The Transmodern Spirituality paradigm presents a contemporary mysticism practice based on reflection, meditation, contemplation, and action. The practice requires that one monitor striving, purpose, and one’s experiences and relationship with divinity. While attending to awareness-agency the mystic is able to develop, assess, and facilitate spiritual emergence according to their own personal theology. This essay expands upon the material presented in Mystic Agency (Part 1) (https://oneperfectom.com/2021/08/09/mystic-agency-part-1/) and Mystic Agency (Part 2) (https://oneperfectom.com/2021/08/09/mystic-agency-part-2/ ). In Awareness-Agency Emergence (Part 2) a worksheet is provided that summarizes and organizes these concepts in a way that enables one to apply them to one’s own spiritual practice. 

Spiritual traditions differ yet all contribute to our understanding of existence, spiritual practice, and truth. For a great many, Western spiritual metaphysics emphasizes agency and identity. For another great many, Eastern spiritual metaphysics emphasizes consciousness and awareness. Additionally, for many of these believers contemporary psychology is woven into their worldview. As a practice emphasizing reflection, meditation, contemplation, and action, contemporary mysticism brings these perspectives together. As such, it can serve as a metamodel and means to understand one’s own and others’ theologies. And because it draws from the greater truths inherent in all traditions it can offer a simple yet concise approach to facilitating one’s spiritual emergence regardless of one’s chosen tradition.

Through spiritual practice, awareness undergoes a transformative process from individual to transpersonal. And as awareness changes so does agency. And of course, this occurs in a circular and holonomic fashion. As one attends to changes in one’s agency, one’s awareness is further transformed as part of a mutually reinforcing pattern with agency. Accordingly, the mystic pays attention to both awareness and agency. And while working with awareness-agency in a way that respects all traditions, the contemporary mystic chooses to observe changes that occur in striving, purpose, and relationship with divinity. One monitors who it is that is striving, remembers that purpose leads to its own demise, and that relationship with God Spirit Source seeks a nondual existence. 

On the face of it, there seems to be disagreement about whether one is to strive or not strive toward goals in spiritual practice. Not to be taken in by the illusory debate the mystic monitors the qualities of both; the manner in which experience fluctuates, and also continuously asks, “who is doing what?”. And does so not just in the moment, but over protracted periods of time. Is one striving in the willful, intentional manner of the human mind, or striving from a transpersonal-unitive perspective? The latter conceived as following Spirit’s way; the former as individual ego goal-driven. One continuously shifts between the two until eventually one’s effort becomes more purified, greater divinity determining the way one acts. Then it is a transpersonal striving driven by, and serving the oneness mind. In purpose, all events move forward through it, with its unitive will in charge. One is in unity with existence and one’s agency is wedded with the forces of reality and always defers to them. One is completely led by Spirit along the sanctified Way with spiritual striving becoming an act of natural surrender and sacrifice. Led by this higher awareness one detaches from the past, whether distant or recent, and cares only that one acts righteously in the way Spirit is calling upon and guiding one to do. Unity has resulted in replacing the individual self’s “reasoning the Way” with the transpersonal self’s “following the Way”. 

At first one’s spiritual practice has a clear purpose; one’s existential awareness has concluded spirituality brings meaning and purpose to one’s life. One’s values are in alignment with this, and one’s actions are encouraged by one’s theology. Goals are many, attempts to succeed prevail, and some change in awareness is eventually discerned. This encourages the mystic to hold fast to one’s beliefs and routines. And this continues until the day when sufficient surrender and sacrifice result in a change in agency. There is the realization that the independent purpose one has determined for oneself is to be relinquished; that you are to adopt the purpose given you by Spirit. Now, all your efforts and discipline are to be directed to living the purpose of divinity. This is evidence that your original existential purpose has accomplished its goal. And now it is of absolutely no value, except to be disposed of. In its demise has come the purpose of God Source Spirit. In one’s best moments reality is no longer lived in the same manner. Each of these moments is fresh, and with unwavering uplifting feelings of peace and love. Compassionate righteous action increases. Spirit knows the purpose and the mystic carries it out, not always knowing why but feeling blessed to be able do so. And a greater wisdom flows through existence and into the world.

While monitoring the way in which striving and purpose change in contemporary mystic practice, one considers the four categories of relationship one can experience with God Spirit Source; each one always considered in relation to the others in a holonomic manner. The first is reasoning one’s relationship with God Spirit Source. Thinking, analyzing, and concluding theologically, and then acting accordingly with the Divine in mind. This can include supernatural experience for those so inclined. Second, one can know God Spirit Source through unity consciousness giving rise to unitive awareness. That profound sense of oneness in which you recognize the marriage that you are living with all others, and with all existence. An indescribable, indestructible, powerful, and eternal choreography of living Divinity’s purpose. Third, one experiences “Being”, the defining aspect of non-dual awareness. This is not union with God Spirit Source, this is being God Spirit Source. The remnant of individual control that had remained operative in unitive awareness is gone, one is completely divine awareness, naturally moved by it, and radiating its beauty and power. The fourth category of relationship is knowing God Spirit Source through annihilation. This is the direct realization of the Source, a realization of the true Self. The experience in which we only exist as mind that is unmanifested, formless, and defies definition. Even though only the immediate aftermath of the experience is able to be remembered, and is done so in a multitude of ways, awakening to it fosters spiritual emergence across all dimensions. Many believe that the more you experience this annihilation the more it moves you from “reasoning the Way”, to “following the Way”, to ultimately “Being the Way”.

Transmodern Spirituality chooses divinity as the term that bests characterizes God Spirit Source. Divinity references the conceptual range from quantum reality and phenomena to consciousness and awareness. In doing so it allows for the reification and personification of existence, and the relinquishing of both. It thereby recognizes the ultimate in omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence, ranging from material world to mysterious Source. In living one’s relationship with divinity the contemporary mystic actively uses spiritual technologies from all traditions. In practice, spiritual emergence is facilitated by raising awareness from personal to transpersonal, mysterious, or superlative; and by relinquishing individual agency to divine agency. This transformation is monitored by attending to striving, purpose, and relationship with God Spirit Source. And, it is accomplished through the actions one takes to strengthen the loving and wise spiritual mind.