This week's blog is on the second of the Karmal Sins - Desirous Attachment and Impermanence

There is nothing wrong with having stuff as long as stuff does not have us. The consumer market spends a lot of energy and money convincing us of the importance of acquiring things we do not need. Happiness is dependent on having our essential needs fulfilled. The law of "Three's" helps us to gain perspective. Spending time with hunter gatherers who only have these key essentials and seem truly happy can enlighten us.

We can live three minutes without oxygen to our brains, three days without water, three weeks without food and three months without company or human contact (before we get a bit spiritually and mentally disturbed.) If we add the basic essentials of modern living like a roof over our heads, transport, a computer and some sort of phone we should have it all but sadly it is never enough. 

Desirous attachment is one of the faces of ego which always seeks to have more. More takes us further away from our true essence or higher Self. Ancient wisdom urges us to subordinate ego and attachment to the objects of our desire to the Self.

This "object "can also be fame, power or sex. Hillel also said; " in seeking fame ,honor will be lost; in seeking knowledge, wisdom is forgotten; and in ceasing to learn one ceases to live."

We all often think if only we just had a bit more we would be happier and when we get it we are not - except maybe fleetingly. In our present time when we have never had more, 50% of people are on antidepressants and the suicide rate is going up. Buddhism claims to be about true hedonism and happiness because it is not about having "stuff."

This says it all.

Furthermore, there are negative karmic implications to desirous attachment.

 

Yoga philosophy affirms that any action that is attached to an ego motive will buy us another lifetime. Charity for the sake of a tax deduction or getting our face in a magazine is still a good thing but it has no spiritual merit when we cross over to reconcile with our Book of Life.

   

The remedies are easy to understand though extremely difficult to do.

KISS or KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID goes a long way. Freeing ourselves of non essentials liberates our spiritual potential and makes us feel lighter. Do not buy into the hypnosis of materialism and planned obsolescence - put simply this is a huge con! Is a new I - phone really necessary each time one comes out? The mania resulting is sometimes reminiscent of the Israelites around the golden calf while Moses is on Mount Sinai getting the ten commandments. Attend to needs and not wants. The first need priority should be some form of regular, sustainable and enjoyable spiritual practice.

Tibetan Buddhists have the profound meditation of doing exquisite and laborious sand paintings of mandalas and then destroying them to emphasize the truth about impermanence. This does not mean that they are incapable of enjoying what is impermanent in fact the opposite. It enables them all the more to be in the moment with the beauty of it.

This weeks blog begins a series on the first of the three deadly sins of Karma. 

Ego

Ego, acquisitiveness (desirous attachment) and judgment get in the way of the Higher Self 

(Desirous Attachment and Judgment will be in the subsequent blogs.)

The search for the Higher Self is at the core of all human motivation even though in many it may be subconscious. Ego or small self must be subordinated to the real Self. To quote Jesus...

Ego comes in many different forms - even desirous attachment and judgment can be said to be part of ego. They are reinforced by and reinforce our shadow or evil inclination.

Kabbalah describes Narrow mind which reflects the primitive mind or Monkey Mind, combined with ego. They are essential for survival but a deterrent to spiritual growth. Spacious mind on the other hand reflects Patanjali's description of the Intellectual Sheath - also called Big Mind.

This anonymous quote follows with the boon of being empty of ego - if you like the Dalai Lama archetype.

On an Inward Bound trip to the Kalahari Bushmen, after experiencing Bushmen humility combined with their superlative hunter-gatherer and spiritual skills, an accomplished spiritual seeker (and general in the U.S. armed forces) said to me;

 "The key to having power is not having power!" 

'

The Upanishads agree...

Jung felt that complete obliteration of the ego may be very difficult, impossible and maybe even antithetical to the Western mind set. The Bushmen probably are accomplishing this during their Trance Dance when they travel up to the spirit world to glean non local information. It is a highly advanced spiritual process that is also a manifestation of their profound humility.

Kabir warns us that ego is like a chameleon that changes its colors when it is stressed, to disguise its true nature. The higher we get up the spiritual hierarchy, the more elusive ego becomes.We fool ourselves that we are beyond it when we are not.

