Sunday, November 28, 2021

 SELF JUDGMENT AND SHAME

Before leaving the Tree of Life I thought I needed to add a little more about Self-judgment especially around the important topic of Shame. When ego, monkey mind and shadow induce us to misbehave and create severe dysfunction we can judge ourselves severely and lastingly causing shame. Shame can also be induced from the outside by factors not necessarily in our control. The Soul is pure and can always be redeemed by corrective measures. We will talk more about how shame can cause soul sickness or loss in another blog. 

Self-Judgment, Guilt and Shame

 

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

 

Shame is prevalent in the West and the incidence is said to be as high as 60%. 

Shame can come from within from self-abuse causing self-condemnation and recrimination such as committing a crime, “sex drugs, rock and roll” etc. Whatever the cause ...


"Self condemnation strengthens guilt which is one of the greatest impediments on the path of realization." Yoga teaching

 

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

 

 Shame can also occur from without because of one or other form of abuse from another or others early or late in life. In these instances, the abuse is usually very severe. 


Remorse, regret and guilt are feeling bad about what one did. Guilt, when aggravated by self-condemnation, can also lead to shame. Shame is about feeling bad about who one is rather than only one’s actions. We all do bad things but this does not make us bad. We are responsible for, but are not our actions, and need not magnify them. Guilt and shame can occur even if we have done nothing wrong. 


“To err is human, to forgive, divine.”


Release yourself from what you are not accountable.


Self-condemnation and Self-recrimination can lead to shame. However, when successfully managed, shame can sometimes help us self-correct. Otherwise it is a crippling emotional force which can be aggravated by humiliation and isolation. It can cause spiritual bancruptcy by shutting down the brain’s frontal lobe and our higher consciousness. 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! Guilt and shame may decrease self-motivation and control. This may lessen accountability and paradoxically make for more not less dysfunction. This is not healthful and the "dis"-ease can cause depression, anxiety and other psychological maladies as well as disease. Shame is unhealthful and increases pro-inflammatory factors which can cause certain auto-immune diseases and even cancer.


“If the head and body are to be well, one begins with curing the soul.” Plato


Shame can have physical effects including a lowered head, downcast eyes, voice alteration and a slack posture. Physiological blushing due to our flight of fight, sympathetic autonomic response can occur and is more intense than flushing. It can extend to the ears, neck and upper chest and over more of the body, Severe blushing can make it difficult for the person to feel comfortable in either social or professional situations. Shame can lead to soul sickness and even soul loss. When the primitive vagus is invoked it can cause Freezing or Feigning death (Porges.)

 

Shame occurs early in life if a child is continually put down and humiliated especially if this is associated with the emotion of disgust. The child believes that they were born a mistake and are no good for anything or anybody. Shame can also be aggravated or caused by  additional physical or sexual abuse apart from the emotional harm already created. Humiliation, the ugly cousin of shame, aggravates the shame. 


In the adult, shame can come from severe abuse - sexual, physical,  emotional or spiritual. There may be abuse from toxic gurus, dysfunctional priests and occult cults such satanic covens, gangs, religious fanaticism etc. Lack of any self-worth can create hatred, anger, malice and addictions or lead to unskillful desires, habits, impulses and compulsions. To compensate the shamed individual may develop the attitude that; life is messy lean into it or fix it, make the uncertain certain, the imperfect perfect. Perfectionism is a way to find some measure of control. 

The person might overact as a defense to give the impression of normalcy. Sometimes two personas develop; a public and a private self. Anger becomes a state of being, projecting blame. Numbness and addiction often fill the emptiness inside. Prior sexual abuse may lead to promiscuity or an eating disorder in an attempt to look unattractive to suitors. There is a tendency to shut down and an inability to respond to others. 


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


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

 

The only way out of it is through it. This implies having the courage to be imperfect and to be vulnerable, having compassion and empathy for oneself – to treat oneself as one would a good friend and not being stuck in damaging self-talk and self-blame.


Some researchers have claimed that the soul can “split” when there is shame. 


