At this stage we are convinced that realizing our external aims is the way to a full and connected life. We become intent upon getting ourselves firmly grounded. Security, on every level, is the focus of Fourth Stage. We are fully egocentric and that’s as it needs to be. We have to be able to function well on the material plane before we can move on to inner realities. Our ability to meet the needs of the ego provides us with the foundation needed for building the spiritual body. But there are consequences. It’s easy to forget our spiritual roots when the ego is at its zenith. Instead we put our faith in personal acquisitions and accomplishments. The ego becomes our god. This creates a state of inflation, a primary characteristic of this stage. We have reached the top by relying strictly upon our wits and brute strength, having no idea there is anything greater. We have the answers . . . we know the facts . . . we believe we’ve arrived!

These first four stages of life formulate the basis of material existence. They make up the“ symptomatic life” . . . an externally focused existence based on concrete manifestation. Many never exceed beyond a limited, physical comprehension of the world. However, these first four stages can also create the grounded vessel needed for Spirit to operate. In truth, we cannot build a spiritual body until we have a well-established container in which to carry it forward. The four stages then, formulate a playing field of sorts through which Spirit can be made manifest.

Moving forward from fourth stage depends upon the strength of our desire to experience life beyond reaction-based symptom. Most of us go beyond the life of material comfort only as the result of some kind of traumatic event. It sometimes seems that extreme discomfort is necessary in order to spur us forward. It’s as if fate taps us on the shoulder and demands us to awaken . . . as if we have been“ soul selected” to deepen our journey. Something happens that makes it impossible to return to our former life of external fixation. Usually, only then do we begin to make the shift from an externally focused, symptomatic life to one of internal focus. Thus we initiate the symbolic life of Fifth Stage.

Next Page: Fifth Stage: The Metanoia

*This is a condensed introduction to the stages of our life journey contained in“The Seven Stages of Our Spiritual Journey Home” written by Lynne Forrest. Be on the lookout for the book in completion sometime over the next year.