The Morning After Enlightenment, by Rev. John Moreland

What happens once you experience a significant transformation? Metaphorically, what takes place after a resurrection into a new way of being or the entering into a longed-for promised land? Several years ago, I asked a similar question to someone who was on a personal spiritual quest. They had traveled the world to visit several spiritual teachers and gurus out of their desire for spiritual enlightenment. They were also in the process of planning a trip to southeast Asia to visit another teacher they had heard very positive things about. Their hope was that this would be the experience that would finally lead them to achieve the spiritual transformation they had been hoping to experience for several years. After listening to their expectations for their upcoming trip, I asked them, “Then what? What will your life look like once you attain enlightenment?” The look on their face told me that they had never really attempted to answer this question. Their response was, “Well, I guess there will be really nothing left for me to do in this life after I’ve attained a true awakening.”

I am not an expert on the concept of enlightenment, but my guess is that achieving that level of spiritual awareness doesn’t excuse a person from participating with life. I do think, though, that it would significantly change the way a person engages with life. Deepak Chopra commented on this topic when he wrote:

“There are only two symptoms of enlightenment: the first symptom is that you stop worrying. The second is that you encounter more meaningful coincidences in your life, and more synchronicities. And this accelerates to the point where you actually experience the miraculous.”

I believe that there is a difference between being concerned about something and being in a state of worry. To me, worry is a paralyzing emotion that clouds our ability to come to clarity and arrive at positive solutions. It is a state that can detach and separate us from our inner guidance and the belief that a positive way forward is possible. Concern is different. It is an acknowledgment that healing or shift needs to take place. It can be a positive emotion that ignites a creative path towards a positive outcome. Growing in consciousness doesn’t mean that a person denies that negative conditions and situations exist. Instead, it can give greater clarity on how best to assess a negative situation.

We have all had experiences that have appeared to be miraculous. These are times that have had us feel a great connection with what we were doing and a sense of flow. In these moments, whether we were aware of it or not, we had spontaneously planted ourselves in the present moment with great trust in an eventual positive outcome. As we grow in consciousness, these types of moments become more the norm instead of the exception. We learn to trust the paths that we are on and release our judgments on what eventual outcomes should look like. Experiencing this type of flow on a more regular basis can seem like the miraculous, but the true miracle is that we have finally managed to release the negative hold that our human egos can have on us.

How does one's life change after an enlightenment or a significant growth in consciousness? There is a well-known Buddhist saying that teaches us, “Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.” The simple meaning of this quote is that as we expand in consciousness, the outer appearances of our lives may not look all the different. The difference is in how we show up. We suddenly see the great value and potential of our lives as they already exist. Yes, physical changes may follow; change is a constant in the physical world, but we no longer seek change for change’s sake. We allow life to unfold naturally and intentionally as we feel fully grounded exactly where we are. There is no final destination in our growth in consciousness. Ernest Holmes is quoted as saying, “The spiral of life is upward” and that this upward journey is an eternal one of expansion. This sentiment was also expressed a little differently by the famous chef Julia Child who is quoted as saying, “You are always in mastery, but never the master.”

Rev. John has been the Spiritual Director and Leader at Light on the Mountains since April 2002. He has helped foster a deeper sense of vision and purpose while increasing the contribution that our spiritual center has made to the greater Wood River Valley community.

Rev. John received his Masters of Divinity from the Holmes Institute in 2000 after earning Bachelor of Art degrees in both Graphic Design and Music from California State University Northridge. He lived most of his life in Southern California and is a Los Angeles native, but is thrilled to now be a long-time resident of the Wood River Valley.

Here I am. Send Me. By Rev. John Moreland

 I have heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall be sent… who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am, send me.” “Know that those who you go to can hear, but not understand; can see but cannot perceive. For the heart of this people is darkened…”

- Isaiah 6-8

 

The above passage from the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament has a very timely meaning when looked at through the prism of New Thought teaching. As we listen for guidance on our own path, we may hear what appears to be an external voice saying, “What should be done?” in a time of great need. While in the role of an observer, we may further ask, “Shouldn’t ‘they’ or someone be doing something?” As we listen more intently, we get closer to the Truth. After realizing that our role is not to be limited to that of an observer, we come to the insight that there is something for us to do. Finally, we are led to a conclusion that was long in coming. Instead of seeking a solution from outside of ourselves, as well as action from someone or something else, we step forward and declare, “Here I am, send me.”

 When we personally feel a call to step forward, it may be in a time of confusion. The citation from Isaiah further tells us that as one does so that they will encounter those who can hear, but not understand and see but cannot perceive. Of course, we like to think that it is only others who fall into this type of delusion; I believe that this passage also applies to the reader as well. As we step forward, we must humbly be willing to have our own blind spots revealed. It is not difficult to see how this passage speaks to the conditions in which we live today. We inhabit a time that is marked by conflicting information. It can be difficult to know what is true regardless of what we see or hear even when it is right in front of us. As we metaphorically say, “Send me” it can be difficult to get a sense of what is true and what that commitment could involve.

