The past few years of the 21st century signify a profound growth of spirituality. Suddenly, legions of human beings disenchanted with the status quo, or more precisely, with their lives run by merciless consumerism and pursuits of shallow goals, have turned the other way, looking for the true meaning of life.
Surprising it is not, considering that by belonging to the “modern” society, we are all asked more and more often, to compromise our free will more and more, in order to conquer the commonly accepted peaks of success: social status, wealth and fame. And if along the way we can make the others feel like losers… then that’s much better.

But, even for the winners amongst us, the moment of truth arrives. For some, it’s sparked by the need for personal introspection, family problems, disasters and calamities. For others, seemingly more fortunate, it comes with their arrival at the footsteps of the golden years – when the harvest time expresses the naked truth: whatever is there to harvest, in the end seems to be of little value. It’s like one has been for years lovingly tendering to his plot of roses, only to realize at the end, that all they were left with was a bunch of weeds. Shaken by this rude awakening, a search begins for the alternatives, for ways to add a new depth of meaning to every fleeting moment of time… that we still have.

Some will quickly embrace spirituality as a well tried way to fill the void; others will find the way back to practicing religion that they have abandoned for “practical reasons” long time ago. Still, the wast majority will carry on living in the same way, as if not realizing that they’re irretrievably moving away from the greatest reward that life can offer: the inner peace, that even the greatest fear of all – the fear of death and dying cannot breach. But, before you congratulate yourself on the “smart” move of embracing spirituality as a revolutionary prescription for the inner peace and happiness, do realize that making your life “spiritual” takes much more than a hasty declaration.

Yes, it starts with you committing yourself to moving away from the guidance of your “self’ and towards the Self – the essential you. However, to live a spiritual life means much more. There’s some serious work involved. Be it the process of chipping away at the tenacious hold that your ego has over how you think, feel and act; or, living for days and years without a “reward” you think you deserve, without some “sign” from above telling you that you’re progressing well. And no matter how wealthy you are, you cannot buy a better placement…

As my favorite spiritual teacher Dr. David R. Hawkins once said: “It doesn’t matter what you have. It doesn’t matter what you do. The only thing that matters is who you are.”
Living by this truth, you’ll gain a new, higher altitude. And though you may not see the angels that surround you, you’ll see God’s Love manifested in the present and along the path into the future. Stay there!