LESSON 8: Above & Beyond
Prime Directive #5: Transcendency of the spiritual over the material
Living a transcendent life
Transcendency in the context of this lesson means living according to the Will of God in every moment. It is taking the lessons that come to you, and squeezing out even the last drop of wisdom available. Going Above & Beyond the daily routine of self maintenance (food, shelter, clothing). Finding spiritual and soul nourishing purpose and value in all your earthly activities. It is also to master the art of patience and to accept that everything has its time and will happen at the right moment, as your indwelling spirit and pilot guides you.
Those who live with this intensity and focus are happy regardless of the situation. This has to be emphasized, since happiness should be the normal state of people illumined by spirit, because they are capable of understanding that they are always growing, and always without hesitation or doubt, that they are being guided towards a wonderful destiny Above & Beyond.
Jesus cried, worked and tired. However, he never worried. He never wanted to know ahead of time if he would cry or suffer. He always lived in the present and He was always happy in each moment. Even while suffering He knew that after the pain a bigger pleasure was prepared for him. Could you live your life in this way? In this moment, here and now, what do you need that you don't have already? Where would you rather be if not here, especially in this moment when we are talking and you open your mind to realities beyond the physical world? Life is always wonderful. Each moment can be filled with wonder and wisdom beyond understanding. Happiness is already within you, so take a moment to discover it.
A transcendent life is not a life filled with big adventures, deep afflictions, or great deeds. But rather it is a life of great discoveries, especially of self discovery. It is a life in which every day your mind is opened to a bigger, higher and more beautiful reality. It is a life in which every day you realize how magnificent your destiny is, as is your place as a true child of God. It is a life of love, where the trust in the care of your Father and the confidence in a friendly universe make every place a paradise. The Kingdom of Heaven is not an institution that will descend from the sky, but a reality that grows in the hearts and souls of mankind. The Kingdom of Heaven is not the age of Light & Life. The age of Light & Life will come to this world when the Kingdom of Heaven has manifested in the lives of all the people of this planet. Do you see how today, right now, you can help to bring the age of Light & Life to our native planet, Earth?
Soul growth through character building
To build character is to overcome (transcend) the vicissitudes of time and circumstance in your life, to rise above (transcend) the difficulties and not to succumb to the easy answers that your culture would provide for you. Growth in character is not synonymous with the growth of your spirituality, but it is definitely synonymous with the growth of your soul.
Spiritual progress is measured by the degree to which the human mind has established a connection with the soul that knows God. This is the reason why spiritual achievement is sometimes referred to as “how close one has come to finding the Father”. This can be achieved by being flexible in your beliefs, and by adopting the attitude of a true scientist in attempting to find the Father within yourself, and observing what happens.
The leaps of faith that we make, this stretching of the self, is indeed a trying process for many and in such a life as is being lived during this tumultuous generation, episodes of the demonstration of this in action are often fleeting and cyclical, but remember that the darkest times are when your light shines brightest! There may be times in your life when you are strongly motivated to walk this plank of faith and see what comes of it. There are other times when you may be inundated by the trials and tribulations and the demands of life so that not much energy may be left to devote to the exploration of spirit and faith, when you feel as if you are hanging on by a single thread. Never give up! These are often the most growth promoting, value filled, and faith building experiences. Transcending through these intense moments and periods often provide the closest and most intimate contact with the Fatherhood of God.
There are innumerable life changes which come upon individuals and bump them in one direction or another. For you who witness the ebb and flow of spiritual activity among your brethren and friends, it may be seem to you as though some have gained faith, some have lost faith, some have pursued spirit and some have forsaken it. You may be inclined to make subsequent assessments and judgements based upon your observations and determinations, but know this, one of the basic principles you will come to embrace in your spiritual journey is that no one is in a position to make an assessment or a judgement on anothers spiritual stature.
It is simply not for you to know of the inner lives of your brothers and sisters. You are able to view the fruits of spiritual growth as they are present and as you witness them. To this degree you should be joyous and happy for them but you are not privy to know the inner workings of your fellows, what they are grappling with, what their needs are in this life, what their tools are in this life, what their motivation may be and why. This is the domain of another persons free will, and should you dare to venture into that domain you would be tresspassing on their sovereignty.
That's what makes this mortal experience so hard of comprehension for all that you get to see is the outer workings, the material manifestations of ones inner spiritual cultivation. You do not get to see what goes on behind the scenes and underneath the production. You cannot tell what challenges they are overcoming day by day, what obstacles they face, what successes that they have in the process. You merely see the physical and tangible results of their process in motion.
All that you can do is proceed in your fashion with your understanding and your awareness, being mindful not to tresspass, not to step into a jurisdiction that is not yours to govern. Offer as much support as you can manage, bring as much awareness as you possess, offer yourself in ministry as you are so able and simply allow the process to unfold. In other words be an active and wise participant in the Brotherhood of Man. The only part of the process that is up to you is your process and your interface with the grand process. It is when you begin to interface, interact, connect with that grand process that you begin to transcend the simple material habits of living. That is when you are beginning to go Above & Beyond, and earning your merit badges in the Kindgom of Heaven. That is all you have jurisdiction over. To make assessments or judgements about others, what they need, how you might help, what they are doing right or what they are doing wrong, are all just a mental exercise on your part, an attempt to understand, an effort to embrace this reality.
But everyone out there is their own mini-verse of experience, of truth, of understanding and awareness and you cannot know what is within this mini-verse of experience. You can barely understand what is in your own mini-verse of awareness. The purpose of this life, is to simply grow in awareness about your experience. Let others uncover their own truths and have their own experiences. This does not mean that you are not keenly interested in the well being and welfare of others and in so far as you are able to support them in their journey, provide stability for them to utilize in their experience, even provide examples that they might wish to choose and follow, these are your areas of jurisdiction, your realm of concern. That is it, that and gleaning from this life experience, all that you can manage to stuff into it in the process. Drink this cup to the full, live an intense life, focused on Father and in service to your brothers and sisters. Soon enough there will be whole new expanses, whole new arenas to engage in, as mortal life is but a short blip on the eternal path of life.
So seize the moment, grab the day. Do not be so busy that it slips by you unnoticed. Live your life to the fullest of your ideals and your principles and you will provide for others this inspiration, this desire to take from you those attributes which they admire and cherish. That is the game, a simple one and yet seemingly so layered and complex that it appears overwhelming so much of the time. But remember the phrase that God will not give you anymore than you can handle, and this is true. So when it seems as though your life is full and even overwhelmed, recall this truth that if you could not handle it, it would not be there.
