Greetings, SG-landers
I hope this finds you all in the best of health!
I got such a warm response from last Friday's blog that I have decided to make this a regular Friday night occurrence: a chance for me to share my thoughts and feelings about life, the nature of reality and our place in the whole grand scheme. Serendipity is such an interesting thing, as I have been holding the intention to write for a while, but as is typical (I assume) in a writer's mind, was never sure anyone would bother to read or care what I have to say, so I kept putting it off. Thank you to those who responded for being the push I needed to concrete this particular intention. The camaraderie on this site continues to surprise and enthuse me!
So here we are at the dawning of a new age. Now I imagine the cynics out there rolling their eyes and thinking "Oh dear, here is more of that New Age, end of the world Mayan calendar nonsense" and to those of you let me make the following assurance: I may practice yoga, do massage and energy healing, but I am no flake. I find the New Age crowd (for the most part) to be woefully disconnected from any sense of workable reality, and I find their ethereal "off with the fairies" mentality (and I hope the Fey folk forgive the analogy) really irritating. They give modern spirituality a bad reputation. There are two spiritual paths that can be followed, the path of transcendence and the path of immanence.
The transcendent path is all about letting go of attachment to physical reality, recognising its transient nature and pursuing spiritual consciousness and connection as the ultimate truth. An example of transcendent spirituality would be the Christian saint mortifying his/her flesh in order to attain connection with the God force (Think "mea culpa" self flagellation) or the sadhus (holy men, mostly, in India) renouncing their ties to the shared world and becoming hermits or ascetics. This path has its merits, but when practised out of balance tends to create a significant disconnect from this agreed upon reality that we all share, and rather takes the fun out of this playground we have been so generously offered. Part of why we are here is to engage, interact and learn from each other. It has also been my experience that people like to use the path of transcendence as an excuse not to engage with others on a normal level, and also leads to "spiritual superiority" You know what I'm talking about, "I am Buddhist/Christian/yogi and I am so much better than you because of it" Yuck. How many "holy wars" have been fought because of spiritual superiority? Let it be said that I don't think very much of this approach.
The path of immanence is much more my thing. Being an earth sign, I can't relate to the flakey vernacular and vacant eyes of the trascendentalists. My feet are very firmly on this Earth, thank you very much. The path of immanence emphasizes finding the spiritual in the everyday, common experiences. Even the banal ones. And the naughty ones
. Immanence is about tasting life fully and wholeheartedly. About taking this body, this consciousness and using it as a tool to find the Divine in everything. Immanence embraces the shadow. Instead of saying this body is a vehicle for sin, immanence says the body is the tool though which the soul expresses and experiences itself. Both good and bad. Sin and black and white morality have no place in an immanent experience. Tantrikas are immanent yogis. They will drink alcohol, eat meat and use drugs and sexual acts to alter consciousness and pierce through the veil of reality to experience the hidden truths beneath. Much more fun in my book
That's not to say that I condone the unconscious indulgence in any activity if it is being used to forget the pain of life. This is when addiction occurs. I'm talking about the use of these substances and acts to connect, to go deeper, to understand ourselves. Drugs are supposed to help us remember. Sex is supposed to connect us to each other, and eating meat is supposed to be done in the spirit of inviting the energy of the creature being eaten into our bodies with reverence and deep appreciation. It is my fervent prayer that one day we will be able to raise animals in the spirit of brotherhood for consumption. I can just imagine the vegans and vegetarians on this site moving to lynch me for this opinion, and I may have to dedicate an entry to this subject entirely
But I digress.
So getting back to the dawning of the new age business, there are a couple of ways we can look at things:
1. The world is going to come to an end on 22nd December 2012
Come on people, do we we really think that it's all going to disappear in a puff of smoke? Religious fundamentalists like this version because it justifies their fear-based religious axioms "Only IF you embrace Jesus/Allah/Whoever will your soul be saved. Give us your time, your money and maybe even your life". This view frightens me, not because I fear death (I can honestly say if it all DOES deisappear in a puff of smoke, I will be completely ok with it) but because it is one born out of fear, and fear, ladies and germs, is the true root of all evil.
