Posts
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Men are from earth, and women are from earth! The symbolic statement that they (we) are from different "planets" is catchy, but it has done enormous damage! It has driven a wedge between the sexes, already involved in a troubling and difficult social situation.
The major problem is that people analyze each other far too much, and far too often. Careful analysis -- at least, some -- is necessary before moving in, and sharing your life, with another. But after a person has fallen in Love, he/she need not continually analyze the partner. As in all other phases of our lives, we need to embellish relationship with simplicity. There is a time when it is appropriate simply to enjoy a relationship, to play, to stop super-serious analysis, to just let it be.
No relationship can survive long that is being analyzed to death! We need more simplicity, and more relaxation, in our construction of simple relationships. Overcomplexification, like overanalysis, is deadly to any relationship. And no one can live under a microscope. In fact, no one should be asked to.
So, as we return to simplicity in life, let us return to simplicity in relationship. This means less talking (although there is an appropriate time for good communication), less analysis (although there is a time for that too), and less criticism. It means less "fixing" or "repairing" the other, and allowing her/him to be authentic, and authentically imperfect.
It means abandonment of obsessive discussion of the relationship. Overfeed a living thing, and you can kill it. A similar phenomenon occurs when a relationship is over-thought. We will never permit ourselves to be abused -- verbally, emotionally, or in any other way. But if a relationship is not abusive, or unacceptable in other ways, it can be nourished best by "letting it be." Silence itself can be very nourishing, both to the soul and to relationships. We do not have to be always fine-tuning, tinkering, altering, repairing. If it isn't broke, stop trying to fix it.
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Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Freedom
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The only real (eternal) growth is spiritual, but that has deep roots in the psychological. Never allow your freedom of emotional expression to depend on the "dumb crowd." You are created as a free being. You are free to express yourself, and your emotions, in any way that seems appropriate, and compassionate, to you.
Our friend is simply becoming, for the first time in many years, a free person. As is the case with you, this is also her destiny. She refuses now to be controlled by the shifting moods of others. She refuses to build her life around other people's changing moods or plans. She is becoming "as free as a bird," and she treasures the joys and riches of her new freedom. She wants to be free of all manipulation, and all control, from all people. For decades, her extremist fundamentalist husband controlled her every move, and was an iron vice-grip on her life. A taurus, he can be, and has been, extremely controlling. In fact, he secretly wants to control everyone in his life. He has no freedom, and doesn't want anyone else to enjoy it.
You are right: Your job is to create as much freedom in compassion as possible. If that means that God (Love) moves you out of one job, then She/He has another waiting for you. God/Goddess (nature) has given you the wonderful gift of an active brain; but how, or whether, you use it, is entirely up to you. That is yet another meaning of "freedom."
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The only real (eternal) growth is spiritual, but that has deep roots in the psychological. Never allow your freedom of emotional expression to depend on the "dumb crowd." You are created as a free being. You are free to express yourself, and your emotions, in any way that seems appropriate, and compassionate, to you.
Our friend is simply becoming, for the first time in many years, a free person. As is the case with you, this is also her destiny. She refuses now to be controlled by the shifting moods of others. She refuses to build her life around other people's changing moods or plans. She is becoming "as free as a bird," and she treasures the joys and riches of her new freedom. She wants to be free of all manipulation, and all control, from all people. For decades, her extremist fundamentalist husband controlled her every move, and was an iron vice-grip on her life. A taurus, he can be, and has been, extremely controlling. In fact, he secretly wants to control everyone in his life. He has no freedom, and doesn't want anyone else to enjoy it.
You are right: Your job is to create as much freedom in compassion as possible. If that means that God (Love) moves you out of one job, then She/He has another waiting for you. God/Goddess (nature) has given you the wonderful gift of an active brain; but how, or whether, you use it, is entirely up to you. That is yet another meaning of "freedom."
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Letter from a new friend
Letter from a new friend:
Most people have a real problem with discernment. I suppose most people who think of themselves as very advanced masters are not. But there are some who are. It's similar to people who claim they or someone else is an "advanced" or "old" soul. I believe for the most part, they are not.
On the other hand, lack of sound discernment tools happens in the opposite direction. In other words, people have an even harder time discerning a true master than they do discerning a wanna-be master.
True masters are like looking into a bright light - it makes your eyes burn. So they can live anonomously if they choose. That's because most people don't know how to see and most people don't want to see.
Design and "biomind"
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Some evolutionists embrace the philosophy of evolutionism as well as the science of evolution. They are often far too "black and white." As you might know, I embrace evolution as directed by an intelligence built into matter itself -- an organizing principle or tendency, if you are more comfortable with those phrases. I call my perspective the "evolution/design integrative theory," or "edit," for it accepts and
embraces the factual aspects of evolution, yet it is not reductionistic; it does not say, in other words, that life just "fell together" by a random collision of molecules.
I am not a "creationist." But there is clearly mathematical design in living systems. The cell, so small that hundreds could crowd together on the period at the end of this sentence, is as complex as the metroplex of New York City. It performs thousands of complex processes per second, at lightning-speed, and with ultrananoscopic precision. That is clearly "design." To argue its random evolution is analogous, to me, of arguing that a dictionary came from an explosion in a print-shop, or that if ten thousand monkeys typed long enough, they would, sooner or later, produce the full Encyclopedia Britannica. Random molecular evolutionists have
seriously argued this! I call it the "i.b.i." theory -- the impossible becomes the inevitable, with the passage of enough time!
"Design" does not imply some "big daddy in the sky." Instead, it can refer to a finer organizing principle within atoms or molecules themselves, and within cells. What force causes a thousand million atoms to rush around in the cell, each finding its very specific and necessary lace? The only answer possible is some kind of organizing principle -- an invisible matrix-forming force that has everything arranged in specific time-sequences. This implies design, and that, of the very highest mathematical order.
I call this order "God," but I do not define God as a distant invisible Extraterrestrial. I define God as Love, and perhaps atoms are attracted to each other by a variety of "Love," which we call "atomic" or "interatomic" force.
Something astonishing is occurring with life. When evolution first became popular in the 1850's, the cell was seriously thought to be a simple "bag of chemicals." We now know that it is an intricately, meticulously hyperorganized set of extremely complex and interdependent processes that require perfect timing -- to the nanosecond. Even the most cynical must admit that something complex is occurring, as if nature never heard of simplistic answers. If "God" is within, it stands to natural reason that She/He is also within the cell.
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Some evolutionists embrace the philosophy of evolutionism as well as the science of evolution. They are often far too "black and white." As you might know, I embrace evolution as directed by an intelligence built into matter itself -- an organizing principle or tendency, if you are more comfortable with those phrases. I call my perspective the "evolution/design integrative theory," or "edit," for it accepts and
embraces the factual aspects of evolution, yet it is not reductionistic; it does not say, in other words, that life just "fell together" by a random collision of molecules.
I am not a "creationist." But there is clearly mathematical design in living systems. The cell, so small that hundreds could crowd together on the period at the end of this sentence, is as complex as the metroplex of New York City. It performs thousands of complex processes per second, at lightning-speed, and with ultrananoscopic precision. That is clearly "design." To argue its random evolution is analogous, to me, of arguing that a dictionary came from an explosion in a print-shop, or that if ten thousand monkeys typed long enough, they would, sooner or later, produce the full Encyclopedia Britannica. Random molecular evolutionists have
seriously argued this! I call it the "i.b.i." theory -- the impossible becomes the inevitable, with the passage of enough time!
"Design" does not imply some "big daddy in the sky." Instead, it can refer to a finer organizing principle within atoms or molecules themselves, and within cells. What force causes a thousand million atoms to rush around in the cell, each finding its very specific and necessary lace? The only answer possible is some kind of organizing principle -- an invisible matrix-forming force that has everything arranged in specific time-sequences. This implies design, and that, of the very highest mathematical order.
I call this order "God," but I do not define God as a distant invisible Extraterrestrial. I define God as Love, and perhaps atoms are attracted to each other by a variety of "Love," which we call "atomic" or "interatomic" force.
Something astonishing is occurring with life. When evolution first became popular in the 1850's, the cell was seriously thought to be a simple "bag of chemicals." We now know that it is an intricately, meticulously hyperorganized set of extremely complex and interdependent processes that require perfect timing -- to the nanosecond. Even the most cynical must admit that something complex is occurring, as if nature never heard of simplistic answers. If "God" is within, it stands to natural reason that She/He is also within the cell.
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Monday, May 30, 2005
True "Masters" and False
Most people have a real problem with discernment. I suppose most people who think of themselves as very advanced masters are not. But there are some who are. It's similar to people who claim they or someone else is an "advanced" or "old" soul. I believe for the most part, they are not.
On the other hand, lack of sound discernment tools happens in the opposite direction. In other words, people have an even harder time discerning a true master than they do discerning a wanna-be master.
True masters are like looking into a bright light - it makes your eyes burn. So they can live anonomously if they choose. That's because most people don't know how to see and most people don't want to see.
http://gribridges.blogspot.com/
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Posted by Mark Walter to Love Ministries
On the other hand, lack of sound discernment tools happens in the opposite direction. In other words, people have an even harder time discerning a true master than they do discerning a wanna-be master.
True masters are like looking into a bright light - it makes your eyes burn. So they can live anonomously if they choose. That's because most people don't know how to see and most people don't want to see.
http://gribridges.blogspot.com/
--
Posted by Mark Walter to Love Ministries
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Evolutionism, Creationism, and Ecology
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The belief in either philosophy -- creationism or evolutionism -- might not be the determining factor that forms a person's respect for the environment, or lack thereof. When we use such terms as "evolutionists" and "creationists," we have already muddied the water. For there are many different sub-types in both groups. Some evolutionists, like some creationists, have tremendous respect for the environment, and some do not.
It seems that the deciding factor is not the underlying biophilosophy at all. The determining factor is greed. The very greedy of both orientations are willing to say, with the current administration, "To hell with the environment and the future. All that counts is the immediate bucks!" They condemn our children, and their children, to a sickening and dangerous ecology for the sake of mere short-term profits.
