Have you been devouring spiritual/self-help books recently? Have your interests shifted dramatically? Have you felt a deep longing for something, without ability to articulate even to yourself what it is you seek?
Those are all sign you are on a path of personal transformation. But why, and how can you know if you are ready for it?
Restlessness
Have you been experiencing restlessness? Have you been feeling dissatisfaction. With your self, your life, circumstances, your understanding of life and self.
Like something is missing, something is wrong. That you are not seeing the whole picture of life – of all there is to life.
The Search
When we have been feeling this restlessness for some time, the Search begins. At first we don’t know what we are searching for. We may jokingly say that we are searching for the meaning of life, the secret of life, or we are on a pursuit of happiness.
But the truth is – we have no clue what we are looking for. We just make up such quirky, but acceptable stories to keep us sounding like crazy persons who don’t know what they want – both to others and to ourselves.
The Search culminates in personal transformation
Well, at least in a practice of personal transformation. As a practice, it is never ending and has no goal. It is a path of mastery.We begin when we are ready to change. Not consciously. No, we do not really decide or know consciously that we are ready. It is impossible to know with our mind. It is not a process we begin, control or understand with mind. We are along for the ride.
Two-part journey or process
The the journey of personal transformation has to parts – outer and inner.
During the outer phase of the journey we look for and turn to teachers, books, various teaching and practices, we devour processes and tools, we discuss spiritual ideas. It is a phase of gathering information and convincing our mind, our conscious self that personal transformation could be beneficial for us. Basically, it helps make the actual transformation less painful by providing some basic understanding.
Then comes the inner part – practicing, conversations with our Inner Self, mediations, listening for/to and following our inner guidance, getting back to our true self.
Get to know ourselves
Through this journey we get to know ourselves. For the first time in our lives. The journey leads from ‘other’s opinions of self’ to our true, authentic self. A transformation of self.
That can be scary. It can, and will, scare us to death! It is a process of death and rebirth, but that is another story.
New meaning and love for life
Through our journey we gain a new understanding and relationship with our self – both our conscious, physical self/personality and our Inner Self.
Life takes on a new meaning and beauty. We feel that we belong in life. We participate in life consciously. Nothing is random anymore. Life is not something happening to us.
Our journey begins when we are ready to be reborn and live life consciously. But first we have to die to our old self-concept.