"Shame is an acutely self-conscious state in which the self is 'split’… by contrast, in guilt the self is unified.” J. L. Herman. 


The Ancestors teach that the soul is pure and is unified. The issue is rather with the ego.

 

“From the sound of my sighing has my essence (soul) fused onto my flesh (body.)” 

 

When we transgress the soul can separate from the body in disgust until it is brought back by healing the dysfunctions that repelled it. We never heal completely until we forgive. Everyone can be redeemed with repentance and self-forgiveness. We need to forgive ourselves, forgive others and also ask forgiveness of those we have wronged. 

This may require additional help from a twelve step or any other suitable rehabilitation program. A skillful shaman and a diligent spiritual practice can help Spacious Mind find its rightful place. 

 

“The wound carries the medicine.” African Proverb.


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

 

“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 soul has no rainbow if the eyes have no tears.” 

Native American saying

 

Bene’ Brown states that the factors enhancing shame are silence, secrecy and self-judgment. The way out of it is through it. Empathy is key. Reach out to someone you trust and will have empathy to tell your story. Treat oneself as one would a good friend and as they would treat you.

 

“Shame cannot survive being spoken. Find someone you trust and tell them how you're feeling. Talking with a trusted person will give you a fresh perspective on what's happening, which will challenge the spiral's negative views.” Brene Brown

 

To love self and others is to be vulnerable. The philosophy of Paul Simons' song and a lone ranger mentality doesn't cut it;  "I am a rock, I am an island. And a rock feels no pain and an island never cries."


A coward is incapable of exhibiting love. It is the prerogative of the brave.” M. Gandhi


Self-compassion is not enabling – we need to admit what we did wrong, make amends if we can and move on. Self-worth is not the same as self-esteem which relates to the ego, persona and “self-cherishing” (Buddhism) and can lead to narcissism. It tends towards self-enabling. Self-worth means we are all worthy - being made in the image of the Creator - even if our actions are unskillful, we are all on a journey of “Becoming.” The soul remains pure and can always be redeemed.

We need to admit to unskillfulness, take corrective action and let go of any angst. Universal Self-Acceptance (U.S.A) or an unconditional positive regard for our true Self reduces anxiety and depression and increases happiness, optimism, positive emotions, and self-worth. We are all worthy of U.S.A.  

It is possible to rise like a Phoenix out of the ashes. Every bad experience can be alchemized into an opportunity. Furthermore, anyone that climbs out from the bottom of the barrel of sorrow has the potential to be more spiritually powerful than those who have been fortunate enough to have not been there. When we are knocked down and get up with zeal for the next challenge - if it did not kill us - it will make us stronger.  We should not be ashamed we have been in the bottom of a pit if we have climbed out and can start anew with the unbounded potential of having had that experience. We can be proud then of what we have done.


Self-judgment and shame can also be reversed with the healing of meaning. 

Victor Frankl who experienced the Nazi death camps wrote in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, that to find meaning in life is the primary, most powerful motivating and driving force in humans. Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi remained committed to the profound meaning of their missions even under severe adverse circumstance. The safety needs of these individuals and others may have been threatened but they retained "meaning" and purpose against all odds. The way a prisoner in  the concentration  camps could imagine his future seemed to be the determining factor that counted most. Some imagined seeing a loved one again or being able to complete some mission such as writing a book. They tended not necessarily to be the physically strongest person but they maintained an attitude of optimism rather than a head down, hopeless, helpless demeanor. They managed not to be too anxious, apathetic, depressed, detached and dejected. 


Generally speaking those who recover from shame tend to take their suffering and make something useful out of it. Their mantra may have been - it’s not what happens to you but rather what you do with it -  either in the moment or in the future

 

Your teaching is in the shadow of your experiences.


"The cave you fear to enter hold the treasure you seek." 

J. Campbell


The healing can also be part of the Hero/ine's journey where after a dark night of the soul we attain the "grail" and come back to give it away and do service. Many folks in recovery have done exactly that. Or as the Buddhists say; take your suffering and make something useful out of it by helping others. Turn the crap into manure for the soul.

