What  Southern African and other Indigenous Wisdoms 

have to Offer the West # 2

“The consciousness of the seer is a greater power of knowledge than the consciousness of the thinker. The perceptual power of inner sight is greater and more direct than the perceptual power of thought.”

Sri Aurobindo

 

The primal mind was able to commune intimately with nature as well as obtain non-local information from the Field of spirit. These primal medicine men and women and their shamans were the original seers. Genomic studies have shown that the San Bushmen were the first people. Humans first arose out of Africa. There is rock art in the Apollo cave in Namibia going back 25,000 years showing evidence of shape shifting (therianthropes, human figures - part animal part human) which occurred during trance dancing. We were able to attain advanced states of consciousness millennia ago not easily achieved today. 

"It was only when the white man came that wilderness existed."  

Luther Standing Bear

 

When we go out into wild places we make preparations and use technology for our comfort as well as to make up for our lack of wilderness skills. When we return we are thankful to come back to the comforts of civilization.

The San Bushmen could walk out into the wilderness with all the things in a small skin bag that they needed for survival; a digging stick, a bow, poisoned arrows, a quiver, a fire stick, and a sipping straw to suck water out of the desert sand. Their purity in nature enabled their spiritual expertise. They could not have survived easily without access to non-local information.

 

"Wilderness is an area where earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man; where man himself  is a visitor who does not remain.”

 

Our approach, at best, is well defined by the Wilderness Act of North America which intention was to protect certain wild areas that should remain wild. At the same time the act confirmed the power of this Sacred Space where as "civilized" people - few could or would want to remain. For indigenous peoples it was their home.

The Israelites were also once a nature bound people as were we all.

 

"Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness…” Isaiah

 

”Ask of the wild animals and they shall teach you and the birds of the sky shall tell it to you or speak to the earth for she shall guide you and the fishes of the sea will declare it to you.” Job the Shuhite (related to Esau)

“The Kundalini in the form of latency is coiled like a serpent. One who impels this Shakti to move will attain liberation.” 

Hatha Yoga Pradipika

 

Manipulating this life force which facilitated energy shifts  and advanced stages of consciousness was easy for primal peoples.  We all have this universal, feminine force - Shakti, Kundalini in Yoga - although few of us nurture it. The San Bushmen call it Num, the Zulus, Umbilini. Most tribes in Southern Africa recognize it as feminine and some snake like (Credo Mutwa) and resting dormant in the lower belly as is the Kundalini serpent energy until it is moved by some form of spiritual endeavor. 

For the San who are distinctly different from the Bantu peoples, it is mobilized by clapping, chanting and dancing often with rattles around their ankles around the primal fire. This enables an out of body spirit flight where they glean information from the "Field" - mainly the Ancestors. They call it the Little Death (Richard Katz) since they fall prostate on the earth while their spirit travels into the Astral plane.

For the Bantu it was dancing to the sound of the drum sometimes with rattles around their ankles. When Bantu sangomas go into trance the ego steps aside and the spirit of an ancestor takes over completely. They become voluntarily possessed to access the non-local information required to help the client or the patient. This process is much more dramatic than the trance-channelling we see in the west. 

The sangomas' body language and facial expressions change, they often shake as the spirit enters the body rather than falling like their San neighbors do with Num. They may speak in "tongues or in a Bantu language different to the one they know and even in English. The word sangoma come from the Zulu ngoma which is a drum. It is the sound of the drum that brings forth the spirit possession.

The way the Bantu use the Umbilini  and the San, Num manifests differently as it would in anyone of us. How it manifests in us is all highly individual. It can be subtle or more dramatic as it is in the San and Bantu. Both can access information not localized in time in space through their trance states. 

"Somewhere beyond the walls of our awareness, the Esau side, the hunter side, the seeking side of ourselves is waiting to return." 

L. Van der Post

I wasted a lot of time in earlier years trying to emulate what I had read from yoga texts. When I initiated as a sangoma it manifested in other ways for me as well compared to my mentors and their African initiates. 

When we immerse in nature with as little as possible between us and the Earth Mother we are able to experience some of their profoundness. With the right intention of going inward rather than outward we can attain equanimity, an alfa, relaxed state of consciousness and a feeling of oneness with nature and each other. Moreover, our dreams and our connection with the Field intensify. The longer we are out, the deeper the effect. Nature has multiple polarities to help us find the middle way of the Buddha. It is a room with many doors and windows to spirit.

