THE SEARCH FOR THE SELF #5

 NAVIGATING THE APOCALYPSE 

Spiritual laws are operative whether or not we understand them or can explain them or whether or not we even know about them or believe in them. 

The Contents of these several Blogs are below. These are to delineate the crucial factors in the Search for the Self. The Brown color delineates what has been done so far.

ABSOLUTE  SPIRITUAL TRUTHS

THE SEARCH FOR THE SELF

SELF-REALIZATION or  (“BECOMING”)

FREE WILL

IMPERMANENCE AND NON-ATTACHMENT

KARMA’S FIVE PRECEPTS 

SOUL ARCHITECTURE

THE THREE DEADLY SINS OF KARMA 

 THE THREE DEADLIEST SINS OF KARMA

THE HERO/INE vs. THE WARRIOR ARCHETYPE
THE HEALING OF MEANING

DEATH - THE FINAL JOURNEY

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE – "FIELD" – SPIRIT GUIDES
GRATITUDE
LOVE - FORGIVENESS 

ENERGY SYSTEMS

If you would wish for things to be other than they are do not try to change the things themselves but rather seek to change the circumstances that give rise to them, looking first to one's internal conditions for therein is where change in the external begins.
A cedar tree does not spring from an acorn.

THE HERO/INE vs. THE WARRIOR ARCHETYPE
THE HEALING OF MEANING

DEATH - THE FINAL JOURNEY

 THE HERO/INE'S JOURNEY - A QUEST FOR A VISION

Congruence and finding purpose

”I implore you to submit to your own myths. Any postponement in doing so is a lie.” William Carlos Patterson

It is often an existential crisis which compels us to take this step towards congruence with who we truly are and can be.

 Congruence

Emotions and their expression match and behavior arises from the root of their being. They sing their own song and do not do things for others’ approval. Intellect, heart, soul are congruent 

"... care about others' opinions and you will be their prisoner." 

The Tao

The Hero/ine’s journey is about finding our core or signature strength (Seligman) and our true purpose. This form of physical, mental and spiritual surrender is not a giving up of anything but a giving in to something bigger than ourselves and then making something useful out of it. 

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.

"You make a living by what you get, you make a life by what you give." W. Churchill

The journey may feel like a sacrifice but is anything but one, when its comes to discovering one's destiny - a vital part of realizing Self. 

There is a difference between the warrior and the hero archetypes. The warrior keeps the "grail" for him/herself, the hero/ine gives the grail away. 

There are three distinct phases to the Hero/ine's journey. the Warrior fulfills only the first two stages. There are many Warriors, fewer Hero's. All three phases of the Hero's journey involve fear as a catalyst for growth.

Separation-Threshold-Incorporation 

Firstly we Separate from who we think we are. Secondly, in Threshold, we go through an ordeal where we encounter our physical, mental and spiritual fears. Thirdly we return to Incorporate any "Aha" experience or grail into some way in which we can give back. Ideally this involves using one's signature strength which later may slowly morph into our true destiny. Whatever you give back is positive karma yoga.

“Whatever you are, be a good one.” Abe Lincoln

Nature is a preferred environment for the classical journey but anything can qualify if the essentials are honored. An encounter with any existential crisis can be a powerful impetus.

Incorporation can be be the most difficult of all the phases since we tend to slide back into old familiar patterns.

Our role on earth is to correct injustices.

 

“We are here to help others. What on earth others are here for, I do not know.” W. H. Auden

During Incorporation we discover and then use our core strength whether we get paid for it or not. Incorporation may dictate keeping our day jobs and the supply lines open so that we can be of help to others in our spare time. Karma does not allow for any excuses.

This is just a brief outline but for more information you can refer to earlier blogs or other numerous texts.

THE HEALING OF 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

 

Victor Frankl after being interned in a Nazi concentration camp wrote Man’s Quest for Meaning. He found that those inmates in the camp, that survived were able to imagine a purpose in life that gave them meaning. After being forcibly Separated and then experiencing a horrific Threshold they Incorporated their suffering into some form of finding purpose. Many found meaning in helping their fellow inmates. 

“We are all in the same boat on a stormy sea and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.” G. K. Chesterton

Others like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi were able to do the same and in spite of suffering severe hardships always maintained their vision for the future. They never lost site of incorporating their mission at some later date.