Is this theoretical? Not at all; it has already happened. In siding with corporations, in "corporate welfare," the gov has acted against the people. As a health-pro, you no doubt have noticed a measurable increase in emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma among the very old and the very young. This is directly due, in part, to the gov's reversal of the laws against too much particulate matter in the air. Similar regressive policies have alarmed environmentalists when it comes to water, earth (soil), and the proliferation of chemical and radioactive toxins. Should only the rich be protected, by isolating themselves in hermetically-sealed buildings? The next time the gov supports panic, and gives out gas-masks, will it be because the air is poisonous?
The immoral greed-mongers and war-mongers are so ecologically illiterate, and myopic, that they are willing to destroy Mother Earth for only a few billion bucks. That sounds like a huge "profit," but when compared with the totality of the future of our, and our children's, planet, it is a microdrop.
We need not waste timenergy arguing over whether a "god" has anything to do with the formation of life. The practical question is, How are we going to be stewards of the biosphere? Are we really stupid enough to reverse decades of sound ecological pollicy for the sake of a few already filthy-rich corporations?
*******
The belief in either philosophy -- creationism or evolutionism -- might not be the determining factor that forms a person's respect for the environment, or lack thereof. When we use such terms as "evolutionists" and "creationists," we have already muddied the water. For there are many different sub-types in both groups. Some evolutionists, like some creationists, have tremendous respect for the environment, and some do not.
It seems that the deciding factor is not the underlying biophilosophy at all. The determining factor is greed. The very greedy of both orientations are willing to say, with the current administration, "To hell with the environment and the future. All that counts is the immediate bucks!" They condemn our children, and their children, to a sickening and dangerous ecology for the sake of mere short-term profits.
Is this theoretical? Not at all; it has already happened. In siding with corporations, in "corporate welfare," the gov has acted against the people. As a health-pro, you no doubt have noticed a measurable increase in emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma among the very old and the very young. This is directly due, in part, to the gov's reversal of the laws against too much particulate matter in the air. Similar regressive policies have alarmed environmentalists when it comes to water, earth (soil), and the proliferation of chemical and radioactive toxins. Should only the rich be protected, by isolating themselves in hermetically-sealed buildings? The next time the gov supports panic, and gives out gas-masks, will it be because the air is poisonous?
The immoral greed-mongers and war-mongers are so ecologically illiterate, and myopic, that they are willing to destroy Mother Earth for only a few billion bucks. That sounds like a huge "profit," but when compared with the totality of the future of our, and our children's, planet, it is a microdrop.
We need not waste timenergy arguing over whether a "god" has anything to do with the formation of life. The practical question is, How are we going to be stewards of the biosphere? Are we really stupid enough to reverse decades of sound ecological pollicy for the sake of a few already filthy-rich corporations?
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Thursday, May 26, 2005
This World and Karma
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This world is designed specifically for the purpose of learning through the eradication or neutralization of karma. But to suppose that the world should be "better" because "all (or most of) the karma" has been "burned off," or balanced, is simplistic and naive.
Why? Because souls are capable of creating new karma continuously. And reason two is that the Mind can continue to create new souls continuously. And reason three is that the earth-school has not been "in business" that long. We, as simple human egos, might think of the earth as a very ancient system. Yet in terms of infinity, the entire history of the earth is but an eye-blink.
The souls that tend to incarnate on this planet are "kindergarten" souls, which means that they have only just begun to seek -- and almost never to find -- enlightenment, liberation, and the end of karma. Like all toddlers, spiritual toddlers are apt to make many, many mistakes -- creating billions of more karmic events -- than are more advanced souls.
So, earth is not only the place where karma can be erased; it is also the place where new karma is made.
Earth will get better. But it will grow only as the souls using it develop. Look around, and you will see that the souls on this planet are anything but spiritually grown-up or sophisticated. Graduation from this "school" takes many lifetimes, and the world is still full of pre-school toddlers or kindergarteners, first-graders, and second-graders. And how do we identify such spiritual "children"? They are continuously multiplying, proliferating, and increasing their karma. And this will continue to be a "kindergarten" school for at least a couple of thousand more earth-years.
To assume that the earth should be better is to assume that more karma is being neutralized than is being created. But, at present, in ignorance and greed, people are very busy creating karma, night and day, twenty-four seven, and almost no one is spending a single minute in voluntarily, deliberately, consciously erasing karma. So, since we have been on earth as human beings for a while, we arguably have more karma than ever! On an arrested planet, the years increase karma; they do not decrease it. The exception occurs to certain people. This rare type is she who lives in such pure Love that her Love erases karma; and such people are, and have always been, a microminority on earth.
Let us not be agonized in selfcreated hells by the slowness of spiritual growth. Instead, let us take all our timenergy and invest it in loving, as purely and as often, as possible. Let us go forth today determined to erase as much of our personal karma, by the Power of Love, as possible. You can never, except by forgiveness that reaches the other, erase the karma of another. But you certainly can eradicate your own!
*******
This world is designed specifically for the purpose of learning through the eradication or neutralization of karma. But to suppose that the world should be "better" because "all (or most of) the karma" has been "burned off," or balanced, is simplistic and naive.
Why? Because souls are capable of creating new karma continuously. And reason two is that the Mind can continue to create new souls continuously. And reason three is that the earth-school has not been "in business" that long. We, as simple human egos, might think of the earth as a very ancient system. Yet in terms of infinity, the entire history of the earth is but an eye-blink.
The souls that tend to incarnate on this planet are "kindergarten" souls, which means that they have only just begun to seek -- and almost never to find -- enlightenment, liberation, and the end of karma. Like all toddlers, spiritual toddlers are apt to make many, many mistakes -- creating billions of more karmic events -- than are more advanced souls.
So, earth is not only the place where karma can be erased; it is also the place where new karma is made.
Earth will get better. But it will grow only as the souls using it develop. Look around, and you will see that the souls on this planet are anything but spiritually grown-up or sophisticated. Graduation from this "school" takes many lifetimes, and the world is still full of pre-school toddlers or kindergarteners, first-graders, and second-graders. And how do we identify such spiritual "children"? They are continuously multiplying, proliferating, and increasing their karma. And this will continue to be a "kindergarten" school for at least a couple of thousand more earth-years.
To assume that the earth should be better is to assume that more karma is being neutralized than is being created. But, at present, in ignorance and greed, people are very busy creating karma, night and day, twenty-four seven, and almost no one is spending a single minute in voluntarily, deliberately, consciously erasing karma. So, since we have been on earth as human beings for a while, we arguably have more karma than ever! On an arrested planet, the years increase karma; they do not decrease it. The exception occurs to certain people. This rare type is she who lives in such pure Love that her Love erases karma; and such people are, and have always been, a microminority on earth.
Let us not be agonized in selfcreated hells by the slowness of spiritual growth. Instead, let us take all our timenergy and invest it in loving, as purely and as often, as possible. Let us go forth today determined to erase as much of our personal karma, by the Power of Love, as possible. You can never, except by forgiveness that reaches the other, erase the karma of another. But you certainly can eradicate your own!
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The Imperfect House-church
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We must all be careful of "all or nothing," "black and white" thinking. (This is an i.d. mark of the sign scorpio, but, of course, can occur with anyone.)
So, when it comes to the early house-churches in Christian history, the implication should never be that they were flawless or perfect. And it was not our intent to support that inaccurate inference. Are house-churches good, constructive, and valuable? Yes, there can be no doubt of it.
Are they preferable to the gigantic impersonal corporations, churches as formal institutions? For me and many others, they are. Do they create warmth, intimacy, deep spirituality, and mutual support? Yes, they do.
But here's the question: Are they perfect? As you might suspect, with human beings working and playing together, they are not. No human enterprise, my friend, has ever been perfect. Even under the perfect guidance of the perfect Spirit of Love, imperfect human beings create imperfect systems. So, of course, the house-church is an imperfect system of imperfect people. But it does lack the hideous, widespread
politics of the formal Church. Absent is the budget of billions of dollars, which attracts corruption and dishonesty. Absent also is the implied and inevitable social stratification between formal "clergy" and "laity," more closely approximating the system of Jesus, in which all were equal sons and daughters of God.
Absent also is the list of dogmas set in concrete, to which everyone must subscribe. This insistence on mental sameness creates a Church of conformity, not of Love. It also destroys spiritual creativity, inventiveness, and originality. In time, the most microscopic variations of belief are damned as "heresy" or, in Islam, "apostasy."
In summary, the house-church has several advantages, many of them Love-advantages, over the formality, coldness, and de-personalization of the Church as corporation or institution. This basic premise is not at all altered by the obvious fact that house-churches are not perfect. Indeed, if we waited until we could do anything with perfection, human beings would never do anything at all!
*******
We must all be careful of "all or nothing," "black and white" thinking. (This is an i.d. mark of the sign scorpio, but, of course, can occur with anyone.)
So, when it comes to the early house-churches in Christian history, the implication should never be that they were flawless or perfect. And it was not our intent to support that inaccurate inference. Are house-churches good, constructive, and valuable? Yes, there can be no doubt of it.
Are they preferable to the gigantic impersonal corporations, churches as formal institutions? For me and many others, they are. Do they create warmth, intimacy, deep spirituality, and mutual support? Yes, they do.
But here's the question: Are they perfect? As you might suspect, with human beings working and playing together, they are not. No human enterprise, my friend, has ever been perfect. Even under the perfect guidance of the perfect Spirit of Love, imperfect human beings create imperfect systems. So, of course, the house-church is an imperfect system of imperfect people. But it does lack the hideous, widespread
politics of the formal Church. Absent is the budget of billions of dollars, which attracts corruption and dishonesty. Absent also is the implied and inevitable social stratification between formal "clergy" and "laity," more closely approximating the system of Jesus, in which all were equal sons and daughters of God.
