I have spent much of my life attentive to the inner life and as part of this have studied many different spiritualities in order to discern. That is, to notice where spiritual paths merge, where they diverge, and where something that looks like light may, in fact, be driven by fear.
In recent times I have become increasingly concerned by a particular spiritual narrative that is gaining traction - especially online. It is often framed in gentle language: awakening, ascension, higher consciousness, love and service. But beneath the surface lies a story that troubles me deeply.
It is the story of a split.
According to this view, humanity is in the process of bifurcating: those who awaken to a higher level of consciousness will move into a “higher dimension,” while those who remain fearful, slow, or unawakened will be left behind — locked into a lower, more painful reality, with little or no chance of further growth.
On the surface this may sound hopeful, for those who consider themselves awakened ‘enough’. But its emotional engine is fear. It installs a fear of missing out, of not being “ready” or of being left behind - permanently.
And fear, however spiritualised, is never a reliable guide to truth.
For me the Christian faith tells a radically different story.
At the heart of Christianity is not ascension, but incarnation. It is no about escaping from the world, but God entering it fully; its suffering, its confusion, its slowness, its pain. The movement is not upward into rarified realms, but downward into flesh, history, and human vulnerability. And most importantly, this movement leaves no one behind.
One of the verses that has shaped my spiritual life more than almost any other is this:
“God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them — and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”(2 Corinthians 5:19)
That is to say the whole world, not just an elite part of the world. And this is a message for all people, not just the awakened or the spiritually proficient. The message is for the world in its entirety! Reconciliation is not a reward for spiritual attainment but rather a gift that is already given, and we are invited to live from it, not strive towards it.
Another verse that quietly undergirds this truth is Jesus’ simple, destabilising statement:
“The kingdom of God is within you.”
(Luke 17:21)
The kingdom is not something we graduate into, neither is it reserved for the enlightened, and it is certainly not withheld from the fearful or the struggling. It is in fact already present, waiting to be recognised, trusted and lived. It is about resurrection and not escape.
Christian mysticism has always understood transformation not as leaving the world behind, but as resurrection from within it. Every moment holds the possibility of new life and every person remains held within God’s loving purpose. No one is written off as a spiritual casualty.
This is why the Gospel is ultimately hopeful in a way no fear-based spirituality can ever be. Because nothing - not ignorance, not fear, not slowness, not suffering - has the power to separate us from the love of God.
There is no cosmic sorting mechanism. No such thing as spiritual elite and absolutely no deadline after which grace expires. There is only invitation, again and again, for all.
Many people today are leaving the Church not so much because they reject God, but because they are hungry for depth, mystery, meaning, and lived spirituality. When the Church fails to speak into that hunger with courage and tenderness, other voices rush in to fill the gap. Some of those voices are sincere and well-meaning, but some are deeply misleading. What concerns me most is not that people explore, but that they are quietly handed a worldview in which hope becomes conditional - and belonging depends on keeping up.
The Christian path I know, love, and have given my life to offers something far more spacious:
- A God who does not abandon the fearful.
- A Christ who stands in solidarity with the whole human family.
- A spirituality that does not require constant self-monitoring or cosmic anxiety.
- A grace that keeps the door open always.
I do not write this to persuade, convert, or compete but simply to say: there is another way. A way that is shaped by grace rather than fear. Where reconciliation rather than separation is the guiding principle. And through a love that refuses to leave anyone behind. This does not deny the seriousness of human freedom or the reality of consequence - but it places God’s reconciling love, rather than fear, at the very centre of the story.
If even one person stumbles across these words and feels their shoulders drop - feels released from the terror of not being “enough” or “ready” - then this has been worth writing.
You see the truth is that all are invited, all are wanted and all are held. And the work of reconciliation - entrusted to us - continues.
Blessings, Jayne