You may have a need, a longing or a desire for a path but not know where to start. It can then help to understand that you are already on your spiritual path because your path is your life. From the moment you were born, you have been on your spiritual path. Every new experience, every new learning, has been a step on your path in this lifetime. Seen this way all your ordinary daily challenges become imbued with a deeper significance because it is the way that you handle them that reveals your level of spiritual understanding.

Teacher

You do not have to have a belief system to grow spiritually. Teachers and guides incarnate or in spirit can sometimes help through their influence and example, but they can also hold you back. Because ultimately, it’s your learning experience, and you are your own teacher. It seems to me that one of the ways we mature most spiritually is through difficult experiences. Why is that? I found the answer to be (for me) that when everything is going well, I am comfortable with my life and I don’t really feel the need to make any effort spiritually. It's only when the going gets tough that I am forced to look deeper within to try and find a way through my own suffering.

For those of you who have never experienced physical, mental or emotional pain, the following paragraphs may not make much sense. But for those of you who have experienced suffering of any kind, please read on.

Pain


I have found that with pain I can go in either of two directions. I can go towards anger, bitterness, and resentment, a feeling of ‘why me’, a denial of what’s happening, and a feeling of isolation from others. This direction leads to despair. Or I can go towards a deeper connection within myself towards everyone that suffers. I can find the compassion that links those who suffer, for compassion means to ‘suffer with’. In my pain, I can feel the pain of others, in every part of the world where there is suffering. I can relate to it all and share it all.


If you go in this direction you may find, to your surprise, that you do not end up burdened by the immeasurable weight of the suffering of the world. You find brotherhood and sisterhood. You find the human family. And you find something else that I don’t want to name. If you have a belief system you could call it Christ or Buddha. But I will just call it Love. This is such an incredible thing to find that you realise you would rather stay here in Love and pain with your brothers and sisters in hell than ascend to a cold heaven alone.


I think this is why the 12-step programmes can successfully help many people with addictions. Because within the meetings you learn honesty, and you learn to support each other and share each other's struggles. You realise that just by being there and listening with attention you can help somebody else. There is a sense of cohesion within the group, you are not left feeling alone. And there is someone else who has ‘been there’ whom you can call if you find yourself on the road to despair.

Suffering

It is really impossible to experience the kind of learning I have just described unless you have experienced suffering of some kind. Because otherwise you just will not choose to go there. Why would you? But I have discovered that this is the only thing that helps me get through really difficult times.


In reality, we are not our bodies or our minds, but when they hurt it feels like we are. It is only through discovering the courage and beauty of our spirit that we find out who we really are, compassionate spiritual beings here to help each other. And this I suggest is one of the reasons that pain is part of the human condition, at least when you get older. It’s not there so you can take a painkiller or escape from it through alcohol. It’s there to remind us that compassion is the only thing that connects us and gives us hope because it’s where we find Truth.

Caroline McCutcheon is a writer and healer who lives in the Alto Alentejo. Her new book ‘Evolving with Spirit’ is available from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and from her website: www.carolinemcc.com

Author

Caroline McCutcheon is a writer, healer and medium who lived for fifteen years in a small village in the Algarve.  Four years ago she moved with her husband to the Alto-Alentejo. To read more about her, and her work go to: www.carolinemcc.com

Caroline McCutcheon