Are
you moving away from God
or toward God?
The stages of spiritual development
Jesus: When you survey the behavior, the attitudes
and the beliefs of human beings on this planet, it should not be difficult
to conclude that people are in many different states of consciousness,
they are at different stages of spiritual development. These stages
correspond to different degrees of understanding of the spiritual side
of life. To give people some sense of co-measurement, I would like to
give you a survey of the different stages of spiritual development found
on this planet.
The following stages cannot be put on a line and ranked from lowest
to highest. A soul does not necessarily have to descend to the lowest
stage before it turns around and starts climbing its way back to God.
There are many souls on Earth who never descended to the lowest stage
of spiritual awareness. The numbering of the stages is therefore a practical
matter of making it easier to reference the stages.
Stage 1. Souls who rebel against God
Certain souls are in a state of consciousness that causes them to deliberately,
and in most cases knowingly, rebel against the laws and the will of
God. In some of these souls, the rebellion is obvious. Some promote
atheism or agnosticism. Some advocate scientific materialism and vehemently
deny the need for a creative being. Some are openly practicing satanism,
and although they do not deny the existence of God, they defame, belittle
and ridicule everything related to God, religion or spirituality.
In some of these souls, the rebellion against God is hidden deep within
the psyche, and it is often unrecognized by the person's conscious mind.
Therefore, this rebellion can often be camouflaged behind a facade of
various beliefs, including religious beliefs. It might be surprising
to many people, but some of the rebellious souls have managed to attain
high positions in various religious movements and churches. They claim
to be highly religious and working for God’s cause, yet they have
a deep anger against God and believe that they know better than God
how the universe should be run or how people should be saved.
For all of these people it is common that they are actively seeking
to run away from God, to reinforce the impression that God does not
exist or that he does not exist here on planet Earth. Some of these
souls engage in an endless quest to prove that God does not exist or
to prove that God is wrong and that they are right. They are literally
seeking to prove that they can create a world in which God does not
exist and in which they have no need for God.
You might ask how the people who work in religious movements can be
said to work for this cause or to run away from God. The answer is that
they use their power to cement the belief that God is somewhere “up
there” in Heaven. These are also the people who cement the idolatrous
belief that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God and that no one can
follow my example. These are often the first people to cry blasphemy,
as they did when I made certain remarks that made it sound like I was
equating myself with God or calling myself a Son of God.
Stage 2. Souls who try to hide from God
Many people are openly angry at God. Many souls on Earth have been hurt,
and they believe that God has hurt them or treated them unfairly, unjustly
or in a way that defies logical explanation. Many souls are afraid of
God and see him as an angry and judgmental being who is always ready
to punish them for the slightest transgression of his laws. Common for
these souls is that they are running away from God, but not because
they are rebelling against God. They simply want to get as far away
as possible from what they see as an angry, punishing and unjust deity.
They are trying to hide from God.
Running away from God is an act of self-defense. These are the people
that I referred to in the saying that I wish people were hot or cold.
The people at this stage are indeed cold. They are cold in the sense
that they have come to accept a negative image of God, and therefore
they are running away from that image. However, they have the potential
to be turned around if they can come to accept that their feelings for
God were caused by a false, imperfect or incomplete image of God.
Stage 3. Souls who are indifferent toward God
A large number of souls on planet Earth have become so indifferent toward
God, religion and the spiritual side of life that they have become lukewarm.
Some of these souls are indeed in a spiritual coma that makes it almost
impossible to reach them with any kind of spiritual truth. Many of these
souls have been so hurt or disappointed by organized religion that they
have rejected religion, or given up on the idea that they could ever
partake of a true sense of spirituality.
Many of these souls have adopted a false, imperfect or incomplete image
of God. Yet trying to help them see this and trying to help them accept
a correct image of God is very difficult because they often will not
respond to any kind of spiritual message. Many of these souls use the
imperfections, real or perceived, of orthodox or organized religion
as an excuse for rejecting anything related to the spiritual side of
life. If one approaches such souls with a spiritual message, they will
often become very suspicious and feel that one is out to convert them,
to manipulate them, to take advantage of them or to get their money.
