Spiritual practice will not make your problems go away. It will not make you and everything around you pleasant. It will not gain you power over others.

Spiritual practice will remove your ignorance. It will help you disentangle yourself from what isn't real. It will reveal to you who you are not, and who you always have been. It will lead you to endless joy and love.

So what is spiritual practice? It is retracing our way back to God—to Absolute Truth, Absolute Consciousness, and Absolute Bliss. Where is God for us? Though God dwells everywhere, He remains no more than an idea until we go into the Heart. Our body is a map. At its center is the Heart—not the thumper, but the place within us that connects the manifest with the unmanifest. Spiritual practice requires us to redirect our attention into the Heart and quiet what prevents us from remaining there. In the Heart, we rest in our own nature.

An important prerequisite for spiritual practice is the ability to reflect. Many people remain turned outward and never examine what they are bringing to the table. Spiritual practice means turning inward. This does not mean being an introvert; it is the ability and willingness to go deeper than our transitory vehicles—body, mind, personality, ideas, emotions, energy—and witness them from a place of non-attachment.

Though the practice is simple, it is not easy. Practice unfolds through three levels. At the first level, we use our five senses outwardly. Chanting, looking at images and symbols, burning incense, and other physical rituals remind us of what is important. Care and moderation with food, steady posture, and exercises prepare our body for the rigors of meditation and spiritual awakening. At the second level, we use the mind. Scriptural study, mantra, and remembrance encourage us to move our awareness inward and direct it toward the Heart. At the third level, we use our will to ground our awareness steadily in the Heart. When we surrender to God completely, we are liberated to become who we truly are. At the highest level, we let go of our individuality and become one with the practice and the goal. Giving up our attachment to our individuality does not mean servitude to anyone; it means liberation from the tyranny of the lower self.

In the course of spiritual practice, our knowledge of what is true will mature. Our understanding will continually shift as we go deeper within. Time after time, our expectations will be shot down. What once seemed valid and important will be revealed as superficial and off the point. What will show us how to proceed is the evolving discernment that accompanies the practice, allowing us to see more clearly the difference between what is real and what is transitory. Surrendering to God is not easy. If we are to remain on the path, we must have the guidance of a capable teacher or spiritual director. There will be times when we cling to our ideas and refuse to give up our limited sense of self. There will be times when we lose our way because the seeds of attachment within us have blossomed. Then we have to work even harder to come back to ourselves. This cannot be accomplished alone.

Be with your experience consciously, let whatever comes up within you come up, and function efficiently on the physical plane. Ground your awareness in the Heart. Be still. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Rohini