Blog 14: Spiritual Recipes
Deviating From the Prescribed Path
December 16, 2024
Edited by Carol Hubbard
Expanding Spiritually In a Spiritually Rigid World
Before I venture down the path that is the subject of this blog, I want to reiterate (as I have stated in previous blogs) that I do not write to challenge anyone’s belief system (worldview). Worldviews are personal and are often deeply engrained until life circumstances dictate that a change is in order.
Whatever your outlook on life, you believe what you believe in the current moment. It does not mean you cannot change, nor should you fear the possibility of change.
Early in life, my worldview was quite rigid. I was a right-wing conservative, evangelical Christian, homophobic, and “pro-life”—without a notion of what that meant to women who found themselves in positions where a difficult decision had to be made. And the list goes on. However, my beliefs did not truly represent who I was (and am). For many reasons, I believed things because I thought I was supposed to, not because they resonated with my core.
A quiet but persistent spiritual voice kept telling me, “This is not who you are.” Ironically, that voice, coupled with the insights of my second wife—who opened my eyes to my spiritual rigidity, led to a fundamental change in my worldview when I was in my late thirties. (My sister later commented that the change was so sudden as to be almost unbelievable.)
My worldview became fluid. As a result, my life experiences have become more spiritually expansive. Instead of living life according to a script defined by ego, I now approach life with curiosity. Where will Spirit[1] guide me next?
Allegory of the Recipe – Scrambled Eggs
My wife, Carol, has related a simple anecdote from her life that I often meditate on. In her middle-school home economics class, Carol had to make scrambled eggs. The recipe that she and her fellow students were instructed to follow was very generic, calling only for a pinch of salt and pepper.
However, Carol (channeling her future inner Julia Child) proceeded to make her scrambling eggs with more than a pinch of salt and copious amounts of pepper. Even though I wasn’t present (I was 4 at the time and didn’t meet Carol until I was 53), I can assure you that she probably created the fluffiest and tastiest scrambled eggs in the class.
For her effort, however, the teacher gave her a C. Why? Because she had not followed the recipe. The assignment was not about the achieving the best outcome for one’s scrambled eggs, it was about following the instructions to the letter.
Recipes are the basis for beginning an exploration. If a recipe leads to a desired outcome, i.e., the best-tasting scrambled eggs possible, then there is no need to adjust the recipe. However, if the outcome can be improved upon, then why not explore, expand, and adjust?
(Aside: In the mid 1970s, Carol was accepted into the intermediate level course at La Varenne, a French cooking school in Paris established by Anne Willan, Julia Child’s respected contemporary in popularizing French cuisine. For various reasons, she decided not to go—a “road not traveled,” so to speak.)
Granddad
My pre-life planning, in the spiritual realm, could have had me born a Jew, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Zoroastrian, or even an atheist. But Christianity is the religious construct I grew up in.
In early childhood, the Christian narrative frightened me. What I heard was, “Get it right, or burn forever in a place called Hell.” It was a pass/ fail proposition.
In 1969, my maternal grandfather died. I was eight, and it was my first experience with real grief. Granddaddy had been a severe alcoholic. I knew he drank a lot, but I did not understand alcoholism—nor did I comprehend the emotional havoc and pain he had inflicted on my grandmother, my mother, and her siblings.
What I do know is that despite all the disfunction swirling around him, Granddaddy had the capacity to love (he nicknamed my mom “Dolly”—a name my father adopted for her and continued to call her the rest of her life). My mom loved him, he loved her, and he loved me. So, at his funeral, I experienced intense grief. I didn’t understand it. All I knew was that my granddaddy was gone.
Spiritual Recipes
After Granddaddy’s funeral, I heard my grandmother talking to my mom. Grandma was upset because she had overheard people discussing Grandaddy’s alcoholism. They had concluded that he was going to Hell because his alcoholism made him unworthy to live with Jesus.
As a grief-stricken child, I concluded that not only did I need to worry about whether I would make it to heaven, I also needed to worry about everyone I loved making it. I was not emotionally or spiritually equipped to realize how unfair and cruel these unfounded judgments were.
As a young man, I experienced life through a Christian lens. The ideas, idioms, platitudes, and beliefs of Christianity confused and bewildered me. In retrospect, I understand that the confusion and bewilderment was there to challenge and guide me to explore my spirituality.
Eventually, I became spiritually curious and adventurous rather than fearful. As a result, Christianity transformed into fertile soil for me to cultivate a garden of fresh spiritual ideas. I transformed from a follower of the human-developed, ego-based “Christian spirituality” to a follower of non-religious spirituality. (From here on, I will refer to the “spirituality of ego” and the “spirituality of spirit”).