 I believe that one of the most significant and life-changing prayer we can make is one that asks for guidance and clarity. I have found that this type of prayer has always been answered for me, but often in a way that I, at first, have met with resistance. In those instances, I have wondered if there might be an answer that is less challenging or less intimidating. True guidance almost always has left me feeling vulnerable or greatly unprepared in some way. But I have also found that a request for guidance and clarity is usually met with a response that requires a degree of personal growth and expansion. It is an invitation to not just solve what appears to be a problem, but to grow in consciousness in a way that may not have yet been considered as possible.

 I believe that we are all intuitively receiving the inquiry of, “Whom shall be sent… who will go for us?” during this crucial time in history. These are questions coming from deep within us that are calling us to meet the challenges we face. Ultimately, the answer of “who” is literally all of us. We each have a role to play in the healing and transformation of our world. We are all being called to reply, “Send me” in roles both large and small. It is easy to think that we personally can’t make a difference, but there is a way to prove that you do. With all your heart, affirm, “Here I am. Send me” and then notice what new roads open before you. 

 

 Rev. John Moreland has been the Senior Minister at Light on the Mountains for Spiritual Living since 2002.

Seventh Grade Science Class, by Rev. John Moreland

In seventh grade science class, I distinctly remember Sister Mary Veronese teaching us the difference between a physical and chemical change. She pointed out that a physical change was dependent on circumstances and completely reversable. The example she gave was of water. Water is in liquid form when its temperature is between zero and one-hundred degrees centigrade; it turns to ice when its temperature decreases below zero degrees centigrade, and then to steam when it reaches temperatures over one-hundred degrees centigrade. The forms of water, ice, and steam have very different properties, but the existence of those properties is completely dependent upon temperature and can transition between these three states an indefinite number of times. Sister Mary Veronese then used the example of an egg to teach us about the concept of a chemical change. If you crack an egg into a heated frying pan, you have begun an irreversible chemical process. After a minute or so, you will have a solid substance that can never be returned to its previous liquid state. Its new form is not dependent upon temporary circumstances; you would need to apply another type of chemical process to change the cooked egg into something else.

The process of life includes growth and expansion; often, we consciously seek this growth and expansion but sometimes it seems to seek us. As we do so, we need to get clear on what type of change is calling. Sometimes, we may need just a physical change or a fresh coat of paint on our lives in order to shift our perspective in some way, while at other times, a deeper and more permanent change may be in order. The challenge we sometimes have is knowing the difference between the two. Apprehension about embarking on a more permanent change may have us opt for just a “refresh.” We talk ourselves into believing that shifting some of the surface circumstances of our lives will result in a change that is significant. In fact, we may go through a series of surface changes before we realize that something greater is pulling us.

I believe that we are communally in a time of history where we each are being called to a level of change that is deep and significant. This change will often be accompanied by a shift of circumstances and conditions, but we should be aware than something far deeper is calling us. I also believe that this change is occurring simultaneously on both the personal and collective levels of consciousness. The following sentence, taken from the Center for Spiritual Living’s vision statement, expresses how the two can coexist:

“We envision humanity awakening to its spiritual magnificence and discovering the creative power of thought; a world where each and every person discovers their own personal power and ability to create an individual life that works within a world that works for everyone.”

“A world that works for everyone,” is a vision where our individual needs and wants meets the greater needs and wants of the world. When we as individuals allow ourselves to be pulled by a deeper calling, we automatically are serving a greater good. Opportunities to serve a greater good are infinite, but we, as individuals, are called to seek the opportunities to serve that are uniquely ours to do. The pull of change can seem to bring up many more questions than answers, but part of this process is to walk in faith, knowing that, if we truly listen, all that needs to be revealed will be revealed. I often say, “the Universe works on a ‘need to know’ basis,” and that many of the questions our human curiosity would like answered may never be so.

This can be frustrating but know that the larger arc of life come with it everything we need, but not always everything we humanly want. Our one constant prayer should be to open to the vision of our lives that is always pulling us forward and pushing us along our way. We will experience every type of change on this journey from a simple refresh of our circumstances to deep and significant transformations. Just have faith and the willingness to step forward even if the human part of you does not feel you have all that you need to begin.

Bio

Rev. John Moreland has been the Senior Minister at Light on the Mountains Center for Spiritual Living in Sun Valley, Idaho since 2002. He is currently also serving as a Regional Support Coordinator for Centers for Spiritual Living supporting ministries in Montana, Alaska, Oregon, and part of Northern California. Rev. John has Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Music and Graphic Design from Cal State Northridge that have turned out to have more practical applications for ministry that he ever imagined.