My apologies !

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Shit happens."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

C.J. Jung

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

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

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

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

Next week we will talk about Incorporation and Integration.

THE HERO/INE’S JOURNEY # 6

INCORPORATION, INTEGRATION AND FEAR

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

Incorporation 

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

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

Reentry depression 

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

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

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

THE 4 ARCHETYPES AND THE 4 YOGAS

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

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

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

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

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

Jnana yoga - delving into the sacred texts and scriptures. 

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

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

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

Click on the links, play and ponder the journey.

01_The_Four_Beings.mp3

Any wisdom gained without love is deceit of the soul.

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

01_Freedom.mp3

 

FEAR VERSUS LOVE # 4

THREAT TO ONES HEALTH CONTINUED

(threat to life, limb, organ or function)

Surrendering to something bigger than oneself is an important quality for healing and curing. 

Surrender is a giving in, resignation is a giving up.                  The Ancestors.

Surrender embraces hope, faith, belief, trust, surrender, flexibility, receptivity and fearlessness. It involves a letting go without any grasping or desperation as well as a connection to the Field and acknowledgment of a Higher Force all of which lead to balance, harmony, equanimity and joy. Doubt, denial, disbelief, resignation, and detachment are fear based emotions that enhance a negative outcome. 

Others have noted that those that were flexible, adaptable, resilient, committed, took control, were creative and used humor did better with their health challenges. Some who were congruent with the desire for cure were sometimes demanding and even cantankerous. Many described a phenomenon called a crisis/cathartic conversion experience. This could also be translated as having Kundalini type energy moving in the body such as heat or vibration, out of body experiences, shamanic like encounters and even visitations from deceased family members telling them all would be well.  

The opposite fear-based qualities, are associated with an adverse result; a head down, helpless, hopeless, anxious and apathetic attitude, combined with depression, desperation and dejection.

Fear of death or failure on behalf of the medical team or family can induce the desire to help even if the ultimate outcome cannot be prevented and, moreover, the treatment has side effects. Medical treatment should not be applied if it is unnecessary, or if there is a more conservative and appropriate solution. To palliate means to help alleviate but not applying any unnecessary, ineffective therapy. Palliation is a love vibration. The focus should be towards a qualitatively and quantitatively better sense of being. Fear based good intentions that do not work are contraindicated.

You may have noticed that the blog has changed somewhat in format. Moreover, some of you devout followers have also probably been aware of the information being repeated over the years. These are universal truths that are always worth reaffirming. These truths are often found in quotes and I am always searching for new ones.

"The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages may be preserved by quotations."  Benjamin Disraeli

I myself have gone over the Ancestors' and other teaching countless times and each time I get another and sometimes deeper appreciations. We live in a fast world where we tend to say, been there done that, what's next and new. All spiritual traditions keep on maintaining, sustaining and reverberating these truths. All ancient traditions who have value should hold the same truths though they may be described somewhat differently.

The Ancestors teach; to take the truth from whence it comes. 

The same truth can take on many forms. Buddhists darma talks are repeated again and again, others read the bible beginning to end and start over again. We need to keep reminding ourselves of these crucial lessons or they fade into the background or worse still are completely forgotten. So I make no apologies for repetition of the material which is usually reformulated differently every time I revisit it. It often shape shifts into something with a new slant. The correlations with other truths also come to light with the revisions. We all need to constantly re - vision and revise what we think we know so we can expand it. 

FEAR OF THE KNOWN

It is the known that we should fear as well as the unknown. Sometimes our complacency of what we believe we know gets in the way of our transformation. There is a Zen story about a student who approaches a Zen master asking to be taught the path to enlightenment. The teacher tells him that they must first drink tea. He brings the tea and two cups and begins to pour the tea for his would be student but when the cup is full he keeps on pouring until there is tea not only all over the table but spilling over the seeker's lap. He jumps up exclaiming, “but can’t you see my cup is full!” The master says; “yes, exactly your cup is too full, you need to empty it first before studying Zen.” 

"You cannot discuss the ocean with a frog - he is limited by the space he lives in. You cannot discuss ice with a summer insect - who is bound to a single season.” Chuang Tzu

It is complacency and the delusion that we know all we need to know that gets in the way of our hero’s journey. The journey is primarily one of leaving the known of our limited safe harbor and what’s comfortable and venturing into a scary place where we realize there is something critical that we really need to find for ourselves. This is at the heart of the paralysis we often have before embarking on The quest.