These souls often reject all types of spirituality and thereby put themselves
in a catch-22 in which they reject the very tools that could help them
heal their wounds and get on the upward path. They are often unreachable
for a spiritual teacher.
Stage 4. Souls who are conflicted about God
Certain souls have come to the realization that there is indeed some
reality to the spiritual side of life and that there is a path they
can follow toward a higher understanding of God and their relationship
to God. These are souls who have turned around and started the path
that leads them back to God. However, many of these souls have been
so deeply hurt that they need spiritual and soul healing before they
can earnestly engage in the spiritual path.
Some of these souls have been hurt by physical trauma. Others have been
hurt emotionally through their interactions with other people or the
institutions of society. Still others have been hurt by the imperfections
of organized religion or have been scarred by so-called infallible doctrines
that could not answer their questions about life. These wounds often
cause such souls to feel conflicts in their conception of or relationship
to God. They might feel that religion doesn't make sense and presents
a contradictory or inconsistent image of God (which is true). Or they
might feel that a just and loving God shouldn't have allowed them to
have been hurt. They often feel like victims of forces beyond their
control and see no way to personally change their situation.
These souls have come to a realization that they want more from life
than what can be attained by material means. They sense there must be
a place to go to find spiritual understanding and healing. Yet they
have been so deeply scarred and hurt that they are not yet able to start
walking toward that understanding. They are like people who have broken
a leg and therefore need to heal the fracture before they can start
walking toward their goal. Therefore, such souls would do well to recognize
their wounds and to focus all of their energy and attention on healing
the psychology (as understood by the world) and the soul.
Stage 5. Souls who want to experience God’s creation
A certain group of souls are young souls who have not yet spent a long
time (meaning many embodiments) in the material world. Some of these
souls still have a great desire to experience everything in the material
world, and this can make them indifferent toward religion. They are
simply so preoccupied with the things of this world that they have no
attention left over for spiritual pursuits.
Other young souls are very open to religion, yet often approach it in
a somewhat unbalanced manner. This can cause them to take their religious
pursuits to the extremes. They often use religion not as a way to transcend
the world but as a way to enrich their experience of this world. For
example, they might seek to gain a position in a religious movement
because it increases their status among men. These souls have not yet
had enough experiences to achieve the balance of being wise as serpents
and harmless as doves.
Unfortunately, given the current conditions on this planet, it is common
that young souls, in their innocence, will be hurt or taken advantage
of by both material and non-material forces. This can often cause such
souls to lose their innocence and slide toward disappointment or anger.
If such souls are taken advantage of by organized religion, they might
find it impossible to distinguish between God and the outer religion
and thereby become angry at God.
Stage 6. Souls who seek to understand God
These souls have consciously realized that there is more to life than
the material realm. They know there is more to understand about life
than what they were taught in school and Sunday school, and they have
made the decision to start looking for it. These souls have also healed
at least some of their deepest wounds so that they have attention left
over to focus on studying the spiritual side of life.
To achieve maximum growth, these souls need to focus most of their attention
on studying spiritual teachings, practicing various spiritual techniques
and seeking to internalize spiritual truth and principles.
These souls are the “reason for being” of any true spiritual
movement. It is their quest for understanding that gives the Ascended
Host great hope for the future of planet Earth.
Stage 7. Souls who seek to help others understand God
After a soul has spent a sufficient amount of time studying spiritual
teachings and practicing techniques for spiritual growth, that soul
has internalized a critical amount of spiritual knowledge. The next
logical step is that the soul begins to give out that knowledge by teaching
others.
One can be a student only for so long. When one has reached a certain
level, the soul cannot learn any more until the soul begins teaching
what it has internalized. Only by teaching others can the soul ascend
to the next level of learning because it is through giving that you
truly receive and it is through teaching that you truly learn.
These souls are the backbone of any true spiritual movement. Without
these souls acting as our partners on Earth, the Ascended Host would
have little hope for reaching other souls with a spiritual message.