Absent also is the list of dogmas set in concrete, to which everyone must subscribe. This insistence on mental sameness creates a Church of conformity, not of Love. It also destroys spiritual creativity, inventiveness, and originality. In time, the most microscopic variations of belief are damned as "heresy" or, in Islam, "apostasy."
In summary, the house-church has several advantages, many of them Love-advantages, over the formality, coldness, and de-personalization of the Church as corporation or institution. This basic premise is not at all altered by the obvious fact that house-churches are not perfect. Indeed, if we waited until we could do anything with perfection, human beings would never do anything at all!
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The True "Spiritual Master"
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The definition of a "spiritual master" is the person who has mastered the self. A genuine "master" is not, and does not seek to be, the "master" of other people. They are not less than (s)he; (s)he is not "their" master, as if they were mere "servants." The true "master" has mastered humility, and does not see her(him) self as "better" than, or superior to, others. The major quality that marks the selfmastery of any being is her having cultivated as perfect, and as universal, a Love as possible.
This should be the very first priority in any definition. All historical masters, including Jesus, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, and Patanjali, agree that this is so. But Love is barely mentioned in the attempt by Maticintin ("Winged Wolf") to define "masterhood,", and is second or third on the list of identifying characteristics.
The primary emphasis is on the master's "knowledge." While knowledge is crucial -- and wisdom even more so -- it is not the primary identifying quality of a true spiritual master. Historical masters were never presented as simply walking encyclopedias. Cultleaders often ignore this fact, because an indispensable aspect of Love is freedom -- precisely what they want to steal from their followers.
Her definition smacks of grandiosity and ego. She claims the master literally "knows everything" about the natural world. The writer claims that she is herself such a master. In fact, she pathetically, ludicrously labels herself a "Wisdom Master." This betrays strong ego, in compensation for weak selfesteem. She is a cultist, who will do virtually anything to get her followers to adore her. Again, this is psychological compensation for self-dislike.
If anyone in the world "knew everything" about nature, biomedical and other scientists would be beating a path to her door, and then, beating that door down to get to her. The mysteries of molecular and cellular biology (cytology) are abundant, as are those of genetics and related fields. According to Maticintin's own limited definition, she holds the secrets to all the mysteries of nature.
Such a "master" is obligated by conscience to cure cancer, starvation, and all the other medical ills of the world. And no one, including Maticintin, has ever had the knowledge to do so. This woman is clearly a pretender to "mastership," if we accept her own definition.
Of course, everyone would love to be a "master." In her fantasies, Maticintin is no different: She longs to be a "master." But her dreams have become confused with reality, and she believes that she is a master already! But a true master would be so unselfconscious (egoless), and so comfortable within her own skin, that it would never occur to her to trumpet and highlight her mastership, as she has done. A true master would be a master of humility, one of the "fruits" of the "tree of Love."
She would refuse to selfdisplay, and would share her infinite "intrinsic" knowledge with the whole world. A true master would be so generous, and so selfconfident, that she would not even seek credit for her spiritual brilliance.
For she insists, correctly, that much of the wisdom of the master is inherent or intrinsic, not learned. It is karmic, and she is born with it. This includes, she says, full knowledge of physics, or "how the universe is formed." So, questions of subatomic structure should be child's play for the "master" to elucidate. Such a master should be able, and willing, to perfect nanotechnology, and so, to create a world of infinite material riches, feeding, and fulfilling every need of, every
person.
This knowledge includes also "how the karma of all life-forms are intertwined within it [the cosmos]." So, the giant and complex problems facing groups, nations, and important leaders should be able to be prophesied in advance, before they happen. No one has ever manifested this kind of precognitive accuracy. And you can bet that if anyone ever did show this kind of prescience, there would be an immediate media frenzy! This person's name would instantly become a household word. But, as noted, a real "master" would not be marked by knowledge alone, but by deep and tender compassion.
She claims that a master's "detachment" would make him "fearless." This is true, and this could be very easily put to the test, in several ways. Maticintin has claimed to be a fully enlightened master, to have overcome all fears. Has anyone ever put this claim to a real test?
The part about "selfless" attention to the "good of the whole" is spot on, and quite accurate.
She misidentifies "God" as "void." From one perspective, God is indeed the Buddhist sunyata, or "infinite potential"-- the spiritual meaning of "void." But this emphasis is to miss the entire point that God is more immediately, and more practically, and more positively Love.
At the conclusion of the piece, she identifies herself as a "master." If she makes this incredibly glorious claim, she has a lot to prove. Talk is cheap, and easy: Anyone can say anything. But her own criteria must be met before anyone with half a brain will believe her unbelievable claim to be a true "master."
It is interesting to wonder how this selfproclaimed master, who "knows everything" about everything in the cosmos, would fare on a college-level exam in biology, chemistry, or physics. Her proposition that the master is omniscient could be very easily tested. It is seriously doubted that she would pass such a series of comprehensive exams.
*******
The definition of a "spiritual master" is the person who has mastered the self. A genuine "master" is not, and does not seek to be, the "master" of other people. They are not less than (s)he; (s)he is not "their" master, as if they were mere "servants." The true "master" has mastered humility, and does not see her(him) self as "better" than, or superior to, others. The major quality that marks the selfmastery of any being is her having cultivated as perfect, and as universal, a Love as possible.
This should be the very first priority in any definition. All historical masters, including Jesus, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, and Patanjali, agree that this is so. But Love is barely mentioned in the attempt by Maticintin ("Winged Wolf") to define "masterhood,", and is second or third on the list of identifying characteristics.
The primary emphasis is on the master's "knowledge." While knowledge is crucial -- and wisdom even more so -- it is not the primary identifying quality of a true spiritual master. Historical masters were never presented as simply walking encyclopedias. Cultleaders often ignore this fact, because an indispensable aspect of Love is freedom -- precisely what they want to steal from their followers.
Her definition smacks of grandiosity and ego. She claims the master literally "knows everything" about the natural world. The writer claims that she is herself such a master. In fact, she pathetically, ludicrously labels herself a "Wisdom Master." This betrays strong ego, in compensation for weak selfesteem. She is a cultist, who will do virtually anything to get her followers to adore her. Again, this is psychological compensation for self-dislike.
If anyone in the world "knew everything" about nature, biomedical and other scientists would be beating a path to her door, and then, beating that door down to get to her. The mysteries of molecular and cellular biology (cytology) are abundant, as are those of genetics and related fields. According to Maticintin's own limited definition, she holds the secrets to all the mysteries of nature.
Such a "master" is obligated by conscience to cure cancer, starvation, and all the other medical ills of the world. And no one, including Maticintin, has ever had the knowledge to do so. This woman is clearly a pretender to "mastership," if we accept her own definition.
Of course, everyone would love to be a "master." In her fantasies, Maticintin is no different: She longs to be a "master." But her dreams have become confused with reality, and she believes that she is a master already! But a true master would be so unselfconscious (egoless), and so comfortable within her own skin, that it would never occur to her to trumpet and highlight her mastership, as she has done. A true master would be a master of humility, one of the "fruits" of the "tree of Love."
She would refuse to selfdisplay, and would share her infinite "intrinsic" knowledge with the whole world. A true master would be so generous, and so selfconfident, that she would not even seek credit for her spiritual brilliance.
For she insists, correctly, that much of the wisdom of the master is inherent or intrinsic, not learned. It is karmic, and she is born with it. This includes, she says, full knowledge of physics, or "how the universe is formed." So, questions of subatomic structure should be child's play for the "master" to elucidate. Such a master should be able, and willing, to perfect nanotechnology, and so, to create a world of infinite material riches, feeding, and fulfilling every need of, every
person.
This knowledge includes also "how the karma of all life-forms are intertwined within it [the cosmos]." So, the giant and complex problems facing groups, nations, and important leaders should be able to be prophesied in advance, before they happen. No one has ever manifested this kind of precognitive accuracy. And you can bet that if anyone ever did show this kind of prescience, there would be an immediate media frenzy! This person's name would instantly become a household word. But, as noted, a real "master" would not be marked by knowledge alone, but by deep and tender compassion.
She claims that a master's "detachment" would make him "fearless." This is true, and this could be very easily put to the test, in several ways. Maticintin has claimed to be a fully enlightened master, to have overcome all fears. Has anyone ever put this claim to a real test?
The part about "selfless" attention to the "good of the whole" is spot on, and quite accurate.
She misidentifies "God" as "void." From one perspective, God is indeed the Buddhist sunyata, or "infinite potential"-- the spiritual meaning of "void." But this emphasis is to miss the entire point that God is more immediately, and more practically, and more positively Love.
At the conclusion of the piece, she identifies herself as a "master." If she makes this incredibly glorious claim, she has a lot to prove. Talk is cheap, and easy: Anyone can say anything. But her own criteria must be met before anyone with half a brain will believe her unbelievable claim to be a true "master."
It is interesting to wonder how this selfproclaimed master, who "knows everything" about everything in the cosmos, would fare on a college-level exam in biology, chemistry, or physics. Her proposition that the master is omniscient could be very easily tested. It is seriously doubted that she would pass such a series of comprehensive exams.
*******
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
People First
*******
In the United States, and in other places, greed has become the Number One religion, and oil is often its god.
Corporations often roll over human rights like a bulldozer. The voice of the people is often drowned out by loud machinery, and leaders become dull, insipid, and insensitive due to the lure of megabucks.
This hurts people seriously, and in many ways. So, it is antiagapic (against Love), and counterspiritual.
As a solution, we need continuously to emphasize the Way of Compassion -- by both words and activities. Not only that, but we need to demand that our leaders -- religious, economic, and political -- restore to society the values of goodness, kindness, empathy, generosity, and fairness. Where dollars become the center of life, compassion fades and evaporates.
The current system has betrayed all people except the very wealthy. Through its direct action to support only corporations through "corporate welfare," it has ruined and reversed the rights of senior citizens (prescription-drug bills that favor the pharmaceutical industry) and young people (every child left behind). It has stripped the people of power by granting billions to energy-companies, and has decided to ruin even the planet itself, for immediate bucks, by reversing decades of
positive eco-legislation. It has wounded the most vulnerable members of our society, including, most disgracefully, the very veterans who have maintained our rights by paying the ultimate price.
