April 14: Day 104

STONE TWO CONTINUED
 
Open: I partake of spiritual wisdom and knowledge from a variety of sources and open myself to different insights.

Instruction: Welcome new experiences.

Many innovative spiritual thinkers were not confined or contented with one religious/spiritual program. They might have been tutored in one religious persuasion, but their spiritual quest was too big to be confined. Their questions were too bold, and the answers their religious teaching provided were insufficient. Many ventured into other spiritual/religious realms searching for an experience that met the ache of their hearts to know and to be known by That which created them — That which set the universe in motion. Many of these seekers have given us suggestions for what worked and did not work for them. There are also lesser examples of spiritual seekers who dabbled in chemically enhanced drugs that seemed to help, at least for a time, but later discovered the risks and dangers were not worth the reward. There are also experiences that can be had through natural substances such as mushrooms or peyote. Do they fall into the same category as chemically enhanced drugs, or are they safe when guided by someone whose culture, such as the Native American culture, teaches them how to use them safely? We leave these questions and answers to our readers to make wise decisions.

There are, however, experiences that are safe and will bring us the desired result without taking risks. Many of these experiences are used by different religious groups, and often they are willing to teach these techniques to a seeker of spiritual Light. My recommendation is to be cautious and listen to your instincts. If something feels right to you, it probably is, but don’t ignore cautions that your spirit might be giving you. If something feels wrong, then it probably is — at least for now. Sometimes we are not ready for certain experiences because of physical, mental, or emotional reasons. By listening to our intuition, we can avoid experiences that might harm us, and we can open to experiences that will help us along our spiritual path. An open mind is not a stupid mind. It is a discerning, calculating, cautious, and sincere mind. When we open our minds, we don’t think less — we think more, or at least we should. Just because we open our mind to a new experience, it doesn’t mean that experience is right for us, but if we don’t try new things, we might not find the experiences we seek.

Today’s Assignment is to try new experiences to see which ones are meaningful to you and which are not. Always keep an open mind, and remember that some things you try might be meaningful at the start but the effectiveness could quickly fade. On the other hand, some experiences might hold little or no meaning at first, but after a while you may come to appreciate them.