I read the following in a book called ‘The Future of Love’ by Daphne Rose Kingma. I thought it was good stuff, and wanted to share it:
"Evolution is a process of growth. Not just to make sure that we will survive, but to move us to higher and higher levels in every area of our existence. This means not just breaking through our physical limitations by flying to Mars, breaking Olympic records, or extending our life spans, but also emotional clearing and spiritual expansion.
As we evolve, our awareness expands and we are able to see, have feelings about, respond to and ‘know’ other people and things. At its furthest reaches, our consciousness becomes what is spoken of as "enlightenment", a fully knowing awareness of people, creatures and things in all times and worlds. Most of us will not reach this level of awareness, but all of us are on the path that is moving toward it. We are all at a different place on that path. Some of us are still struggling just to get acquainted with ourselves. Others are further advanced, know themselves and our place in the cosmos.
Spiritual consciousness is a unique kind of awareness in which we absolutely comprehend that we are far more than ordinary people living ordinary lives. We are, in fact, eternal spirits who have stepped into life with a grand and specific purpose – to evolve spiritually, to garner wisdom from the adventure, and ultimately, to return to love. We come into life with open hearts, but the process of living leaves them scarred and encrusted by the time we reach adulthood. We expose our hearts in all their brokenness, yet wherever we are on the path, we are constantly offered the opportunity to return to our innocence – to the state of spiritual consciousness, which is pure love. Constantly we are offered the opportunity to find our inner-ground - the "Kingdom of God within", which is our link to Heaven whilst on earth, and where we can find refuge, safety and security. God, our Creator, is love, and we are never alone, we are loved unconditionally, and we are always, always safe.
" . . . Once our present growing pains and misty perceptions are transcended, we will have gained strength and a wisdom that we had never before possessed. Something within will have developed, and we will see and understand the purpose of the ordeal. We will be illuminated about what has been occurring and we will finally see that a pattern beyond our conventional perception was there, quietly operating, all the time. After the ordeal, chaos, and surrender, comes transformation. The person, the situation – the species – will have changed forever. We will have learned the meaning of love. And love, the nature of Home, is where we came from, and to which we will return."