Spiritual work – a work on our very own substance

Spiritual work is work on our very own substance.* From the moment we decide to undertake this work, we undergo, without being aware of it, a process of separation from ourselves, and as we continue this work, we become progressively more conscious of this separation. We increasingly see the difference between the part of us that does the work—the spirit, and that which is the object, the substance that is worked on. We even come to realize that the thoughts and feelings with which we do this work, are simply instruments at our service; and we understand that our true self lies beyond thoughts, feelings and actions.
However, to distance yourself from yourself does not mean that you should leave yourself permanently. We do not abandon this self from which we distance ourselves, quite the contrary: we keep it well in sight, and once we have raised ourselves up to heaven through thought, we come back down in order to give it better direction and refine its substance. Again we distance ourselves and again we draw closer, and each time we bring it more strength and more light.

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

* Related reading: Angels and other Mysteries of the Tree of Life, Izvor No. 236, Chap. XI.