Let us do everything possible to bring compassion into the public spotlight and the arena of public discussion. For if compassion is allowed to die in a flood of oil and blood, everything valuable within the human psyche will also perish.
*******
In the United States, and in other places, greed has become the Number One religion, and oil is often its god.
Corporations often roll over human rights like a bulldozer. The voice of the people is often drowned out by loud machinery, and leaders become dull, insipid, and insensitive due to the lure of megabucks.
This hurts people seriously, and in many ways. So, it is antiagapic (against Love), and counterspiritual.
As a solution, we need continuously to emphasize the Way of Compassion -- by both words and activities. Not only that, but we need to demand that our leaders -- religious, economic, and political -- restore to society the values of goodness, kindness, empathy, generosity, and fairness. Where dollars become the center of life, compassion fades and evaporates.
The current system has betrayed all people except the very wealthy. Through its direct action to support only corporations through "corporate welfare," it has ruined and reversed the rights of senior citizens (prescription-drug bills that favor the pharmaceutical industry) and young people (every child left behind). It has stripped the people of power by granting billions to energy-companies, and has decided to ruin even the planet itself, for immediate bucks, by reversing decades of
positive eco-legislation. It has wounded the most vulnerable members of our society, including, most disgracefully, the very veterans who have maintained our rights by paying the ultimate price.
Let us do everything possible to bring compassion into the public spotlight and the arena of public discussion. For if compassion is allowed to die in a flood of oil and blood, everything valuable within the human psyche will also perish.
*******
Society and Sexuality
*******
You need to accept sexuality as a good and beautiful gift of God(dess) through nature. The cult, and many religions, condemn sex as if the action itself were a "sin." It is not; it is the way that nature and the Lovemind (God) designed us.
Can sex be harmful? Yes, certainly, for it can betray a heart or ruin a life if it is inappropriate, premature, or occurs at the wrong time or with the wrong person.
Can sex be dangerous? Yes, for it can be abusive, treating women, for example, as sexual objects, and de-personalizing them, ignoring their minds, souls, and beings as children of Love. Sex can be a "karmic explosive," and needs to be handled with Love and care.
Can sex be beautiful? You bet! In a context of Love and longterm commitment, sex can be the fabulous zenith of the best of all life -- Love. At its best, good sex is a gift of both God (Love) and Goddess nature).
We were meant to celebrate our sexuality, not to repress and suppress it, damning it as "dirty," "evil," or even "regrettable." Sexual activity, in a healthy person, is as natural as the blossoming of a rose in sunlight. It is as beautiful as a rainbow, sunset, crystal, or any other part of nature.
We cannot simply "follow nature," and live, sexually, like dogs, monkeys, or other creatures. For we are human beings, and we have been given the great gifts of selfcontrol, ethics, kindness, and morality-- which means "goodness." We can foresee the consequences of our activities, to some extent.
Sex can fill your life with nightmare or with refreshing Light and liberation. Recognizing the impulse as natural allows us to embrace the simple fact that sex, and the impulse for it, are good, not "bad," or "sinful."
Sex is like the energy of nature. Like fire, for example, it can be used to warm and give light, or it can burn down houses, hurt people, and create misery. We have an obligation of positive selfesteem not to use sex carelessly. We also have obligations towards each other not to "use" people for momentary gratification.
For sex is not like drinking delicious drink or eating wonderful food. It is a symbolic and complex activity that, for eons, has contained an implicit promise of a very special Love. If we are not willing to give that special, exclusive Love, we are better not indulging in "sex as recreation." For, as delightful to the senses as it can be, sex is never only a sensual experience. It is a promise that we make with our bodies.
That promise has two parts: Love and commitment.
The spiritual person's attitude towards sex is that it in itself is not shameful, guilt-producing, or evil. It becomes antiagapic (contrary to Love) only when it is inappropriate, when it hurts others.
We live by ahimsa, a vow that we make to ourselves never voluntarily to harm any other living creature. This "harm" is emotional, psychological, physical, or spiritual.
Sex is delicious, but it is not candy. it is not for children. It is not a way of passing a boring Sunday afternoon. It is a sacrament -- a very holy aspect of our lives. To have sex carelessly, with too many partners, is to cheapen it, to make it "common." At the other extreme, to avoid it like the plague is also to push us towards imbalance. The key is balance. We must prepare to have sex at the right time with the right person. Thus, it retains its specialness and holiness. For sex is the only holy or sacred activity in many lives.
So, when a sexual impulse arises, the healthiest response is to regard it as natural and normal. Avoid selfcondemnation; that is like damning yourself for feeling hungry, or sleepy. If, for a time, autoeroticism is the only way to relieve the pressures, this is much better than sleeping with the wrong person -- possibly ruining two or more lives! Approach sex with the same anticipation, and enjoy it with the same sense of celebration, that you would express when eating a delicious fruit, or tasting a wonderful drink after having been very thirsty.
It is long past time that we, as a society, reversed the damnation of sex itself as "regrettable" or "unfortunate." We need to remember how to celebrate it-- within a context of honor and mutual Love, not as a mere "plaything."
How did we get so off-track? In very ancient times, many cultures expressed their religions sexually. Celebrating sex was how they honored their gods. So, in the Hebrew Scriptures ("Old Testament"), Jehovah, the wargod of the Jews, sternly presented himself as antisexual. For he was afraid that a positive attitude towards sex would cause the ancient Israelis (he was the god of Israel; each country then had its own god) to stop worshiping him, and to betray him. He feared that "his chosen people" would worship other gods. And they did this all the time! For
almost any god or goddess was more fun to worship than the humorless, murderous, psychotic, and violent Jehovah!
That problem has long ago turned to dust. But we still carry the residue of this ghastly and false god in the subconscious mind. How does God view sex? How does Love view sex?
Love loves sex, when it is honorable and appropriate. That is, if it is regarded as sacred, and as the zenith of Lovexpression between two people, sex is clean, joyful, even transcendental. It is abundantly clear that nature (Goddess) wants us to engage in sex. So does Love (God).
*******
You need to accept sexuality as a good and beautiful gift of God(dess) through nature. The cult, and many religions, condemn sex as if the action itself were a "sin." It is not; it is the way that nature and the Lovemind (God) designed us.
Can sex be harmful? Yes, certainly, for it can betray a heart or ruin a life if it is inappropriate, premature, or occurs at the wrong time or with the wrong person.
Can sex be dangerous? Yes, for it can be abusive, treating women, for example, as sexual objects, and de-personalizing them, ignoring their minds, souls, and beings as children of Love. Sex can be a "karmic explosive," and needs to be handled with Love and care.
Can sex be beautiful? You bet! In a context of Love and longterm commitment, sex can be the fabulous zenith of the best of all life -- Love. At its best, good sex is a gift of both God (Love) and Goddess nature).
We were meant to celebrate our sexuality, not to repress and suppress it, damning it as "dirty," "evil," or even "regrettable." Sexual activity, in a healthy person, is as natural as the blossoming of a rose in sunlight. It is as beautiful as a rainbow, sunset, crystal, or any other part of nature.
We cannot simply "follow nature," and live, sexually, like dogs, monkeys, or other creatures. For we are human beings, and we have been given the great gifts of selfcontrol, ethics, kindness, and morality-- which means "goodness." We can foresee the consequences of our activities, to some extent.
Sex can fill your life with nightmare or with refreshing Light and liberation. Recognizing the impulse as natural allows us to embrace the simple fact that sex, and the impulse for it, are good, not "bad," or "sinful."
Sex is like the energy of nature. Like fire, for example, it can be used to warm and give light, or it can burn down houses, hurt people, and create misery. We have an obligation of positive selfesteem not to use sex carelessly. We also have obligations towards each other not to "use" people for momentary gratification.
For sex is not like drinking delicious drink or eating wonderful food. It is a symbolic and complex activity that, for eons, has contained an implicit promise of a very special Love. If we are not willing to give that special, exclusive Love, we are better not indulging in "sex as recreation." For, as delightful to the senses as it can be, sex is never only a sensual experience. It is a promise that we make with our bodies.
That promise has two parts: Love and commitment.
The spiritual person's attitude towards sex is that it in itself is not shameful, guilt-producing, or evil. It becomes antiagapic (contrary to Love) only when it is inappropriate, when it hurts others.
We live by ahimsa, a vow that we make to ourselves never voluntarily to harm any other living creature. This "harm" is emotional, psychological, physical, or spiritual.
Sex is delicious, but it is not candy. it is not for children. It is not a way of passing a boring Sunday afternoon. It is a sacrament -- a very holy aspect of our lives. To have sex carelessly, with too many partners, is to cheapen it, to make it "common." At the other extreme, to avoid it like the plague is also to push us towards imbalance. The key is balance. We must prepare to have sex at the right time with the right person. Thus, it retains its specialness and holiness. For sex is the only holy or sacred activity in many lives.
So, when a sexual impulse arises, the healthiest response is to regard it as natural and normal. Avoid selfcondemnation; that is like damning yourself for feeling hungry, or sleepy. If, for a time, autoeroticism is the only way to relieve the pressures, this is much better than sleeping with the wrong person -- possibly ruining two or more lives! Approach sex with the same anticipation, and enjoy it with the same sense of celebration, that you would express when eating a delicious fruit, or tasting a wonderful drink after having been very thirsty.
It is long past time that we, as a society, reversed the damnation of sex itself as "regrettable" or "unfortunate." We need to remember how to celebrate it-- within a context of honor and mutual Love, not as a mere "plaything."
How did we get so off-track? In very ancient times, many cultures expressed their religions sexually. Celebrating sex was how they honored their gods. So, in the Hebrew Scriptures ("Old Testament"), Jehovah, the wargod of the Jews, sternly presented himself as antisexual. For he was afraid that a positive attitude towards sex would cause the ancient Israelis (he was the god of Israel; each country then had its own god) to stop worshiping him, and to betray him. He feared that "his chosen people" would worship other gods. And they did this all the time! For
almost any god or goddess was more fun to worship than the humorless, murderous, psychotic, and violent Jehovah!