This weeks blog on the Evil Inclination introduces a series on the three deadly sins of Karma; Ego, Desirous Attachment and Judgment. These quotes from various sages are for us to ponder and meditate on.  Desirous Attachment and Judgment though separated from, can also be considered part of the Ego complex. 

This complex is linked to our shadow side or what Kabbalah calls the Evil Inclination. All are associated strongly with Monkey Mind or the Primitive mind as distinct from the Intellectual or "Big" Mind. Kabbalah refers to these two "Minds" as Narrow Mind and Spacious Mind. We can control Narrow Mind and shift to  Spacious Mind with spiritual practice. We cannot "think it" for this to happen - intellectual pursuits though helpful in our understandings - do not go deep enough.

We will begin with the hunt for the Self in relation to the Shadow or Evil Inclination and follow with the three deadly sins in the next blogs.

The hunt for the true Self, the real Self is seminal to our karmic journey through our many lifetimes.

Redemption can be as easy as just changing one's mind.

The above quote by Credo Mutwa, a powerful sangoma, is coming from an indigenous perspective which often represents original truth. 
There is a Native American story of a grandfather who is explaining to his grandson that within each of us are two wolves fighting for domination. The one represents good and the other evil. The grandson ask his grandpa; "Which one wins?" He answers "the one you feed."

It is only through reconciling with our shadow that we come into full recognition of our own unique "light."

Todays blog is on how to help counter the dark around us during these crazy times

From The Ancestors

Just gave a talk on Southern African sangoma and ancestor healing wisdom and thought I would share some of the remedies against the dark side from these sources to help us all.

Here are some healing tools that can dispel the dark and bring in the light. There is an aboriginal saying that; 

"If you do not want to see the shadow turn your face to the sun." 

The best way for us to neutralize evil is by bringing in more light. 

This includes being informed and entertained but not overdoing our exposure to negative media, T.V. shows or movies.  

Nocebo is the power of belief to hurt, harm or even sometimes kill.

Nocebo is a fear based response! The only thing to fear is fear itself and the dark thrives where there is fear. 
Nocebo is a tool of dark forces, tricksters, witches and sorcerers. and we should not let it dispel hope or the slightest belief that they  can hold sway in the long run.

Its opposite - Placebo is love based. 

BELIEVE IN GOODNESS AND TRUTH. 

Invoke the Three L's; LIGHT, LOVE, LAUGHTER.

These repel darkness.

SOUND: SACRED MUSIC OR ANY SOUND WITH A HIGH VIBRATION (e.g. Tibetan gongs or similar, didgeridoos... etc) 

Be diligent about SPIRITUAL PRACTICE to regain wholeness and balance. Embodied practices like yoga, tai chi, chi gong, hiking in nature... may be more powerful for some. Pray, meditate, call on your angels and guides. 

Numbers count. If groups of us are doing this together there is COHERENCE and the non local benefits extend beyond our immediate surroundings. Prayers and healings for peace and wholeness help - the greater the number the more profound - the Maharishi effect!

USE AROMA, FRAGRANCE, INCENSE OR BURN SACRED PLANTS - SAGE, CEDAR...

EATING OR DRINKING A TEA OF SOMETHING SACRED LIKE A SAGE LEAF PROTECTS THE SOUL

SACRED BATHS

Enhance the vibration of water using prayer, sacred music or chants while burning incense and placing something sacred in the water (sage, cedar, juniper...) Those of you familiar with Emoto's work on changing the vibration in water with something of the "light,"will be convinced of the power of water to heal and release negativity. While immersing completely, pray and or meditate, breathing in white light, and breathing out thick black smoke into the bath to shift your energy.  Remember 80% of the body is comprised of water. We have "quantum" bodies comprising tiny particles spinning in empty space. We are vibrational beings. Set your intention for light in the bath (this is a ritual bath - no soap etc allowed -cleanse before the bath.) 

From The Ancestors

WE CAN CHANGE OUR VIBRATION WITH THESE RITUALS AND RETURN TO OUR TRUE SELVES AGAIN!!

