JOY #3  MORE TO HELP US WITH
 SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

and surrender is a byproduct of spiritual practice. 

There are many words for joy and for some it is rarely ecstatic or exuberant but rather a state of tranquility, balance, centeredness, 

and finding a deep sense of meaning. We could also use these words ... 

Just because one is not extroverted in one's expression does not mean we do not have our own way of being in quiet joy.

As a way of exploring what Joy can be for each of us I thought you might enJOY some wisdom of the ages and sayings of the sages to supplement what we have already said about spiritual practice as the antidote to grief, sorrow and helplessness. Maybe we can find in these teachings, a way to more joy in our lives.

We will visit some of these principles also when we later go over the congruence of being in the flow of our signature strengths (Seligman,) the healing of meaning and the Hero/ine's journey.

When we find who we truly are

we become alive with joy or its equivalents.

When you find yourself, where you are, practice begins.

Dogon

Anybody or anyone who does not make you more of you make you less of you. 

The Ancestors.

You must learn one thing.

The world was made to be free in

Give up all the other worlds

except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness 

and the sweet confinement of your aloneness 

to learn anything or anyone that does not bring you alive

 is too small for you. 

 “Sweet Darkness” by David Whyte

and 

Release yourself from what you are not accountable 

 The Ancestors

This too will pass 

No matter how long the night the dawn is sure to come

African Proverb

If you don't want to see the shadow, turn your face to the sun

Aboriginal saying

The Ancestors teach the value of impermanence and to have joy in every moment - to seize the day! 

Nothing will last and the only thing we take with us are our experiences and our Karma. That's where the focus should be, to enjoy life responsibly with consequences in mind. We need to savor life while we have it. On the other side of the veil where we have no sentient body, all we can do is imagine sensation.

 The pessimist is defined by Seligman as someone who usually regards adversity as personally pertaining to them alone through 

The Three P's.

That life's problems facing them are;

Permanent, Pervasive and Personal

and that they are because of their own issues rather than arbitrary outside events. 

These are challenges rather than problems and are there to overcome. Without the perplexities in life there can be no growth.

  

The Ancestors

Sometimes we tend to catastrophize especially those of us who have a certain amount of "Learned Helplessness."

We should have compassion for those who want to push ahead and tread on anything or anybody on their path and in their striving for  a bigger persona. Karma dictates we don't get away with anything even though modern attitudes suggest that there is no accountability and we only come here this one time.

and finally from the Ancestors;

God does not measure you by results, only your intentions and the fervor of your efforts.

Take pause with these wisdoms.

Click to highlight the link and then play

_-_MP3s/06_Its_a_Movie.mp3

THE NEXT FEW BLOGS ARE ON THE SPIRITUAL POWER OF JOY

The Ancestors

Spiritual practice and knowledge of the energy pathways it facilitates are crucial in the management of Joy.

In the previous bogs we talked around the Tree of Life as an energy,  and vibrational model for spiritual transformation. In these blogs I thought to sometimes invoke the Chakra model as well in illustrating how high up on the vibration scale Joy can be.

"Joy is not incidental to your spiritual path it is vital." 
Rev Nachman

The two models embrace the same polarities. The T.O.L. can also be transposed onto the human body, as above so below. They are both models for connecting to the macrocosm.

The T.O.L. is aligned in three columns; left contracts, right expands and the center hold the balance. With the chakras there are also three energy channels and these course up and along the spine.

 The moon, blue, feminine, contraction channel spirals around the chakras 

together with the sun, masculine, red and expansive channel

while both surround the central channel. 

The feminine, Shakti, Kundalini, serpent energy is coiled around the base of the central channel and is the key to spiritual transformation and vibratory change. We will also see how it affects Coherence.

The Shechina, the feminine equivalent of the God head resides at the base of the Tree at Kingdom or Malkhut.

When the yoga, Shakti, Kundalini moves up the spine with the synchronous balancing of sun and moon to reach Shiva, the Oneness Experience or Unity Consciousness occurs where the Knower, the Known and the Process of Knowing fuse into One thing. 

