I want to share a few observations about spiritual development based on my personal experience. There are three aspects I find particularly important: discipline, love and grounding.
1. Discipline eventually becomes natural.
When beginning spiritual practices, discipline can be challenging. I experienced this particularly with meditation. Maintaining a straight back for extended periods was uncomfortable, and sometimes I struggled to continue because of physical fatigue.
However, overcoming this initial resistance develops self-mastery. Rather than allowing every physical impulse to dictate your actions, you learn to direct yourself.
With consistency, much of that initial difficulty diminishes. What once required considerable effort becomes increasingly natural.
I also noticed changes in my perception of time during meditation. After approximately forty days of consistent practice, ten minutes of Void Meditation could feel considerably shorter. On one occasion, I meditated for forty minutes while genuinely believing I had only spent ten.
The important point is that beginners shouldn't mistake the initial difficulty of a practice for its permanent nature. With development, something that once required discipline can become something you genuinely enjoy.
2. Approach spirituality as a lover, not merely as a technician.
Something I particularly appreciate about Zevism is the possibility of developing a personal relationship with the Gods while enjoying the practices themselves.
Consider someone interested in money workings. There are different methods available through ToZ and HoO, including Lakshmi's mantra, Jupiter's planetary square and Renenutet's Power Ritual.
Different people naturally gravitate towards different methods.
Someone might particularly enjoy vibrating Lakshmi's mantra every day, while another might prefer working with planetary squares or performing rituals dedicated to the Gods.
I see nothing wrong with beginning with the practices that genuinely interest you. Enjoyment can make consistency considerably easier, and there is always room to explore other methods as you advance.
I personally experience this quite strongly. When the time comes for my spiritual practice, I often find myself smiling because I genuinely look forward to it.
There is a difference between performing something because you love it and performing it merely because you expect a particular result.
I don't want spirituality to become a transaction: perform a working, obtain a result, and move on to the next one.
I appreciate the practices themselves, the relationship with the Gods, and the opportunity to dedicate time to something I genuinely value.
If you cannot love the practices, this is usually tied to advancement, past a point it will happen, you will start loving the practices.
3. The other side of divine love: risks.
There is, however, something worth considering.
Intense spiritual devotion has risks, it can become so rewarding that someone starts pursuing the experience itself. Bliss, divine love and spiritual absorption can become the primary attraction, sometimes at the expense of other aspects of life.
I find it interesting to distinguish between two approaches that can produce similar outward behaviour.
One individual deliberately pursues asceticism, believing that renunciation, restrictions and austerity are necessary for spiritual advancement.
In the second case, the individual might experience such an overwhelming influx of divine energy that he becomes severely ungrounded, struggling to function in ordinary society and, in extreme cases, even appearing to lose his sanity.
4. Grounding is essential.
Another distinction worth making is between someone who gradually develops through an established framework of practice and someone who experiences profound spiritual states before developing the discipline necessary to integrate them.
The difference can be significant.
A person who has already established consistency, discipline and ordinary responsibilities may be better prepared to maintain balance during intense spiritual experiences.
Someone without sufficient grounding might instead become excessively absorbed in those experiences, neglecting responsibilities, work, relationships and everyday functioning.
Spiritual experiences should be integrated, not allowed to consume one's entire existence.
Personally, I find the ability to experience profound devotion and spiritual absorption while remaining fully functional in the physical world particularly valuable.
There is no inherent contradiction between spiritual advancement and building a life, maintaining relationships, working and participating in the world.
I would argue that developing both dimensions is something worth pursuing.
5. It is a Luxury to be a Zevist : Appreciate what you have access to.
There is another aspect of spirituality I particularly enjoy: discovering and appreciating things that are relatively uncommon.
For example, I have pieces of music that I have purchased or discovered through very niche sources. Part of their appeal is precisely that they aren't readily available everywhere. Discovering something uncommon, learning about it and appreciating its value adds another dimension to the experience.
I find something similar in spiritual practice.
Having access to practices through ToZ and HoO, studying them and incorporating them into your own spiritual development is something worth appreciating.
Think about it: performing rituals dedicated to the Gods, working with mantras and developing relationships with Them are not things the average person regularly engages in.
Furthermore, becoming a Zevist requires a certain degree of intellectual openness and independent thinking. This is particularly true for those raised in other religions, who must be willing to question their inherited beliefs, reconsider their worldview and embrace an entirely different spiritual framework. Not everyone is willing or capable of making that transition.
I sometimes compare Zevism to activities such as golf or horse riding.
Practicing it is a luxury of itself.
This isn't about feeling superior to anyone. It's about appreciating an opportunity that many people don't even consider exploring.
I think we sometimes overlook how fortunate we are to have something that gives our lives an additional dimension.