"In order to possess what you do not possess you must go by the way of dispossession. In order to arrive at what you are not you must go through the way in which you are not.” T.S. Elliot

FEAR OF THE DEEP, THE DARK AND THE STEEP. PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL FEARS AND JOURNEYS OF INITIATION 

“There came a time when staying tight within the bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom.” Anais Nin

 

"…put out to sea! Save your boat’s journeying soul and your own pilgrim soul, cost what it may.” Dom Helder Camara

Life is a journey and not a destination and the hero/ine’s journey is a rite of passage to test one’s physical, emotional and spiritual metal. This is best done in nature or wilderness or other environments that can do the same thing. It is important to master the lower third power chakra and one’s self-worth before moving up the hierarchy of growth chakras. We should not try to skip chakras - the lower chakras or the energy centers on the T.O.L. that reside in the ego. Until ego is subordinated to the higher Self, it will be difficult to open up to love. The hero's journey is also about moving into our growth chakras and away from our survival ones.

 

  FEAR vs.  LOVE # 3

Ancient wisdoms have drawn our attention to life as suffering. Fear takes a hold when we suffer.

“All is suffering...” The Buddha’s four noble truths

"... In the sweat of your face will you eat bread, until you return to the ground; out of it you were taken: for dust you are, and to dust you will return." Genesis 

In the prior blog we talked about some of the cause of fear such as; threat to life, limb, organ or function, religious or superstitious beliefs and threats to the ego self - (how one is perceived as handling fear or suffering by others.)

These factors are involved especially in our lower three survival chakras. The first is survival - our flight or fight response, the second - the chakra of regeneration of the species and how we perform with regards to sexuality and procreation and the third - our power chakra. The fear arising from them are what helps us to self-actualize (as opposed to Self-Realize which is part of the upper growth chakras.) The latter also present their own unique fear factors. Each chakra is balanced by the sun and the moon channels and we determine whether we expand with love or constrict with fear.

 The many challenges producing fear and mention of the antidote of love will be the subject of this blog. We have talked more fully about the Love Triad in a prior blog.

FEAR OF DEATH (threat of not being alive any more)

"Death does not extinguish the light. It puts out the lamp because the dawn has come." R. Tagore

“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

The greatest fear for most of us is the fear of death - often suppressed  in the subconscious until such time as we are confronted by it. 

The Buddhists teach that the most profound meditation is the meditation on one’s demise and that it leaves the deepest impression on the psyche. Advanced Buddhist practitioners are able to simulate the stages of death in their meditations short of cutting the silver cord that connects the soul to the body. Some shamans have mastered death and Bushman healers describe their out of body trance trance-induced spirit flight as a “little death.” In some, that are less experienced, it can become a true death experience if the body loses contact with the soul. Most of those that have had near death experiences, no longer fear death since they know it portends going to a better place where one is released from physical suffering. Some have been cured of this fear with the help of entheogens. Psilocybin has been used successfully in psychological research at Harvard and beyond as has L.S.D. by Stanislaus Grof. Spiritual knowledge of what is to come can allay many of these fears as can a regular inner practice. We travel into the Astral plain during dreaming which Buddhism teaches can give is an idea of what the Astral looks like. Most of us will go to the Astral vibration that we have earned with our karma. Enlightened beings inherit the Causal and do not have to reincarnate unless they choose to. There is no "judgement day" as such although we are lovingly shown the error of our ways and usually need to come back in order to perfect what we never managed before. The Zohar tells us that we live in a 1% world but we can experience a little of the other 99% in dreams and when we leave this plane of existence. Eventually we come to realize that love is the universal truth. Buddhists pray to inherit a future life where they can continue on their spiritual path at a higher level which will be true depending on the integrity of their prior practice.

THREAT TO ONES HEALTH (threat to life, limb, organ or function)

“He is the best physician who is the most ingenious inspirer of hope”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“There are some patients we cannot help. There are none we cannot harm.” Arthur Bloomfield

Placebo, the power of belief to heal, help or cure is a magical phenomenon that occurs through the property of love. Nocebo it’s opposite, is fear driven, and can be just as effective in doing the reverse. Nocebo is motivated by fear. It is enhanced by the unskillful use of the wrong words and or body language from their caregivers or others that dispel hope of recovery. Delivering a bad prognosis can induce a nocebo response and can be the equivalent of a medical hex. Nocebo is enhanced by guilt and especially shame where for one reason on another the person feels they do not deserve to be well. This can arise out of religious guilt where the sufferer  believes God is punishing them for something bad that they did. Karma does not act this way. Shame can disable the Inner Healer which is part of the soul and has infinite potential if steered in the right direction. 

