Hi Eden,

Thanks for your post and kind words of support - a warm welcome to our forum.

Yes the spiritual journey is a challenging and yet very rewarding one - in my truth, whether we know it or not, it is the ONLY journey we ever make. So we might as well be conscious about it!

If I was to offer a metaphor concerning my own journey, I would say it feels kind of like being blind folded trying to find my way out of a maze. You feel a pull to move in a certain direction and feel your way forwards. You'll take many blind alleys but if you keep feeling it will become clear as to where you stepped off the path and why. Its about being free to make mistakes and not being afraid to admit where and how we made them. Ultimately we find we are able to walk forwards blind folded!

In terms of individual and collective enlightenment - yes its a great question. Should we be concerned just about our own or about the group? In my truth, when we change our own consciousness, we change the group consciousness simultaneously. I have made the mistake of trying to change the group consciousness first but quickly found this doesn't work.

So I concentrate all the time on doing what serves my higher self. I know that this is inline with the divine plan and therefore as-one with the higher-self of all life. I've frequently found that when a higher realisation comes to me about how to live my life, if I just live it, then very quickly I see and hear reports of others doing the same thing. Coincidence? I don't believe so!

Best wishes on your unfolding journey

Chris

Hi Chris
Thankyou for your reply.
"blind folded trying to find my way out of a maze" Yes exactly how it feels at times, Though recently it has seemed as if layers of the blind fold have been peeled away.
" It's about being free to make mistakes" I find an interesting concept and feel leads to a question What is a mistake? If we live life with honesty and truth to that we feel within then is not all experience in life good or bad not part of spiritual growth. To quote Helen keller "Charcter cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achived".
You said of when a higher realisation comes and wonder if you could expand on that a little. Recently when I have been doing things or maybe been in conversation with someone, I have had an overwhelming sensation of being there before at times so stronge I have had to stop what I have been doing, I could only describe it as a sensation of expectation of event, though I have no Idea weather it is something good or bad about to happen. As an example recently for several days I felt very out of sorts and could not understand why. Then the earthquake occured and the sensation dissapeared.
I am reading with interest the topics on the forum and have found your item on choice has opened a different thought process to change from what to why something I shall now go and consider.
Keep up the good work
Love and peace to all
Eden

Hi Eden,

The more we follow the path the more we'll encounter what are often termed "divine paradoxes". Of course you're right, there's no such thing as a mistake - every situation provides an opportunity for growth.

And then there's the paradox....I believe that there is a natural flow of energy through all events - the natural flow of the Universe. It invites us to follow "right action" which is at one with this flow - we can see and feel it when we start to read synchronicity as a way of life.

If I follow the synchronicity I find that life is divinely magical - "miracles" happen all over the place. However if I make a "mistake" and step of this divine path, then I whilst I am still learning, I also observe that the synchronicity is less strong. Do I prefer life with the synchronicity - yes! Does it feel 'right' - yes!

And here's another paradox... I've been through situations where I know that I've been caused to block the synchronicity by not following 'right action' - it was frustrating for a while until I began to see synchronicity in the LACK of synchronicity!

So yes, there are no mistakes, but.......

Best wishes

Chris

Hi Chris
The more I read the items on the site it seems as if more little bits of a jigsaw appear.
I am not too sure I follow what a divine paradox is? Would I be right in thinking divine paradox would be when you feel forced down a path opposite to you feel you should be going, only in time to find you end up where you wanted to be in the first place only in a diferent way ??
I think I have got a very basic understanding of synchronicity and letting go of the ego but perhaps like some there seems an overlap where to follow synchronicity also seems like following the ego do you have any thoughts on making the grey areas a little clearer?
Having read your article on difficult decisions and choices to ask why rather than what does make sense which I shall endevour to do from now on.
For me there is a little synchronicity in todays thought for the day " You cannot change the past and the future unfolds from the present... so can you live in the moment? A good thought for all to attempt
Peace and love to all
Eden

It's great to find you here Eden! I feel moved to send a warm welcoming hug your way

With Love
Trin
x

Hi Eden,

The divine paradox arises from interplay between absolute and relative truth. Please allow me to explain....

There is only one being in the Universe and everything is formed from this oneness. If you contemplate it deeply, it is in fact everything. Because it is everything it is also nothing - because if it was something then for there to be something there has to be what something is not...and therefore something is not everything - with me so far?

