“The universe is not a static mechanism. The universe in its entirety (including humanity) must be regarded as one gigantic process, a process of becoming, a process of evolution.
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Life evolves. The universe expands in numerous ways beyond just the physical and biological realms. We see evidence of evolution everywhere in our lives, whether in technology, spirituality, psychology or in social systems.
The word evolution comes from the Latin word evolutio, meaning to unfurl (like unrolling a scroll). Stars, planets, flowers and mammals are all emanations of evolution. What if a rose could refuse its own flowering? What if the rose said, “I’d rather be a sunflower”? Were it possible for a rose to refuse its destiny, the universe would lose a tiny part of its emergence. Likewise, if your soul-purpose doesn't emerge, then the universe doesn't fully emerge. "To understand the human," writes Teilhard de Chardin, "we must adopt an evolutionary point of view...the human is an evolutionary phenomena."
“The evident purpose of evolution is to grow toward ever-widening realizations of Beauty, Goodness and Truth.
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Evolution itself is what the universe actually is, and you are a part of this endless expansion. We humans are often unaware of the evolutionary nature of our species. Rewording McIntosh’s quotation, we might say that, “The evident purpose of soul is to grow towards ever-widening service through the embodiment of the soul’s latent gifts.”
Soul-purpose or life-purpose points to what is essential about our nature as “us” and what we have to offer life. Life is an evolving process and as such, our soul-work is part of that never-ending development.
“The evolutionary impulse to make things better that we feel in our souls, is the very same impulse that has been driving the unfolding emergence of the universe. Said in reverse: the cosmological evolution of stars, the biological evolution of organisms, and the cultural evolution of humans are all part of a universal process of becoming. ”
This is a revolutionary idea: that our impulse to make things better and the impulse that has been driving the emergence of the universe is the same thing! The purpose of evolution and the purpose of soul are identical: to midwife more goodness, truth and beauty.
Upperworld spirituality asks “Who am I?” Lowerworld spirituality asks, “Why am I here?” For most of us, it's not enough to know who we are. We also need to know what we can contribute to life.
“The change that changes everything lies in the discovery and activation of a usually dormant part of the psyche called the “The Evolutionary Self.” What is the “Evolutionary Self?” The Evolutionary Self is not the timeless, changeless “Self Absolute” spoken of in the great traditions, nor is it the conventional ego self that most of us live in every day. It is the creative force of the universe alive within us, the human face of the Impulse of Evolution itself. It’s possible to activate this Evolutionary Self to such a degree that it quite literally becomes the driving force for our lives. That’s the change that changes everything.”
There is a creative force that lays deep within our core called “Soul.” Soul is an evolutionary dimension of self. It is possible to live so closely in tune with your own soul’s deepest purpose that it becomes the driving force in your life.
“The evolutionary impulse is the ecstatic urgency that is always only interested in one thing: creating the future, giving rise to that which is new. . .Those of us in the 21st century need a mystical spirituality and a source of soul liberation that points us not beyond time but toward the future that we need to create.”