2. All this Mayan calendar end of the world stuff is a load of bunkum, there is nothing happening at all.
This is the line that the pessimists like to take (although every pessimist I know, my Father included, call themselves realists), and to those folks I offer this: do you deny the impression that time seems to be speeding up? It isn't just the older folks who are feeling it either, although the older we get the more keenly we are experiencing it. Go ask a kid and they will tell you that time is flying for them too. This shared perception is not just in our minds, it is a result of the changing vibrations of the Earth, and of our shared consciousness shifting to the next level. Also, you may notice that there are two extremes in the human experience happening right now: people are either having an absolute blast, riding the energy and the circumstances for all they're worth; or people are fucking out, big time. I am sure you can think of a few examples in your own life, maybe even in your own direct experience where both are happening. It is difficult to pull the wool over and say NOTHING is happening. "There's somethin' happenin' here, what it is, ain't exactly clear"
3. The world is changing. We have been preparing for this shift for many years and it heralds a whole new way of relating to each other and this reality we share.
As you may have guessed, this is the view I favour. If the only constant is change it makes sense to view this exciting time as an opportunity to step into new consciousness. I assume everyone has heard of the "Secret" the power of positive thinking, what you think defines your reality etc etc. Even the Buddha said "What you think, you become" What I believe this shift in consciousness is bringing is a greater awareness of this truth. As time speeds up, we are getting hit with the fruits of our thinking all the quicker. Instant karma is really happening.
So the lesson here, people, is to become conscious and vigilant about the quality of thought that we are contributing to this co-creative hodge-podge that is life. We are creating more chaos through our disordered, fear-fuelled thoughts than by burning fossil fuels, eating meat or not recycling. When we turn on the news and are faced with poverty, genocide, war, bigotry and hunger, we have to recognise that we are all mutually contributing to the chaos. We have to ask ourselves "Where am I living in blame, shame, war and hate within my own self? Which parts have I rejected as bad, cruel,ugly, unacceptable or degenerate?" The sooner we are able to bring these rejected shadow parts of ourselves into the light of consciousness, the sooner we can build and traverse the bridge of healing to a new place of healing, integration and share a reality that is filled with with empathy, compassion, joy and love. All the best things in life
In conclusion, this IS the end of the world as we know it. But it will mean different things to different people. It is my most ardent wish for humanity that we maybe able to step into this New Age with trust, gratitude and fearlessness.
Wishing you a fun, fearless Freedom Friday!
In light, love and integrity
B
I hope this finds you all in the best of health!
I got such a warm response from last Friday's blog that I have decided to make this a regular Friday night occurrence: a chance for me to share my thoughts and feelings about life, the nature of reality and our place in the whole grand scheme. Serendipity is such an interesting thing, as I have been holding the intention to write for a while, but as is typical (I assume) in a writer's mind, was never sure anyone would bother to read or care what I have to say, so I kept putting it off. Thank you to those who responded for being the push I needed to concrete this particular intention. The camaraderie on this site continues to surprise and enthuse me!
So here we are at the dawning of a new age. Now I imagine the cynics out there rolling their eyes and thinking "Oh dear, here is more of that New Age, end of the world Mayan calendar nonsense" and to those of you let me make the following assurance: I may practice yoga, do massage and energy healing, but I am no flake. I find the New Age crowd (for the most part) to be woefully disconnected from any sense of workable reality, and I find their ethereal "off with the fairies" mentality (and I hope the Fey folk forgive the analogy) really irritating. They give modern spirituality a bad reputation. There are two spiritual paths that can be followed, the path of transcendence and the path of immanence.
The transcendent path is all about letting go of attachment to physical reality, recognising its transient nature and pursuing spiritual consciousness and connection as the ultimate truth. An example of transcendent spirituality would be the Christian saint mortifying his/her flesh in order to attain connection with the God force (Think "mea culpa" self flagellation) or the sadhus (holy men, mostly, in India) renouncing their ties to the shared world and becoming hermits or ascetics. This path has its merits, but when practised out of balance tends to create a significant disconnect from this agreed upon reality that we all share, and rather takes the fun out of this playground we have been so generously offered. Part of why we are here is to engage, interact and learn from each other. It has also been my experience that people like to use the path of transcendence as an excuse not to engage with others on a normal level, and also leads to "spiritual superiority" You know what I'm talking about, "I am Buddhist/Christian/yogi and I am so much better than you because of it" Yuck. How many "holy wars" have been fought because of spiritual superiority? Let it be said that I don't think very much of this approach.
