Do you take the long view on the spiritual journey?

When I first began working with people in my private practice I was excited to find people with whom I could explore my spiritual gifts. I was curious if and how my gifts might impact someone else’s experience of their life. Would there be an immediate impact? Would it be something clear and obvious – or would it be subtle?

I worked with a wide range of challenges on all levels: physical, emotional, and spiritual.

I noticed a trend in many of the people I worked with – one I recognized from my life: it was all about the short view. Quick results and outcomes with the minimum of effort. No real focus on the long view.

The best example I can give is from an email I got from a young man in Europe who was having severe pain in his groin. He was at the end of his rope having already seen every available doctor in western and eastern medicine, as well as the full compliment of psychological and psychiatric doctors.

No one could figure out what was wrong, and nothing he did improved how he was feeling. The pain was significant and growing in intensity.

His question was simple: “Can you help me?”

My feet and hands buzzed when I read his email, which I took to be a clear yes – so that’s what I told him with the standard caveat that with spiritual work, there are no guaranteed outcomes, that I’m not a medical doctor (or a doctor of any sort) etc. etc.

He emailed back to ask what my approach would be – and what would be required of him.

I told him I would be teaching and facilitating for him a series of spiritual practices. He would experience them in session, and then he could take them back into his life and practice them on his own. I explained that spiritual practices are sort of like brushing your teeth: when you do this at least a couple of times a day it makes all the difference. I wanted to be clear about the work we would do together as well as his part in that work going forward.

His next email said it all: “I don’t want to commit to that level of work.”

His response says it all. When it comes to spirituality, we like bite sized “magic pill” spirituality much more than we like approaches that involve sustained effort or focus. We want things “fixed” right now, even if the short-term fix comes at a larger long-term expense. He was discovering that there was no short-term fix, but he hadn’t exhausted all his options yet and so he continued looking for the magic fix.

I remember seeing this all the time in my former career in financial services. Even though I was a mortgage lender, I spent a great deal of time and money in the final four years of my career training in tax, financial, and legal strategies that were designed to support my clients in building sustainable wealth with a focus on retirement and legacy planning.

Once I started diving into this work with clients, I discovered over and over again their accountants and legal team were deploying strategies that resulted in short term gains at the expense (significant in some cases) of long term, sustainable solutions.

When I questioned the accountants about why they were deploying these short-term strategies at the expense of long term gains, the answer was consistent: “My clients want me to save them as much as possible in this tax year. They’re not open to long term strategy, even when it would result in a much larger gain.”

Here’s the shocking truth (at least it shocked me at the time): This was true no matter what the net worth of a client was – up to a point. The super wealthy clients I worked with understood the value of taking a long view – and always did. Their professional advisors were instructed to work together for the best total outcome long term.

Guess what? It’s the same in the spiritual space. Those who take the long view are the ones who are having the deepest and most profound spiritual experiences. The long view results in meaningful transformation that is sustaining. And sustaining transformation at the most basic level of our experience results in a profound shift in perspective at the essential perceptual levels – the levels that most impact ongoing peace, joy, connection and love.

So how do we take the long view when it comes to the spiritual journey?

We focus on the most essential components – the three things that will always move us closer to the experience of who we really are no matter where we are in the first three stages of consciousness:

1) Embody Your Soul. It’s a simple concept and the practice is equally simple. The transformation that results is profound and if sustained, this practice alone creates a crucible of transmutation that will clear any and all noise from your body, mind, and your field no matter how challenging or traumatic. And the bonus? When you embody your soul, you bring home the animating presence through which God expresses in and through you, in the processing opening up mystical experiences in your every day.

2) Experience Your Wholeness. I’ve written at length about going Beneath the Sand. Monday of this week I shared an experience of Beneath the Sand for the first time outside of a paid course or program. If you missed it you can download it for free through a link at the end of this email and check it out for yourself. No matter what I can say about wholeness, there’s nothing like the direct experience of it.

