THE VALLEY OF EXPERIENCE

by L. A. Baldwin

A favorite saying of mine is: "It is easy to be a Wiseman on a mountain top." In our spiritual questing, we always have the tendency to seek the mountain top -- viewing that cherished, but obscure summit as the epitome of everything spiritual. We think, "If only I could attain this pinnacle, or that peak, or those heights, in my spiritual search -- just think of all I would learn, of the wisdom-filled peace that would be mine! If I could just find somewhere away from people, away from the world, away from pain and distraction -- somewhere to spend my life in noble, solitary contemplation -- then, I could discover the secrets of life, of the universe -- then, I could become wise."

It is true that the mountain top is beautiful, peaceful, and a fine place to occasionally withdraw to contemplate one's lessons, to rest awhile. It is equally true that the air is thin, the clouds hold little spiritual nourishment, and the view -- though awesome -- is distant, remote, detached from everyday reality --holding only superficial value toward our growth in this day-by-day, minute-by-minute physical reality of ours.

If true spiritual growth is what we seek, then we must redirect our inner vision. We must come down from the mountain, and focus upon the valley -- the Valley of Experience -- experience supplied by a specific desire -- desire being the strongest, and most motivating emotion -- emotion, the supreme motivator. Desire, or "I want" to know, to see, to feel, to hear, to have . . . is the driving force of the Ego. A good thing, yes, because it is the much maligned Ego that keeps us locked into the physical, in order that we may . . . Experience, and thereby, Know.

Emotion, Experience, Knowing, Understanding is what we, you, I the Soul . . . are all about. The Valley of Experience, is the cosmic school and playground we have created to enable us to achieve our end desire . . . to Know with Understanding. Knowledge does not become Wisdom until there is Understanding. The Valley provides us, not just with the facts which lead to Knowing, but with the opportunity to Experience the Knowing, which leads to Understanding.

To understand war, we must become the warrior; to understand parenting, we must become the parent; to understand prejudice, we must become the persecuted. The physical reality of the Valley is where the true learning takes place; learning that is sometimes peaceful, sometimes not. It is often filled with song, and dance, and laughter; and, just as often, it is full of contention and strife, and tears. Our deepest, most powerful, most illuminating thoughts, contemplations, ponderings, spiritual growths -- spring directly from our experiences in the physical . . . the Valley of Experience.

Imagine: a warm, sunny day -- a deep blue lake -- a small group of people gathered around a bar-b-que -- rolling, green hills -- laughter -- a small boy, wading barefoot in the cool water -- the hissing of a sodapop bottle being opened . . . what is being experienced here? What desire prompted the forming of the experience? What emotions prompted the desire? Perhaps, the love of a grown child for his elderly parents, and his respect for their fifty years of marriage? Perhaps, he desired to express that love through the experience of celebration, and then chose to celebrate by forming the experience of a family gathering at a favored picnic spot.

Analyze: greatly simplified; the emotions involved are -- love and respect. The desire is -- a means of expressing love and respect. The experience is -- celebration, and through the type of celebration (in this case, a family picnic), a multitude of other experiences.

Outcome: or, what Knowing has come from the Experience? Much, I think. This experience, and all it's attendant experiences, is rich with learning possibilities. A little boy (but very old soul), learns that when his feet feel hot, he receives joyful relief when he places them in cool water --besides, it's fun to splash the water and watch it sparkle in the sun, but how does the sun get down to the water? The two men in charge of the bar-b-que, learn cooperation and communication; one of the men is burned when he grabs a hot utensil -- he learns caution, the other learns compassion. A young child is temporarily missing -- fear is experienced, and launches a need for organization, rational thought, and constructive action -- calmness, orderly thinking, discernment, carefulness, and awareness are learned.

Experience seems, at times, to be painful and destructive -- and it is. What does not occur to us, is that destruction is just an upside-down version of construction. Both, joy and fear can tear down the same barriers; they just do it differently. In the midst of our experience, if we pay attention, we will know which creative tool will do the best job in achieving our desire. Destruction, construction, building up, tearing down, ending, and beginning are simply descriptive of the ways in which we create.

When rest, or quiet contemplation is required, by all means, ascend to the mountain top -- but, bear in mind -- on the mountain top, emotions and experiences can only be known through nebulous thought. It is through Experience that we truly come to understand; and good or bad, happy or unhappy, it is Experience itself that keeps us interested in life. Every event in our lives is pulled into our experience according to the thoughts we hold in mind. We are learning to recognize, and transform the components of our own thoughts. In utilizing the creative medium of physical reality, we create, with calculated discernment, our own experience.