When we reach Keter, the crown of the T.O.L., we come into recognition that we are made in the image of the Divine and "I am that I am," as is the microcosm, so is the macrocosm and that we are a microcosmic, holographic representation of the Creator. 

If we compare the qualities of the sephirot and the chakra system we can understand that they are very similar although the T.O.L. is more elaborate.

During the next few blogs I will refer to the one or the other, you can choose the one you prefer to appreciate your progress up the vibrational hierarchy.

Joy I believe is towards the top of both energy "ladders" to enlightenment.

In the figure underneath the properties of the sephirot of the T.O.L. are to the left and the chakra system to the right.

T.OL.                            Chakras

The Ancestors say that its all about 

Sorrow 
& Joy
and the ups and down of life. There is always an ongoing flux between them which is the way it is meant to be. There can be no joy without sorrow. 

The polarity between the two makes for our "Becoming". This depends on how we approach the issue of sorrow. We can take pause with the wisdom teachings about sorrow in our lives and try as the Ancestors recommend to; 
Find joy in hidden recesses.

Also
"Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional."

An extension of exaggerated and unrequited sorrow and grief is  Learned Helplessness which embraces the mnemonic of 

H.A.D.  (as in maybe - "I HAVE HAD IT WITH LIFE!") 

However, we can take steps to prevent this from happening.

Those who survived the Nazi death camps were not usually the strongest physically but the optimists who still had a strong desire to fulfill a goal. They refused to learn helplessness.

The opposite of Seligman's Learned Helplessness is Learned Optimism.

Seligman the father of Positive Psychology studied Learned Helplessness vs. Learned Optimism and found that optimistic people were happier, enjoyed life more and were healthier and more productive than those that were pessimistic. Pessimistic folks were also more likely to be depressed and anxious. He also showed that learned optimism could be taught with various exercises.

According to Seligman optimism can be learned. The Ancestors agree.

Pessimists are frequently right but it is clearly an advantage to be an optimist. However, it's also important to be a realistic optimist.

Some may be too optimistic and think they are right when they are not. So Ford is incorrect but this below was obviously a good mantra for choosing optimistic engineers for his automobiles.

This raises the question of

self-esteem 

vs. 

Self-worth 

(an unconditional positive regard for oneself and for others or U.S.A. - Universal Self Acceptance which also embraces not only oneself but others.)

The self-esteem movement - where children were unrealistically praised - started in California and proved to be a dismal failure.  According to Seligman it led to depression, anxiety and less ability to perform as well as an increased incidence of suicide. In other words...

Self worth is crucial for Joy and spiritual transformation since

 It's all about giving back which is soul technology.

All about me 

is a recipe for misery

 
This is also part of the Incorporation phase of the Hero/ine's journey. 

Self worth as with the many other things we will describe goes along with gratitude and joy and resides in the upper chakras above the diaphragm, i.e. with (self) love in the 4th heart chakra. Moreover, Self worth does not exclude humility. 

The Ancestors

"s"elf esteem or "s"elf cherishing (Buddhism) is a property of Ego, the 3rd chakra along with persona, stuff, fame and attachment to the objects of our desire. Self esteem is self cherishing with a small s.  Self worth deserves a capital S and is an essential quality for nurturing the higher Self. Along with gratitude and congruence it resides in the higher chakras.

Learned Helplessness is a 1st chakra survival, flight of fight response.

Click on the link to highlight, then play and dance for joy's sake.

-_MP3s/18_African_Joy.mp3

T.O.L. # 4

The Lower Triangle

      Attachment-Non Attachment
Ego

The lower triangle and its pathways are depicted below 
and have a lot to do with:
 Our survival needs, Monkey or Narrow Mind and our emotions such as anger, lust, desires, habits and compulsions. Above Ego reside our growth needs, Spacious or Big Mind and our notions, concepts, ideals, beliefs, discrimination and discernments. 
Ultimately we hope to be where

"Discernment is choiceless." Krishnamurti,

 And when we arrive at the Wisdom sephira we realize ...
We are all one though not the same The Ancestors
or InterAre Thich Nhat Hanh 

We are aiming for rising beyond our lower survival to our upper growth needs (Maslow.) To open the Love sephira (also the heart chakra) is key which is one of the most challenging of all the energy centers. However, first we have to subordinate our shadow (evil inclination,) monkey mind, ego, attachment to the object of our desire and the tricksters to the Higher Self. Spiritual practice of any sort as long as its done for its own sake and for the purpose of going inwards is vital!

