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“Learning to trust one’s feelings and experience I
think goes a long way. As these skills develop,
they start to battle with the mind.”Steven, It is my belief that intuition is not battling with the mind. It is the mind which is battling with itself. I really think that what I said at the bottom of my last statement is true- It’s a choice made by the soul to trust its knowing or not.
Mind has been given control and that was never in the original job description. Analytical mind has no place in our original nature, it is an aberration which, I believe, developed out of need for an assistant when we got into trouble a long time ago and lost touch with the Source. And since we have given it so much attention it has grown into a dangerous Beast. At most, it is meant to be a tool of the developing ego, led by the heart, on its way back to (knowing it is) the Source.
“My difficulty has always been with getting these
two different aspects of myself to harmonize.
I’m getting pretty good at trusting my heart and intuition,
but getting it to unite with the mind is tricky, especially
since the mind speaks with an analytical language.”I believe that it is not a matter of “getting it to unite” but that peace is what happens automatically when “we” become still. When I say “we” what I mean is our presence not out personality aspects. If you put your attention on the Being in the middle, the personality aspects come to order.
This is similar to the most prevalent question popping up around meditation, “How do stop my mind from thinking so I can have some peace?”
The answer is that you do not try to do anything with the mind. It is not about controlling the mind. It is about letting go of trying to control IT and controlling your attention instead. What you attend to gets energized. Like an annoying person or one who is trying to control you with limiting thoughts, you must ignore it to follow the heart. This is what keeps one unified. Think of the mental distraction as bumps and ruts in the road you’re driving down. We have to just keep redirecting the car down the path we really want to go. This may at first be upsetting, but after practice, no matter what the road throws at you, you can take it with a smile and keep on driving. Ultimately, holding this focus brings your vibration up to a level where there is smooth sailing.
“My last question really is just a philosophical question,
as to WHY “the universe and the earth have conspired to grow”
as you put it.”I believe there are no “just philosophical” questions. Philosophy is not a mental exercise but an endeavor to construct a viable, doable way of life. It is the path of the heart. If I ask a question and it is philosophical, I am looking for an answer to a life problem. If I ask a question and it is mental then I am in my head entertaining myself.
Your questions are not exclusively mental. You are looking for an answer. Knowing why the universe is doing what it’s doing is the same as asking “Why am I here?”
“In other words, what generated the change?”
The Source- so it could more completely “have” Itself.
Robert Shapiro gives some really usable info on this specifically in The Explorer Race. Well worth reading.
“or more to the
point what caused the change to happen NOW?”I believe that things change when they can and that the universe aims and plans for things, but from our standpoint ITs ways are totally inscrutable because it is the ultimate holistic entity and we are (still) operating from a very limited viewpoint. Heaven is generating the change. It is tireless;we are not. Therefore, it will prevail.
“I have a theory that the change is being fed by certain activity
that us silly humans have been doing in the past 40 or so years.
What do you think?”I think that’s partly true because as long as we are cooperating, albeit haltingly, we are helping to bring it about. But this has been going on and has been planned for for much much longer than 40 years. We are just in the catalytic stage (finally).
Yes, elaborate some for us…
Best, A
Thanks Alexander–I’m really enjoying this discussion.
I see what you are saying about the mind.
It seems that the mind is used to being in control, and
used to being the one that gains information and experience.
When the heart (which seems to have an easier time connecting
to the source) starts to acquire its own truth, then the
mind starts to feel threatened.It’s as if the mind doesn’t really disagree with the
conclusions of the heart so much as it is reacting in
a defensive way because its authority is being challenged.
It doesn’t accept what the heart is saying, and it doesn’t
want to. It wants to be the one to come up with conclusions
for itself–some kind of self-induced ego caused from a
history in which it was the solitary ruler–a reactionary
mechanism that results when one starts to allow the
heart to directly open up to the lifeforce.I think the solution rests in allowing the mind to
discover for itself that it doesn’t need to be the
one that does everything. I think that by
ignoring the mind, as you suggest, you help to
give it the tools necessary to do exactly that.I’ll make a separate post a little later on about
why I feel that the change is happening, and why
it is happening now. I need a little time to
put into words the feeling my heart wants to
express . . .“Once more, with feeling”,
Steven>”I have a theory that the change is being fed by certain activity
>that us silly humans have been doing in the past 40 or so years.
>What do you think?”
>
>I think that’s partly true because as long as we are cooperating, albeit haltingly, we >are helping to bring it about. But this has been going on and has been planned for for >much much longer than 40 years. We are just in the catalytic stage (finally).
