Enlightenment - Is Life Too Short?

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrew_J_Cook]Andrew J Cook
I used to wonder and wish about the 'enlightened' ones. I have, on occasion, wished I had joined a monastery or temple and dedicated my life to the ascetic methods that some have deemed necessary to gain oneness with God. The world has seemed devoid of compassion and love, greed pervades every nook and cranny of life, violence is seen on many a street corner and deprivation weaves its tendrils into family life.
Where could God be if not within the cloistered walls of a Christian monastery or Buddhist temple? He certainly isn't here.
Sounds pitiful, doesn't it.
Well it is... and it isn't.
Yes, God is hard to find amongst the corporate bonuses, gang violence and unjust sentences handed out by aged Judges who have lost all concept of what life is like for those who actually work for a living. Don't get me wrong, I am not a lefty socialist. I am against corrupt government exploitation and greed, but not the original idea of democracy. However today's world does not run on democracy; but that is for another article. My thoughts today regard finding God amongst this world devoid of morals, standards and honor.
God is where you find him (her or it... just to placate the sexism brigade).
To be honest I don't like the term God. It engenders too much gender (ahem...). There is too much historical baggage associated with that word. God is asexual, bisexual and anti-sexual. God is Man, God is Woman, God is neuter and God is none of them. God is God; it's just a pity the word God implies masculinity because it immediately restricts a persons idea of what God is.
So, the real point of this post is for me to get my head around whether life is too short for someone, any individual, be they man or woman, to formulate a connection to the divine and gain at least a beginning of an understanding of what God means. Whatever connection is obtained will be limited by the advancement of the persons soul and consciousness. At least I believe that concept to be reasonable. Whoever makes contact will receive 'enlightenment' at a level appropriate to their advancement; or to put it another way, consummate with the degree of understanding that they are capable of maintaining. This does not mean that someone who gains more 'enlightenment' than someone else is better than them. Each of us are where we are on our paths. Those who receive a greater degree of enlightenment are merely further along their own path. Maybe one or two incarnations prior to the moment of now, that enlightened one was exactly where you are now. There is no ego involved with enlightenment. If someone boasts about their level of divine knowledge, then you are safe in assuming they have none. Boasting is a sign of weakness or fear, plain and simple. Claims of miraculous cures or secrets that allow you to advance rapidly along the path to freedom are merely marketing scams promoted by charlatans or people with delusions of grandeur. Prison for the former and psychiatric help for the latter.
Connecting Up
Connection to God, or Universal Consciousness as I prefer to call His Lordship, happens when you are ready, and only when you are ready. If true enlightenment were to happen too early you would likely suffer a psychotic break or develop schizophrenia. The universe knows what is right for you far better than you do. So never, ever worry. If you don't have a connection yet then that means you have other adventures ahead of you. You are not weak, you are not evil, you are not unworthy, you are just where you are, and you are experiencing what you need to experience to get you ready for that amazing moment. Be happy, you are walking the walk, and you are getting closer. The journey matters far more than the goal.
Can someone actually obtain a connection that allows then an insight into the divine?
Of course... it happens all the time.
Day by day the world is waking up. The wake up is speeding up too. Fifteen years ago I would have thought you bonkers if you were to suggest to me that I would become a Reiki Master, and it has taken fifteen years of work, research, experience and practice for me to get to where I am now. It has taken a myriad small steps and many different paths for me to get here. My first 'revelation' occurred shortly after watching an amazing BBC TV adaptation of the story of Merlin, with Sam Neill in the starring role. I was interested to see if the names of the Goddesses used in the program were historically accurate so I started searching on the web.
Wicca
Amongst various articles, I came across something called Wicca and I would think most of you are at least vaguely aware of what Wicca is. I had never heard of it before. When I read about Wicca something started to go bang inside me. It was a slow bang, a slow wave of excitement, adrenalin and a sense of finding my home. I had found what I was looking for without even knowing I was looking for something. The first effect I immediately noticed was a sudden ability to 'feel' the life emanating from plants. This is most notable in spring and summer and something I can still do today. I didn't practice for it and I didn't go looking for the ability. I just can and if there are any Reiki practitioners out there, the feeling is much like the tingling you get in your palms except much finer and gentler.
