Is our body a prison for our soul who craves for freedom and liberation?
Is the mind a hindrance to spirituality of ‘no-mind’ consciousness?
Should we let go of our physical selves to attain spiritual growth?
Is our physical existence on the planet a burden for the earth to bear?
Is sexuality something we should reject to attain spiritual growth?
Is vegetarian diet more spiritually positive or ‘sattvik’ than a non veg diet?
Are we guilty of harming someone if we consume other organisms for physical sustenance?
Moral dilemmas of body versus spirit and the physical versus spiritual have been commonly experienced by many of us at some point of our life. Religions and spiritual traditions often preach specific ways of living all different from each other. While it is good to respect every religion and their unique belief systems, it is even better to look within and find what is right for us at any point of time on our spiritual journey.
Many of you might have learnt that physical body is like a cage and we are here to attain freedom or liberation from physical existence, reincarnation and karmic cycles of life and death. Life is all about suffering according to those who believe in somehow escaping this physical world for a better ‘spiritual’ reality. In truth we need to be happy to be alive, there are plenty of things to be grateful for and to enjoy in our physical existence and it is perfectly alright to take incarnation. We are all seeing, breathing, experiencing on behalf of the divine self. Every experience of life is dedicated to the divine self which is our real truth. The divine wishes to have a physical experience through us and therefore our physical life is as much divine as our spiritual existence and as much worthy of celebration provided we are aware that every physical person or thing is all an aspect of our divine self being manifest on earth.
We are spirits who have taken a physical form. Our spiritual body has condensed into a physical form through the power of our thoughts, emotions and actions all collectively being our karma. Through positive thoughts, emotions and behaviors we create a positive physical experience for ourselves. There is absolutely no need to fear physical experience or try to escape it. The purpose of spiritual growth is to manifest our divine perfection on this earth. It’s a magical truth – As Above So Below! It is tempting to escape physical life and dissolve into a spiritual vacuum of ‘liberation’, it is more meaningful however, to project from our divine spiritual state into the worldly plane to heal, improve and perfect our reality until we mirror our divine perfection into our outer world. No matter how perfect and wonderful our inner truth is, it stays neglected just keep it within ourselves and do not allow it to seep into the outer world and create beauty, love and happiness all around. So if you are closing your eyes to meditate please do open them and radiate the power and peace around yourself as well. That indeed is the way of the wise witch/ wizard.
Meditation is all about going within our-self, from outer to inner reality, from mind to ‘no mind’ state. For a witch or wizard the mind is not something you wish to shut down and leave for a higher ‘no mind’ experience for good. The no mind state of meditation helps you be aware and detached so that you can experience your true self. You can then once again travel into the mental plane so as to create and manifest the universe with the power of your mind and thoughts. The spirit within will give energy to your thoughts, your will, your emotions and your behaviors so that you live a truly spiritual life while remaining in physical form.
In the first stage of your spiritual evolution you will go within, learn the inner truth, meditate and witness your inner divine self. This part of your spiritual journey entails that you detach from the outer physical experiences, mental thoughts, emotions, feelings or desires so that you can be truly still. Asceticism or monkhood with various austerities and self discipline is preferable for this part of your journey. Without this you will continue to be engaged with the outer world and will find no time to go within. You must in this first stage of your spiritual journey be prepared to be ‘the hermit’. You are learning about your own inner self that was neglected during all the centuries of materialism. You are getting enlightened. This is the Meditative part of your journey when you go from outside to inside.
The second stage of your spiritual journey begins after you attain this unity with your inner divine self. From here on you will think divine thoughts, feel divine emotions, your will be one with the divine will, you are a living incarnate divine being teaching, sharing and enlightening others and at the same time healing, creating and manifesting divinity on earth. This is the Magickal part when you go from inside to outside.
As With-in so With-out… As Above so Below!
Your physical existence is no longer a burden for earth or your-self.
You can be not only aware but also alive fully as a divine being while remaining in physical form on earth, living, breathing and creating the divine will in every moment.
