Late one rainy  afternoon I took a flight for a short trip. The jet roared off the runway and we ascended rapidly. Looking out of the window I noted the ground  getting further away and shrinking as we reached cruising altitude. We traversed through many cloud formations. Some thick, some grey, some thin, some light (almost transparent). Soon I could see the earth, the horizon, the cloud cover all from a beautiful vantage point. Clearly not a bird’s eye view since we were already at 34000 feet, too high for the birds ! This got me thinking, as these moments sometimes do. This ascent and the eventual  descent is not unlike our conscious mind.

The cloud cover is variable at different altitudes. Thick and possibly stormy closer to the ground, and thinner and even  lighter at higher elevations. Lower layering clouds represent our lower layers of consciousness and higher layers of clouds represent the higher layers of our conscious mind. It takes a lot of effort for the plane to ascend to these higher altitudes and so too is it with our own personal spiritual growth. We keep at it every day, trying to do good, trying to be at peace, trying to focus ourselves at the seemingly impossible daily task of our personal ascension.  We sometimes have to go through stormy and rough patches and perhaps even setbacks before we clear the thicker and “Cumulus ( thick and fluffy)  or cumulonimbus ( rain bearing) ” cloud formations. We ascend higher and higher as we stay in the moment. Focused and in sync to our truer nature, this is possible. Turbulence is always expected. On the way up and sometimes on the way down, turbulence is unavoidable, as it represents the forces of life that travel with us at all times.

We travel to a different altitude as we  get free of worries, troubles and mundane pursuits, reaching the stratus or flatter cloud formations. Sometimes it is necessary to travel at that altitude for a while before we decide to ascend yet again. At times we descend too, trying desperately not to go back through the Cumulus or Cumulonimbus clouds of anxiety, despair, frustrations and anger. I persevere every day to reach the cirrus clouds ( thinnest and wispiest of clouds). These are the lightest layers of consciousness high above the earth. Free from the cares of life I long to stay at this altitude, yet the inescapable gravity changes my course, yet not my destination. The nature of flying has always been the pursuit of mankind as it heralds an effort of exploring other realms of consciousness. As the layers of consciousness are traversed so are the layers of self realization.

High up I look down and see the earth. I recognize its presence as it looms below me as if to say ” You up there, don’t get so lost in the clouds that you forget to ground your Self.” Respectfully I acknowledge the call and we land safely, as I am alerted to the fact I am may be Spirit yet I have to be grounded in physical form for now. My chance of flying high will come again. Realization and practice of daily meditation helps in this lofty pursuit.

Do you know what altitude you are flying today?