Question
I've been a spiritual seeker for most of my life. I understand that spiritual unfoldment requires you to give up all sense of "ego" self.
My biggest challenge has been to juggle the material with the spiritual. I have a burning desire to live spiritually but the biggest resistance I have is the DESIRE for wealth or supply or material comforts. My thoughts around spiritual fulfillment revolve around surrendering to the universe so that "It's Will Be Done", not "my" will.
Does "being spiritual" mean I have to give up my desire to be successful and wealthy, with the material comforts I have so long desired and been driven by?
Answer
The short answer is, "No, you do need to give up the bounties and success you desire."
BUT there is a universe of difference in the UNDERSTANDING and PRACTICE now required in order to witness the infinite fruitage that is your True Spiritual Self.
The mistake you are making - which is common and results in a tremendous LACK of tangible fruitage - is in believing that the “universe” and “you” are two separate entities, or aspects of your being. This is not true.
There is only Oneness. We must take this truth literally. “I and the Father - Consciousness - are one,” not two.
The Consciousness you are conscious WITH is the Infinite All Supply, Success, Health, Home, Opportunity you have been searching for. You have not realized that. You have thought that "success", "money", "opportunity", "home" and so on are SOMETHING DIFFERENT or are a PRODUCT of Spirit, Consciousness.
But try, right now, to separate yourself from your consciousness. Go ahead! The consciousness you are conscious WITH - the very consciousness that is conscious of this message, and of the room you are sitting in, and of the view out of the window - IS THE VERY INFINITE CONSCIOUSNESS ITSELF - SPIRIT - THE ALL IN ALL.
Spirit, Consciousness, fills all space, therefore where is there room for the "you" you are talking about, versus the "universe"? Where is there room for Spirit’s desire for "you" versus "your" desire which could be "different"?
There is no "difference" because the whole of Spirit, Consciousness, is what you are; you are the entirety of Spirit, Consciousness, being you, yet the mind-conscious "you" and "me" are in a state of fractional awareness of our Infinite Wholeness. It is JUST a matter of DEGREES of individual AWARENESS of the Infinite Wholeness you are, and I am.
Spirit, Consciousness, is the One and Only life and expression. You are That, and I am That.
Omnipresence: Spirit, Consciousness, is omnipresent - the whole exists at every point at the same time. As I say, try to "escape"from your consciousness. You cannot! Therefore, what are you other than that One Whole Consciousness existing everywhere, and as every thing? There is nothing but your CONSCIOUSNESS everywhere!
Spirit, Consciousness, is Infinite; Spirit, Consciousness, fills all space within you; Spirit is your Consciousness, the very Consciousness you are conscious WITH - the entirety of your being (your world and universe). Or perhaps this is best: Spirit, Consciousness, IS. Spirit is the only Is. Consciousness is the only Is. There is not "you" and that which IS - there is not "you" and Spirit - there is not "you" and your consciousness. There is not "spiritual" versus "material". All is just One, just Spirit, just Consciousness (these are just synonyms for the same ONENESS) and we must realize this truth literally.
Therefore the desire you feel is the One Desire expressing Itself as itself: you. The mind is the only thing that has created a false SENSE of inner versus outer being, but no such inner versus outer exists. ALL IS ONE. The mind experiences the One Spiritual omnipresence fractionally, and we call it material, physical and tangible. But the only REAL form and tangibility is Spirit, for there is only Oneness.
The inner invisible and the outer visible are One and the same presence, person, thing, place, condition and circumstance… yet experienced differently BY THE MIND.
Spirit, Consciousness, is the substance of all form… which means THE FORM ITSELF. Where there is Spirit, Consciousness, the mind experiences a £1 coin, but the "coin" is an interpretation, or concept, of the mind. It is not real. Where there is Spirit, Consciousness, the mind experiences the CONCEPT of a material body but the one and only real body is Spirit.
Do you see this? There is no Spirit AND. There is no Consciousness AND. There is ONLY Spirit, Consciousness.
The entire secret is to realize that the outer appearing world of people, things, wealth, achievement, attainment and success (plus, of course, all form without exception) is Spirit. There is no other. There is nothing wrong with desiring rich fruitage in every area of life including success and wealth but the way in which we go about it is mistaken.
BY RECOGNIZING THE TRUTH THAT SPIRIT, CONSCIOUSNESS, IS ALL, AND THEREFORE DESIRING SPIRITUAL FULFILLMENT - CONSCIOUSNESS - ONLY (BECAUSE YOU NOW REALIZE THERE IS NO OTHER) - ALONG WITH THE AWARENESS THAT THE INNER INVISIBLE AND THE OUTER VISIBLE ARE ONE AND IDENTICALLY THE SAME FORM (even though experienced fractionally and finitely through the mind) - YOU WITNESS RICH FRUITAGE IN EVERY TANGIBLE WAY.
But interestingly, if one does not have the awareness that the inner and outer are one and identically the same Oneness, one can experience euphoric periods of silence within, with the awareness of absolute oneness and bliss with the Infinite, YET WITNESS LITTLE OR NO FRUITAGE IN THE OUTER APPEARING SCENE.
"Know the truth and the truth will make you free." We must KNOW THE TRUTH THAT THERE IS NOTHING BUT SPIRIT, CONSCIOUSNESS, and we must bring this truth into such an intensity of conscious awareness - living awareness - that we NEVER make the mistake of desiring the material form of money, success etc (nor bodily health, love, companionship etc) because we now recognize all material form to be nothing other than mental images of Spirit created by the mind.
We desire ONLY Spirit, Consciousness, in the recognition that Spirit is the substance, fiber and form that is ALL. There is no other.
Be your Oneness. There is no other "you". There is no other place, person, thing or activity. LET your vineyard blossom and prosper by living in and out of your Silence IN THE REALIZATION that your silence is BOTH the so called inner and so called outer, one and identical.