The spiritual daily life will be one of the least pleasant undertakings if you think you are going to accomplish it with the same thinking that you use to carry out other tasks during your day. In the book “Transcending the Levels of Consciousness” by David R. Hawkins M.D., Ph.D. the nature of perception is revealed as an artificial construct of our ego. With the fourth tool I began to explore intention as a tool for sight. This tool demands us to look at what are the intentions for why we seek after things.
Spiritual Tool #7
Be willing to forego all perceptions of gain, desire, or profit and thereby be willing to be of selfless service to life in all its expressions.
Desire is the fuel of our ego. Desire is the catalyst to our perceptions.
From an early age we seek to possess those things which soothe our needs. It could begin as a teething ring, nipple, favorite blanket, or toy which we desire so we can sleep. As we grow and mature, we develop “tastes” for new things from electronics to vehicles, clothing to makeup, sports to hobbies, education to religious doctrines, and so much more.
Across all media platforms we are inundated with pitches which appeal to some facet of our ego. They show us how to appear younger or older; how a product will make you look like a certain person or group of people; how having a product can socially elevate us above the people we are working with; how a degree from some particular institution will promote you faster in the workplace; how some drug will be able to enhance your libido and draw the opposite sex to you; how…
Each one of these appeals to the ego are based upon the perception which we have crafted about how our life should appear. This crafted life is all about the narcissistic yearnings we seek to feed.
Spiritual life is intentional. As this tool claims, one must “be willing.” I understand that willingness is also a characteristic of the worldly egoic life, however, spiritual willingness is directed not to the needs of the self as much as to the needs of others.
In the worldly egoic life there is the perception that one must not have any possessions, no titles, and no financial resources to live the spiritual life. Walking the spiritual path means not allowing possessions, titles, and resources to be attached to you. Recognizing how these are merely expressions of the self-gratification of our ego is the first step on the spiritual journey.
Selfless service is only capable when your actions aren’t dictated by how it will make you feel or appear to others. The saying, “It’s not about you, it’s about Him,” is the vanguard of those who live a spirit-filled life.
As simple as this tool is it is also the most subtle to implement. It demands a rigorous assessment from us towards all our thoughts and actions. It’s easy to do “good” works for people once or twice a year but doing it every moment of every day requires an inner strength and belief which caters to others first and foremost. This strength is developed as the ego dies to its agenda of self-exaltation.
Start today asking yourself if what your doing benefits you first or someone else first. You’ll know exactly what path you’re on by your answer.
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