It is vital that we adopt more of an indigenous consciousness for ourselves. The demise of the primal self in the West has resulted from our upbringing, education, religion, culture, and the allure of materialism, technology and the innumerable commodities that tempt us. We have lost our indigenous, root, core or primeval self and our inherent wholeness because of “civilization.”  Our children are even more at risk as the hypnosis of technology and social media becomes more pervasive. We have paid a huge price for the benefits accrued. For the San it was one for all and all for one - for us not so much. Self-absorption and narcissism seem to be running rampant.

 

 

 

THE FORCE OF THE PRIMAL

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

What  Southern African and other Indigenous Wisdoms have to Offer the West # 1

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” A. Einstein

 

Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted.” A. Einstein

 

How much have we lost on the altar of our amazing technology?

My personal experiences are derived mostly from the San Bushmen hunter-gatherers of the Kalahari and the Bantu peoples of Southern Africa as well as the teachings of the Ancestors and others. I have enlarged my understandings with the help of the Ancestors from three genres of spirit; African, Celtic/Druid and Hebrew all of who are or were at one time nature bound.

 

“We cannot today recreate the original wilderness man in shape form or habitat. But we can recover him because s/he exists in us. He is the foundation in spirit or psyche on which we build and we are not complete until we have recovered him ..."

 

“Those of us who have spent time in wilderness are aware of the fact that there is something more to wilderness than we ourselves can express. ...” 

L. Van der Post

 

Western technology has given us tremendous gifts but we should never forget the huge price we have paid for losing contact with our primal selves. The indigenous mind is closer to the real Self. There is less "stuff" and cognition in the way. The primal Self is closer to its Creator. Re-encountering our original, indigenous or primal self apart from our religion, culture, education, and conditioning - this “self” can be closer to the real Self, the Higher Self, the Soul. 

 

The force of the primal-Self manifested as love is the glory of God. 
Those who awaken it in others and nurture the nurturers glorify Him.

 

“Nature understands no jesting. She is always true, always serious, always severe. She is always right and the errors and faults are those of man. The human incapable of appreciating her, she despises and only to apt, the pure, the true, does she resign herself and reveal her secrets.” Goethe

 

The primal model embraces intuition, rites of passage and initiations, accessing Nature's secrets and learning Her language. Their scripture was nature and the Four Beings of nature; The Talking Beings (our-Selves as in Higher Selves,) the Still, Growing and Wild Beings. The Gaia hypothesis was from the outset seminal to their being.

They and their Bantu neighbors understand, and can cure spiritual diseases unknown to allopathic medicine but just as real and devastating. They heal with forgiveness, ask to receive with gratitude and depend on faith, belief and humility for their power. They believe in the power resident in tricksters or dark forces, the play of light and dark and how this can affect their (and our) lives. Hopefully we are going or will go back to what we once knew without trying to change or pollute it.

“Nature hides her secrets with consummate modesty and speaks usually in an unintelligible tongue”
Charles Huggins

 

“The reality we can apprehend with the senses is only one percent of the universe.” The Zohar

 

Today’s astronomers agree that this is so, explaining how nature has hidden most of the matter in the universe and hidden it in a form that cannot be readily detected such as Black Holes and Dark Matter. Most of the "Field" is unknowable.

We on the other hand rely on intellect, data, science. We have been evicted and have separated ourselves from the power of the natural world. We often discount many indigenous wisdoms, labelling it ignorant and superstitious. We can regain some of this knowledge that we once had.

The primal mind could speak the language of nature and access some of the other 99% of the Unknowable resident in the "Field" beyond the veil between the worlds. 

The San Bushmen especially could access "non-local information" in their out of body, spirit flight, trance dance as well and in dreams and with divination. They could connect not only with the cosmic, but also the terrestrial and water spirits. Some were able to shape shift and many were animal whisperers which was essential for skillful hunting. They loved the Wild Beings and had gratitude for what they gave that enabled them to survive. They relied on plants for sustenance and for healing. They had abilities beyond the five senses otherwise it would have been difficult for them to hunt successfully with primitive weapons. They could see what seeing eyes could not and hear what hearing ears could not.

 

The times I spent with the San Bushmen felt like I had dropped into an advanced spiritual community. They had an unconditional positive regard for each other, and an unconditional love for the children. They seemed to lack judgmental attitudes and were extremely humble in the light of their amazing wilderness and spiritual skills. It was all for one and one for all among their small clans.

