Image by Vicki Nunn
While I have no doubt that there are Spirit Beings, I have come upon no sufficient way of completely and effectively explaining what a Spirit Being is made of, where it lives, and how it can move between dimensions. There are mountains of metaphysical writings that do try to answer these questions and what matters is that you find a worldview that suits you.
A Personal God
In most of the world, still today, the Spirit World is assumed to be a normal part of life. In a great many religions the Spirit World is the focus. Typically it shows up in attention to angels, saints, ancestors, and concepts of God that have human forms and attributes. The fixation on the Spirit World seems to emerge from the human tendency towards personal relationships and the desire for an emotional dimension to our Higher Power. It is also much easier to allow the ego and persona to be involved in a relationship in which we can project values and needs as we do in our relationships with other people.
Most Christian traditions and many devotional sects within other traditions, such as Bhakti Yoga in Hinduism, Pure Land Buddhism, Shintoism, Kabbalah in Judaism, Sufism in Islam, and many Indigenous communities, are focused on the Spirit World and what is learned from it. If you look within your own culture you will likely find a great community of people who believe in the Spirit World.
While Judaism and Islam have both favored the formless dimensions of an ultimate Sacred Source, personal prayer remains common, and the assumption that God has human traits persists. The Christian tradition is based openly on the idea that God can exist in human form. Christ has become the central focus for most Christians, as has the Virgin Mary, yet neither define the totality of God—even in traditional theology.
Devotion to a Divine Being
Devotion to a Divine Being can be a potent spiritual practice, and can richly reflect our unique needs and styles. The caution is against basing our world view solely on the beings we have encountered alone, and denying the existence of others. This would be like denying the existence of cities you have never visited, or assuming that your family is the “best” in the world just because it is yours.
This way of thinking may work for devotional practice in isolation, but not as an ultimate worldview or way of relating to others. When “our God” becomes the only one exclusive of others, hostility and division are quick to follow. Relationship to the Spirit World and devotional practices must strike a fine balance between deep immersion and heartfelt connection, and the deeper awareness of “higher” dimensions of The Sacred.
My Spirit World versus Yours
Sadly, due to a lack of direct experience and an ongoing actual spiritual practice, many people trust the Spirit Beings in their own culture, but not in those of others. I once worked with a medical doctor who was Catholic and a regular church attendee. I heard him once making a comment to a devout Catholic patient about his faith in Christ and the helping power of the saints. I also watched him scoff and express disbelief and concern when an Indigenous American patient told her nurses that she had been visited by her deceased aunty while in the hospital. I could not understand the difference.
In South Africa I had a funny experience while getting supplies in a small town near a village I was staying in, in the Northeast. A white South African store clerk was helping me find some items in her store. She asked what I was doing in South Africa. When she learned I was staying in a Venda African village, not knowing I was studying with Traditional healers, she remarked, “Watch out for those witchdoctors! Those people can’t be trusted. I think they are working with the devil. And their talk of spirits and ancestors! Oh! What nonsense. Keep yourself close to church (she didn’t know I was Jewish) and ask that the Angels protect you. You can never be too careful around those people.” Clearly, she felt her invisible, spiritual beings were better than theirs.
When I spoke with my Venda teacher about this event, he laughed. “These are only words: ‘ancestors’ and ‘saints.’ We who work to help people, we all pray to the same God, we are all helped by the same spirits. Some call them saints and some call them ancestors. But our ancestors help Christians, and their saints help me. It’s humans that make distinctions. My ancestors are happy to help you, and I know that yours are happy to help me.”
The Messages of the Spirit World
Most people fall into the extremes of being either fearful and disbelieving, or fascinated by the Spirit World. If your goal is spiritual growth, then it is important to have a balanced view of this type of experience and not get caught up in extremes. Be open to the possibility of Spiritual Beings; be unafraid, respectful, and empowered should an encounter occur; and be committed to a consciousness that is free of preoccupations with any attachment—including ghosts and Gods.
What we learn as we deepen a healthy relationship to the Spirit World, is that Spirit Beings can bring us great meaning and even aid. The healing quality of these experiences is well known and a wonderful introduction can be found in the work of Brian Weiss M.D., Sandra Ingerman, and many others. Believing in a Spirit World and interacting with it through prayer, meditation, devotion, and ritual can lead to extraordinary and life-changing experiences.
The Spirit World can be an invaluable guide and support to us as we make our way along the spiritual journey. For those who give permission and intentionally interact with the Spirit World, there is great power and value. Guiding or “guardian” spirits, ancestors, and angels all may be called upon for guidance, advice, and protection. I have never heard of such a force or Being expecting to be “worshipped” or thought of as more important than God, The Sacred Source of all things.