  

We are continually being tested - not about how much we know or how well we perform but that our trust, our love and our faith are being always tested at unexpected times in often unrecognized guises…

If the burden were taken away the lesson would not be there, coping with it, is what is important and is what will count.


It is a paradox and a template for spiritual perfection.


The sages teach that without the sacred there is no mundane and without the mundane there is no sacred.
They are different sides of the same reality.
They are unique but not separate from the whole.


“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.


“No matter how long the night, the day will surely come.” 
African Proverb (this too will pass.)

 

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

Aboriginal wisdom


Click, play and relax

 11_Golden_Husks.mp3

 

Saturday, November 20, 2021

 EGO'S TRIAD - DESIROUS ATTACHMENT


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

 Impermanence

We are all climbing toward the summit of our hearts’ desires. Should the other climber steal your sack and your purse and wax fat on the one and heavy on the other, you should pity him. The climbing will be harder for his flesh and the burden will make his way longer. And should you in your leanness see his flesh puffing upward, help him in a step, it will add to your swiftness.” Unknown

Nothing lasts, everything we have is in the process of decay and we cannot take it with us. The more attachments to stuff that we have the harder will be our transition to the other side of the veil. When the Grim Reaper comes to tell us that our shelf life has expired and we move out of this plane to the "elsewhere" we leave with nothing but our experiences and our karma. We are here to enjoy this impermanence and the moment responsibly.

“One day the people came to the master and asked: “How can you be so happy in a world of such impermanence where you cannot protect your loved ones from harm, illness and death.” The master held up a glass and said. Someone gave me this glass and I really like this glass. It holds my water admirably and glistens in the sunlight. One day the wind may blow it off the shelf or my elbow may knock it off the table. I know this glass is already broken so I enjoy it incredibly.”               Achaan Chah Subato

“By attributing worth to tangible objects humans becomes attracted to them; attraction brings desire for them; desire leads to competition and dispute. These create anger and the result is delusion. Delusion completely overcomes a human’s sense of right and wrong.” Srimad Bhagavatam


Happiness is a legacy of perception rather than an accumulation of the material. We need to attend to our needs not our wants.

“…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.

The more we have - the more the ego desires. The marketing media play on this weakness. Steve Jobs of Apple said to his employees that their job at Apple was not to give folks what they needed but to tell them what they wanted. 


"Greed is not stilled with money anymore than thirst is with salt water." Ksemendra


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


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

Before we can subordinate ego to the Higher Self and open the heart chakra we will need to confront our Shadow, Monkey Mind and the Dark Forces or Tricksters - all trying to hold us down in the lower chakras. These three are always in flux sabotaging Spacious Mind and our Guides. Spiritual practice is essential to maintain equanimity.


The challenges and their remedies are summarized in the figure below.


Once we move energy from our survival centers below the diaphragm into the heart chakra or the sephira of Love we are on our way to mastering the Three Triads and to Becoming - Self Realizing.


Click, play and meditate

 03_Warnings_for_the_Way.mp3


 07_Tilling_the_Soil_of_the Soul.mp3



  

Saturday, November 13, 2021

 


THE TREE OF LIFE'S AND THE CHAKRA'S EGO TRIAD 

In the prior blog on the T.O.L.'s Love Triad we talked about Judgment. In Yoga however, Judgment is included in the Third Chakra of Ego together with the other Deadly Sins of Karma.
Ego is about our power and how we make our way in the world. Here we will confine ourselves to the other two deadly sins of Karma related to the Third Chakra -  
Yesod on the T.O.L. - balanced by 
Attachment and Non-Attachment.


                     


“Behind my work was ambition
Behind my love was personality
Behind my purity was fear
Behind my guidance, the thirst for power.
Now they are vanishing and I drift. I come mother, I come in your warm bosom, floating where-so-ever you take me. In the voiceless, in the strange, in the wonderland. I come a spectator, no longer an actor”
Swami Vivekananda

Below is the Hexagon symbolized in the Heart Chakra. The "lower"   mini-triangles point toward the Third Chakra of Ego -
including 
self-Cherishing and Desirous Attachment.  
These signify our survival needs rather than those above which relate to our higher consciousness.
“In the samadhi that comes at the end of reasoning and discrimination no such thing as I exists but it is extremely difficult to attain as I consciousness lingers so persistently. This is why humans are born again and again.” Sri Rama Krishna

self- Cherishing of the persona, 
this self being the little self and
Desirous Attachment -
 attachment to the object of our desire.
                       
