When Two Paths Become One: The True Path to Ascension

By Lori Lines

Ascension is a deeply personal journey and an inherently individual path. It is the process of personal rediscovery, inner healing, personal development, spiritual transformation, evolution, and transcendence. As a journey to broaden awareness, raise one's vibration, and align with one's higher self, it can not be undertaken by anyone but oneself.

The very personal nature of the ascension process may lead some to perceive it as self-serving. However, one must respect the importance of service along the road to enlightenment. So, is working on our ascension self-serving or service to others?

The Self-Serving Path

Despite the terminology, proponents of the self-serving perspective are not intent on being unkindly selfish; they view ascension as an individual journey. As they see it, the process of self-rediscovery, inner healing, self-actualization, and ego-transcendence is, by definition, individual.

Nevertheless, those with this view understand that healing, actualizing, and transforming themselves positively affect the world by inspiring others, healing the collective, and raising our shared vibration. To them, this is a solo mission with communal benefits.

The Path of Service

Those who perceive the path of ascension as a journey rooted in service to others understand this evolution as one of deepening compassion, expanding love, and enlightening wisdom. They appreciate the interconnectedness of all beings and all energy and commit themselves to healing, elevating, and uniting the collective.

From this point of view, serving others is fundamental to ascension and vice versa. They understand that as they heal their souls, elevate their consciousness, and embody their higher selves, they create harmony, unity, and love that flow throughout the collective unconscious. To them, this is a joint mission with personal benefits.

The Convergence of Two Paths

Many spiritual belief systems merge the concepts and precepts of the self-serving and collective-serving path. While the sincere desire to contribute to the well-being of the collective tends to lead to a more comprehensive approach to ascension, the process and outcome are very similar along the self-serving path.

Because the concepts of being of service to self and being of service to others are not mutually exclusive, what makes the fundamental difference is the intention we use to spur ourselves forward. Our intention ultimately determines whether our path will be self-serving or collective-serving and how we frame our journey of becoming and ascending.

Therefore, while service to others and service to self seem like divergent paths, they are not wholly separate. Several points of convergence between these two paths highlight the fallacy of their separateness or juxtaposition.

Both paths underscore self-care as necessary for self-transformation. While service to others operates to serve the greater good, prioritizing one's care, growth, healing, and self-discovery is essential. We cannot be of service to others by neglecting ourselves. This can only be done by finding a healthy balance between honoring one's and collective well-being.

Both paths emphasize ever-expanding love. While service to self stresses the importance of cultivating self-love and self-compassion by knowing one's unique worth and value, the path of service to others encourages self-love and compassion. The difference is that serving the collective requires us to develop an equal capacity for empathy and love for others. Fundamentally, to be of service, we must see ourselves as no more or less deserving of unconditional love than another.

The One True Path to Ascension

Both the self-serving and collective-serving perspectives acknowledge all beings' individuality and interconnectedness. The service to self outlook recognizes that contributing to one's healing, growth, and ascension positively impacts the collective. The collective-serving point of view recognizes that contributing to the collective's healing, growth, and ascension positively impacts the individual.

 With the sincere intention to ascend, we cannot serve ourselves without serving the collective and vice versa. One way or another, we are raising the collective vibration and serving humanity's well-being. As we progress in our spiritual journey, the distinction between self-service and collective service falls away, along with other fallacies and illusions. Once we can conceive of the natural unity and oneness of all existence, we understand that the only true path is the one that leads to the contribution to the greatest good.

Ascension Through Service

When we evolve beyond the distinction between service to others and service to self, we understand that the focus of our spiritual evolution should be directed toward benefiting the collective well-being because there is no other way!

Along this higher path, we are called to align our healing, growth, and development with the collective's healing, growth, and evolution. This path underscores the importance of compassion, teaching, and kindness to further the transformation of the collective consciousness.

 The Compassionate Climb 

Love, healing, generosity, and embodiment are the rungs of the climb toward ascension along the path of service. By honoring these principles, we advance our enlightenment while honoring our higher purpose of advancing collective evolution.

Love: Truly embracing your purpose of being of service begins with cultivating compassion and empathy. Genuine compassion comes from a deeper understanding of the suffering and struggles in the 3rd Dimension. Opening your heart to the needs of others expands your awareness while deepening your capacity for empathy. Only then can you dedicate yourself to healing the suffering you witness.

Healing: A beautifully self-informing process begins once you heal the suffering you see. As you genuinely start to see the suffering in others, you can better acknowledge the suffering within. Healing the collective will inform how you heal yourself, while healing yourself will inform how you heal the collective. Realization and transformation on either end of the spectrum will become a source of learning and inspiration.

Generosity: As awareness dawns regarding the suffering that all humanity shares, you will feel a call to engage in acts of service. Generosity could involve:

• Volunteering.
• Supporting charitable causes.
• Sharing your journey.
• Imparting wisdom.
• Supporting people in need.
• Simply being a better partner, friend, or family member.

Embodiment: By embodying higher vibrations and states of consciousness, love, and wisdom, you contribute to the energetic shifts of the collective. Embodiment is not done solely for individual enlightenment but for collective evolution to create positive waves of change in the world. To embody the unity, harmony, and love of ascension is to acknowledge the interconnectedness of all beings and to accept accountability for co-creating a better, brighter, more loving, and peaceful future for the collective.

Final Thoughts…
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While the argument has been made that service to others is the essential path to ascension, the balance between self-service and service to others is a personalized journey where one's values, beliefs, and goals determine the optimal blend. Ultimately, the responsibility lies within oneself to forge an authentic path that resonates with one's higher purpose and personal truth.

In love and truth,
Lori Lines