This weeks blog gives some caveats about finding the visionary aspect of ourselves that has to do with our destiny

A considerable amount of the work I do with the Ancestors concerns one’s destiny. Often, when doing a bone divination the reading reveals that the client is not following his or her predestined life path, e.g. the person who puts aside her guitar, gifted voice and musical career for the sake of financial security or because she feels invalidated by her elders. The Yogis describe three phases of life; the first when we grow up, and get educated, the second when we make a living and maybe have a family and the third when we go walk about in the forest to find enlightenment. For those of us who are not the guru archetype, it is in the third phase where it becomes critical that we are following our true purpose. For most of us this is difficult – we just are not

 sure of what it might be.

  

One thing is certain that if our work does not conform to the wisdom below we are probably on the wrong path. I was lucky; I was told by a number of sangomas in South Africa that my ancestors were calling me to do “their” (as in sangoma) work.

Some are just lucky and have a deep sense of knowing what their mission is. Maybe these are older souls who have been on the right path almost from the inception of this particular incarnation. For the rest of us I like the analogy of the Three Bears. Sometimes one has to just try out the various porridges or the beds we choose to lie in to find the right one. We may be comfortable in it for a while and then discover it does not fit anymore and its time to move on to new possibilities. Another metaphor, especially if one is in touch with spirit wisdom in dreams or intuitions, is that of a treasure hunt.

Your destiny is the hunt of your life; keep to the scent, stay on the spoor.  The Ancestors

We need to follow the clues and see where they take us no matter how strange they seem. Sometimes it is the “fool who jumps off the cliff” who finds the treasure. Some clues may even lead us astray but are taking us to the next clue without which we would not have found our way.

The grail when we follow our myth and find our path is happiness and gratitude which always have to do with service to other “beings;” Silent (stones, earth,) growing (plants, trees,) wild and the talking ones.

Today's blog, based on the wisdom of the Ancestors, and many others, has more about contrasting Wisdom with Knowledge or Information

When we look at the Tree of Life we can see that the top Sephira or energy center (somewhat like a chakra in yoga) of Hochmah or Wisdom is on the top right hand side and is next in line to the Crown or Keter the place of "I am that I am." It is here that we come into recognition that we are made in the image of the Creator. We are a microcosmic chip of the Divine. 

On the left is Binah (Understanding) which is about cognitive knowledge and is there to balance the wisdom Sephira but is never an end in itself.

Imagination and fantasy are properties of Wisdom and are also endorsed favorably by Einstein's quote. The Ancestors bemoan the fact that imagination and fantasy are being replaced by the scientific method and technology, even though it is often imagination that leads to science's greatest discoveries.

Although the Ancestors endorse the power of information and knowledge, they also feel they should be used for "becoming" more of our real Selves or higher Selves.

When we spend time with indigenous cultures that are reasonably intact but who lack the education that we have in the West and often are illiterate, we can be astounded by the intuitive wisdom they possess. Sadly for us data and cognitive information often obliterate the intuitive. Going back to nature, if possible, with indigenous help can help us regain something of what we have lost. These shamans and prophets though lacking Western education have wisdom sometimes beyond our understanding even if they do only use these insights for survival - "chopping wood, carrying water," hunting, gathering and healing. 

 When it comes to medicine and science, so called "truth" is continually changing and it is often the imaginative and wise who are changing it. Truth is elusive and is often in that moment in time only.

The reason I like quotations is that they embrace much wisdom with so few words.

This weeks blog on KNOWLEDGE vs. WISDOM is a sequel to last weeks warning about waisting time trying to explain the unexplainable. Rather we should use what it inspires in us as a form of spiritual practice 

We live in a world overloaded with information. These words from the Ancestors can help give us a reality check

We only have to look at our politicians, the media and others from whom we should hope to glean truth at the highest level, to realize how elusive it has become and how easily it can be manipulated

More important is, what is our own truth, who are we meant to be, in which ways are we being enticed, misled or distracted from our crucial, individual, destiny truth? The Ancestors also stress; 

"Your destiny is the hunt of your life, keep to the scent, stay on the spoor." 

There were two trees in the Garden of Eden; the Tree of Knowledge which got us kicked out, and the Tree of Life, the search for which can help us regain Eden.

The search for the higher Self is at the core of all human motivation whether we are conscious of it or not. Finding out our mission on this planet is a crucial part of this. At the end of the day, it is wisdom that is necessary, rather than an exclusive search for knowledge, information and data.

As Einstein said; "Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts."

Jung is in accord with the Ancestors