The Three Deadly Sins of Karma are Judgment, Ego and Attachment to the object of our desire (be it "stuff," knowledge, fame, power, sex ...) All except Judgment reside in this lowermost triangle. For most of us Judgment is an even bigger challenge to Spacious Mind as it easily falls victim to Narrow Mind.

The figure above describes all the polarities we are faced with. Netzach or the Non Attachment sephira also has to do with our interpersonal relationships 

with the Talking Beings but also the Still, Growing and Wild Beings as well. We are karmically accountable to all of them and to do them no harm.

This sephira is also about having an unconditional positive regard not only for ourselves (self-worth) but for others.  The Ancestors stress that mastery of Netzach is key to the evolution of moving our vibration energy upwards to the sephira of Love. The figure below from ancient wisdom can help us.

Ego is like a chameleon, always changing colors ever more deviously as we ascend the vibrational hierarchy. The Ancestors teach that we are here to enjoy Kingdom or Malkut responsibly and not to lead a life of austerity.

The way to God is through the senses!

and ...

What you resist will persist

What you destroy destroys you

What you defeat defeats you 

What you sanctify sanctifies you

Kabir possibly talks of the greater challenges of spiritual practice if one withdraws from the responsibility of JOY - the subject of the next few blogs. 

According to Jung we cannot get rid of Ego although it is possible transiently in Unity Consciousness or the Oneness Experience when the Knower, the Known and the process of Knowing all fuse into one ecstatic but usually fleeting experience. Clearly there are advanced practitioners who can control, attain and maintain this state whereas most of us get it by grace when we become the sunset, the dance, the music, the orgasm, the childbirth, the scientific discovery or the art piece we are viewing (some of the commonest causes of the Maslow's Peak Experience.) We live in a world of duality but once we have had this samadhi like experience we know what its like when the reality of our oneness manifests.

The Ancestors

Non Attachment or Netzach and the balancing of Hod's "Attachment" - its counterpart - emphasize the challenge of relationship in our world of duality. Hod counterbalances Netzach so that we don't give away our energy or even material objects to scavengers and protect ourselves at the same time. The easiest rule for us is to do something for its own sake and in relationship try to;

Give without remembering and take without forgetting

The Ancestors 

(and at the same time have gratitude which is spiritual practice in itself.)

Click to highlight the links then play 

-_MP3s/20_Judgement.mp3

-_MP3s/07_Tilling_the_Soil_of_the%20Soul.mp3

THE COSMIC TOL #3  
THE LOVE TRIANGLE
JUDGMENT - MERCY
LOVE

Micah stresses three simple but difficult things that the Creator requires of us;

"...to act justly, 

to love tenderly 

and to walk humbly with your God."

This blog will discuss acting justly and loving tenderly, the third triangle about walking humbly will follow in the next blog. 

Love is at the heart and center of the T.O.L. and Kabbalah states that the student can teach her or himself once this sephira is mastered. Yoga also stresses that this is the most difficult chakra to open.

 Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself. The Ancestors teach that maybe we can take this even further and love 

them as they would want to be loved. 

Since we are all so different another may not want to be loved like we love ourselves. 

We should at least have an unconditional positive regard for our fellow humans. 

The Ancestors add that we are all one though not the same. All of us are animated by the breath of the Divine and are comprised of the same elements - "star" dust - dust to dust - ashes to ashes.

Moreover,

"...  there is no-one who does not have his/her hour and there is nothing that does not have its place." Talmud

The Second  Triangle is highlighted in Blue

On  the right we have 

the Expansion of Mercy

Love

Empathy 

Forgiveness

On the left we have 

the Restraint of Judgment

Fear, 

Guilt/Shame 

Cynicism

Projection

Of course the first step is self love and forgiveness.

