Spiritual Evolution - how is it "measured"?

[Leila]

Dear Friends,

I'm glad that we don't need to work on developing our psychic abilities (unless this is our passion  - greetings, Wave!).
Adrian says that all that matters is spiritual evolution.

But which is the "measure" or "evaluation" of this state? Do you feel yourself spiritually evolved?
Do we have a "general" level, (which is the sum of our vibration) or it fluctuates from high to lower level, depending on our current vibration? A spiritual level of evolution once achieved is preserved from now on?

So, how do we weigh it? What means to be spiritually evolved?
From what I learned lately, it is the degree of identifying with the Source. Then expressing Unconditional Love is important? Or being the creator of our reality?

I feel myself evolved when I'm able to see good everywhere, to keep calm and loving when facing adverse circumstances, when feel and act in self-esteem, when feel the presence of my Higher Self.
Also when feel secure, cared of, loved.
Being able to rise our vibration to a frequency which makes us feel deep peace, the Life Energy filling ourselves, lightness of physical body, or even not feeling it at all, expanding of Consciousness - are these proofs of evolution, or not at all?

I have the feeling that the new projects of Adrian are going to help us know better where we stand.

Is it shameful to fall down from time to time, or it's normal?

I personally, have to work on "non-attachment". When I become attached, feel I'm stepping out of flow. Instead of focusing within and have everything, focus without, and miss what I'm attached to. Than need to let go of everything, and step back "in alignment".

I'd love to read of your experiences and opinions - as after all, they are our concern, and the true purpose we are here, right?

In Love,
Leila

[zensunni7]

Hello Leila,
A Merry Christmas to you.

No - shame is not a part of this at all or ever. Falling back as you say is normal, we all do and it does not mean we have been knocked off center or even stepped backwards, it only means we are feeling e-motions we do not want to feel in that moment, so in the next we choose to feel differently. Never feel ashamed.

The measure of our awareness is not really measurable in my thinking, evolving is a ongoing process as the only true constant is change. We are always growing, expanding and enhancing, so a finish point cannot be seen, nor should you feel you have to have one. Measuring causes us to compare - analyze ourselves.
Just enjoy being you in the present moment.

Love your posts too.

Love
Darrell

[Leila]

Hello, Darrell!

I don't have a "target" for that, was just wondering if our state of awareness, which we shall be able to attain during next few years, will be enough for us to "serve" for the great transition, or we will "miss" it!

And would be good to have an idea about it,  in order to know if we are on the right path. But we surely are, if follow our Selves, and feel in alignment.

Endless love to everybody!!!

Leila

[juliainkc]

Hi All ~

Hello, Darrell!

I don't have a "target" for that, was just wondering if our state of awareness, which we shall be able to attain during next few years, will be enough for us to "serve" for the great transition, or we will "miss" it!

And would be good to have an idea about it,  in order to know if we are on the right path. But we surely are, if follow our Selves, and feel in alignment.

Endless love to everybody!!!

Leila

Uh Oh!! Word Play ~

in order to know if we are on the right path

We are on the knowing path of right order ... perfection ... ITS a walking through the park, the path ...

Beautiful

[HareOm]

spiritual evolution can be measured in terms of the refinement of the energy centers and ones ability to rise in frequency into higher dimensions,

there is a bandwagon where people call and claim themselves to be spiritual all the time, and pretend to be as happy as they can,
some of these people seem legitimately able to be blissful all the time,

but being a scorpio (?) [think that has somethin to do with it] i am often a bit skeptical of their cheery demeanor.

HOW-3ever,
it is so that we are what we persistently pretend to be,

i saw a videor (sort of how , you would say video, if you had a new york style accent) last night of a woman named Gurumukh, she looked like she was my age, in her 20s, and she said she was 50 years old.
I read the youtube comments, not a good idea, they often angry up the blood,
someone was doubtful
but by scanning her image i can clearly tell that, actually, she IS,

i then was immediately forced by some energy to go into meditation and she was radiating very strongly her presence at me, so,

spiritual evolution for me seems to require an ashram, I know there is a higher more finely tuned me that I could be, and I'd like to learn Kundalini yoga so I can be physically fit and meditate better.

the "age of the householder" is very strange, perhaps if I held my OWN house, it would be different.

[Leila]

Thanks for sharing your thaughts, HareOm!

I either don't feel happy, energetic and shining all the time. Just when give Love. Sometimes need to receive it from outside, to recharge. If I don't, ultimately find it within, which is the scope of living as human.

I am a Fish, or Pisces, those half-angel humans who live between clouds, closer to God than the Earth beneath our feet. Feel blessed for this gift, which enables my spiritual evolution.

I'd move any moment to live in an ashram, surrounded by kindred spirits!!!
Would feel there much more "home" than anywhere. But even in noise and unfriendly vibrations, could experience approach to God, deep relaxation, energizing with Life Energy, rising (unexpectedly) my vibration until not feeling my body at all.

