True spirituality is the dwelling in what is real. It is not primarily adherence to ideas in the mind. This is an important distinction because as beings living in dualism we commonly feel that truth is to be found within certain ideas, and not others. Yet all ideas and all form exist within the One Thing That Is, or what we sometimes call “God” or “Source.” Source transcends all the ideas and forms. And at the most fundamental level, Source is the most real thing there is. Spiritual truth then ultimately does not need to be taken on faith: we are talking about something that is actually real. In fact it is far more real than that which we commonly experience day-to-day. Because it is real, we have absolutely nothing to fear in honestly searching for what is real and in exploring what we feel is real.
Many people find it terrifying, however, to explore what they feel is real, because they believe that the world is a terrible place or that life is terrible. Indeed, they have much evidence to convince them of this “fact.” In fact, this reality will always give us evidence to support what we believe. This occurs because what is fundamentally true is not our beliefs themselves, but our awareness itself. Nothing is ever believed, conceived, or experienced without our own awareness of it. And thus in order to actually discover what is real, we must be willing to truly and deeply explore the most challenging thing there is to explore: ourselves.
Spiritual growth can occur when one commits to the honest pursuit of what is real in one’s self. Doing so, however, takes considerable personal courage, because it means one must be willing to feel what one actually feels, and face what one actually is. It is far, far easier to place the blame on certain ideas, or to cling to long-held beliefs for safety, than it is to drop the charade of the ego and allow one’s self to actually experience everything- including the experience of uncertainty about what is real.
But the whole charade of the ego is ultimately an illusion. It is not real, except that we have made it to be.
Truth, on the other hand, will stand up to scrutiny, because It Is. But since the truth transcends the human mind, the human mind alone cannot fully discern it! Because consciousness transcends the objects of the mind that it beholds, the window to true discernment is a deep familiarity with that which is more real than one’s mind: one’s awareness itself. This is why meditation is such a valuable tool: it is simply exploring “what actually is” by dwelling fully in the present moment, instead of being lost in the many thoughts of the illusory mind.
A Walk in the Physical 