Stage 8. Souls who seek union with God
As a soul climbs the spiritual path, it gradually becomes less attached
to outer manifestations, such as a particular religion or spiritual
teaching. It begins to see that there is a transcendent reality behind
the many different expressions of spiritual teachings. It begins to
see the universal path behind all of the outer religions, organizations,
teachings and teachers.
During the previous two stages, a soul might follow one particular religion
or philosophy and use it as its springboard for growth. This is quite
acceptable, as long as the soul does not become stuck in thinking that
its particular religion is the only true religion or the only valid
road to understanding God. If a soul does become attached, it will remain
stuck at a certain stage of spiritual growth until it begins to acknowledge
the universal path.
When the soul does begin to see the universal path, it ascends to the
level of becoming a mystic. It now realizes that the ultimate goal of
the spiritual path is not to understand God but to know God, to experience
God and to attain union with God. This is what I demonstrated in my
life, and it is reflected most clearly in my statement, “I and
my Father are one.”
Some mystics might indeed withdraw from worldly activities and focus
all of their attention on attaining the mystical union with God. However,
in this day and age, many have the opportunity to choose to remain active
in the world, and this is indeed highly needed. Such souls can then
demonstrate the universal path by example, and some of them can teach
this path openly.
Stage 9. Souls who have attained union with God
As souls rise on the path and begin to teach spiritual truth, they will
gradually begin to internalize more and more truth and more and more
light. They will then gradually become what one might call Masters in
embodiment.
These are souls who have understood some of the deeper mysteries, especially
the difference between “doing” and “being.”
You will recall my statement that, “I of my own self can do nothing,
it is the Father within me who is doing the work.” When the soul
attains mastery, it is no longer trying to DO anything in this world.
It is simply BEING who it is and therefore allowing the spiritual self,
and possibly spiritual beings, to act through it.
The soul has become the open door that no human can shut. The soul might
serve to bring fourth spiritual truths directly from a higher realm,
thereby delivering the Living Word in its highest form. Or such souls
might serve in other capacities to further and demonstrate the cause
of the Ascended Host. These souls can literally be our hands and feet
on Earth.
However, there is no exact standard for how a soul with spiritual mastery
should act, or rather BE. Some souls might become world teachers. Some
might live a seemingly ordinary life and can hardly be distinguished
from the average person. Some might have severe handicaps or diseases.
Some might sit in a cave in the Himalayas, or elsewhere, and meditate
day and night to hold the spiritual balance for the Earth. Others might
even exhibit behavior that is not associated with spiritual mastery.
Do not misuse this teaching
Let me issue a word of warning. There is an inherent danger in giving
any kind of teaching that allows people to compare themselves to others.
Many people are still caught in the spirit of vain competition, and
they will use my stages of spiritual development to judge themselves
and their progress compared to others. They will then attempt to set
themselves up on a pedestal and judge themselves as being better or
more important than others because they have reached a certain level
of development.
Let me make it clear that as long as people are caught in this state
of consciousness, they have not reached a high level of spiritual development
because when you reach such a level there are no value judgments and
there is no sense of competition.
I am giving this teaching because it is valuable and important for a
soul to realize its current level of spiritual development and thereby
take appropriate measures to quickly rise to a higher level. It is especially
important for souls at lower stages of spiritual development to realize
that there is a path that leads them home to God. It is essential for
such souls to discover that path and to lock themselves firmly upon
that path.
Likewise, it is essential for souls at higher stages to discover the
universal, inner path to God. Such souls need to transcend their attachments
to a particular outer religion and thereby realize the goal of manifesting
their full potential as sons and daughters of God.
Let me also say that the stages I have outlined here are not meant to
be seen as the only possible way to categorize spiritual development.
One can take different criteria and come up with other stages. One can
also divide the stages I have outlined and gain a more detailed picture.
Indeed several of the stages overlap, and a soul might be working on
two or three stages simultaneously. In future teachings, I will expand
upon the stages I have outlined here. Yet I desire to give a picture
that is not too complex and thereby causes people to focus on details
and lose the overall view.
