DEATH  

 

PREPARATION

Preparation includes a number of requirements.

1. Acknowledging the law of cause and effect and improving one’s karma. This includes ridding oneself of unnecessary attachments and attending to needs not wants. Attachments hamper the transition of the spirit which may then become earth bound and lost between the worlds.

2. Losing the fear of death. The deepest and most profound meditation is that on death. Most of us fear death subconsciously if not consciously. Studying or meditating on it goes a long way to allaying this fear which can lead to a dysfunctional “crossing over.” None of us would take a trip to an unknown destination without informing ourselves and taking all possible preliminary precautions. Yet when it comes to our final and most seminal journey, many ignore doing any preparation.

3. Gaining knowledge of the death process will enable navigating skillfully. Our state of mind when we die will have a lot to do with which vibration we go to after death. 

 

CROSSING OVER

Forgiveness and settling unfinished business or any skeletons in the closet are essential before death, for a peaceful transition. Those facing death should clean the slate and release the living from any as yet unkept promises. 

All we are doing is changing our address, going out of one door through another. We can take nothing with us except our memories and our karma. Our mind state is key and we should have fearless clarity without confusion. It is best to go into an existential free fall without any angst, attachments or unfinished business. We need to be able look for the light and hear the ancestors or our guides calling us home. 

 

EARTH BOUND SPIRITS (E.B.S.) 

It is normal for spirits to hang around the earth plane for a period of time (usually about one month) to see what is happening before they cross over the veil. They want to see how everyone is doing, check the obituaries and funeral arrangements. Death rituals are important  - they like to know that they mattered and that their requests have been honored. Some may need to have final closure by visiting in dreams or even as “visitations” to those that are receptive. They may want us to know that they forgive, and would like to be forgiven, if this has not been done prior to death. 

 Also, if their death wishes have not been fulfilled or there are family conflicts this may create disappointments and urge them to temporarily remain earth bound. When the spirit is on the earth plane it is much easier for them to make contact than after they have crossed over the veil between worlds. If one is dreaming persistently of a loved one long after the first few months it is possible that the spirit may still be earth bound and there is unfinished business. 

Others, however, may voluntarily choose to be earth bound. This will enable them to be more available to assist the living with the trauma, financial challenges or conflicts surrounding disagreements such as those concerning the will. This is not necessarily a good thing for the spirit since it delays the soul’s transition. They also may delay crossing over until they are given permission to leave by the loved one they are supporting. Or they may cross over when they feel they are no longer needed. A distraught living, loved one also needs to know when the time has come to let the spirit go to the light.

Involuntary E.B.S. usually occur due to a traumatic, confused, or sudden death when there is no time to prepare or a distorted belief that there is nothing after death. These spirits are, sometimes unknown to them, lost between the worlds. Some do not even know they are dead and do not understand why none of the living are engaging with them. 

 

SPIRITUAL TRIBUNAL 

Material achievements on their own count for very little unless done for the greater good and for its own sake rather than for any agenda. A spiritual tribunal decides on our merits and demerits. Karma is only alterable if the dead have been or are forgiven for their sins by those still living. Reconciliations, however, can also be made between parties in the afterlife. New knowledge can be acquired and at least to some extent will reside in our “soulular” memories from previous life times into the next as a form of de ja vu. Forgiveness from other spirits in the Astral or those on the earth plane can improve dysfunction and advance the next incarnation. 

Forgiveness will release the spirit from their karmic sins which otherwise could result in a suboptimal reincarnation where they would be required to overcome some of those challenges that defied them previously. This is why the dead sometimes haunt the living for their forgiveness in order to be released from their karmic burdens .

Forgiveness will release the soul from the consequences of that particular action only. This applies especially to our fathers, mothers, grand fathers and grandmothers and hence the commandment; “Honor your father and mother ...” We do not have to love them or even like them, only honor them with our forgiveness no matter how toxic they may have been to us in life. They gave us birth and without them we would not be in a sentient body. 

