The Third Sacred Key
Transcript:
After we have focused on the heart space to ensure we actually wish to change our affections towards what is good and true AND we focus our attention on the cognitive part of our mind to understand and learn what is true – the time follows to put it into practice! Therefore the third critical component of any effective and transformative spiritual practice is.
Act on it.
Knowledge and feelings are useless – left to be just imaginary in our heads alone – unless we put what we know to be good and true into practise. Change is only effected when we ourselves choose to own and apply it. This is a process involving our own volition, our heart – and so that is why personal freedom is so critical to actual spiritual transformation and enlightenment! However, I will leave the discussion on Freedom and the importance for another lesson – it would take way too much time to go into it here and now.
Perhaps bleedingly obvious, but we need to make sure that our hearts and minds operate in harmony with each other. That what we believe to be true is acted on from a love within ourselves for what is true. We need to make sure – when given the chance and opportunity – to enact on our newfound knowledge and so strengthen our affection for truth.
This is the final, but critical component if we are to grow and change our character. We cannot win the inner battle for peace unless our hearts and mind are in harmony with each other. We are not truly free unless we act out our loves in our lives.
It is easy to delude ourselves into thinking that only believing a particular teaching is enough or that it doesn’t matter that I am doing a kindness for others for selfish reasons. It is very easy for us to behave in a way or say things contrary to our thinking and simply justify our discrepancies away and too many people do.
This lesson is the most critical, because it deals with our core integrity. This is where the rubber hits the road and we pass the test or fail.
Scripture tells us we should act on the opportunities we have to do good, be kind and choose truth. Swedenborg tells us that if we do not act on what we believe, we ultimately fail to believe it no matter how much we have convinced ourselves to think we do. If we don’t act upon what we think we know and love, we do not actually love it! That is the simple truth.
You see, this brings up a key problem and why a great many people fail on their spiritual quest! It takes real and deep introspection, personal analysis with sincerity and persistence to grow. It is self-critical, it is painful and hard work to acknowledge our wrongs our selfish affections. Especially since everything in the world seeks to sell us an easy way out. Seeks to tell us we are good enough.
Well, we are NOT and once you understand the nature of reality and our reality. Once you truly understand the real purpose in your life, this illusion of autonomy and self-importance is mighty appealing, but will ultimately fail to bring lasting happiness and freedom from inner struggle.
This is why many people jump to the next fashionable spiritual trend, such as meditation, mindfulness or hot yoga, but find no real difference in their lives. You see there are two issues to understand with this:
1. People mistake engaging in an external activity with being spiritual; and
2. Expect the thin veneer of calm the activity brings to be lasting and transformative.
This is why meditation, yoga, mindfulness and the like do NOT work. They only work when and because people apply and accept the three critical elements I have discussed in this series!
True and lasting change only comes when we rebuild our paradigms and put our whole self in!