“A person can only be said to have really begun the journey on the Inner Way when the injunctions he or she blindly obeys are no longer those that conform to the world’s scale of values, but rather those which accord with Divine Being within them.”

~Karlfried Graf Durckheim~

Spiritual formation is not a quick fix with trendy answers. It is not an escape to an inner realm that is divided from our presence here on Earth. Nor is it an ego-driven seeking for personal enlightenment. Spiritual formation is a humble path of awakening to both the transcendent spiritual ground of being that we share (Brahman in Hindu terms) and into the immanent love (Indwelling Christ in Christian jargon) that enlivens our true self. It involves directly engaging with the mystery of life while opening ourselves up to the grace and presence of The Beloved. A compassionate nature, selfless service, intuitive wisdom, and a loving heart are signs of true spiritual formation.

One of the greatest obstacles to authentic spiritual formation is self-centered thinking and living. The anxious and fearful egotistical self wants to cling to its own mental projections and separate physical identity with all its might. Various religions have different names for the delusional state that can hold people hostage and prevent them from awakening, such as the Buddhist “samsara”, the Hindu “maya”, a “nafs attack” in Sufism and in Christianity it is called “the fall”.

In The Gospel According to Matthew, chapter 26 verses 36-46, Jesus of Nazareth asks three of his disciples to stay awake while he goes further up into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Yet, time and again they succumb to their lethargy and fall asleep. This is a metaphorical teaching about how important it is to wake up to the presence of The Beloved in this lifetime, and the diligence that it takes to remain awake once we have.

“In genuine contemplation, what takes place is a contact between the inmost reality of the created person and the infinite reality of God.”

~Thomas Merton~

This awakening takes both human effort and divine grace. A metaphor that Jake uses for this conjoining is a wooden flute. When we are emptied of our egocentric desires and social conditioning, and are fashioned into a flute, then The Beloved can play through us; the music that is born from this union harmoniously awakens us from our long slumber in worldly time.  In Christian jargon this process is called kenosis; Eastern traditions refer to it as self-emptying.

According to The Peace Pilgrim, a woman who walked over 25,000 miles for peace across North America with her only possessions being a tunic, a toothbrush, and a pad and pen: “I talk to groups studying the most advanced spiritual teachings and sometimes these people wonder why nothing is happening in their lives. Their motive is the attainment of inner peace for themselves———which of course is a selfish motive. You will not find it with this motive.” The Peace Pilgrim finishes her statement with this wonderful advice: “The motive, if you are to find inner peace, must be an outgoing motive. Service, of course, service. Giving, not getting. Your motive must be good if your work is to have good effect. The secret of life is being of service.”

However, in today’s hyper-materialistic and techno-hypnotized world, many spiritual seekers who attend retreats and workshops may only be building up or inflating their egos with spiritual pomp and/or self-centered “manifestation” claptrap. In other words, seekers should remain vigilant of the pompous spiritual ego masquerading as having attained true spiritual wisdom. Jake has watched this pseudo-spiritual parody play out at retreat centers around the world, as self-styled spiritual/New Age/manifestation gurus prey upon peoples’ egocentric desires to be “enlightened” or to become “powerful manifestors”.

“True mysticism is never self-seeking. The genuine mystic wants only God, and this deepest desire reorganizes, destroys, or transforms all lesser cravings.”

~Evelyn Underhill~

These misleading teachers and their followers walk around all-puffed up on their own ego trips, but while they focus on “creating their own realities” and “manifesting their own dreams”, they remain trapped in the precarious realm of spiritual materialism. The Sufi term for this kind of ego expansion is bast; the revered Sufi mystic, Al-Qushayri, taught that there is a great danger in this mood for it can overtake a spiritually immature person with beguiling deception. Basically, what these egocentric teachers and seekers see as “enlightened spirituality” is nothing more than a projection of their desirous ego reveling in its own vainglory. Al-Qushayri’s prudent advice to seekers in that precarious situation is to take shelter in The Beloved.

Moreover, Jesus of Nazareth advised: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). This is why it is vital for sincere spiritual seekers to find authentic spiritual friends and humble contemplative guides along The Way, or they may be led far astray. It’s like Ramakrishna taught, “The tree laden with fruits always bends low. If you wish to be of service, be lowly and meek.”

Jake has worked as a spiritual formation guide for homeless persons, at-risk youth, groups at senior residences, seekers at monasteries and retreat centers, and with select individuals throughout North America.

Please Contact Jake with any inquiries about doing spiritual formation work either as an individual or in a group setting.

*All profits from Jake’s Spiritual Formation work go towards attending and accompanying our homeless brothers and sisters through his charitable organization, “Feed The Way”. Participating in sacred work is a gift of The Beloved; thus, Jake donates any profits that he receives from it.