Far More Than We Think: Making Sense of Spirituality

Copyright © 2013 Michael Angelo Publishing Ltd.

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ISBN: 978-1-4525-8488-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-8490-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-8489-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013918623

Balboa Press rev. date: 11/22/2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Part I

Chapter 1   Food for Thought

Chapter 2   In the Beginning

Chapter 3   Energy Matters

Chapter 4   Out of My Mind at Last

Chapter 5   We Are All One

Chapter 6   Ego Ergo Ego

Chapter 7   Perception Is Reality

Chapter 8   First Base: The Cycle of the Mind

Part II

Chapter 9   No Such Thing as Normal

Chapter 10   Perfect Balance

Chapter 11   There Is No Comparison

Chapter 12   Let It Be

Chapter 13   The Attitude of Gratitude

Chapter 14   Sense and Sensibility

Chapter 15   Life Can Be a Pain

Chapter 16   Going with the Flow

Chapter 17   Meekness Is Not Weakness

Chapter 18   Justice Just Is

Chapter 19   Forgive and Forget

Chapter 20   A Passion for Compassion

Chapter 21   All You Need Is Love

Chapter 22   Now Is All There Is

Chapter 23   The Long Arm of the Law

Chapter 24   The Video Game of Life

Chapter 25   Second Base: The Spectrum of Spirit

Part III

Chapter 26   The Science of Happiness

Chapter 27   May the Force Be with You

Chapter 28   The Gene Genie

Chapter 29   The Mind Has a Mind of Its Own

Chapter 30   Hidden Treasure

Chapter 31   Evolution of Evolution

Chapter 32   Beyond Belief

Chapter 33   Life as a Model

Chapter 34   Third Base: The Appliance of Science

Part IV

Chapter 35   Practice Makes Perfect

Chapter 36   Meditation Maketh Man

Chapter 37   Good Vibrations

Chapter 38   Chakras Can

Chapter 39   Control, Alt, Delete

Chapter 40   Karma Chameleon

Chapter 41   Much Ado about Nothing

Chapter 42   The Driving Test

Chapter 43   Home Run: Daily Practice

Part V

Chapter 44   The Hole in the Soul

Chapter 45   We Are What We Eat

Chapter 46   Physician, Heal Thyself

Chapter 47   Money, Money, Money

Chapter 48   Jobs for Life

Chapter 49   The Other Half

Chapter 50   Kidding Ourselves

Chapter 51   Spiritus Contra Spiritum

Chapter 52   No News Is Good News

Chapter 53   Adam Ant

Chapter 54   Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Chapter 55   Freedom Is Free

Chapter 56   Winning the Game of Life

Part VI

Chapter 57   Can I Have a Word?

Chapter 58   Irreverent Reverence

Chapter 59   Jesus, That Makes Sense

Chapter 60   Yin Yang

Chapter 61   Show Us a Sign

Chapter 62   An Obscured View

Chapter 63   The Real Temple

Part VII

Chapter 64   Stairway to Heaven

Chapter 65   Namaste

Chapter 66   Final Thoughts

Chapter 67   It’s Not about Me

Chapter 68   The Omega

To my mother, Mary Kathleen Le Houx: May she rest in peace.

To those who have held my hand along the way: Helen, Jacquie, Paula, and Julie, I thank you.

To my children, Charlie, Claire, and James: These words are for you.

With thanks to each of the following teachers who have informed my thinking and influenced my writing:

Eben Alexander

Deepak Chopra

Ram Dass

Nassim Haramein

Bruce Lipton

Derek Rydell

Eckhart Tolle

Neale Donald Walsch

Marianne Williamson

Bill Wilson

Introduction

M Y NAME IS Michael, and I am an accountant, a writer, a father, a recovering alcoholic, a partner, a friend, and many other things besides. Setting aside these labels and descriptions, I am simply a human being. More important than this is the idea that I am a human who is being. This distinction lies at the heart of the famous question posed by William Shakespeare. Whether we choose to be or not to be is a far deeper issue than I had ever imagined. I have come to understand that beneath the strong sense of self that has shaped my life so far there lies a tiny, universal spark of life which is the true essence of who I really am. There are many different words used throughout the world that try to capture the true nature of this inner self, but ultimately they all fall short because they attempt to describe the indescribable. The word I have chosen to use is spirit , which in turn gives rise to the notion of spirituality . Aside from this is the powerful sense of self that is often termed the ego-self or the ego. The conceptual contrast between spirit and ego is what this book is all about. If we define spirit as really being, and ego as not fully being, then the challenge posed by Shakespeare takes on a very profound meaning. Do we choose to live from spirit or from ego? That is the question. My personal answer to that choice has completely redefined my life and has led me to write about my experience. The irony is that the very act of writing and publishing a book about spirituality is itself an act of ego, yet beneath that exterior façade is a genuine and humble impulse to share what I have discovered.

The words I have written are by no means a literary masterpiece, but they do have the merit of complete honesty, an authentic desire to share my experience and understanding, and a total lack of ulterior motive. I know that the wisdom I have tried to capture in these pages has the power to change lives. I have witnessed it and have experienced it myself. Spiritual growth is available to all, but it can only take place when we are ready to absorb and practice new ideas. This can be difficult, but once we are willing to embrace change, then all things are possible. Some readers will be astonished and amazed by what I have to say, and some will find it weird and irrelevant. Each of us is free to choose our own experience.

My background combines a career as a finance executive and a basic interest in science with subsequent twelve-step addiction-recovery principles and a resultant awareness of spirituality. My motivation in writing is to share my experience and understanding with others so they may perhaps benefit from what has happened to me. In doing so I have a hope that some may achieve greater fulfilment in their lives through spiritual growth. The only things needed are an open mind and a willingness to consider new ideas. However, these things are essential because a closed mind will not be able to accept the many paradoxes of spirituality.

The book is divided into seven sections that broadly follow my understanding of spirituality as it has unfolded for me.

The first section introduces fundamental spiritual concepts and is followed by a long section that aims to show how growth can lead us towards unconditional love. The third section adds some scientific weight to spiritual principles, and section four sets out the case for regular spiritual practice. Section five demonstrates how spirituality has positively influenced my thinking in many important aspects of my life. The sixth section tackles the vexed issue of religion, and the final section brings everything together in a summary. None of this is intended to be prescriptive. One of the many lessons I have learned is that we all have complete freedom to choose how we conduct our lives. There is no right way or wrong way, but I have found spirituality to be far more rewarding than I could possibly have anticipated.

It is important for me to say at the outset that I am not a member of any religion, political party, or other sectarian group. I have no wish to cause offence to anyone or to provoke any controversy. I neither support nor oppose any specific cause. My only wish is to continue my own path of spiritual growth and to pass on that which has been given to me.

I believe I have been lucky enough to find an answer to inner peace and contentment, and hence to lasting happiness. This is not a permanent state of affairs but progressively my experience. My journey has by no means been unusual, but it has nevertheless been unique in its precise unfolding. I do not claim to be completely right about anything in particular, but I am increasingly excited by the wisdom that is available to us and by what I have come to understand.

My purpose is neither to teach nor to preach. I simply want to share with you what I have found to be true and to pass on what has worked for me. My words are for those who are curious to know what life really has to offer.

If any reader has ever thought that there must be more to life than their current experience so far, then this book could mark an important turning point. If it does so for you, even to a small extent, then my purpose in sharing my thoughts will have been fulfilled.

Part I

CHAPTER 1

Food for Thought

T HERE HAVE BEEN many wise words written over the years. This selection of quotes all make fairly obvious sense on first reading, but it is my hope that each one will mean even more to you by the time you reach the end of this book.

There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance—that principle is contempt prior to investigation.

Herbert Spencer

To be, or not to be: that is the question.

William Shakespeare

A human being is part of the whole called by us Universe … a part limited by time and space. He experiences his thoughts and feelings as separate from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his own consciousness. This delusion is a prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.