That problem has long ago turned to dust. But we still carry the residue of this ghastly and false god in the subconscious mind. How does God view sex? How does Love view sex?
Love loves sex, when it is honorable and appropriate. That is, if it is regarded as sacred, and as the zenith of Lovexpression between two people, sex is clean, joyful, even transcendental. It is abundantly clear that nature (Goddess) wants us to engage in sex. So does Love (God).
*******
Monday, May 23, 2005
More about the "House-church"
*******
The first churches were what they called "house-churches." Since this coming-together in homes was the original pattern of Christianity, they must have thought that this fine idea was the guidance of the Holy Spirit. So do I!
Historically, it was only when the orthodox Church started to buy real estate that it needed to collect relatively large sums of money, to pay for the building and land. This first occurred nearly four centuries after the death of Jesus. So, for over three hundred years, the early Christians met in simple homes. "Congregations," or groups of believers, rarely numbered more than ten or so. The result? Loving, warm, caring "families" of spirituality. (When a house-church got more than ten to fifteen regular members, one in the group opened up her home, and a "sister" house-church was formed.)
These intimate groups fostered and supported direct and regular interaction. Each person was a real part of the lives of the others; their lives were interwoven, and they truly cared for, and about, each other. Besides the house-churches, they often saw each other during the week.
Are there any "house-churches" today? Yes, but they are not "organized" into a large corporation. Too much of the Church is, today, a corporate venture, in the sense that it is a real corporation. It is institutional, and detached, and the people are not as close, or as closely interwoven, as was possible in the simple little house-churches. So, as an "institution," churches have grown cold and impersonal.
Back to history: When the first "Church-buildings" were constructed, the Church got into real estate. This cost big bucks. Big bucks attracted and created corruption, so the original innocence of the house-church was lost, with its simpllicity and warm brightness. In following this unfortunate pattern of formality, in emphasizing the size of the congregation instead of its Love-quality, the Church lost very much
indeed.
All formal patterns of Catholicism and Protestantism followed the formalized arrangement of the Church. All spent fortunes building elaborate, often expensive, buildings. This put terrific pressure on the members, especially those who were poor.
All of this has been said to come to this nuclear idea: We have established a house-church that is as simple and warm as one can be. It is like an early gnostic or sufi group. Those are the finest role-models from history. We gather only once every two weeks, because it is such a busy world. We meet in a most lovely room, in the garage, called the "Pneumarium". This word means, "Place of Spirit." The group is called "the Pneumarium family."
It is small. Usually, fewer than ten people show up. We are not strangers, but people who really want to be parts of each others' lives. I feel very powerfully that the Holy Spirit of Love has called us to this
mission.
*******
The first churches were what they called "house-churches." Since this coming-together in homes was the original pattern of Christianity, they must have thought that this fine idea was the guidance of the Holy Spirit. So do I!
Historically, it was only when the orthodox Church started to buy real estate that it needed to collect relatively large sums of money, to pay for the building and land. This first occurred nearly four centuries after the death of Jesus. So, for over three hundred years, the early Christians met in simple homes. "Congregations," or groups of believers, rarely numbered more than ten or so. The result? Loving, warm, caring "families" of spirituality. (When a house-church got more than ten to fifteen regular members, one in the group opened up her home, and a "sister" house-church was formed.)
These intimate groups fostered and supported direct and regular interaction. Each person was a real part of the lives of the others; their lives were interwoven, and they truly cared for, and about, each other. Besides the house-churches, they often saw each other during the week.
Are there any "house-churches" today? Yes, but they are not "organized" into a large corporation. Too much of the Church is, today, a corporate venture, in the sense that it is a real corporation. It is institutional, and detached, and the people are not as close, or as closely interwoven, as was possible in the simple little house-churches. So, as an "institution," churches have grown cold and impersonal.
Back to history: When the first "Church-buildings" were constructed, the Church got into real estate. This cost big bucks. Big bucks attracted and created corruption, so the original innocence of the house-church was lost, with its simpllicity and warm brightness. In following this unfortunate pattern of formality, in emphasizing the size of the congregation instead of its Love-quality, the Church lost very much
indeed.
All formal patterns of Catholicism and Protestantism followed the formalized arrangement of the Church. All spent fortunes building elaborate, often expensive, buildings. This put terrific pressure on the members, especially those who were poor.
All of this has been said to come to this nuclear idea: We have established a house-church that is as simple and warm as one can be. It is like an early gnostic or sufi group. Those are the finest role-models from history. We gather only once every two weeks, because it is such a busy world. We meet in a most lovely room, in the garage, called the "Pneumarium". This word means, "Place of Spirit." The group is called "the Pneumarium family."
It is small. Usually, fewer than ten people show up. We are not strangers, but people who really want to be parts of each others' lives. I feel very powerfully that the Holy Spirit of Love has called us to this
mission.
*******
Friday, May 13, 2005
The Horror of Greed
*******
The heartless, compassion-free administration has proved beyond the shadow of any reasonable doubt, in several ways, that if there is a choice between human health and more money, it will grab for the immediate bucks. If dollars are involved, greed always erases conscience with the guys at the top.
If this means increasing the particulate matter in the air, triggering bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and other serious, sometimes deadly, lung-conditions, they have proved that they will carelessly give the go-ahead. They will go after the bucks even if the new legislation seriously impairs-- or even kills-- young children and older people.
They have now moved legislatively to increase the pollutants-- often deadly ones-- in our water supply, just as they previously allowed more hideously toxic mercury in our drinking-water. Now, they threaten, for the sake of greed and shorterm dollars, to allow sewage in drinking water. The problem is not a single person, but the powerful principle of abandoned greed that has taken over the lives of inept, incompetent, or just plain stupid political and economic leaders. Greed, when applied to ecology, is deadly to human beings; in the longterm, it is lethal to the
entire planet.
The solution? Let us live as ecologically as possible, and demand that political leaders, and their corporate pals, do the same! They have proved, several times, beyond any reasonable doubt that money is much more important to them than human life. (In the war, they have massacred a hundred thousand innocent people, all for oil.)
*******
The heartless, compassion-free administration has proved beyond the shadow of any reasonable doubt, in several ways, that if there is a choice between human health and more money, it will grab for the immediate bucks. If dollars are involved, greed always erases conscience with the guys at the top.
If this means increasing the particulate matter in the air, triggering bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and other serious, sometimes deadly, lung-conditions, they have proved that they will carelessly give the go-ahead. They will go after the bucks even if the new legislation seriously impairs-- or even kills-- young children and older people.
They have now moved legislatively to increase the pollutants-- often deadly ones-- in our water supply, just as they previously allowed more hideously toxic mercury in our drinking-water. Now, they threaten, for the sake of greed and shorterm dollars, to allow sewage in drinking water. The problem is not a single person, but the powerful principle of abandoned greed that has taken over the lives of inept, incompetent, or just plain stupid political and economic leaders. Greed, when applied to ecology, is deadly to human beings; in the longterm, it is lethal to the
entire planet.
The solution? Let us live as ecologically as possible, and demand that political leaders, and their corporate pals, do the same! They have proved, several times, beyond any reasonable doubt that money is much more important to them than human life. (In the war, they have massacred a hundred thousand innocent people, all for oil.)
*******
Monism and Dualism: Light and Darkness
*******
"Monism" and "dualism" are opposite, and mutually exclusive, ways of looking at the cosmos.
"Monism" comes from the greek monos, and means "one." It is the mystical teaching that there is only one Mind in the cosmos. All other minds are parts of this One. This is a galactic, gigantic Mind of purest Love, beauty, intelligence, ecstasy, and tranquility.
This Mind is the only reality. It is all that truly exists. It exists independently of anything and everything. That is why mystics call it the "Absolute." (That which is "absolute" is "relative" to nothing.)
Since this vast, joyful Mind is all that truly exists, one of the many names that mystics use for "God" is "Reality." The "material, physical" world is actually a dream of this Mind, and exists within this Mind.
Stated differently, the entire cosmos is Mind. That means that it is energy. And quantum physics has convincingly proved that all things are made of atoms, and that there is nothing "solid" within atomic structure. It has demonstrated that atoms are energy-bundles or -packets called "quanta."
"Dualism," defined most simply, is the mother of all illusions, and all spiritual errors. It is the false belief that anyone or anything can exist "outside" the one Mind. It is the painful illusion that you, or anyone, can ever be "separate" from the Mind of infinite joy.
In the Genesis account, Adam (human nature) committed the "original sin," and this was dualism. For the sin was represented allegorically as "eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." In paradise, or "Eden" (a word meaning "pleasure"), human nature realized that all the cosmos was good, as God repeatedly declared creation to be, in the creation-account. But when the human mind obtained the false "knowledge" that evil was just as real as good, it fell into "sin," and out of "grace."
The one Mind has no real opposite. The cosmos itself is all God, although God is not just or only the material cosmos (an error called "pantheism"). God is not the material cosmos, but the Mind that dreams it up. So, God is "in" everything, as Mind. In Eden, the human mind said that both "God" and "non-God" truly and equally existed. Both were equally real. But if God is Reality, then anything "outside" of God must be illusion.
So, no antiagapic (counter-Love) actions, attitudes, or qualities have true, real, genuine existence. They are illusions.
Dualism is the belief that hatred, fear, and other antiagapic qualities are just as real as Love, that they are absolute. They are not; they have only a "relative" or "secondary" reality. So, with the passage of time, they will all disappear, vanish, be neutralized or extinguished.
*******
"Monism" and "dualism" are opposite, and mutually exclusive, ways of looking at the cosmos.
"Monism" comes from the greek monos, and means "one." It is the mystical teaching that there is only one Mind in the cosmos. All other minds are parts of this One. This is a galactic, gigantic Mind of purest Love, beauty, intelligence, ecstasy, and tranquility.
