Posts
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"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.
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Friday, May 13, 2005
Friday the Thirteenth
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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!
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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!
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Thursday, May 12, 2005
The Call of Love and the Voice of the People
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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!
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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!
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Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Your Interior Child
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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.
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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.
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Friday, May 06, 2005
The "Lord's Prayer"
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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).
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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).
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Return to Simplicity: The "House-church"
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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.
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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.
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The Curse of Fear as Greed
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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!:)
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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!:)
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Sunday, May 01, 2005
The End of Personal Karma
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Thursday, April 28, 2005
Some Notes on Numerology
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Everyday numerology can tell us mostly peripherals about the directions and events of our lives. There are numerological extremists, who tend to be radically controlled by the numbers in their lives. They seem always upset, in a frenetic and kinetic frenzy!
Their problem is that they are always trying to control every factor of their lives. That word "control" always rings alarmbells in the mind of a mystic. Of course, there are many actions that we can take to improve our lives, and we should take them. But if we allow our lives to be over-regulated by numerology, and we attempt to regulate that, we can fall into a tailspin of fears and superstitions. This can dominate life rather unpleasantly, stripping it of its precious freedoms.
For numerologists fall far too easily into lives dominated by superstitions. Numbers are designed to give us signals, or feedback, from the Unconscious-- not to wrest "control" of our lives.:)
A nine means the end of a cycle of learning in your life. This is great, because the immediately passed learning-cycle has been a very tough one! Thank Love that it is over!
Five is not a "bad" number; as you might suspect, there are no "bad" numbers. Five does emphasize the cultivation of senses, and sensory, even sensual, experiences. It is the specifically human number, and, as an address, implies that human activities will be developed in the house. Since this includes biology, and all bio-activities, this could imply even a physical healing-- especially when combined with the nine.
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Everyday numerology can tell us mostly peripherals about the directions and events of our lives. There are numerological extremists, who tend to be radically controlled by the numbers in their lives. They seem always upset, in a frenetic and kinetic frenzy!
Their problem is that they are always trying to control every factor of their lives. That word "control" always rings alarmbells in the mind of a mystic. Of course, there are many actions that we can take to improve our lives, and we should take them. But if we allow our lives to be over-regulated by numerology, and we attempt to regulate that, we can fall into a tailspin of fears and superstitions. This can dominate life rather unpleasantly, stripping it of its precious freedoms.
For numerologists fall far too easily into lives dominated by superstitions. Numbers are designed to give us signals, or feedback, from the Unconscious-- not to wrest "control" of our lives.:)
A nine means the end of a cycle of learning in your life. This is great, because the immediately passed learning-cycle has been a very tough one! Thank Love that it is over!
Five is not a "bad" number; as you might suspect, there are no "bad" numbers. Five does emphasize the cultivation of senses, and sensory, even sensual, experiences. It is the specifically human number, and, as an address, implies that human activities will be developed in the house. Since this includes biology, and all bio-activities, this could imply even a physical healing-- especially when combined with the nine.
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