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spirituality By Guy Finley Reach Your Highest Spiritual Possibilities IN HARMONY WITH THE UNIVERSE W e are all familiar with the general guidelines govern- ing our physical well-being: eat nutritious food, ex- ercise mind and body, and avoid toxic people and places whenever possible. In much the same way, there are spiritual guidelines that gov- ern what we will or won't discover about ourselves in this life- time. Each day offers countless opportunities to learn how to live within these guidelines. When we do, our possibilities be- come limitless, because we are living in harmony with the great- est force in the universe. These fi ve guidelines will help you awaken and realize your highest spiritual possibilities. • If it doesn't fl ow, there's more to know Learn to recognize all forms of strain—whether at work, in your creative efforts or in your re- lationships—as unnecessary. Any sense of friction you feel is never caused by the task itself, but by what you don't yet know about yourself. Your expectations and demands, not the actual task, are the problem. This new insight al- lows you to release yourself by showing you what you need to know. Flowing follows your new knowing. • Refuse to take the easy way Anytime you feel compelled to go around a problem by taking the easy way out—pre- tending it doesn't exist, blam- ing someone or something else for your pain, or faking a fi x—that problem always comes back around, making life seem diffi cult. Learn to see the "easy way" as a mistaken thought that keeps you tied up. Getting through something is not the same as completing it. And your idea of the "hard way" is also just that—an idea. Now you know: the complete way is the easy way, and ultimately enables you to live the effortless way. • Watch for the opportunity to learn something new Everything changes all the time, making life an endless occasion for learning something new. This means more than meets the eye. Learning is a window into the complex world around you, and through it, you may also look into the "you" who's busy looking into the world. Just as you're a part of everything, every- thing is a part of you, so everything you learn about life around you teaches you about yourself. And when you've learned there's no end to what you can see about the amazing worlds spinning both around and within you, you'll also know there's no end to you. Stay awake. Learn something new every day. You'll love how that makes you feel about yourself. • See conclusions as limitations The possibilities of learning about your life are limitless. Any conclusion you reach about yourself is an unseen limitation be- cause there's always more to see. All conclusions are illusions when it comes to the security they promise. There may be se- curity in a prison, but there are no choices behind its con- fi ning walls. Learn to see all conclusions about yourself as invisible cells. The seeming security they offer is a poor substitute for the real secu- rity of knowing that who you really are is always free to be something higher. • Persistence always prevails Persist with your sincere wish for higher learning and you can't help but succeed. Per- sistence always prevails be- cause part of its power is hold- ing you in place until either the world lines up with your wish or you realize your wish is out of line. Whichever way it turns in that moment, you've won something that only per- sistence can buy. If you get what you think you must have to be happy and you're still not satisfi ed, then you've learned what doesn't work. Now you can go on to higher things. And should you learn you've been wearing yourself out with useless wishes, this discovery allows you to turn your energies in a new direc- tion: self-liberation. Adapted from The Secret of Your Immortal Self by Guy Finley, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2015. guyfi nley.org/immortal august/september 2015 19