A Review of Life's Journey

Sharing the key elements of his journey

THE KEY  ELEMENTS  OF  MY  JOURNEY
by Trevor


Being Open
To Sacred Moments/Space


Holding Pain                                                                                    Sharing Compassion
And Suffering                                                                                              And Love



Letting Go of
Ego and Intellect



(On my hand-drawing of the above elements, I have arrows with heads on both ends drawn between all 4 elements i.e. no one of them seems central, and each can lead to another and may be necessary for another)



It is my journey. I must row or sail my own boat. In language of “The Quest for the Holy Grail”, I must go into the forest at a point of my
choosing, where it is darkest, where there is no path and for where I have no map. The journey often feels like being on “the periphery”,
yet seems to move towards some centre. Sharing my journey with others seems vital; but trying to follow in the footsteps of others often
feels like traveling in a wasteland and can be impoverishing.

It seems key to remain ever open to experiencing the sacred. That is, moments/space filled with awe and wonder yet seeming timeless
and beyond space – instances of joy, fulfillment, peace, even ecstasy yet beyond words – experiences in which the world seems
somehow transfigured. Instances of transcendence or glimpses of  “the divine” seem to be spread irregularly and infrequently across
the worldly landscape. Such experiences are to be accepted as sheer gift, and somehow become core material for the journey.

Having compassion for all beings and things – indeed the whole universe – seems vital. That is, “feeling with” – not feeling pity or
condescending. The litmus test for all major religious traditions of a “spiritual experience” is that it must lead directly to practical
compassion. Compassion liberates us from personal issues that limit our vision and dethrones ego from our lives, opening us to go
beyond ourselves and even extend compassion where there is no hope of return. This also involves accepting compassion and love
from others and from myself, and opening myself to the experience/knowledge that I am profoundly loved. Being able to have
compassion is aided from “being with” pain; and offering compassion can even lead to experiences of ecstasy.

To experience glimpses of “the divine”, I must let go of ego and intellect and “just be” (in the moment). This requires living intently –
totally enrapt in awe and wonder, perhaps as a child or at least childlike - here and now. Beyond ego there are feelings of enlargement
and enhancement; beyond ego are creativity and possibilities that transcend ordinary experience.

There will always be pain and suffering. I must learn to acknowledge it, hold it, be in it and feel it fully – and so learn where it is in me
and to refrain from inflicting it on others. Rabbi Hillel, a leading Pharisee whom Jesus may well have known if not emulated, put it this
way: “Do not do unto others as you would not have done unto you.” It has been suggested that ego is at the heart of much if not all
suffering.

It would seem that rituals or practices are helpful if not essential on the journey to assist me in letting go of ego and intellect, sharing
compassion and love and being with pain and suffering, possibly then increasing the probability of the occurrence of “divine moments”.
Silence often helps – solitude – nature – Buddhist meditation – Moslem greetings and prayers – Yogic deep breathing.

And “the practice” not “the belief” is what is vital.