pampered cat

Sometimes I want to be like a beloved house cat – very important but with little to do.

I get tired of responsibility – especially self-imposed responsibility. When you’re a mystic you have the challenge of contributing to the spiritual evolution of the planet. This can be done in a multitude of ways – from committing to a regular meditation schedule up to being an outspoken, life-risking activist for social change and everything in between. It is not an easy challenge to accept.

The benefits associated with materialistic challenges are usually quite clear: money, power, fame, and the like. But mystical benefits are hidden – sometimes even from the person receiving them. Part of the challenge is not even looking for results or effects from your actions. The mystic merely assumes responsibility for carrying out certain activities for the good of all with no thought of reward.

Rembrandt The Philosopher in Meditation

This is maybe the most difficult aspect of the process – not thinking of rewards. When you do something with the expectation of receiving something in return you are participating in a contract. But for the mystic there is no contract – except perhaps in the same sense that breathing involves some form of contract. Our breathing accomplishes a lot of things in the world that we never pay attention to – releasing needed carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, for example – the least of which is keeping us alive. The responsibility associated with mystical work is similar to the responsibility of breathing – it maintains the functioning and growth of the whole organism whether we understand the process or not.

process

It would be nice to sit around and be pampered all day but that is not the fate of the mystic. The responsibility is ongoing and the rewards are uncertain. Yet, there is no other life I would choose – though it would be nice to be cosseted and praised sometime, for no reason in particular.

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