METHODS OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

by Lawrence Wilson, MD

Ó June 2010, The Center For Development

Definition. Spiritual development, as described below, and in other articles on this website, is quite specific and precise. It refers to the process of opening the seven major and the minor chakras of the physical human body. This means that the chakras begin to spin correctly and they grow in size and shape until they are bright and shining.

Development on this website also means the balanced, safe and even development of the subtle human bodies. These are mainly the etheric body, but may include the upper subtle bodies as well. These have names in various books such as the mental body, the total body, the spirit body, and others. They are well-known among certain Oriental teachers, but not well known among Westerners. They are, however, the truth of who we are as we develop ourselves. How to do this developmental work safely is the subject of this article.

The development process. This process usually occupies the entire lifetime of most people on earth today. Nutritional balancing, however, can substantially speed up this process.

Today the world is unique because it is relatively easy to enhance mental and spiritual development of this type. In the past, it was much harder and one almost had to live in a monastery and practice severe disciplines to achieve even a fraction of what can be done today, even living in a modern Western society. In fact, living in a monastery today probably slows development due to the deprivations, such as cold, hunger, thirst and other adverse conditions. Today these adversities are harmful for most people, in part because their bodies are not as strong and in part because they are not needed as much for other reasons.

Today, there appears to be no need for such strict discipline and deprivation. Instead, today the greatest needs appear to be better nutrition, more rest and sleep, (which was done in the monasteries when possible), more of the right kind of water, detoxification of the body from harmful toxins of many kinds, and certain balancing methods that we recommend on this website.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE MOST COMMON METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT ON PLANET EARTH

Many, many methods have been used to develop the subtle human bodies and the chakras throughout history. They range from the most mundane to the most bizarre and often dangerous. They attract different types of people for this reason. Today, we are concerned with safety and balance, mainly, as they other methods are not needed and not as safe or sure. Modern technology is also helping in some ways, though the pollution and fears of world catastrophe get in the way, in some cases.

Stress and development. Almost any type of stress, if applied to the body correctly, will have some effect upon development of this type. This is a critically important principle. For example, the very act of undressing, getting heated up and sitting for half an hour in a sauna actually stresses the body and mind in a way that can help development. For this reason, laziness is one of the biggest enemies of development. In other words, at times the very act of doing a procedure or practice is helpful, even if the practice itself is not the best.

Here are common developmental methods. I have placed nutritional balancing science last because it actually incorporates the best and simplest aspects of many of the methods listed earlier.

· Prayer. This is an old-fashioned, time-tested method. It is inexpensive, simple to do at home, safe in most cases, and it stresses a person in certain ways that are helpful.

· Fasting. This is also an ancient method used in most religions today. It is also easy, safe if done just for a day or two, and not safe at all today, in my view, if it is continued for more than a day or two. It used to be a fairly reliable and safe method for a week or more, up until about 100 years ago. Then the bodies became less well nourished, especially in the United States of America. Fasting is still used in some places, but only when the people are suitably prepared for years with special diets and other things. Please avoid all fasts of longer than a few days, at the most. This applies as well to juice fasts, water fasts and others.

· Yoga methods. This includes various physical postures, breathing exercises, meditations, chants, mantras, mudras or hand positions and more. This is another traditional method on earth that was used for thousands of years in the Orient primarily. I do not recommend it today for many reasons.
The first is danger to the bodies, which are not nearly as flexible or healthy as bodies in the past. For this reason, most people hurt themselves with hatha yoga. Secondly, it is next to impossible to find a really good teacher. Schools are turning out yoga teachers by the thousands who have little real understanding of the traditional methods, which are hardly taught at all. Going to India is no guarantee that one is learning the real science, which is just too complex for most people.
Third, yoga appears to be much less effective today. Perhaps this is because nutritional balancing must be the focus today, not postures or breathing, although oxygenating the body is helpful. Fourth, many yoga books and teachers suggest vegetarian diets that are today, in America, particularly, quite harmful. Please refrain from all yoga unless the teacher walks around the class continuously to check each posture or asana for correctness. Also, if you wish to do yoga, try to find a very qualified teacher, of which there are very few.

