THIS IS THE SECOND BLOG ON THE PLAY OF LIGHT & DARK

Jung was one of the first contemporary thinkers to stress how we project our own shadow onto others, and how damaging this can be

  individually or globally.

Ancient wisdom and especially the Ancestors stress how important our evil inclination or shadow can be in getting in the way of spiritual transformation. Nevertheless it also is essential for our survival! The Creator has also put within us the inclination to do good.

The most important thing for spiritual grown is the tension arising out of choice between one and the other. The Talmud stresses that 

he or she who has no evil inclination cannot do perfect service. As long as we make skillful choices our enlightenment process will be enhanced. Kabbalah tells us that we are always being tested to see how worthy we are.

Our evil inclination is also our weak underbelly that will make us rationalize why we should indulge in dysfunctional but possibly more pleasurable sentient temptations. By showing restraint, enjoying life's gifts responsibly and having right intent we can turn potential transgressions into karmic blessings.

There is an African proverb that says; "No matter how long the night, the day is sure to come."

The Ancestors stress; "Patience in the face of evil" (both that of the dark side of our selves as well as the tricksters who play on our weaknesses.

The play of dark with the light increases the closer we get to the light. The Ancestors call this A Costly Compliment. Nevertheless trickster spirits are always around trying to sabotage our spiritual progress. 

Mostly they are mosquitoes at the picnic, sometimes wasps at the event and if we are getting close to the Crown Chakra or Keter they can be more like rattlesnakes. Nevertheless the only thing to fear is fear itself. If we are really that close to the light and remain impeccable we will be protected by our guides

Click to highlight the link, download and play the song that can help you meditate on this ancient wisdom

Becoming_-_MP3s/15_Do_Not_Bend.mp3

THIS IS THE FIRST BLOG FOR 2017

I hope you ended off 2016 fruitfully.

We have two talks coming up in February on the Play of Light and Dark and since we will not be able to cover this important subject in only four hours I thought we could kick off the New Year with some additional thoughts on this topic.

For those that can attend

The play of these two polarities is really the tension that arises between two feelings - Love or Fear. The emotion of Fear has many guises; hate, vengeance, envy, compulsions, cravings, addictions, habits..., all of which are part of Narrow or Monkey Mind which can only be controlled by spiritual practice.

The play of light and dark has been there since the beginning of time and since the Creation. As described in Genesis we were kicked out of the "Garden" for eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge - the knowledge of good and evil. Knowledge is commendable but has its dark side too since it leads us to be tempted amongst other things - irresponsibly - with the sentient pleasures around us. The Ancestors advise that; 

"Information is not to be equated with knowledge, knowledge is not to be equated with understanding, understanding is not to be equated with wisdom and wisdom is not to be equated with virtue."

In Genesis the punishment for eating of the Knowledge Tree and aligning with the serpent that represents the dark side was severe...

Fortunately there was also a Tree of Life in the Garden. If we can persuade the Cherubim who guard it with their flaming swords to let us in again we can still be readmitted if we are found to be worthy.

The Tree of Life is essentially a balance between contraction and expansion. Our will determines the balance. We can also refer to the contraction as Fear on the left (green here) side of the Tree and also in the center. On the right and in the center are the Five Loves designated above by the red hearts.

The central sephira or energy center of Tiferet or Beauty (blue) connotes love, empathy, compassion, forgiveness. The tension created by the triad of Judgment (Fear,) Mercy and Love is necessary for discrimination between right and wrong, skillful or unskillful. Kabbalah talks about "sweetening the judgments" - judging the behavior rather than the person since none of us are perfect.

Sadly many of our political leaders and the movies focus on vengeance and the mantra of; "I don't get mad, I get even!"



The choice between light and dark given to us by free will, and the relentlessness of Karma or the Law of Cause and Effects is in fact a paradoxical template for spiritual perfection occurring over many life times and through reincarnation. There can be no growth without conflict, no rose without a thorn so that we should embrace the challenges that life presents. If not for these, living would be like spiritual diabetes - extremely boring.

Click to highlight the link and then you can meditate on the song below; 

Cest_La_Vie.mp3