Many other indigenous tribes, also fit this description especially the few that  have remained hunter-gatherers. This purity arising out of nature enabled their high levels of spiritual sophistication.Their magical abilities were gleaned from the wild and the power resident in their unique habitats. Their god – the Great Spirit – not the bottom line. They were nature bound, living in the archetype of the Garden of Eden before we arrived and made them eat of the fruit of ego and acquisitiveness. They too now will have to eventually find their way back to a new type of Eden, as many of us are doing. 

The saddest and most impoverishing notion human beings cling to is that we are limited by laws of the natural world.
There is a crucial difference between being subject to, and being constrained by.

 

“Miracles happen not in opposition to nature but in opposition to what we know of nature.” Augustine of Hippo

Miracles do occur within the natural world but are outside our meagre understanding of its workings and so we discount, trivialize, rationalize or forget them. We are not restricted to the laws of nature, only to those laws we ourselves have contrived as to how nature works. Our laws are limited. The hunter-gatherer mind was not subject to information and knowledge acquired through education or captivated by technological wonders. Hence, they could access information not confined to the space-time continuum which escapes most of us Western beings. During sleep they received vital information in scripted dreams which assisted them.

When we observe the intuitive abilities of primal peoples we see magic. When they look at our technology they see magic. The Bantu peoples of Southern Africa have similar abilities as do other indigenous tribes. This blog is about their magic.

 

 

SOUL LOSS #6

 

Music, Musicians and Soul Loss

Music, until approximately a hundred years ago, was always meant to be spiritual, by the Greeks, indigenous peoples and various religions. However, there have always been demonic cults who welcomed dark, occult spirit forces through discordant sound. 

The Greeks exploited music for good and understood that just as musical discord could distort the spirit, musical concord could enable it.  

When we sin, we are without music or harmony. Rather control the modes of music in a city than its laws.

Many spoke of music as enabling humans to return to the Divine regions, a place once lost to them. 

The Greeks and others felt that sound should follow a certain "objective moral order." 

This is the reason classical music had and has such appeal. The great classical composers followed this idea and were supported by the church. 

Pre-modernistic music kept these principles up until the last century when skilled musical advocates arose that attempted to defile the sacredness by introducing discord. 

 

“I am conscious of having removed all traces of a past esthetic. I am cured of the delusion that the artist’s aim is to create beauty.” Schoenberg 

“Once the past has been gotten out of the way, one need think only of oneself.” Boulez

“Purposeful purposelessness,” to have absolutely no organization.” Cage

 

Other iconoclasts arose that supported this idea with the likes of Heavy Metal Music and similar genres. Foul words in their lyrics aggravated their toxic effects. This music was said to be able to wake up the dead and call up the Devil. Many musicians in these genres aligned themselves with Satan for impact or in truth. 

 

"The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day that you were created.” Ezekiel

Lucifer who became Satan, fell from heaven together with the other "fallen angels" Prior to that he was the chief musician in heaven and God's most beautiful angel. The Devil's Triad was said to exist in a particular musical tone. This "Trill" was said to enable one to become possessed by Satan which in turn opened the door to the Black Arts. For centuries, it was called the Devil's interval or the tritone because it is made of three whole steps. One can also hear the tritone in terrifying movie soundtracks, the sounds of Halloween, such as creaky floorboards and howling winds. It was designed to be chilling, unsettling, threatening and foreboding.

The tritone was also used by some famous composers but sparingly and for effect only.

Robert Johnson, previously a mediocre guitarist, was said to have met the Devil on the road at midnight. The Devil promised that he would make him one of the most famous guitarists of all time if he relinquished his soul to him. He indeed became that famous.

Many rock musicians seemed to become possessed on stage like Jimi Hendriks and some aligned themselves with the Devil implicitly or explicitly.

Tartini was visited by the Devil in a dream who dazzled  him by playing a piece of music which he knew would have been impossible for him to replicate. The dream inspired him to compose but he also said;

 

“… The music which I at this time composed is indeed the best that I ever wrote,and and I still call it the “Devil’s Trill”, but the difference between it and that which so moved me, is so great that I would have destroyed my instrument and have said farewell to music forever if it had been possible for me to live without the enjoyment it affords me.” Tartini

 

There were many others who flirted with dark forces including; Giuseppe, John Lennon, Bon Jovi , Snoop Dogg, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jagger, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and especially Heavy Metals; Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, Warriors from the Gates of Hell and Black Sabbath.