Albert Einstein

Imagine all the people sharing all the world.

John Lennon

"There is so much good in the worst of us,

And so much bad in the best of us,

That it hardly behooves any of us

To talk about the rest of us."

Edward Wallis Hoch

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

Paul McCartney

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Reinhold Niebuhr

Being spiritual has nothing to do with what you believe and everything to do with your state of consciousness.

Eckhart Tolle

The greatest power we are given is the power to change our mind.

Marianne Williamson

"The mind is its own place, and in itself

Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."

John Milton

There are countless other quotes that I could have included, but these few cover most of what I want to talk about. There is a lot to get through, and where better to start than at the beginning?

CHAPTER 2

In the Beginning

T HE DOUBLE MEANING in the title of this book is, for me, a profound truth. We are far more than the sum total of our thoughts, and therefore we are far more than we think we are. Whatever you may think of yourself at this precise moment, good or bad, I believe that by the end of this book you will realise that you are far more than you previously considered possible. We are more than we think. Our thoughts and feelings are part of the story, but there is a lot more to it than that. Far more.

I talk about we, but actually I am really referring to me. I am making the heroic assumption here that there are enough similarities between you and me to render my experience relevant to some degree. There will be many differences, certainly, because each of us is unique, but there will also be similarities because we all have varying degrees of the same basic human characteristics. If what I say makes no sense, then hopefully we can agree to disagree. If I occasionally cause offence or irritation, I apologise. I am not claiming to have all the answers, but I do know that my own life has changed extraordinarily for the better as a result of what I have found to be true.

There is no previously unknown wisdom in this book. I claim little credit for any of the ideas or concepts that you will find here. It is simply that my own life experience has caused me to search for understanding, and fortunately, I have had the time and resources to do so. What I have discovered has completely changed my perception of the world and consequently my whole experience of life.

Some of the ideas presented here may well seem unpalatable at first, but I encourage you to read through to the end, so you have the opportunity to see the whole picture. We often spend so much time looking at the threads of our lives that we fail to step back and see the beauty of the tapestry. The landscape that emerges is far bigger and more wonderful than I could ever possibly have imagined.

I am going to cover a broad range of subjects in the coming pages, but I am no expert in any one of them. It has been, for me, like working on a giant jigsaw puzzle. Once I have a clear enough view of each piece, I simply fit it into place and move on to the next. I could spend much more time on each piece and go into more depth, but the danger here is that we get immersed in the individual trees and miss the beauty of the woods.

We live in a privileged age, in which many of us have access to the Internet and hence to a significant proportion of the cumulative knowledge of humankind. The information presented online is also being constantly updated. I have no doubt that the ideas presented here will raise many more questions, and we all have the opportunity to investigate any one of them at our own pace by simply typing a search into an Internet browser.

My own research has taken place over several years and has involved a great deal of reading and listening. It has also led me to talk with many hundreds of people along the way, from all sorts of backgrounds and beliefs. A key theme that emerges from these interactions is that most people who seek deeper understanding of life tend to do so from a position of suffering. I believe this is because our own sense of self is so powerful that we have no interest, or need, to look beyond our ego unless we are in so much pain that we have to. Pain is the touchstone of growth. No pain, no gain, as the saying goes. My hope is that this book will not only help those who are suffering but will also be of use to those who currently feel safe and secure in life but wish to experience something more. However good or bad your life may be at this moment, it is my deepest wish that you may find something in these pages that is of benefit to you.

My primary motivation in writing this book is to share what I have learned. We all lead busy and purposeful lives, yet it is only when we quiet our minds that wisdom emerges. This wisdom is not mine to possess or indulge in. My purpose is simply to pass it on.

If you find the material in this book relevant for your life, I would encourage you to please share this knowledge with family and friends. My objective is not to sell more books but to share this wisdom as widely as possible. Personal recommendation is far more powerful than any amount of marketing, and you can make a big difference to the lives of others if you choose to do so. Knowledge is readily available, but wisdom speaks loudest when it is shared with love.

