Dadashri: It has not come into existence or anything like that. In this world, there are six eternal elements and these elements are constantly undergoing changes. And it is because of these changes that you see all phases. People consider the phase as: ‘This is my form.’ The phases are temporary, whereas the elements are permanent. Therefore, the Self (Soul) does not have to come into creation.

There are also some people (typically leaders of spiritual communities or certain gurus) who are totally unaware of their unconscious shadow motivations (but are equally as dangerous). So be discerning. Learn to trust your intuition and gut instincts. Tap into your inner lone wolf: that primal wisdom you carry inside which drove you to begin this quest to begin with. How do you listen to your heart? One of the best ways is to simply place a soft hand over your heart, let all thoughts go, and drop into a sense of stillness. Then ask yourself, “What is it that I truly, deeply yearn for, above all else?” Another muslim was being pursued by flames and sparks of fire. His sadaqa (charity) formed a veil between him and the fire and shaded his head.’ My Andean ancestry speaks of three worlds that we can experience in life: the Upper World (Hanaq Pacha), the Middle World (Kay Pacha), and the Lower World (Ukhu Pacha).If the soul has no merit at all, it will be sent to the land of punishment, whatever the punishment be. In the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana, the Garuda Purana, etc., the type of punishment and difficulties that the soul has to undergo are described in such gory language that we would not like to be born into this world again. Agnir jotir ahaḥ śuklaḥ ṣaṇmāsā uttarāyaṇam, tatra prayātā gacchanti brahma brahmavido janāḥ (8.24): Everything is filled with light, everything is filled with divinity, and everything is superintended over by a divinity. The fire of cremation—that is the agni, the physical fire, which has a divinity of its own—assumes a divine form in the case of a person who is to rise up to the celestial realms. Then there is a divinity superintending over the daytime, in contrast with the night. If a person passes away during the daytime, and during the bright half of the lunar month, and during the northern movement of the sun, he shall reach the solar orb—Suryaloka. From there, he will be taken up further. Without developing a healthy personality, our spiritual growth reaches a dead end because we are more prone to falling into many spiritual traps and pitfalls down the line (such as spiritual narcissism, spiritual materialism, and more). Siang-Yang Tan, PhD, professor of clinical psychology, Fuller Seminary; senior pastor, First Evangelical Church Glendale (CA); and author of Shepherding God’s People

There is no single point at which we stop this inner transformation. In fact, the whole mistaken idea of reaching a state of “perfection” really only equals death and stagnation. And what happens when things stop growing and flowing? They become lethargic, break down, rot, and disintegrate. Judgement Day will be our next stop. This is the day when Allah personally will judge everyone directly with absolute justice. Abu Hurayrah related that the prophet (saw) said: “Every servant of Allah will remain standing before Allah on the Day of Judgement until he has answered five questions about five things: His life — how he spent it; his knowledge — how much he acted upon it; his wealth — how he acquired it and how he spent it; and his body (and health) — how he used it.” [Muslim] Finding your holy longing will provide you with the fuel and compass to direct your spiritual search. Instead of being outwardly led by the egoic self, you’ll be inwardly led by the heart and Soul. You may even find that as you progress through your spiritual journey, your holy longing will evolve and mature, let it! 3. Pay attention to philosophies, tools, or practices that intrigue you Summary: After the body, heart, and mind undergo this cleansing and purging journey, a deeper level of Illumination may begin to arise within. We’ll begin to integrate all the lessons we’ve learned, bringing them into our daily lives. This is the moment where we truly start walking the talk, integrating both the human and Divine aspects of our lived experience. As such, there is a strong desire within us to share what we’ve realized through the grace of Divinity (our True Nature) with those who need support. We may adopt the role of teacher, guide, or mentor – or otherwise, embrace new ways of helping others. Perhaps the key defining quality of this phase is a strong connection to one’s True Nature and a non-dual shift in awareness. There’s an intimate, inner lived experience of the Divine as one’s true face, authentic essence, and ultimate home.In my honest opinion, no spiritual journey is balanced (or healthy) without some level of psychological healing. We need to focus not just on ascending to the Upper World but also on working with the Middle and Under World. See the following articles for more guidance:

Yet despite the fact that the Under World journey can be such a harrowing and haunting experience, it is ultimately a powerful odyssey. Only by descending into our personal Under Worlds can we truly embrace our true life calling, talents, gifts, and deepest values. The Soul with the coverings of karma on it is called a living being. On its journey, the living being undergoes several stages of development and as karmas get shed, the being progresses spiritually on the path of evolution. The Soul, by its very nature, is moving towards ultimate liberation (moksha), as long as there is no interference along the way. As you can see from the endnotes, numerous books have influenced us. There are four we’d like to make special mention of: The Interior Castle by Teresa of Ávila, Stages of Faith by James Fowler, Mansions of the Heart by our friend Tom Ashbrook, and The Critical Journey by Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich. Thank you to these great writers.

More Spiritual Calling

The practice of inner work is what allows this inner space to emerge because it dissolves the contractions of the ego that hide our True Nature as Divine Consciousness. This is the effect of attachments. And very intense attachments, which do not even give the soul time to take birth in this world, convert it into a ghost. Preta yoni is the outcome and, as described in the Bhagavata Purana, it hovers around in space, hungry and thirsty.