Beloved Ones, within a spiritual life, 'bridges' present themselves from time to time which invite one to make a crossing from one state of being or perception to another.  Sometimes, when such a bridge appears, it is not met with enthusiasm but with trepidation, for it is not entirely clear what the bridge leads to or what will be found at the other end.  In such cases, the passage ahead may not be seen as one that draws us to what is good and of God, but rather to something that is precarious or risky.

How we know and recognize a spiritual bridge that leads to greater good is through 'resonance' - an inner sensibility or feeling that the way offered opens up new possibilities for the heart and soul, and that however it may appear to others, to our own heart it seems to offer what we have been waiting for.  Such a pathway conveys to the heart a sense of relief and of truth - the kind of truth that feels like rain on a parched land.  The kind of truth that says to the heart: here is love, the way home, the possibility for peace. 

Sometimes, what looks like a spiritual bridge to one person, does not look like such to another, and in such cases the heart must be strong enough to acknowledge its resonant qualities so that it can walk ahead, unsupported by anything else other than its own longing.  Such circumstances are not uncommon; they are common.  For the ways of spiritual awakening and growth are invisible in their precise meaning to all but the one who is sensing the Unseen.  Though the Unseen may awaken similar resonant chords within many, and though many may be drawn to a particular way, each one will experience this calling in a unique way, for it is only the individual heart and soul that knows what the opportunity that appears truly means.

In any crossing into the unknown, there are possibilities for making a mistake.  Whether walking across a bridge, down a path, up a mountain, or through a meadow, there are always unexpected things that can happen. It is the nature of life that one incorporates change and growth by moving ahead and by risking the consequences of not remaining in a static position.  The guide to action must come from an inner sense of truth combined with an inner sense of love - an appraisal of the messages of the heart that tell us that, here, nourishment for the soul is being offered and love can be found.

A spiritual bridge, to be authentic, must offer not only the presence of what feels like truth, but the presence of what feels like love.  It must feel, to the waiting heart, that one is being cherished and cared for.  Truth that is cold or unfeeling - truth that claims to offer spiritual advancement but that does so at the expense of the warmth of the heart, is misaligned with the Source of light.  For the Source of light, as it infuses all paths of advancement, can never produce an invitation other than one to greater Love.  It can never offer a path other than one that the heart can join as well as the mind. 

The movements of the heart have a life of their own.  They create a response to the unexpected and arise spontaneously out of a deeper knowing than what the mind can surmise.  The heart hears, feels, senses, and sees things that the mind may be limited in perceiving, having a narrower focus than the heart, and being restricted in ways that the heart is not.  Following in the direction of the heart, one moves from one level of spiritual knowledge to another, always in the domain of love, always in the domain of God's love. 

The heart's music is a guide to the passage, one that can be listened to and trusted as one would trust a benevolent advisor whose ageless wisdom has been gleaned through experiences that the mind has not yet fathomed. Such a heart can become the steering rod of a life.  Overcoming all fear and dread of making mistakes, erasing all doubt about motives and consequences, existing in a pure state of being expressive of the will of the Divine, such a heart can become a sure guidepost to the steps the advancing soul will most benefit from and which are most resonant with its inner nature.

Since all within a spiritual life is growth and change, there is really no such thing as remaining in the same place or living without learning.  For it is the nature of life to create opportunities for forward motion under any and all circumstances.  However, the fearful soul can foreclose such opportunities by seeking comfort in the familiar, and the doubting soul can seek to reassure itself by denying the reality of the spiritual world in order to maintain a world view that can be confirmed by others.  Neverthless, life will always present bridges to the unknown which permit the forward movement of growth and deepening, and it is up to each soul to choose whether to accept the invitation to the crossing, or to refrain from doing so.

Attunement to one's innermost feelings is of great importance in knowing which direction to go in and, indeed, in recognizing a 'bridge' when it appears.  And so a soul that has had practice in listening to the heart and following its messages will have greater ease in discerning which opportunities that arise can be met with the greatest enthusiasm, and which require a more cautious approach.  In anticipation of making such choices, the years of paying attention to the heart's knowing will create a clear and present sound within the inner hearing that will let one know where love and truth live, and where they only seem to live.

Beloved Ones, all that lies ahead on the path to God brings greater love and greater glory than one can possibly imagine from the vantage point of the limited mind and its experience of reality.  For the reality that opens on the other side of a spiritual bridge creates vistas that are broader and wider than one has seen before, and understandings that are vaster and deeper than one has felt before.  It is for this reason that bridges appear in the world in different forms, and it is for this reason that their crossing must be responded to with gratitude and awe.  For God provides for all in the ways that are most needed, and when the heart is ready, the needed path opens ahead, ready for the willing feet to step upon it.

Related Writings:

False Guidance and True Guidance

Living with the Unknown

How Do You Know You Are Safely Being Led?

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