Asking the wrong questions won’t get you the correct answers.  Sometimes the answer you are looking for is an excuse.  What do you do when the right answer is not enough to convenience you?  It’s a critical question when on the spiritual journey.

When we hear the answer we are looking for, but something about it isn’t right, it’s your intuition telling us to pay attention.

What is the Fearless Spiritual Quest?

The fearless quest is an inward journey, which involves digging up our sacred ground of belief.  To do this, we must ask hard questions.

The best questions always lead to better questions.  A definitive answer, especially in spirituality, is often wrong, and frequently it’s a trap.  Beware of easy solutions to complex issues.  (1)

“With spiritual work, the terms ‘is’ or ‘are’ become progressively replaced by the term ‘seems to.’ … This is due to the increasing realization of the degree to which perception is the mask that hinders truth.” — David R. Hawkins

This quest takes courage because you are looking not so much for answers as the next question.  It’s the ultimate reason for the design of our nervous system.  It’s our nature to explore the unknown.  So you are following one of our basic human needs.  Joseph Campbell calls the desire to seek the unknown the Hero’s Journey (1).

Another term for courage is fearless.  One must approach the inward quest as a fearless spiritual quest.

Whether you realize it, you are taking part in a grand spiritual experiment.  The goal is to experience lessons.  It takes on a whole new meaning when you finally come to terms with this aspect of life.

When The Right Answer is Not Enough

Every child you meet is always asking questions.  What this or that, and how does it work?  We return to childlike innocence when we answer the call to begin our journey.  We are rekindling the curiosity of our nature.  So start asking the right questions and never stop.  (2)

What if we are not the only intelligence in the Universe?  If time is an illusion, what separates us from the past?

What are the Right Questions to Ask Yourself?

Start by asking yourself about the direction you want to go.  Get an inexpensive paper journal.  Sit down and Brainstorm for at least 15 minutes.  Don’t leave any ideas out.  Do whatever you can to ignite the creative spark.  (3)

You may need to do this several times over a few weeks or even months.  Create a good habit of asking questions and finding what you should learn from the situation.  Often, asking the right questions will lead you to the vital lesson.   However, the fearless spiritual quest often isn’t easy.  Nor does it provide the simple answers you’ll find in religious doctrine.

Many people find it takes a while for the substantial questions to surface.  Don’t give up.   Here are some tools, tips, and topics below to prime your intuition.

Now you are ready to begin the quest of removing what is getting in the way.  The journey will always lead you to our sacred ground.  Our holy ground is our beliefs—more about this in a moment.

Diving into the Fearless Spiritual Quest

Spiritual exploration is not about “following” a set way of doctrine or someone else’s journey; It’s about learning to find your way.  And it’s also about finding a place where it is okay to ask the right questions about your path.  It’s your journey, and you’ll find meaning on your terms in your own time.

You don’t always have to walk alone.  It’s good to walk alongside others on the same path.  Life is your opportunity to undertake a fearless spiritual quest.  It’s not following or “believing” in mythology or superstition.

The bottom line here, learn as many spiritual technologies as you can.  For example, start with a beginning grounding meditation.  Then progress to the next steps of mindfulness meditation, and forest bathing.  Be aware of your opportunities to learn and share.

Above all, keep asking yourself about the lesson in the experience.   What are the right questions to ask yourself?  They are always the questions that challenge your sacred ground.  How can I learn more?  What resources are available to me?  Don’t discount any opportunity.   How much time do I have to investigate and practice?  Allocate time to apply the learning.

Personal illumination through the Enneagram

The path isn’t always about seeking those things that make us happy.  Looking within forces us to confront our biases and prejudice.  These moments of personal illumination can give us additional clarity.  It’s a chance to grow.  These epiphanies come in times of stillness when we suspend the internal dialogue.  One analytical tool that can help us do this is the Enneagram.

The Enneagram Personality Profile is a system based on a questionnaire.  It helps us understand the mechanisms of Ego, our personality, and instinct.  It surprises many people to find they operate much of their waking hours on “automatic pilot.” This tool helps put you back in the driver’s seat, where you have more choices.  Inner work can be emotionally challenging for inner work.  Confronting your thought processes is taxing.

Cultivate a Beginner Attitude and Help Others

Spiritual exploration is not about becoming an expert.  Nor is it about holding a title of a teacher or Guru.  It’s about learning and sharing.  Helping others brings new insight into our path.  You will learn a lot by teaching and helping others.  It puts you into a state of transformation.

We are natural-born explorers with an innate desire to venture into the unknown.  We want questions & answers to the deepest secrets.  The best way to do this is with the proper attitude.  A beginner’s mindset makes you look at things with a fresh perspective.