THE FOUR VARIABLES IN HEALING

Healing is facilitated or not according to whether the patient embraces and is given love or fear.            

1. The Patient and his/her Inner Healer. 

2. The “Place” the patient finds him/herself whether it's the hospital, the home and its local environment in relation to the accessibility of alternative healing methods or a healing natural environment. 

3. The healer/s, doctor/s and or their support staff.  

4. The “Field” which includes spirit guides, ancestors and the Creators universal healing energy which is love. To the extent the healer/s or the patient can access the Field, healing will be more effective. Distant healing from gifted healers works. Trials have shown that it is effective even when placebo has been discounted and the patient has no knowledge they are being healed remotely.

There are several possibilities when it comes to the prognosis of severe disease most of which can be accompanied by debilitating fear. 

Remission - balancing the scales.                                                

Relapse.

Fulminating progression and death. 

Being healed but not cured. Everyone can be healed but not everyone can be cured. One can also be cured but not healed in a spiritual sense.

Spontaneous remission of a disease which has defied the best of what modern medicine has to offer. This rare phenomenon usually is not associated with debilitating fear but rather with hope, belief, faith trust and the surrender of love.  Surrender is a not a giving up but a giving in to something much greater than oneself or the medical team. It is about connecting with the Field, a letting go, being in the flow, a feeling that no matter what happens it is for the greater good. Surrender requires the releasing of fear.  

Spontaneous Remission is a miracle tantamount to seeing water running uphill. Noetic Sciences published two books which described Christian patients studied by physicians appointed by the Vatican that had spontaneous remission of deadly diseases after visiting Lourdes in France. These doctors had all the pre and post healing data following the remission which led them to unhesitatingly ascribe the event of spontaneous remission in 67 patients (when I last checked.)                              

These were the "Love" variables that I gleaned from two Noetic        Sciences books that seemed to portend this amazing outcome.                                                                                

The Will to live, a fighting spirit, taking control, having unfulfilled goals.

Accepting the Truth and extent of the diagnosis and working fully with the medical team.  If one is climbing mount Everest one cannot be told its a walk in the park. However, one must be told that the team are making sure of your success. 

Knowledge both intuitive, intellectual and experiential (having prevailed over a prior rite of passage.) If one has climbed "Everest" before it will be easier the next time.

Trust (Belief, Hope, Faith, Surrender) that the challenge could be beaten. Faith and a religious or spiritual belief that allowed them to surrender without fear. This was also coupled with a sense that all  would be well and they would prevail.                                                 

Avoiding stress, being able to say no, expressing needs and putting their healing over and above any other demands. 

Love and the support of not only their loved ones but also others such as support groups, community, church etc. Those that had pets benefitted as well.

Employing choices beyond allopathic medicine and perceiving the supporting physician as a partner.                                                            

Taking Action, being proactive and finding new meaning in their predicament including, spiritualtransformation and meaningful life changes. Many said they would not have chosen to be sick but recognized the huge benefits they had accrued from the challenge.                                                                                                

These principles can be adapted to other critical situations where fear can be overwhelming.

Click play and meditate on fear vs. love.

06 Fear.mp3

 FEAR VERSUS LOVE #2

 The Three Triads on the Tree of Life

 

1. The Triad of Ego is balance by Non-Attachment or Attachment to Ego's three deadly sins 

 (Cherishing of the small self, Desirous Attachment and Judgment.)

Netzach or Non-Attachment to these three are key to opening up to the the Triad of Love.

Do you listen with your heart or are you hearing with your ego.
The possible peril is not a punishment, it is a consequence.
Choice is not enough, action must follow.
Intent, willingness, openness and trust - if you want it all you must offer all. The Ancestors

2. The Triad of Love is balanced by Judgment and Mercy. Judgment is a harder nut to crack and hence it features again in the Triad of Love.

Just as the Heart Chakra is central to the Chakra hierarchy, so is Tiferet or the Sephira of Love central to the T.O.L. The heart Chakra is the most challenging of the energy centers to open, as is the Sephira of Love. Kabbalah states that when the student has mastered Love s/he can teach themselves. Opening the heart Chakra and mastering the Triad of Love is the gateway to 

3. The Triad of Becoming - Enlightenment or Self-Realization.

It will be given to you according to the measure of your humility, the measure of you love and the measure of your faith.

