At the beginning of the path, we do not yet have access to our innermost love - the love that carries and motivates us eternally. That’s why, at first, it’s about discovering what currently motivates you.

You should take enough time for this and write down the results. If something new emerges within you later, update your notes accordingly.

Once you’ve recognized your initial motivation, it’s important to regularly bring it back into your awareness.

Over time, its power will naturally diminish – and this is when conscious effort is needed to keep it alive.

Rituals and practice for a stable orientation

It is helpful to develop a small ritual – for example, pausing for a moment before each meditation to reconnect with your motivation.

To stabilize your inner orientation, it’s wise to make the spiritual path a central theme in your life: read books, attend workshops and retreats, seek exchange with others - all of this can be supportive.

A community can be especially helpful, whether it’s a local or a virtual meditation group you attend regularly.

Once you’ve walked this path for a while, you’ll begin to experience spiritual guidance.

You’ll increasingly recognize that you are being guided – and that gives you strength and confidence to continue on.

Deepening motivation through spiritual nourishment

We can deepen our motivation by engaging inwardly with spiritual writings and with people who already live from a deeper motivation.

This creates a resonance on the deeper levels of our being.

For me, it has been and is essential to engage with spiritual and mystical content. It is a fixed part of my daily prayer practice. Silent prayer is always followed by a reading. I also regularly read books about saints - their personal stories often touch me very deeply.

Note on biographies

There are different types of saint biographies. Hagiographies are often highly idealized portrayals of the person and their life. Their advantage is that they preserve the spiritual aspect and inner spirit.

Then there are purely academic biographies. These are often very detailed and usually critical of mystical experiences -  in such cases, the spirit is often lost.

Finally, there are narratives that are both authentic and spiritual. In them, you also learn about the difficulties of the respective person, which makes them more relatable. In such stories, we often recognize ourselves - and at the same time see the spiritual solutions these people were guided to.

I pay close attention to whether a book conveys the spirit.

My personal motivation

As a source of inspiration, I would like to share some aspects of my own motivation with you.

On the one hand, I feel a deep longing to experience God more immediately in reality. I have learned many concepts and ideas about God - but my desire is to encounter Him beyond all images and mental constructs, as He truly is. Being inwardly close to Him is one of my greatest goals.

Another motivation arises from dissatisfaction with my inner state. I desire more inner freedom and love. Part of this dissatisfaction can indeed come from the judgmental ego. 

At the same time, it is also a primal impulse that arises when we clearly recognize our limitations. 

Deep within, we sense that our true, loving nature wants to unfold.

An additional drive is the desire to bring joy to God, to give something back to Him.

There may be unconscious psychological patterns behind this - for example, if we took on too much responsibility for our parents’ well-being in childhood. Such patterns can resonate in our spiritual striving.

Yet this impulse is also an expression of our loving nature:

The love we have received, we naturally want to pass on.

What especially motivates me is the vision of a life in heaven.

This vision is very simple: I feel love in my innermost being - a love that God gives to everything. 

This innermost impulse is one with the divine impulse. I follow it at every moment of my life - without resistance. Neither body nor mind opposes. There are no conflicting wishes or needs anymore. Nothing from the outside distracts me.

I simply follow the impulse of my heart. 

To me, that is true freedom - and at the same time, bliss in every moment.