For completion, the dead also need to forgive the living for their misdeeds. This is why closure is so essential before death. It can be done after death but it is much more difficult and requires expert spiritual assistance including forgiveness rituals. 

For others that have sinned against us there is no mandate to forgive but forgiveness is helpful to all concerned especially to the one doing the forgiving. For him or her it is releasing the spiritual burden of having a grudge. Neuroscience has shown that it is healthful and boosts the immune system. Also, spirits often reincarnate back into the blood line. Far better that they come back in a more purified state. The “black sheep” of the family may really be “white” in spiritual terms and may reincarnate to try and help heal family dysfunction. 

 

THE VARIOUS REALMS

We are carried by our hearts and karma to that “vibration” where we feel most at home. We lose touch with those with which we can no longer vibrate. Spiritual masters can travel freely throughout all the realms. To others the higher realms are invisible. There are multiple vibrations and realms within the realms. Our karma dictates which one we have earned and will go to.

These realms are commonly described as; Celestial, Causal, Astral and Lower. The Celestial is mostly unattainable for us although many report being visited by angels and the like. The Causal is the realm of perfected souls who can operate freely, do not need to reincarnate or may choose to do so voluntarily. The Astral (Imaginal) is the realm where we lose free will and reconcile with our karma before reincarnating or may be assigned to become a guide to the living. The Lower or Hell realms are where lost souls usually become stuck due to irreconcilably bad karma. Their cravings are accentuated and they may have little chance of redemption. Hence the term – “the Hungry Ghosts.”

 

THE CAUSAL REALMS

The Causal is the domain of the enlightened, pure, perfected souls who no longer need to reincarnate unless they decide to do so for a specific purpose. The Causal has different names depending on their belief system; the Pure land to the Buddhists, the Garden of Eden to the Kabbalists. Being non-local in space and time it has been said that they can be more present to those that are receptive when they are dead rather than when they were alive. They retain free will and can operate freely. They can visit the Astral realms to assist and guide. 

 

THE ASTRAL REALMS

Those that arrive in the Astral realm, which is most of us, will have more spiritual work to do. We are carried with intention, will, passion (our hearts and love) and our karma to that vibration which we deserve and where we feel the most comfortable. We navigate with our imagination and can create anything we wish. This is interesting and compelling at first but eventually becomes boring and the desire to do so dissipates.  We lose our sensory bodies and therefore can only experience sensation  in the imagination. 

We lose touch with other vibrations and cannot vibrate to higher realms but spiritual masters can travel freely throughout all the realms. To those in the Astral, the higher realms, are invisible.  Each faith will have a different imagining and hence go to a different place. We usually will end up in the same vibration as our loved ones with the same karma, belief systems and often into the same blood line. This is why we may want to do our karmic work before death – we may not want to end up similarly to where we had always been.  

In the Astral one faces a spiritual tribunal of a higher order or “school for the Higher Self or soul.” This is not severe as in a “judgment day". We are brought before this tribunal to reconcile with our karma. This is done in a loving and non-judgmental way but we are fully accountable to the spiritual laws of the cosmos. One’s lawyer cannot help here. We are confronted with our actions for which there will be inevitable  consequences. The principles that will challenge us have to do with Truth and Love. On the other side of the veil between worlds we no longer have options upon which to decide what fashions our destiny. We have already determined it. Thus, the ancestors need our help just as we need theirs. Forgiveness, love and gratitude are how we help them.

It seems there are two main options after reconciling with one's karma; to reincarnate or become a guide. 

Reincarnation

Reincarnation will usually occur into the family who is most likely to be able to challenge us so that we can overcome the issues we had difficulty with in prior life times. This may be a daunting option for those with bad karma. In a sense they have to do it all over again but maybe at a slightly higher or somewhat lower level. Many that had already been on a spiritual path will hope to inherit another life time where they can continue their spiritual trajectory at a higher level. We lose free will in the Astral where we can no longer do anything to improve our karma but forgiveness from those in real time can help. 