This Mind is the only reality. It is all that truly exists. It exists independently of anything and everything. That is why mystics call it the "Absolute." (That which is "absolute" is "relative" to nothing.)
Since this vast, joyful Mind is all that truly exists, one of the many names that mystics use for "God" is "Reality." The "material, physical" world is actually a dream of this Mind, and exists within this Mind.
Stated differently, the entire cosmos is Mind. That means that it is energy. And quantum physics has convincingly proved that all things are made of atoms, and that there is nothing "solid" within atomic structure. It has demonstrated that atoms are energy-bundles or -packets called "quanta."
"Dualism," defined most simply, is the mother of all illusions, and all spiritual errors. It is the false belief that anyone or anything can exist "outside" the one Mind. It is the painful illusion that you, or anyone, can ever be "separate" from the Mind of infinite joy.
In the Genesis account, Adam (human nature) committed the "original sin," and this was dualism. For the sin was represented allegorically as "eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." In paradise, or "Eden" (a word meaning "pleasure"), human nature realized that all the cosmos was good, as God repeatedly declared creation to be, in the creation-account. But when the human mind obtained the false "knowledge" that evil was just as real as good, it fell into "sin," and out of "grace."
The one Mind has no real opposite. The cosmos itself is all God, although God is not just or only the material cosmos (an error called "pantheism"). God is not the material cosmos, but the Mind that dreams it up. So, God is "in" everything, as Mind. In Eden, the human mind said that both "God" and "non-God" truly and equally existed. Both were equally real. But if God is Reality, then anything "outside" of God must be illusion.
So, no antiagapic (counter-Love) actions, attitudes, or qualities have true, real, genuine existence. They are illusions.
Dualism is the belief that hatred, fear, and other antiagapic qualities are just as real as Love, that they are absolute. They are not; they have only a "relative" or "secondary" reality. So, with the passage of time, they will all disappear, vanish, be neutralized or extinguished.
*******
Friday the Thirteenth
*******
Happy Friday the thirteenth! In older cultures, Friday was the day of the Goddess, and thirteen was her number. So, the day was considered ideal for "taking care of business" in nature. This included such items as gardening, but it was also considered an ideal time for creative Love-making. That is why it became anathema to the Church and to sexophobic Christians!
*******
Happy Friday the thirteenth! In older cultures, Friday was the day of the Goddess, and thirteen was her number. So, the day was considered ideal for "taking care of business" in nature. This included such items as gardening, but it was also considered an ideal time for creative Love-making. That is why it became anathema to the Church and to sexophobic Christians!
*******
Thursday, May 12, 2005
The Call of Love and the Voice of the People
*******
It is almost a cliche to say that the current situation is "scary." But we mystics refuse to let fear dominate (it is the "devil" of the Mind), and so, I do not see the situation as "scary," but as a call to action! It is time that the "voice of the people" be resurrected, come to active life, stimulated by the virtual dictatorship of a man who can barely tie his shoes. Yes, it is once again time for revolution in this country-- a bloodless, mental and spiritual revolution. Iron bars do not... and all that! You can kill a person, but not an idea. It is in that, and in the unquenchable voice of the people, where our truest hope lies-- in action, not in inactive despair. You and I, my friend, must "fight the good fight" against all tendencies even to try to silence the voice of the people. We must keep it loud and strong, by supporting each other--through visits, emails, phone-conversations, writing, and in any other positive, supportive actions. For the value of our lives is partially accurately measured by our thoughts. But our actions are a more profound and reliable "barometer" of the meaning of our lives. Love continuously is calling us to action! So, let's serve Love unflaggingly together!
*******
It is almost a cliche to say that the current situation is "scary." But we mystics refuse to let fear dominate (it is the "devil" of the Mind), and so, I do not see the situation as "scary," but as a call to action! It is time that the "voice of the people" be resurrected, come to active life, stimulated by the virtual dictatorship of a man who can barely tie his shoes. Yes, it is once again time for revolution in this country-- a bloodless, mental and spiritual revolution. Iron bars do not... and all that! You can kill a person, but not an idea. It is in that, and in the unquenchable voice of the people, where our truest hope lies-- in action, not in inactive despair. You and I, my friend, must "fight the good fight" against all tendencies even to try to silence the voice of the people. We must keep it loud and strong, by supporting each other--through visits, emails, phone-conversations, writing, and in any other positive, supportive actions. For the value of our lives is partially accurately measured by our thoughts. But our actions are a more profound and reliable "barometer" of the meaning of our lives. Love continuously is calling us to action! So, let's serve Love unflaggingly together!
*******
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Your Interior Child
********
Psychologists have long known that a part of your mind simply stopped growing and learning when you were about five years old. This they call the "inner" or "interior child."
Despite its age, this interior child is still a part of your present mind. It is active, more or less, in your mind right now. Whenever you feel, or act, like a very young child, then the "interior child" has taken control! When you "act like a baby," you can be sure of it!
This part of your mind can be a lot of fun! When you enter a state of pure, silent wonder or surprise -- when, for example, you marvel at the beauty of a flower, rainbow, or puppy, without inhibitions -- this is the positive use of your "interior child." Also, when you therapeutically break down and laugh, and just "get silly" with a friend, this is also a positive and helpful use of the "interior child." These uses of your mind can make life uproariously fun!
But the "interior child" within can also ruin your life. How? If she (he) regulates your emotional responses, that is a catastrophe! If the "child" influences major decisions (choosing a Love-partner, making purchases, etc.) that is also a disaster.
In short, the interior child can ruin your life, or fill it with happiness and wonder.
What can you do to help, or to heal, yourself? First, you must realize that the "child" is NOT an "enemy." She (he) can be made into one of your best friends-- a way of selflove. In one popular exercise, you can imagine the form of your "child" and talk with her/him. Reassure her/him that she/he is loved and safe. You, as an adult, will be the "protector." Offer your friendship and Love unconditionally. "Tell" the "child" that, no matter what she ever does, you will love her; your Love is unconditional. Soothe her, and reassure her. (Many of us, especially females, have "wounded interior children." For, when we were very young, we might have been hurt, abandoned, or even sexually abused.) So, the interior child needs healing. And Love is the world's greatest healer.
If you have a "best friend," you do not ignore her. In fact, you talk with her all the time. So, during the day and night, converse, in simple language, with your interior child. CAUTION: This is all symbolic activity. It is not healthy to regard your interior child as "someone else," except symbolically, for the purposes of selfhealing. She is a part of you, not another person. So, please keep this in mind whenever you "converse with" your interior child, and when you picture her in your mind.
Making friends with the interior child can prevent her trying to "take over" in stressful situations. For example, when you get into a conflictive disagreement or argument, you might want simply to shout, scream, cry, or withdraw. These are all the reaction-responses of the interior child; so, they are all unhealthy. Instead, when you have a disagreement -- especially a strong emotional one -- you want to tap into the part of your mind called the "interior adult." This part of your mind is reasonable, and expresses well in words, reason, logic, and communication. Discuss your problems, feelings, and thoughts.
There is yet another part of your mind that psychology does not generally recognize. This is the interior Spirit. It is manifested whenever you love, or respond with loving words or deeds. This is the highest and best part of your mind. As often as possible, we want our lifedesigns and lifepatterns to reflect this deeper Part of our minds. You can use the interior Spirit to heal the interior child. You can also use It to make the rest of your life richer, brighter, warmer, and more fun. It is a beautiful event when the interior Spirit takes the hand of the interior child, and both smile.
********
Psychologists have long known that a part of your mind simply stopped growing and learning when you were about five years old. This they call the "inner" or "interior child."
Despite its age, this interior child is still a part of your present mind. It is active, more or less, in your mind right now. Whenever you feel, or act, like a very young child, then the "interior child" has taken control! When you "act like a baby," you can be sure of it!
This part of your mind can be a lot of fun! When you enter a state of pure, silent wonder or surprise -- when, for example, you marvel at the beauty of a flower, rainbow, or puppy, without inhibitions -- this is the positive use of your "interior child." Also, when you therapeutically break down and laugh, and just "get silly" with a friend, this is also a positive and helpful use of the "interior child." These uses of your mind can make life uproariously fun!
But the "interior child" within can also ruin your life. How? If she (he) regulates your emotional responses, that is a catastrophe! If the "child" influences major decisions (choosing a Love-partner, making purchases, etc.) that is also a disaster.
In short, the interior child can ruin your life, or fill it with happiness and wonder.
What can you do to help, or to heal, yourself? First, you must realize that the "child" is NOT an "enemy." She (he) can be made into one of your best friends-- a way of selflove. In one popular exercise, you can imagine the form of your "child" and talk with her/him. Reassure her/him that she/he is loved and safe. You, as an adult, will be the "protector." Offer your friendship and Love unconditionally. "Tell" the "child" that, no matter what she ever does, you will love her; your Love is unconditional. Soothe her, and reassure her. (Many of us, especially females, have "wounded interior children." For, when we were very young, we might have been hurt, abandoned, or even sexually abused.) So, the interior child needs healing. And Love is the world's greatest healer.
If you have a "best friend," you do not ignore her. In fact, you talk with her all the time. So, during the day and night, converse, in simple language, with your interior child. CAUTION: This is all symbolic activity. It is not healthy to regard your interior child as "someone else," except symbolically, for the purposes of selfhealing. She is a part of you, not another person. So, please keep this in mind whenever you "converse with" your interior child, and when you picture her in your mind.
Making friends with the interior child can prevent her trying to "take over" in stressful situations. For example, when you get into a conflictive disagreement or argument, you might want simply to shout, scream, cry, or withdraw. These are all the reaction-responses of the interior child; so, they are all unhealthy. Instead, when you have a disagreement -- especially a strong emotional one -- you want to tap into the part of your mind called the "interior adult." This part of your mind is reasonable, and expresses well in words, reason, logic, and communication. Discuss your problems, feelings, and thoughts.
