(Photo Copyright Terrah Lozano ‘Hooded Avatar‘ Budapest, Hungary)

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – King James Holy Bible – Galatians 6:7-9

In my previous post I discussed meditating and manifesting. In many articles on this site we discuss ideas for creating the life you uniquely desire. Overall, our purpose here is to provide ideas for achieving fulfillment; fulfillment being a deeper sense of happiness or enlightenment for yourself and those you love. (not sure what’s wrong with that!)

We discuss a variety of ideas in different areas of life that we believe are vital to achieving fulfillment including meditation, travel & culture , spirituality, philanthropy, relationships, health, well-being, and passion & excitement. We focus on all of these areas because they are part of living a well-rounded deeply-fulfilling life. We also focus on making them fun and exciting, hence our site name.

All of these concepts are considered by many to be ‘New Age’. The Wikipedia definition of New Age states it is “a decentralized Western social and spiritual movement that seeks ‘Universal Truth’ and the attainment of the highest individual human potential.”

However, many people think of ‘New Age’ as being anything that contradicts the traditional dogmatic ideals of the large religions, such as Christianity. For example, when we discuss topics on this site, some people tend to say, “I don’t believe in that New Age stuff.”

For the purposes of this article, I am referring to this latter mis-understanding of ‘New Age.’

It is this ignorance and mis-understanding of the real essence of New Age that is B.S.

After hearing many people discuss and tell me what real ‘reality’ is, I wanted to provide this article as a rebuttal and state that your reality is yours to create. That’s what every spiritual religion says and what the real essence of New Age is about.

I have provided the excerpt above from the Bible as a foundation for our Western thinking readers. Most Westerners and religious zealots call what we write about on this site NEW AGE.

None of what we discuss is NEW AGE. It has been discussed by religions and spiritual leaders for centuries from all cultures since the dawn of man. (I’ll mention some of these cultures later, but for now, I want to get to the point.)

What I want you to take away from the quote at the start of this article is the essence – You will reap what you sow.

The sowing is your unique service that should make you feel passionate, here on purpose, and inspired; the reaping is whatever you desire, be it money, love, happiness and so on.

So then, the question of your life has to be, “How can I serve?”

And as the quote alludes to, you can’t fool or mock God. God/Universal Energy or whatever you choose to call it knows when you aren’t serving through your passions, talents, and spirit; so don’t fake it for God or for yourself.

The answer to this question of service can change daily. If a family member or friend needs you, that is your service. If you have work to do that day, that is your service. The trick is to continually monitor your gut feelings or inspiration.

These inspirational gut feelings make the path unfold seemingly effortless for the creation of your life. Therefore, use these feelings, good not bad, as indicators you are on your path. You will no longer be seeking a path, the path for your life will become apparent. You will be acting from Spirit as the Biblical quote implies.

However, suffering and unhappiness enter the equation in our lives when we do not come from a state of sowing or service to others. This is what is meant by the second line of the quote above. If you act from spirit sowing for others, you will reap everything and have life everlasting; the more you give, the more you get. Life everlasting is symbolic of being perpetually in spirit while you are here on this earth. Heaven exists here on earth, if you want it.

On the other hand, if you act only for the flesh, meaning only for yourself, you will reap corruption, unhappiness and suffering. So, you must act for BOTH yourself creating the life you desire seeking enlightenment AND for others in a state of service helping your fellow man in any way you can.

Otherwise, your enlightenment and happiness will remain attached to some eventual heaven outside of yourself; when true happiness and heaven on earth has always been here for you. All you had to do was do what you love and help others. It is this attachment to everything external and not looking within that prevents you from creating your life from spirit while you are here.

The last line says never give up on your service because in due time you shall reap. You must be diligent in your pursuits. You must be dedicated to your cause. This is YOUR life.

This last line may sound difficult to some, you are probably thinking, “Shit, that sounds hard. You mean I have to actually do something and wait to receive maybe for some time?”

Well, the answer to your question is Yes. But, it is not hard. If you find yourself doing what you love and are inspired you don’t feel like you are doing anything. You feel as though time passes effortlessly. We must all find out what that service, that effortless doing is for each of us.

This question of determining what your service is, however, is not something I can answer for you. You must go inward and answer for yourself honestly. You are the only one that knows what you lose yourself in doing. You are the only one who knows you. What do you enjoy? What makes you happy? What do you have fun doing? What do you enjoy that you can find a way to make money doing?

The money is part of the reaping, but it comes from your sowing. So, instead of asking how can I make some money, ask how can I serve and the money flows.

Some people say this is not REALITY, that you must give up your dreams and get real. Real to them is to do whatever you need to support yourself and your family. And most times, this REALITY is about giving up on your dreams. THIS IS FALSE.

Supporting your family and yourself is honorable and essential for your survival (We all have to pay the bills!). But, people must know they can support their family and follow their dreams at the same time. This life is yours to create whether you want to believe it or not. You can either participate and make yourself happy, or sit back and be miserable. I prefer the former rather than the latter.