Becoming a guide.

We lose free will unless we become a guide to someone on the earth plane in the interim of our sojourn in the Astral. We are also able to complete work we never did in the previous life time. This can improve our karmic profile. 

Although we lose free will in the Astral one can work as a spirit guide through the free will of either a living, previously loved person or someone else that we have been assigned to help. The guide assigned will usually have had a similar mission or talent during their prior life time and therefore is most able to be of assistance to the one living.  However, because free will is the cosmic law, we on the earth plane have to ask very specifically for our guides to be allowed to operate. They cannot simply help us with our lives without clear direction.  

There is no time beyond the veil and it may take years in earth time before a spirit guide may appear. Ancestors and guides usually retain their persona, apparel, language, basic beliefs and idiosyncrasies. However, they have been “purified” and given a reality check during reconciliation. The religious fundamentalist may no longer be a zealot and now know there are many routes to God and someone who never believed in an after-life will know the truth.

 

 

 

 

 

 Dear Blogger

I have been going back on all the blogs which began in 2014. We have covered many spiritual conundrums and there has also been an evolution of understandings over this period of eight years both for me and I hope also for you. The early blogs are not the same as the later ones as I gain deeper insights and expand the knowledge. Most subjects have been covered more than once. This repetition is necessary because each time something is re-approached there are deeper understandings and rememberings. Moreover, we all forget so quickly. I had used quotes and sayings from many sources to affirm that I am not making any of this up myself and that these should be, and I believe are, universal truths which should never change. The Western mind especially is always seeking something new but "there is nothing new under the sun." All spiritual traditions review and repeat the same information again and again to refresh the teachings  so I make no apologies for the repetitions - the work is never done, we never quite get it or keep it unless we are continually reminded. 

"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, holiness or feeling (heartfeltness.)"

"You will come from doubt to belief, from belief to understanding, from understanding to knowing, from knowing too feeling. This is the way."

"Being aware of the lesson is different from learning and encompassing it. Knowing the path differs from following it."

Unless stated otherwise, when quotes are made, they will be from the Ancestors without them being formally acknowledged.

I have decided in future blogs to summarize and paraphrase their teachings which have come from three major sources; African, Druid/Celtic and Kabbalistic. I will only include quotes now and again if they are relevant in accentuating the knowledge. I suspect I will lose some of you except for maybe a core group who are in for the long term. This will be a summary or short version of the book the Ancestors have asked me to write which will be more lengthy and where I will also include more of their quotes and a few others that may be helpful. I hope that many of you will continue to log on. Because each blog cannot be too long each subject may require more that one blogging but it will be the essence of their teachings in short form.

F.Y.I. Historically as to where this knowledge came from.

Before the millennium I met Maryellen Kelley for the first

time. I was on a journey of self-discovery to find an alternative healing paradigm beyond allopathic medicine. Maryellen was a long-time educator with Santa Barbara City College and I began teaching for her classes. Thus began a long friendship and working partnership. After the turn of the millennium and my initiation as a sangoma in 2002, I began to receive dreams in metaphors, symbols and sometimes as visitations. In addition I received songs, often as messages as well.

After I was initiated Maryellen began to get a plethora of dreams with messages from various ancestral persons whom she did not know.  These messages will comprise most of the contents of this blog. She turned out to have amazing channeling abilities previously unknown to her.

The array of personalities coming into her dreams was staggering - Hebrew, African, Celtic, animal, mythical and otherwise. She was  receiving what the sangomas call “instructional dreams.”

These messages are universal and common to all beliefs.  The blogs have been selected from a vast reservoir spanning more than ten years.  They can be regarded as koans to be pondered and savored - having meanings on many different levels. Sadly Maryellen left the planet several years ago for the "Elsewhere," as she called it, but the teachings continue.

We are starting the blogs all over again but somewhat differently now. Your feedback is very welcome before we begin at dcumes@gmail.com.

