Have you ever wondered if you should just chuck it all and join a monastery?
Many people all over the globe are experiencing a deep knowing that there is more to this life than simply outer-level, physical or material goals. Yet most of us were raised to believe that our happiness was based on external goals – completing a certain degree, having money in the bank, finding a spouse, keeping a dependable job, owning property, or some other measure of external success. The reality is that a person could have all of these material things and still be terribly dissatisfied with their life.
Another person could have none of the external ‘stuff’ and be completely content. Access to joy and personal fulfillment is inside all of us, flowing from our source. It has nothing to do with external reality and everything to with each of us following our soul’s deepest urgings. True, lasting joy and satisfaction only come when a person aligns themselves with the will of their soul and begins to follow the path toward their soul’s ultimate destination.
Do you have access to pure joy? Do you feel fully content and satisfied in every moment regardless of what is going on in your outer world? Or, do you base your happiness on what is going on in your external life or how much ‘stuff’ you currently have?
Because money can’t buy you Love, some spiritual teachings have advocated denouncing or abstaining from all things material. The thought is that it might be easier to achieve alignment with the will of our soul, and in turn the will of God, if we simply disavowed ourselves from material possessions, relationships and any other physical-level ‘stuff’ that might cause attachments.
There is a very small percentage of the population whose soul’s purpose is to do nothing besides holding in energies of higher consciousness so that more of humanity can make the paradigm shift. These are the monks and masters who sit in silent meditation at various strategic points around the globe. Then there are monks, nuns, etc. who are here to hold and maintain access to the ancient teachings. In both of these paths, the souls are naturally guided towards a life of material abstinence. However, the majority of awakened souls are needed to participate in the full physicality of the planet.
If you know that abstaining is part of your soul’s path, go for it, and, if not, I encourage you to begin to follow your joy – even if it leads you toward material expression. We are at a place of human evolvement in which our wills are now strong enough to participate fully in life on every level while still achieving enlightenment. Not only can you achieve complete alignment while being fully engaged in life, it is actually imperative that as many of us as possible model harmonious living. How else are the masses, who are currently enmeshed in the physical-level reality, going to wake up, move out of the right/wrong paradigm and begin to live in Loving?
We are, after all, souls in physical form. Our purpose is to be fully integrated – this means in complete alignment with God, Humankind and Nature – while still in physical form. This entails embracing our physical world rather than denying it, and bringing each and every aspect of our physical reality into spiritual alignment. To move forward as a collective into the Loving, our job, literally, is to create heaven on Earth. We have the ability to achieve mastery of life, meaning we can master each and every part, including and not limited to experiencing prosperity, intimate relationships, sex, delicious food, material possessions, and anything else you could imagine in harmony and balance with all things. We can have a full outer-level reality of physical engagement in the material world – as a true expression of Divine form in action – while having our will align with our soul on every level of Being.
The beautiful and fabulous truth is that Spirit wants you to have everything in this life that your heart desires. You are a co-creator, and the Earth-plane is a canvas upon which you are here to paint. Your soul rejoices for you to create freely – to live in joy, loving relationship and prosperity – as long as it is in the highest good of the planet and all concerned. When you act in your own highest good, it is automatically connected to all that is and therefore naturally in alignment with the highest good of all concerned.
Understand that your heart’s desires will be very different from old, ego-based or fear-based desires that many are still seeking. Only ego is interested in destruction of nature; only fear-based greed is motivation for war, the widespread use of chemicals, mass consumption, manipulating nature and poisoning our bodies and planet. Your soul, on the other hand, will always have your highest good in mind and will urge you to lead with your heart.
Feel free to follow your joy! When you follow your joy, this usually leads you directly onto the path that is aligned with the will of your soul.
What do you most love to do? What brings you the deepest feeling of satisfaction in your life?
If you are following your internal guidance system, it will be leading you toward doing more of that thing that lights you up, whatever that may be. When you are following your path towards your own destiny, you will feel a deep sense of personal satisfaction, an internal knowing of heading in direction that is in your own highest good. Say, “My soul wants me to have everything my heart desires. I am now following my joy, engaging in life fully on every level of Being in the highest good of all concerned.”
Action Step ~ Unless you are destined to become a monk, let go of your fears of engaging in the material world and choose to follow your joy. Declaration: “God wants me to live fully, to become the full expression of divinity in action. I now follow my heart’s desires, doing whatever brings me the most joy. I trust that when I follow my joy, I am acting in my highest good, which is acting in the highest good of all concerned.”
Additional Support: Listen to this 9-minute closed-eye process on engaging in the full physicality of life and following your joy; please refrain from driving while listening.