Phillip reminds me that we do not move into enlightenment and stay put. We move in and out, away from and back into. Step-by-step, moment-by-moment, day-to-day, we make the commitment to our spiritual practices and to choosing to live our lives from the place of the heart where grace, love, and harmony abide. This is the greatest work of our lives.
Do we not think the great sages needed practice? Do we not think the Dali Lama spends time every day in communion with the Divine? Did not Jesus spend 40 days in the wilderness? Did not the Buddha spend so much time beneath the Bodhi tree that the people who lived nearby thought he was a tree spirit?
Phillip says— When you walk out of grace, be not dismayed. It is merely the opportunity to find your way back home. Of this you are aided by invisible spirits who guide your walk. You hear the voice of guidance only when you are quiet enough to listen. Return to your spiritual practice. In the silence you will find your way, knowing that others have gone before you to create a path you can then follow. The tall reeds have been laid aside by the trampling of those who have traveled this path before you. It is to them you owe gratitude. If it is up to you to be the first across a great raging river, know there are those in other worlds who guide you. Choose love and they are able to reach you. Even in fear, they reach out to you. It is up to you to reach back.