The path of immanence is much more my thing. Being an earth sign, I can't relate to the flakey vernacular and vacant eyes of the trascendentalists. My feet are very firmly on this Earth, thank you very much. The path of immanence emphasizes finding the spiritual in the everyday, common experiences. Even the banal ones. And the naughty ones
. Immanence is about tasting life fully and wholeheartedly. About taking this body, this consciousness and using it as a tool to find the Divine in everything. Immanence embraces the shadow. Instead of saying this body is a vehicle for sin, immanence says the body is the tool though which the soul expresses and experiences itself. Both good and bad. Sin and black and white morality have no place in an immanent experience. Tantrikas are immanent yogis. They will drink alcohol, eat meat and use drugs and sexual acts to alter consciousness and pierce through the veil of reality to experience the hidden truths beneath. Much more fun in my book
That's not to say that I condone the unconscious indulgence in any activity if it is being used to forget the pain of life. This is when addiction occurs. I'm talking about the use of these substances and acts to connect, to go deeper, to understand ourselves. Drugs are supposed to help us remember. Sex is supposed to connect us to each other, and eating meat is supposed to be done in the spirit of inviting the energy of the creature being eaten into our bodies with reverence and deep appreciation. It is my fervent prayer that one day we will be able to raise animals in the spirit of brotherhood for consumption. I can just imagine the vegans and vegetarians on this site moving to lynch me for this opinion, and I may have to dedicate an entry to this subject entirely
But I digress.
So getting back to the dawning of the new age business, there are a couple of ways we can look at things:
1. The world is going to come to an end on 22nd December 2012
Come on people, do we we really think that it's all going to disappear in a puff of smoke? Religious fundamentalists like this version because it justifies their fear-based religious axioms "Only IF you embrace Jesus/Allah/Whoever will your soul be saved. Give us your time, your money and maybe even your life". This view frightens me, not because I fear death (I can honestly say if it all DOES deisappear in a puff of smoke, I will be completely ok with it
) but because it is one born out of fear, and fear, ladies and germs, is the true root of all evil.
2. All this Mayan calendar end of the world stuff is a load of bunkum, there is nothing happening at all.
This is the line that the pessimists like to take (although every pessimist I know, my Father included, call themselves realists), and to those folks I offer this: do you deny the impression that time seems to be speeding up? It isn't just the older folks who are feeling it either, although the older we get the more keenly we are experiencing it. Go ask a kid and they will tell you that time is flying for them too. This shared perception is not just in our minds, it is a result of the changing vibrations of the Earth, and of our shared consciousness shifting to the next level. Also, you may notice that there are two extremes in the human experience happening right now: people are either having an absolute blast, riding the energy and the circumstances for all they're worth; or people are fucking out, big time. I am sure you can think of a few examples in your own life, maybe even in your own direct experience where both are happening. It is difficult to pull the wool over and say NOTHING is happening. "There's somethin' happenin' here, what it is, ain't exactly clear"
3. The world is changing. We have been preparing for this shift for many years and it heralds a whole new way of relating to each other and this reality we share.
As you may have guessed, this is the view I favour. If the only constant is change it makes sense to view this exciting time as an opportunity to step into new consciousness. I assume everyone has heard of the "Secret" the power of positive thinking, what you think defines your reality etc etc. Even the Buddha said "What you think, you become" What I believe this shift in consciousness is bringing is a greater awareness of this truth. As time speeds up, we are getting hit with the fruits of our thinking all the quicker. Instant karma is really happening.
So the lesson here, people, is to become conscious and vigilant about the quality of thought that we are contributing to this co-creative hodge-podge that is life. We are creating more chaos through our disordered, fear-fuelled thoughts than by burning fossil fuels, eating meat or not recycling. When we turn on the news and are faced with poverty, genocide, war, bigotry and hunger, we have to recognise that we are all mutually contributing to the chaos. We have to ask ourselves "Where am I living in blame, shame, war and hate within my own self? Which parts have I rejected as bad, cruel,ugly, unacceptable or degenerate?" The sooner we are able to bring these rejected shadow parts of ourselves into the light of consciousness, the sooner we can build and traverse the bridge of healing to a new place of healing, integration and share a reality that is filled with with empathy, compassion, joy and love. All the best things in life
In conclusion, this IS the end of the world as we know it. But it will mean different things to different people. It is my most ardent wish for humanity that we maybe able to step into this New Age with trust, gratitude and fearlessness.
Wishing you a fun, fearless Freedom Friday!
In light, love and integrity
B
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