The Daily Life of a Spiritual Aspirant

The daily life of a spiritual aspirant is mainly watching how quickly things go wrong, or differently than you would have chosen. That is because everything that happens to you is destined to happen for your long-term benefit. And we don’t like submitting to what happens.

Humility is a powerful word that non-duality has forgotten to honor. Many people teaching today say that they know they are the Self and there is a tinge of arrogance in it. Yes, we are the Self but we are carrying baggage around like the world was an airport!

We would like to check this baggage but somehow it clings to us like barnacles. Ram Dass said, “If you think you are enlightened, spend a weekend with your family.” There must be humor or we would crack into pieces and not be able to go on living.

Just yesterday my son and I had a dust-up. He was cooking dinner and I was listening to lots of stuff on YouTube and it annoyed him. So he brought his radio down and tried to drown my noise out. I got angry and he got defensive. Bam! Just like Emeril Lagasse’s seasoning, we were both red-hot mad. So this morning I apologized and we hugged and it was okay but…we are still a little defensive. And that is life as a human being. And anyone who thinks they cannot be made negative is a bare beginner or a fraud.

We are all asleep. The daily life of an aspirant is to try and wake up for brief periods during the day. Try it and see how hard it is. Usually when you leave the house is when you fall deeply asleep. You go grocery shopping without a single remembrance that you are walking a chosen path. If you are lucky, when you get home, you fall back into being a witness.

We all deserve another chance to be kinder or braver or more awake. As Jesus said, “Judge not lest ye be judged.” Amen.

Vicki Woodyard