“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

Seligman the father of positive psychology developed methods to enable others to find meaning, well being and happiness. These included using one's core or signature strengths to help others or something larger than oneself. He stated that accomplishment should not be pursued if it was meaningless. 

Buddhism teaches us to take our suffering and make something useful out of it by helping others. Even if this is not in line with our destiny it becomes the path of karma yoga and will bring happiness.

 

“Wherever you turn you can find someone who needs you. Even if it is a little thing, do something for which there is no pay but the privilege of doing it. Remember you do not live in a world all of your own.” A. Schweitzer

"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve." A. Schweitzer

DEATH CAN ALSO BE CONSIDERED THE HERO/INE'S FINAL JOURNEY

"May the hero/ine awaken from forgetfulness and transcend all anxiety and sorrow." The Upanishads

Know before you go.

Prepare for what you do not know.

“Death asks not what have you but who are you. 

Life’s questions is not what have I but what am I.” 

Swami Rama Tirtha

Living virtuously is to die gracefully. The only thing we take with us are our memories and our karma.

For many, even though subconscious, denied and put aside, death can be one of our greatest fears because it is an unknown, intimidating landscape. This does not have to be so. By studying ancient wisdoms we can learn that death is not final - the spirit moves on. The Zohar says we live in a one percent world and there is another 99% waiting to be discovered. We find some of that when we cross the veil between worlds to the other side - usually to one of the Astral realms. Preparing for death is preparing for our final "separation." Like any hero's journey we have to be sure we are well prepared. 

This is also the object of this series of blogs, to highlight the work that needs to be done so that death is only a path to a new and more expansive destination and not something to be feared. In a sense the same three phases of the hero can also be applied to death.

Separation: Prepare to separate from all attachments and reconcile any unfinished business. 

When we pass over it is critical that our karma is as intact as possible. Realizing our destiny or core strength and helping others is a vital part of this. We need to have no unfinished business or skeletons in the closet that require forgiveness and reconciliation. 

If the slate is clean we should be able to go into an existential free fall without any attachments that can impede the journey. We need to have fearless clarity without confusion otherwise we may not see the light or hear the ancestors calling us home. Our state of mind, which is also determined by our karma, will have a lot to do with which Astral vibration we inherit.

Threshold. Navigating the earth bound plane skillfully so that we can pierce the veil and arrive in the vibration we have earned rather than a lesser one. Reconciling our karma on the other side with a spiritual tribunal and learning the errors of our ways. Spiritual laws are operative whether or not we understand them or can explain them or whether or not we even know about them or believe in them. 

Incorporating into the next lifetime. Learning in the Astral who we are and need to be and what we did that was unskilful so that we can better navigate the next time around. 

We forget mostly everything we encountered on the other side if the veil when we reincarnate. However, we still have that knowledge resident in our soul which can be retrieved as long as we do not succumb to sentient challenges. 

Some will have earned a higher vibration in the Causal realm. They will have also found their true destiny. They do not need to reincarnate unless they choose to do so for a special mission. In other words, as the sowed - in prior life times' hero's journeys - so they reaped.

For those that have a morbid fear of death there is hope of cure with the help of entheogens - sacred, mind altering plants taken in ceremony under guidance which allow one to experience other realities other than those on the earth plane that limit our consciousness. 

Stanislav Grof in the 60's found that after taking L.S.D. many participants no longer feared death. The F.D.A. has recently cleared the use of psilocybin for patients with refractor illnesses, anxiety or depression which are often associated with a morbid fear of death. The results have shown positive results.

Going on this inner journey can also be part of a hero's journey if the three phases are actualized.

NAVIGATING THE APOCALYPSE #4

Spiritual laws are operative whether or not we understand them or can explain them or whether or not we even know about them or believe in them. 

Again F.Y.I ... 

The Contents of these several Blogs are below. These are to remind us of the crucial factors in the Search for the Self. The Brown color delineates what has been done so far.

