escapism) is a journey that few are willing to make. The teacherof the future will be a teacher who embodies a strength,accomplishment, and comprehension at all levels of existence recognizing that"matter matters" every bit as much as spirit. This integratedteacher will provide assistance in developing your ego as well as yourEgo. Using psychotherapeutic tools as well as mystical practices you willbegin to descend and transcend. You will develop dominion of all realms!
After all....
if you weren't meant to experience physicality in all ofits amazing splendor why the hell did you incarnate into form anyway?
James Arthur Ray
Practical Mystic
James Arthur Ray of James Ray International is an expert inteaching individuals how to achieve Harmonic Wealth? inall areas of their life by focusing on what they want, opposedto what they don't want. He has been speaking to individuals aswell as Fortune 500 companies for over 20 years and is theauthor of four books and an inventor of numerous learningsystems. His studies of highly successful people prove that theycontinually achieve results by taking control of their thoughtsand actions to create and shape their own reality.
The Power to Win seminar (http://www.ThePowerToWin.com)will explain in detail how success is state of mind and how theprinciples of quantum physics (as seen in the movie What theBleep) can be applied to proven success-building techniques.James will also cover why people who are successful in onearea of their life tend to be successful in all areas. For more information,visit http://www.ThePowerToWin.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
WALDROP: One side of the ‘spiritual coin’News Virginian, VA - 7 hours agoSimilarly, our spirituality can resemble a two-sided coin. For many people, spirituality is mainly about their ongoing personal relationship with God; ... |
Spirituality begins where science endsEconomic Times, India - Dec 3, 2008We have this notion that science and spirituality are two different, independent, parallel phenomena. We think that they are opposite poles. ... |
Festival Celebrates Religious DiversityThe Emory Wheel - 1 hour ago“Spirituality is a part of the human being and we cannot establish real peace in society without religion.” Elizabeth O’Berry and Heather Vaseff, ... |
The human longing to see the face of GodCatholic Star Herald, NJ - 7 hours agoClassically, Christian spirituality has answered the question with a single image, all of our restlessness and disquiet is ultimately a longing to see the ... |
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