There is yet another part of your mind that psychology does not generally recognize. This is the interior Spirit. It is manifested whenever you love, or respond with loving words or deeds. This is the highest and best part of your mind. As often as possible, we want our lifedesigns and lifepatterns to reflect this deeper Part of our minds. You can use the interior Spirit to heal the interior child. You can also use It to make the rest of your life richer, brighter, warmer, and more fun. It is a beautiful event when the interior Spirit takes the hand of the interior child, and both smile.
********
Friday, May 06, 2005
The "Lord's Prayer"
*******
Here is a "paraphrased version" of the "Lord's Prayer":
"Our Father..." The Lovemind is the Source of all mind, the Origin of all.
"...who art in heaven,..." God lives in the "heavenly" part of our minds, the deepest Unconscious. This does not mean the literal sky or outer space.
"Hallowed be thy name." God's "name" is God's "identity." God's identity is to be made holy ("hallowed") by our recognition that it is more important than our own personal identities. What God (Love) wants is more important than what we want.
"Thy kingdom come,..." The "kingdom" is the "domain of a king." As ruler of our lives, God is not interested in ruling New Jersey, or any other geographic area. God rules heartminds, and rules from within them.
"...Thy will be done,..." The will of God is always the will of Love.
"...on earth, as it is in heaven." We pray that our earthly nature might fully reflect the heavenly nature-- that our biological and psychological bodyminds might serve the Spirit of Love, in all ways and always.
"Give us this day our daily bread." In a world of such utter poverty, it is obscene to request riches. All that we request of the great Mind is survival.
"And forgive us our trespasses, as we have forgiven those who have trespassed against us." The deepest Mind will forgive us in exact symmetry with the quality and quantity of forgiveness that we offer others-- no more, but no less.
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." The Lovemind dreams up the entire cosmos. It dreams many "temptations" to test the quality of our commitment, to test our behavior. No one would purchase a car without a test-drive. Earth is our "test-drive." We might look great "on paper," but it is the actual living, the behavior, that identifies our truest and deepest motives. And the most complete "delivery" from "evil" is the interior knowing that "evil" has no real existence in Mind, although it does exist in the world of duality (illusion).
*******
Here is a "paraphrased version" of the "Lord's Prayer":
"Our Father..." The Lovemind is the Source of all mind, the Origin of all.
"...who art in heaven,..." God lives in the "heavenly" part of our minds, the deepest Unconscious. This does not mean the literal sky or outer space.
"Hallowed be thy name." God's "name" is God's "identity." God's identity is to be made holy ("hallowed") by our recognition that it is more important than our own personal identities. What God (Love) wants is more important than what we want.
"Thy kingdom come,..." The "kingdom" is the "domain of a king." As ruler of our lives, God is not interested in ruling New Jersey, or any other geographic area. God rules heartminds, and rules from within them.
"...Thy will be done,..." The will of God is always the will of Love.
"...on earth, as it is in heaven." We pray that our earthly nature might fully reflect the heavenly nature-- that our biological and psychological bodyminds might serve the Spirit of Love, in all ways and always.
"Give us this day our daily bread." In a world of such utter poverty, it is obscene to request riches. All that we request of the great Mind is survival.
"And forgive us our trespasses, as we have forgiven those who have trespassed against us." The deepest Mind will forgive us in exact symmetry with the quality and quantity of forgiveness that we offer others-- no more, but no less.
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." The Lovemind dreams up the entire cosmos. It dreams many "temptations" to test the quality of our commitment, to test our behavior. No one would purchase a car without a test-drive. Earth is our "test-drive." We might look great "on paper," but it is the actual living, the behavior, that identifies our truest and deepest motives. And the most complete "delivery" from "evil" is the interior knowing that "evil" has no real existence in Mind, although it does exist in the world of duality (illusion).
*******
Return to Simplicity: The "House-church"
*******
The house-church could help the poor, who would not be crushed with the giant burden and additional expenses of a new church-building. The first, and earliest, Christians met in house-churches, which indicates that this was the way that the Holy Spirit (Love) guided them. They had regular gatherings of the spiritual family in homes and yards.
This they did, in fact, for the first four centuries of Christianity. It was only after the Great Corruption, in the fourth century-- after the Church had ceased to be a warm, loving family, and evolved instead into a cold, impersonal "institution" of wealth and politics-- that the first "church-building" was constructed. This was a purely human, organizational decision, not a spiritual one. It was utilitarian and corporat, almost in the modern sense, and was not guided or suggested by the original Spirit of Love. It involved huge sums of money, and pieces of real estate owned by the Church. Nowhere in history did it receive the blessings of God (Love). In fact, it was antiagapic, because it added to the pressure exerted against simple and poor people, placing a crushing burden on the poor, to have to pay for a church-building. Clearly, in countries with extreme poverty, such as India, the only Way that makes any sense is the one that takes burdens from the backs of the utterly poor. This makes the Way of Jesus easy, and his burden light, as he said. This implies a return to the original guidance given by the Holy Spirit-- coming together in humble homes. This prohibits the purchase of real estate by the official Church. For that inevitably creates a "political" structure within the Church, and that leads to handling of large sums of money, and to unavoidable dishonesties and corruption. The church of the Spirit of Love should be a warm family, not a corporation or cold institution. The guidance and bright ideals of the Spirit of Love have never changed, and will never change! These fine, noble ideals have been sadly neglected by the official organized Church, which as plunged the Church into economic disaster and moral catastrophe. Returning to these ideals of simplicity is the goal of the Pneumarium-movement among honest, simple people. Let us return to the original simplicity of our Lord, who taught on mountains, among fields of flowers, and beneath blue skies.
*******
The house-church could help the poor, who would not be crushed with the giant burden and additional expenses of a new church-building. The first, and earliest, Christians met in house-churches, which indicates that this was the way that the Holy Spirit (Love) guided them. They had regular gatherings of the spiritual family in homes and yards.
This they did, in fact, for the first four centuries of Christianity. It was only after the Great Corruption, in the fourth century-- after the Church had ceased to be a warm, loving family, and evolved instead into a cold, impersonal "institution" of wealth and politics-- that the first "church-building" was constructed. This was a purely human, organizational decision, not a spiritual one. It was utilitarian and corporat, almost in the modern sense, and was not guided or suggested by the original Spirit of Love. It involved huge sums of money, and pieces of real estate owned by the Church. Nowhere in history did it receive the blessings of God (Love). In fact, it was antiagapic, because it added to the pressure exerted against simple and poor people, placing a crushing burden on the poor, to have to pay for a church-building. Clearly, in countries with extreme poverty, such as India, the only Way that makes any sense is the one that takes burdens from the backs of the utterly poor. This makes the Way of Jesus easy, and his burden light, as he said. This implies a return to the original guidance given by the Holy Spirit-- coming together in humble homes. This prohibits the purchase of real estate by the official Church. For that inevitably creates a "political" structure within the Church, and that leads to handling of large sums of money, and to unavoidable dishonesties and corruption. The church of the Spirit of Love should be a warm family, not a corporation or cold institution. The guidance and bright ideals of the Spirit of Love have never changed, and will never change! These fine, noble ideals have been sadly neglected by the official organized Church, which as plunged the Church into economic disaster and moral catastrophe. Returning to these ideals of simplicity is the goal of the Pneumarium-movement among honest, simple people. Let us return to the original simplicity of our Lord, who taught on mountains, among fields of flowers, and beneath blue skies.
*******
The Curse of Fear as Greed
*******
It would be a shame indeed to see simple, humble, kind, and generous people touched, or soiled, by greed. Everyone must do all that is possible to prevent the people of Love from becoming the people of fear (greed).
Greed is like "mad cow" disease. Only instead of consuming flesh, it "eats up" the finest qualities of heartmind and soul. In one of the books, it is given a disease-name-- "aphilosis"-- which means the "absence of Love."
It makes a nightmarish master. It demands everything! People seem to find it extremely difficult to make money without allowing that true need to evolve into greed. The cure seems to be simply knowing when enough is enough. We must know how much we need, to survive and to do our mission on earth, and refuse excess. Can there ever be such a thing as "excess money"? You bet there can!:)
*******
It would be a shame indeed to see simple, humble, kind, and generous people touched, or soiled, by greed. Everyone must do all that is possible to prevent the people of Love from becoming the people of fear (greed).
Greed is like "mad cow" disease. Only instead of consuming flesh, it "eats up" the finest qualities of heartmind and soul. In one of the books, it is given a disease-name-- "aphilosis"-- which means the "absence of Love."
It makes a nightmarish master. It demands everything! People seem to find it extremely difficult to make money without allowing that true need to evolve into greed. The cure seems to be simply knowing when enough is enough. We must know how much we need, to survive and to do our mission on earth, and refuse excess. Can there ever be such a thing as "excess money"? You bet there can!:)
*******
Sunday, May 01, 2005
The End of Personal Karma
*******
It is not emphasized enough in traditional Buddhist writings, or Scripture (the Sutras), but Love completely erases all karma for the one who has found the path.
No other has the power to impose karma upon the one who has been freed. And you are freed by having found the Way. If the other chooses not to forgive you of a past error, then she must learn to outgrow that selfcreated "hell" of unforgiveness. But you need not "go to hell" with her!
Love forever shatters the shackles of karma, if it is the ordinary reflective type of karma. Of course, it is selflove that actually creates the elective type of karma, chosen by a soul before incarnation, to cause, enhance, or accelerate spiritual growth. So, elective karma, the kind usually marking an enlightened soul, or a bodhisattva, is not neutralized by Love.
Love is greater than karma. Powerwise, in fact, It knows no rivals. Even the enormous power of karma yields to Love. As God, It overcomes all-- all unforgiveness, all hostility, all conflict. It neutralizes all of these negative feelings and behaviors. Continuous loving is the only force in the cosmos that can give you a "clean karmic slate." And the consistent opening to Love does indeed clean your slate of all errors, so that you do not have to live through "normal" reflective karma.
