Are We Living in a Spiritual Study Hall? Reflections on Our Need for Divine Educators

Human beings are in essence, spiritual beings. I understand this to be the view of all of humanity’s spiritual traditions, throughout the ages. Our physical bodies are associated with our spiritual lives, but do not constitute our core being. From this perspective, our core identity is not confined to, or defined by, the limitations of our physical bodies.

It would seem that all physical existence, including the earth, plants, animals, the sun, stars, and the very laws of physics themselves, are all a tangible, physical expression of spiritual reality. Baha’u’llah writes: “Nature in its essence is the embodiment of My Name, the Maker, the Creator.”¹ He also states that “Nature is God’s will, and its expression in and through the contingent world.”² Perhaps this is why, when we view nature–the trees growing towards the sun, the oceans with tides ebbing and flowing, and powerful mountains, sunrises, etc.–we feel moved. People often identify being in nature as a spiritual experience. Is this because it reflects our spiritual reality? We resonate with the qualities of devotion, abundance, power, purity, beauty, and much more, reflected all around us in nature, and also reflected within each of us. Metaphors abound! 

The sun itself may be appreciated as a vast metaphor: that of spiritual sustenance. The whole planet is dependent on the sun to sustain life. Our physical reality as humans is absolutely and immediately dependent on the sun. We cannot even envision our planet without the sun. It takes only a moment of reflection to realize that if the Sun were to suddenly cease to exist, all life on the planet would die immediately. And if, thankfully, the sun continues to exist, but we try to live in total darkness, we must still accept that we depend on the sun for warmth and food, let alone gravity itself, and the atmosphere we breathe. 

Perhaps we can view the sun as a physical representation of the Manifestations of God through the ages: those great Teachers who have led people to their core identity as spiritual beings, and have guided families, nations and civilizations to flourish. Just like the earth is dependent on the sun for life, likewise civilization itself is dependent on humanity’s collective maturation and growing capacity to embody and manifest spiritual qualities. Kindheartedness, generosity, respect, courtesy, and service are nurtured; understanding develops around applying those spiritual qualities in the evolving relationships between individuals, families, communities, and nations. I think that as our collective understanding and experience develop, we are progressively awakened to a vision of a society where each person is treated fairly and given appropriate opportunities to develop their spiritual capacities. 

The sun is thus a physical manifestation of our spiritual reliance on divinity and the Manifestations of God. Humanity cannot thrive on a materialistic view of our purpose, and no civilization has been able to completely divorce spirituality from its people. But to the extent that this has happened, they have been met with proportional ruin. The Baha’i Writings state that “Man is in reality, a spiritual being and only when he lives in the spirit is he truly happy.”³ It is my experience that if we try to live our lives without acknowledging or nurturing our spiritual reality, we wither, individually and collectively. I believe that we are witnessing the rise of desperate and futile attempts to find fulfillment and meaning in physical existence, at any cost, for example through wealth, substance use, sexuality, entertainment, and the gratification of ego. And because ultimately those do not lead to fulfilment of our true inner identity as spiritual beings, there is an epidemic of hopelessness, depression, anxiety, and widespread and innumerable addictions. People are desperate and suffering. But many, for the most part, do not recognize why, as they are ensnared in distractions. Furthermore, they are encouraged to continue seeking fulfillment in material things by those whose own material interests are served by their desperation.

The only real hope for us to be able to nurture new generations that can live with a sense of shared purpose to grow a human civilization that can realize the potential of all is to acknowledge our spiritual reality. In a sense, we need to collectively reflect the spiritual qualities that we see manifested in nature and in the teachings of those Sources of light, warmth, and spiritual energy: the Manifestations of God. I believe that in nature, we see those qualities that reflect our own spiritual capacity. In the Teachings of the Manifestations, in each age and stage of humanity’s development in which They appear, we learn how to live together and to nurture those spiritual qualities.

I think that humanity comes to understand the concept of divinity from these Manifestations of God. I also wonder if we have to understand divinity indirectly because the phenomenon of God–like the concept of the infinite universe–is completely incomprehensible. Baha’u’llah, speaking of God, says:

“… souls shall be perturbed as they make mention of Me. For minds cannot grasp Me nor hearts contain Me.”⁴

Likewise, He says:

“The knowledge of the reality of divinity is in no wise possible, but the knowledge of the Manifestations of God is the knowledge of God, for the bounties, splendors and attributes of God are manifested in Them.”⁵

“They are the mirrors that truly and faithfully reflect the light of God.”⁶

It is my belief that these Prophets are people like all of us, physically, but with a spirit that truly and perfectly reflects the divine for us to see and understand. Though we are all familiar with and have experienced the concept of inspiration and meaningful connections in life events, the stupendous and tsunami effects of these Manifestations alter the whole course of nations and epochs. Civilizations are defined by the emergence of these Beings from age to age. 

Our time, likewise, is witnessing the early days of the great spiritual Teacher: Baha’u’llah. This is happening at a time when humanity seems to be going through a turmoil very reminiscent of adolescence, with all the searching for truth, rejection of traditions and authority, and the energy characteristic of that stage of the development of an individual. We are seeing the collapse of prior civilizations and the growth of new capacities, as humanity also emerges collectively from this stage and stands at the threshold of maturity. And in my reading of the Writings of Baha’u’llah, this is an age where we will see the development of those spiritual faculties that are needed for the unification of the entire human race. 

As humanity leaves behind its collective childhood, people are looking to find meaning on their own terms. In the words of Baha’u’llah, they need to “see with their own eyes and not through the eyes of others.”⁷ And He calls every person to the independent investigation of truth. I believe that this independent search is essential. Without that choice, I suspect we could never truly embrace the transformation required within each one of us to arise and play our essential part in a global, spiritually advancing civilization. 

This work is urgent, as there is much suffering. I believe each of us needs to consecrate our lives to this spiritual endeavor, to our search for meaning, our spiritual growth, and our service to humanity, in all aspects of our lives. We need to create communities where our young are nurtured and guided to see themselves as the protagonists of a new civilization that will rise above the limits and distractions of days gone past, and towards a global community that sees its success in the success of all.

“True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter ignorance of his self. The essence of all that we have revealed for thee is Justice, is for man to free himself from idle fancy and imitation, discern with the eye of oneness, His glorious Handiwork, and look into all things with a searching eye.” – Baha’u’llah⁸

1. Baha’u’llah, Tablets of Baha’u’llah, Lawh-i-Hikmat [↩]
2. Baha’u’llah, Baha’i Sacred Writings [↩]
3. Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks [↩]
4. Baha’u’llah, The Hidden Words [↩]
5. Baha’u’llah, Baha’i Sacred Writings [↩]
6. Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan [↩]
7. Baha’u’llah, Baha’i Sacred Writings [↩]
8. Baha’u’llah, Baha’i Sacred Writings [↩]

Posted by

Janneke Gradstein

Janneke Gradstein lives with her husband, Gisli, in rural Nova Scotia (Canada) where they have been raising their three sons. She enjoys and cares for their community through collaborations in the areas of primary care and hospitalist medicine, the Baha'i community's institute process, character education in youth sports and friendships, and active living in general.