I have found my path to be an inner path. Outer paths have not worked for me; although some forms of prayer, meditation, visualization, chanting and yoga are helpful tools. I get lots of assistance and suggestions from various people; but I’ve never agreed with expecting someone else to make it happen for me, especially through some outer ritual. There was a time when a participatory ritual helped me believe that was actually shifting into a new phase in my journey; but now I just know within. By coming into embodiment on Earth we have taken on an overcoat of illusions. Even though we have all taken on similar illusions; the way we have reacted internally is unique to each one of us. Our reactions are what form the veil between our four lower bodies and our higher self. And since only we know how we have reacted within, only we can free ourselves of these reactions. What I’ve found is that I free myself by a process of observation. I observe my internal reactions to outer circumstances. Then I identify how I’m feeling because of my own reactions. Then I look at the beliefs I harbor that might be behind these feelings and determine whether I want to hang on to these beliefs or modify them. And then I look at how these feelings and beliefs relate to how I currently identify myself and determine if I want to modify the view I have of myself. Many people call this process resolving one’s psychology.

I was talking with this man, who is both a Buddhist monk and a Catholic priest from India. I said I had never been to any Eastern countries beyond some of the Asian countries, and asked if my intuitive perception that people with a basis in Eastern spirituality tend to make themselves more available to spiritual events in their lives, that they have a part to play in answered prayer. It seemed that people with a basis in Western spirituality have an almost entitled attitude in their prayer life, that we tend to have a sort of God as Santa Claus approach to prayers. As I said this, I realized it applied to me; just like most things people say apply more to themselves than anyone else. I’ve waited for a large chunk of my life for my higher self to sort of magically show up. When I did recognize my responsibility for “preparing the way;” I felt it was too overwhelming to actually ever achieve. A lot of people don’t recognize a need or their own power to make changes in their lives so they can manifest their spiritual goals. I just hadn’t given myself credit for the progress I had indeed made already.