A while ago, I was lucky enough to witness several people talking about their spiritual paths and their assessments of their own progress along those paths. The group consisted of a couple of teachers and several of their students, none Wiccan. The conversation went something like this:

Teacher A: Yes, for a long time now I have been able to communicate directly with (the Divine). I sit down to meditate and (S/He) comes to me and we have face to face conversations.

Students, seeming collectively impressed: Ahh…

Teacher B: Oh. What does (S/He) look like when (S/He) comes to you?

Teacher A: Well – (description)

Students look at each other.

Teacher B: Well, when (S/He) comes to me, (S/He) looks – (description).

At this point battle lines seemed to be forming. The two teachers were each sure they had the TRUE vision, but neither was going to openly contradict the other. I suppose this was a sign of mature spirituality. The debate continued, but the students were off in their own direction.

Student 1: I guess I’m not very spiritually evolved because (the Divine) has never appeared to me.

Student 2: I think I might have sort of seen (Divinity) once, but (S/He) didn’t look the way either of them said.

Student 3: I can’t visualize at all. I guess I’m never going to be really spiritually evolved.

The thing I found saddest about the whole affair was that neither “teacher” addressed a valid concern of the students. They were both so involved with posturing that they missed pointing out to the students that what one individual envisions has very little bearing on the truth of any other individual’s relationship with the Divine. The students obviously were interpreting their teacher’s statements to mean that the students could not be “spiritually evolved” (whatever that is) until and unless they literally had a vision of the Divine which matched their teacher’s personal vision.

A little later in the day, the students saw me sitting alone and came over to me. After introductions and “We noticed you”s, they asked my opinion on their teachers’ debate.

When Student 3 reiterated dismay regarding any hope of spiritual evolution, I felt compelled to make further inquiry. Student 3 said they felt the presence of (the Divine) when they looked at natural things, trees, flowers, wind – and that they saw (the Hand of the Divine) in things like a newborn. They got a feeling of Divine approval when they offered a kindness or comfort to another living being. My observation was that this was an equally valid and, to me at least, a much more practical “vision” of (the Divine). I asked them to consider whether they felt spiritual evolution was touching the Divine, being in touch with the Divine, being touched by the Divine, or different combinations at different times. And I reminded them not to judge what can only be a very personal relationship on the basis of what someone else says their situation is.

Some people crave strong visions of individual Deities, some need the caress of a raindrop, others are content without any sort of proof. If it’s your relationship, it must be right for you. It is easy to fall into the path of accepting another’s statements rather than inquiring of ourselves. It can be very reassuring to have our own personal beliefs confirmed by the statements of someone we respect and whose opinions we value, but we should all realize it is just that – reassurance – and not an immutable absolute. As we grow and change, our relationships grow and change. Our relationship to, and our interpretation of, the Divine will probably follow that same rule throughout our existence.

“And the whole of My law is Love.” – most religions