· Relationships with others more advanced. This is another ancient method. It is excellent, safe and balanced if one can find the right mentor or teacher. College, for example, and even high school helps some young people develop somewhat if they are guided carefully by a skilled teacher or professor. Later in life, mentors are very helpful for most people, especially those who did not have good parenting.
The problem with this method is finding the right guide, guru, mentor or teacher. For this reason, one must be very careful and discerning. Otherwise one wastes years in fruitless pursuits or worse, is taken off track by well-meaning or even malicious imposters who often put on a good show. Be especially careful if anyone insists that sex should be part of the teacher-student relationship. This is commonly used by imposters to control young women, especially, and even to control some young men.
Interpersonal relationships such as marriage partnerships can help with development, but only if real love is present. Real love is not catering to another, nor is it necessarily sexual or ego-building in any way. It is simple caring and patience with another. This should be the focus of all interpersonal relationships, but since this is not taught much, it is not practiced nearly enough. I am reminded of a statement by one of my mentors, Mr. Roy Masters of the Foundation of Human Understanding. He is fond of saying that real love is patience.
Relationships as a path of development is an enormous subject. The guru-chela or teacher-student relationship is a very complex and interesting one. In times past, it was the most common path, along with some of the others above. The guru-chela concept is one that involves mentoring, fathering, mothering, teaching, friendship, modeling, scolding, disciplining, tricking at times, and psychological aspects such as identification, projection, and other psychological aspects of relationship all rolled into one.
It is not used today in modern society because the modern Western societies would not tolerate or support some of the tactics that are really needed, at times.. Also, most people are raised today thinking they know everything and need to be on their own at a young age, not mentoring and studying with older, wiser teachers. This is extremely unfortunate.
This method is used at the later stages of development with one’s personal guides. This is really the only method that works longer term. There is simply no way to have a one-size-fits-all method of development, especially as one advances. Each student has particular blocks and issues that need to be worked on, so the only answer is to assign a guide or teacher or mentor to each person and allow them to work together to further the student’s progress.
In fact, the mentoring process in this manner is the only method that works, longer term. All the others are fine for beginners, as the beginning of the path of development is quite simple, really, and involves basic training of the mind, the emotions and the body to some degree. Later, and throughout the evolution of a human being to its highest level, the mentoring approach is the only one that works, as it is the most individualized and most complete method available.

· Mystery schools and secret societies. This is an older, secret method that is still used today in certain societies, though not in the West where modern communication and modern information spreading methods make it difficult. However, it is a more advanced method that works well. It is a cross between mentoring, as discussed above, and a one-size-fits-all system such as beginning yoga, tai chi and many others.
A secret society is basically a group of men, usually, that meet regularly and perform rituals and share knowledge that is kept from others for fear they will misuse it. Today, however, little is kept secret except in some Asian nations where martial arts are still taught this way, for example.
Nutritional balancing actually incorporates some knowledge that is not widely taught, but was taught previously in some secret societies. This knowledge includes what to eat, when to sleep, how to handle stress and more. Even the Freemasons and the Knights Templar, the two best known secret societies in America and Europe, used some of these teachings. This is mainly information about how to care for the body and meditation.

· Open water. This is an exceedingly simple method, but it works wonderfully today. For more on this, read the article on this website entitled Open Water, What It Is. This method is only safe when used as directed in this article. It appears to be somewhat harmful for others, or it may just not work well.

· Homeopathy and energetic medicine techniques. This is more advanced and not recommended at this time, as it is usually not done well at all. It is complex and cumbersome unless on is very skilled, which is rare.

· Light and color. This is an old-fashioned method. It works well, but in a limited way. Too much sun is not good. Sun early in the morning or late in the afternoon are best. There was a time on earth when the sun was more healthful than it is today, and it is not because of holes in the ozone layer. Artificial light and color can also be used, but appear to be limited in their effects. Lasers offer more hope, but I am not familiar with anyone using them specifically for development that has a deep understanding and has developed a successful system using them.

