Spiritual Growth & Michael

[Wayne]

Okay I will start a thread in this underused category.

Do the Michael Teachings promote spiritual growth?

Thanks! 

[John Roth]

Okay I will start a thread in this underused category.

Do the Michael Teachings promote spiritual growth?

Thanks! 

Michael has been quite consistent in saying that they are not a spiritual path.

That said, anything that helps get through the false personality and enhance contact with Essence will promote spiritual growth.

HTH

John Roth

[Chiara DB]

It's not the size of the wave but the motion of the ocean. Or, it all depends on how you choose to use it

[mtscholar]

I recall that in one of the earlier Yarbro books, Michael says that they provided the Overleaves so that people will stop brooding about personal relationships and get on with the life task. Or something near to that. I like to think of them at times as brush-clearers. It's easier to let go of something someone did that you might not like or not understand if you can chalk it up to a certain configuration of Overleaves. That said, I find the teachings about essence contact and intimacy deeply spiritually invigorating. I guess it's hard to say that the teachings are simply one thing or another.

[Wayne]

So you guys are saying there is no spiritual value in the teachings at all? I feel troubled by that.

[jk]

Regardless of what is being said here, let me ask you this - how much do you know about the teachings and have you tried to apply them in any way? If so how did that work out for you? If not, why not start with that? I am trying to determine what exactly troubles you.

[jk]

My own understanding of this is that it is misunderstood. In MFM it says "WE ARE NOT THE PATH TO SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT.
WE OFFER A WAY TO HUMAN UNDERSTANDING BASED
ON OUR OWN EXPERIENCE...."

and

"WE ARE NOT THE PATH. WE ARE AN ANCIENT ENTITY
THAT COMES TO ALL WHO ASK. OUR PURPOSE IS TO
TEACH SOME UNDERSTANDING OF THE EVOLUTION ON
THE PHYSICAL PLANE SO THAT THE STUDENT CAN
REACH SOME INSIGHT INTO HUMAN BEHAVIOR WHICH
WILL ENABLE HIM THEN TO STOP BROODING OVER
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS OR THE LACK THEREOF
AND CONCENTRATE ON PERSONAL LIFE PLANS."

and

"IF ONE IS TO SEEK THE PATH TO SPIRITUAL
ENLIGHTENMENT ONE MUST FIRST BECOME AWARE IF
ONE’S OWN INNER HUMANNESS AND EXPLOIT THIS TO
ITS FULLEST. IF ONE IS TO SEEK THE HIGHEST TRUTH OF
ALL, ONE MUST FIRST BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE WHAT IS
FALSE — IN OTHER WORDS, THE LIES MUST BE TOLD
BEFORE THE TRUTH CAN BE SOUGHT. IN ORDER TO
UNDERSTAND, THERE MUST BE AGREEMENT ON ALL
LEVELS. LOVE IS THE TRUTH TOWARD WHICH WE ALL
ASPIRE. IN THIS WE INCLUDE OURSELVES AND OTHER
ENTITIES LIKE OURSELVES STILL SEEKING."

My personal interpretation of this is that the emphasis in the sentence "WE ARE NOT THE PATH TO SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT" is on the word "enlightenment", rather than "spiritual" or "path". I am not sure whether this is really a verbatim channeling or edited by Yarbro.
Elsewhere they say they wish to point out the difference between spiritual enlightenment and growth. And that they expect every single one of the members of the group to grow from the experience (presumably from the teaching?), but they do not expect anyone of them to achieve cosmic consciousness.

In other words, the way I understand this, is "all in good time" or "take it one step at a time, in the right order" or "you cannot run before you can walk".

[Dave]

I posted about this earlier but it was lost in the last server crash.

In short, I think Michael is saying that they are not a guru, a religious path, or anything resembling Buddhistic enlightenment. But it seems evident -- as far as I'm concerned -- that studying the teachings can lead to spiritual growth.

