Spiritual Scientist

A man can reach the roof of a house by stone, stairs, or a ladder (…) but he cannot reach the roof if he sets foot now on one and now on another. He should firmly follow one path. Likewise, in order to realize God a man must follow one path with all his strength.
Sri Ramakrishna

I was surprised to hear this conviction from a man who believed in welcoming Christians and Hindus equally. He also had dialogues with the more theoretical folks who believed in an abstract God, as well as the ones who believed in a God with form. He himself always had Kali Maa walking right next to him wherever he went. He didn’t have to believe in a Goddess with form, he saw Her daily and talked to Her.

If Sri Ramakrishna believes so strongly that we can only reach final liberation from one specific vantage point, and appealing to only one deity, could it be then I spread myself too thinly? I have the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad Gita and the Course in Miracles as the three corner stones of my spiritual pyramid. Is this a good time to zoom into one particular faith? Is it mission impossible to represent the faiths of the East and the West?

When I thought about it I realized that I am a spiritual scientist. The  Tao Te Ching was written by a scientist. Duality is the founding principle of earth, and we are invited to look for the Force that transcends it. I put more emphasis on love transcending duality, but it’s the same methodology of seeing what is. Different from the Course in Miracles, I don’t appeal to the Holy Spirit to heal a situation—I see Her magic in every interaction.

Whether the Blue Lord walks next to me or not, I cannot say. What I can say is that I am working on my life mission (dharma) as a writer, educator and spiritual coach just as the Bhagavad Gita outlines it. Isn’t that what all scientists do as well, to follow their dharma? They identify a problem that needs solving, a new discovery humanity is ready for, and they go after it with everything they got. Come to think of it, I am a spiritual scientist!

I live in Massachusetts but in spirit this note could have been written in Missouri—the ‘show me’ state of the US. From personal experience I tell you, God shows Her Kingdom whenever we are. All we have to do is to open our eyes, open our heart, and have an open mind as well. My path as a spiritual scientist is the Way. It is pragmatic, yet it is single-focused in that it zooms into life every step of the Way.