Helping others is transformational.  It will often help you discover other gifts.  Some say this is like being re-born, etc.  A state of transformation opens your mind toward mystical and magical experiences.  As a result, with a beginner’s mindset, you’ll ask the right questions.   And you’ll be encouraging others to do the same.  When you teach and share with others, you always gain a greater understanding of the technique.  Sometimes you learn more from teaching than you initially understood.  Always look for opportunities to help others.

Personal and Social Awareness

Spiritual exploration isn’t always about seeking enlightenment.  It is about being socially aware so you can help, and about asking the right questions that open your conscience.  If you do these things, It will direct your behavior and increase your breadth of awareness about others and yourself.

Eventually, you will come full circle.  You will ask what you can give and provide to others rather than what you can get for yourself.  Sharing and helping others will provide invaluable meaning and insight into your progress.  And spiritual growth speeds up within the community.  Now you are taking others down the path with you.

The downside is that increased awareness gives you an improved line of sight.  Social and environmental inequities and injustices will be more precise.  This aspect of the fearless spiritual quest may end up being the mission of your life.

You know when someone you know well isn’t giving a straight answer.  Here, the right answer is not enough to convince you this person is telling the truth.  With people you don’t know, test what they are saying.  Verify if it’s true.  Sometimes strangers “embellish” and stretch the facts because they think they can get away with it.  Treat everyone you don’t know well, like they are used-car salesmen.

Don’t ignore the awakening of conscience.  Don’t walk past the homeless person on the street.  Sure, they may have secondary gain issues, but this doesn’t matter.  Buy them food or other necessities like socks.  Carry a plastic bag with you and pick up trash that other careless people drop.  You’ll feel better by the end of the day, and you’ll spread love and compassion in a world the needs it.

Find the Right Teachers

The right teacher or group can be invaluable in our spiritual journey.  Learning from the experience of others is wise.  It can save time and frustration.   The point is, they will help you with your questions & answers.  A good teacher or partner will challenge you when you are complacent and inspire you when you are down.

Here, the right answer is not enough because some people want followers.  They will say the right things, but it’s just a way to get you on board.  Check out their reputation.  Talk privately with other students.

Above all, an excellent teacher is someone who provides tools that will expand your awareness and open the doors to higher states of consciousness.  Sometimes, a skilled teacher may annoy, infuriate, and frustrate you to shake your hold on your spiritual point of view.  Fantastic teachers will kick you out once you’ve learned what you need.  They don’t want followers; they want people who can be outstanding teachers someday.

A good teacher will remind you to ask yourself.  What are the right questions to ask yourself?  It will prompt you to look inward for the answers instead of relying on external sources.

“One of my teachers once said that the way you know you’re on the right path is that it works. Now, that doesn’t mean you don’t run into blocks and brick walls, but it does mean you can find a way around them or find a way to change yourself or your project in order to find the flow again and have it work. – James Redfield

Challenge Your Sacred Ground

Spiritual exploration is not about seeking things to support a particular position.  It’s about asking the right questions that challenge our beliefs.  It’s about asking the right questions that take you through and beyond your own “sacred ground.”

If you aren’t asking these types of questions, chances are you are not making the progress that you could.  Asking the right questions is the basis of your fearless spiritual quest.  The right questions constantly challenge your sacred ground and your current thinking.

If you ascribe to a religion, you need to ask questions about it.  Don’t ask those who are a part of the faith.  They are part of the group hypnosis, which keeps them a customer.  Instead, use sources outside of your paradigm to find the answers that will give you clarity.  Do your research.  Enhance your critical thinking skills and familiarity with logical reasoning.  What are the true origins of the religion?  If the religion has sacred texts, are they consistent?  Where and when were they authored?

Religions always have answers.  But the right answer is not enough.  Always verify or validate what they are saying with an unbiased source.  Without a doubt, 99% of the time, what they used to validate their position are self-authored sacred texts.

Spiritual Exploration Not Religion

Spiritual exploration is the opposite of religion.  Religion uses fear selling contradictory and illogical dogma.  Their top seller is the counterfeit answer for the existential dread of death, which they call the afterlife.  It keeps you from exploring the reasons you have this fear, which is the world’s oldest scam.   Spiritual exploration is not about selling you anything, it’s about using processes to expand consciousness.

You can divide these methods into four groups:

• Tools to enhance critical thinking abilities
• Meditative processes
• Methods that expand awareness
• Healing techniques and modalities

The Right Questions & Answers Lead to Better Questions