2.2.1 Phase 1: The Beginning of the Path
Everything Begins with a Search and a Question
At this point, I would like to emphasize once again that the path to God begins with a search or a question. If we do not reach out, yearn, ask, and seek God, we cannot expect to find Him.
The sincere search will lead us to Him.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Psychological and Spiritual Beginning: Clarifying Your Search
A psychological consultation or therapy always begins with a request. Without a clear request, the therapist is not permitted to act. The initiative must come from the client. Clarifying the request is the first and most important step - it largely determines the success of the therapy.
If it becomes clear during the process that the original request is vague or confused, the clarification must be repeated. This is a basic principle taught in therapeutic training.
In the same way, to receive God's guidance and grace, we must first take the initiative - we must ask and seek.
This is where the journey begins.
My personal search
God has undeservedly granted me many wonderful experiences - certainly not because I am a particularly holy or faithful person.
The only thing that may have helped was my sincere search to find the inner path.
It was sometimes less a conscious virtue and more a search out of desperation - through my depressions, crises of faith, and sinful behavior I could not overcome.
All of it pushed me further and deeper in my search for God.
2.2.2. To Center and Gather Oneself
The fundamental prerequisite for the path of prayer is the ability to gather and center ourselves.
It is about letting go of our personal thoughts, emotions, and desires, calming the mind, and leading it into stillness in order to reach a clear state of awareness.
As long as our awareness is filled with constant thinking, interpreting, and reflecting on our life, we cannot open ourselves to God.
With a mind lost in thought, no true spiritual practice is possible.
If we wish to access our higher thinking, feeling, and willing within the spirit-mind, we must first lead the surface-level mind into stillness.
The Common Experience
Most people experience in the initial phase that they continually get lost in thoughts and their awareness is trapped in them.
After a while, they become consciously aware again and remember that they had actually intended to meditate.
This can continue to happen even after weeks and months. Even after many years of meditation, such states of distraction still occur.
This can be very frustrating at first. One might wonder: What is the gain from this? We’ve heard of impressive mystical experiences, yet here we are struggling just to deal with our automatic thoughts.
2.2.3 A Major Transformation Is Being Prepared
Something very significant happens during this phase:
A fundamental transformation is being prepared.
We increasingly recognize our actual state and develop the desire to free ourselves from it.
In meditation, we notice that we’ve lost our awareness in thoughts and then return to the perception of reality. This moment of awakening is of great importance - it generates a spiritual power that forms the foundation for everything that follows on the mystical path.
The repeated practice of this small step - recognizing and returning to reality - develops a crucial ability that leads to sustained mindfulness of awareness.
Ultimately, this brings us to enlightenment - or, in other words, to the awareness of God’s presence in every moment - a state in which we can live filled with True Love.
Through meditation, we slowly become aware of the different states:
on the one hand, the captivity and strong identification with our thoughts and emotions; on the other, the phases of conscious awareness.
The moment we wake up again, we often feel as if we have slept or wasted the time before. But gradually, the motivation to stay awake longer grows.
In order to change our state, we must first become painfully aware of our current reality.
This is part of the inner path. Step by step, it leads us to ever-deeper self-knowledge.
2.2.4 Experiencing Change in Everyday Life
The positive transformation during this phase usually becomes more noticeable in daily life than in meditation itself.
We become clearer and more aware. We begin to consciously recognize our different states of consciousness.
Our psychological state gradually improves: we experience fewer negative emotions overall and are less easily emotionally triggered.
Negative states are processed and resolved more quickly.
Moments of Clarity
When I prepare my breakfast in the kitchen after meditation, I often feel very clear - I consciously enjoy every perception and experience every action with full presence. This is very pleasant and valuable.
You will increasingly experience such moments throughout the day.
Perhaps even a brief feeling of joy when, for example, you see a bird or look at the sky.
We can also become more aware in our interactions with other people.
Even if such experiences are still rare, they show us that we are on the right path.
We should therefore value and appreciate them.