These insights come from my experience and education, i.e. experiential learning. Let me explain…

I grew up in a Catholic home. I didn’t experience it dogmatically like we have grown accustomed to in the West, but I experienced it by principle.

My grandparents, Granny and Boompa I called them, were particularly religious. However, they did not force their way of life on my family. They allowed my mother and her siblings freedom in that respect.

Although we did not follow it dogmatically, we still grew up with the principles. My grandparents and parents had the 10 Commandments on the wall. We said grace at meals. We celebrated Easter and Christmas. We went to church; more-so when we were visiting my grandparents. But, they didn’t force it upon us. They just encouraged the application of the principles of being a good person and everything else that we can learn from Jesus’ great life.

By not forcing it upon us, it enabled me to grow. It enabled me to question. It enabled me to experience.

After growing up in what I would call a more secular household with religious underpinnings, I went off to college. In the first year, I took a course called Religions of Japan & China. In this course, I studied Daoism, Mohism, Confucianism, Lao Tzu, Buddhism, and many other spiritual paths.

Additionally, over the last several years, I have been continuing my self-education, self-improvement path that has included seeking spiritual enlightenment. For example, I am currently reading great insights from Ancient Indian culture such as Transcendental Meditation, the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, and Autobiography of a Yogi.

From these studies, I noticed that the interesting thing about all of these religions and spiritual traditions is that they all say about the same thing. They are all condensed wisdom from some great spiritual leader.

Jesus Christ was a great man who walked the earth seeking enlightenment.

Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was a great man who sought enlightenment.

Muhammad was a great man who also sought enlightenment.

And, the list goes on. The life principles of these great men resulted in Christianity, Buddhism, and Islamic traditions, respectively. These are three of the major religions of the world.

All of these people were great people and you can be too. How? By following the principles and lessons of all the great people from the past and the now. What are their insights?

That is what New Age is about – seeking your own happiness and enlightenment here on earth now, as these men did. What is your life force here to do? What lessons can you learn from the great men and women of the past and the great religions and spiritual traditions that are part of our human culture?

The original Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, spoke of this. After remaining among humanity to teach the lessons he learned seeking enlightenment, he died in 483 B.C. at the age of 80 and entered into nirvana. While on his deathbed he turned to his disciple, Ananda (much like Jesus had disciples later in history) and spoke his final words:

“Even though my flesh will soon perish, my teachings will live on eternally. Thus, for this reason it is not those who see me in the flesh who truly see me, it is those who know my teachings who really see me. After my death, the teachings I have given you over the years shall be your teacher, and I shall live on through them. Therefore, look not for a refuge in anything besides yourself. Look not for a refuge in anything besides my teaching.” -As quoted from Buddhist Ethics and Modern Society: An International Symposium.

The point is to be a light unto yourself looking inward, seeking your own happiness and enlightenment. All the insights of past spiritual teachers are your key. Again, that is what New Age is all about; seeking wisdom from many religions and spiritual traditions as you find your happiness and enlightenment.

When people get into saying that they, “DON’T BELIEVE IN NEW AGEY SHIT,” what are they really saying?

What they are saying is that they don’t believe in what even their own religion or tradition says to them.

I mentioned the Bible excerpt at the beginning because I thought mentioning it would make those who grew up in the Western, other predominantly Catholic, or any dogmatic religion’s cultures realize that their religious dogma says the same thing as everyone else’s. And, one very important lesson, which I discussed in the first half of this article, is – you reap what you sow.

Now, let’s bring it all together:

If you take the concepts of ‘you reap what you sow’ and the spiritual lessons discussed so far and apply them to your life, they contain keys to happiness.

Everyone is focusing on how they are going to make money, how they are going to get by in life. This is the FAULT.

You must turn this question on its head and say, “How can I serve? How can I provide service? How can I sow so that I shall also reap?”

It is in SOWING, service, and serving where the answers will be found.

When you realize this is the question, the answers come from you pondering what your service should be. This answer comes from pondering what your inspiration in your life is.

Taking the mention of Spirit from the quote further, the root of being inspired is being IN SPIRIT. When you are inspired, or in spirit, you lose track of time. You enjoy every moment of your existence. You find yourself in pure bliss, not just on vacation, but in everyday actions.

And, when you find yourself lost in this state, this is where you should gather insights into your path to service. If you can take what you love doing and provide it as service to others in some way, you will reap the bounty of the seeds you sowed in your life.

This bounty can be anything. If it is money you want, it will come to you. If it is love you want, it will come to you. If it is happiness you want, it will come to you. It is by providing service in that which you seek, in essence you BEING that which you seek, that that which you seek comes to you, i.e. reaping it. As Gandhi, another great spiritual leader, said, “We must BE the change we wish to see in the world.”

The funny thing is that you will be coming from a state of already having or being these things you desire rather than trying to go to them because you are in spirit and radiating light.

So, to everyone that says that this is NEW AGE shit, realize that these concepts are the same thing all the spiritual teachers have said forever.

Now, go out and serve to seek happiness and truly live the life of your dreams and desires.

CARPE FUCKING DIEM! – Seize the Day!