THE FEAR OF ISOLATION 

“The greatest pain on earth is not the pain of poverty and hunger but the feeling of isolation.”  Mother Teresa

The United State of America has been founded on the strength of the individual - memorialized in song and also in Ayn Rand’s novels.

“I am a rock, I am an island. And a rock knows no pain and an island never cries.“ Paul Simon

This is antithetical to the Southern African Bantu principle of Ubuntu.

 “I am only a person through other persons.”  Bishop Tutu

Ubuntu has distinct human advantages. It asks for help and it helps others whether they ask for it or not. Ubuntu is grateful for assistance and advice. 

“Because it presupposes debt and dependency self-reliant Americans tend to scrutinize anger, resentment, happiness, and romantic love rather than have gratitude.” Robert Solomon

This can lead to isolation. American self-reliance supposes that “I can work this out myself” and asking for help may be a sign of weakness. This does not exclude them giving help but rather having difficulty asking or receiving it. Possibly some are more reluctant to give help assuming that others have the same self-reliant attitude. Having gratitude is key to equanimity and happiness. 

Gratitude implies we are capable of asking to receive as well as being able to receive graciously. 

Research on gratitude shows amazing results. Those who adopted a gratitude practice became happier, helped others and paid things forward amongst many other benefits. Paying forward and charitable acts can be amazingly helpful in alleviating those suffering from isolation. It may help them to feel less isolated. Isolation can preclude the benefits of gratitude and human interaction and aggravate itself. One sometimes needs to reach out to the sufferer in spite of any perceived reticence on their behalf. Paying forward recognizes that one has already been given something that was helpful. We should reach out to those suffering isolation for its own sake even if it is just a kind word or a comforting touch. For those who have difficulty with spiritual practice, a gratitude practice can help oneself as well as others. Those in states of isolation also need to take their suffering and make something useful out of it by reaching out to others in some way. This will cause less fear and more happiness. Covid has created excessive states of isolation and fear in societies especially it seems in the United States. Isolation and shame are often closely connected.

 

THE FEAR OF SHAME

“No matter how you stir a pot of filth it is always a pot of filth. Better to let the pot be and string pearls for the sake of heaven.”                                           Chassidic saying

Shame was also discussed in November last year but since it is so pernicious I will give a shorter version in relation to it creating morbid fear often eliciting a survival flight or fight response. Shame can be a crippling emotional force . Guilt and remorse are feeling bad about what we did. Shame and sometimes guilt can be feeling bad about who we are. We all have misgivings about what we did, what we didn't do, what we should have done but did not, what we could have done better and what was done to us. We all do bad things but that does not make us bad. We are responsible for but are not our actions. Belief that you are bad and belief you are out of control makes you more so!  Most things can be easily corrected by forgiving ourselves (treating ourselves as we would a good friend,) forgiving others and asking for forgiveness of others. It is relatively easy in most situations to clean the slate. When it comes to shame it is different. 

“Shame is the swampland of the soul.” C.J. Jung

"And if your friend does evil to you, say to him, I forgive you for what you did to me, but how can I forgive you for what you did to yourself?”  Nietzsche

If we have abused ourselves as in our higher Self by allowing ego and shadow to run rampant we may require help from outside such as a rehabilitation or twelve step program.

“Never yield to weariness of spirit. Sometimes the world’s cares and distractions will intrude and the spirit will become weak. At times like this carry on and soon the spirit will become strong again. God’s spirit is always with you to replenish and renew... When you are overcome by temporary conditions which you cannot control keep quiet and wait for the power of spirit to flow back.” 
Twenty-Four Hours a day. 

("the little black is the first and foremost meditation book for anyone practicing the Twelve Steps of A.A.)