There are some subtle differences in emphasis concerning the Ego of the Third Chakra versus the Ego of Yesod in Kabbalah as noted in the figure below. These will be dealt with first before we arrive at the commonalities.
The T.O.L. emphasizes the importance of interpersonal relationship between any of the Four Beings of Nature but especially the Talking Beings. In other words love thy neighbor as thyself (not more or less than oneself.) Namaste - I recognize the divinity within you (and mySelf.) We are all one though not the same.

“The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.” Roshi

... If we cannot embrace the other, do not think to embrace God. The more expectantly we look for Him in the other the more readily does S/He show Himself.  

Reference is also made to the example of a garden and the gardener and applies to any of the other Beings of Nature who deserve to exist not for what they bring to us but for their own sakes.

The sages speak of a garden where plants are treated with tenderness and care for their own sakes alone such that garden and gardener unite as Netzach (Non-Attachment to outcome) flows while one weeds, waters and prunes; nurturing and delighting in the garden itself and not ego and attachment to how the garden may be perceived by others. If the garden is tended like this, then Netzach flows only to those who are to be impressed rather than to the garden itself - the gardener decides. 

But Netzach can be misdirected, resulting in an imbalance in relationships. Netzach is the courage and force to reach out in relationship. Hod (Attachment,) its counterpart on the Tree of Life, is the empathetic balance and effective communicator of Netzach (Non-Attachment.)


If we focused only on Netzach in our relationships we may be taken advantage of. Hod allows us to be wary of this and communicate skillfully so we are not harmed by another's selfish motivations.


Netzach is the key to spiritual evolution - 

ie. to opening up to the Love Triad or the Heart Chakra.


God does not measure results, only the trueness of intent and the fervor of effort. This is why there is such joy in daring one’s best.


All must be done for its own sake, not for reason of an outcome. 
All is a journey not a destination and it is a continual arriving
.


Yeats recognizes the "enlightened" implications of doing things for their own sake. The motive, if for its own sake, without consideration for any outcome, is a Higher Self, Spacious Mind intention or motivation. If for the deed alone, it may only be a self-cherishing, ego bound, Narrow Minded agenda related to our Shadow or Evil Inclination.

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

However,

Ulterior motives are greatly under-rated. Acting compassionately to do good for any reason is preferable to not doing good at all.
But determine well the 
heart’s true desire for in releasing the power of your motivation, its energies will actualize the holiness or unholiness of your intent.


Moreover, even if we do things for their own sake there are no guarantees, and sometimes 

"no good deed remains unpunished..." 

The reward is equanimity and knowing we did the right thing. If we can maintain our serenity and selflessness in the face of all obstacles and challenges and still be non-attached...


 God’s breath can be heard in quietness and felt in stillness. 
Beware the noises and clamor of ego which drown out the Divine whisper.


Until you empty yourself of pride, God cannot be realized.


Detachment is not the same as attachment. Detachment is a giving up as opposed to surrender which is a giving in to something bigger and more important than one's little self.

Concerning detachment, one of its paths leads to a lifeless world without enthusiasm or hope, a place of indifference where one could become ensnared in hidden traps of dejection and despair, where one no longer cares to love nor dares to trust.

The self-cherishing persona is bound to the following polarities; Pride, Prestige, Fame, Power, and
Information and Knowledge rather than Wisdom or Knowing 
If information or knowledge do not serve justice and compassion they are but a conceit and a hollow sound.
 The value of information resides in its use for transformation.

