When spiritually oriented people are exposed to the information that has been provided, they show a measurable elevation of consciousness. Before and after each lecture, the consciousness level of the audience is calibrated, and it generally shows an increase, on the average, of between ten and forty points for the audience as a whole. This may vary individually from a low of four points to as high as hundreds of points. Within the group, however, there is great variation due to ‘karmic ripeness’. The majority of spiritual seekers goes through a variety of stages that may range from despair to high joy or even ecstasy. There are also long periods where nothing seems to be happening and the person feels they are not getting anywhere. These are interspersed with periods of what seem like stagnation, frustration, self-blame, and even hopelessness. All these periods within the overall process are normal. Perseverance and dedication carry one through. The way is easier if a true teacher or a dedicated group is available. The pathway of nonduality, which depends primarily on meditation and devotional dedication, takes perseverance and self-discipline to achieve the necessary ‘one-pointedness of mind’. If a spiritual aspirant is devotional and aspires to God through selfless surrender, much can be bypassed without necessarily understanding its structure at all. Unknown to the aspirant is the past karma, which is also an influential factor. Therefore, one cannot compare oneself to others or expect some fortuitous suddenness such as that which occurred to the well-known teacher, Ramana Maharshi. While just an ordinary teenager, he suddenly fell down and felt himself dying. He then went into a state of oneness and silent bliss that calibrated at over 700. As a consequence, he was not able to speak for two years. If we research this story with muscle testing, we learn that he had spent many previous lifetimes in spiritual endeavor, and his seemingly sudden enlightenment was actually the fruition in this lifetime of that effort and dedication.

source:

Alan Watts ~ The Spiritual Journey As The Self