· Meditation/retreating from the world. This is the method used by Jesus or Nazareth and many other biblical figures. It is very good, but dangerous for most people. Most are too unbalanced to do it alone, and for women, especially, and some men, too, it is just not safe enough to disappear and sit for hours all alone.
It can be done in monasteries and this was the traditional Christian, Jewish, Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist and other ways it was done. This continues today and is effective. It is also used by all major religions in their Sunday services, for example.
The proper meditation is not so easy to do, in my view. This is discussed in another article on this website, entitled Meditation. Also, today meditation alone does not work nearly as well as in past centuries, simply because most everyone is so nutritionally depleted and toxic that it interferes with concentration, focus and so on. Also, the very strict discipline of some meditative groups, such as zen, while good in most ways, is not as conducive to Western people and not needed, in our experience.

· Organized religions. This is the most common path to development in the present-day world. One is given a set of rules to follow, books to read, places to be, rituals or services to perform often, and perhaps other tasks. The idea is that if one follows the rules exactly, the result will be achieved.
Sadly, modern religions are not working as well as they did formerly. This may be one reason their membership is decreasing, along with assault by the media. However, once again, my view is the religions are less effective today largely because they do not focus enough on health and healing on the physical level. Praying constantly is not the same as eating properly and sleeping enough, which are so needed today.
Another problem with religions is one must sort of go at the pace of the group, which slows some people down. However, religions are social societies that people like, and they form a matrix or context for human growth, life, interaction, marriage, sex, child-raising and other essential activities that works well for most people. Religions are also sanctioned by the state in most cases, and this is a great financial advantage. Today, America leads in religious activity, though this may be changing.

· Cults. Cults sound like religions, often. However, they differ from religions in that brain-washing, and perhaps abuse are part of the mix of instructions. While I certainly do not recommend joining cult-like groups, they can help people to a degree to develop themselves.

· Divine or other intervention. This means that one is hit by a flash of light, passes through a serious illness or accident with a near-death experience, has a UFO contact, perhaps, or sees an angel or Jesus in a vision. One’s life is changed and new directions are given and followed.
This can be an excellent method to speed up development of a human being, in fact, and one used throughout history and described numerous times in the bible. However, one must be careful and ask for plenty of confirmation, and one must always use one’s reason and intellect to judge the guides or teachers.

· Born an advanced soul. This is not really a method of development, but it is a way to speed up the process of development on earth. Figures such as Jesus and Moses, for example, may have been selected and trained before their lives on earth so that they would develop faster. In fact, this method is increasing, especially in America and Europe. More and more children are “indigos”, “star children” and others. These are rather advanced souls whose veils are thin. This means that they know a lot and they remember a lot after they are born on earth, which was formerly not the case. These children are often “special” in various ways. Even if they are ADD, ADHD, autistic or other, they are often gifted and they often develop spiritually on their own. Their handicaps such as ADD or autism actually move them forward even faster, for which reason they choose such handicaps. This is a rather mysterious method because it cannot be understood logically, but it is the case in some people.

· All healing methods to some degree. Healing often involves some spiritual work, especially if it involves counseling, nutrition, lifestyle changes, bodywork, etc. Even dealing with medical doctors often helps a person to move forward in their lives, as the brush with death or disability helps many people to stop wasting so much time on trivialities and pay more attention to nutrition, lifestyle and other aspects needed for development today.

· Sound therapy and chanting. This is another ancient method that works well, but less so today. Today the nutrition is so poor that it cannot be overcome easily with chants. Also, groups are needed to chant properly, often, and most people do not live together in monasteries, for example. However, electronics can allow one to chant at home in privacy. Again, without a focus on health and healing, I have not seen this method be too effective as yet. It will be incorporated into nutritional balancing in the future.

· Work and family life. This is another old fashioned method that is helpful today, but less so. It means to be a good provider, a good worker, a good parent, and a good marriage or sexual partner. This is an ancient path of the householder, it is called, as opposed to the path of the monastic and ascetic life.
This is a path chosen by the vast majority of Westerners. It works well to some degree, but less so today because stress is intense on families, due to financial issues, social decay, improper values, and so on. Thus it is not nearly as powerful or effective as it was in earlier times of the American and European nations. It is still quite good in some Asian nations where true family loyalty is practiced and respected. It does not work well in nations with easy divorce laws and a very mobile population that does not keep families working together well.