Love, Leila

[Talker]

Hello Leila,
Jusy popping my thoughts in a relaxed moment.
A Pisces you say.
The  12th house and final sign of the cycle before the new beginning.
It can be the house of dissolution or solution.
Also, known as being the house of limitations, secret sorrows and self-undoing.
The house of mystery, of wonder, of happiness, peace and contentment.
Highly evolved Pisceans are the most intuitive and universal of human beings; they live as though life and love were one.
Unevolved Pisceans are evasive, undependable, subtle, vacillating and often difficult to orientate.
As a Piscean, you have foresight and genius, and a powerful imagination and may be endowed with executive ability.
Is only the tip of the ice-berg being mentioned.
Ah, a good place to be, a sign shared with many brilliant minds.
Be Well

[Leila]

Hello Leila,
Jusy popping my thoughts in a relaxed moment.
A Pisces you say.
The  12th house and final sign of the cycle before the new beginning.
It can be the house of dissolution or solution.
Also, known as being the house of limitations, secret sorrows and self-undoing.
The house of mystery, of wonder, of happiness, peace and contentment.
Highly evolved Pisceans are the most intuitive and universal of human beings; they live as though life and love were one.
Unevolved Pisceans are evasive, undependable, subtle, vacillating and often difficult to orientate.
As a Piscean, you have foresight and genius, and a powerful imagination and may be endowed with executive ability.

Hello, Talker!
Thank you for your comments! Indeed I recognize myself in most of the mentioned features.

I may still have long way till "highly evolved", but I already lived with Love my whole life. It's just as necessary as the air to breath, and the food to eat. The last even can be given up eventually (will join Wave's group  ) - but without Love I'm dead...

Hugs and kisses for everybody, 
Leila

[Adrian]

Dear Leila,

First of all welcome to the forums.

I have read many of your most valuable thoughtful and helpful contributions, but until now have not found the opportunity to reply.

Dear Friends,

But which is the "measure" or "evaluation" of this state? Do you feel yourself spiritually evolved?
Do we have a "general" level, (which is the sum of our vibration) or it fluctuates from high to lower level, depending on our current vibration? A spiritual level of evolution once achieved is preserved from now on?

So, how do we weigh it? What means to be spiritually evolved?

An exceptional question to which there is no absolute answer.

It is as enigmatic as the "how long is a piece of string" question.

There are no qualitative or quantitative measure of human evolution, because at this level, the kindergarten of the Universe, humans cannot comprehend the Inner levels, and therefore what to aspire to until actually reaching that destination, at which point we may look back to see where we have evolved from.

The only answer I can provide, which is never satisfactory from an academic perspective, is that Spiritual Evolution is Experiential, and we will always know it for what it is at any moment of Now.

I can say it is a serious mistake to judge the level of Spiritual Evolution of another - aspect of yourself - based upon appearances. The most evolved invariably would not appear that way to others who think they are.

I suspect that this has not been a very satisfactory response, but, as with endeavouring to describe the colour blue to a person who has  only seen in monochrome from birth, there are no points of reference through which to do so.

In Love and Light,

Adrian.

[Leila]

Dear Adrian,

I'm truly grateful for you took the time to write me with kindness!

Thank you for reading my thaughts! I wrote them from the bottom and fullness of my heart, for you and our friends.
I love the forum members deeply, and the warmth of this place. Still can't believe such place exists, and I can reach it when circumstances allow.

My returning "Home" here, seems to me similar with awakening. We only need to understand and open our eyes, and everything is ours, but we are still not aware of it.
I wished for long to communicate with you, but considered there is no way for it, amongst the thousands of mails received daily. And still this forum allows close sharing of thaughts, but I stayed away from it for so long...
Read over 100 of your last posts, and discovered most pleasant part of your spirit: humour, closeness to your friends, sincere and touching thaughts sharing about you and your blessed family!

I think we spiritually evolve when we approach more and more "Godly" all events in our lives, when we are able most of time to live in flow. I found at least this guide, i.e. feel when I'm in alignment or live in divine order, and when step outside.
Dream for the time when we all, don't need to write our thaughts, but will be able to communicate through energy.

As there are no proper words to express my emotion, let the energy speak for me...

Love for all my brothers and sisters, God bless you my dear friends!
Happy New Year to everybody!!!
Faithfully,
Leila

[Mina-Laura]

But let there be no scales to weigh your unknown treasure;

And seek not the depths of your knowledge with staff or sounding line.

For self is a sea boundless and measureless.




http://www.ourultimatereality.com/forums/your-favourite-poems-t1047.0.html;msg11243#msg11243


love - Laura

[wavepsychic]

Hey Leila I am here!

I'm glad that we don't need to work on developing our psychic abilities (unless this is our passion  smiley - greetings, Wave!).

So when you think of Psychic abilities you think of me?

but being a scorpio (?) [think that has somethin to do with it] i am often a bit skeptical of their cheery demeanor.

You're a Scorpio too!?

I am a Fish, or Pisces, those half-angel humans who live between clouds, closer to God than the Earth beneath our feet. Feel blessed for this gift, which enables my spiritual evolution.

