"The spirituality bequeathed to us by the moralizing theology of modern times works from the top down. It presents high ideals that we are supposed to translate into reality. Typical ideals include selflessness, self-control, continuous amiability, selfless love, freedom from anger, and mastery of sexual desire. Spirituality from above surely has some positive meaning for young people, since it challenges them and tests their powers. It prompts them to grow up and out of themselves and to strive for goals. But it also tries to leap above and beyond our own reality. We identify so intensely with our own ideals that we repress our own weak points and limits because they clash with the ideal. That leads to inner division, which makes us sick."
"Today there are many people who have become fascinated to soon with spiritual paths. They think they can take these paths while skipping the difficult path of self-knowledge, the encounter with their own shadow side."
"The paradox of our spiritual path consists in the fact that we ascend to God by descending into our own reality. That is how Benedict understands Jesus' saying, 'He who humbles himself will be exalted.' (Luke 14:11, 18:14)."
"By descending into our earth-boundedness (humility is derived from humus, or soil) we come into contact with heaven, with God. When we find the courage to climb down into our own passions, they lead us up to God. This sort of humility was prized by the monastic fathers because it is the lower path to God, the path that leads through one's own reality to the true God. The heaven-stormers encounter only their own images of God, their own projections."
-Anselm Gruen, from Chapter One of Heaven Begins Within You: Wisdom From the Desert Fathers
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