Q: How do you lay the groundwork to live a spiritual life? Are there stages?
How much time do you have? (laughter) Seriously, though, this is a big question. I think we have time for a bird’s-eye view. Let’s use the analogy of progressing through school, where each stage builds on the last, and each one has its own lessons, challenges, and rewards.
Kindergarten: The Magical Thinking Stage
We all begin here. Anything feels possible. We set noble goals: “I’ll be a kind, loving person who never gets angry or upset. I’ll always do the right thing. I’ll be happy to have less. I’ll be happy to serve.” We’re inspired and feel full of hope. But, before long, reality sticks its head in the door to remind us that good intentions and lofty ideals aren’t enough. It suggests that we dig a little deeper to start the real work.
Elementary school: The Practice Begins
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. We start reading, learning, and experimenting with spiritual practices. And, yes, there’s homework—daily. Discipline and practice aren’t optional. Emotions can still hijack us, and meditation still feels clumsy. But we begin to understand the concepts, and we see that spiritual growth isn’t a one-and-done deal. It’s a steady, ongoing effort. And we’re able to accept that.
High school: Building Stamina
Now we’ve developed more staying power. Meditation becomes more of a habit than a struggle. We start to see emotions for what they are—passing weather, not the sky itself. We notice we still have an emotional choice: to react or not to react. We can still get snagged, but less and less. More often than not, we choose not to overreact.
College: Internalizing the Journey
Here’s where things shift. What once felt like an external set of rules or practices now becomes part of who we are. We’re not meditating or studying because someone told us to. We’re doing it because it feels like home. Our intuition sharpens. Mystical experiences become more frequent, and we start to sense a quiet, ongoing conversation with the All-That-Is. The background noise of our mind fades, replaced by a gentle hum—the vibration that underlies everything, the sound of the universe itself.
Ph.D. Program: Embodying the Principles
At this stage, spiritual principles have become inseparably woven into our being. What used to take effort now feels effortless, even joyful. There’s nothing left to release, because there’s nothing left to cling to. We see with clarity that All is One. Peace becomes our baseline.
Life still delivers its ups and downs, but we meet them with equanimity: “Here is the next step. And the next. And the next.” We’re still here, living in this world, but without the old attachments. Life becomes a movie on the screen—vivid, engaging, but no longer something we’re lost in. We witness it all, but the charge is gone. Transience and impermanence are accepted and embraced as the ultimate reality.
The Final Stage: Mastery
All is truly one. All is permanent. All is. Enlightenment.
Wherever you find yourself on this path, know that each stage is necessary and eventually leads to the next. There’s no rush. There is only this moment. And that’s enough.