As human beings develop a greater interest in becoming “Living Masters,” spiritual mastery becomes an essential tool (or discipline) to change our lives for the better. There are three steps to this kind of mastery:
- Receive new inspirations on how to improve our lives
- Focus our minds and willpower on following through with that new inspiration
- Take proper actions, which means to get the ball rolling
The problem is that many human beings have a tendency to get bogged down with life’s challenges, eventually losing hope and direction. Our ego (the fear-based part of our mind) adds to this problem. It lives on the premise that if it destroys us—even if only emotionally—then its continued survival is assured. This means that if we are ever happy and thriving in our lives, the ego will feel threatened and will do everything in its power to take us off course. Although a quick death (any change in our lives that causes fear and suffering) might cause us to question life and our trust in God, a slow death (the ego’s preferred choice) squeezes out our life force and more assuredly makes us lose all hope and faith. This slower form of emotional death also is more likely to keep us from recovering, regrouping, and bouncing back. This is when and how the human soul learns to become complacent.
HOW COMPLACENCY AFFECTS OUR SOUL
The most obvious forms of complacency include having relationships and/or jobs that are not in alignment with our soul’s purpose or perhaps overt feelings of sickness or depression. In such instances, the average human being knows they are unhappy with something in life and they learn to tolerate such feelings by feeding addictions or by regularly grumbling about their situation.
The less obvious forms of complacency, and the most dangerous ones, tend to sneak in “under the radar” and affect far more areas of our lives than the more obvious forms. With the less obvious forms, it’s nearly impossible to recognize that something is even happening in our lives that is not quite right, as it comes on so gradually. And once we “sign on” to this negative pattern, it tends to fuel itself (stoking its fires with wounded fragments of our soul) and doesn’t need our conscious participation.
These forms of complacency often manifest in our lives as more subtle forms of depression or an attitude of “why bother” when it comes to taking on new endeavors or completing old or current projects. This might also include having no hope that counseling might save our relationship or that our health and body are in such poor shape there is no hope of improvement. People suffering from this form of complacency rarely date or have healthy intimate relationships. They also tend to gossip, fail to keep their commitments, and fail to heed advice or make changes necessary to alter their lives for the better.
Whether obvious or subtle, complacency is often at the root of depressive symptoms such as lack of abundance, lack of direction, and languishing in unhealthy relationships, ranging from family to partners. From these examples it should be evident that “complacency” and “lack” are very closely related. Fortunately, God is aware of the light in our soul growing dimmer by the day and sends many wake-up calls to snap us out of the trance of complacency. Masters learn to listen and follow these calls in order to thrive in their lives. Sadly, many of us ignore these calls, and barely survive among the living dead until our next lifetime.
If our soul is a true part of us, and is the manifestation of our inner master, then doesn’t it stand to reason that we can’t feel complete or ever be complete without it? Jesus put it another way by asking, “If you came upon an incredible gift of immeasurable value, wouldn’t you sell everything you had to buy it?” The remembrance of our True Self and our True Life is priceless and worth doing whatever it takes to attain it. This means getting our priorities straight and no longer allowing anything of this world to stand in our way. After all, if we died tomorrow, without having remembered our True Self or our soul’s purpose (both of which come with attaining a sufficient level of mastery), would it not mean that we’d soon be right back here trying to get it right the next time?
We must always remember, we have a body and a soul. Just as we feed our body when it hungers, we must also feed our soul, and, in fact, the soul should be a far greater priority than the body. “What does it value a man/woman to gain the world but lose his/her soul?” What the soul hungers for is not the things of this world but rather spiritual food such as prayer and meditation.
The soul also feeds on a life of love, service, and forgiveness. But the soul truly thrives when we practice having our priorities straight, which means following our spiritual path. To do otherwise causes a sure death of our health, vitality, joy, relationships, and sense of purpose. If we suffer from any of the above, it’s probable that we have allowed ourselves to become complacent and lose sight of our soul’s purpose by failing to commit to our spiritual path in the form of co-creating a new life with Spirit as our God. In so doing, we shift from merely surviving in a life of complacency to more fully thriving in a life of spiritual expansion.
Some of us are lucky enough to be doing our soul’s work, having healthy relationships, and feeling a regular sense of guidance. Of course luck has nothing to do with it. We had to have earned these qualities by making this lifestyle a reflection of something we are, rather than something we do only once in a while or merely when it’s convenient. Some people might read an occasional book, forgive once in a while, tithe here and there, sporadically nurture better health, and/or attend a spiritual workshop or conference now and again. But having a life that reflects a general or total sense of wellness and thriving means living this way ALL THE TIME.
It might sound like quite the task, as though it means living the devout and austere life of a monk, but this is not the case. The solution is to regularly practice the healthy, balanced life of “Living Mastery” or living as though we are the gods and goddesses that Spirit created us to be.
WAYS TO NURTURE YOUR SOUL AND LIVE LIKE A MASTER
Here are three simple ways to accomplish living like a master and nurturing your soul:
- Say goodbye to things that don’t reflect the better life you seek. This may include saying goodbye to people, objects, and even jobs, as well as opinions, attitudes, and beliefs that no longer serve your Highest Good. If you are uncertain as to what you are ready to let go of, get a second opinion or feedback from someone you trust (e.g. counselor, psychic, friend, etc.).
- Practice more prayer and meditation, which provides greater clarity, inspiration, and direction.
- Feed your new inspirations as you would the seeds of a new crop, with the nutrients and waters of Spirit. For example, choose only spirit-filled books and movies, and move toward a healthy life of diet and exercise.
If we expect to see and experience a better life, thriving with abundance, then we must plant that new life on the inside, followed by watering and feeding it with only the best choices, decisions, and actions on the outside—not just once but for the rest of our lives.