Pride, Prestige, Fame

"God cannot be realized is there is the slightest trace of pride." Upanishads 

Humility is truthful acknowledgement of the wonders of yourself. It is taking appropriate credit for your part while recognizing the Creator’s gifts to you…


 Concerning false humility ... do not be so humble you are not that important! Unknown


 "... If you can empty your boat (of ego) crossing the river of the world, few will oppose you or seek to harm you."  Unknown


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


"S/he who does good and does not pursue fame or honor, s/he honor overtakes."  Hillel 

As in Mother Theresa and others.


"S/he who loses himself (as in small self) will find himSelf.

 

 "Those that will be first will be last."  Jesus


Let them be king.

Let them come along and shout

 - they will shout their name last

The Ancestors


Click, Play and empower your-Self 

 10_Let_Them_Be_King.mp3



…We must beware of anger and pride which are weapons of chaos, connecting us to our destructive instincts…


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


 We are seeing this more and more today around the world and even in the U.S.A. 


 Click, Play and Meditate 

 03_Warnings_for_the_Way.mp3






Sunday, November 7, 2021



THE THREE TRIADS OF THE T.O.L. AND THE CHAKRAS
THE MIDDLE TRIAD OF LOVE #7


In the first Triad of Becoming on the T.O.L. we discussed Truth which is the balance of many factors; 
Understanding versus Wisdom, 
Hope, Faith, Belief, Trust, Surrender versus 
Hopelessness, Disbelief, Doubt, Denial, Resignation.

These polarities in yoga correspond to the 6th and 7th chakras - the Third Eye of wisdom and intuition and the Crown chakra of oneness with the cosmos and the divine. These qualities are not as clearly delineated in Yoga as the polarities on the T.O.L.



The properties, however, are more similar when we compare the Heart chakra to Tiferet, the central sephira on the T.O.L. which represents love balanced by Mercy and Judgment. The Fourth or Heart chakra in yoga is its equivalent and it houses the symbol of the hexagon. It is separated from the higher chakras by the diaphragm.

We can analyze the symbol of the hexagon as having three small triangles pointing downward (survival) and three upward (growth and transformation.) Those above include; Truth, Awareness and Being in the Present Moment which are also embodied in the Triangle of Becoming on the T.O.L. 
The three below or the Triangle of Ego are to be discussed later. These relate to the lower chakras especially the Third chakra of Ego which  can be impediment to fully opening the heart chakra. Ego has three components; self-Cherishing of the persona (the small self,) Desirous Attachment (attachment to the object of our desire) and Judgment. Spiritual practice will help subordinate these and open the heart chakra. The Yogis say that the most difficult chakra to open is this one. Kabbalists affirm that when the student has mastery over Tiferet (Beauty) - the love sephira - s/he can teach themselves.
On the T.O.L. Judgement is a higher order of challenge and part of the Triad of Love since it is a more difficult nut to crack. It is balanced by Mercy. The tension between the two is where we balance the sephira of Love and start to recognize the Divinity in all of us.

The wisdoms below relate to the tension between 
Judgment and Mercy.
Forgiveness, compassion and empathy and loving our neighbor as ourself (we do not have to like him/her) are key.

There can be judgment of Oneself, 
Judgment of Another and Judgement of Others.

Do not condemn yourself, or let others condemn you.

JUDGMENT OF ONESELF

 “Self condemnation strengthens guilt which is one of the greatest obstacles on the path of realization.” Sri Swami Rama


Self condemnation or recrimination put our higher consciousness resident in the prefrontal lobe of the brain in lockdown so that Monkey Mind which is about survival can prevail. We need to practice an unconditional positive regard not only for ourselves but also for others.  U.S.A. - universal self-acceptance. No-one is perfect.


Be patient with yourself, kind to yourself and, above all, release yourself from what you are not accountable.


“Just as its presumptuous to put ourselves above others, so is it pretentious to put ourselves below them.” Unknown 


The judgment of the 99 neither validates nor invalidates the worth of the one.
The many and the few do not speak to value – only to popularity. Popularity is not to be equated with 
value.


If we cannot embrace the other, do not think to embrace God. 


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

The Creator will forgive anything that is done to Him/Her in other words damage inflicted on one's Higher Self or soul 

but not anything we have done to another. 

