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What comes to light through the numerous spiritual experiences possible in our time – particularly the NDEs (http://www.iands.org/nde_index.php) – is a defining experience of the reality of our higher self and of that “love that surpasses all understanding.” The ordinary ego, ensnared, defined, and imprisoned in the dimension of the shadow, both aspires to and dreads, as an ultimate annihilation, the step of recognition of our deeper essence in the spirit. The higher self—some challenges us—is more foreign to us in our daily lives than any other human being on Earth.

To the ego, all other human beings stand as competitors that it tries to overcome or dim. This unspoken Darwinian struggle for the survival of the fittest, illusion though it may be, colors much of ordinary life, and the full recognition of our shadow is, as a rule, feared and avoided. Competition and fear are the grounds upon which the ego ordinarily operates, until it decides consciously to let the higher self educate it. The dramatic recognition of our higher self is accompanied by the realization of the divine love that supports us. People who have reached this stage, especially if consciously, can burn the “residues” of their lower ego in the light and love that emanates from the spirit.

We could say—although in a very schematic fashion—that the path of individuation spans the spectrum between fear and love. At one end the ego, wholly identified with its shadow, lives in a continuous state of fear. This fear is confronted in degrees on the path of encounter with our shadow, and fully overcome in the full experience of our higher self in the spirit. However, all of us can let ourselves be guided and inspired to take the path of personal growth and love even before we reach this goal as a personal experience.

The ego that needs to be overcome and transformed is the essential instrument that ties us to life on Earth, that gives us certainty and assurance while we are more or less cut off from the spirit. Therefore it is a stage that cannot be bypassed in order to reach a higher consciousness. More and more tools have emerged in the last century that allow us to chip away at the resistances of the ego, and to do so at larger and larger levels (http://www.humanspiritcircles.com/pages/experiential.html)

What Pre birth Experiences (http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Light-Sarah-Hinze/dp/0671001590), near Death Experiences, previous-life memories, and other threshold experiences are showing us is the working of destiny and karma. The factor of context is the link with the idea of human destiny that can lead to a new understanding of karma and repeated earthly lives. Those who have had positive experiences often puzzle over why they were “chosen.” The case of Dannion Brinkley (See Saved by the Light) (http://www.dannion.com/books.htm) is a good example. Why, as he says himself, did this experience befall an individual who had painted such a poor picture in his present life? Could it be that grace from previous lives rewarded him for what he had not yet accomplished in the present? Isn’t this the same grace that gives him the strength to atone for his shortcomings? For those who manage to come to terms with these experiences, given an understanding of the spiritual background, the path of integration is likely to be much easier and shorter.

Global culture works in tandem with the examples of personal spiritual experiences we have outlined. Individual consciousness mirrors global consciousness. The personal experience of spiritual abundance is preceded by a personal encounter with the shadow, the personal abyss, everything that wants to define a world of scarcity and fear and deny the existence of hope, compassion, and love. It is a stage that takes time, tolerance, and dedication to overcome, and that leads us to believe that there will be no light at the end of the tunnel. The encounter with the Light of love, or Christ, is the experience to which humanity can aspire in its future. In near-death-like experiences, more and more individuals emerge refreshed and newly motivated, knowing the reality of love and of an abundance that can fill all dimensions of our lives. But we do not need to experience it firsthand to embrace its message and walk in its footsteps. We all stand before this epoch-making choice in our lives.

Civilization is going through this worldwide set of choices—a culture of fear accompanied by scarcity of resources, mounting terrorism, and insecurity; or a gradual shift towards the embodiment of a sustainable economic development that supports personal growth, compassion, and all the highest human aspirations. (http://www.humanspiritcircles.com/pages/trisector.html) The choice lies between a culture of exclusion, antagonism, and competition and a new way of looking at “the other” as the indispensable complement that allows us to overcome isolation, separateness, and loss of meaning. Instead of the old dualism of good and evil, right or wrong, good or bad, we can make room for a new philosophy—one of reconciliation in which relative evil, or imbalance, is not fought and overcome, but rather understood, integrated, and transformed, whether at the personal or the collective level.

Luigi Morelli will be on The Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show this Fall. Check back for the official show date coming soon.

More about Luigi Morelli…

Luigi articulates a clear, cultural-spiritual vision of social change that encompasses political activism, and gives it a new meaning. He promotes a vision in which modern Civil Society can embrace the tools of experiential spirituality for a fresher understanding of universal truths, and the creation of  a new culture, free from dogma, racial and social biases. An author and trainer, Luigi has trained extensively in Non-Violent Communication (NVC), coaching and mediation. His writings incorporate the themes of spirituality and social change, part of which is inspired from the history, myths and legends of the American continent. In addition to A Revolution of Hope, Luigi’s other books and essays include Hidden America, Spiritual Turning Points of North American History and Black Elk’s Universal Mission. Visit Luigi’s website at www.humanspiritcircles.com (* Based on Nonviolent Communication as developed by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph. D)

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