There are many individuals, groups and organizations on the planet purporting to be sources of spirituality. There are religions (3000+), churches, congregations, preachers, gurus, schools large and small claiming that they are connected to God and presenting themselves as sources of spirituality. How do we know which are real, which are true sources of spirituality? We cannot depend on what they say; most tell a good story, and most claim to be the “truth”; many of them claim to be the “only truth.” However, only a few are real sources; many have only dead dogmas and beliefs, many are businesses; some are rackets and scams.
How can we know what are true sources of spirituality and what are not? The answer is ancient and simple, contained in the saying, “By their fruits you will know them.” A true, internal connection to Essence always produces visible, external results: the characteristics and behaviors of spirituality we list below. If you note these qualities in a person or a group, you know they have a contact with true spirituality, with Essence. If you don’t observe these qualities in any person or group, you know they do not have contact. They cannot give or teach you what they do not have.
A true source of spirituality has nothing to do with the theology it uses. A true source is anything that connects you, that puts you in communion, with your Essence, with God. True spirituality is any idea or practice that gives you the experience of Essence, of the truth of Who You Are.
Mumbo Jumbo of the Congo, witch doctor of a tribe of aborigines, seated beneath a tree in the jungle, can have a real contact with Essence and be a true source. A worldwide religion with sophisticated theology described in thousands of books, with doctors of philosophy preaching and executing rituals and ceremonies in gilded cathedrals, may not have it. Only the expression of Essence in that person and those under his leadership show whether or not she is a true source of spirituality.
This is so important it bears repeating: No quantity of knowledge, philosophy, theology, doctrines, dogma, sermons, books, bibles — not of all them summed together – can ever give you a true connection or real spiritual development. In fact, feeding the mind is a great danger in spirituality because it will mislead you: “Aha! You have understood; you now know it; you’ve done it; end of the matter;” when really you have achieved nothing.
Knowledge only serves for two things:
- Indicate what you need to do and how to do it to achieve the experience;
- When you have the experience, confirm its validity for you. "Aha! So this is what that source was talking about."
How can you know recognize true sources of spirituality? How can you distinguish between the real thing, a real source of spirituality and all deluded and the fakes?
First, understand what spirituality is not:
Your spirituality, and that of others, has nothing to do with:
- doctrines, dogmas, theologies, philosophies, creeds, beliefs or faith.
- holy books, revelations, prophecies, commandments or catechisms.
- going to church (Essence is everywhere all the time).
- ceremonies, rites or rituals.
- prayers, songs or psalms.
- worshipping or adoring or obeying God or ecclesiastic authorities.
- occupation: an atheist can be a highly spiritual person where a preacher might not be.
To detect real spirituality, look for Spirit, for Essence.
Spirituality is the experience and expression of Essence.
The spirituality of any person or group can be measured by observing their degree of expression of the Characteristics of Essence.
The 13 Principal Characteristics of Essence are:
Light, Consciousness, Will-Power-Creator, All-Oneness-Unity, Infinity, Magnificence, Wisdom, Perfection, Beauty, Truth, Love, Peace and Joy.
The Secondary Characteristics of Essence include:
Humility, harmony, responsibility, integrity, security (confidence); freedom, non-attachment, abundance, transparence (acceptation of all without invalidation or negative energy), service, enthusiasm and passion, gratitude, simplicity, serenity, patience, compassion and harmony.
The observable characteristics of spirituality, of Light, of Essence, in a person include:
- Humility (free of neg ego, of thinking himself is better than others (or less than)).
- Responsibility and accountability for decisions and actions.
- Integrity, honesty (speaks only the truth, keeps their word and commitments).
- Detachment from material things, from accumulation and hoarding.
- Simplicity: lives simply, has no pretensions or ostentations.
- Lives in positive emotion: peace and serenity, happiness and joy.
- Transparency, acceptance, recognition of the Perfection of all forms of being.
- Compassion and kindness.
- Service and assistance to others (part of love).
- Generosity, an expression of Abundance.
- Consciousness of self, centeredness.
- Harmony and cooperation with others.
Examples of how the Characteristics express in daily life:
- Acceptance and love of what is, and of all as they are. Never resistance, invalidation or rejection to anyone or anything. Knows that all are forms of himself, of One Essence.
- Serenity: is never activated in negative emotions. Is free of anger, hate, fear, sorrow.
- Being powerful, responsible and producing desired results. Never in victim or complaints.
- Always having what is needed without accumulation and hoarding.
- Unattached to wealth and fame and power. Uses them to serve Love.
- Wisdom: understands human nature and can point out to others why they have the problems they have, if they should ask.
- Radiates peace so strongly that it is perceptible to others.
- Is generous with his time and money to help others.
- Is free of social programming and lives his life as he pleases. Is not the effect of the opinions and judgments of others.
- Is humble, simple and unassuming. Does not try to present himself as more or greater than others.
Your spirituality is your degree of Experience and Expression of Essence, of all these characteristics. Your Enlightenment is your degree of Experience and Expression of Essence, of all these characteristics.
