Life Journey: Evolution of Spirituality
After reading and reviewing several literatures regarding self-improvement by visualization, affirmation, self-awareness technique, EFT, etc; I must say that I totally agree with Joe Vitale’s concept that the evolution of spirituality among human beings in general can be summarized into three different stages:
We are as a victim
In this stage, we are the typical ordinary people in the daily life. We feel that we don’t have influence, totally powerless. This stage is often characterized by people complaining, blaming, judging easily, which are still considered acceptable as ‘normal’ behavior in our life. We act almost entirely based on our ego, unconsciously.
Start gaining control
In this stage people start to know about the power of intention. With a powerful visualization of affirmative mindset, they start to attract good thing as expected. True, it is the law of attraction that works behind this as they emit high vibrating energy due to excitement. Recently, more and more people practice “The Secret” to attract better things in their life. Yet, such technique is not necessarily always successful. It really depends on the degree of intense craving and how strong they can visualize
the thing they want to attract. Sometime, a person is not “thirsty” enough to empower the attracting force towards the thing he or she wants. Apparently, this power is still based on human’s ego, only in a more controlled form which is performing intense visualization of what a person wants.
The common characteristic of people is never feeling satisfied with something. Moreover, we all have things we want to posses. However, after one thing has been fulfilled then we start craving for another thing, and so on. Sometimes we push the situation by applying the power of intention to satisfy our craving. Yet, when the thing doesn’t work as we expect, we tend to find a more powerful way to fulfill our own needs.
It would be very lucky enough if people, with time and experience through different life situation, can shift into higher awareness which is the very last stage of spiritual 
evolution. That is to realize that it is not by letting our own craving always be satisfied to get true happiness. We can achieve the true happiness only when we get rid of our own ego and craving. Hence, there will be only peace inside. That is the highest state of happiness. (For more information, read Power versus Force in which Richard Hawkins has scientifically investigated about the lowest to highest level of human energy in relation to the state of mind).
Awakening
In this very last stage of spirituality, people start to realize that their own intention is the limiting factor to access the greatest power of life. People in this stage look inward them selves; enjoy every single present moment of their lives.
They start to feel deep peace inside, the peace that comes from within, not because of outer environment. When this is happening, the power of forgiving, forgiveness, love, gratitude simply emanate from inside towards the universe, affecting people, animals, plants, things, and all beings. This is where the law of paradox begins to happen, i.e. the universe unfolds for you when you surrender, agree to each moment of life, or what is referred as you are inline with God. Hence, you start receiving miracles. And you simply enjoy the miracles you receive with gratefulness as you already know that you are going to receive it.
Regarding my life journey, if I look at back through my life experience, at the first stage of my life I realize that most things I did were not based on my conscious mind, but were ego-based instead, an extremely determined ego-based. I labeled anything good or bad according to my limited own beliefs based on my ego’s importance.
The second stage was started when I encountered one very crucial life problem that made me so desperate. Just by chance, a stranger had a little chat to me and mentioned about “The Secret”. So, I bought the book. After reading it through, I was so excited to try this technique. As recommended from the book: keep practice to sharpen this power, start by visualizing small thing in our daily life. So, I did that excitedly. I remember that on one particular day I was out of town, I had seven small tasks done using the Secret technique. I felt so great! To some extent, I had experienced the power of intention which had been successfully worked for me due to my intense craving. Nevertheless, not every life task can be easily accomplished with it despite I have developed my mood enhancing technique. When I feel down, I hardly can visualize the “happy” thing that I want to attract or achieve. This seems to be the weakness of this method.
Under my confusion and sickness of life, I kept looking for an answer. It was in the bookshop I browsed for a good book about life. 
I simply grabbed The Power of Now. This book really helped me to open my mind and to look at life situation with clearer perspective. Thank Eckhart Tolle. I felt so blessed that I got the answer to my prayer. It provides me guidance to enter the last stage of spiritual life. The book might be kinda “heavy” reading, but the principle is simple and very logical. Till now, I practice to live my world in every single present moment. At least I can start to feel at peace. And I try to keep that state anytime anywhere.
For that reason I feel very grateful, that I’ve experienced each stage progressively. I was wondering why not since a long time ago I’ve found the book. But then I think I should experienced each stage gradually, otherwise I won’t have capacity to understand on what has been explained by Tolle in The Power of Now.
By reading such literature, I have also revised and sorted out many of my ego-based philosophies. Previously, I really admired and implemented Julius Caesar’s famous Veni Vidi Vici as he expanded his empire and conquered his enemies. But now, I feel that such principle seems to be impractical in current life situation and no more appropriate for me to apply.
Thus far, I considered my self very lucky because I was born and raised in a very conservative Chinese ethnic descent family which is strict in applying Taoism and Confucianism principle, combined with typical Chinese norms of living in a transitional period toward a modern millennium life. Moreover, to me, living as minority among indigenous Indonesian people is considered as another blessing since I can learn how to position myself within any community to avoid racism issue and conflict upon social strata. Another lucky thing I have in my life is being associated with Buddhism which initially I learned during my previous 12-year basic formal education. The teaching is very useful and influential in guiding me to understand about what’s happening in this world, a world which is full with chaos and unconsciousness. Finally, I am so grateful because I had opportunity to experience living in a very complex modern big city to a small simple little town and quiet suburban village, in developing and developed country, in western, eastern, and multiracial culture. Living in various dynamic places, interacting with people, and encountering various life problem play a very important role to open my mind, identify my weaknesses, find out my strength, improve my tolerance and adaptability skill during social interaction, enrich my learning, and eventually gain deeper understanding about universal life.
-A New Earth (Eckhart Tolle)
-Power vs Force (David R. Hawkins)
-The Law of Attraction (Michael Losier)
-The Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle)
-The Secret (Rhonda Byrnes)