>
>Yes, elaborate some for us…I’ll be overly detailed, but summarize later . . .
Throughout history we have always pretty much just been focused narrowly on
what was in front of us. With the exception of the few enlightened
people, most just blindly followed the dogmatic view of religion that
was presented and didn’t consider anything else. Energy was thus
devoted elsewhere–namely to following intellectual endeavors to
satisfy the mind.Pursuing that to the extreme gave birth to geniuses such as
Einstein and Oppenheimer–who gave birth to the nuclear age.
The atomic bomb was built and dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Then everything changed.
A seed began to germinate.
People slowly but surely started to recognize at a subtle
level that our individual actions no longer just affected
individuals, but instead affected _all of humanity_.Slowly, but surely, people–whether they realized it or not–started
thinking of humanity as a whole rather than some abstract idea
that they were cogs in.The fear of nuclear destruction amplified during events such
as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and it generated a birth cry
during the “counterculture” of the 60’s and the Vietnam War.
This was really all about rejecting what was, and reaching
for something new.Starting first with the generalized worry about “all of humanity”,
people started to realize that humanity is really just a sum
of its parts, which forced people to start to look within.
The arms race of the 80’s and the recent focus on global
climate change have just been additional
examples that have caused people to refocus.As more and more people have started to open up their hearts,
the lifeforce has responded by giving more back in return. This
has made cultivation easier and more widespread.SUMMARY:
“the fear of nuclear destruction, caused large numbers
of people to reconsider all of humanity on a global level, and their
place in it; this refocusing caused a large number of people to open
their hearts and connect with the source–which in turn has caused
the flow from the lifeforce to increase in kind . . . causing a dynamo”Of course the whole discussion here is really just an academic one,
since it is always the lifeforce that directs everything, but
this to me is why it feels to me to be happening now–rather than a
different time.. . . .
Now the process seems to be gaining momentum, and it feels like
a whole new type of consciousness may be dawning.This might sound crazy, but it seems like if we have enough people
that start to catch a glimpse of what is possible via the lifeforce,
then that belief–in and of itself–has a energy that can
cause reality itself to warp, change, and accelerate humanity into
a higher form of consciousness.The out of control rolling snowball is threatening an avalanche, I feel . . .
Steve
“When the heart (which seems to have an easier time connecting
to the source) starts to acquire its own truth, then the
mind starts to feel threatened.”The heart is by nature our connection with the Source. The mind is not connected to anything (but itself, which leaves it nowhere to go). We feel either connected or not depending upon which we pay attention to.
“I think the solution rests in allowing the mind to
discover for itself that it doesn’t need to be the
one that does everything. I think that by
ignoring the mind, as you suggest, you help to
give it the tools necessary to do exactly that.”Yes. Something like that. Each of us has to work it through in a natural way. I find personal pain to be a really good barometer of whether I am connected or not.
A
…that is how is should happen.
People see the results of their actions and learn something from them. To some extent I think this is going on with humanity but mostly subconsciously. So, I think that the root cause of the movement in our time is not people but God, so to speak. I think it is the divine will that people achieve a certain destiny. We can say yes or no to that. I do not know whether it is necessary for ALL humans to achieve immortality or “just enough” so that the divine fulfills itself. (I wish I could say, “No human being left behind!” but I can’t.)
I believe that this time is an unprecedented portal for those who can leap. Our readiness cannot be separated from the readiness of the rest of the universe. Since the universe is expanding, so must-can-are we.
This brings my mind to a basic about this work. It all stems from saying, “Yes”. Therein is the true nature of the inner smile.
A
>>I do not know whether it is necessary for ALL humans to achieve immortality or “just enough” so that the divine fulfills itself. (I wish I could say, “No human being left behind!” but I can’t.)<>I believe that this time is an unprecedented portal for those who can leap<<
Again, I am not sure it is really unprecedented. In fact it feels to me like something that might well have happened before in the distant past and which might well happen again. Taoists and Hermetics agree that things happen in a cyclical manner and so it doesn't make sense to me really to 'immanentize the eschaton' as the man said… but for sure we haven't seen anything like this in this phase of humanity. So it's pretty big, no question. I do think that.
But this in a way is why I can't believe in the idea that 'some will make it and some be left behind' there's no waste in the system and it'll all be recycling somehow. Michael once said 'everyone already is immortal' and that seems true to me. The question of the extent to which you realize it is a different one of course! But I don't think like I say it's about suddenly having to get it all right now. Just being solidly in the foundation is plenty I think; there is a new world dawning and during that I think human beings will have a bigger and more magical view of themselves, we only have to kind of lay the foundation right now, set the stage for the next act.
j
Hi Jason,
Great to talk to you again!
