Spiritual growth can be seen as cyclical, going round in an ascending spiral. I think that is why we often must repeat things, the same situations cropping up time and time again, until we make an evolutionary step upwards on the spiral of growth. Then a similar event may repeat, but we will react and respond differently, because our consciousness has changed.
This spiral pattern also means we don’t usually change too rapidly, because this would upset our spiritual and physical equilibrium. Spiritual growth is a gradual and harmonious process of refinement of our energy and consciousness, and it takes place over many lifetimes. We cannot go backwards. But if we don’t choose to take the learning opportunities available to us, we may spend time going round in circles, staying at the same level, until we are ready to ascend to a higher stage of growth.
One way we can begin to rise upward on the spiral of growth is to become more self-aware. This will involve self-discipline, as we become more honest and perceptive about our motives for doing things. On any kind of spiritual quest, it is easier to learn about things outside yourself than to discover the inner patterns that dictate who you are, and how you relate to the world around you. Real change happens when you no longer fall into habitual patterns that you follow without realising. So, any true spiritual path will involve self-examination, and awareness of the habitual reactions and patterns that ‘make you tick’.
Having a relationship with your spirit guides can be very helpful in this process. Because the guides see all of us, the whole of who we are, all our blind spots. And they still love us! They are usually very tactful and accept our flaws with great tolerance and understanding. But they can also tell it like it is, if we ask.
A few years ago, I asked my guides what I needed to change in my own behaviour. Without hesitation they told me that I needed to stop thinking I was always right. To listen to other people’s points of view, rather than impatiently waiting to repeat my own. To learn a more co-operative way of being.
I was completely amazed. Because I did not realise, I was like this. I thought I really was always right! I thought other people needed to change to accommodate me. And I never realised I was not that co-operative. I thought that because I had what I thought were good ideas, and a lot of enthusiasm, I should be in the lead and that others would always follow. I am not going to pretend it is easy to change this kind of pattern, but I am glad that I was given the opportunity to try. At least now I do try and hold another person’s point of view and consider it.
As well as input from your guides, you can also get insights about your character and patterns from other sources in spirit. Not long after my father passed away, I had an argument with my husband. I was walking along a path in the garden when I clearly heard my father say:
‘There is one thing I wish I had known while on earth. And that is that after a quarrel it’s always better to swallow your pride and say sorry. I would have been so much happier had I known this. So please learn it from me now.’
I cried on hearing his words and never forgot them. Because like my father I thought apologising was a kind of weakness. Now I realised the wisdom of his words, and how much happier I could be if I followed his advice. And so, I try to follow them.
Self-awareness is available to everyone, whether you have access to guides and helpful spirits. You can work on becoming more self-aware, and one way of doing this is to check your motivation for doing things. Your motivation is the real reason behind your actions, and your motivation will change and develop as you grow in understanding, and capacity to love.
Usually, people start a spiritual path because they want something. They think it will make them a ‘better’ or more effective person. But later, they may realise this is a limited goal that will hold them back. When I first embarked on a traditional spiritual path, I had a clear idea of what I wanted from it. I wanted to develop as a human being, but in addition to this I wanted to know and understand the secrets of the universe. I wanted to see beyond time and space, and to travel beyond them. It was only after several years that I realised this ambition was limiting me. I discovered that the spiritual path has its own filters. If you are looking for a purely personal increase in knowledge and understanding, you can only go so far. It is when you are ready to contribute all you have understood to the evolution and betterment of the whole, that the path opens for you.
So, my motivation changed, and this new direction was helped by my involvement in healing and counselling work. I always saw this work as an extension of my path, because in truth we are all connected.
Article by Caroline McCutcheon
Article published in More to Life – Edition 64
