As most people know, I tend to be somewhat direct with my teaching and teaching style. It’s part of “Living Mastery” to be loving, honest, direct, clear, and concise. This is one of the reasons why I am sometimes so blunt when it comes to suggesting that people prioritize their lives. In mastery, we often use the term, “divide and conquer.” This means cleaning up what’s not working, gaining new inspiration, focusing on your new direction, and then moving forward.
A Slow Death of the Soul
Most human beings have a tendency to get bogged down with life’s challenges, eventually losing hope and direction. Sometimes the ego (part of our mind) will use sudden and dramatic means to destroy our lives. But the ego usually only chooses this route when all attempts to use slower means of deflating our spirit have failed, and here’s why: Although a quick death (meaning any change in our lives that causes fear and suffering) might cause us to question life and our trust in God, a slow death squeezes out our life-force and more assuredly makes us lose all hope and faith. This slower form of emotional death also is more likely to keep us from recovering. This is when and how the human soul learns to become complacent.
Even organizations, such as churches, that come to me for advice to improve their systems or to improve the level of vibration, all too often allow their fears and tendency towards complacency to get the best of them. I can easily predict WHO or WHAT exactly will stand in the way of their progress. But even with such clear warnings, they often still allow fear and complacency to keep them bound to their old ways. Their old patterns remain stronger than their desire for a new life–a better life.
Forms of Complacency
When it comes to individuals, there are several forms of complacency, most of which often go unnoticed. Nevertheless, the most obvious forms of complacency include having relationships and/or jobs that are not in alignment with our soul’s purpose or perhaps overt feelings of sickness or depression. In such instances, the average human being knows they are unhappy with something in their life and yet they learn to tolerate such feelings by feeding addictions or by regularly grumbling about their situation. The most dangerous form of complacency, however, is the kind that is less obvious and is usually so hidden (and comes on so gradually) that the person suffering from it barely notices its presence.
The less obvious forms of complacency tend to sneak in “under the radar” and affect far more areas of our lives than the more obvious forms. With the less obvious forms, it’s nearly impossible to recognize that something is even happening in our life that is not quite right, as it probably came on so gradually. Once we “sign on” to this negative pattern, it tends to fuel itself (stoking its fires with tiny bits of our soul) and doesn’t need our conscious participation. These forms of complacency often manifest in our lives as more subtle forms of depression (than that found in overt complacency) or an attitude of “why bother” when it comes to taking on new endeavors or completing old or current projects.
In more extreme versions, this might also include having no hope that counseling might save our relationship or that our health and body are in such poor shape there is no hope of improvement. People suffering from this form of complacency often rarely date or have healthy intimate relationships. They also tend to gossip, fail to keep their commitments, and/or fail to heed advice or make changes necessary to alter their life for the better.
All forms of complacency are often at the root of other depressive symptoms such as lack of abundance, lack of direction, and unhealthy relationships, ranging from family to partners. From these examples, it should be evident that “complacency” and “lack” are very closely related. Fortunately, God is aware of the light in our soul growing dimmer by the day and sends many opportunities (wake-up calls) to snap us out of the trance of complacency. To listen to and follow these wake-up calls, bids us to become masters; to ignore them is to be amongst the living dead until our next lifetime.
Since our soul is a true part of us, and is the manifestation of our inner master, then doesn’t it stand to reason that we cannot ever be, or feel, complete without it? Jesus put it another way by asking, “If you came upon an incredible gift of immeasurable value, wouldn’t you sell everything you had to buy it?” The remembrance of our True Self and our True Life is priceless and worth doing whatever it takes to attain it. This means getting our priorities straight and no longer allowing anything in this world to stand in our way. After all, if we died tomorrow, and have not yet remembered our True Self or our purpose (both of which come with attaining a sufficient level of mastery), would it not mean that we would soon be right back here trying to get it right the next time?
Nurturing Our Soul
We must always remember, we have a body and a soul. Just as we feed our body when it hungers we must also feed our soul, as the soul should be a far greater priority than the body. “What does it value a man/woman to gain the world but lose his/her soul?” What the soul hungers for is not the things of this world but rather spiritual food such as prayer and meditation. The soul also feeds on a life of love, service, and forgiveness. But the soul thrives best when we practice having our priorities straight, which means following our spiritual path. To do otherwise causes a sure death of our health, vitality, joy, relationships, and sense of purpose. If we suffer from any of the above, it’s probable that we have allowed ourselves to become complacent and lose our life’s direction by failing to commit to our spiritual path.
Some of us are lucky enough to be doing our soul’s work, having healthy relationships, and feeling a regular sense of guidance. Of course, luck has nothing to do with it. We had to have earned these qualities by making this lifestyle a reflection of something we are, rather than something we do only once in a while or when it’s convenient. Some people might read an occasional book, forgive once in a while, tithe here and there, sporadically nurture better health, and/or attend a spiritual workshop or conference now and again; but having a life that reflects a general or total sense of wellness means living this way ALL THE TIME. It might sound like quite the task, as though it means living the devout and austere life of the Dalai Llama but this is not the case. The solution is to regularly practice the healthy, balanced life of “Living Mastery” or living as though we are the god/goddess that Spirit created us to be.
A few of the simplest ways to accomplish living like a master and nurturing our soul include doing the following: 1. Get our priorities straight and say goodbye to things that do not reflect the better life we seek. This may include saying goodbye to people, objects, and perhaps even jobs, as well as opinions, attitudes, and beliefs that no longer serve our Highest Good. If we are uncertain as to what we are ready to let go of, consult a counselor or life coach. 2. We should practice more prayer and meditation which provides greater clarity, inspiration, and direction. 3. Feed our new inspirations as we would the seeds of a new crop, with the nutrients and waters of Spirit (such as only spirit-filled books, movies, and a healthy life of diet and exercise). If we expect to see and experience a better life, then we must plant the seeds of that new life on the inside, followed by watering and feeding it with only the best choices, decisions, and actions on the outside just once but for the rest of our life