After all, the purpose of karma is to teach. Once a student in a school learns her lessons, you would be foolish and wasteful to hand-cuff her to her desk. She is free to go home. Once we have fully surrendered our lives to Love, we need not remain on the "treadmill" of terrible karma. For after enlightenment, we live in "grace," which is total, absolute forgiveness, from the deepest Mind (Lovemind).
Once you discover Love, you have found Reality. For Love=Reality=Mind=God. When you start to integrate Love, you practice perfect forgiveness. This releases you, but not necessarily the other, from all karma. Love lifts you off the terrible "wheel of life and death." You step off the wheel of timespace, out of maya ("illusion"). No power can ever enslave you again.
Jesus' famous statement, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free," can also validly be translated, "You will know Reality, and what is real will free you." This latter is much more mystical. For it is in knowing that only Mind is real that we are set free from both maya and karma.
*******
It is not emphasized enough in traditional Buddhist writings, or Scripture (the Sutras), but Love completely erases all karma for the one who has found the path.
No other has the power to impose karma upon the one who has been freed. And you are freed by having found the Way. If the other chooses not to forgive you of a past error, then she must learn to outgrow that selfcreated "hell" of unforgiveness. But you need not "go to hell" with her!
Love forever shatters the shackles of karma, if it is the ordinary reflective type of karma. Of course, it is selflove that actually creates the elective type of karma, chosen by a soul before incarnation, to cause, enhance, or accelerate spiritual growth. So, elective karma, the kind usually marking an enlightened soul, or a bodhisattva, is not neutralized by Love.
Love is greater than karma. Powerwise, in fact, It knows no rivals. Even the enormous power of karma yields to Love. As God, It overcomes all-- all unforgiveness, all hostility, all conflict. It neutralizes all of these negative feelings and behaviors. Continuous loving is the only force in the cosmos that can give you a "clean karmic slate." And the consistent opening to Love does indeed clean your slate of all errors, so that you do not have to live through "normal" reflective karma.
After all, the purpose of karma is to teach. Once a student in a school learns her lessons, you would be foolish and wasteful to hand-cuff her to her desk. She is free to go home. Once we have fully surrendered our lives to Love, we need not remain on the "treadmill" of terrible karma. For after enlightenment, we live in "grace," which is total, absolute forgiveness, from the deepest Mind (Lovemind).
Once you discover Love, you have found Reality. For Love=Reality=Mind=God. When you start to integrate Love, you practice perfect forgiveness. This releases you, but not necessarily the other, from all karma. Love lifts you off the terrible "wheel of life and death." You step off the wheel of timespace, out of maya ("illusion"). No power can ever enslave you again.
Jesus' famous statement, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free," can also validly be translated, "You will know Reality, and what is real will free you." This latter is much more mystical. For it is in knowing that only Mind is real that we are set free from both maya and karma.
*******
Mini-numerology, and the Mystery of Suffering
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Nine represents the end of an enterprise, or of a learning-cycle or phase in your life. Seven has always represented spirituality and its attendant accoutrements. It is the activity of deep Love in your life. This came from the Greeks, who knew of only seven celestial bodies in our solar system, besides sun and moon. It is the number of the mystical Way, as are 11, 22, and 33. None of these sums is "reduced" in standard numerology.
Re your second inquiry: Suffering is one of the most complex issues in pneumopsychology (spiritual psychology). Most saintmystics of history have had to suffer. Many cultivated deepest patience through biomedical dysfunctions that daily challenged them.
Karma is not simple. It does not necessarily mean that, if you have condition a, that you caused someone else to have it. If life "hurts" you, it is not so simplistic always to imply that you hurt another, although that is usually the case. (Most saintmystics were "less than saintly" in former lives.)
But not all karma is purely reflective or reflexive. Most is. But there is also "elective" karma. Here, a soul can choose a genome (collection of genes) that will produce a dysfunctional or painful condition in the body. This creates suffering. A saintmystic might also arrange to have her life ended in some spectacular way in order to leave a message for the world to learn. (The death of Jesus, and the 9-11 victims, were deaths of this kind.)
Suffering is not all one thing, monochromatic. It is a polychromatic phenomenon. Although it is tough for our fearnature to accept, suffering can be a wonderful and beautiful teacher. When a person suffers, she teaches herself, and often many others, compassion or Love. She learns Love, because she can really relate, deeply, to the suffering of others; and she teaches others Love, because they truly want, out of Love, to help her.
Suffering is the best teacher of Love, and of patience also. The three steps of the mystical journey are: purgation, illumination, and Unity, although these three have several different names. The very first, the intro to the Way, is the Latin purgatorio, from which we obviously get the word "purgatory."
Purgatory is suffering, and understanding why you are suffering. ("Hell" is suffering, and not knowing why. "Hell" is also suffering because you have brought it upon another.) So, from the view of the saintmystics, suffering is "purgation," an old word meaning "purification."
An old parable tells us that gold, to be purified, must be melted by fire. That is why, in Revelation and other ancient writings, "fire" became an archetype of purification through suffering. Suffering is designed to soften the heart, to create gentle empathy and tender sympathy. It is needed at times to penetrate the very "thick skull" of ego.
It is also a Way of overcoming fear. We, as part-human beings, usually fear suffering. But the bark might be worse than the bite: Fear of suffering ends only when we are forced to face it. As examples of saintly holiness, the saintmystics of history voluntarily incorporated into their lives suffering and pain. Sometimes, they chose even a painful death. For death is the ultimate fear.
When, in the perfect Homeworld, you are contemplating a "trip" to earth, an incarnation, you are well aware, with crystal-clarity, that it will all be a "virtual" reality, a dream. None of this world around us is real. It is "psychoholographic"-- a world of holograms projected by the psyche. This entire "trip" (an earthlife) lasts only minutes, in Homeworld time. Only when you actually come here does the earth seem like "reality." So the soul, in designing a life, is absolutely fearless. It will design lives that would "scare the hell" out of the ego!
When we get here, we are supposed to awaken to the fact that these are dreamlives of "virtual" reality, nothing more. So, sometimes a soul will program in a terrifying event to "shake us awake," to cause "awakening," a synonym for "enlightenment" in ancient writings.
So, as you can see, there are many valid spiritual reasons for suffering, and it is not "bad." We must be careful never to misinterpret it as "punishment," for punishment comes from one being to another, and most suffering is like gravity: It follows simple natural law. It is just one of many dramatic, impressive, unforgettable patterns used by the deep soul to educate and re-mind us.
*******
Nine represents the end of an enterprise, or of a learning-cycle or phase in your life. Seven has always represented spirituality and its attendant accoutrements. It is the activity of deep Love in your life. This came from the Greeks, who knew of only seven celestial bodies in our solar system, besides sun and moon. It is the number of the mystical Way, as are 11, 22, and 33. None of these sums is "reduced" in standard numerology.
Re your second inquiry: Suffering is one of the most complex issues in pneumopsychology (spiritual psychology). Most saintmystics of history have had to suffer. Many cultivated deepest patience through biomedical dysfunctions that daily challenged them.
Karma is not simple. It does not necessarily mean that, if you have condition a, that you caused someone else to have it. If life "hurts" you, it is not so simplistic always to imply that you hurt another, although that is usually the case. (Most saintmystics were "less than saintly" in former lives.)
But not all karma is purely reflective or reflexive. Most is. But there is also "elective" karma. Here, a soul can choose a genome (collection of genes) that will produce a dysfunctional or painful condition in the body. This creates suffering. A saintmystic might also arrange to have her life ended in some spectacular way in order to leave a message for the world to learn. (The death of Jesus, and the 9-11 victims, were deaths of this kind.)
Suffering is not all one thing, monochromatic. It is a polychromatic phenomenon. Although it is tough for our fearnature to accept, suffering can be a wonderful and beautiful teacher. When a person suffers, she teaches herself, and often many others, compassion or Love. She learns Love, because she can really relate, deeply, to the suffering of others; and she teaches others Love, because they truly want, out of Love, to help her.
Suffering is the best teacher of Love, and of patience also. The three steps of the mystical journey are: purgation, illumination, and Unity, although these three have several different names. The very first, the intro to the Way, is the Latin purgatorio, from which we obviously get the word "purgatory."
Purgatory is suffering, and understanding why you are suffering. ("Hell" is suffering, and not knowing why. "Hell" is also suffering because you have brought it upon another.) So, from the view of the saintmystics, suffering is "purgation," an old word meaning "purification."
An old parable tells us that gold, to be purified, must be melted by fire. That is why, in Revelation and other ancient writings, "fire" became an archetype of purification through suffering. Suffering is designed to soften the heart, to create gentle empathy and tender sympathy. It is needed at times to penetrate the very "thick skull" of ego.
It is also a Way of overcoming fear. We, as part-human beings, usually fear suffering. But the bark might be worse than the bite: Fear of suffering ends only when we are forced to face it. As examples of saintly holiness, the saintmystics of history voluntarily incorporated into their lives suffering and pain. Sometimes, they chose even a painful death. For death is the ultimate fear.
When, in the perfect Homeworld, you are contemplating a "trip" to earth, an incarnation, you are well aware, with crystal-clarity, that it will all be a "virtual" reality, a dream. None of this world around us is real. It is "psychoholographic"-- a world of holograms projected by the psyche. This entire "trip" (an earthlife) lasts only minutes, in Homeworld time. Only when you actually come here does the earth seem like "reality." So the soul, in designing a life, is absolutely fearless. It will design lives that would "scare the hell" out of the ego!
When we get here, we are supposed to awaken to the fact that these are dreamlives of "virtual" reality, nothing more. So, sometimes a soul will program in a terrifying event to "shake us awake," to cause "awakening," a synonym for "enlightenment" in ancient writings.
So, as you can see, there are many valid spiritual reasons for suffering, and it is not "bad." We must be careful never to misinterpret it as "punishment," for punishment comes from one being to another, and most suffering is like gravity: It follows simple natural law. It is just one of many dramatic, impressive, unforgettable patterns used by the deep soul to educate and re-mind us.
*******
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