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
shuttle to Midway Beardstown .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareHave you ever felt like throwing up your arms and... Read More
We come into this world alone, we experience physical life... Read More
The "Left Behind" series is inspiring, in that it makes... Read More
We have all heard the phrase, "follow your nose". This... Read More
For the last 35 years, I have been working with... Read More
I thought for sometime that I was hard done bye... Read More
Natural laws exist that serve to maintain order in the... Read More
"This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as... Read More
If you spend a hundred bucks and buy the right... Read More
Most of us think of what a wonderful world this... Read More
The Many Waters explores the universe and sifts through the... Read More
I am often asked to explain what I mean by... Read More
The story of Cain and Abel stands very close to... Read More
Angels, those divine beings of love and light, are here... Read More
There is nothing more valuable to a sentient being then... Read More
I believe in the source we refer to as 'God'.... Read More
Eden, the garden of ecstasy is no longer available to... Read More
Ephesians 4:4-6 indicates that Christians ought to practice one single... Read More
What is success? It probably means different things to different... Read More
I heard recently on a Christian radio station somebody talking... Read More
Do you have a servant's heart? Has God blessed you... Read More
Mormons like to give testimonies. Unlike Mormon testimonies, I will... Read More
The second verse of Amy Grant's song, "Angels Watching Over... Read More
In the interest of mankind the Angels are delivering messages... Read More
If you would like to learn to read tarot cards,... Read More
Green Bay Hummer H2 SUV rentals ..The second verse of Amy Grant's song, "Angels Watching Over... Read More
What is the purpose of guilt?Well, let's look at it.Some... Read More
There's a Native American belief that before we are born,... Read More
Last month, one of my readers needed a new car.... Read More
Forget what you have read or seen about vampires. The... Read More
Matthew 2:1-12The Visit of the Wise Men1 Now after Jesus... Read More
Connecting with the Moon phases, the Full and New Moon... Read More
Let me say that marketing can be a corrupting experience.... Read More
Do you ever wonder about the other "YOU ?"The one... Read More
We hear this word so often and have one thing... Read More
It's human nature to point a finger when we think... Read More
Matthew 2:16-18Herod Kills the Children16 Then Herod, when he saw... Read More
The concept of integrity has arisen often in discussions of... Read More
An etheric body, also known as the aura, surrounds every... Read More
Good morning Roy, good morning JosethWhat about me, were do... Read More
As more and more alternative and spiritual healings are being... Read More
Is it really possible that Don Juan could command the... Read More
I know eyebrows are probably raising about now, but let... Read More
In God's world, everything can be used as an anology... Read More
In an edition of Reader's Digest, I stumbled upon a... Read More
Many people are awakening today to the idea that the... Read More
A while back the Lord had given me this message... Read More
(Channelled)Roy, this morning in "Roy Bits," you tried to write... Read More
An angel can be your best friend. Angels have been... Read More
An analysis of Western man's guiding presuppositions, A Review of... Read More
Spirituality |