The soul and the body are meant to be as one. When the body submits to unskillful and toxic, sentient pleasures or the wrong rules of life the soul begins to separate from its home, the body, leading to soul sickness. If what is done is abhorrent, such as a murder, the soul can divorce itself from the body leading to soul loss. Soul sickness or loss, which is less common, can occur due to a multitude of causes that we have done to ourselves or by abuse from others. These include drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, trauma, sickness, fatigue loss of job, health or loved one, debilitating grief, burn out and isolation. Intrusive spirits, energetic pollution and witchcraft perpetrated by others on oneself can do the same. Sustaining severe abuse – physical, sexual or even emotional from others or dabbling in witchcraft, sorcery, malignant cults, gangs or Satanism can also cause soul loss.

There is always hope and help if tackled head on. This requires going into the fear and pain rather than pushing it aside.

“The wound carries the medicine.” African Proverb

“May you have the commitment to know what has hurt you. To allow it to come close to you and in the end become one with you.”        Prayer of Finton

“I saw grief drinking a cup of sorrow and called out, it tastes sweet, does it not? 'You've caught me, grief answered, and you've ruined my business. How can I sell sorrow, when you know it's a blessing'?” Rumi

The only way out of this toxic spiral is through it or the pain will be projected onto and harm others. Hatred of oneself easily translates into envy, malice and anger towards our fellow humans and even our domestic beings. Any catastrophe can be turned into a blessing. Its not what happens to us but what we do with it that counts.

“If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it.” Richard Rohr

The voice of shame is invisibility, silence, secrecy and self-judgment. Brene’ Brown

The sufferer needs to come out of hiding and talk it out with someone or a skillful group one can trust. This requires being vulnerable which can create fear. Being vulnerable is emotional courage, not weakness and a love, rather than a fear vibration. A rehabilitation program can provide acknowledgment and emotional support where others voice similar unskillfulness. If the shame has arisen from any form of abuse the Self-blame must be shifted to where it belongs. The suffering may be activated at times but becomes manageable.

“The soul has no rainbow if the eyes have no tears.”                  Native American wisdom

 “Bring your sister grief by the hand and tell her to come and sit by the fire with you. Grief gives special honor to your losses and her tears are precious jewels that can be strung on strands of memory to be worn with pride and beauty by one’s spirit.”
Mpofu’s grandmother

 

THE FEAR OF HAVING NO MEANING

“Once what you are living and what you are doing has for you meaning it is irrelevant whether you are happy or unhappy. You are content, you are not alone in your spirit, you belong.”                       L. Van der Post

Sadly, many or even most of us end up doing what we believe our parents, our friends, our peers, our teachers and society says we should do. We are also driven by survival instincts which demand we do work we do not enjoy to sustain ourselves. 

“You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path.
There is a way or path, it is someone else’s path.
You are not on your own path.
 If you follow someone else’s way, you are not going to realize your potential. It takes courage to do what you want 
Other people have a lot of plans for you. Nobody wants you to do what you want to do. They want you to go on their trip...” 
 Joseph Campbell

It is exceedingly difficult to march to sound of the drum that we want to beat even if we know what sound that is or should be. 

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”  Thoreau

Martin Seligman and Carol Ryff, well known positive psychologists, emphasized how having meaning in one’s life is critical to well-being. Part of this meaning is to serve something bigger than oneself. Buddhism teaches that service to others brings happiness, joy and gratitude. It is true that unless we are in service to others, we will not endure happiness and the more we focus on ourselves the more miserable we become.
 This is not an ethical judgment, but a fact of life that is fixed as a default into the fabric of the soul. 

The self-esteem movement in California in the 60’s was a failure. The children who grew up with these principles performed less well instead of better, had far more depression and even an increased risk of suicide. Self-esteem with a small s is entirely different to Self-Worth. Self-esteem which is essentially fear induced can be associated with narcissism, self-enabling and an increased rate of depression and suicide. Self-absorption does not bring happiness or well-being since one is always in the lower chakras that are centered around fear. Self- compassion aligns with Self-worth and generates less negative emotions.  

