Page 4 - 2021 April Listen - 15-2 final

EXCERPTS FROM
REFLECTIONS ON AWAKENING & MATURITY
FOR SPIRITUAL COMPANIONS
“Awakening alone is only a foothold on
the endless path of maturation. If we aren’t
always beginning just where we are, we have
been sidetracked into arrogance, ignorance or
spiritual bypassing.”
“Spiritual practices nurture our roots and
help us have access to the sun. Psychological
practices work best with everything between
our roots and the sun. Of course, a healthy
tree needs nurturing on all levels. A healthy
tree serves the forest and the world. Every
healthy tree is an actualized bodhisattva
naturally caring for all beings great and small,
animate and inanimate. A tree naturally does
its part for the forest, not more than its part
and not less than its part. Staying healthy and
balanced is the best way to serve the forest
of humans and this troubled world. A tree
that is sickly or broken, and yet has achieved
psychological maturity with deep roots may
still serve by being served, or if dead, serve as
a nurse log for the next generation of trees.”
“Spiritual companions are the best resource
possible when it comes to dealing with the
fear and the dark nights that we all face from
time to time. Spiritual companions provide
a bridge from our fear to beyond fear. They
offer a mirror to our deep-rooted nature.
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“No one can grow and learn for us; however,
our teachers may suggest what to explore,
and may point to what we can’t know but
can learn to feel. What they mustn’t do is
give us the answers we are looking for. On
the other hand, there is no harm done when
our teachers leave cairns along the paths they
have explored so that we may explore them
for ourselves.”
“The path towards individuation, awakening
and maturity is impossible without companions.
For better and worse our maturation depends
on our relationship to significant family
members, teachers, and mentors. If we are
lucky, we will find spiritual guides that mirror
our shortcomings, are honest about their own,
and point the way towards tapping wisdom
and expressing compassion. A big part of any
spiritual companion relationship is assessing
where we are in our own unfolding spiritual
journey, where we have been and where we
may need to deepen or explore.”
Reflections on Awakening & Maturity for Spiritual
Companions, from SDI Press, is now available for
purchase.