Spiritual Progress
June 19, 2023
Our egos rely on our Passions to cope with our perceived deficiencies. But as we progress in consciousness, we realize we no longer need our Passions; indeed, they bar our advancement.
Asrama is a system of stages of life elucidated in Hindu texts of the ancient and medieval eras. The first half of life has two stages. First is the stage of learning the ropes, called the student stage. In the second stage, we establish our ego identity and satisfy the temporal needs of our lives. This is called the householder stage.
But in the second half of life, things shift. With age comes wisdom and the ability to see through the illusions of the first half of life. So the second half of life also has two stages. The first stage is the forest walker or forest dweller. In this stage, we leave the ego's home (identity) to search for the greater ground of being and connect to our Source and deeper selves. Finally, the last stage of the second half of life is being a renunciate. In this stage, we let go of all that encumbers and weighs us down. In this stage, we crave spiritual freedom without attachment to those things we depended on for so many decades.
As we age, if we are on the spiritual path, we search for meaning and let go of all attachments that bar our advancement. Therefore, our Passions are diminished and our Virtues reach a new prominence.
Ego Type Four's Passion for Envy diminishes as soon as they realize they are not deficient people. For so long, they had no idea of who they were because they'd disconnected from their true nature and forgot their Source. By envying others' identities, creating special significance and getting what seems to give others their identity, Fours sought their authentic self. But they could not find balance because they never found their true self. In their Virtue of Equanimity, they realized that peace comes not by searching for authenticity but by claiming their Divine origin, right here, right now. Once that is done, our authenticity is not even questioned.
Ego Type Five's Passion of Avarice is the clutching to what gives them freedom from inner emptiness and fills them with knowledge. They fear their lack of time, energy, resources and privacy will throw them into an abyss. This Passion diminishes when the Five realizes her ability to live without attachments. She lives freely because hoarding doesn't supply fullness. It only causes the ache of a closed-off heart. The Virtue of Non-attachment shows her that she has all she needs in the moment it is needed.
Sixes' Passion is Fear. They think fearfulness and hyper-vigilance will save them from all danger. Disconnected from their true nature, Sixes lost their sense of strength, faith and fear and replaced the security they lost when the soul child was repressed. No fearful hyper-vigilance can restore the lost sense of support and strength they had in soul. But the Virtue of Courage that was always within the Six reminds them they have the necessary things to go through any trial.
Inquiry: What stage of life are you in?
Dear God,
As a forest dweller, I am searching. I search for my depths and to see others as your children. I search for the greater meaning of it all, and in the pond in the forest, I see the vast yet mysterious unconscious that holds so many answers I have yet to discover. As I walk this forest, I pray for your companionship. Amen.
Make peace with your ego and discover your true path today. We will share Dr. Howell's full daily reflection and prayer on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. To receive the full week, please complete the form below to begin your journey into who God has made you to be. The path to wholeness starts now!
