What is spiritualizing in daily life?
Sri Karmayogi says in simple words: Every day, every moment; every situation poses the alternatives of Truth and Falsehood. To choose the alternative of Truth is spirituality in that situation in that moment.
For example if we take work- any work can be done with interest making it alive or executed as a dead routine. One is spiritual whereas the other is not. Spirituality in daily life comes to us as values of honesty, loyalty, integrity, diligence, sincerity, truthfulness, dynamism, etc. Dedicated work, intelligent reading, faithful friendship, responsible work at home, careful handling of materials, attention to people, etc. all are form of truthfulness.
Devotion is Spiritual. So, anything done with devotion is spiritual. To fashion our entire lives on the basis of inner Spirit is spiritualizing daily life. This cannot be done religiously. It must be on our own invocation of spirit. Invocation of Spirit comes from conscious acceptance and deliverance of aspects of the Spirit. For that we have to deliberately create the conditions — environment, atmosphere, and attitude etc.
Mother says the biggest barrier for invoking the Spirit is our belief and notions. For that what we need is an honest self-analysis. We all know who we are and where we differ from Mother’s views. We pretend as if we don’t know. What we choose not to see, we can’t change. What weaknesses, faults, fears and shortcomings, notions beliefs, ideas do we have — socially, physically, spiritually, romantically, financially, and sexually? Willing to open up all these things to Mother is spiritualizing daily life. The more honest we are about us the more power and determination we will have to realize our goals on where to change.
The next is looking beyond all these and on what basis or on what foundations these are with us and what is the obstacle that lies between us that is not letting us to change for truth or for Mother’s principles. What kind of false situations, persons, relationships is holding us? Coming out of all these boundaries can only make the Spirit invoked.
The first remedy is not to energize ideas and activities- that is- not to give importance to all that we feel is not truth, irrespective of the society and circumstances and to give a moment of thought “what is my choice.. What will be Mother’s Choice…? We may pretend that we don’t know what Mother’s choice will be. Appa also gives easy way for that.
Act based on what is basically we know as conscience,
Or act based on what is accepted as highest ethics by the society around you,
Or take a “good person” you know in your circle and do what he will do in this situation.
Or at least take one good thing or character- that you think you have- and try to elevate that character one step more.
The next is avoiding relationships with all that no longer serve this purpose. When we choose to call back our attention from the people, ideas and activities that no longer serve our ideals or Mother’s ideals, we gain tremendous energy to invest in those relationships and situations that do feed our goals. Our Spirit is always trying to steer us towards evolution. We are now living in a responsive atmosphere that is designed to fulfil our deepest dreams based on our transformation towards truth.
We can see in our day-to-day life that every things happens or comes to us- can be classified under two broad terms.
1. To be an instrument of Mother.
2. For transformation.
All that comes for improvement, growth, prosperity and spreading Mother is to be an instrument of Mother. All that irritates angers, obstacles, failures all negatives that we know comes us for transformation of that character to the character that Mother likes.
If we can give little thought on this every time when something comes to us or happen to us we can very well spiritualize our everyday life. Spirituality is a kind of restraint, a kind of a discipline. If we don’t do anything just because we like it, don’t do anything because Mother dislikes it, or do anything that Mothers likes it is spirituality for us. It needs will determination. That transformation in the first place starts with effort and ends with maturity. For example, trying to suppress anger, controlling anger is discipline. It is characteristic to be conscious that anger should not come. Anger is the form of not having maturity. When we understand that and grow in consciousness we will not be provoked in any circumstances. All our nature and character changing to the nature and character that Mother likes is transformation.
Sri Karmayogi says, man lives in his human consciousness, mostly in his social consciousness. The ideals of human consciousness are expressions of mental, vital, and emotional propensities seeking their satisfaction, and social consciousness attempts to honour the social realities. Spiritualizing that kind of life is -aiming constantly at detaching the individual from his human consciousness and putting him in relationship to the Divine consciousness. To convert any social or work moment into an occasion of putting oneself in relation to the Divine is spiritualizing life.
