I enjoy answering questions on Quora. Some of my responses have been compiled into a book. All can be read at https://www.quora.com/profile/Tom-Butler-79. This answer offers a brief overview of how I think conscious seeking might work. As always, I appreciate your comments and suggestions. Consider commenting here, using the “Contact” link at the bottom of every page or registering for the Idea Exchange to discuss these ideas in more detail.
Question
How do I become spiritually in tune?
Answer
From my experience, being “spiritually in tune” means to have greater discerning intellect. People are not spiritually in tune so much as they are becoming in tune. It is a process.
Consider the Temperament Mediated Perception Diagram. I have attempted to identify the basic influences we must manage to gain discerning intellect. The primary influence appears to be human instinct. As a general statement, our instinct to assure continuation and dominance of our gene pool has a strong influence on virtually all of our thoughts and choices.
The only way I know to become “spiritually in tune” is to first realize that we have two important aspects. On the one hand, we are a human that has evolved on this planet to become the top predator. On the other, we are a spiritual being as a citizen of humankind.
We need to honor our human needs, but we also need to remember that our human is not a team player so much as it is a pack or clan player. Your objective in seeking to be spiritually in tune is also to become a conscious part of the large community.
Then consider the difference between altruism and selfishness. A person who does things that will help the family is responding to the human instinct to assure dominance of the gene pool. A person may even be unconsciously motivated to do community service if it will improve the stature of the family. In another example, it has been my experience that the people who come to your door to evangelize do so to further their own stature in their church and in the eyes of God.
A much rarer behavior is altruism. An indicator of a person who is becoming spiritually in tune is actions for the sake of the community more than for the sake of the person. An ongoing study that might help us understand the reality that we are a community of spiritual beings is The Global Consciousness Project.
It consists of a global array of Random Event Generators (REG) which report back to a central computer. It is known that an REG will change in randomness when associated with a deeply meditative person or group. The global array registers a marked change just before major events such as the 9–11 attack on the World Trade Center.
It is arguable that humankind expresses a sort of collective dread just before and in response to major events. This seems provide an explanation for why, when our spiritual awareness is awakened, we have the urge to seek discerning intellect and a more humanistic approach to living. We at least sense that we are a collective.
Seeking to be spiritually in tune is not a one size fits all issue. Different people tend to have different ways of relating to the world. The model I find most useful is the four temperaments:
Analytical: Thinking, thorough, disciplined
Amiable: Supportive, patient, diplomatic
Driver: Independent, decisive, determined
Expressive: Good communicator, enthusiastic, imaginative
These temperaments are further divided so that one might be an Analytical-Driver or an Amiable-Expressive. Models like this help to predict how a person will react to a situation. From How We Think | Etheric Studies
Being spiritually in tune is a state of mind in which you are aware of your relationship with the world around you. But as you can see in the Four Temperaments Model, a Driver is going to have a different way of learning than an Amiable.
You can see in the Temperament Mediated Perception Diagram that I have substituted Leader for Driver and Conformist for Amiable. In my assessment, those are human instinct-focused temperaments.
I have also substituted Wayshower for Expressive and Seeker for Analytical. Those seem to be more community-oriented temperaments.
Temperaments are not cast in stone. The spiritually in tune person works to find a balance or center from which he or she can turn toward the four temperaments as circumstances require. This is an intended behavior rather than being under the unconscious influence of instincts.
The steps I think are involved for seeking to be in tune begin with the realization that there is a difference between in tune and not in tune.
Next is to recognize that what we become consciously aware of is first modified by our memory, cultural training and instincts. That means we benefit from consciously deciding to see reality as it is rather than as we have been taught.
Habitually examining your thoughts to understand if they are consistent with the actual nature of reality teaches your unconscious mental processes to help you become more discerning.
An important tool for this is suspended judgement. Once your unconscious mind makes a decision, it resists changing. By deliberately resisting making a true-false, yes-no decision about things, you also teach your mind to wait for more information.
You will know when you are becoming more spiritually in tune when you notice that you are more lucidly aware of the underlying dynamics of your daily life. Always seek to be more discerning and humane. But remember, it is a life-long process and you still need to have human experiences from which to gain understanding.