ABSOLUTE  SPIRITUAL TRUTHS

THE SEARCH FOR THE SELF

SELF-REALIZATION or  (“BECOMING”)

FREE WILL

IMPERMANENCE AND NON-ATTACHMENT

KARMA’S FIVE PRECEPTS 

SOUL ARCHITECTURE

THE THREE DEADLY SINS OF KARMA 

 THE THREE DEADLIEST SINS OF KARMA

THE HERO/INE vs. THE WARRIOR ARCHETYPE
THE HEALING OF MEANING
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE – "FIELD" – SPIRIT GUIDES
GRATITUDE
LOVE - FORGIVENESS 

REMEDIES AND QUICK FIXES

THE THREE DEADLIEST SINS OF KARMA 

“Malice sucks up the greater part of 

its own venom and poisons itself.” Montaigne

Sadly what goes around does not come around soon enough. Karma may only take hold in affecting the next lifetime.

Malice goes along with hatred, anger, envy and the desire for vengeance and retribution. Malice poisons too many people while it is only slowly poisoning itself. From the outset, however, it immediately poisons its Higher Self.  

Most of us would like punishment to also happen to its physical self and quickly. Many perpetrators appear to get away with their murderous actions. Yes, the long arm of the law bends towards justice but that "bending" may not feel expeditious enough. This conundrum is also a test of our karmic resilience. 

It is worthwhile looking at the flip side of the search for the Higher Self - submitting to the Three Deadlines - which too many are falling victim to these days. 

These "Three" arise out of an Evil Inclination or Shadow infatuated by greed and power that wants to be infamous. Their Evil Inclination is in total control. The "Red Worm"  dominates while the Blue Worm (Credo Mutwa see back) or Good Inclination slowly or rapidly dissipates. 

Sociopaths, borderline personalities and others may be captivated by these deadly attributes as are those who feel powerless and isolated in life.

During these times when pure evil is on the rise we need to know the power of the Evil Tongue, fake facts and distortions of history that flood the media and go uncontested. A.I. has the power to facilitate this toxicity. Democracy is all well and good but evil should not have free reign in the media. Hitler nearly conquered the world through his rallies and the radio. Think what he could have done today!

“…people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; 

and if you repeat it frequently enough 

people will sooner or later believe it.” Adolf Hitler

Hitler's main enemies were conscience and morality and his hatred of Jews made them the prototype and his arch enemy. However, his next target was going to be the Christians and others - much the same as the mantra of Islamic Jihad. Hitler admitted to being a barbarian.

“It is true we are barbarians. It is an honorary title to us. I am coming to free humanity from the shackles of the soul, from the degrading suffering caused by this false vision called conscience and morality. ...” Adolf Hitler

GREED

“Greed is not stilled with money any more than thirst is with salt water.” Ksemendra

POWER

“Nearly all men can stand adversity 
but if you want to test a man’s character give him power.” 
A. Lincoln

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. 
Sir John Dalberg-Acton

 
Given full power greed becomes an enslaver of the greedy 
- fear becomes first a bully, 
then a torturer 

and then a killer.

FAME/INFAMY

There is absolutely no honor, righteousness or virtue in infamy. 

THE THREE DEADLIES CAUSE TREMENDOUS SUFFERING ON THE PLANET AND ALSO AFFECT OUR OWN SEARCH FOR THE HIGHER SELF

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

Those suffering from isolation, loneliness, powerlessness, hopelessness and a loss of any meaning in life become vulnerable to radicalization. Isolation seeks company, even if it is toxic. The powerless can ride on the coat tails of demonic leaders and feel strong.

These "Three" cause soul sickness or soul loss. They are often induced by severe forms of abuse, addiction, and Satanic-like rites of passage used by the Mafia, radical Islam, drug cartels and others.  Drug cartels require their initiates to murder some innocent bystander in order to be admitted into the gang. Satanism, witchcraft and sorcery are compelling attractions because of the significant power it can bring. 

Islamic Jihad may be even more compelling because it pretends to be a religious ideology when it is really Satanic.  When radical Islam shouts Allahu akba while killing the innocent they are invoking Satan not God. Murder induces soul loss. As the hit man talking to his initiate says in the movies; " The first one is difficult, after that it becomes easy." 

Now the soul which is pure has checked out and it is even possible for demonic possession to take hold. These ideologies are strengthened by eliminating education and the access to truth. 