Sex, drugs, alcohol, addiction and even spirit possession seemed to be the order of the day with some.
David Bowie affirmed there has never been anything innocent or pure about rock and roll. From its inception it had two great themes: licentiousness, rebellion and seeking power through the dark arts.  Although rock and roll and similar genres can be melodious and gratifying, David Bowie was concerned that this music welcomed dark forces. 

Hendrix became an international rock superstar. He abused even the worst drugs, alcohol and women. He destroyed his guitars and amplifiers during concerts and set his guitar on fire. This would send the young concert-goers into a frenzy. It was said that his band had to be stoned to play properly. He was using music to 'take people on trips.' Not the light and right trip' but a dark trip. Many of the sounds, invoked were demonic and could affect the mind of the listener. 

Christian rock has been an attempt to counter this genre.

 

The Nazis and Soul Loss

The Nazis used music to torture their victims and rob their souls, especially the Jews. Musicologist Ruth Hacohen has called it the "music libel against the Jews."  The SS robbed the Jews and Jewish musicians of the only vital resource that they had for their survival by  forcing them to sing German patriotic songs while being tortured.

The Nazis took the demonic in sound to another level along with their genocide. 

Herman Goering who was a master in inducing soul loss in the perpetrators and their victims said. 

 

“It’s an easy thing. It’s nothing to do with Nazism, it has to do with human nature. You can do this in a Nazi regime, you can do it in democracy ... (and in any regime) The only thing a government needs to make people into slaves is fear… then you can get them to do anything that you want.” Hermann Goring

 

Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s diabolical propaganda genius had maxims that are being used effectively by despots throughout the world today including the United States of America. This can induce soul sickness and even loss.

 

If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself.

A lie told once remains a lie but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.

The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly - it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.

 

This is the secret of propaganda: Those who are to be persuaded by it should be completely immersed in the ideas of the propaganda, without ever noticing that they are being immersed in it.

 

Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred.

 

Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated 
are confident they are acting on their own free will.

 

Whoever can conquer the street will one day conquer the state, for every form of power politics and any dictatorship-run state has its roots in the street.

...the rank and file are usually much more primitive than we imagine. Propaganda must therefore always be essentially simple and repetitious.

 

The masses need something that will give them a thrill of horror.

 

We enter parliament in order to supply ourselves, in the arsenal of democracy, with its own weapons. If democracy is so stupid as to give us free tickets and salaries for this bear's work, that is its affair. We do not come as friends, nor even as neutrals. We come as enemies. As the wolf bursts into the flock, so we come.

 

It is debatable whether someone like Goebbels or Goring with soul loss began as a socio or a psychopath or became one since power corrupts and complete power corrupts completely... Sadly they were able to create soul sickness in a multitude. Most when facing justice at the Nurenberg trials were happy with what they had done. They had absolutely no regrets and were most likely psycho or sociopaths.

 

I recall a metaphor related to me by a Tsonga (tribe in the north of South Africa) tracker. Two of us were walking in the bush in big game country with him and he was teaching us the use of medicinal plants for healing. He was a devout Christian and his mother was a sangoma who had taught him the plants. He was also well aware of the fact that sorcerers and witches used certain plants for demonic outcomes. 

This is what he related: Anyone can become a witch. All that you have to do is go to powerful witch and buy a poisonous snake (an evil spirit.) This snake will then bring you anything that you want; power, sex, money… anything! But you have to feed your snake all the time. If you do not, the snake will eat anything and everything that you like or love.  

Success is always predicated on complete submission and selling one's soul to the Devil.

Many of Hendrik’s friends died under strange circumstances after his death. Hendiks himself died at a young age as have many musicians and others who turned to the dark side. There are consequences to sensate indulgence, power and possession.

 

What you destroy, destroys you; what you defeat, defeats you. 

What you sanctify, sanctifies you.
If you would dispel the darkness, seek the sacred.

 

Goebbels paradoxically stated that with time things might turn ...

 

There will come a day, when all the lies will collapse under their own weight, and truth will again triumph.

 

Sadly, it takes a long time and much pain and suffering on behalf of others in the interim but eventually, hopefully, light will prevail. With social media and the power of the internet many of us now wonder if truth will prevail if something drastic is not done to stop the lies.