No longer am I willing to accept the ideological “recipes” put forth in many (not all) religions. No longer am I willing to accept fear and guilt as a part of any belief system that purports to bring love, joy, and peace into my life.
Fear and guilt are contrary to the teachings of Yeshua (“Jesus”) and other masters. These teachings are far too rich, expansive, and profound to understood through dogmatic “recipes” contained in a set of religious “cookbooks.”
Does It Matter Who Your Teachers Are?
“I am the way, the truth and the light …” (Yeshua, John 14:6)
In John 14:6, Yeshua proclaims that he is the “way show-er” for humankind. He says to us that we can transcend our self-centeredness (ego) by following his example and returning to our divine spiritual state and purpose (light and truth).
Although my core beliefs in this lifetime started with the teachings of Yeshua, I now include the teaching and guidance of many other spiritual leaders, channeled higher energy sources, and non-incarnate souls (my guides).
Many of us, if asked, would run off a list of masters and teachers who have influenced us spiritually. They have their place, but it is much simpler. Look at it this way. Consider every moment as a spiritual learning opportunity. How do you react? Do you pass judgment, or do you show compassion? Do you lash out in anger, or do you empathize? Are you jealous—or grateful? Do you express bitterness—or joy? Are you truthful, thoughtful, and honest?
Treating each moment as a spiritual learning opportunity has the effect of making your primary guide, teacher, and guru your higher self. Getting in touch with your higher self puts you in touch with all spiritual resources—from those who cross your path every day to the very Creator[2] of the universe.
Besides Yeshua, some of my primary masters and teachers are the Dalai Lama, Ram Dass, Martin Luther King Jr., and Eckhart Tolley. Your list may include some of mine and may have additional names. Your teachers and masters provide the underpinnings of your spirituality. Primary guides and teachers provide you with confirmation and deeper spiritual insights.
As you progress on your spiritual path, you will be guided to what and who you need when you need it. Remember that you are expanding your soul. The final insights that you take from your teachers and gurus are yours—coming through your soul.
Expanding Consciousness and Building Spiritual Intuition
Moving beyond my original spiritual “safe zone” (the spirituality of ego) and allowing other points of view has allowed me to expand my consciousness—to have a deeper, richer appreciation of the expansive spiritual universe that we live in.
This is a profoundly personal process. What I read in the words of Yeshua or any other spiritual source speaks personally to my heart. It is the same for any receiver of spiritual insights and messages.
However, when receiving what I believe are spiritual insights or messages, I remind myself that I must exercise discernment, test my intuition, and ask my guides for verification. The responses may take time, but cultivating patience is part of the process.
A simple test that I apply when discerning if the message is truly spiritual or ego is to ask myself, “Is what I am receiving coming from a loving place? Or is my ego making it up?” Spiritual answers may not be pleasant or comfortable, but they must make sense within a context of love for my well-being and that of those around me.
The answer may not come directly. It may come in the form of a positive or negative reaction from a spouse or loved one. An event may happen that supports or contradicts the validity of what you originally perceived. In any case, you also must make sure the source of the answer is operating from love—not fear, judgment, or ego.
In all cases, be patient. Practicing reliable discernment and intuition are master’s skills. It requires trust between you and your guides in much the same way that relationships on the physical plane require trust. In the process of developing them, remember that that spiritual time is not human time. Something that you believe has not been resolved on the physical plane has often has already been resolved in the spiritual realm.
Carol and I often pray for “the highest and the best” rather than praying for a particular outcome. If praying for a desired relocation, a job, a new home, or the healing of a loved one – we like to close our prayers with, “… if it be for the highest and the best.” Then we wait for a response. Many times, the response is surprising.
Praying in this way acknowledges that we are not in control. What we believe we want may not be in line with our life plan, the best for others, or the best for our connected world. Outcomes are up to the Creator.
Blessings to all,
Ken Kyzer – The Spiritual Engineer
For further information on reincarnation, visit the website:
Reincarnation Truth
[1] When I refer to “Spirit,” I am referring to everything that emanates from the Creator—who the Bible (1 John 4:7) characterizes as pure love—and, more specifically, the spirit guides (deceased loved ones, more advanced souls, ascended masters, angels, etc.—however you view them) who guide us. The number of spirit guides can vary—and can change throughout one’s life. I rarely know who these guides are when I receive guidance from Spirit. So, on occasion, I will refer to Spirit as them.
[2] Likewise, when I refer to the Creator, I am referring to the totality of all that is seen and unseen and all that is and is not. In other words, I am a part of (contained within) the Creator, I am not the Creator. The Creator is boundless, alive, loving, and ever expanding.