To be IN the world, not OF the world

One of the teachings that has been most helpful for my spiritual journey is summed up in the phrase, “Be in the world, not of the world.” It’s meaning is simple, yet far-reaching.

What does it mean? We are spirit beings traveling in dense bodies on planet earth – spiritual beings having a human experience. The spiritual experience is lofty – it sounds holier and higher than the humanity.

Yet, we cannot deny or discount the significance of the human experience. The human experience is what gives us the information we need to learn about the soul lessons. It is through the human experience that we learn about the Wisdom of Source.

We just need to keep it in perspective. These bodies and these earth experiences are where Breath of Spirit meets Wisdom of Earth. The ego-centric nature of the human being would have us believe that what happens in our lives is about us.

We are born with an innate desire for autonomy, independence, a need to be valued and respected, a need to be right. This naturally causes us to take on responsibility for things far beyond our control. We tend to blame ourselves, or others. We make things about us.

Our need for survival and safety skews our sense of loyalty. We become reliant on people and worldly influences. We deny our own inner knowings to remain safe and accepted amongst our tribes. This is all natural too.

However, this life is not about you – your ego-centric self. Another favorite saying is, “This life is from you and it is for you, but it is not about you.”

In today’s Prayer & Healing Circle, we’ll focus on two specific Divine attributes that help us to clean our perspectives on Knowledge and Wisdom. They help us to understand how intellectual reflective knowledge combines with Divine wisdom to make our human experiences in the world a pathway to proximity with Source.