Some Do's and a Couple of Don'ts for the Spiritual Path

The following is a response to an email to "StevetheSeeker" from a dear friend who is getting very interested in the spiritual path and the teachings on the ego.  He remarked that my initial response to him was long on "BE-ing" but short on "Do-ing" types of recommendations, which he thought would be helpful for a beginner on the path.  So I gave the Do's some thought and this was I've done:
 
Your analysis is right on.  Yet if I was half the sage you think I am I would have thought of this myself, namely, to be a little more concrete with some DO's in the beginning:)

Even so, when we connect to our inner God selves, we are all sages in the making, all on a journey to re-remember what we already know inside of us, and then make that More.

Now, there is a reason I'm somewhat resistant to DO's, and that is the ego will always attempt to turn even the most casual of recommendations into some infallible rules or doctrines that will supposedly save you - but I trust a word to the wise is sufficient in this regard. 

Having said that, here are some general DO's that have worked for me - meaning they have helped me grow.  You can, if you decide, experiment with one or more of these recommendations and see if they work for you. 

You already understand that BE-ness is the goal, opening yourself up to the spontaneous creative flow of the Spirit by walking an inner path, so hopefully these DO's will help you enter and grow on this path.

So without further ado, here's some of my DOs.  I'm putting numbers on them for future reference, but they are not necessarily in order of importance.

1. Observe yourself objectively, dispassionately, as if you were watching yourself on a movie screen.

2. Take note of what your reactions to things others or circumstances in your life

3. Don't be obsessive about 1 & 2:)

4. Watch for the ego.  How do you know when there's ego?  Here are some hints or symptoms:

defensiveness 
feeling like a victim
rationalizations
desire to control others
always needing to be "right"
desire to hide things from others or from God
critically judging others or yourself
dishonesty
fear
anxiety
anger
depression
addictions
"sacred cows" where you offended if someone challenges it
unwillingness to hear other points of view
automatically rejecting new ideas
needing to "save" others
fearing anything outside your mental box
contentiousness
intellectual or spiritual pride
stubbornness
desire to run away from your problems
looking for the past, the "gold old" days
longing for the future
wanting others to change
black and white thinking
gray thinking

5. If you a see a "mistake" don't condemn yourself, simply note it, look at what might be behind it, and let it go.  See your so-called mistakes as stepping stones to growth.  Better yet, see your mistakes as an experiment in life that gave you a learning result.

6. Be willing to consider the validity of an idea even if you don't initially agree with it.  Be willing to put ideas that you don't understand "on the shelf" without automatically rejecting them until you have time to process them at a later point.

7. Meditate (or pray) daily on your God Self and oneness with that self.  If you like I can make some suggestions.  Commune in such a way that you start getting answers to your questions about life and the Spirit.  Seek an understanding of what currently keeps you believing you are unwhole and the next things to work on. 

8. Seek to have direct experiences of God within you via 7. above or any other means.  As one example, there is a fire of God that burns in all our (spiritual) heart centers.  Most people do not experience this because, for want of attention, the flame has not been expanded to point that it breaks through to conscious awareness.  I know by personal experience however, that this beautiful transcendent fire can be experienced perpetually day in and day out.  Once you have experiences like that, the need for intellectual proof of God becomes totally irrelevant.

8. Keep a journal for a time of the types of things I've been discussing.

9.  If you find yourself in a struggle with one thing or another, take the time to step back and see what got you to that point.

10. Study spiritual books and articles.  I have some recommendations if interested.

11. Always be willing to take the next step.  Don't get too comfortable with any point on the path.  Question your current perception of things.

12.  Be of good cheer.  Be good to yourself even though you are looking at yourself with an eye to letting go of some things.  Don't take yourself too seriously - as Jesus said "my way is easy and my burden is light."

Finally and perhaps most importantly (even if it is a little bit Be-like) the key to your victory is surrender.  Keep surrendering the unreal as you discover more of the real.

I think that's enough for now. 

Hope this helps.  Thanks for showing me how to make this a bit more useful to you.

All my love,

Steve