New Age Spirituality – Morning Has Been All Night Coming ( Part 15 )
In this post, the fifteenth in a series on the New Age spirituality, we explore the science of spiritual transformation. Like any other kind of transformation, spiritual transformation is a lifelong process. It unfolds over time and has two aspects: becoming aware that one has been transformed and integrating that awareness with what one does from here on out.
Overview: Everywhere we look these days it seems like someone is talking about personal or spiritual transformation-making changes either internally or externally as a result of an event or experience. We have seen this in many different ways from the common New Age protestations that things are now different to the heralding of "quantum leaps" and "quantum change" that we hear so much about.
In my work with clients who have been involved in New Age spiritual practices, I have found that a pervasive belief exists in many of them that they are somehow "different" intrinsically and permanently, as a result of their association with mystical practices. It is this belief that has given rise to the common feeling that we need to make some kind of "change" in our lives so we can be "rightly" placed in the New Age movement. Many people I have spoken with believe that a return to their previous life or a shift into a different time frame or place will set them back on course.
I would like you to consider one very important distinction between life transformation and spiritual transformation. People who change their lives are generally looking to make improvements. Transformations, however, are not about improvement. They occur when a person becomes aware of a change from one state to another that has taken place and integrates the knowledge that the change has happened with his or her experience in the present time frame. In other words, when you fully realize that you have been transformed, you can then live in peace with your new identity as if it had always been this way.
In the New Age, people often fail to differentiate between life changes and spiritual transformations. As a result, they make all kinds of changes in their lives because they believe that these changes reflect an already present transformation. It is very important to distinguish the two if we are to understand more about spiritual transformation. I will say more about this distinction in a later post.
Generally speaking, there are two types of transformative experiences: spiritual and psychological/emotional. Although they are two distinct processes, they do interact in people's lives. For example, a person who has had a deep emotional experience that has transformed his or her life may also have had accompanying spiritual experiences. Another person, however, may have the same transformative emotional experience without having the accompanying spiritual experiences.
The majority of people who pursue spiritual transformation from the New Age perspective tend to focus on the development of personal qualities that are often thought to be evidence of their spirituality at work. These include qualities like compassion, love, wisdom and power. People often equate these qualities with the belief that their spirituality has developed.
In our next post, we will explore the science of spiritual transformation. In this post, I want to discuss the difference between a person's spiritual transformation and life change. We will also explore some general guidelines for making progress in our own personal transformation.
For more articles on New Age spirituality: http://www.new-age-spirituality-articles.com
From the New Age Spirituality series: Part 1 – Introduction http://www.new-age-spirituality-articles.com/new_age_spirituality_introduction.html
Part 2 – New Age Spirituality is a Movement, not an Organization http://www.new-age-spirituality-articles.com/new_age_spirituality_movement.html
Part 3 – Why the New Age Movement is Unwelcome in the US http://www.new-age-spirituality-articles.com/new_age_spirituality_movement_unwelcome.html
Part 4 – New Age Spirituality is Not Magic http://www.new-age-spirituality-articles.com/new_age_spirituality_notmagic.html
Part 5 – Integrating the Cults in to the New Age Movement http://www.new-age-spirituality-articles.com/new_age_spirituality_integrating.html
Part 6 – The New Age Movement: An Overview http://www.new-age-spirituality-articles.com/new_age_spirituality_overview.html
Part 7 – New Age Spirituality and Western Culture http://www.new-age-spirituality-articles.com/new_age_spirituality___western.html
Part 8 – Personal Transformation in the New Age http://www.new-age-spirituality-articles.com/new_age_spirituality_personal.html
Part 9 – Spiritual Transformation in the New Age http://www.new-age-spirituality-articles.com/new_age_spirituality___stage1.html
Part 10 – Spiritual Transformation in the New Age: The Wheel of Life http://www.new-age-spirituality-articles.com/new_age_spirituality__wheeloflife.
Conclusion: http://www.new-age-spirituality-articles.com/new_age_spirituality__wheeloflife_conclusion.html
Part 11 – Spiritual Transformation in the New Age: The Wheel of Life Continued http://www.new-age-spirituality-articles.com/new_age_spirituality _wheeloflife_continued.