Moving now to the fundamentals of spirituality, let us start with a topic that matters to all of us: the important subject of energy.

CHAPTER 3

Energy Matters

M UCH OF WHAT we will cover in the following chapters is underpinned by a simple yet crucial scientific understanding that we should explore briefly at the outset. Science tells us unequivocally that physical matter is ultimately comprised of vibrations of energy. My perception of the world used to be based predominantly on what I could physically experience through my senses, but now I see it all as energy. If we view spirituality as some form of non-physical energy, this opens the door to the possible coexistence of physical matter and spirit. It also introduces the idea that everything in the universe is made from the same underlying energy. The variations of physical matter seem to be infinite, yet within every conceivable thing there must be the energy that lies at its source.

Most of us have, at some time, placed a log onto a fire and watched with fascination as it eventually bursts into flame, releasing incredible light and heat. This simple, common event holds the key to everything else that we are going to cover, because what we observe here is matter changing into energy in front of our very eyes. Matter and energy are visibly interchangeable. In my mind, matter and energy were two totally separate things, but it turns out this was one of many misconceptions I had held. Matter and energy are the same thing, just existing in different forms depending on their individual states.

A useful way to clarify this idea of interchangeability is to consider the various forms of water that exist in our daily lives. If we take an ice cube out of the freezer and drop it into a saucepan on the stove and apply heat, we already know what will happen. The solid ice will slowly turn into liquid and will then gradually come to a boil and evaporate as steam. If we were to capture the steam, condense it, and then place it back in the freezer, it would obviously return to being ice. This example is not intended to demonstrate matter turning into energy but to show how a substance such as water can exist in different forms depending on its temperature—or to use another term, subject to its energetic vibration or oscillation.

This same concept of apparently different things being composed of the same thing applies to energy and matter. According to Albert Einstein, there is a fixed quantity of energy and matter in the universe, and the two are interchangeable. This interchanging is happening constantly. One glance at the sun tells us that this is so, with the mass of the star being continually converted into light and heat. At the subatomic particle level, each new discovery in particle physics is taking us closer to the inescapable conclusion that the tiny, subatomic components of matter are themselves simply vibrations of energy. Also, it is understood that the process of photosynthesis uses the energy of the sun to fuel a chemical reaction, the result of which is a tiny increase in the mass of the elements involved in the conversion. In simple terms this means the growth of a plant is partly due to the interchanging of the sun’s energy into physical matter. So we have matter turning into energy, we have energy turning into matter, and we have subatomic particles being comprised of vibrations of energy. It is basically all the same thing, just as the different states of water are the same thing.

The next point to consider is that matter itself is not what we first imagined it to be. Our classroom chemistry teacher told us that materials are made from chemicals, which are made from molecules, which in turn are made from atoms. These atoms are comprised of a nucleus and numbers of electrons that whiz around the nucleus at great speed. What I did not fully appreciate until recently was the relative scale of these components. If we were to imagine the nucleus of an atom as a tennis ball and place it in a huge, open space, the electrons would be the size of the full stop at the end of this sentence and would be travelling around up to two kilometres away. I still find the picture difficult to visualise, but this is the underlying reality of our physical world. Amazingly, it is estimated that atoms are 99.9999 per cent empty space. What we sense and perceive as solid objects are in fact chemical constructions made from spacious atoms, and even the miniscule subatomic particles themselves are just vibrations of energy anyway. Everything is just space and energy.

These two ideas regarding energy and matter are difficult for us to accept because our experience in the world does not seem to support them. I still find it difficult to conceive that solid objects are 99.9999 per cent unoccupied space. When I touch something physical, I perceive it to be solid, yet in reality it is not. When I look at my body it seems real, but it is said that if we stripped out all the empty space in every atom in our bodies, the actual matter remaining would be the size of a pinhead.

The solution for me is to imagine that the electrons in the atoms are all moving around so fast that they create the illusion of being in different places at the same time. It is a bit like the propeller on an aircraft that seems to create a circular shape when it rotates quickly, but then reveals just the blade when it slows down and stops. We are left with the inescapable truth that solid objects are neither solid nor inert. A lump of rock is simply an underlying energy manifested in physical form, and so too is everything else in the universe, including us.

