Now I believe that we are here to blend the two–human and spiritual—together; that alone, either as human flesh or as spirit, we are less effective, but blended we are powerful beyond measure.
We have the best of both worlds when we are spiritually evolved humans. Without allowing our soul to express itself, we are human automatons, no better than robots with egos run amok. Yet without our bodies, our souls have no vehicle for expression.
We are here to transmute and evolve the human body to the point that we have heaven on earth, the best of both worlds: fully evolved, self-actualized, soulful creatures of the highest order. And it seems we don’t come to this state easily or without pain. Like the caterpillar, we will go through major transitions before we develop into our greater selves. Transitions can be messy, painful, isolating and wrenching.
Metaphorically, we transform from caterpillar into butterfly every time we successfully navigate a “dark night of the soul,” as Thomas Moore calls it in his book Dark Nights of the Soul. Moore explains that the phrase comes from the Christian mystic John of the Cross, and in his book, Moore takes the view that we should incorporate these dark nights into our existence rather than run from them or deny them, as they are a part of our spiritual evolution, and they keep us from being too one-dimensional.
As day follows night in an endless cycle, so being human means experiencing both happiness and sorrow on a regular basis as we ascend along a spiral conduit toward the ultimate in spiritual development toward enlightenment.
While it may feel like we are going around and around in circles, relearning the same lessons, we are actually advancing upward, albeit gradually, and in a way that can feel less than progressive at times, leaving us feeling more than a little bit disillusioned.
The key is to embrace our lives and relish the good with the bad, to feel our feelings fully and not deny them, to allow ourselves to be vulnerable, to acknowledge pain as well as happiness, knowing that pain has its purpose and it will not last forever. Nothing we suffer in this life is in vain so long as we are willing to learn from it.