“…Each soul makes two agreements upon entering the world. The first binds the individual to a distinct destiny that becomes the soul’s great project in life. 

The second entangles each person in the limitations of fate and responsibilities for family and community. While all second agreements can be renegotiated, the first is non-negotiable.”    Michael Meade

Most of us get entangled in the second one.

“Everyone has in him something Divine, something his own, a chance of perfection and strength, however small, a sphere which God offers him to take or refuse. The task is to find, develop and use it.”
Sri Aurobindo

There is a distinct difference between fate and destiny. Fate usually arises out of the cards we are dealt in life and how we handle them. Some have a much worse "hand" than others but even the ones who are blessed with favorable cards will have challenges, though different. The former arises out of necessity, the latter out of having too much and what to do with the plethora of temptations around ego, monkey mind and the shadow.

Destiny is that gift given to us by the Creator that no one else can really do as well. This is given so we can enhance life for others and the planet and is not meant to be kept for oneself. Most of us do not know what that is, the lucky ones do. However, they too will be challenged by doing their task with integrity and if they are driven by wants instead of need.

Seligman urges us to find our core or signature strengths and use those to achieve a "sense of flow or fluidity." These core strengths are frequently aligned with our unique destiny. Seligman also devised remedies for Learned Optimism to counter fear based Learned Helplessness of which meaninglessness is a symptom.

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” 
Winston Churchill

Pessimism which also usually related to fear is not helpful is often not helpful. Optimists function better and although pessimists are often “right,” maybe at the same time they are also creating their own reality.

 “The optimist, by his superior wisdom and insight, is making his own heaven, and in the degree, he makes his own heaven, is he helping to make one for all the world beside. The pessimist, by virtue of his limitations, is making his own hell, and in the degree that he makes his own hell is he helping to make one for all mankind.”                Ralph Waldo Trine

“Tis nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so.” Shakespeare

I am the happiest man alive. I have that in me that can convert poverty to riches, adversity to prosperity and I am more invulnerable than Achilles; fortune hath not one place to hit me.” Sir Thomas Brown 1642

.. The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts
…
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain (fear) is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” 
 MarcusAurelius

The hunt for one’s destiny is the hunt of our lives - keep to the scent - stay on the spoor.

Finding one’s destiny is at the heart to the hero’s journey which is also a search for meaning. The journey helps us to face our fears and conquer them. There is fear in not knowing who we are and hence committing to the journey, fear in undertaking the journey and fear that we will not succeed in the Incorporation phase and finding our purpose on earth. All this also has to do with healing of meaning . When we work and perform well we appreciate ourselves and others appreciate us which brings equanimity. We need to take our suffering and our own unique talents and make something useful out of them both.

“Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” H. Thurman

 “Striving to find meaning in life is the primary, most powerful motivating and driving force in humans.” V. Frankl

Frankl, in his book Man’s Search for Meaning, examines how prisoners imagined their future in the Nazi death camps and made some profound observations. He describes how those (like Nelson Mandela, Gandhi and others) - who suffered much but remained committed to the meaning of their future missions, did better even under severe adverse circumstances. They were more optimistic and tended to focus on helping others instead of submitting to fear. They were able to imagine a time when things would look less diabolical and looked forward to something like writing a book or seeing a loved one again. The physically stronger inmates often did not survive as well as did some of the  stronger emotional but physically weaker ones. The safety needs of these individuals may have been threatened but they retained "meaning" and purpose against all odds.  

 

My apologies !

It appears that the last blog was posted before this one. This one should have preceded it instead of the other way around. Separation and Threshold should come before Incorporation.

Next week we will leave the Hero behind and talk about the fear of having no meaning in life.

THE HERO/INE’S JOURNEY (the unknown, unexpected, unplanned, uncomfortable and unfamiliar) # 5

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” J. Campbell

“Wilderness holds the answers to questions we do not yet know how to ask.” David Brower

The fundamental notion of equilibrating the opposites is omnipresent in all beliefs. This universal truth is crucial to our understanding of how we “Become."  

