The Human Experience

October 10, 2010

Dear Friends,

There is a saying you probably know that goes like this:

“You are not a human being having an occasional spiritual experience.
You are a spiritual being having a temporary human experience.”

The fact that the true you is a being of spirit—an individual expression of the One Divine Spirit—comes as a great revelation to many. In fact, some people get so excited by that understanding, they seek to experience their divine spiritual essence as much as possible.

These people go to every event they can find that promises them some kind of transcendent spiritual experience—an experience that leaves the body and the mind behind, and immerses them in a state of pure beingness; or an experience that offers them some other kind of mystical sensation.

There is nothing wrong with having experiences like that. And there is certainly nothing wrong with getting in touch with the true nature of your being. In fact, to live life in the divine flow, it is important for you to stay in close conscious contact with the divine spirit that is your essence. That’s why I recommend a daily practice of meditation.

However, it seems to me that spending an inordinate amount of time pursuing spiritual “experiences” may be missing the point of life. A life spent that way would be better expressed by a saying like this:

“You are not a human being having an occasional spiritual experience.
“You are a human being having frequent spiritual experiences!”

But that is not how the saying goes. It goes, “You are a spiritual being having a temporary human experience.” That means that you are not in this world to escape the human experience through the endless pursuit of spiritual ecstasies. You are in this world to have the human experience . . . but to have that experience from the standpoint of knowing that you are—at your core—a divine spirit.

As a divine spirit, you are in this world to have the human experience of creating—of choosing what you want to have, do, or be in life, and using your divine powers of manifestation to bring that about.

As a divine spirit, you are in this world to have the human experience of loving—of expressing your divine love through all of its earthly forms, such as compassion, understanding, acceptance, and forgiveness.

As a divine spirit, you are in this world to have the human experience of the physical body—to enjoy breathing, laughing, feeling the sun on your skin, and eating a big bowl of ice cream . . . something you can’t do as pure spirit.

And, as a divine spirit, you are in this world to have the human experience of the physical earth—to appreciate the wind, the water, blue skies, purple mountains, and endless fields of flowers.

In short, as a spiritual being, you are here to have the human experience of being alive and in the world, and enjoying everything this earthly plane of existence has to offer—both the sweet and the bittersweet.

Friends, by all means, seek those peak, transcendent spiritual experiences. Have them. And cherish them. But don’t forget to appreciate the beauty and the joy that also arise from the human experience. After all, isn’t that what you came here for?

Steven

© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com