December 9th, 2022 / Rise and Shine!
Signposts along the spiritual journey – some might say that they are absolute prerequisites for our passage into liberation. It would seem accurate that it’s difficult to find where you’re going in a vehicle if your eyes are closed.
Books, audio pieces, poems, artwork, and music certainly fit into this category. Social media has it’s place these days as well, for those prone to go down a rabbit hole on YouTube or similar. What about another being? It seems there isn’t a more effective guide along the spiritual highway than another someone like yourself who is seeking the Truth. Perhaps that other being is clearly seeing things in a special, unique way. Notice I don’t say they are seeing things the ‘right’ way, or that they ‘understand’ the way. Those are statements of knowledge, not wisdom. Does that make any sense?
When I hear something or read something tethered to truth or spirit, I recognize it in my bones. Maybe simple recognition of the truth is a signpost in and of itself…one that is earned via a lifetime of curating…one that is slowly molded through years of betraying oneself and looking in the wrong places? There’s no shame in that, as long as we’re looking there consciously.
When you are exposed to enlightening material in whatever form it takes, I envision a light going on in the corner of a dark room. There it is! That’s it! Then that light invariably goes out, but that doesn’t necessarily matter. The fact that you glimpsed it, felt it…that’s what matters. Now it’s simply a matter of getting closer to it, for when the light blinks again, you’ll be ready. You’ll be open to it. You won’t question whether it’s okay to be in its presence.
What seems funny to me is how once we see this light, this signpost, we are still a little unsure as to what it is or whether we should accommodate it in our daily lives. Our lives are busy. We all have a million things going on all at once. How could we add in something else, this ‘presence of light’? At this stage we are what I call flickery. We’d like to lean in toward that light and warmth, but perhaps we don’t want to get duped again. Perhaps we can’t imagine trying to wedge another ‘something else’ into our day. Totally rational, and nobody’s fault. So perhaps we submerge back into the swirling whirlpool of daily life for a handful of days. But then you read or hear something, or you connect with a being in line at the gas station for a moment. Whatever the impetus is, the song from beyond begins playing in your heart once again, and we remember. We glimpse that elusive light in the corner again to guide the way and reorganize our priorities.
The signposts and the guideposts are key, because they seem to help us remember to remember.
Must you be open to receiving the messages? Probably. We all know people who are virtually shut off from the world in terms of other ways to go about living in it. We all know folks who are short on curiosity or don’t ask some of the bigger questions regarding who we are and what we’re doing here. Not their fault, but perhaps they aren’t tuned in to the same frequency as you are.
What if we eventually go beyond needing any signposts or awaking alarms or reminders to center us? Isn’t that sort of the goal?
I started a list of some literally and audible works tied to this topic that came to mind. It’s under the materials and links section. Please send in your recommendations as well so that I can include them! And remember, trust the light and the warmth when you see it and feel it…
Peace and love to all beings,
Jesse