Wild places, wilderness and nature provide all the polarities we need to balance and to self-actualize the ego so we can move from the survival centers into the growth centers.

Any initiation must depend on a resolute intent to induce change. This requires the following: 

A certain receptivity towards the humbling of one’s ego. 

Being prepared to undergo some level of stress and fear in a search for one's purpose.

 Committing to entering an appropriate sacred space for a certain period of time to accomplish the task. 

If we do so we can become receptive to the metaphors, signs and even power animals presented by this journey. Going primal as indigenous peoples have done for eons for the quest, and the added fear this presents, helps us to peel away the layers surrounding the ego.

This also involves “soft” (spiritual) rather than hard (survival) skills and some method of going inward. Fear is the catalyst but not if it becomes overwhelming and puts us in flight of fight and back in our ego self. People like to do things that matter and are not contrived to induce fear just for its own sake. However, the journey is unpredictable and ...

"Shit happens."

If we do this we can connect with the meditative mantra of nature including; sound (the wind in the trees, a babbling brook,) and other soft fascinations (the sights, sunsets, sunrises, scenes, aromas.) Nature can meditate us if we set the right intention.

The conditions for an inward experience include; keeping it as simple as possible confining ourselves to the basic necessities, with the minimum of “stuff’ while not being hungry, cold, wet, lost or terrified. Take a journal to log your revelations rather than a camera to distract you from why you are there. Some form of meditation is key. Avoid survival situations, minimize the “need to know” and the complexity of what is around you unless it takes your inwards.

 “It must be a poor life that achieves freedom from fear.” Aldo Leopold.

All three phases of the journey are associated with fear which is the catalyst for change. There are three stages to the journey.

"The Hero ventures forth from the world of common day; into a region of supernatural wonder (Separation.)

 Fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won. (Theshold.)

“The hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man. (Incorporation.)"               J. Campbell

These three phases essential for any hero’s journey were described by Arnold Van Gennep in relationship to indigenous rites of passage. In a sense we are going primal on the quest.

“A possibility is a hint from God - one must follow it...” Kierkegaard

“S/he who would be what he ought to be must stop being what he is”
M. Eckhart

Separation involves a call to adventure and a yearning for the extraordinary. One overcomes the first level of resistance which is fear driven. Others will also try and dissuade you from taking risks possibly because they would be afraid to do so. Also, an object or instrument of power is provided. In days of old it was likely to be a sword or a weapon. Now it’s more likely to be an inspirational book, workshop, or a description of someone’s epic journey of transformation.

“The meeting of oneself is at first, the meeting of the shadow.” 

C.J. Jung

“To confront a person with his own shadow is to show him his own light.” C.J. Jung

It's better to experience the learning than to learn the experience. The Ancestors

"What Kabir talks of, is only what he has lived through. If you have not lived through something, it is not true.” Kabir

Threshold involves entering the sacred space one has chosen. This is numinous and where one encounters an adversary (physical and or psychological.) The "adversary" allows us to witness our fears, our shadow side and our ego and overcome them. Victory is won and the “grail” is obtained. The grail is often an aha kind of experience which will facilitate the hero embarking on future journeys of transformation.

Next week we will talk about Incorporation and Integration.

THE HERO/INE’S JOURNEY # 6

INCORPORATION, INTEGRATION AND FEAR

Last week's Threshold involves entering the sacred space one has chosen for the journey. This is numinous where one encounters an adversary (physical and or psychological.) Victory is won and the “grail” is obtained. The grail is often an aha kind of experience which will facilitate the hero embarking on future journeys of transformation.

Incorporation 

Involves returning with the grail to bestow the benefits of one’s new awareness on others and on the planet. Now begins a more subtle form of the fear of failure. Many will lose the way after all the effort. This may lead to fear induced regret later on in life.