 

 

 

SOUL LOSS #5

Loss From the following (when the soul separates 

totally from the body)

 

Severe abuse, illness.

Trauma, violence, war.

Isolation and severe loneliness.

"Sex, drugs, rock and roll."

Other addictions.

Satanism, violent militaristic cults and gangs.

The dark side of the Church, other religions and gurus.

Despotic leaders.

Musicians (notably Heavy Metal - next blog.)

Witchcraft, sorcery, intrusive spirits, energetic pollution.

Any or all of these can cause soul loss and even allow for  possession by dark spirits.

 

Soul loss often follows the unmitigated greed and need for power that we see in autocratic leaders and others.

 

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

 

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Sir John Dalberg-Acton 

 

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

 

Power and greed can lead to malignant compulsions, desires and impulses, malice and the desire to wreak vengeance and retribution on any naysayers and those who oppose them. 

 

Spiritual and Religious Leaders 

To whom much is given much is required. 

(in terms of integrity and the laws of karma. )

Spiritual and religious leaders, gurus and priests can be the perpetrators. Gurus that came from the East “fell” on account of easy money, devoted followers and the ease with which they could exploit their women and men devotees - the women often sexually. There are many and the list below goes on. Because of their spiritual status and knowledge, it is even more reprehensible since these people should be held to a highest standard. 

To mention only a few of the worst.

Bikram Choudhury, founder of Bikram Yoga. 

Dr. Kausthub Desikachar.

Da Free John.

Amrit Desai. 

Sathya Sai Baba. 

Chögyam Trungpa, and Ösel Tendzin. (his student.) 

John of God. 

Their methods of manipulation and behavior were often quite diabolical.

Osho – Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was probably the most notorious of these and invoked most of the methods below:

Sexual promiscuity (even pimping on behalf of the guru.) This was exploited as a remedy for releasing the students’ attachments and fears around sex. Hypocrisy ran rampant. The guru engaged “altruistically” and was officially “celibate” but doing this selfless service for the sake of the devotee. Those selected felt special and competition for the selection arose resulting in corruption and power-play. 

Self-abuse with drug use was acceptable because the guru was beyond the material. “The vehicle or body will be released” when he exits to the causal enlightened realm. 

The guru was totally unattached to all the wealth and extravagance that accumulated – it meant nothing to him but yet there were hidden bank accounts, private planes, boats and exotic cars. 

The intimidation and even weaponization practiced was essential to protect the cult from jealous and uninformed outsiders outside the ashram. Devotees were told not to communicate with anyone outside the ashram because those outside would not be able to understand their sophisticated level of enlightenment.

This environment created a group/cult “hypnosis,” a sense of community - they were are all in it together for the sake of a higher purpose. Even for the skeptical it was better to be there than to leave since there was a sense of belonging, community and security.  Those that tried to leave would be threatened with material and spiritual bankruptcy, doom and gloom if they left the fold.

Complete surrender and trust were essential for the instruction to work. To Self-realize one had to also release all that one knew and accept certain things that seemed abhorrent. This was essential and   necessary for the mission. Abuse and dogma were accepted as a part of the lesson. 

Only the guru had the ability to channel privileged information from a higher source. It required tremendous sacrifice to do this.

Dreaming him was a good sign that one was on the path. In reality the guru may have had the spiritual power to script and manipulate the devotee through the dream time as well as in real time.

The warning signs were obvious but easily subordinated to intimidation and the guru’s charisma and knowledge. These included:

Not talking truth to power – do as I say not as I do. An obvious attachment to all the things the guru told his students had to be released - ego, power, persona, pride, money and material “stuff.”  Hypocrisy was the order of the day associated with a lack of love and humor both antithetical to the spiritual path. In short the guru revelled in being, 

“A sage on a stage rather than a guide from the side,” instead of the desired opposite.

The tenets should have been:

Subordination of ego to the Higher Self. Compassion instead of judgement. Leading with humility, love and humor. Talking truth to power. Maintaining trust. Assuring safety. Pursuing spiritual excellence for all rather than power for oneself. Celebrating the myriad of differences and talents in all devotees and not playing favorites. Strengthening bonds. Encouraging asking for help. Not demeaning those less capable and even giving them more attention. Assuring equanimity wholeness, health and balance. Seeing the divinity in all the spiritual seekers.

