Thanks for sharing your personal challenge with us :) So much in this post, very thoughtfully done.

The material plane is thought of as lesser than the spiritual.

The earthly less than the heavenly. I agree that we should find the spiritual, the heavenly here on the earth, in our daily lives. The beyond is often put out there for those that are suffering here on earth. I like the idea which I have heard of native americans practicing which is basically if you are struggling spiritually reconnect with the earth and nature.