Every experience you have then has a divine meaning to it. You will find meaning in every small flutter of a wing, tweeting of a bird, rustle of a leaf – which is the essence of divination. Messages are found in everything around, not just in the stars, cards or teacups.
Your words are all powerful tools of manifestation, so are your thoughts, emotions and desires. You will choose them all wisely. You are no longer a passive experience gatherer but an active divine creator. You are a healer – your mind directly affects your physical body and all your situations. You can do magick and spells with every breath, every thought, every word and every object.
Your sexuality is nothing to fear. No longer does it take you away from your spiritual path, because you are now allowing your spirit to act and interact with the universe, not just going within but also experiencing the universe as a divine manifestation of the spirit within. As your sexuality is divine you are much more responsible with your sexual self and less interested in polygamous or meaningless relationships and prefer to have a healthy and committed monogamous romance with someone who is compatible energetically. Homosexual or heterosexual, transsexual or transgender, in any way you express your sexuality there is no sin as long as you Harm None including yourself. You may also choose to have one or two healthy off-springs so that you can provide them due attention and love, including adopted children who are treated at par with your biological children. You will love to include animals, plants and crystals in your family and treat them with as much love as your other family members.
You may no longer feel guilty of consuming food as long as you are aware of the sacredness in every object you are consuming. You will see and sense the life force flowing through everything. You soon realize that everything you consume is meaningful and is affecting you and your life. Just like you add ingredients and herbs to your spell for specific effects, your foods also create a constant change, known or unknown to you. While some induce consciousness, some attract abundance and health, others induce lethargy, dullness and harmful addictions. To love yourself in totality and to create health and beauty is a noble and positive purpose fulfilled by what we eat among all other things we do.
There is absolutely no need to feel very guilty if you are non-vegetarian for there are plenty of animals who are purely non-vegetarian such as cats, big or small and it is absolutely a part of nature’s plan to have this type of a healthy balance between herbivores and carnivores. As regards ‘harm’, both plants and animals have feelings and sensations and if killing an animal is an act of harm so is killing or mutilating a plant. However the meaning of harm is better understood with the idea of ‘intention’. As long as your intention was not to cause harm to the plant or animal that you were consuming it is not really a harmful act as far as karma is concerned.
Eating is less about taste and more about whether the food is healthy or unhealthy. To be really healthy food must be cooked as little as possible or preferably eaten raw. Naturally ripe fruits are the best choice while non-vegetarian items being less healthy and difficult to consume as raw could come last on your list. After all most of us as modern humans no longer have those sharp canine teeth or wild hunting instincts as some other creatures of nature do.
Perhaps consuming of ripe fruits is the best of all food habits compared with having leaves, stems, roots or animal meats. Plants give us the fruits naturally as they fall when ripe and this includes many vegetables which are technically fruits. As we consume the ripened pulp we can scatter the seeds or plant them into earth thereby helping propagate the plant. In case your land is not as fertile or wintry and consuming of only fruits and fruity vegetables is not quite easy for everyone, other herbs, plants and animal meats would be the alternative as long as they are fresh and grown, treated and cooked in a healthy manner.
However if you regularly meditate you might find that sattvik foods appeal to you – and you will understand the meaning of sattvik as healthy foods which are natural, pure and fresh organic food items consumed with awareness of their meaning and impact. Adding of too much salts, sugars, flavors, spices is rather unnecessary in a sattvik diet as you will begin to enjoy the original and natural flavors. Spiritual beings are much more sensitive and feel taste much more strongly than those who are engrossed in material existence. The less you think and the more you spend time in inner silence, the more satisfied you will be with your natural and raw fruity diet. You will enjoy raw and fresh food which is coarse or whole and not finely chopped, ground, juiced or mashed. You may add mild salt or sugar and healthy herbs such as sage and rosemary in your food which could be lightly steamed or saute at the most so that the vitamins and minerals in them are not lost due to boiling or cooking. Plenty of plain water will replace your needs for alcohol, caffeine or carbonated beverages.
Life is your ritual. Food is your offering. Your body your temple….You are a Divine God(dess).
Live consciously.
Blessed Be
(*)
Swati Prakash 