Spiritual growth is what we are all here for. Nothing else matters because there is nothing that happens to us in our physical lives which in some way is not connected to spiritual growth. Even the most seemingly insignificant or random situations we face can teach us something. Spiritual growth is a constant part of our lives. It is the fire that should drive us.
Our soul has chosen to come to Earth and experience life in this physical world with all its good and bad moments. Just knowing this is helpful in removing any negative or fearbased energy that attaches us to this karmic drama. Knowing that we chose this life should reassure us that it is okay to be happy when we overcome ‘bad’ things because this means that we are evolving.
We need to slow down and live and embrace every single moment of our lives. In moments of silence and stillness, while being in the present moment, pay attention to your breath, the gaps between the breaths is where the pure love that resides and radiates within us will be felt. Love is the way to happiness. This is a love that simply is – it need not be directed towards anybody in that moment. It simply is.
This moment will never return. As Heraclitus put it in the 5th century BC: “You can never step into the same river twice. Because neither the river nor you are the same.” You will never again experience this moment again. Yesterday is the past and the future is a mystery, it often doesn’t happen the way you plan it.
In life we all make mistakes. We may hurt people or ourselves but at the end of the day remember we are humans. We are not perfect and that is why we are here. Life is all about learning from our mistakes. At the end of the day, it is how we love ourselves and others that is important. Forgive yourself for your mistakes.
Forgive everyone who has hurt you. Guilt, anger and resentment will cause more harm to you than to those who have wronged you. These will manifest as negative emotions, like anger and worry for you, not for them. These emotions first manifest in your energy body and from there they grow into physical and psychological diseases. Make a choice to give no more energy to negative emotions. By forgiving, you are benefiting yourself by removing the negative energetic link that is created by negative emotions. By forgiving others, the one benefiting the most is you.
Be thankful for the mistakes you have made in life. These mistakes have given many opportunities for your soul to learn and grow. There is no room and no reason for guilt. Feelings such as guilt only have a negative effect. It is natural to feel guilty at times, but just feel it, learn from it and move on.
We are falsely conditioned to believe that when we make mistakes we will be judged by God, but this is not true. After we cross over to the next world, we ourselves assess the life just lived and analyse the mistakes we made and are given a chance to rectify it. God does not judge us. God is unconditional love. The only thing God expects from us is to do our best. But having this knowledge saves us precious time. We can start learning from our mistakes now. We do not have to wait until the next time round. Now is a perfect time to start. We should learn from our mistakes but do not regret them, for there is nothing you can do to undo them. What can be undone is the negative aspects of guilt or anger associated with them. Also always forgive yourself, be kind to yourself and let go of negative emotions gracefully.
Be kind to yourself and let yourself go at times. This could be the day to take out time for yourself and do the things you have always wanted. Be a little lenient with yourself over the harsh things you may have said to your loved one. Stop worrying about the terrible disease you might have or how you could have prevented some misfortune from occurring. Stop judging and being so harsh on yourself. Love yourself unconditionally!
Right now, you are a human being on earth who is trying to develop spiritually, trying to make the most of this life and all of the beauty it has to offer. You are also trying to master the skills of trying to jump over all the hurdles that are a part of life. Be comforted in the knowledge that your soul is evolving in the process. Do not get too attached to this world – good moments and bad moments are temporary – everything in life is just a fleeting moment which will soon be over. Only our spiritual growth is eternal and our lives will continue forever but in different forms.
The energetic matrix of life includes various emotions – love, forgiveness, humility, kindness, compassion, joy, anger, guilt, fear, arrogance, greed, fear, hate, etc. Do you notice that it is like a spectrum going from high frequency to low frequency? What we need to realise is that the situations that happen in our lives do not create the frequency that we experience. It is our reaction to the situations that we face that guide us to the kind of energy we attract.
This is the reason why we should always react in a manner that we move towards the higher frequencies of love, joy, compassion and forgiveness. When you move in this direction, your inner happiness will be maintained and lessons will be learned more smoothly even in harsh circumstances and situations.
It is, however, a universe of like attracts like. As Jesus Christ said, “Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” Each of these teachings of Jesus are true and apply even to yourself. In other words – judge not yourself, condemn not yourself and do forgive yourself.
Do not be a slave to fear and guilt. You may have made mistakes but God has forgiven you. Now it is time you forgive yourself. Go ahead with your life and make tomorrow a better day. Love yourself and others and always remember to forgive others (and yourself) in order to free yourself from emotional bondage. We are all human, we all make mistakes, you are never alone. We grow spiritually every moment in small steps. This is all a great lesson that our souls are partaking in.
Prashant Solomon is a Delhi-based author and businessman.