When I was a campus pastor I inherited a ring packed with keys, like relics from earlier times and places. After some weeks in my new place, there was a closet that I had never opened.
I lugged the key ring to the door and one by one I tried the keys. Some fit the lock but didn’t open the door. Some were not even close. In the end, none of them worked. I was left scratching my head. How frustrating it is to be locked out!
Our well-being can often feel like it’s locked behind a door and we don’t have the key. We try many keys in the form of classes, books, spiritual practices, conversations with that rare person who gets it. And for a time the door opens, but not for long.
I’d love to tell you I have the key that will open your door to contentment and a deep spiritual life. I don’t. And even if I did find the key that works for me, it wouldn’t work quite the same for you.
I love creating mental maps (I’m a Virgo!), and I think of each of them as a doorway to greater well-being. One of my first maps is what I call the VEASA model. It charts a course to greater spiritual awareness and the well-being that comes with it. Each letter in VEASA stands for a word that is an essential stage on the journey. Each stage grants us entrance into a new terrain, of sorts. A new level of awareness:
This journey starts with getting in touch with how we view ourselves as a Victim, and how we get small or settle for less.
This awareness throws us into the morass of our Emotions, the second stage. If we stay with rather than run from emotions, we deepen.
As we get honest about and embrace our emotions, we become more Authentic. It’s as we’ve invited forward more of our wholeness and self-worth.
From this authenticity stage, we come to the border of our Spirituality. Healthy spirituality always involves something of a trusting leap into a relationship with a higher, loving power.
And as we nurture and develop our spiritual awareness, we move toward the Actualization of our highest human/spiritual potentials. We receive guidance for living that greatly enhances our sense of well-being.
In my work with spiritual seekers, I help people explore how awareness of each of these dimensions is itself a doorway to a bigger and richer life. These five gateways lead us into truer versions of ourselves. What we find as we pass through these five doors is a journey unique to each of us. And it is the journey that brings us to the most enriching of homecomings.
Not long after my frustrating key episode, our part-time custodian stopped by. I asked him about the door, and he had the key. The mystery was about to be solved! And I did find a treasure, of sorts. The closet was filled with supplies for artwork, parties and retreats. There were candles, and even some toys for children. Creativity central!
Behind the door that is our spirituality, there are Infinite Possibilities for what we can find and create for our lives. That infinite potential - that fifth stage of Actualization - is where we all hope to go. I always invite people to spend some time peering into that door, taking note of what you find there. And then to start living in that direction. What’s behind your spiritual door?