Self-condemnation and guilt have no place in transformation as well as healing and curing of disease. If we feel we deserve to get sick and are not worthy of healing because of cultural and religious conditioning we will have serious challenges getting better. The Inner Healer is a magical part of the soul and responds the same way to the T.O.L. polarities as spiritual transformation. Neuroscience is proving this more and more. Forgiveness has been shown to boost the immune system and cynicism hampers it. Guilt and shame increase pro-inflammatory facts now known to cause atherosclerosis, certain cancers and auto-immune diseases. 

If we can't love ourselves we should at least nurture "U.S.A."

Universal Self-Acceptance as a first step to self love.

Remorse and regret is how we feel about 

what we have done. 

Self condemnation or recrimination is closer to guilt and shame which mean we feel bad about 

who we are which is more serious.

Neuroscience has shown that to a greater or lesser extent (much more with guilt and shame) these can put our brains in lock down mode, cutting us off from Spacious mind and the prefrontal lobe with its higher concepts. F.M.R.I. studies show that activity then gets focused in the middle more primitive brain while the prefrontal lobe is put on hold. In other words we are in Narrow Mind's  survival mode which incorporates the 

Four F's - fight, flight, as well as 

"freezing or feigning death" which maybe more accurately describes this lock down.

Shame especially is a crippling emotional force that can lead to soul loss.

We should have ...

We should realize the misconception sometimes held that this fear based response does not make us perform better but worse. We should treat ourselves as we would treat a good friend and release ourselves from what we are not accountable.

God is not a test of love and God's love is not a test. 

The Ancestors

God does not play favorites or micromanage. God loves all of Creation. Karma is built into the soul as a default and will take care of our unskillfulness. We will be accountable. The Creator desires that we all return to our true Selves which are made in the Divine image. We can achieve a level of spiritual worthiness where we do not have to reincarnate unless we wish to return to perform a service.

Moreover,

We still need to acknowledge the hurt or harm we may have caused and remedy it as best as possible even if we feel we have done nothing wrong. Everyone has their own reality and marches to the sound of a different drum. Her or his drum may differ from ours.

Its always fine to say you are sorry for hurting someone without accepting any blame.

The Ancestors stress the intention we should hold when considering forgiveness. 

Focus forgiveness on the degree to which we are holding our anger. In other words ;

"Im gonna lay down my burden down by the riverside, aint gonna study war no more."  African American spiritual song

That it is an internal process dependent on releasing our negative feelings.

Realize that we do not have to embrace or reconcile with someone who has done the despicable. 

               Forgiveness will release us from a particular karmic blemish.

 Below are the principles for Divine Repentance (Maimonides) relating to how we have harmed or hurt our fellow humans. If possible we should replace what was lost or attempt to make amends.

 Forgiveness is more about ourselves than the other because it takes away the heaviness of carrying an albatross around the neck. 

When we repent we "Return" to our Higher Selves.

The Ancestors

This is Jesus's parable of the Prodigal's son coming back to the Father/Mother who go out to great him and after which there is a great celebration.

Moreover, when we are considering judgment we should consider 

Judgment is often just a reflection of our own shadow onto the  another which make us feel better about ourselves. When we point fingers there are usually three fingers pointing back at ourselves.

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

The Ancestors 

Cordovero recommends among others ...

We cannot stop judging but

The Ancestors advise we sweeten our judgments and judge favorably.

Try and walk in the other persons shoes especially since we do not know what ails them.

Have compassion if not for their past troubles then for the karmic consequences of their actions.

Recognize that reality follows its description and hence it is ever changing and is perceived differently by different people.

Since we all march to the sound of a different drum. If the sound is intrusive or too loud we should simply move away without judgment. If we can do this we will notice a positive change ...

Click to highlight the link and play and ponder them both

_-_MP3s/04_Love.mp3

_-_MP3s/05_Learn_Love.mp3

Dear Blogger

This week's blog is really a questionnaire ?

Google Plus is going away later this year and I am thinking of discontinuing the blog in favor of the DVD's we post on line on You Tube and through the web site davidcumes.com. These are given twice a semester.

