“A transcendental genius obeys the laws which govern all other forms of genius, in being susceptible of culture: and, indeed, cannot develop to its full powers without an educative process of some kind. This strange art of contemplation, which the mystic tends to practice during the whole of his¹ career—which develops steps by step with his vision and his love—demands of the self which undertakes it the same hard dull work, the same slow training of the will, which lies behind all supreme achievement, and is the price of all true liberty. It is the want of such training—such ‘supersensual drill’—which is responsible for the mase of vague, ineffectual, and sometimes harmful mysticism which has always existed: the dilute cosmic emotion and limp spirituality which hang, as it were, on the skirts of the true seekers of the Absolute, and bring discredit upon their science.

“In this, as in all other and lesser arts which have been developed by the race, education consists largely in a humble willingness to submit to the discipline, and profit from the lessons of the past. … Each new and eager soul rushing out towards the only end of Love passes on its way the landmarks left by others upon the path to Reality.” ~Evelyn Underhill

Transcendental Genius

We are not all geniuses as measured by the standard education system, but anyone following a spiritual path is demonstrating above-average intelligence. And those who follow a genuine spiritual path will often discover that their intellect improves as well. It is not unusual for those having spiritual training to discover that they now score ten or fifteen points more on an I.Q. Exam. Not that it is necessary for spiritual growth, but it is a fortunate side effect. It also helps you deal with those opposed to spiritual development as they usually rely on intellect to make their point.

An Educative Process

While there are some today who will deny it, no one becomes spiritually awakened and developed overnight. That is actually a good thing because the revealing of too much reality before a person is ready to handle it has driven some people insane. But there are different ideas of what kind of an educative process is needed. It is probably ideal to have a spiritual adept take you under their wing and teach you individually. Unfortunately, there are few advanced adepts available to do that. The second best option is to attend a school that has an advanced mystic or spiritual adept leading it or at least was founded by such a person. Pythagoras ran such a school which is why I chose a drawing of him teaching to illustrate this article. Cosolargy is one such school and teaches some things that none of the others teach.

While reading spiritual books is a good way to start, but you cannot rely on them for your entire spiritual education. One reason is that the books never contain everything you need to know. Another is that you might misunderstand some of the things the books say, especially when they are said in allegorical terms, as they often are. A third reason is that you have no one you can ask questions of when you have difficulties. A fourth is that a teacher can help you know where you are in your spiritual quest, and what you need to do next. And fifth, working as part of a community developing together helps you grow and gives you some protection from the dark forces and beings that try to prevent us from developing our spiritual Self.

Whole Career

Ms. Underhill tells us that the mystic spends his whole career studying and learning more about the realm of spirit. That education is never complete. The idea that you can spend a few days studying a form of meditation and you are done is complete nonsense. In the ancient mystery schools, the students generally stayed for many years, often their entire life. That wasn’t because they were slow learners, but because the spiritual development process is one of gradual development. Any school that claims otherwise is, frankly, a fraud.

A Humble Willingness to Submit

Underhill is also correct in saying that the successful spiritual student must have humility and a willingness to submit. That is another reason why the process takes years. Few of us have such humility. In our modern world of commerce and competition, we are discouraged from showing humility. It is considered a weakness. Yet we must submit to the Beings of Light, to God, to the Greater Good, if we are to be fully successful in our spiritual quest, and that requires humility. So we start learning the basics of spiritual development, and also to develop humility and love (also very important) gradually. As we advance, we develop more and more love and humility. Those who fail to do so—and I have met some of those—never develop beyond a certain point. So practice your spiritual techniques, but also work on developing humility, discipline, and love.

“’You need to refine every human function – moving, sleeping, breathing, thinking, feeling – and eating.’

‘Wait a minute, Socrates, eating isn’t a problem area for me. I’m slim, I generally feel good, and my gymnastics proves I have plenty of energy. How is changing a few things in my diet going to make a difference [in my spiritual growth]?’