SOUL SICKNESS AND LOSS #4

MANAGING SOUL SICKNESS

“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. (A stable force for many in recovery in A.A.)

As well as 

"For yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision... "  Sanscrit proverb

“No matter how long the night, the day will surely come.” 
African Proverb

 

This too will pass but it requires strong intention and self-awareness.

There are many remedies. I will highlight a few key ones.

Spiritual Practice            

The soul separates from the body with soul sickness. If the body is "cleansed" it will facilitate the soul's return. Somatic psychology is proving that attention to the body is also important for complete healing. Some form of bodily practice that inspires the senses can liberate toxic memories imprinted in the body and allow for deeper healing. 

Sensory and somatic oriented spiritual practice  can enhance this cleansing and reunion. It can be yoga, tai chi, chi gong or anything non-esoteric done for its own sake like dancing, singing, playing a musical instrument, walking or hiking in nature or something else like skilled body work, acupuncture or pressure. 

Many with soul sickness have cured themselves with deep immersions into nature.  

Reiki, sound healing, sensory driven guided imagery, shamanic expertise and laughter can also all be powerful medicine.

A regular, sustainable, enjoyable spiritual practice is the backbone of any of the other treatments. If necessary it may have to be done more than once daily. The standing postures and warrior poses in yoga which are not difficult can help give one a strong resolve as well as the strength and balance to face the difficulties. Spiritual practice will also help to subordinate monkey mind to spacious mind, ego to our higher Self, our shadow to our inclination to do good and our tricksters to our spirit guides.

Forgiveness

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

One should never despise oneself - that is antithetical to the Creator who made us in His image. Soul sickness can be be alleviated with repentance and self-forgiveness. Victims need to forgive themselves, forgive others if possible, and also ask forgiveness of those they may have wronged. We never completely heal from a deeply shameful event until we forgive.

 

“In forgiving and letting go we can then exalt in treasuring what we truly most treasure.” J. O’Donahue

 

Victims of abuse may also have to forgive themselves as well as attempt to have the compassion and empathy to forgive others who may be victims of dire circumstances. 

 

“… We can only be redeemed to the extent to which we see ourselves.” Talmud

 

Those who cannot see themselves cannot be redeemed. It takes vulnerability and self-awareness to be able to accept help from others and come out of hiding.

 

Remember that you are made not for brokenness and sorrow but for wholeness and for joy.

 

Self-compassion aligns with self-worth and generates less in the way of negative emotions. If one has wronged oneself or others it is important to realize that ...

Acting contrary to conscience is different from justifying and rationalizing a wrong doing. The latter compounds, not merely worsens ...

 

The Higher Self or soul is pure and cannot be self-enabling. The ego enables its little self.  We need to admit what we did wrong, make amends, forgive ourselves and move on. Restoring Self-worth is critical. 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.” No one is perfect and everyone (or almost everyone) can be redeemed. Self-esteem (with a small s) can be a recipe for narcissism and is not the same as Self-worth.

If we have wronged ourselves we need to admit to unskillfulness, take corrective action and let go of our angst. Universal Self-Acceptance (U.S.A) or an unconditional positive regard for the True Self reduces anxiety and depression and increases happiness, optimism, positive emotions, and Self-worth. We are all worthy of U.S.A. We need to treat ourselves as we would a good friend.

“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

Helping others

Severe suffering, shame and humiliation often make recovery difficult but there can be healing. In turning the crap into manure the Phoenix can rise out of the ashes. We can take the suffering and make something useful out of it by helping others. Its not what happens to us but what we do with it that counts. 

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

Native American saying

(There is no rose without a thorn.)

Bad experiences can be alchemized into opportunities. Furthermore, anyone that climbs out from the bottom of the barrel of suffering, grief and sorrow has the potential to be more spiritually powerful than those who have been fortunate enough to not have been there. When we are knocked down and get up – if it did not kill us – it will make us stronger. 

We should not be ashamed that we have been at the bottom of a pit. If we have managed to climb out of it we can be proud. We can start anew with the unbounded potential and strength of having had that experience. In every crisis there is also opportunity if one can rise above the pain. 

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. Everything is a test. Depending on the individual it can be a catalyst for “Becoming.”

“We all have the price of sanctity in our purse...the reason we can’t purchase it is not because we are poor but because we are stingy.” B. of Clairvoux