· Hardship, such as illness, disability, dementia, delayed development syndromes, extreme poverty, sexual abuse, a violent childhood, emotional abuse, political oppression, imprisonment, torture, sexual degradation, or other. This is another ancient method, though often it occurred by accident, as no one would consciously choose such a path. Many gurus and teachers, and sometimes clerical people, however, would use this method on their students to some degree as well, in the past. Now it would be illegal if discovered.
As one can imagine, this is a very dangerous method, but one that works well if the person survives and is not permanently scarred to such a degree that he or she cannot function. So it is still used karmically for development and always will be a fast path to letting go of the ego and developing the finer self.

· Individualism. This one is interesting. It is the path of America, or at least it was. Today individualism is not encouraged in schools as much, though it is a valuable spiritual path – more so that one might imagine. It is the path of living your own life selfishly, but without harming others. It is a wonderful method, in fact, because it develops the mind and the emotions to a high degree in order to be successful at it.
It might be called the path of the entrepreneur. It involves developing the intellect, cunning, judgment, and rational thinking. These abilities are still extremely helpful to stay on any path and to evaluate and judge others, guidance, books, etc. that one comes across with any path. So in this sense it is still necessary and helpful. It is also the path of free markets, capitalism, wealth, prestige, fame and fortune.

· Vegetarianism, raw foods and other dietary paths. Dietary restrictions and regimens have been used for millennia to help people develop. They work because they demand discipline, they eliminate toxic foods and gluttony, if done right, and they can help purify the body and mind.
Some dietary restrictions are excellent, such as eliminating all sugars, wheat and all food chemicals and additives as much as possible. Other dietary restrictions, however, seem to slow development today. These include raw food diets, because they result in lower mineral levels in the body. Most people cannot absorb nearly as many minerals from raw foods, even if they drink juices and use a digestive enzyme, in my experience. Other harmful dietary restrictions are fasting, vegetarianism, odd diets with no fat or oil, or all carbohydrate diets, which are very dangerous. Others I do not recommend are diets made of protein smoothies, regimens that involve many nutritional supplements, and perhaps other unusual diets.

· Nutritional balancing science. This is the method for beginners that is the focus of this website. It is quite safe, it works reliably if one follows the simple instructions, and it is not harmful in our experience, which cannot be said of most of the other methods. For this reason, it can be taught widely at this time without danger to anyone, neither the teachers nor the students, whom we call clients.
It includes many of the better methods mentioned elsewhere in this list such as a diet, a lifestyle, deep breathing, sunshine and color, posture, reading and study, proper supplements, meditation of a special kind, sauna therapy, coffee enemas and perhaps other methods such as open water, chanting when indicated and others.
Nutritional balancing is not strictly a science. It is really a collection of techniques that seem to work well together to produce a certain result. Hair analysis interpretation is a science and an art, but nutritional balancing, as presented on this website, is really more than this. It is a method of spiritual development first, though it is based on Western and some ancient Eastern scientific principles and logic. Some of it, however, is not logical. It is just empirical, meaning it is effective and we have found it very safe, which is our primary concern. As with any living method, it is evolving and this website will keep anyone up to date with changes.

· New age techniques. This is a catch-all phrase to include many affirmations, some prayers, some energy medicine techniques such as using pendulums and kinesiology, and at times it includes a better diet, particular reading matter, movies or CDs. I would call this a futuristic method. It is somewhat like a religion, but much less structured. It is “spiritual” in its focus, but the term is used very loosely. For example, it might include loving animals more than people, loving the earth more than one loves people, and so on. This is all very questionable as to whether it really is spiritual or just silliness. This method of development does not work well, in my experience. It is too unstructured, for the most part, and not often well thought out.