When you do step back and look at the big picture, you will see that
the common denominator for each of the stages I described above is that
they all represent a different way for the soul to relate to God. The
importance of this realization is that no matter where a soul is in
its spiritual development, that soul is always facing the challenge
of working out its relationship to God.
As I explain throughout this website, every soul truly is a son or daughter
of God, an individualization of God. The soul is meant to come to a
full awareness and acceptance of its divine potential and thereby act
as a co-creator with God in the material universe. Therefore, the most
important task for any soul is to resolve any imperfections in its conception
of or relationship with God. That is truly what life in the material
universe is all about.
Therefore, the goal of life is to resolve and heal all imperfections
in the soul’s attitude toward God. Such imperfections stand in
the way of the soul’s union with God and its acceptance of its
potential to be a co-creator with God.
Why souls descended to Earth
I will use the stages of spiritual development for future teachings.
However, I would like for now to give a brief teaching on the different
categories of souls that have descended to planet Earth. When the Earth
was first created, it expressed the purity and perfection of the seven
Elohim, the seven spiritual beings, who created this planet. In the
beginning, most of the souls that descended to planet Earth fit into
the category of young souls.
These souls were indeed innocent and had no negativity towards God.
Yet some of them did have a great desire for the things that can be
experienced in the material universe, and therefore they focused most
of their attention on enjoying this world. They had little thought left
over for the spiritual side of life. Other souls were more spiritually
inclined but had not yet firmly anchored themselves on the spiritual
path and had not attained a permanent awareness of their spiritual identity
and potential.
Along with the young souls were a group of souls who had attained a
degree of mastery. These souls served as the spiritual teachers for
younger souls.
For a very long time, the young souls kept descending to planet Earth
without becoming trapped in the consciousness of the material universe.
Many of these souls did indeed ascend back to God after just one lifetime,
although that lifetime was far longer than a normal life span today.
At some point a shift started to occur on this planet. A number of souls
started becoming attached to or trapped in the consciousness of the
material universe, and they started descending further and further into
that state of consciousness. One might say that these souls started
walking the path that leads them away from God, causing them to lose
the awareness that they are spiritual beings.
As the consciousness of humankind was gradually lowered, it eventually
reached a critical level. At this critical level it now became possible
for certain rebellious souls to start embodying on Earth. These were
souls who had rebelled against God in the spiritual realm or on other
systems of worlds. These souls are indeed the rebellious souls, and
for thousands of years a number of them have continued to embody on
this planet. They have attempted to pull as many souls as possible down
to their level of consciousness and accept, even justify, their rebellion
against God.
These souls are very aggressive and very ambitious in trying to prove
their point that they can create a world in which God does not exist.
They have literally influenced every aspect of life on this planet,
including the field of religion.
The influence of these rebellious souls has created a perilous condition
on this planet. There are still young souls who descend to this Earth
for the first time, yet there is a great risk that such souls will be
hurt by the conditions found on this planet. This can cause a soul to
gradually slide down to the stage of being a wounded soul. It can then
slide even further down and seek to hide from God, either from anger
or fear. It is even possible that the soul can descend to the stage
of deliberately rebelling against God's will and God’s law.
After the fall, a number of souls have embodied on this planet that
are at higher stages of spiritual development, from being teachers to
being Masters. These souls have descended on a rescue mission in an
attempt to help the souls who have fallen find the true spiritual path,
anchor themselves on that path and walk the path until they have regained
their spiritual identity and can start the higher levels of the path
that lead to the mystical union with God.
Some of these souls have indeed become hurt by the conditions on this
planet and have descended into lower stages of consciousness. A few
of them have even become rebellious against God because they could not
maintain the connection to their higher selves.
My purpose of giving this teaching is to show you that the Earth today
presents a very complex picture and a very complex challenge for a spiritual
teacher. It simply is not possible to give one spiritual teaching or
one religion that will appeal to people at every stage of spiritual
development. That is why there needs to be more than one religion, indeed
more than one true religion, in order for the Ascended Host to reach
out to as many people as possible.
Where are you headed?
