stewart bitkoff: spiritual traveler - form to essence

8/12/2019 Stewart Bitkoff: Spiritual Traveler - Form to Essence

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Spiritual Traveler: Form to EssenceBy Dr. Stewart Bitkoff

At the beginning I was mistaken in four ways. I sought to remember God, to know

Him, and to seek Him. When I had come to the end, I saw that He had

remembered me before I remembered Him, that His knowledge of me hadpreceded my knowledge of Him, His love toward me had existed before my love to

Him, and He had sought me before I sought Him.

!aya"id !istami

Introduction

This striking quote by the Sufi Bayazid indicates that the spiritual search is comprised of

2 actions or journeys the first journey being the tra!eler"s action toward the goal and the

second that action of the goal or teaching upon the tra!eler# this second action being the

sa!ing $race.

Today many western spiritual tra!elers are unaware that their journey is comprised of this

multi%dimensional aspect. &istakenly some equate success only with personal effort'belie!ing the harder he(she tries the greater their chance of enlightenment. )andomly

sampling paths and e*ercises' going from the outer world inward' seeking to connect with

their own inner' spiritual center often this first part of the journey takes a physical form#e*ercises' prayers' reading books' personal discipline and doing good works.

+s Bayazid indicates' after a period of preparation' this second action % the mo!ement ofthe goal toward the tra!eler% is bestowed' coming forward naturally' enriching daily life.

,or this to happen' it is most producti!e when there is contact with a teacher and school'

who through the $race of the -ath' facilitate energy release and connection to the higherelement.

n our western culture' many are still unfamiliar with the subtleties of eastern spiritual

training. The tra!eler wishing to make the journey fromform to essence' in addition too!ercoming personal and societal obstacles must also come to terms with this

dimensional factor# e!entually realizing success is based upon a combination of

organized effort and Di!ine /o!e and /o!e is bestowed not earned.

n this writing we will discuss some key elements of the spiritual journey and further

prepare the ground work for personal realization of the Belo!ed"s timeless caress.

Proliferation of Guides

0owadays when the tra!eler goes into any large bookstore one of the things whichbecomes apparent is that there is a surplus of people writing about their own spiritual

e*perience' and how to tra!el inward. t seems just about e!eryone has a book' personal

method and set of e*ercises to complete the journey for the most part' in good faith'these authors wish to share a blueprint that has worked for them.

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This abundance of paths and methods' for the a!erage tra!eler is confusing. can

remember my first e*perience entering the largest spiritual bookstore in 0ew ork 3ityand being completely o!erwhelmed by the number of paths and books which were

a!ailable. didn"t know where to begin.

So much written material occurs as a result of the following reasons. 4ften these books

fall into the category of preparatory material or action of tra!eler toward the goal.

A #pecial Age. This is one of those times in history' when tra!elers can freely

e*plore what it means to be spiritual without fear of physical harm or death. 5e

li!e in an open age and through the use of the computer and the internet'information about religions and spirituality is a!ailable in unprecedented amount.

+lso as a writer' the computer has made the physical task of writing accessible to

many the publishing industry with self%publishing has completely re!olutionizedhow easily books can be published' and !enues like e%magazines' blogs and e%

mail ha!e turned just about e!eryone into a 6published" author.

$veryone is a %eacher. 4ne of the characteristics of the spiritual journey' afterthe tra!eler has had some initial success connecting with their own inner current'

is that the tra!eler wants to share this wonderful e*perience. Because it has

enriched their life' they wish to share and teach others. 7!ery tra!eler is different'and there are hundreds of paths' with countless techniques consequently in our

open society we ha!e a proliferation of material with many descriptions of what

has inspired and worked. &ost often this material ser!es as way to get started'

takes you part of the way and is not connected to a larger' comprehensi!e systemto complete the full journey.

8ence we hear an often repeated remark' 6"m tired of all these self%help books that reallydon"t help anyone. want e*perience that works.

The Great Hunger

5ithin e!ery one there is an empty space which often manifests as a hunger or unease.

4n some le!el' each of us feels there is a missing piece and we all go about our li!estrying to fill it.

