Spiritual guidance tends to arise for me in concise and simple terms. Often, guidance might be one sentence long and last me several months. However, this morning I had asked for more explanatory and specific instructions. Of course, as the universe would have it, I was given what I asked for.

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In the guidance below, the Crystal is a metaphor for the sense of self. The assumption is that we build walls and fortifications around our sense of self, in the form of beliefs about the world, in order to protect the sense of self. Visually, the crystal is in the center of a field, and around it are walls and fortifications to keep people away.

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Embracing the crystal is a metaphor for placing the sense of self under direct inquiry, rather than building around it. Visually, the fortifications have been taken down, and all that is left at this point is the crystal sitting vulnerably in the middle of a field. Should I embrace the crystal, it melts away, but so do I – as its my sense of self. It is ego suicide, in a way. Not of the body, but of the mind.

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To guidance: What would you have me do? To sit back on the crystal?

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Wisdom: You are going to merge with the crystal, ultimately dissolving identity. The crystal is the lived belief in separation. It is the belief through which the mind has seemingly separated itself from reality and created an ego. It is more than the root of all belief; It is the seeming existence of any belief at all.

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The crystal – belief in separation – like all other beliefs, upon close examination, is actually not there. The arising of it and the seeing of it are the same. While it is helpful to feel one is embracing the crystal and melting away the belief of separation, the truth is sweeter than even that, as there is no crystal to melt and therefore nothing to resist embracing. One is already melted with the Crystal at all times, whether or not they are aware of it. Believing the thoughts of separation does not make it so.

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Effort is a significant and pragmatic part of spiritual practice, and so for a time it will seem the effortlessness of non-separation will require the effortfulness of the self to embrace the crystal and dissolve latent tendancies. This can result in tremendous pain and crying, but only because one is looking at their own mind for what it is and feeling the underbelly of the ego in the full light of awareness. The pain arising is not a result of any practice or new situation, but is actually the pain that is already being believed and anchored into identity, hidden away behind the belief of separation, fueling the attachment to self / ego.

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It is helpful to do what is easiest and what comes most natural to you. There will be times of dissolving beliefs one at a time, embracing their emotion and fully feeling them; And there will be times of pulling the floor out from beneath a whole group of beliefs, shattering a paradigm in one quick swoop, without investigating each part. Regardless of which approach is taken – which ratio is chosen and with which strategies, including both those strategies mentioned here and other strategies for processing belief not mentioned here – thought will continue to appear and enlighten you.

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As long as thought arises unquestioned, you are being shown in real time where to work next. Each arising thought is another apparent separation of reality (always requiring a “me” for the thought to reference) and is just an innocent alarm showing you where belief still lives. Loving everything you think will make embracing the crystal seem easy, and hating what you think will make it seem hard. Neither loving nor hating belief will make it real. With this, you are free.

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To Guidance: What am I to do?

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You are to be as present and open as you can to noticing what is alive in you to do for this moment.

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You may embrace the crystal and invest effort to help it dissolve. You may meditate. You may reject embracing the crystal and live for more time with the beliefs of separation. You may question some beliefs and leave others untouched. You may question every belief, and process everything that arises; You may walk the planet freely, doing whatever arises for you to do. You are truly free. You may make any decision, any choice, and you will always be accepted.

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Sit in your heart and cultivate an understanding of what is truest to you. Then, when you have found what is truest for you to do, see the beliefs you wear like clothing to protect yourself – belief in needing safety, belief in having an opinion, belief in a me, belief in time, belief in distance. Call those beliefs by name, and be willing to meet them in inquiry or surrender.

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Ultimately, everything and anything that is done is utterly perfect and already pristine. The path is about waking up to what is already true, not about making something true by changing your mind. Therefore, there really is nothing for you to do beyond being as authentically yourself as you can in any moment. The apparent efforting and work to be done will be on the ways you believe the moment isn’t already worth loving.

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In summary: Cultivate heart felt aspiration. Become as open minded and aware as you can muster. Be willing to meet whatever arises. Use practices of inquiry and surrender, when needed, when its natural. Know that the actual work is already done, and all that this guidance does is help you become aware of perfection as it manifests.

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