The blog is somewhat different to the talk and tends to fill in some of the information I do not have time to address in the two hour time span for the lecture. However, the general theme and message are the same.
If you don't mind could you respond in the blog's Comments section or to dcumes@gmail.com
WITH A YES OR NO OR A COMMENT
to the following in CAPS or briefly add anything else you would like to add.

1. DO YOU REGULARLY VIEW THE BLOG?
2. ARE YOU AWARE OF THE DVD'S ON THE TALKS TWICE A SEMESTER WHICH COVER MOST OF THE BLOG INFO?
3. DO YOU EVER VIEW THESE DVD'S? and if so
HOW OFTEN?
4. DO YOU VIEW BOTH?
5. IF THE BLOG GOES AWAY WOULD YOU BE SATISFIED JUST VIEWING THE LECTURE.
6. ARE YOU LOCAL AND ATTEND THE LECTURES TOO?


Your feedback will be very much appreciated in deciding about how to move forward.
Blessings for the way
Dave

The Cosmic Tree of Life #2

(Continuing with the first & uppermost triad:) 

Keter-Understanding-Wisdom

which
incorporates the polarities of

Truth vs. Denial & Doubt 

and

 Hope, Belief, Trust, Surrender vs. Hopeless,  Resignation, Detachment

   

Hope, Belief and Trust (Surrender)
and there Counterparts of
Hopelessness, Denial, Resignation, Detachment 

Hope, Belief and Trust have somewhat similar characteristics but subtle differences. Belief is not as strong as Faith (just below Keter) which occurs in the absence of any reason and can be blind. Belief usually requires some evidence to support it - Faith does not. Both have their dark side and Belief may be influenced by dogma or deluded facts and false Understandings.  The shadow side of Wisdom is the arrogance of thinking one knows it all.
Truth and Belief will be determined by how well we scrutinize all the credible evidence which these days can be very challenging. In other words, our Understandings and what we do with facts.

Without right Understand and Wisdom we will not be able to distinguish between our skillful or unskillful Beliefs

             UNDERSTANDING                                  WISDOM

The Truth will depend on how we balance the Wisdom of Knowing with the Understanding that comes from Knowledge. We need both Sephirot. These two energy systems will also help us decide what we really need to Believe in. Faith goes beyond evidence and cognitive thinking but if True will invoke the Wisdom of an Inner Knowing. 

Hence the Truth that was quoted last week that the 

"intuitive is closest to I am that I am." 

The intuitive is closest to the macrocosm of the Creator and "feeling" the energy of the Divine. For instance the indigenous mind of the hunter-gather that relies entirely on nature to survive and that lives beyond the five senses to hunt effectively, can reach ecstatic states of being and of "Knowing" without being literate. Wilderness gives him or her all the lessons that scripture can teach.

Balance is achieved by harmonizing polarities. Dualities come into harmony by negotiating a third or middle path...

The Ancestors

This is the middle way that the Buddha taught. 

Wild nature is an incredible place to balance all the multiple polarities and find it.

The Ancestors 

A lack of any Hope, Doubt and Denial of any Hope, can lead to Resignation, Detachment and even Despair.  

Surrendering requires Trust and the Ancestors teach us to...

Beware the odiousness of Doubt!!

Resignation, Doubt and Denial can be comforting, as in the "couch potato syndrome," where a certain complacency and Hopelessness implies there is nothing that can be done about the situation. Resignation and Denial lead to Detachment.

Resignation and Detachment are a giving up!

Surrender on the other hand is not waving the white flag of defeat but rather 

a giving IN to something much bigger than oneself, 

 NOT a giving up. 

Surrender implies connecting with one's higher Self and the "Field," letting go with trust, being unattached and in the flow or the Tao. 

Surrender which requires Trust is a giving in to a higher force and purpose.

The Ancestors

Next week we will do the second triad of

Love-Judgment-Mercy

Click to highlight then download and meditate on their words

/Messages_from_Ancestors_vol_4_-_MP3s/06%20Faith.mp3

from_Ancestors_vol_3_-_MP3s/15_Wisdom_for_the_Way.mp3