Dictators hold power by control of the media and indoctrinating with lies. Authoritarianism  and dictatorship have a greed-power-infamy agenda. These two evils in the world; Islamic Jihad and authoritarianism are now merging together - the enemy of my enemy is my friend - at least until later. Individual redemption is possible but unlikely and will require some form of a cathartic conversion experience or expert spiritual help.

Free will within the bounds of the law is the basis of democratic societies. Free will, the cosmic law, is defied by the Three Deadliest and the Higher Self becomes the victim. This can also be the case for those well-meaning people that become immersed in the pollution and develop a form of subtle PTSD.

It is up to us on our search for Self to recognize this challenge outside of us and which is also within us. This can help us strengthen our resolve and our spiritual life when confronted with these apocalyptic events. 

We need to call a spade a spade otherwise we are in danger of being complicit which will affect the trajectory of our search for Self. We can at least appose in thought, if not in action.

“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

 

 

 

 

THE SEARCH FOR THE SELF 

 NAVIGATING THE APOCALYPSE  #3B

Spiritual laws are operative whether or not we understand them or can explain them or whether or not we even know about them or believe in them. 

The Contents of these several Blogs are below. These are to delineate the crucial factors in the Search for the Self. The Brown color delineates what has been done so far.

ABSOLUTE  SPIRITUAL TRUTHS

THE SEARCH FOR THE SELF

SELF-REALIZATION or  (“BECOMING”)

FREE WILL

IMPERMANENCE AND NON-ATTACHMENT

KARMA’S FIVE REQUIREMENTS

SOUL ARCHITECTURE A

SOUL ARCHITECTURE B

THE THREE DEADLY SINS OF KARMA 

 THE THREE DEADLIEST OF KARMA

THE HERO/INE vs. THE WARRIOR ARCHETYPE
THE HEALING OF MEANING
 "FIELD" CREATOR,  SPIRIT GUIDES, GRATITUDE

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE 
LOVE - FORGIVENESS 

ENERGY SYSTEMS

SOUL ARCHITECTURE B &

THE THREE DEADLY SINS OF KARMA

“The light of lights looks always on the motive, not the deed …, the shadow of shadows on the deed alone.” W. B. Yeats

(Refer to last week's blog for the above.)

Free will determines our actions. We cannot say the Devil made us do it. The tricksters or dark forces will try their best to enhance and aggravate the red, negative factors above that hamper our spiritual life. Our guides and ancestors will, with our permission, assist us with the three purple ones which expand and make us more of who we are - not less - like the tricksters intend. 

Both sides being non-local in space and time, know our weaknesses and strengths. The dark forces go for our vulnerabilities and the weakest links in our chains. They seemingly have an advantage because they do not abide by the cosmic law of free will, but love always overcome fear. 

STORE CONSCIOUSNESS

Store Consciousness is a Buddhist concept which is embedded in our subconscious. It arises from the accumulation of both the good and bad experiences from our past lives which become a part of the soul’s unconscious memories. 

The bad ones limit our soul’s traverse and reincarnations. We reincarnate into the family that can best challenge us so that we may overcome the unskillfulness of past actions. Negative Store Consciousness are the skeletons in the closets of our subconscious minds from prior incarnations which will surface every now and again. Negative Store Consciousness can be controlled by spiritual awareness, good actions and inner practice. 

Our positive past lives can help us remember spiritual truths that we  forget when we reincarnate - but not entirely. They remain part of our "soulular memory." These remembrances can arise as a sense of de ja vu or the ability to grasp abstract spiritual concepts very easily due to a certain prior familiarity. We know much more than we think we know and are much more than we believe ourselves to be. We only have to recall what we have left behind in our prior existences. We have to be reminded of these past imprints just as we have to remind ourselves continually of these absolute spiritual truths which sometimes fade in our memories. The Ancestors teach; with all your strength, get knowledge.  It is easier to recognize and absorb these when it already resides in “Store.” If Store is primed with only an Evil Inclination and only a “Red Worm” this can result in those afflicted, having only demonic intentions unless they find a way to redeem themselves. 

 

THE THREE DEADLY SINS OF KARMA

All three are actually a part of the self-cherishing ego but it is helpful to separate them for emphasis and explanation. 

