If the road to enlightenment were not littered with land mines and other obstacles, it probably would have become a superhighway by now. The gradual (or even sudden) awakening into the more spiritual dimensions is not an easy process, as the busy-ness of modern life makes it very easy to avoid exploring the deeper layers of the Iceberg Model.

Many other factors have cut us off from our most intuitive roots, from our connection to the Spirit. We have never established as firm a bond with our mothers and fathers as have most tribal peoples. We have suffered the normative abuse of children by modern child-rearing practices: high-tech births, cribs, circumcision, artificial baby milk, being isolated in strollers rather than being carried in arms or a sling, and being left to cry alone in a separate room. No wonder we often feel alienated, with no place in our hearts to call home. Few of us even know what we are missing unless we have studied the behavior of people who are deeply connected, and there are fewer and fewer of them to study as the seductive glitter of Westernization spreads like a cancer around the globe.

Awakening to God is often conceived of as a victory because of the illusion that there is something to attain, that there is a battle to be won. Actually, enlightenment is a defeat because all one does is become ordinary. —Lee Lozowick

Given the difficulty of this path of spiritual exploration, confusion and paradox can be anticipated at every turn. We must learn how to strive for ideals yet not be too hard on ourselves when we fall into the gap that lies between them and our present reality. Learning to function while in this gap is perhaps the most important skill we can learn, along with how to give generous amounts of love to others and ourselves.

We advocate the approach summed up in the statement that simple is best." If the ideas in this section have seemed remote to you, please don't feel left out. Our orientation reveals years of spiritual searching, for better or worse. Transcending need not be cosmic or spiritual at all. In fact, ageless wisdom supports that we are truly in harmony only when we are experiencing the simple and ordinary of life as the simple and ordinary of life.

Transcending is about moving from complexity to greater and greater simplicity. Therefore, each time you make even a tiny step in eliminating excess baggage from your environment, from your diet, or from your mind, you are moving toward greater wellness. Each time you pose a new question, open a new door, willingly challenge any limit you have placed upon yourself, you are, in a sense, transcending.

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