Calling on Grandfather
After years of participating in the spiritual ceremonies of Indigenous people, I began to use the same patterns and practices as those I had learned. It became clear that the ceremonial world was really a technology for relating to the Spirit World and The Sacred. When my dad was diagnosed with cancer I began to take this technology more to heart. I wondered, “If the Indigenous American people can pray to their ancestors for help, can I pray to mine? Why do theirs help and mine don’t or is it that I don’t ask?”
I created a small ceremony, using a candle, a picture of my grandfather, a small cup of water, and a hand full of nuts both of which were set out as an offering. I took the time to pray to God, the Highest Power as I understood it, and asked for only good things to come of my prayers. I also asked for my ancestors to be available to me for help and assistance to my dad. I asked that only that which is of the light would be drawn in, and that I’d be protected from anything else. I wanted to be sure that I was safe and careful in my approach.
Then I called upon my grandfather directly, my dad’s dad, who had been dead for about 14 years. I asked him to help my dad and to comfort him. Still newly diagnosed, I was sure that my dad was not the type of man to express much emotion or ask for help beyond what the doctor would order. My dad was as business-minded a person as I have known. He did not have any interest in spirituality and less in religion. The world was black and white for him and science the obvious measure of things.
The next day I received a call from my mom; she sounded upset.
“You won’t believe what just happened this morning. Dad was sitting eating breakfast and he suddenly called me from the kitchen. From where he sat at the table, he was staring at the stove. He asked me if I saw his dad—grandpa! I looked but didn’t see anything. I asked what he saw and he described in great detail what grandpa was wearing, how he looked, and where he stood.
“I asked him how he felt; at first he said he was a bit scared. Then after a short time of watching, he corrected himself, and said he felt fine. Peaceful. He said it made him feel good to see his dad. As suddenly as it had happened, it ended.”
“Why do you sound upset” I asked, feeling elated at the synchronicity of this event the morning after my ceremony speaking to his dad. “Well,” my mom replied, “I wanted to see him too! I believe in this stuff. He doesn’t! That’s not fair!” We laughed at the amazement of it all.
Having A Relationship with a Spirit Being
A relationship with a Spirit being can be deeply rewarding, and yet it can also be a distraction. If you have had or are having difficult experiences with the Spirit World, do not worry, you are not necessarily losing your mind. You should, however, seek help from someone knowledgeable and credible. Your experiences of the Spirit World will generally lead you to a fuller experience of yourself and the Spiritual World.
The same principles apply to our personal relationships with God.
When we place a face and personality upon the Divine, we gain access to that powerful dimension of divinity. At the same time, remember that anything that can be named, or described in words, cannot contain the totality of The Sacred. If the ultimate source of all things is eternal and infinite, then any and every idea used to discuss it is by its nature, limited.
When we learn to open our lives to the Spirit World we encounter the complexity of consciousness and a source of wisdom, relationship, and power that is ever-present. In those experiences we feel guided and connected to larger family. We learn that love is never lost, and we cease to feel alone.
Once you are relaxed, pray. Pray in your own way, or simply talk to God and the Spirits you hope to contact and ask them to be with you, show respect and gratitude. Imagine they are present. Open your eyes, look kindly at the images of them and then simply begin to quickly and without much thought or complication, review each question and write the answer that immediately presents to you. Spirit answers tend to be very short and simple—one word or a sentence. If the answer is long or complex, it is likely your own mind in the way. Take a breath and start over.
This exercise is not perfect or easy for everyone, but it is a fun way to begin.
When you are finished, be sure to express gratitude whether you felt it worked or not and ask for signs and guidance in the days to come. Then, pay attention . . .
Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Adapted with permission of Findhorn Press,
an imprint of Inner Traditions Intl.
Article Source:
BOOK: The Seven Gateways of Spiritual Experience
The Seven Gateways of Spiritual Experience: Awakening to a Deeper Knowledge of Love, Life Balance, and God
by Jonathan H. Ellerby.
A journey through the seven most common and important spiritual experiences:
• Discover how to recognize experiences of the Sacred and integrate them into daily life for spiritual growth, healing, wholeness, inspiration, resilience, and connection;
• Shares intimate, firsthand examples of spiritual experiences and explores how they happen, what they are like, what they mean, and how they can help us;
• Presents simple exercises and common practices to enter the states of super-consciousness that lead to spiritual experiences and connection with the Sacred.
For more info and/or to order this book, click here. Also available as a Kindle edition and as an Audiobook.
About the Author
Jonathan H. Ellerby, Ph.D., has been a spiritual teacher, ceremonial leader, wellness expert, and leadership consultant for more than 25 years. With a doctoral degree in comparative religion, training as a counselor and chaplain, ordination as an Interfaith Minister, and certification in a variety of intuitive and energy-based healing practices, Jonathan has dedicated his life to understanding the spiritual world. Author of several books, including Return to the Sacred, he lives on Vancouver Island, Canada.