All things move and vibrate in perpetuity. This implies that the physical world as we perceive it is in fact an illusion. The use of the word illusion here is problematic because we instantly reject the notion that our view of the world could be so mistaken. However, the definition of an illusion is an instance of misinterpreted perception of a sensory experience. It is a tough one to grasp, but for me the logic of the scientific explanation is impossible to ignore, and I have to conclude that my perception of the world has hitherto been too narrow.

The science behind particle physics is a huge subject in its own right, but for our purpose, all we need to do is recognise and acknowledge that energy and matter are the same thing existing in different states. Once we appreciate this basic truth, we can quickly see how everything in the universe could be made from the same thing. There is much scientific research underway at this very moment to explore these ideas and theories in more depth. There are also theories of a unified field of energy that I will attempt to explore in a later chapter. The complex physics are way beyond my comprehension, but for me the principle is established.

Energy really does matter. All is not as it seems. We are living in a gigantic illusion. The physical world that we experience is instead the universal energy of life expressing itself as matter. It is the energy that matters, and it matters far more than the perceived physical reality of life. The source of all that we experience is energy.

CHAPTER 4

Out of My Mind at Last

H AVING ESTABLISHED THAT we are 99.9999 per cent non-physical, we can move on to consider what the underlying energetic reality of our existence might be.

We have probably all heard the phrase body, mind, and spirit, but somehow I had the notion that my mind and spirit were rolled into one. I considered myself to be comprised of just a body and a mind. This is perhaps understandable given the way in which we go about our daily lives.

We see ourselves in the mirror and easily identify with our bodies. Indeed all of us are acutely aware of our bodies, either positively or negatively, or a mixture of both for most of us. We are bombarded with images and advice as to how we should look, how we should dress, and how we should appear to the outside world. For many of us, our physical appearance is of paramount importance in our lives.

We also, of course, identify strongly with our minds. What we think and feel represent the very essence of who we are. I think, therefore I am is a famous saying by Descartes, and most of us buy into that idea. I tend to associate my mind with my brain because that is where my thinking seems to take place, but we all know that emotions and feelings occur in other parts of the body as well. The mind is broader than just the physical brain, but the more important point here is that we strongly believe in our own minds. We tend to think we are always right, and we generally trust our own thinking and judgement. We make mistakes of course, but we try to learn from them. We don’t like being wrong but can accept it, provided we learn something useful. We live and learn. That’s how we get along in life.

So I had a strong and clear perception of myself as a body and a mind. Then the circumstances of my life conspired to allow me the tiniest glimpse of the existence of a third element of my being. It is an inexplicable form of energy that exists separately from but in conjunction with my body and my mind. This energy within is what I now define as spirit. Once I experienced this and knew it to be true, I started to pursue a deeper understanding of spirituality in its many guises. What transpired was an understanding not only that my spirit exists as part of me but also that it is me. My body is a physical manifestation of the underlying energy, or the spiritual me, and my mind is the way in which I experience this physical existence. This was the most incredible realisation of my life. I am spirit energy at my core, and my body and mind are the vehicles through which I exist in this world. Remember that our physical bodies are 99.9999 per cent empty space anyway, so this startling conclusion is actually fairly plausible.

So now my perception of myself has completely changed. The logical order has reversed from body, mind, and spirit to become spirit, mind, and body. I am a spirit being wandering around planet Earth in the form of a human body, and I experience life through my mind. I am no longer just defined by my body and my thoughts and feelings. There is more to it than that. We are far more than we think.

This initial glimpse of my own spirituality is what I now understand to be a spiritual awakening. This does not necessarily have to be a dramatic flash of brilliant awareness but just a quiet realisation and acceptance that there is more to our existence than we may have previously thought. A spiritual awakening is nothing more than this. We simply wake up from the slumber of life as we used to perceive it.

