Serenity you must have before you can make any Spiritual Progress.

Thoughts, attitudes, influences and outer worldly noises can all diminish the heighten awareness for spiritual growth.  Once a negative feeling or emotion grabs hold we unconsciously slide into the pit of despair and dwell in it until we are shaken out of it.  Stagnation will set in and your desire to relinquish this hold will strenghten and grow constructing a barrier of discontentment, mistrust, fear and denial. Much time can go by while we conform to this mental state and this is when damage to the spirit is taking place. If a man or women has not been experienced or learned in the spiritual arena the odds of achieving clarity dwindle as time passes.  My own search for being in a harmonious and spiritual attitude is a process but having experienced moments of bliss I now know there is work , constant work to keep my body, soul, and mind in that environment.  I think many of you out there who know what I speak of continually educate yourselves to allow the positive work of the spirit  to flow through you daily.  In my own search the writings of Emmet Fox have become my handbook to keeping my spirit afloat.  To help those who sense the need to reconnect I quote Emmet Fox,