Of course I went potty. I started running around picking herbs, buying candles and making alter cloths. I over reacted, which is probably quite common for someone in my position at the time. I had never even considered God to be a possibility before, let alone a Goddess as his mate.
After a while I calmed down and started looking into the history of Wicca, where it came from and why. This led me to Gerald Gardner, Aleister Crowley and back to Mathers, Wescott and Waite of the Golden Dawn. To find that Wicca was 'invented' was a real disappointment for me at the time. The basis it had been built on was okay, but there was no true history much before the '50's as far as I could see. So I looked to Aleister Crowley, had a fright, moved on and looked into the Golden Dawn.
Magick
There's real history there boy... so I joined. I was granted a full temple initiation and thought I had made it. Needless to say I hadn't. I was not ready, had personal misgivings about the Temple leader, or Heirophant as they are known, and left about a year later. From there I have dabbled with Thelema (Mr Crowley again), Christianity, more Thelema (there are parts of it that are perfectly valid and reasonable as far as I am concerned) and then tried drifting aimlessly along for a while.
In magical traditions there is something called a Magical Retreat. You break off all communication with the outside world and bury yourself in whatever it is you need to do. This can last for a couple of weeks to several years. Looking back at my aimless time, I believe that to have been my Magical Retreat (of sorts... I still had a job, friends and a social life... just no Magick). It gave me time to grow and digest what I had experienced. My thoughts and ideas have certainly concreted over that time, and I now know what I need in life and what I do not need. The end of the retreat came with my being made redundant last December (2010). That was the metaphorical kick up the bum that I needed to change my life and re-prioritize things.
Reiki
And so, with some synchronicity and good fortune I found my way to Reiki. Now that is a connection. It's available to all who have the calling. The degrees allow for the individual, and the Master, to apply the attunements when the student is ready, and the practice helps build the connection at the speed appropriate for the student. As with all esoteric traditions, because Reiki is one, many are called. Not all will be ready, which is fine. Receiving an attunement when you are not ready is not dangerous at all. The first degree will usually sort that out with the student realizing it is not actually for them. They will go away, go through whatever detox or cleansing they have to go through and move on to other things. They will always be attuned, but if they do not use that gift that is perfectly okay. It is not a sin to not use it. Your path is your path and you must do what you must do. You make your choices based on your life experience and everyone makes a slight detour now and then. It really isn't a problem at all.
So what is this connection then?
Well, I believe the opening of the connection I started way back in the mid-nineties, expanded in the Golden Dawn and then had opened much further by Reiki, is a connection to the Universal Life Energy. Through this energetic connection to the universe, enlightenment can be achieved. Now I will never be as crass as to say I am enlightened, I do not believe I am, but I believe I am very lucky indeed. I also have an immense responsibility, because I now have the training and ability to open up that connection for others. It is incumbent on all Masters to remember this. Reiki is a blessing and a responsibility; a gift that should be nurtured and respected. Reiki is a way of life, not a game. With practice Reiki teaches you about yourself, and you may achieve enlightenment through it, but only when you are ready.
To coin a phrase; Reiki is not just for Christmas.
The connection is there in everyone already, it just needs opening up a little. Some notice it early in life and work with it. Some notice it and ignore it. Many have no idea it is there and today's society does not encourage one to look for it. The calling though is from that still, small voice inside you. That small voice heard when you are in the twilight zone just before sleep that says 'there is something more to life'. Please, if you are lucky enough to hear that voice, that calling, recognize that it is your true self making contact, and it has your best interests at heart. Heed the call, find out who you are and what you are capable of. You will make the world a better place if you do.
Andy Cook is a Reiki Master Teacher, Crystal Therapist and Indian Head Massage practitioner. His approach to his clients is one of providing a holistic treatment to the entire person, not just trying to treat the symptoms presented.
He works out of East London and is also available for Reiki training and attunements by appointment.
Andy's personal blog can be found at http://londonholistic.com/energeticthought where further information and other articles can be found.
Also Andy's business website can be found at http://londonholistic.com where consultation and treatments can be booked.
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