Some time ago I had a chance to learn from Michael Beckwith – someone whose wisdom and contribution to the world has really touched and inspired me, someone who has received global acknowledgement and awards for what he has done in humanity and spirituality.
In this class, Michael talks about life purpose. But it turns out not to be just the usual life purpose; he does not talk about what career suits us or what we should do to find and live our career path.
Michael talks about how our spiritual growth determines how we view life, and eventually, determines our life choices and how we live our life purpose.
As an example, when we feel like we’re a victim of our destiny for being born in a poor family, we have no money to continue college and we have no family support, we tend to blame things outside ourselves as a reason of ‘why we do not succeed’. This kind of people are in the first stage of their spiritual growth.
According to Michael Beckwith, there are four stages of our spiritual growth. I have summarized his teaching and adapt it for us to reflect upon.
Stage 1: Victim Consciousness
Keyword: “Life happens to me”
These are the people who like to ‘play victim’. People in this stage always feel that the external circumstances are governing their destiny. They tend to blame external factors and refuse to look inward, that perhaps they also play roles on why things did not go their way. People in this stage even feel proud of their ‘sad stories’; they use these as their badge or identity. Things that make them feel special and have the rights to be angry/ to have resentment/ to fight/ to fail/ not to move on. But then, one day, when they feel sick and tired of being sick and tired towards life, they start to open themselves up to different possibilities which may have never occurred in their mind before. This is the time when they start to grow.
Stage 2: Manifestation Consciousness
Keyword: “I happen to life”
In this stage people will start to take responsibility. They understand that they also play a role for whatever happen in their lives. And so, they start to learn to release all negativities and try their best to feel, think, say, and act positively in order to manifest more positivities in life. They live by the mind power and they believe in the law of attraction. For people in this stage, their slogan is “see it in order to achieve it”.
Stage 3: Channeling Consciousness
Keyword: “I am a vessel”
In this stage people understand that they are here not to make things happen, but they are here to make something welcomed – so that whatever that needs to come could be manifested through them and their lives. In this space and time of infinite potential, everything is already there. If during the second stage we can feel the intense masculine energy, in this stage the energy is more feminine. See the unseen and hear the inaudible.
Stage 4: Being Consciousness
Keyword: “I am One”
In this stage, people feel that the sense of separation has dissolved between him and the world around him. Life is perfect, just as it is. They feel the oneness with the present. They no longer blame the circumstances (just like those in stage 1), they no longer try to control things to happen (just like those in stage 2), and they give up the story of separation (unlike those in stage 3). They are one with life. Whatever you are looking for is within you. You are what you are looking for. You and the Universe are one.
In life basically we all go through these different stages at times, stage 1, 2, and 3. Although someone is in her stage 3, it does not mean she would not go to the first or second stage if she undergoes something huge in her life, for example. Stage 4 is usually experienced by the holies and the masters. But it does not mean that laypeople like us cannot one day achieve this stage. Just as the Buddha said, each and everyone of us can become Buddha. There’s this true nature, the Buddhahood nature, within everyone of us.
To see how we experience these four stages in our life, let’s take Jesus as an example. When Jesus performed healing and miracles, he’s in his stage 2. When he then said to those who wanted to crucify him, “It is not me who did it, it’s my Father who did it through me” – that’s his stage 3. And when he said, “I and my Father are one” – that is stage 4.
It’s the same with us. When we are furious and we cannot forgive how our husband has disappointed us, we’re in stage 1. But then we realize that our resentment does not provide us solution, it even makes us suffer more and more. We then decide to be a better person so that we can have a more loving husband and have a more harmonious family life – this is stage 2. The more we learn, the more we can practice unconditional love and sincerety. We accept all life phenomenons that are coming to our lives – this is stage 3. And then, when we finally realize that us, our husband, and all the entire Universe are actually one, we feel this pure and deep love flowing through us and around us – here we are in stage 4. Isn’t it interesting?
Below is a beautiful poem by Jalaludin Rumi, who has amazingly described these four stages at once and how each of us is actually evolving to then unite with the nothingness.
“When I run after what I think I want,
My days are a furnace of distress and anxiety.
If I sit in my own place of patience,
What I need flow to me, and without any pain.
From this I understood that what I want also wants me,
is looking for me and attracting me.
There’s a great secret in this
for anyone who can grasp it.”
Okay, so… in which stage are you now? What do you feel? What’s the new thing can you learn from this article? Do share your stories with me here.
Thank you so much for reading. Please share this to all your friends. Sharing is caring. Let’s take part in calling out more people to see into themselves more deeply, because whatever you’re looking for, it’s already there. Because by realizing that our separateness is merely an illusion, we can have a more peaceful life.
I pray so that each and everyone of us find and receive whatever we need the most at this moment in time. See you soon!
Love and light,
Amelia is a writer and Intuitive Coach. Her goal is to help you find out who you truly are and why you are here, and therefore, support you to live yourself as the true you – the best version of yourself. She does that by giving you tools that you can immediately apply to improve your life, your relationship, your career, your health and many more than you can possibly dreamed of by incorporating methods such as past life regression, hypnotherapy, chakra wisdom healing, clearing, card reading, life coaching and meditation. She serves through offline and online classes, workshops and retreats. She regularly shares her passion through the newsletters that you can subscribe for free at ameliadevina.com. You can contact Amelia at hello@ameliadevina.com or her Facebook page and her instagram/ twitter @ameliadevina777.