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” Churchill

Reentry depression 

After the return is common and can last several weeks. It is due to coming out of an altered state of consciousness induced by the experience, and sensory overload on return. The level of the depression is often related to how powerful the Threshold phase was. Many describe insights; profound to subtle such as; empowerment from conquering fear, a greater sense of aliveness, awareness and well-being, major life-style changes and a break with addictions from minor to major. To prevent the “fall” it is essential to adopt a regular inner practice. This is also the best remedy for reentry depression. Solitude is an important ingredient of the Incorporation. Success depends on attending to needs and not wants, walking the talk and not talking too much about one’s “walk.” Changing what we do or if this is not possible, how we do it. We should, however, not make any drastic decisions during this phase and keep the supply lines open. Sabotaging one's livelihood will lead one to be in survival rather than in a growth mode. Life is complicated so most of us will have to live in two worlds - the one that pays the rent and the other that fulfills our purpose.  Group synergism also can help prevent the “fall” from grace away from the grail. If there is group synergism we can talk about content.  To others we should talk only of context and what that person is able to hear without it creating any judgment that could demean, trivialize or invalidate your quest.

“Be what you is, coz if you be what you aint, you aint what you is.” Tombstone in Arizona

It helps to think of all the Warriors journeys we have done – successful or not – to learn how they could have maybe been formulated into hero’s journeys but for not integrating the Incorporation phase. The Hero’s journey differs from that of the Warrior where there is not necessarily any intention to bestow the benefits on others but to retain them for him/herself, the family, the business or the corporation. There are many more warriors than there are heroes in our society. The warrior’s journey is more of one, to test one’s resolve and commitment and to strengthen the ego. The Warrior’s quest recognizes the stages of Separation and Threshold but not necessarily giving back. Scrutinize those older warrior's journeys or other experiences good or bad, successful or not with sympathy as guides to the new you. The one’s where we fail are often the most instructive – there is no loss if we have the right mind set. This introspection can help both before and after the process. The Ancestors teach that anyone or anything that does not make you more of who you are makes you less. This is a good mantra to hold in the integration phase.

THE 4 ARCHETYPES AND THE 4 YOGAS

There are basically only four Archetypes; the Healer, the Teacher, the Warrior and the Visionary. There are numerous ways to heal or teach and the warrior can manifest  along any spectrum from soldier to C.E.O. of a company. The visionary can be the artist, musician, author, guru, priest, shaman, psychic etc.

“May the hero awaken from forgetfulness and transcend all anxiety and sorrow.” Upanishads

At the end of the day and a series of hero’s journeys one comes to realize that the quest is a spiritual one to connect with the Higher Self and its greater mission. If we have difficulty connecting with the four archetypes there are also four Yogas where those on a spiritual path can Self-Realize. Accomplished yogis have strengths in all four of these qualities but the focus is on one of them.

Bhakti or devotional yoga - devotion to the Supreme Being which we see in the ecstatic Sufi poets, David the psalmist, Solomon in Ecclesiastes and the Christian mystics. Love for the Creator. 

Karma yoga which is service oriented yoga as seen in Mother Theresa's dedication. 

Jnana yoga - delving into the sacred texts and scriptures. 

Raja yoga the royal path of the Buddha and Self-Realization through control of the mind.                                                                     

Many of us are confused because we have strengths in all four archetypes and do not know which to follow. It is also more fun delving into many varieties of skill sets. There is only one main archetype and the other talents should support the one. Spiritually it does not help our destiny karma to be a Jack of all trades and master of none. This does not serve the completion of our mission on the planet however compelling that journey may be. Finally our main purpose should be love of and for all of the Four Beings of nature - Still - Growing - Wild (and domestic) and Talking. 

 Some may want to focus their talent on only one of the Four Beings.

Click on the links, play and ponder the journey.

01_The_Four_Beings.mp3

Any wisdom gained without love is deceit of the soul.

You will come from doubt to belief, from belief to understanding, from understanding to knowing, from knowing to feeling. This is the way. The Ancestors

01_Freedom.mp3