Starting Your Journey

An Introduction to the Material

Our modern times are not as different from the past as you may believe. Even with the vast advancements in technology, we are still creatures of flesh, of feelings, and of mind. We are still learning the same lessons we have always needed to learn. For all of our toys and creature comforts we still face fears, get angry, have doubts and pain just as as we have curiosity, joys and other "pleasures". This continues though there has never been so much information available to learn from and that can help us along the way.

Online resources from modern psychological guides, old wisdom and new age ideas as well as countless self-help and development guides are readily available today. You can even find many older esoteric books and manuscripts that were not available to the public at large until recently. The challenge one faces today is not a lack of information; it is discerning what is “true”, what is of value to us for growth and in learning how to use it in a practical way. There are a number of reason why it's a challenge including the variety of terms used and the vagueness of their definitions, conflicting views and perspectives and that while one can acquire knowledge by reading understanding is far more elusive.  

"Knowledge is a key ... understanding is found by going through the door it opens."

Personal and spiritual growth are not pursuits where there are surefire step by step guides to follow. There are no prescriptions, rigid curriculum or templates and so on to follow. Working on ourselves is not like taking a particular course over the years at school. In such courses you learn concepts in succession and they build on one another. This will not work for us as not only are our minds unique, they lack the structure and order we are used to seeing in such things as math and science. Everyone has a different "skill set" and nature. Some people get things others do not and while everyone's struggles have similarities, the reasons for them are not the same. As a result one must take a different approach.

Now, there is a great deal of commonality in what we "need" to know and be able to do between personal and spiritual growth. This is primarily because one cannot do any significant amount of spiritual growth without also doing personal growth work. Through this site, I will share some of what I have learned in nearly forty years of personal and spiritual growth and exploration, and provide resources to help you along the way. And, as with any journey, we start ... at the beginning.

The first step of any change or movement in our lives is having the desire to move, without it progress is limited. The first step of any change or movement in our lives is to have a direction, a goal, without it progress is limited. No, this is not a contradiction; it is a bit of word play. The first step is in having or finding both of these qualities so we actually move and do so in a direction of our choosing. Without the desire to do something we will remain stationary, and without a goal we are aimless. Applying this to our growth … we can see that we need to want to change, and have some form of destination in mind. The question is what do we need to get us there. We will explore intent and desire in one of the early essays.

The content on this site is based on a number of premises, one being that there is order to the non-physical or, as some call it, spiritual aspect of “the Cosmos”. We know that physical matter has evolved since that explosive birth scientists refer to as the Big Bang. Matter has evolved from hydrogen to the denser matter that is scattered throughout the manifest universe. Now, if you believe in a soul or a conscious universe, is it so hard to believe that consciousness evolves too? Is it so hard to believe that there are laws that govern consciousness just as there are the laws of physics, or chemistry? 

Certainly, the laws of physics are far easier to discern as consciousness itself is beyond the range of our instruments to detect. However, the idea that we cannot measure it or share our personal experiences directly with others, does not mean it does not exist and cannot be examined. The challenge with the “laws of consciousness” is in trying to figure out what they are, to understand them, their impact on us and how to take advantage of them. When we start to view the world with the idea that our thoughts and feelings are “things”, beyond any physiological elements, and have their own order we begin to change our perception of reality and ability to work with it. 

Just as our collective knowledge of physics grows, so does our understanding of consciousness and awareness. It is this understanding that helps us to grow, find balance in our lives and even reawaken "aspects of self" we have allowed to atrophy. I believe that when we start to try to grow we find more balance, and are more in tune with the Cosmos. The Cosmos responds in kind. If we direct our activities appropriately, we will find what we get what we need along the way, not to be confused with what we think we need.

We show our intent through our actions, and our actions include our thoughts and our feelings. Even still when one works on growth there are almost invariably challenges. The purpose of this site is to help you to deal with them. It is not intended to be a sole source on personal and spiritual growth. It is more a supplement to what you have been doing. 

Take a look at the various items on the left hand menu to get a feel for the site and what is available. On that menu is a link to the curriculum guide for the core material, but do browse around, there is lots of content. When you are ready to begin getting into the material your first stop should be... Start Your Journey 

Namaste

© 2011 Allan Beveridge

Last updated January 17, 2016