Once we wake up, however embryonic the concept of our own spirituality may be, things really begin to open up for us. There is now a lot of ground to cover, and the good news is that many people have been there before us. All we need to do is soak up the wisdom that is already around us.

Waking up seems to happen at various times and at different speeds for each of us. If it has happened to you, or is in the process of happening, I am genuinely thrilled for you. It is without doubt an incredible feeling and a source of joy far greater than anything I have ever known. However good we may be feeling right now, my experience has been that it gets better and better. If it has not yet happened for you, there is much to look forward to.

We all ultimately have a choice as to whether to embrace our spiritual selves. My own choice was a simple one once this realisation of spirit became clear to me. The Descartes thought process now reverses to become I am, therefore I think. I see myself as a spiritual being first and foremost, and my thinking arises as a result of my physical existence. Much of my thinking is still based upon my ego-self because that has been my life experience to date, but identification with spirit allows this obsession with self to begin to change.

The conceptual separation of my spirit from my mind opens up the possibility for dramatic change. My spirit can become the observer of my ego self. Instead of impulsively acting on my thoughts and feelings as they arise, I now have the opportunity to see them from a spiritual perspective and decide whether they are in my best interests. Quite often I find they are not. Willpower and self-control are replaced by self-monitoring from a position of spirit. I increasingly find that I can determine how I feel and think, and unsurprisingly this makes me happy. It makes me happy because I can choose to be happy. This awareness does not happen all the time, but when it does it provides an early taste of bliss and becomes a vital step on the path toward further enlightenment.

Identification with the spirit within, as distinct from body and mind, is fundamental to placing ourselves on a path of spiritual growth. I spent many years trying to get out of the prison of my mind using alcohol and other distractions, but it was only when I finally identified with my spiritual self that I was able to get out of my mind at last.

CHAPTER 5

We Are All One

O NCE WE UNDERSTAND and accept that everything is energy and that we are each a spirit being of some sort, we can begin to consider the next idea. If all this universal energy is the same thing, it makes sense that it is all connected. This would mean everything in the universe is connected at the level of the underlying energy. This gives rise to the logical conclusion that we are all connected at an energetic level. In spiritual terms, we are all one.

Oneness is a common theme in all forms of spirituality, but somehow it has become a bit of a hackneyed phrase. This is largely because a quick glance at the world tells us it simply is not so. Our basic survival instinct means we perceive the world from a position of separation and fear, and hence we think and behave accordingly. Everyone seems to be out to grab whatever he or she can get from life, by fair means or foul. The end justifies the means in the mind of the selfish person. We take care of ourselves as a matter of priority and become self-centred. I can say this with conviction because I have been that selfish person. I have been selfish in the extreme, and my behaviour, driven by my fearful thoughts and resultant feelings, has caused me to hurt many people in the past, including those closest to me.

To move from an engrained position of believing that we exist as separate beings to an understanding that we are all connected seems a step too far. The evidence opposes the idea to such an overwhelming extent that we reject the proposal almost immediately. Surely even philosopher and theorist Herbert Spencer would accept this concept of separation prior to investigation? This was my first reaction, and it is natural to have such misgivings about this fundamental building block of spirituality, but I believe it makes sense once we allow ourselves to further investigate with an open mind.

Despite all the evidence of selfish aggression in the world, we know there are innumerable examples of kindness and generosity. We see selfless acts of compassion and love on a daily basis that we admire and applaud. Privately we may wish that we too could be so generous, but we think deep down that we must look after our own interests first. Of course some acts of kindness bring their own selfish rewards, either in recognition or approval or some other expected outcome, and I am in danger here of passing judgement on people’s intentions, which I am in no position to do. All I can say is that for my part, I have acted kindly in the past because of an underlying selfish motive—namely that I wanted to look good and be liked. I may be wrong here, but I believe a proportion, perhaps a significant proportion, of apparently selfless behaviour is driven by this kind of thinking. If this is so, it probably explains why we still struggle to accept the concept of oneness even when we see others behaving in this all-inclusive