As for what Michael has said about immortality, I should probably
let him speak for himself, but at least what I understood him to
say was that:The individual spirits that reside inside each of us in our
soul/spirit team are immortal. They persist no matter what is
done here on earth.It is the “Self” that is the assemblage of the soul/spirit team
that is NOT immortal. Upon death, assuming nothing additional
had been done, the “Self” dissolves and the individual soul/spirits
evacuate and separate to rejoin in different combinations with
other disembodied soul/spirits upon the birth of a new person.If, however, internal cultivation is developed on earth to
a high enough degree, i.e. advanced Kan and Li, then the soul/spirit
team can harmonize and you can form a new vessel to contain them
all. Then the whole team can “remain together” after death,
which would mean the immortality of the “Self”.I haven’t yet learned the Kan and Li formulas, so one of the things
I try to do until then is to get various aspects of my self to harmonize and
operate from the same page and wavelength, to try to get the
team to cooperate rather than be in competition. I figure that
if I try to do that to some extent and get my spirit team “used to”
working together cooperatively, then if I die before I’ve
progressed spiritually to the point I hope to achieve, then maybe
just maybe my spirit team will want to continue on together in the
beyond.With peace,
SteveHi Jason,
I agree with your comments that the evolution of consciousness
need not be linked with the attainment of immortality by individuals.In fact, I feel that these are two separate issues entirely.
Moreover, I feel that a higher state of consciousness may be
brewing that may not even be the same thing . . .As to the issue of “some will make it and some will be left behind”,
I agree that _eventually_ everyone will have advanced.
However, I feel that there is going to be a transitionary period where
certain people will have progressed before others have.
During this period, there is going to be confusion in our society and
it’s going to create internal societal stress.There will be some who will try to cling to the old way, and
be inclined to fight the transition. I just hope that we
can avert a war by remaining heart-centered and being fortunate
enough the transition happens faster rather than slower.With blessings,
StevenHi Alexander,
Can you briefly go over what is contained in this “Explorer Race”
that you’ve referred to?During some free time, I sort of looked in a few of my spiritual
bookstore haunts over the past few days for this and
didn’t see it (one place offered to order it).I’d consider ordering it, but if you could provide some
more information first, it’d be appreciated!All the best,
Steven… but actually I am convinced from personal experience that a form of the ego persists between incarnations. It doesn’t have a soul team… this is from Hermetic theory that I have seen born out absolutely in practice. It doesn’t have a personality either, but it does have an ‘I’ consciousness. And this is immortal. But to incarnate then yes it has to get the soul team going.
Again I bring in other things than taoism but Michael is still completely correct I’m not trying to correct him! I talked with him a little in private on this subject actually, I do agree with his take so far as I get it, but there is an eternal ‘I’ self persisting as well, this is what forms the soul team in the first place maybe. Lots to explore as ever.
Nice to speak to you again too! j
This is a “polarized” view of Shen and not all Taoist traditons present this. The Shen is not polarized and the Five shen are not Five separate Shen, but five aspects of one shen. When the Shen is polarized the balance is off and can create pathology.
The Five Shen model is but one way to look at shen. It can be one shen, two-hun/po, Five shen, 3hun/7po model. Many ways to view Shen, it seems the key is not to be trapped into a theoretical model.
If you are ripe basic meditation can allow for the self-realization of your yuan shen, Kan and Li, Star, Heaven-Earhth are no guatantee to realizing the listed goals in the material written by modern day people. Tao Alchemy is written in poetic and metaphotic language, the simpliest of Lao Zi is a wonderful example to follow.
Tao seems to have a wide range of methods, from a more natural, relaxed apporach to a detailed, step by step approach, my feeling is people get very trapped into the rigidity of step-by-step apprach and the method becomes the biggest barrier to something more natural and simple.
The dreams of formulas are but dreams, its all right infront of you and has always been that way.
regards,
Life is usually taken by people as a daily routine, thinking the Real achievements as becoming an importante business man. But those are not Real achievements, neither getting thousend P.H. tittles. People in general, might agree those are The life achievements, living the same day after day inside a clock. I do also live inside that clock that rings the same way day after day, but as Alex said above, trying to wake up earlier every morning to break the routine and focus on the Real achievements, trying to see the things I believe anyone should and face the day with another attitude =)
S.
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