“It is the object of contemplative prayer, as it is the object of all education, to discipline and develop certain growing faculties. Here, the faculties are those of the ‘transcendental self,’ the ‘new person’—all those powers which we associate with the ‘spiritual consciousness.’ The ‘Sons of God,’ however, like the sons of men, begin as babies, and their first lessons must not be too hard. Therefore the educative process conforms to and takes advantage of every step of the natural process of growth: as we, in the education of our children, make the natural order in which their faculties develop the basis of our scheme of cultivation. Recollection, Quiet, and Contemplation, then, answer to the order in which the mystic’s powers unfold. Roughly speaking, we shall find the forms of spiritual attention which is called ‘Meditative, or ‘Recollective’ go side to side with the purification of the Self; that ‘Quiet’ tends to be characteristic of illumination, that contemplation proper—at any rate in its highest forms—is most fully experienced by those who have attained, or nearly attained, the United Way. At the same time, just as the self in its ‘first mystic life,’ before it has passed through the dark night of the spirit, often seems to run through the whole gamut of spiritual states, and attain that immediate experience of the Absolute which it seeks—though as a fact, it has not reached those higher levels of consciousness on which true and permanent union takes place.” ~Evelyn Underhill

Discipline and Development

Ms. Underhill is correct in linking together discipline and development in any educative process. With virtually any type of education, self-discipline goes together with developing the skills or knowledge of that education. This is probably more important with our spiritual development than with any other form of education. A person who gains spiritual knowledge without also developing the discipline to handle and control that knowledge can harm themselves or others, and either negate into developing the dark side or become frightened and stop their spiritual development entirely. So the smart spiritual school or teacher helps the student develop discipline at the same time they are learning spiritual development techniques. Think of Mr. Miyagi teaching Daniel in the original (1984) version of “The Karate Kid”. He made Daniel develop patience and discipline before learning Karate.

The New Person

I have taken the liberty here of modernizing Underhill’s statement which originally read “new man” because I want it to be clear that it applies to women as well. What Underhill is saying here is that with proper spiritual development, we don’t just become better educated, we become a new person, a transcendental person who is greater than before such development. You are not just educating yourself, as with studying math, for example, but literally changing yourself.

Sons and Daughters of God

Just as our physical self begins as a baby, so does the newly awakened spirit. While a spirit is never a baby, it is similar to one in that it is uneducated, so its education must start with the basics. You wouldn’t put an infant in a college physics class. Likewise, you don’t start teaching spiritual development with advanced methods and knowledge. It might not have to be as basic as stacking blocks and coloring in color books, still, the concept applies. The beginning student must start at the beginning and progress slowly, with very few exceptions. And a good school will allow each student to progress at his or her own speed, and not forde them to go too fast or slow them down so much that they lose interest.

The Order in Which Powers Unfold

While we are all individuals, and some may develop differently than others, there is a general order in which spiritual development happens. So a good spiritual education takes that into account and teaches in the order in which things usually develop. And it isn’t just the order in which they develop, but the order in which they can be understood. It is also true that some people develop certain spiritual gifts while others don’t. As a dog owner, I have been disappointed at times in my limited ability to communicate with animals, yet this is an advanced gift that few develop until a very late stage, so I accept that now, and make use of those spiritual abilities that have developed. It should be noted that spiritual abilities and psychic abilities are not the same, so try not to confuse the two.

Dark Night of the Spirit

The Dark Night of the Spirit (or Soul) is something mentioned often in regard to spiritual development. Some express the idea that without going through such a period of great difficulties and depression, spiritual development cannot happen. Fortunately, that is not true. While we all go through some difficulties, something as deep as the Dark Night of the Spirit doesn’t always happen, nor does it have to. Just as some people are easier to wake from deep physical sleep than others, so too some are easier to awaken from the deep sleep of spirit than others. And having a Dark Night of the Soul does not guarantee a spiritual awakening. Many have such an experience and do not develop spiritually at all. So don’t seek out such an experience on the idea that it will awaken your spiritual faculties. Following the techniques of a spiritual school like Cosolargy is a better and safer way to do it.