Another Water Sign! 50% of my birth chart is of the water Element! It has to do with Emotion and Intuition. Talker I should have known you're into Astrology!

An exceptional question to which there is no absolute answer.

It is true. Spirit simply can not be measured. However in response to your question this quote from the Tao Te Ching comes to mind.

Chapter 19
Throw away holiness and wisdom,
and people will be a hundred times happier,
Throw away morality and justice,
and people will do the right thing,
Throw away industry and profit,
and their wont be any thieves.

If these three things aren't enough,
just stay at the center of the circle
and let all things take their course.
Lao-tzu

Peace and Love to you Leila! ~Louis

[DH]

Hi Leila,

Good question about the measure of personal evolution.

My studies of many philosophies and religions still comes up with LOVE ONE ANOTHER.  St. Paul's "love chapter" in 1 Corinthians 13 kind of sums it all up: 

1Co 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
1Co 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains,  but have not love, I am nothing.
1Co 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
1Co 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 
1Co 13:5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.   
1Co 13:6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.   
1Co 13:7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 
1Co 13:8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
1Co 13:9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
1Co 13:10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
1Co 13:12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.   
1Co 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

You can change the language to update it to today  -- "I may be able to astral project or communicate with higher beings or bend steel steel with my mind" -- but the bottom line is the same:  without love I am nothing.

Just my two bits,

Blessings, DH   

[Mina-Laura]

Dear Level1,

I decided to move our discussion in here as it seems more on this line of topic (thank you to Leila for starting this )

Interesting choice of id you chose level1 this reminds me of one of my very best friends whom I love very much. He used to be a level1 and now a level2. But this has to do with levels of security compures protocols or something of this sort. Smiley
What significance your choice of name has to you?

Hi Laura

Well!!  It was the first thing (almost) to pop into my head because I am at the first or minimal level of spiritual development.

After many years of assigning spiritual, occult, and religious teaching to the crackpot file, I started to lose faith due to the apparent blindness to the discrepancies in results and the almost religious adherence to dogma of the scientific community.

Then I met a guy who was a follower of the occult traditions, a greenie, a vegetarian, and a disciple of biodynamics, so I put on my sceptic cap and though here we go this'll be good.  But I found that I was more in accord with his ideas than not.

At his suggestion I read Victor Schauberger and Rudolf Steiner and other texts and obviously came to wonder why are these people ignored, particularly as most of their ideas seem to work. They just don't cosy up to the accepted scientific dogma. Science is supposed to test all theories, particularly if they show promise.  Ignoring or dismissing without due consideration is not true science.

Many years ago my first sortie to the "dark side" was the TV program "Beyond something" with James van Praagh but never knew what to make of him, except that he seemed genuine, but most con men do! I have also listened to Ramtha and Kryon and while still sitting on the fence I keep an interest, but I have not had an OBE or a NDE or an Astral travel experience. Therefore I don't know if any of this true or just delusional.

I suppose this is why I am level one.

The meeting with the biodynamic veggie guy was certainly serendipitous and as Adrien says, there are no accidents. 

And so it is.

I had to look up Victor Schauberger and Rudolf Steiner as is the first time I hear about. Same goes for James van Praagh and I can see he is at the origin of the "Ghost Whisperer" series which I watch sometimes with my girls.

I can say that I relate to what you talk about here. In a different order of events and of course 'initiators' of events leading to esoteric discoveries. I also read Ramtha and Kryon a lot 2 years ago after The Bleep movie. It helped me 'fix' a lot of erroneous ideas and beliefs about relationships. Interesting that you meantion about "true or just delusional" - as these were exactly my thoughts at the time, however I found the 'value' of basic information so valuable and helpful in my spiritual evolution that the 'facts' faded in comparison.

I have no idea what level I am actually - however when I'm past the 7th I guess I'll know and that is all that matters. In the mean time I love this ideas from Rudolf Steiner:

The being of Christ is central to all religions, though called by different names by each.
Every religion is valid and true for the time and cultural context in which it was born.
Historical forms of Christianity need to be transformed considerably in our times in order to meet the on-going evolution of humanity.

It is the being that unifies all religions — and not a particular religious faith.

The "Christ Being" is for Steiner not only the Redeemer of the Fall from Paradise, but also the unique pivot and meaning of earth's "evolutionary" processes and of all human history. The essence of being "Christian" is, for Steiner, a search for balance between polarizing extremes and the ability to manifest love in freedom.

Steiner's view of the second coming of Christ is also unusual. He suggested that this would not be a physical reappearance, but rather, meant that the Christ being would become manifest in non-physical form, in the "etheric realm" — i.e. visible to spiritual vision and apparent in community life — for increasing numbers of people, beginning around the year 1933. He emphasized that the future would require humanity to recognize this Spirit of Love in all its genuine forms, regardless of how this is named. He also warned that the traditional name, "Christ", might be used, yet the true essence of this Being of Love ignored.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Steiner





love - Laura

[Step1]

Has anyone heard of the 5 ranks of Tozan?

http://slbuddhists.org/?p=8

Interesting concept of development/enlightenment.