Walking in Wonder: A Journey Towards Spiritual Awakening

Following one's true spiritual path is about recognizing and working with three fundamental dynamics - discernment, compassion, and harmony. This article looks at what those dynamics are, and how they help us on our journey towards spiritual awakening.

A wise friend once told me that I'd never be able to understand my life's journey by looking at where I was headed. My true path, he said, could only be discerned by accepting and offering up where I had been – by holding holy all that happened to me, all that I had learned, all that I had suffered, and all that I hoped for. Only by doing that, he said, would I be able to move forward on my journey of spiritual exploration, towards my goals of wisdom and peace.

At the time, I understood only dimly what he was saying. But I knew in my heart that he was right, and resolved at that moment to make my journey one that would take me towards awakening.

It's only now, about four decades later, that I've begun to truly understand my friend's deep wisdom. The path I've walked hasn't always been an easy one; nor have I always been open to the teachings or the gifts that have been offered to me. But my journey has shaped me into who I am today, and is now leading me towards who I will be.

Over time, and with much reflection, I've come to understand that certain dynamics have been critical to that journey. Those dynamics are discernment, compassion, and harmony. Together, they make up my path, which I've come to think of as "walking in wonder."

My sense is that most or all of these dynamics may be common to all seekers. My hope is that, by sharing them, I might encourage and, perhaps, offer some small amount of guidance. Note that each of these dynamic elements, once realized and integrated, leads quite naturally to the next. By giving myself to that process, or, more accurately, by being led by that process, I'm able to follow a path that is appropriate to where and who I am.

Discernment: What Do I See When I Look at the World?

My path journey takes place, of necessity, in the world in which I live, work, and play. The context in which I grow towards spiritual awakening is grounded in both the macrocosm and the microcosm of that world.

My primary task, therefore, is to see clearly what is in that world. Only if I see clearly can I go on to live well, to grow, and to reach out to others.

Discernment means the process of perceiving and understanding the reality of the divine in my life. That task involves me in the ongoing search to see what is really happening around me – to be aware of patterns, to discover connections, and to uncover meaning. Without discernment, I'm merely looking, and, worse, I'm imposing my own ideas and points of view on what is before me. If I want to grow, I need to look beyond that blindness to see what it actually happening.

Compassion: Why and How Do I Care?

If discernment become a regular part of my life, if that kind of disciplined focus becomes an ingrained way of being, it will lead to new ways of perceiving reality or, more correctly, to new realities. As the Buddha said, "Right focus brings about reality." And the perception of that new reality inevitably leads to a new understanding of others, the beings we share this world with and with whom we interact. That understanding is based on compassion, the second dynamic of the ongoing journey towards awakening.

Compassion is a sense of shared suffering, combined with the desire to alleviate or reduce the suffering of others. Compassion inevitably involves action - it does not and cannot exist in a vacuum, but is expressed by acting to aid and give comfort to others.

The experience of compassion frees us from our based limitations, and moves us towards awakening and a new kind of freedom.

Albert Einstein, who often described himself as a deeply religious person (though he did not believe in a personal god), understood that compassion is the very center of human spiritual endeavor. "The human being...," he wrote, "experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

Harmony: Living in Peace, with Wisdom

To see clearly and to love completely is to move towards a state or condition of harmony, which is the vision of a universe – and all that is in it – in balance and moving towards the greater good.

Harmony is not just an idea or a concept, nor is it something static. Harmony is a graceful and gracious dynamic, one that is based on the spiritual stance we choose to adopt when dealing with the world in which we and those with who are the world. Harmony is the consequence of choice, a choice made by conscious, intentional beings who are growing towards their own awakenings. As spiritual writer Gregg Braden says in his book The Isaiah Effect, "Choosing forgiveness, compassion, and peace attracts futures that reflect such qualities."

The results of choosing forgiveness, compassion, and peace are manifold. The world is perceived as a place grounded in and nourished by love, rather than by negativity and hate. Other people are seen as vessels of that love, with the potential to become all that they can be, rather than as rivals, competitors, or even enemies. The environment becomes the focus of our respect and stewardship, rather than an asset to be plundered for our own greed. In short, a world in harmony is a much better place in which all can live.

Living in such harmony, each of us becomes radically more human, consciously and intentionally radiating a loving energy which, as Braden notes, can effect real and significant change in the world.

Walking in Wonder

Discernment, compassion, and harmony – these are the dynamics which lead each of us to the greatest and most wonderful journey imaginable – the journey of walking in wonder to our own new awakenings.

By Alan Thwaits