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[Alexandr Korol]

to the question — actually, now concluding the answer to your question — what stages or levels of spiritual development exist? Well, these are the stages. There is a spiritual person at the early levels who is so sensitive and up in the clouds that they might forget to set an alarm. They might get inspired by something and leave something else unfinished, not in tune with time, lacking structure and punctuality. They read a book about Petersburg, and the next day they hop on a plane to Petersburg without thinking they don’t have money for housing — so they end up living on the street. That’s a spiritual, creative person at stage one. Later, all of this gets regulated. It’s great when a person not only feels something, but also learns to express it, digest it — or better yet, to realize it. That’s also a stage of spiritual development: when a person not only feels but also learns to express it through creativity — through films, books, paintings, photography, sculpture — anything. That’s also wonderful. And again, this person should, on the one hand, float among the clouds since they’re so sensitive, but at the same time not forget that rent still needs to be paid, that if they promised something, they have to follow through. But not everyone can — some people just can’t tame their sensitivity and swelling heart even for a day, can’t quiet it down because, well, tomorrow the utility bills have to be paid, tax documents need to be submitted — that has to be done. Then after that, go back and fly off into your clouds. Right. And there are such spiritual people who’ve learned to maneuver like that. And then it gets even more interesting. There are spiritual people who’ve opened and purified their heart to such an extent that the Spirit can enter them. And that Spirit is yet another level of spirituality. That’s when a person feels as if a higher power is writing music through them, for example, and they don’t even understand what they’re doing — it just flows from above. That’s also one of the stages, one level of spirituality. That’s how it can be imagined. And even that is just in a few words.

Question: When the Spirit enters the main character and guides him through life, people around him don’t see it and don’t suspect who he really is. But there were also cases when strangers in temples recognized the Spirit in him and came up to greet him and say they had been waiting for him, or they apologized and made excuses. Was it the Spirit who made them recognize him?