The challenge is relief from ego, how to be free from its tyranny. 
The way is relief from ego, surrendering and releasing one’s instinct for protection and cultural conditioning; subduing its tyranny but with respectful and grateful acknowledgement for its appropriate worth.  
The "prize" - the place of arrival - is relief from ego and a true sense of the pleasure of its place.

EGO, DESIROUS ATTACHMENT AND JUDGMENT

“Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill, keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt, chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench, care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back, the only way to serenity.”  Tao Te Ching

EGO

Do you listen with your heart or are you hearing with only your ego.
The possible peril is not a punishment, it is a consequence…

“God cannot be realized if there is the slightest trace of pride.” Upanishads

Being proud of one's knowledge and understanding can also be a manifestation of the small self. Pride indeed may come before a fall even if its only a fall from grace.

”In seeking fame honor will be lost, in seeking knowledge wisdom is forgotten ...” Hillel

As fame can enslave, so can the costs of money impoverish. Make sure the need is worth the price. To overpay can rob the Self.

Kabbalah teaches that humility is truthful acknowledgement about the wonders of yourself, taking appropriate credit for your part but recognizing God’s gifts to you. 

“Give up owning things and being somebody. Quit existing.” Rumi

Above Rumi talks both about ego as well as desirous attachment.

The yogis teach that actions bound to an ego motive can buy us another life time. We need to do things for their own sake alone.

Ego can be as slippery in its disguises as the shadow.

Friend please tell me what I can do about this world I hold to and keep spinning out
I gave up sewn clothes and wore a robe but I noticed one day the cloth was well woven
So I bought some burlap but I still throw it elegantly over my left shoulder
I pulled back my sexual longings and now I discover I am angry a lot
I gave up rage and I notice I am greedy all day
I worked hard at dissolving the greed and now I am proud of myself
When the mind wants to break its link with the world it still holds onto one thing
Kabir says “Listen friend, there are very few who find the path”

DESIROUS ATTACHMENT (attachment to the object of our desire)

The desirous attachment in ego is always looking for next bright, shiny object. When it gets it, satisfaction is short lived until a better object comes along. Our financial system thrives on ego's wants and that it always want more. We need to avoid being trapped by our own ego nor let the ego of others influence our own. 

Survival's law of Three (an approximation) tells us we can live three minutes without oxygen, three days without water, three weeks without food and three months without human contact (before we go a bit crazy.) If we were hunter-gatherers we would add to that, shelter and fire which today would be energy to drive all our electronics. Until we came along the hunter-gatherers were happy because they had all that they thought they needed. We cast them out of their metaphoric garden of Eden experience with all our "stuff." Only then did their egos realize how much they did not have and not how much they had from the bounties nature provided.

“More possessions - more worry. More generosity - more peace. There is nothing wrong with possessions, only to being possessed by them.” Hillel

There is nothing wrong with desire, it is the attachment to that object that is the issue. It is the want that is our enemy and not the need. Our higher Selves should focus on our basic necessities and our wants should rather be those that help our spiritual transformation. 

 

“Where there is too much, something is missing." 

Chassidic Saying

 "Yes, the disguise of plenty. The Grail is not there.” 

G.R. Kelley

“… Abundance is not an achievement of the acquisitive but rather a legacy of the perceptive, a realization of plenty - not an acquiring of more.” Hillel

Keep to the source of living waters.
Do not think to store in cisterns; they will break and crumble and the water will be lost.
Cup your hands and drink deeply and often and you will have health and joy.

 

JUDGMENT

"When you talk to people do not 'weigh' ... the soul of a person that weighs suffers harm." The Talmud

When you no longer need to be right the purity of your soul will shine through.

“When you see a worthy person endeavor to emulate him, when you see an unworthy person then examine your inner self.” Confucius

In the chakra system of yoga, ego, the third chakra resides in the solar plexus together with desirous attachment and judgment. In Kabbalah's Tree of life. ego is a triad based on an attachment and non-attachment to ego and desirous attachment. Judgment is a higher order of challenge and is centered in the love triad balanced by judgment and mercy. Judgment is a harder nut to crack. The best we can do sometimes is to sweeten our judgments, judge the action and not the person and try to walk in his/her shoes.

“This is what God asks of you, only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah

The Three Triads of the Tree of Life 

Ego - Love - Becoming