The spiritual journey has something paradoxical about it: it is unique to each person and yet universal. Although each person may have their own path to follow, the different stages that make it up are common to all and have been known for centuries. The words used to define it may vary from one culture to another, from one era to another, but overall they remain the same.
This pilgrimage takes the form of seven stages. It is a complete cycle of accomplishment.
Stage 1: Purification. This journey begins poorly because the first stage is difficult, requiring us to relinquish certain identifications and get rid of what prevents us from elevating ourselves. It is often long and painful. This stage is often called the journey through the shadows. For we must go through the tunnel to find the light, to lighten up in order to move forward. This first stage can discourage aspiring spiritualists because it begins with a difficult period that can last for years.
Stage 2: The Beginning. This is the beginning of spiritual life, the first steps on a new path.
Stage 3: Self-knowledge. After inner cleansing and the initial shift in consciousness toward greater spiritualization, comes the time of knowledge. It is the end of the lies cleansed during the first stage, and the beginning of truth. The mysteries of being begin to be revealed to the pilgrim. They perceive the secrets of nature and their own being, and perceive the divine in all the components of life.
Stage 4: Detachment: Having realized the futility of many aspects of the world, the being detaches itself from the worldly and material concerns that previously absorbed it, and instead begins to orient itself toward the spiritual world.
Stage 5: The Sense of Oneness: The boundary between the inner and the outer gradually blurs.
Stage 6: Astonishment. When the vision of consciousness transcends the illusions of the world, the being is immersed in a surprising reality. A mixture of light and darkness appears.
Stage 7: The transcendence of being: the supreme degree of union with the Whole. The ego fades away and connects with a vaster and grander reality.
Jesus’ words can summarize this entire process: “Let him who seeks not stop seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will be troubled, and when he is troubled, he will admire and reign over the universe!” This long, seven-stage journey is perilous. It lasts a lifetime. Few will be able to fully accomplish it. But it represents the ultimate goal of all existence.