We are more than our bodies. We are more than our brains, even more than our thoughts. Hidden away, deep within, we are spiritual beings.
How do we know this? Look around. Nature is all around us, and we might suppose we are merely a product of nature. But nature has no will. The sun cannot choose to stop shining. The rain cannot stop itself from falling. Nature follows laws and cannot deviate from them.
But we have will. We can chose to speak or be silent, to hurt or to help, to inquire or to ignore, to obey or rebel. Anyone who has spent much time with a two-year-old knows that will is innate. Where does that will come from? Not from the process of material evolution as it is commonly understood. Nevertheless, our will is an essential part of being human, part of our spiritual heritage.
Another sign of our spirit is our dreams. We travel vast distances, explore different realities, meet people, see visions and make discoveries, all while our physical body is tucked snugly in bed. During the dream it is real, even though the memory fades upon awakening. Sometimes there are connections—something we see in a dream happens in our life, warns us of danger, or suggests a truth that would otherwise be hidden.
Since our spirit is not obvious, it is easy to deny or ignore. It takes effort to seek it out and nurture it. Why bother? Well, because nobody lives forever. Look ahead. What we do now—and at each moment of our lives—has significant consequences for our spiritual reality, which is eternal.
O Son of My Handmaid! Didst thou behold immortal sovereignty, thou wouldst strive to pass from this fleeting world. But to conceal the one from thee and to reveal the other is a mystery which none but the pure in heart can comprehend. - Bahá’u’lláh
Publication
Connecting – Return, Revelation, and Revival: The return of Christ, the Bahá’í Revelation, and Maharishi’s Revival of the Vedas (forthcoming book)
A journey of discovery from Christian origins, seeking satisfying answers, discovering Transcendental Meditation (TM) and becoming a Baha’i, followed by personal reflections on possible connections between the experience of higher states of consciousness and religious faith.