In my life, I have tried to be Good and Pure and True. In these qualities, I have failed miserably. Why is it so hard to be good? Why is it so difficult to act in harmony with our mental ideals?
From the sea of Emptiness, everything arises.
Many people on the spiritual path eventually come face to face with their "Dark Side" - that part of themselves that is very, un-enlightened, selfish and spoiled. Reactions are a great mirror. We shout at the driver who cut us off. We take advantage of our employees because they really need the job. We cheat on our diets, our spouses, and our promises. We want to be good. We want to live in harmony with our spiritual nature, but sometimes, sometimes when lust, fear, or power overwhelm us - a demon seems to take charge of our actions. He makes us do things we regret if others see, and "forget" if others don't.
The lion kills the gazelle. The ice kills the last dinosaur. Man loves Woman. Man kills Man. Man creates monuments to the Gods.
Reactions. Words are easy. It is easy to say you are good, to say you love everyone and everything, to think to yourself that you are enlightened, to imagine that you give selflessly to the unfortunate. But actions, particularly re-actions are the great indicators of our deeper nature. Your "dark" reactions - both physical and emotional - are what the spiritual seeker must boldly face if they are ever to progress past a rudimentary taste of Inner Peace.
To survive, He kills. To spread his seed, He goes to war. To teach his children, he works his life away.
There are a million self-help books out there. Countless psychologists and billions of people who will all tell you exactly what you need to do to make yourself "better." Let me posit that you don't need to be fixed. Let me further posit that the only thing any of us are guilty of is a little fantasizing.
At his base, He is an animal. At his apex, He is a god.
One of the gifts of humanity is the gift of imagination. The problem is, sometimes we don't realize that we are imagining. We believe some fantasy about who we are and all our "problems" rear up and slap us in the face when we don't live up to that fantasy. Let me say that again. Our problems arise when who we really are conflicts with who we think we are.
Self preservation. Procreation. Possession. Defending the Tribe. Attacking to Survive.
You are selfish. You do lust after your neighbor's wife. You really do want to be famous and rich and powerful. Your fantasy says these are all off limits to the spiritual seeker. That if you were a good man/woman/god you wouldn't have those feelings.
War and Peace. Good and Evil. Love and Hate. Me and Them. One cannot exist without the Other. One cannot exist without Two.
So which is more real, your fantasy persona or your true, if somewhat repressed emotions? All this might sound a little funny coming from a man who claims to see God (a female god nonetheless) in a discarded banana peel, but damn it, I know my viewpoint is an illusion. Most seekers don't realize their fantasies are really only mental images - ideals that exist only in their minds.
Below it all, the Source. Below it all, Emptiness. From the sea of Emptiness. All life arises.
Your "dark" reactions are simply little indicators of where your true self deviates from your imagined self. Deny your nature and live your fantasy. Embrace the Darkness, feel the burn - and you will quickly find the Light.
Wayne Wirs is the photographer and author of Fading Toward Enlightenment - Life between the Ego and the Ethereal. For more information about Wayne, his writings or his photography, please visit http://fadingtowardenlightenment.com
home cleaning services Deerfield ..Would you like an exciting and wonder-full resolution for the... Read More
I know eyebrows are probably raising about now, but let... Read More
Whenever, we have a task or project to carry out... Read More
As human beings it is inherent to want to self-actualize... Read More
Action dakini gets everything done. When wanting and grasping hold... Read More
Many consider anger a normal human emotion and continue to... Read More
In God's world, everything can be used as an anology... Read More
I do not want curiosity seekers, who come for a... Read More
Do you ever get into those moods where you just... Read More
Connect with Your GodDo you at times, feel fearful, depressed,... Read More
We all have spirit guides and we all benefit from... Read More
First, there is the field of complete consciousness.This then expresses... Read More
Tony was a professinoal salt-water fisherman. He explained how he... Read More
There's nothing new about "the new age" except the attitude... Read More
Baptism and christening ceremonies are an important event that signifies... Read More
James 1:23-24Anyone who listens to the word but does not... Read More
When I was 10 years old my father decided to... Read More
During my childhood days, I disliked Lenten season because radio... Read More
After 6 years, I left an abusive relationship with an... Read More
Spiritual Inspiration Music is about Love, Growth, Spiritual and Personal... Read More
A feeling of fulfillment is something we all seek. Here... Read More
Yesterday, a marketing guru asked me a question that left... Read More
If we don't behave according to a specific church's doctrine,... Read More
Peter is a man after my own heart. I feel... Read More
I believe in a phenomenon I have been known to... Read More
recurring housekeeping Highland Park ..As you grow in wisdom, you will release, more and... Read More
Many of you come to this site because you are... Read More
Do you think it's acceptable for people to make millions... Read More
For me, the best poetry stirs my soul; it awakens... Read More
Prayer doesn't just happen when we kneel or put our... Read More
Throughout history, what is portrayed in all religions as being... Read More
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself... Read More
How many of us rush blindly through our days, fall... Read More
My name is Had. You may know me, but you... Read More
Talked to an interesting person today at a coffee shop,... Read More
I find myself floating on a cloud as heavenly music... Read More
When I was a child, I thought as a child,... Read More
"We're one, but we are not the same."-Bono, U2Once I... Read More
I still remember the scene vividly. I was getting out... Read More
In the game of billiards there are two things you... Read More
Sometimes showing up for life can seem like a major... Read More
Often, in being dishonest about our own faults and failures,... Read More
In Corrogue the air is chill and the frost is... Read More
In a recent case study which I also summarized in... Read More
Stress & Spirituality ? How Spirituality Affects Stress LevelsTake a... Read More
Observations from the Town Car... "Home James!"The bulk of driving... Read More
We have a proclivity to think of individuals and nations... Read More
One of the most touching stories in New Testament scripture... Read More
The following fragment was found in Qumran along with the... Read More
The concept of integrity has arisen often in discussions of... Read More
Spirituality |