Spiritual Beings Having A Human Experience

I wanted to talk a bit about the quote at the top of the blog: "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." The quote is by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955), the French philosopher and Jesuit priest.

This is a very important concept to master in traveling the spiritual path.

I remember when I was teaching classes about ghosts and hauntings. There were always some people who were a little nervous about actually encountering a ghost. I would remind them: Well, what are "ghosts" anyway? Just people, like us, but people who are no longer using their bodies. After the body dies the spirit remains. The fact that ghosts exist is one of the strongest bits of evidence that the spirit doesn't die, and that "dying" simply refers to letting go of the human body. But we, as spiritual beings, go on.

The same thing applies to the concept of "angels," as well. If we become angels after our bodies die, then doesn't that imply that the angel essence is within us all along, and that we free that angelic essence when we let go of the body?

There's another quote, from the Jedi master Yoda from the Star Wars movies (I believe it's in The Empire Strikes Back), that reinforces this concept: "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."

And, indeed, we are "luminous beings." Those who have learned or been trained how to see "auras" can literally see (although it's not really done with the eyes) the spiritual glow of all living entities. (Parenthetically, this is not a difficult ability to master, but its use in the material world seems to be rather limited, unless one goes on to learn how to do psychic "readings" of auras.)

The Sanskrit greeting "Namaste" (literally, "I bow to you") is yet another reminder. From Wikipedia:

"Namaste is one of the few Sanskrit words commonly recognized by Non-Hindi speakers. . . .

"In recent times, and more globally, the term 'namaste' has come to be especially associated with yoga and spiritual meditation all over the world. In this context, it has been viewed in terms of a multitude of very complicated and poetic meanings which tie in with the spiritual origins of the word. Some examples:

"I honor the Spirit in you which is also in me." -- attributed to author Deepak Chopra
"I honor the place in you in which the entire Universe dwells, I honor the place in you which is of Love, of Integrity, of Wisdom and of Peace. When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, we are One."
"I salute the God within you."
"Your spirit and my spirit are ONE." -- attributed to Lilias Folan's shared teachings from her journeys to India.
"That which is of the Divine in me greets that which is of the Divine in you."
"The Divinity within me perceives and adores the Divinity within you."

In using the Namaste, we are reminded that not only are we primarily a spiritual being, but that all other beings are primarily spiritual as well.

The challenge, of course, is that 99% of the other entities that we encounter during the day will primarily treat us as a human entity, rather than a spiritual one, and so we tend to respond from our human aspect, rather than our spiritual part. It's an easy trap to fall into.

But if we are going to succeed in our journey on the spiritual path then it is a trap we need to learn to avoid.

You are a spiritual entity, magnificent beyond all possible comprehension of the human brain. Your "angel essence" is entirely within you right now. Your "divinity" is entirely within you right now. Don't let the illusion of the body and the physical world interfere with your awareness of your true spiritual magnificence.

Keep reminding yourself, like an affirmation: I am a spiritual being having a human experience. I am a spiritual being having a human experience. I am a spiritual being having a human experience. We need to re-train our brains from their addiction to the physical world. This is a great way to start doing that now.

So in closing, to you I say: Namaste! The divine Spirit in me recognizes and acknowledges that the same divine Spirit is also in you, and my human part honors and bows before that divine Spirit.