Finding a Spiritual Community to Grow With

Royal Way Spiritual Center is a place where adventurous seekers are on a path to higher consciousness. Dr. Michael Menahem Gottlieb founded Royal Way “as an instrument for bringing modern man and woman to the experience of God—not blind faith, not a philosophical knowing, not a theological knowing, but an experiential knowing.”

Royal Way Spiritual Center hosts retreats and workshops based on the spiritual teachings of Michael Gottlieb, a master teacher. Retreats are interactive and often in a group setting; the goal of inner exploration enhanced by the experience of being with other seekers similarly aiming for growth. As Dr. Gottlieb shared, “The dynamic of having others connected to the same teacher is extremely helpful to every individual connection. This adds a powerful thrust forward for growth and transcendence. Being part of that collective energetic, of that incredible dynamism, pulls you like a magnet into the teacher’s vortex of energy.”

The energy of the retreats at Royal Way Spiritual Center is uplifting and life-changing, and amplified by the group environment. Each individual’s participation combining with other seekers on a path to higher consciousness creates ongoing, vibrant, experiential events. The spiritual teachings of Royal Way bring expanded inner peace, wellness, joy, and success in all areas of life. They bring the experience of God.

The Interactive Nature of Royal Way Retreats

The retreats and happenings of Royal Way are interactive because the path toward discovery of self is most exciting and productive when it includes a community of individuals who share a teacher. Those in the Royal Way spiritual community in Southern California inspire each other, challenge and motivate each other, and support each other’s inner accomplishments and outer goals. Just as when running a marathon, the environment of camaraderie, of running together and cheering each other on, is quite a different experience from running alone. Here is a community of individuals who acknowledge, appreciate, and witness each other’s greatest achievements in growth over time. 

The interactive nature of Royal Way retreats includes meditations and exercises done with others, sometimes one-on-one, sometimes in small groups, and sometimes with the entire community. Those activities take on an expanded quality as new participants bring their unique personalities to the retreat environment. Friendships develop on a deep level beyond just surface social interactions. 

In our social media age, we are bombarded with unreal images that convey a false sense of deep interaction with others. “Liking” each other and sending heart emojis by text or email are only one way to relate to others. That can be fun, but it is limiting. It takes awareness and sensitivity to find a deeper experience of real community. Royal Way activities and retreats are live and in-person—no Zoom necessary! 

The Diversity of the Royal Way Spiritual Community

The Royal Way spiritual community is made up of individuals from varied social, cultural, and religious backgrounds. This diversity of past experiences creates an extraordinary dynamism. No two individuals are alike. 

Despite our unique histories, we also find in common shared challenges and triumphs, reminding us that we are united in our humanity. We are on a collective and individual spiritual quest to experience God, to connect with our divine spark and grow our divine seed. That divine nature transcends all cultural and religious boundaries.

As Dr. Gottlieb has said: “A knowing of our own reality begins to blossom. An awareness of our beauty raises our consciousness. A sense of our power blasts our walls of isolation.” 

Royal Way Celebrates Uniqueness and Individuation

One of the foundational teachings that unites the Royal Way spiritual community is a celebration of the individual. Self-actualization and individuation are at the core of that experience. Michael Gottlieb writes: “Out of great individuation grows a collective. That collective is on a higher plane. It has nothing to do with togetherness.” Uniqueness is essential. Freedom of expression is foundational to the Royal Way life. The community is therefore never stagnant—always flowing, always engaging in the exhilarating practice of self-exploration.

Discovery of self and one’s uniqueness always entails expression—verbal expression and creative expression through art, song, and dance. Expression is a way to gain clarity, intelligence, and one’s inherent, unique creativity. Dr. Gottlieb writes, “Always say who and what you really are. It is what is essential to your growth.” From that expression the individual gains a better understanding of who they are and can move and grow to a deeper and higher level.  

The Power of Collective Meditation

Royal Way retreats involve many different types of meditations, collective and individual, that help quiet the mind and invite a more meditative state. These include meditations such as walking or dancing meditations as well as guided visualization meditations, vipassana, and more. All are opportunities to quiet our constantly busy mental processes. According to Dr. Gottlieb, “The goal and purpose of meditation at the beginning level is to still the mind. You then discover the pure consciousness behind the mind. In that space you experience a different reality. From that reality, you generate a more subtle vibration of energy. With this energy, you expand the parameters of your mind and of your outer world. This enables you to be more effective at every endeavor and in all your areas of interest.”

Meditation is one of the essential practices in Royal Way. There is also great power in meditation done collectively. Individual, daily meditation is highly beneficial and recommended. Meditations practiced in a community setting raise a powerful energy that can infuse one’s daily meditation with a new commitment and deeper inner stillness. 

Additionally, Dr. Gottlieb shared: “Meditation brings you to that place where there is not even a question of more. Each moment is total fulfillment. Each moment is indeed enough. Meditation is where you learn how to live each moment to its fullness.”

Putting Royal Way Teachings Into Practice

Royal Way teachings are incredibly practical and easy to apply to everyday life. That is where we integrate the spiritual with the material world. The inner knowing and new insights gathered during retreats at Royal Way Spiritual Center become part of our life when we return to our familiar daily routines and environments of home, family, friends, coworkers. 

As Dr. Michael Gottlieb wrote, “A seeker is one who seeks his inner world, seeks his inner treasure, and in the process of that seeking elevates and enhances his success and his happiness in both worlds, the inner world and the outer world. Most people are not even aware of having an inner world, let alone a rich and brilliant inner universe.”

We discover that we do not need to return to unwanted habits or routines. Instead, every day can be sparkling, new, revitalized, and always surprising. The new clarity we gain in each retreat helps us to effectively make the changes we have been wanting. And during daily activities such as work and family life, we can experience a new quality of being, a relaxed ease and meditativeness.

“As I have said many times,” wrote Dr. Gottlieb, “the purpose of life is not to remain on the mountain, not to escape into spiritual insulation, but to carry the transcendence down below, to live in the material world, and transform and elevate it to spiritual heights.” 

A Community of Seekers

The rewards of inner growth may be experienced inwardly, but the outer manifestations of inner change are most often experienced through interactions with others. Sharing the process of a spiritual journey with a community of seekers creates an intimacy. Continuing on a path with familiar spiritual friends over time creates a wonderful and vital opportunity for feedback. 

I may feel different, I may feel inner transformation is happening, but do my spiritual friends notice my changes? Do they sense and experience my progress over time? That recognition creates a huge opportunity for confirmation of our outward transformation. Through ongoing interactions with a familiar group of participants, depth evolves. This is one of the most powerful ways to evolve toward one’s greatest potential.

A wonderful bond develops among the seekers in Royal Way. That bond allows an ease of expression and an ability to share one’s personal journey on a deeper level.

Conclusion

Many who have traveled on a path alone until now, even achieving a great degree of personal success with their spiritual growth, are delighted to discover an amazing spiritual community that fortifies the next chapter of their seeking, raising their journey to new exhilarating levels of transcendence in this lifetime, and beyond. 

To quote Dr. Gottlieb: “Fall in love with your true inner self and begin to seriously feed your divine spark and grow your divine seed. Yearn to release and experience your inner beauty. Become active on your quest and discover your true nature. Follow the path of transcendence and you will find the joy of higher consciousness filtering down to every area of your life.”