‘Your present diet may give you plenty of energy, but it makes you groggy, affects your moods, and lowers your level of awareness. …’

“In your present state of evolution, you cannot “eat sunlight” except in limited ways. When humanity does develop this ability, the digestive organs will become vestigial and laxative companies will go out of business. For now, a proper diet allows you to make the most direct use of the sun’s energy. This energy helps you focus your attention, sharpening your concentration into a slashing blade. … Your good habits must become so strong that they disolve the ones that are not useful. … I eat only what is wholesome, and I eat only as much as I need. … My diet may at first seem spartan compared to indulgences you call ‘moderation,’ Dan, but I take great pleasure in what I eat because I’ve developed the capacity to enjoy simple foods.” ~Dan Millman

Refine Yourself

While doing proper solar techniques is the primary teaching of Cosolargy, it isn’t the only thing. It is the most important, but there are other things we should do to help our spiritual growth. As the old man Dan calls Socrates (not his real name) says, we need to refine every human function. Some of those functions are easier to refine than others, and changes in our eating habits is one of the easiest.

Healthy Eating

The first rule of healthy eating is to avoid anything artificial. That includes artificial colors and flavors as well as foods that are artificial. Second, avoid heavily processed foods. That seems to be a hard one for most Americans today. We have become addicted to convenient fast foods, which are more accurately called junk food. It also includes anything with processed sugar added. And if you are not ready to give up meat entirely, at least avoid beef and pork—and yes, that definitely included bacon, probably the most unhealthy thing humans eat. As the quote says, such foods lower your vibrations, and your frequencies, and if you are seeking real spiritual growth, that is the opposite of what you want to do.

I recently read the book “Lifespan” by David A. Sinclair, in which he talks about his research into aging and the research of others on the same subject. In this book, he gives advice on what we can do now to not only add years to our lives, but add healthy years. One of the things he advises is healthy eating, and the first rule of it is to avoid eating mammals. That means no beef or pork.

Even good food like fresh fruits and vegetables can be unhealthy if you only eat them cooked. It is a good practice to have some uncooked fruits or vegetables as part of each meal. The enzymes in fresh fruits and vegetables help them digest better and better digestion means better health. Physical health does affect your spiritual health, so it is good to stay physically healthy.

Eat Sunlight

Socrates tells Dan that in our present state, we can’t “’eat sunlight’ except in limited ways.” While what he says is true, at least in the way he meant it, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t bother to “eat sunlight,” even if it is in a limited way. You must also realize that Millman’s book was written in the 1980s, and much has changed since then. While it remains true that humans cannot YET live entirely on sunlight, we do need it for spiritual growth, especially the Light of the Spiritual Sun.

Note: I was beginning to doubt that the man Millman calls Socrates was a real spiritual teacher until I read this short comment about sunlight. From that, I can see that he is a valid spiritual teacher, and while he may not have been teaching Dan the things that Cosolargy teaches, it is because he was teaching one individual and taught him according to where that student was and what he was ready to learn.

Only What You Need

Socrates also says that he eats only what he needs. In other words, he makes sure that he supplies his body with the necessary vitamins, proteins, carbs, fat, minerals, and enzymes that it needs. When you do that, the desire to overeat tends to fade. So does the desire for junk food.

I started following the diet known as the “Bright Line Eating Plan” a few years ago. I won’t go into all the details, but here are the basics of this diet. You avoid sugar and anything that has sugar added to it. You avoid anything made with flour. Grains are allowed, as long as they have not been ground into flour. So oatmeal and puffed rice, for example, are allowed. Beyond that, the diet includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, much of it fresh. And you eat three meals a day with no snacks. I lost weight easily when I am on this plan, and I am much healthier by following it.

So do your solar techniques, read your lesson books and other spiritual books, listen to music ad burn incense. But also remember to eat a more spiritual diet, which also happens to be the kind recommended for a long and healthy life.