A reader asks this question:
If you have come to a complete wall on what to do next, is it a good idea to fast, prayer and meditate on your next step?
JJ
This is a problem all of us have had from time to time. Even super human lives reach an impasse now and then and do not know which direction to take is the better.
One can understand why this would happen to the average person, but why would it happen to even the masters and beyond?
The answer is simple. All of us, high and low, are learning and we learn best by experience. Our next step in learning has many unknowns in it. You do not learn if you already know all there is in a certain area. The fact that we are ever learning tells us that all of us are attempting to discover the unknown and make it known.
This creates a problem for all us all now and then, but it is a good problem. If we didn’t have this problem then it would mean there is no more learning and if there were no more learning there would be no purpose and without learning and purpose there would be no creation and without creation all life would dissolve and we would all be as if we never were.
So, what do the masters do when they reach an apparent dead end and are not sure of their next step?
They do the same thing that we have to do. They stand still for a period of time and think about it. They do however, ask themselves a question that is often overlooked by average humanity which is this.
They assess all the things they should have accomplished with what they know and ask themselves if there is any more work that needs done before they take their next step. If the answer is yes then they understand that there may be a few things they yet need to do before a next step is possible.
So, when the disciple has done all that is possible to prepare for the next step and the next step is still unclear, then what?
For inspiration on this go back to the Parable of Decision in the first Immortal book. There we see an example of the wrong thing to do. The two who could not make a decision suffered the most. The other two who took the two paths were both far ahead of those who stood still in fear.
If one does not know what to do then he must use the first Key and Decide – decide something even if there is a good chance the decision is wrong. If the decision is a bad one the error in it will reveal itself as you move forward. Then you can see more clearly and make a good decision that was impossible earlier.
It is imperative then that we make a decision and then force ourselves to act upon it. Always try and incorporate the principle of harmlessness into that decision.
Another reader writes:
I have read extensively on soul contact yet have never experienced it. I feel hollow and am struggling. I remember your writings on life cycles and how if one does not find his purpose by age fifty, a self-destruct mechanism activates and ends the life. Part of me wants to let that mechanism activate and another part of me wants to cross the finish line victorious. I feel paraplegic in my attempts to see the purpose of this incarnation. I am obviously doing something wrong but not sure what.
JJ
You are referring to the age of crystallization and that is 54-56 years. They do not self-destruct, however, but just take it easy on the learning curve for the rest of their lives. About 90% of humanity gets caught in this trap.
Many people are under the illusion that God has some complete plan for them and they must discover it. They often wait in vain. Why?
Because most of us have to develop our own plan. Every once in a while a disciple will receive a revelation on what do to next but most of the time it is up to us and the sky is the limit. We can do whatever we want.
So ask yourself. What type of work do I enjoy. Then learn some more things around that which you enjoy and apply them or teach them. This will give you purpose.
Also ask yourself – what new thing can I learn that would be fulfilling? Then set about to learn that thing.
In the process of all this look back upon your life and ask yourself if there was any message from your inner self that you ignored and have not acted upon. If there was and you know it then retrieve that guidance and act upon it. This act can restore purpose very quickly.