%he Great Hunger. This inner emptiness and $reat 8unger temporarily can be

eased with just about anything. The world is a giant bazaar and the tra!eler canstock their basket with fine food' colorful garments' different types of work'

se*ual positions' drink' drugs and a !ariety of other pursuits and hobbies. et this

inner spiritual restlessness can only be quieted on a lasting basis throughconnecting with your own inner spark' or the sacred within. This is the first

journey fromformto essence. +s a preparation' many of the books' !ideos and

new age systems take you part of the way. ,rom the outer to the inner.

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&oss of the #acred ' (ythical. To further heighten this need for the spiritual

journey' many of our more traditional connections with the sacred are no longera!ailable. Today we are a scientific culture and daily' science challenges many of

our old myths and traditional spiritual teachings. ,or e*ample' the Bible offers

that humanity has e*isted on earth for something like 19'999 years whereas

science suggests that we ha!e been on this planet' in human form' for millions ofyears. Similarly science suggests there were multiple locations where humanity

began not just one location or $arden of 7den.

7ach ci!ilization requires practical wisdom' a mythos or set of rules to help the

tra!eler grow and guide their life rites of passage which traditionally helped

connect the tra!eler with the :ni!ersal Di!ine through their own sacred center' inour culture ha!e been replaced with consumerism. ,or western tra!elers' science'

money' need for power' credit cards and indi!idual personal e*pression ha!e

become the center of life. 5hile these aspects to life are important' they do not fillthe empty place and the inner hunger continues. Some tra!elers quickly recognize

the malaise as a spiritual hunger. These tra!elers read the books' follow thee*ercises and prepare for the inner e*perience which connects with the Di!ine.

Books' lectures' !ideos' articles' are part of the answer howe!er the inner firemust be tended by something else as well.

Remembering

+ll of us are spiritual beings who ha!e taken on a physical body' with a spiritual center

that knows the way home. This spiritual center' or heart' is always connected to thesacred. The tra!eler must learn to still that part which is tied to the world and listen to

that which is tuned to the 8igher. This is termed 6remembering." This connection is

enhanced as the tra!eler learns in the presence of a teaching &aster. 4ften this learningfacilitates the second dimension to the journey.

)reparation for #tudy. 3onnecting with your own inner current is part of being

human. t is as natural as breathing or drinking a glass of water' yet' most oftenwe are blocked from this e*perience by daily cares. +lso it is natural to fill the

empty space with concerns' ideas and worry' yet we must also set aside time to

allow what is inside to naturally come forward. To reach our sacred place andallow this energy to manifest on a conscious le!el' we must prepare' de!elop the

skills necessary and be in contact with a teacher.

This second journey' connecting with your own inner current and allowing it tocome forward' daily' is a matter of right time' right place' and right people

working together.

*inding the %eacher. n order for the tra!eler to be taught how to efficiently go

inward' as well as allow what is inward to come forward and manifest' they must

be part of a mystical school or path that specializes in this preparation. The

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tra!eler must be in an en!ironment where this type of e*perience is offered and

when ready' bestowed by the Di!ine upon the tra!eler.

By connecting with their own inner current and the higher energy of the uni!erse'

the tra!eler is changed the tra!eler is alchemized through this set of e*periences

and recognizes the object of the search. This type of learning can be termed moread!anced spiritual learning. t goes beyond introductory material and preparation

found in books' !ideos' or learning systems taught !ia the internet' D


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@Bistami' )umi and Ahawwas quote taken from# ames ,adiman C )obert ,rager'

7ssential Sufism' 8arper3ollins -ublisher' 1E.

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Register for m upcoming retreat !ee"end atop #angor $ountain%in the beautiful

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Read my 2 books:Sufism for 5estern Seekers#)ath of the #piritual %raveler in$veryday &ifeand The ,erryman"s Dream. Both books are also in Aindle format and

a!ailable on +mazon.com or local bookstore.

To contact author go to# www.stewartbitkoff.com.

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stewart bitkoff: spiritual traveler - form to essence

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