Heart Centered Metaphysics

Spiritual Truths

Have you ever read or listened to metaphysical teachings say that "reality is an illusion," "there is never any excuse for being late," "never say you're sorry," or "don't use labels?"  Those are spiritually valid, generally speaking.  But how do they work for us emotionally and physically?

Okay, so reality is an illusion.  Then why did my soul choose to experience it?  Only so that I could dismiss it?  What would be the point in that?  Or, "don't use labels?"  Okay, so how do we speak or communicate with other people when every word is a label?  I can't tell them how I feel because that is a label.  I can't say "grab a chair" because "grab" labels the act and "chair" labels the object.  I know "that's not what 'don't use labels' refers to."  But it's just a matter of degree.   Where do you draw the line when there is no clear line to be drawn?  I've been around people whose newly embraced passion for anti-labellism made them impossible to be around because you could not have a sane conversation with them.

And of course, the issue of keeping spiritual truths heart-balanced is by no means limited to metaphysical spirituality.  The same is true of any religion.  Christian teachings, as an example, are replete with spiritual contradictions.  "God created [hu]man in His own image" (Genesis 1:27), yet "[hu]man is born in sin," (imperfection) whereas "God is perfect."  There are many Christians who find a source for spiritual growth in their religion.  Yet they do so more because of an inherent and heart-balanced wisdom within themselves that they apply to the teachings of their religion, rather than the scripture itself providing them with the answers.  How else could the same text inspire one person toward love, compassion and understanding, but another toward bigotry, intolerance and judgmentalism?

Finding the Balance

So how do we benefit from these spiritual truths in a balanced way?  It's generally just a matter of using our hearts to feel if and how the spiritual truth in question applies to the current circumstances.  As Eckhart Tolle would say, it's a matter of "The Power of Now."

In the example about using labels, it would not be heart-wise to stereotype everybody we meet based on their astrological sign.  Maybe she is a typical Taurus, maybe she isn't, or maybe she is in some ways but not others.  Get to know the person, not their sign.  On the other hand, if you suggest to me, "let's set Richard up on a date with Lisa," it would probably be appropriate for me to say, "no, Lisa is lesbian."  Again, we need to use our hearts to determine when labeling might be poorly used and when it's appropriate and helpful.  The same goes for any spiritual truth.  There can be compelling reasons for being late, driving over the speed limit, or even telling a lie (say, because we have a gun to our heads).

Bringing Established Metaphysical Truths into Balance

You will find in many places on this web-site that I question some established metaphysical truths.  In actuality, I don't question them as much as bring them back into balance, such as with the expression "love is letting go of fear" and other platitudes on fear in my article Understanding Fear.  It is a common tendency for people who have a spiritual epiphany to take it to its extreme.  And that may be alright as a part of the learning process.  But the pendulum needs to come back to the center and the spiritual understandings need to be balanced with heart, compassion, pragmatism and common sense.

Spiritual truths that may be true on a God-realized level, such as "reality is an illusion," are quite counter-productive to the vast majority of people in their every day lives.  While it is true that reality is an illusion, you can't be there until you are there.  You created the illusion as an emotional and physical learning experience for yourself.  If you try to live completely detached from reality as if it were in fact all an illusion, then you would be sabotaging your own learning experience, and all the effort you put into creating it may be wasted.

Heart of the Paradox

What it comes down to in the end is that, while spiritual truths and understandings can be of great use and support to a soul's growth, they are also paradoxical at their core.  Compare them to the laws of physics.  Newtonian physics is practically useful but it's not the ultimate answer.  The more we delve into quantum physics, the more incomprehensible and complex things become.  It even becomes impossible to make objective observations because the things we observe begin to change in response to our observations.

Note: A little known fact is that Isaac Newton himself was the first to point out the quantum physical nature of the universe.  In his essay on light, he correctly claimed that photons were both waves and particles, but never at the same time.   A photon was either a wave or a particle, depending on how you observed it.   The scientific community at large scoffed at this ludicrous notion of Isaac Newton for the longest time.  Today we know it to be true.

It is the same with Universal Spirit as with Physics.  It can be outlined via some useful spiritual truths.  But it can never be fully known through understandings or insights.  The only way to know the paradoxical nature of Universal Spirit is by feeling it through our hearts.  And that is why, though we can make use of spiritual truths as crude tools, the only way to live in full harmony with Universal Spirit is by feeling into the uniqueness of every situation and always being emotionally present.

I attempt on this site to bring metaphysical spiritual understandings closer to a heart balanced state so that from there, you can hopefully find it easier to become a feeling spiritual being who is attuned to the uniqueness of every situation.  The final step into knowingness of Universal Spirit is a step that each individual must take on their own.  It cannot be taught.

– By the author of "Illuminating Physical Experience"

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