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

There are ten sephirot or centers of energy similar to the chakras in Yoga. They are linked by 22 pathways. These remind us that everything is in flow at any one time and we are continually being challenged by an excess of constraints inherent on the left side of the Tree as well those of expansion on the right. At any time when we assimilate what does not create balance and harmony we descend vibrationally to a lower level. Spiritual transformation is about coexisting with the unskillful challenges and not assimilating them. 

Finding the middle path of the Buddha is not easy.

The Love Triad on the T.O.L. comprises Love in the center column balanced by Judgment on the left and Mercy on the right. 

Love of God

You need not to love more but to love deeper, not to know more but to know perfectly, not to act compassionately but to be compassion itself, not to follow God but to care for Him/Her; to do His bidding and to share with Him the use of His power through yourself and to let Him use your power. This is why you must become all of who you are.

Our love for the Creator manifests in the practice of Bhakti Yoga, the Christian mystics and other sages It is also typified in the ecstatic poetry of the Sufis, David's psalms and Ecclesiastes. The potential of being able to have a personal relationship with the Divine empowers many to love the Creator with all of their strength, heart and will. 

God’s love does not seek worth, God’s love creates worth.

God's Love for Us

"No human soul is like any other human soul, 

and therefore, the love of God for any human soul is infinite, 

for no other soul can satisfy the same need in God.” Yeats

The Creator wants to have a personal relationship with each one of us so that we can fulfill our God give mission or destiny with His/Her divine help. 

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

 The Ancestors

The Creator's love for us is unconditional. His/Her love is not the test, Karma is the test and is built into the soul as a default. The Creator does not micromanage and the love is expressed by the parable of the prodigal son or daughter returning to the Father/Mother in good standing. The law of Karma, however, is conditional and levels the playing "Field." 

We are made in the image of the Divine and we are a microcosmic chip or a tiny holographic imprint of the Great Spirit. As above so below, as without so within.

God wants a personal relationship with all of us. We are all important and have a spark of Divinity within. Each of us have been given a unique task to fulfill in order to heal the planet. 

The path is not to God but with God.

God is a persistent lover wooing us with many pleasures, lavishing endless grace, wanting our delight, hoping for our trust. The Ancestors

The Supreme Being is said to be playing hide and seek but no one wants to play.

Jeremia says;

 "Search for me and you will find me. Seek me with all your heart and I will let you find me..."

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

Yoga wisdom

If we put ego aside, open the heart and have faith we are all capable of hearing the soft, silent, still voice of the Divine. It does not come as a trumpeting sound but like a whisper on the wind. The requirements for such a conversation, however, are quite stringent.

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

In stillness you will be filled with God’s breath. 

The soft, silent, still voice of the Infinite one is heard when Ego is set aside and the Heart is open. This also requires purity and faith.

Determine well your Heart’s desire for in releasing your intention its energy will affect its holiness or unholiness.

Among all who possess great wisdom only those act wisely, who act from love. The early sages taught that the pursuit of wisdom ennobled the intellect with knowledge of God while love brought one into His presence.

To heal the world, you must illuminate with love, warm with compassion and open with wisdom. You must let the Creator continue to create with you.
The thoughts you think are what dominates your lives. You must conjure with care as in carefully and care as in caringly.

The route is not to God but with God.

The Ancestors

 There are certain things the Supreme Being cannot do for the creation that we can. We can tap into and be assisted by the infinite power resident in the "Field" if we are correctly aligned to the Great Spirit, as well as our guides and our ancestors. African wisdom teaches that the ancestors are the intermediaries between us and the  Great Spirit. Kabbalah refers to the metaphor of making bread. The Creator supplies the ingredients but it requires us and the "yeast" to complete the act. Bread is also the staff of life. 

The teaching of the prophets direct us to listen with our hearts;” I am your God you are my child.” The teachings of the mystics reveal to us that God awaits our growth.

 

Among all who possess great wisdom. only those act wisely who act from love…

Listen with your heart, risk being a fool, and risk all if you would gain all.
Risk for love not for gain, acceptance of love will affect gain in your life.

