Launching the Adventure of Transcendence

In a conversation with somebody about the transformative effects of spiritual life, I was surprised by a question he put to me—namely, what does one do?  In other words, how does one embark on the path of transcendence and transformation?  That of course is a big question, and my immediate thought was—like falling in love, there are many ways such dramatic changes of consciousness might start off. It seemed like a question worth pondering.

                  My first thought was simple enough.  It struck me that there are at least two distinct ways one might commence a journey in quest of enlightenment. Something might happen that shocks you into an acutely felt need to alter your lifestyle and revise the meaning of your existence.  For example, to take a well-known example, suppose you undergo a near-death experience. Almost always this results in a major transformation of one’s consciousness, values, and lifestyle.  Other types of disruptive events, illness, loss of a job, emotional break-ups or disappointments—events that radically subvert your sense of security.  Experiencing one’s life as broken may inspire one to look for a new premise for living and for a more satisfying worldview.  One feels as a result driven to look for new ways to explore and live one’s life.

                  The second way that aims for transcendence may simply result from an intuition that there must be more to life than what one has, however reasonably satisfactory. A kind of metaphysical boredom might afflict one, a restless dissatisfaction with the flatness of everyday life. One might learn about a person who got involved in some exotic spiritual practice and its beneficial effects. That might be a way to start one’s practice.

                  To the person who asked about what to do—how to get into some practice that would launch his voyage of transcendence—I would say this. Read into the literature of spirituality and try different things. Be guided by your choice and intuition--and observe the results.  Experiment. Strike up a conversation with your guardian angel—try to connect with the spiritual forces within yourself.  Again, observe the results of your efforts.  The history of the creative spirit won’t disappoint you.  Some measure of openness and confidence is essential.  Keep a journal of your experiments.