For that we have to clean the slate.


“Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts  become your words. 
Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior.
Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits.
Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.
Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.
 
Gandhi





JUDGMENT OF ANOTHER OR OTHERS


Reality usually follows its description. Hence it is ever changing and is perceived differently by different people.


We all dance to the beat of different drums. As long as someone is not doing harm we should be merciful with his or her "beat."


“Actions arise from conditions. Do not judge then the former until the latter is well understood. If you have eaten what the judged one has eaten, and worn his clothes, and thought his thoughts, and felt both his joy and pain then you may say you have stood in his place but only briefly compared to the length of his stay. So still you may not know the past or present plights that plague him. Our judgments are frequently fraught with error and usually tainted with arrogance. Compassion and love are our salvation and joy.” Hillel


In other words try to walk for a day in someone's moccasins.


The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.” Roshi

 Judgment accentuates the duality we already carry. The Ancestors teach we are all one, though not the same.

“See yourself in others then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?” Dammapada

“There is so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us that it hardly behooves any of us to talk about the rest of us.” New England Saying


"Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.” Goethe


We need to remember that we may be an older soul than the other and had probably done things as unskillful and possibly worse in one or another of our own past lives.

 

“Despise no person and consider nothing impossible, for there is no one who does not have his/her hour and there is nothing that does not have its place.” Talmud


HAS JUDGMENT CREATED HARM? 


Kabbalah teaches that when we slander we "murder" three people.

Our Self (as in Higher Self.) and our Karma. 

The person to whom we gossip, by possibly poisoning their mind.

And the one we are slandering, by character assassination.


"Hatred does not cease by hatred only by love. This is the eternal rule." The Buddha


 "Holding on to anger or hatred is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." The Buddha

Hatred or anger is self reflecting.


… and do not give the Devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:27

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil Romans 12:17

Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord.

Karma will resolve all differences.


When judgment leads to covetousness we may transgress one of the ten commandments depending on what we do about our jealousy:

You shall not covet your neighbor's house or your neighbor's wife, or his male servant or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

If someone has a heart of envy this may lead them to want something that belongs to someone else or just as bad, to prevent them from having something that you yourself cannot have and want. We see this in politics all the time as well as character assassination where some methods go well beyond healthy competition. 

In the extreme it can lead to criminal acts, sorcery and the dark side of witchcraft.


MERCY


"Turn the other cheek" or respond positively depending on the situation. If you respond negatively you inherit their energy. It's not about them it's about you. Give compassion. Imagine them changing for the better.


Make of your opponent, a dance partner.


The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become.” Goethe 


“Great are the righteous for they transform judgment into compassion. Genesis Raba 33.3


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

We tend to project our own shadow onto someone else so that our ego can feel better about itself.


“Do not spread a bad image of anyone or any group - even if true
 (or to the person himself.)
Do not share information that can cause harm.
Do not embarrass even in jest.
Do not pretend that innuendo or body language are not speech.”
 

Chofetz Chaim


Do not refrain from judging but do not judge harshly, judge favorably.

The Ancestors tell us to; sweeten our judgments.

It is difficult not to judge - better to discern.


“Judge not that you not be judged. 
For with what judgment you judge you shall be judged 
and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
 Matthew

What goes around comes around sooner or later or karmically when we ultimately face a spiritual tribunal on the other side of the veil.


Our judgments, thoughts, feelings and actions all have connections not just in the material world but in the spiritual realm. The spiritual influences the material. We invite, support, encourage or exclude, reject, discourage…


"Cosmic energy enters through the Energy (Etheric) Body and our thoughts determine whether this is positive  or negative and how our Etheric body will be – (imbalanced or balanced.) Spiritual Practice will encourage positive flow." Yoga philosophy


Click, play and meditate on the wisdoms most applicable. We all have many.
Dear God, so far today, I’ve done alright. I haven’t gossiped, I haven’t lost my temper, I haven’t been selfish, greedy, grumpy or over indulgent. I’m very proud of that.
But in a minute God I’m going to get out of bed and from then on I’m probably going to need a lot more help.
 
Anonymous