Is reality what we think it is since we all accept the existence of the material world, how could it possibly be the illusion Francisco describes to Mickey in “Why Is God Laughing?” After all, rocks are solid, air sustains life, and the planet revolves on its axis. Yet these facts are not what the word “illusion” refers to. A mystic and a materialist will both stub their toes if they kick a rock. But a mystic believes that the rock is a projection of a deeper reality, while a materialist believes that the rock is all there is—reality doesn’t go deeper than things. To a materialist, clouds and mountains are no more than thing their beauty being beside the point. A newborn baby is a thing, too, its humanity being equally beside the point. In a world of things, there is no room for a loving intelligence known as God who presides over creation and gives it meaning.
Yet on the path to joy you discover that meaning is the very basis of life. A baby is a thing only in the most superficial sense. In reality a baby is a field of infinite potential expressing the highest intelligence in nature. Don’t think of this as a mystical belief, but as a truth that lies deeper than the surface picture - where life looks like a stream of random physical events. Meaning is born deep within. Spiritual optimism is also an inner experience. It is based on the love, beauty, creativity, and truth that a person discovers at the level of the soul.
When you explore yourself on the inner plane, you are working with intuition. It’s a common misconception that intuition is at odds with science, but Einstein himself said that what separated him from atheists was that “they cannot hear the music of the spheres.” In truth, science and spirituality both depend upon intuition, for the greatest scientific discoveries are made through creative leaps, rather than by following a linear trail of established facts.
You use your intuition every day to confirm that you are alive, or that daisies are pretty, or that truth is better than a lie. The path to joy consists of making your intuitions deeper and more accessible. Once my intuition tells me what it is to be alive, then I can explore what my life means, where it came from, and where it’s going. Fortunately, there is no force in the universe more powerful than intuition.
On the spiritual path you come to realize certain basic principles. As these principles unfold, reality shifts. Mere belief cannot transform the events around you, but realization can. It’s the difference betweenbelieving that you are blessed and actually observing the action of grace in the world.
The principles you will find below are powerful engines for change. As realization grows within you, there is no limit to what you may become; the only certainty is that you will be transformed.
1. The Healthiest Response to Life is Laughter. Read >>
2. There is Always a Reason to Be Grateful. Read >>