Spiritual Incumbency

Incumbency is defined in the English dictionary as a duty or obligation. However, if we look closely at the word and the meaning as pertinent in this discussion, the word as derived from Latin, presents the principle of “incumbre, to lean upon, or apply oneself to”.

A very good friend told me the other day, “it is incumbent on others to perform, in order for us to perform”. This may be true in business, as we provide a service for which there has to be an energy exchange, which will enable us to perform another energy exchange, in the form of money or obligations owed to someone else. We can all wholeheartedly agree with this statement, but what about the subtle meaning which lies buried here?

It is very easy for us to ascribe responsibility to others, instead of ourselves. “Oh, we cannot do this, for so and so have not done that”. So, we relinquish our own right of choice and therefore disenfranchise ourselves. Disenfranchising the Self is akin to personal sabotage. Again, mostly, this is the subtle ego-intrusion, or subconscious exerting itself as our “protector”, or regulator of our inner world and desired aversions. We do not feel like doing something, therefore we avoid it.

Spiritual emergence places incumbency on the Self to explore and find the hidden treasures that resides in our Inner Self. The Inner Self cannot be explored, if there is not coherence in the interactions of all the subtle bodies, which makes up the human psyche. We always have good intentions, we buy a book on spirituality, and we start reading it, simply to put it aside for another day. Then we buy another one, read a few pages, and put that aside as well.

This is the encultured ego / intellect at work. The intellect has its own agenda that is reflected in many of the older eastern religions. Most of the techniques in these religions, like meditation and yoga, were based on the idea of getting the intellect out of the way so the Higher Self or Soul could speak to us from its perspective. The belief is that the intellect is a tyrant that wants to be in control at all times.

It is terrified that the other parts of you are getting to close to the truth, and therefore is very busy trying to present its case so that no one else gets to give control to anyone but the intellect / ego. The Higher Self is very patient and shy so in this contest the intellect and its “crisis” energy seems to win the contest until we pacify it and quieten it down, for it is incessantly chattering, which the Sufis refer to as the ten thousand babbling idiots.

Often when we decide to become spiritual, or embrace the journey, the intellect wants to run that search also explaining that it is the only part that really cares about our learning. The intellect immediately then starts a process called "seek but do not find". So you put down the books you have bought, as the ego / intellect does not recognize “truth in spirituality” since it uses logic and not a “heart feeling” to analyze the information.

It is incumbent on us to pacify the intellect / ego into submission, in order for it to align to our purpose. Allowing it free reign to determine our life path, instead of the Authentic Self, limits us in our search for true spirituality.

We must submit to the quiet prompts of the Higher Self, as it wishes to exert itself in our lives. That is after all our purpose, to grow into an awareness of that which we truly are, the inner power that resides within, and our closeness to Source.

Quieten down the ten thousand babbling idiots. And start listening to the Soul. Only then will we reclaim our true heritage as children of the Universe. We are all made of the same stuff, therefore we have the potential of being The Same Stuff!

Let us reclaim our Power over the lower mind impulses. It is incumbent upon us, as the ultimate spiritual imperative.

Much Love.