Learning to tolerate and accept the differences in ourselves and others is certainly growth inducing, and the act of eliminating chief features and staying in our positive poles is a direct link to raising consciousness, which is spiritual growth in a nutshell.

Best,
Dave

[Chiara DB]

There is nothing that exists that doesn't have spiritual value. What other value is there?

[Dave]

There is nothing that exists that doesn't have spiritual value. What other value is there?

I've found the value of a good nose hair clipper to be absolutely priceless -- especially for those unsightly silver hairs that stand out like tinsel on a Christmas tree. 

Best,
Dave

[Chiara DB]

Well, there is that! 

[bluelady]

Hard to separate the human learning experience from soul development and not call it spiritual growth.   That said, I do see where the Michaels do not want to become a religion.    Let's face it, we are a social species and are not above accepting a form of mental slavery, in order to feel part of a group.

Is there a religion that does not demand total submission to it's beliefs??    The biggest problem is keeping the notion of life's magic and realizing it is purposeful.    Most people KNOW life is not  simply an accidental occurrance.   We should not need abject submission to fear in order to be worthy of our lives.   It seems most of us need to feel guilty about our shortcomings.    But heck, have we not tried to arrange our lives to learn all these pesky lessons ?? 
 

[russell]

Is there a religion that does not demand total submission to it's beliefs??    The biggest problem is keeping the notion of life's magic and realizing it is purposeful.    Most people KNOW life is not  simply an accidental occurrance.   We should not need abject submission to fear in order to be worthy of our lives.   It seems most of us need to feel guilty about our shortcomings.    But heck, have we not tried to arrange our lives to learn all these pesky lessons ?? 
 

If I could arrange my life to not learn so many pesky lessons I gladly would and not feel any guilt. My life has been hard. Would I trade it away? Hell no. I accept my life is not an accidental occurrence and agree that spiritual growth goes hand and hand with Michael.

[Chiara DB]

If I could arrange my life to not learn so many pesky lessons I gladly would and not feel any guilt. My life has been hard. Would I trade it away? Hell no. I accept my life is not an accidental occurrence and agree that spiritual growth goes hand and hand with Michael.

I agree with this, all of it. I get really tired of always being forced to deal with my "stuff", while it seems most everyone else gets to run around, blissfully unaware that they are teeming with the same defense mechanisms and negative imprinting I feel obligated to drop. But I also know that this is something "I" wanted, and that there is something in me that won't let me just stop growing. So, I accept it, even though sometimes (like today) it really ticks me off.

[Nancy]

Is there a religion that does not demand total submission to it's beliefs??    The biggest problem is keeping the notion of life's magic and realizing it is purposeful.    Most people KNOW life is not  simply an accidental occurrance.   We should not need abject submission to fear in order to be worthy of our lives.   It seems most of us need to feel guilty about our shortcomings.    But heck, have we not tried to arrange our lives to learn all these pesky lessons ?? 
 

I had this crisis myself.  I was raised Roman Catholic, yet my father was Greek Orthodox.  And the interesting thing, even as a child, was that I actually appreciated, as a teenager, that in the Greek Orthodox church the priests could marry and have families of their own....I think that may have been the same time that I begain to become really disillusioned with "organised religion".  Programming being what it is, there was no way I was able to walk away from the RCC whilst my mother and grandmother still walked around - lots of expectations there indeed.

When I was 32, both Mom and Nana were gone to the other side, and I found the Unitarian Universalist church.  I was totally scared to walk in there, thinking it would disrespect the family traditions, but I'm so glad the inner rebel nudged me to do just that.   How wonderful it was to be amongst a group of people, with different belief systems, different ideas but sharing in the common goal of tending to one another.   No Dogma, No Sin, No Hell.   Amazing concepts to someone raised RCC I can tell you.

So the answer is yes, there are places where one can have fellowship without having the man made constructs of control, fear and sin shoved down your throat.

Blessings
Nancy