If everything is one, then there is no duality at all. In other words there is no 'this' and 'that', there is no separation between the various parts of the one. If you contemplate this deeply and realise it through all circumstances, you'll come to accept that nothing really matters because in absolute truth there is no one here doing anything. There is no one writing this and no one reading it. There is simply infinite presence arising into action.

In which case there is no such thing as a mistake, everything arises spontaneously with one purpose - for the one being to experience itself. If you contemplate this deeply, there can be no other purpose because there is simply nothing else and nothing else going on! So in this place of the absolute, there is no pain, no suffering in fact there is no experience at all.

And also....in order for the one life to have experience at all, it must conjure an illusion. It creates the notion of separation between apparently individual parts of itself. It causes certain parts to forget their absoluteness and believe in the idea of relativity - 'me' in relation to 'you' for example.

Now here's where it becomes fun (or pain depending on the experience you choose!). We begin a journey as (apparently) separate souls with the purpose of experiencing our oneness. So we loose ourselves in the separation, forget our absoluteness and then spend eons of time involved in an illusionary game which feels real. So as a separate soul I can experience enjoyment, love, pain and sorrow for example and yes, I can make mistakes. These mistakes are based on a perceived need (the mistake being I don't get what I thought I needed) or a desired outcome based on a perceived lack (the mistake being there is no lack!). I think I lack something but how can I if I am all there is?

Over time we - as pure consciousness - move from relative truth to absolute truth where we become aware of our completeness. However this is not the end of the journey, in fact it is another beginning. Our challenge then becomes to integrate this absolute truth into the relative world of experience. So we can experience the fullness of life and yet not be identified with it. For example, we're just about to be run over by the no.9 bus and yet even as it strikes us, there is still awareness of ourselves as the all that is - we may feel the pain and yet we don't identify with it. Some erroneously believe that in enlightenment all pain goes away. In my experience this is not true at all. In fact, as we feel the fullness of life, the pain gets worse, much worse, (we feel the suffering of every child, plant or animal that for example), it just matters less!

When we arrive at this state, it is simply divine. We are liberated to experience the absolute fullness of life in all its glory - ever spoken to someone who should have died but didn't? Frequently loosing fear of death enables them to loose their fear of life too. This is what I call walking down the blade edge of life.

At this point then the world becomes one of paradoxes. At one level, life does matter and yet at another it does not. I prefer to say for example, I care but it doesn't matter. Here's a great little parable that might help express my drift...

Student: master, I have reached the state of oneness, all is perfect
Zen Master: tell me more...
Student: I am at one with the divine, there is no duality
Zen Master: what else?
Student: I am....
Zen Master: what else?
Student: I........
Zen Master: what else?
Student: (no reply...dissolving into state of oneness)
Zen Master (strikes the student hard across the face)
Student: OOOUUUCCCHHHH!!!!!!!
Zen Master: well who felt that then!

Whether we know it or not, divine paradoxes influences us all. They are what make the Universe go around. They are at the route of every single choice we will every make and the answer to every question we will ponder. The divine paradox helps us find the "nothing in it all".

"To be and not to be...
that is the answer!"
The other William Shakespeare

Chris

Thankyou for your warm welcoming words I have not worked out how to do the little smiley faces so maybe you can just visulise one here .....
Love and peace
Eden x

Hi chris
Thankyou once again for your reply.
I liked very much the parable of the zen master.
I think I follow the thread and feel a little in danger of over anaylising things rather than just feeling the experience.
I know what you mean by a sensation of near death expereince brings a loss of fear of death and I do wonder (although I know it is not the only way) If it is not at the most distressing and traumatic times in life that is the first step towards the transition between relative and absolute truth. I know that may sound a depressed way to look at things but then happy and sad are only relative to how we may perceive any situation and to find absolute in anything you have to know the sum of both parts.

I found this which I would like to share

The path of the spirit is not a line
but rather a flower
lines are time-bound, whereas the spirit's
path is liberation from time
all-encompassing, never-ending,
like a lotus of innumerable petals,
our soul's journey is an
unfolding of infinite self

love and peace to all
Eden

OK. Many thanks for the energy here. The zen master parable especially helps me make sense of it all. I shall remember that.

I like the quote Eden. Do you know who said it originally?

HI sam
The quote was from sofia khawati (1821-1890) Iran
It comes from a great little book I have called 365 inspirations self & spirit.
there is another quote from the book I personally like which is this one.
Life can only be understood backwards.
but it must be lived forwards. soren kiekegoard (1813-1855)Denmark
hope you like that one
best wishes love and peace
Eden

Thanks Eden. I'd never heard of these ones.
Thank you for thinking of me.
Love
Sam