- Experience is how much you perceive and feel Essence, in any and all of Her Characteristics.
- Expression is your behaviors and actions: how much you act in accordance with the Characteristics of Essence including unity, humility, integrity, transparence and love. How do you treat others, animals, plants, the environment?
If you see these qualities in others, then you know that they have a genuine connection with Essence. When you see the opposites; you know that they are far from Essence, still in the Darkside.
The opposites of spirituality, the characteristics of Darkness, include:
egotism, egoism, self-aggrandizement and ostentation, failures of integrity (lies, dishonesty, fraud, breaking word and promises), indifference to harm done, indifference to the needs and suffering of others, irresponsibility, corruption, division and polarization in good<>bad, invalidation and attacks with negative energy, identity politics, conflict, competition, greed, over-accumulation, attachment, hoarding, anger, hate, fear, domination and tyranny, warmongering and war.
Where you see such things, there is no expression of Essence and therefore no spirituality. Where you see them in people and institutions that profess to be spiritual, you are seeing hypocrisy.
You can’t fake or pretend spirituality for long. Who you are will come out of you sooner or later, especially when you’re under pressure. The only way to develop it is by working on yourself. Serious spiritual progress is complicated and requires dedication (if you want to achieve much in this lifetime). Only those who truly, “Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven,” those who put their spirituality above all else, ever have much results. To achieve good results with minimum TE, you need a teacher and a system. You should evaluate their spirituality to know if they will be effective for you or not.
HAPPINESS
One crucial thing about spirituality that people do not seem to understand is that
YOUR SPIRITUALITY IS YOUR HAPPINESS.
Compare the characteristics of spirituality, of Essence, with those of Darkness. How does a person feel when experiencing and expressing the Light versus experiencing and expressing Darkness? Spirituality is Essence and Love, and Essence-Love is the only happiness there is.
Values are an expression of spirituality. For example, all politics are the spirituality of that person or group expressing their values. Humanity is not doing well spiritually.
Examples of current, counter-spiritual values on earth include:
- The ends justify the means: lie, cheat, steal, corruption, force, war.
- Power, to be obtained by any means, but used for me and mine.
- Political office for ego, personal advantage and wealth, versus as a sacred trust of others to use wisdom for the greater good.
- Money and profits at any cost, including pollution and destruction of the environment.
- Political lobbying for industry interests no matter the harm to others (e.g. alcohol, drugs, tobacco, processed foods).
- Negative ego and personal glorification; versus humility, altruism and love. (see article on Ego).
- Adulation of public figures (politicians, musicians, stars in sports or arts).
- Wealth for a few versus well-being for all. Accumulation; versus sharing and distribution, and especially of education.
- Hoarding versus generosity.
- Use of threats, intimidation, force whenever we think we can get away with it politically. Armed conflicts and wars are ok, and good for business.
- Instant gratification versus discipline and what is best for the long term.
- Whatever is best for me and mine now; versus the greater good for the greater number for the long term.
- Goodbad: attack and destroy the “bad.”
- Unsustainable environment practices and exhaustion of non-renewable resources.
The values of spirituality include:
- Unity, as opposed to separation and division, us against them.
- Love: Acceptance of differences, and service.
- Humility: No person or group is greater than another.
- Equality: We are all equal children of Essence; Essence has no favorites.
- The Greater Good for the Greater Number for the Long Term.
- Government, leadership and power are trusts to administer for the Greater Good.
- Abundance: to have what you need without hoarding what you don’t.
- Assure basic necessities, including education, for all.
- Win-win negotiations when there are differences of opinion.
- Your work on yourself is the most important thing in life, and the origin of everything else in your life.
Until we apply the values of Essence, of true spirituality, to the problems of the world; these will not only remain unsolvable, but will worsen.
The big question for each of us is,
“Are we part of the solution, or are we part of the problem?”
“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought,
but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
Albert Einstein
LEADERSHIP
There are two kinds of leadership: human and spiritual. A human leader is one that has a vision and goals, and organizes people and resources to achieve them. A spiritual leader is one who inspires others by his example and radiation of Essence; who thus reminds them Who They Are and motivates them to seek Essence.
There are many who present themselves as spiritual leaders but are not.
You can identify them by the following characteristics:
- Negative ego, for self or for his institution. “We are better; we are ‘righter’.”
- Dogmatic, with a narrow viewpoint on spirituality, often focused on tradition and ritual. Promotes belief and faith over experience.
- Serves and protects the institution and focuses on its objectives.
- Controls through authority, by power or fear, rather than genuine leadership.
- Unreliable, does not keep his word impeccably.
- Lacks openness, sensitivity and attention to complex aspects of life such a gender, sexuality, poverty.
- Talks a good story and with lofty goals, but few results.
- Denies responsibility for problems and failures, nor does he hold subordinates accountable.
- Enriches himself beyond his real needs. Ostentates his wealth and worldly success.
As you can see, there are many ways to identify true sources of spirituality. In Essentiality we present you with One path, there are many others. Always listen to your heart, it will guide your way.