Is Your Passport Ready?
A passport is our proof of identity in the material world.
Whenever we travel, we make sure we never leave home without it. We know that when we arrive at our destination, one of the first things we will be asked for is our passport. Our passport tells the world who we are and where we come from. It contains our name, nationality, date and place of birth, photograph and other identifying details. It carries our credentials and our travel history, and today, with everything increasingly digital and cross-referenced, a passport can connect to a vast amount of information about us.
What makes a passport valid?
- Name
- Nationality
- Address
- Age
- Date and place of birth
- Gender
- Photograph — there must be a likeness to who we are now
- Issue and expiry date
But there is something missing from this physical passport. There is nothing here that tells us about the nature and qualities of the soul.
The Soul Passport
On the spiritual path, what becomes our passport — ‘our pass to cross the port or boundary of the heart’?
Our good heart.
Our purity.
Our pure vision.
Our intentions.
Our character.
Our virtues.
Wherever we go, these are the things we will need most.
A physical passport establishes my identity in the material world. But spiritually, who am I when I remove my name, nationality, profession, possessions and even my body? “I am a soul.” This is my eternal identity. And the qualities I develop as a soul become my spiritual passport.
A physical passport carries the record of my identity and travels. In the same way, my life carries the record of how I have lived. We can see physical wounds and scars on the body — subtle reminders of what the body has experienced and endured. The soul, too, carries impressions from its experiences. So let the painful experiences of life not become permanent scars of revenge, anger, resentment or hurt. Let me keep the wisdom, the learning and the goodness – just a good record(ing!).
The situation itself is not the stamp. My response is the stamp.
Every Interaction Becomes a Stamp
Every day, life is stamping my passport. Every interaction leaves an impression. My virtues become my visa stamps. And the most important thing is not what happens to me — it is what I become through what happens to me.
Someone insults me → What stamp do I receive?
Someone praises me → What stamp do I receive?
Someone criticises me → What stamp do I receive?
I make a mistake → What stamp do I receive?
Someone behaves badly towards me → Do I react? What stamp do I give myself?
The situation itself is not the stamp. My response is the stamp. Life presents the situation; I determine what I record through my response. What kind of stamps am I collecting on my soul passport?
The Border Test
A passport may contain facts about me, but when I arrive at a border, my conduct matters too.
Spiritually, I may say all the right things, wear the right labels, attend spiritual gatherings, meditate and read scriptures. But when I reach the border of a difficult situation, what comes out of me? Anger? Ego? Criticism? Fear? Attachment? Or: Peace, purity, love, dignity, tolerance, compassion? This is where my passport gets stamped. First, my response leaves an impression on the minds and hearts of the people I interact with. Repeated responses also leave an impression on me — and over time, an impression can become a habit, and a habit can become part of my character.
The real spiritual passport is not what I say I am. It is what I demonstrate when life tests me.
The Expiry Date
A physical passport has an expiry date. The soul does not. And so, the experiences of this life leave their impressions upon the soul. Every interaction, every response, every choice becomes another stamp in the passport of my life. I simply have to ensure that I am collecting the right stamps and visas for the onward journey.
Because ultimately, my spiritual passport is not
something I carry in my hand. It is something I become.
My Spiritual Passport
My passport is my identity.
My virtues are my visa stamps.
My good wishes are my currency.
My good actions are my travel record.
My character is my reputation.
And my journey is the multitude of experiences through which the soul learns, grows and becomes.
The question would not be: Have I made enough money? Have I accumulated enough possessions? Have I achieved enough? Have I impressed enough people?
The deeper questions would be about my spiritual qualifications — my virtues, qualities and soul power:
Is my heart clean?
Is my vision pure?
Are my intentions honest?
Is my behaviour dignified?
Can I leave this world without regret?
Did I help and support others on their journey?
Did I walk through life from a place of love and compassion?
Did I walk in my truth?
And how much did I walk with God?
Because ultimately, my spiritual passport is not something I carry in my hand. It is something I become.
It’s Time … to check whether my spiritual passport is valid for the onward journey.
© ‘It’s Time…’ by Aruna Ladva, BK Publications London, UK