Spiritual Hierarchy

Question: I have been studying various spiritual paths for over twenty years and have incorporated ideas, meditations and practices as my higher self has lead me, including some from your teachings. I've been trying to reconcile the concepts of a "spiritual hierarchy" and a path of initiation that includes various rules and codes of conduct (like in some of the works of J. Krishnamurti and Baird T. Spalding) with what I'm reading in your book "How to Know God." Do you embrace the concept of a spiritual hierarchy that requires initiates to follow specific rules, or do you think that in this new millennium, we are sort of getting past that and going more towards an all-inclusive approach (sans rules, requirements and tests to pass on to higher levels of initiation)? Is there another book (of yours) that you'd recommend besides "How to Know God" that would help me out with this? Thank you. Answer: rnThe success of one’s spiritual path depends on following one’s the sequential unfoldment of consciousness according to the inherent developmental stages structured within it. So while the fundamental principles of transformation can be located across different people’s spiritual growth, I don’t believe a rigorous hierarchical teaching process will be effective for all people. rnThe different starting points of individuals, as well as the wide variety of spiritual worldviews and learning styles people have, all make it impractical to impose one cultural methodology of rules and steps that will be meaningful and applicable for everyone. Rather than focus on issues of lessons you need to learn, the trials of initiation, or looking for a master to surrender to as Spalding talks about, nowadays I think it is more important to have a self-sufficient spiritual practice that allows you to awaken from within, and then look for the knowledge that explains and solidifies that spiritual experience. This process of letting your experience lead the way to deeper understanding is helpful in that it protects you from letting your spiritual understanding get ahead of your experience, your reality. When that happens, it is easy to confuse your spiritual growth with your ideology or philosophy. rnLove,rnDeepak