I would also like to mention that there is a clear division in the stages.
The center of the scale are the souls who are young and who are simply
experimenting with life on this planet. A soul is not meant to maintain
this neutral stage for very long. Given the current conditions on this
planet, most souls will quickly be forced to go in one of two directions.
One such direction is the souls who have been trapped by doubt or have
been hurt in various ways. These souls now start moving away from God.
The other direction is represented by the souls who have realized that
there is more to life than the material world. These souls have discovered
the path and are moving toward union with God.
So the two basic divisions you have on planet Earth are souls who are
moving away from God and souls who are moving toward union with God.
I am aware that some souls were already moving away from God before
they descended and some were already moving toward God before they came
into embodiment. Nevertheless, the important consideration here is whether
a soul is moving away from God of moving toward God.
Souls who are moving away from God are facing a perilous situation.
Although there is a final limit to how far a soul can move away from
God, there is indeed a very great distance that the soul can descend.
The problem is that everything in the material universe is characterized
by limitations. This means that the soul does not have an infinite amount
of time to make it back to God. If the soul keeps moving away from God
until its time is up, it will face the final judgment, If it does not
respond positively, it can be erased in the ritual of the second death.
So it is indeed possible that souls can be lost.
To avoid this scenario, a soul must come to a turning point. The soul
must literally decide that it will stop running away from God and start
the path that leads it back to God. It must come to the realization
that, "I can't do this any longer!" What does it take for
a soul to turn around? That depends on the soul’s stage of development.
It is very difficult for a rebellious soul to turn around. Such souls
are often caught in spiritual pride, and some of them would rather die
than admit that they are wrong. However, some souls can eventually come
to the realization that their attempts to create a world without God
are futile. This can especially happen when they are confronted with
a person who has attained Christhood and therefore refuses to be changed
by anything in this world. This did indeed happen to a few souls who
saw me during my embodiment 2,000 years ago. They realized that even
though they could kill my physical body, they could not change my spirit,
and this caused them to realize that God will eventually be victorious
regardless of the appearances of this world.
A soul who is seeking to hide from God out of fear or anger finds it
a bit easier to turn around because it does not have to prove that it
is right. It is possible for such souls to come to the realization that
they have an incorrect or incomplete image of God. Therefore, it was
this image that caused them to be hurt, to become angry or to fear God.
Souls who are indifferent toward God can be very difficult to reach
for a spiritual teacher. However, these souls have enrolled themselves
in the school of hard knocks and in many cases they can be turned around
by a severe outer crises. These people will procrastinate the acknowledgement
of the spiritual side of life until some outer crisis forces them to
realize that something is missing from their lives.
Souls who are conflicted about God or have been deeply hurt can be turned
around when they realize, that God did not hurt them and God did not
create the doctrines that gave them the conflicts about God. When these
souls realize what is truly happening on this planet as a result of
the misuse of free will, they can often go through an instantaneous
turnaround in which they realize that God has never hurt them. Instead,
they have been hurt by forces and people who rebel against God or who
are angry at God. Therefore, such souls will often realize that they
have no desire to run away from God, and this will enable them to engage
in the path that leads to their healing.
Once a soul has discovered the spiritual path and anchored itself on
the path, the soul has already turned around. However, this does not
mean that the soul is home free. The essential point for a soul who
is moving toward God is that it realizes the absolute need to keep moving,
to keep transcending its understanding of God. It is absolutely essential
that the soul does not become attached to a particular outer expression
of spiritual truth because such an attachment will cause the soul’s
growth to come to a halt.
If the soul does not see the need for constant self-transcendence, it
can become stuck at a particular level of the path. If it remains stuck
for a long time, it will inevitably start sliding backward. There are
indeed many souls on planet Earth today who have discovered the spiritual
path and who are walking the path. Yet they have not yet come to the
full realization that the path is ongoing. These souls have not yet
discovered the inner, universal path, and therefore they have not yet
become mystics. It is very important for these souls to recognize the
ongoing nature of the path and the ultimate goal of union with God.
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Copyright
© 2003 by Kim Michaels |