3) Surrender. This is usually the deal breaker for most people. Letting go of control completely is something only you can do for yourself (versus embodying your soul and experiencing wholeness, both of which I can facilitate for you). Letting go of control is taking the long view. The short view wants to manifest the things that I want right now. The short view wants to hold onto control. The long view recognizes that years of unhappiness and constantly looking for an answer outside have brought you inside where there is only one answer: let go of control. It’s about stepping into the unknown. It’s about acknowledging at some deep and most essential level YOU don’t know. But God does. And if you get out of the way, something profound can begin to shift, even if the only thing that transforms initially is your perception that you’re in control of everything.

These three steps lead to what I call Soul Reunion. Meaningful, sustaining transformation at the most essential level of your existence – a reunion with your essence.

Are you ready for the long view? Are you ready for something so fundamentally different, there’s no way for you to know or understand what it is without stepping into the unknown, into the mystery? Are you ready to stop the current patterns and cycles and nightmares and break free of everything that’s been holding you back?

If you’re nodding your head yes, welcome to the shift in consciousness that’s sweeping around the planet. Now it’s time for you to participate and experience it for yourself. It’s time to leap into the unknown and stay there. You’ve moved that direction before, but it’s scary, and control is familiar. I get it – we’ve all done that. It’s so normal and understandable. But every time you’ve stepped back into control before you end up in pain and suffering again, don’t you?

Me too.

You’re not alone. In fact right now there are thousands of people from around the world who are exploring these themes. Perhaps you’ve already joined them?

But if you haven’t this is my invitation to you. Come be with us. Connect and be part of the worldwide community who are focused on moving past the limitations of control and opening to the liberation and freedom that comes with letting go of control.

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Very special private note exclusively for the members of my community who are shaking their head “no!” to the question about taking the long view above … if you said yes – please skip down to the next *** this note isn’t for you 🙂 …

If you’re shaking your head no or looking for the unsubscribe button, I get it. It’s not a short-term answer is it? It doesn’t fit with the idea that you can make everything exactly as you want it. In the Control Freak Olympics I’m a multiple gold medal winner. No judgment whatsoever.

But consider this: If I could sit down with you and your accountant and show you how to add hundreds of thousands – perhaps even millions of dollars to your retirement account utilizing tax, debt, and financial strategies that may cost you a bit more now (and fit within your budget), but add more your spendable bottom line during retirement you’d jump at the chance to learn more wouldn’t you? (or you’d think I was full of manure – but your curiosity would probably get the best of you eventually).

As exciting as that would be, I’m not in that business anymore. As important as that seems like it would be, what I’m talking about on the spiritual front is WAY more important and meaningful.

Perhaps it’s worth suspending disbelief and letting go of some of your resistance. After all, you know that the approach you’re taking right now is not yielding sustainable results. I’m not asking you to hire me to have this transformation (as it turns out its free and already within you).

You may be wondering how I know what’s going on your world right now. Because what you’re going through is not unique – in fact we ALL go through it. We just don’t tend to talk about it.

Before you dismiss what I’m saying, let go of your resistance just a bit more. Open to something new. You know in your heart a different approach is needed.

My approach isn’t coming from a tradition or from dogma. It’s coming from my own spiritual awakening, together with working with thousands of people from every culture, age, belief system, and background. It’s coming from direct observation. It’s coming from a very pragmatic approach to spirituality and the spiritual journey. It’s coming from a deep desire to share with you the keys to freeing you from a prison of your own making. Keep your existing spiritual and religious beliefs. And open to a deeper relationship with yourself and the Divine. Open to meaningful and sustainable shift in perspective and experience.

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Together let’s take the long view and be the change we wish to see within ourselves, and in the world.

That’s it for this week … From My Heart.

Peace,
Ken

Ken W. Stone
The Soul Archaeologist
Experience the Divine Within
www.KenWStone.com