There are many different ways to hone personal spirituality. Most if not all major
organized religions have a certain dogma they present to be followed. The deeper I
looked into religion, the more systems of control I found. You need not follow any
form of organized religion, or preset rules to live a good life and to be a good
person. On the other hand you do not need to coin yourself an atheist in order to
balance out the crowd. Between the extremes you can find alternative sources to
communicate with the divine, or just yourself. For thousands of years across the
globe our ancestors have figured out different ways to connect to something deeper
than our normal consciousness (altered states if you will). Simply focusing on a
few deep breaths to gain composure in a stressful situation, Daily meditation
practice to hone the mind and alleviate the “monkey mind” chatter of daily life,
prayer to a higher power of any sort to express gratitude for the life that we have
been given, or even visualization of things coming up in life that one wants to
move towards. There are also more advanced techniques to explore if one is so
inclined to. Dream recall from the subconscious can be a powerful tool to analyze
what is happening under the surface of the conscious mind. One can also train
themselves to Lucid dream (know that you are dreaming in a dream) this can help
empower the dreamer to take control of a nightmare and resolve constant
background issues, or simply wander around the dreamworld doing things that just
are not possible in the waking world. Yoga and Martial arts to me are a form of
moving meditation of different speeds. They can bring the mind/body/spirit
together to create a better you. Psychedelics and plant teachers are one of the most
powerful forms of these technologies and can crumble down walls you never knew
existed. They can show one how the ego really controls the vehicle, and
simultaneously crumble that ego. Some of the insights can be felt for the remainder
of one’s life, and can ease the passing of death. It can be quite humbling, and is not
for the faint of heart. What all these spiritual technologies have in common is they
take away the day to day noise and leave you there to experience what is right
there all along… a sense of peace and oneness. This is not some “pie in the sky”
idea. There is evidence to support all these mentioned. Just so we are clear… if you
are in for a trip you are in for a wild ride. This is your life. You are in control of
your own dogma. Graham Hancock stated “If we are not sovereign over our own
consciousness, then actually we are not sovereign over anything”. I recommend
you do your own research before jumping in. You don’t have to be a priest or a
monk to communicate with the divine, we all have the power. Choose you own
adventure(s), and choose wisely.