We need to act with love and not for love. Love for its own sake and not for any agenda or perceived outcome

For gain on any level, giving yourself to love will actualize the benefits, often in the most bizarre or perhaps most extraordinary situations but not if that is the reason, instead of for itself, so be true to your motivation.

We can have all the Wisdom necessary (sephira on the top right) to reach Keter but without love we will not realize the Triad of  Becoming. 

If study and prayer do not serve justice and compassion they are but a conceit and a hollow sound. 

Wisdom without love is the deceit of the soul.

 

LOVE VERSUS FEAR

THE FIVE LOVES AND THE FIVE FEARS (JUDGMENTS) ON THE T.O.L.

 

 

There are five loves (purple) and five fears (red) on the T.O.L. – the latter also called the five judgments. Most of the loves are on the right side of the Tree which expands and most of the fears, on the left which contracts or restrains. The left side is more connected to Monkey or Narrow Mind and our unskillful, primitive emotions, the right side more to Spacious Mind and our higher awareness and consciousness.

The center column mediates between the two with will (also free will,)  intention and passion. By staying in the middle and balancing the polarities we can attain Keter the Crown.

Monkey Mind's unskillful fearful emotions include anger, hatred, malice well as our desires, compulsions, habits and addictions.

Spacious Mind mediates effectively between love and fear and is more about feelings than raw emotions. Spacious Mind embraces notions, concepts, belief, ideas, ideals, discrimination and discernment.

Monkey Mind can be localized to the primitive areas of the brain whereas Spacious Mind resides in the higher consciousness of the prefrontal lobe. This has been demonstrated in functional M.R.I studies. Advanced mediators default to the prefrontal lobe and recover quickly after being subjected to stress. Most of us default to the primitive brain unless we use stress reduction techniques.

“Love is the most universal, formidable and mysterious of all the cosmic forces.” De Chardin

 

There are only two feelings; Love and Fear. The Shadow (Evil Inclination,) Monkey Mind and Ego are subject to fear and our survival, sympathetic flight or fight reaction response, while love  induces a parasympathetic relaxation response.

 

FEAR

 

Guarded heart or gracious heart?
Protective self or expansive self?
Dutifully committed or passionately empty?

The Ancestors

 

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

Aldo Leopold

That to be totally fearless is foolish, that courage is to act in the face of fear. No fear means that no courage is required.

 

“Fear itself is not a foe but acquiescing to fear empowers it to be a formidable one.” Hillel

 

“Fear can be a friend if it alerts, warns, and yes, tempts thus testing one’s resolve. It is a magician in conjuring up all manner of images. What we do not reason with or dismiss become their own reality. Fear conquers when we let its possibilities project as realities directing and controlling our actions and decisions.” Hillel

 

Narrow (Monkey) mind is intimidated by fear and enslaves itself to it.
Spacious mind acknowledges fear and copes with it according to its merit thus relegating fear to that of a sometimes, useful servant, never one of a master. Spacious mind also recognizes the many guises of fear some of which masquerade as sensible and compelling considerations that offer prudence to cloak lack of hope and trust. 

How do you know? It is your heart – your heart that tells you.

The Ancestors

  

Causes of fear: The deep, the dark, the steep, threat to life, limb, organ or function, religious and superstitious and fear of the unknown. The greatest of all, however, is a threat to the ego, of falling out of favor with other humans.

Fear can be a catalyst for growth and those who have the furthest to go can gain the most. However, when confronted with overpowering adverse circumstances fear and it's consequences may create a form P.T.S.D.

There is distress which induces a flight or fight reaction, or eustress (good stress) which depends on our experiences and memories for past events. Many people strive on eustress and some on the adrenalin rush danger gives them. 

Stress, fear and performance can be tested by increasing the perception of danger by; manipulating the task at hand by increasing its complexity, decreasing the time required for the task, increasing the risk, and ensuring ignorance of what is to come. These techniques are used by the military. Fear has its dark side as well as its protective side.

 

Fear not loving while you have a chance.

Fear becoming bitter. 

Fear cynicism.

Fear turning to stone.

Fear living underwhelmed by everything.

 

Be fearful and bless others.

Be fearful and be merciful.

Be fearful and forgive.

Be fearful and do.

Be fearful and love.

C. Pinkola Estes

Fear is a key factor in negotiating all three phases of the hero/ine's journey; Separation, Threshold and Incorporation. The journey is about embracing the fear and doing it anyway which can be life-transforming.

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

 

“The meeting of oneself is at first the meeting of the shadow.    C. Jung