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Four Stages of Spiritual Evolution PL 127

Automatic Reflex 

Awareness

Understanding

Knowing

PL 127 suggests that process work usually follows a pattern as we become conscious of the spiritual meaning within daily life. Download full text here.

Stage 1: Automatic Reflex 

Automatic Reflex describes living in a lack of awareness. 

Where we are in alignment with spiritual truth, we may not feel called to become more aware.  Where we are out of alignment with spiritual truth, a sense of discomfort, defensiveness, or negativity must result. 

Stage 2: Awareness

Awareness is an ongoing, intuitive process of awakening to truth.  Gradually or abruptly, we begin to feel a discrepancy between what we believe (or desire) and what we experience. We may try to avoid or deny uncomfortable feelings and resist change. We may accept that 'something is wrong' yet focus upon faults in others. We may cling to facts or arguments that bolster good feelings and discredits discomfort. Yet awareness is a beginning rather than an ending. A week, a year, or a decade passes. As in the story of the Princess and the Pea, we will continue to 'toss and turn' based upon vague feelings of discomfort if there are distortions within ourselves or our belief system.

Stage 3: Understanding 

Understanding results from taking action to support our inner calling.  Occasionally the process is simple, like finding the 'pea' under the mattresses and removing it. A moment of epiphany may allow us to feel the divine truth of oneness. We will seek kinship with others, a safe place to explore, a deeper sense of truth. Yet if we are still thinking dualistically, we may decide that one way -- our way -- is 'right' and try to enlist others to prove we have found an answer, a solution. More serious distortions hide under layers of denial and active defensive systems.  Understanding, like awareness, is a step by step process.

Stage 4: Knowing

We are able to accept what 'is'.  We work with truth as we know it, accept who we are while continuing to gain awareness and develop understanding. Knowing is a paradox: a relaxed state enabled by an ongoing commitment to awareness (real-life, real-time, working with both internal and external feedback) and ever-deepening understanding.

At any given moment, we will be in different stages of this spiritual evolutionary process on different issues. The intention of Pathwork Steps is to support the sharing of individual process around awareness and understanding. 

All Pathwork lectures may be downloaded free at www.pathwork.org