· Drugs, either recreational or experimental. The use of drugs to open the mind is as ancient as humanity. Alcohol is the most common of these, followed by marijuana due to its low cost. Finally, some people use hallucinogenic mushrooms in some places, or even synthetics like LSD, ecstasy or others. This method has been known to help people develop, and is used by some South American shamans, for example. However, for Westerners without a lot of training, this method is extremely dangerous and should be strictly avoided. If one is to use a mind-altering substance at all, it should only be done under strict supervision of someone who really understands the drug and its effects on the mind. There are very few teachers who have such experience, so this method of development is fraught with problems. The substances are also toxic, even in small doses, and this may retard longer-term efforts toward spiritual development as well.

BALANCED DEVELOPMENT

The goal of balanced development is a steady, even development of the subtle human bodies. This is not easy, in fact, as most people’s lives are quite unbalanced. This means that most people develop to a degree in one or another area, but not in others. The goal, therefore, is a system that develops a person in a more balanced way. Balance must take into account the following, at the very least:

1. Physical activity. Too much or too little are not generally helpful. Today, walking is one of the best exercise regimens. Running is too stressful for most people. Exercises such as yoga, tai chi and various others are possible, but often people get hurt because they are not able to control the amount and intensity of the exercise well enough.

2. Mental activity. This needs more emphasis in most people. This means that most people have only limited mental development. This requires writing, among the best exercises. Writing forces the mind to concentrate easily, while delaying distractions. Writing can also be done for money, which is helpful for some people. It can also be a very satisfying way of using the mind. Any activity of the mind will do, but writing is one of the best. Women often have more difficulty concentrating, as this is not one of women’s main activities. They are more open to multi-tasking, as it is called, and this is not the same as focused mental activity. So men have an easier time with mental focus in most cases, though not all.

3. Emotional development. This is much harder for women. Emotional development means taking control of the emotional nature of all human beings. It is made more difficult by the fact of copper toxicity, widespread zinc deficiency in almost everyone, and many other biochemical imbalances that further upset the emotions in almost everyone. In addition, in women the menstrual cycle is upsetting emotionally, as is the feeling of fear that many women experience due to financial lack, not being treated well, in some cases, and worry over children, husbands and others. These are all just reasons why women fare worse in this area and it slows many of them down.

4. Spiritual focus. This means letting go of earthly and material needs, concerns and worries and focusing truly on spirit, ethereal or timeless qualities and what may be called the invisible or spirit world. This is absolutely essential for spiritual development, as it has to do with the seventh chakra or energy center. Men, once again, have an easier time here in some cases, as they are often better off financially, though this is changing somewhat. Women who are in stable relationships, however, should be able to do just as well. Some are superficial, however, and cannot give up their material wants and needs, and this will slow down both men and women.

5. Spiritual direction. This is also essential for mental or spiritual development. It has more to do with the sixth chakra. This means that one’s power and energy are focused on spiritual matters. This is different from #4 in the paragraph above because it is not about your wants and needs. It is more about one’s interests. Interests are more about hobbies, reading, entertainment, social life, and what may be called distractions or recreation. When these are oriented toward spiritual matters, even going to church, this is helpful. When these are more oriented toward the physical world – travel, sports, family, friends, parties, music, celebrations, etc. this gets in the way, often severely, mainly by using up energy that should be spent learning and studying and feeling more about the more spiritual world. This is also often more of a problem for women than for men. Men often need fewer friends and less social life, for example. They do not mind the solitude and reflection that is required when learning about spiritual things and experiencing them as well. Women may crave the solitude, but in practice they usually don’t like too much. They may become fearful, depressed or just more lonely, although certain men can experience the same thing.

6. Spiritual upliftment. This is another area that is similar to, but not the same as #4 or #5 above. Spiritual upliftment means that one gains one’s inspiration from spiritual texts, teachers or other material related to spiritual, rather than material existence. Spiritual in this context can be religious, but need not be. It can even be nature, for example, but not just reading a book about spirituality. It must be actual spiritual texts or situations that are somewhat abstract, in a way. Otherwise they usually appeal to the ego self, in a subtle way, which is not helpful.

For example, a beautiful temple might be a spiritual upliftment, but a small, humble temple is even better because it does not appeal to the ego self. A wonderful story might work, but not if it just carries one off in one’s imagination. A book that teaches a difficult lesson would be best, in fact, such as the story of Job in the bible. This is because it does not appeal to the lower self very much.

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