misconceptions about spirituality
From browsing through groups, emails, and so on, I just wanted to write out what I see as some common misconceptions of spirituality that I know are out there. It's not meant to poo-poo on anyone, and not aimed at the good people that brought out these thoughts, but is merely an attempt to bring clarity in my own mind to what's often a very nebulous subject. I'm not an authority, as if anyone could be, but these are my perceptions :
1) Spirituality means totally living from the heart. That's where love is.
The heart is the center of emotions (i.e., "energy in motion") and energy-based perceptivity. It's certainly not the only place Love is, nor is any center "better" than any other. They simply have different purposes. I wouldn't even say Love, in the higher sense, is an emotion - though the warm fuzzy sentiment we all have experienced is in there. :-)
Love as I'm beginning to understand is, is far more than any simple emotion. It is the fact of the utter harmonious, mutually beneficial nature of everything in the universe. It's the perception of the complete lack of separation in essence between us all, despite what our five senses say. And any center can help get to that harmony. It could be through an enlightened philosophy, a beautiful time you touched someone's soul, or it could be through an inspired dance.
Emotions aren't "better" than the mind, either. Each center can operate in a restricted fashion. The mind can get dogmatic and fearful and demand proofs that can never be supplied - just as the heart can get all fearfully sentimental and believe it can achieve anything through wishing it strong enough, for example. And yes, I see sentimentality as a restricted operation of the heart. The more opened heart I see as a place of pure energetic, unrestricted perception. It's a place of being present in the "Now". You "feel" what's going on very clearly with an open and balanced heart! Of course, once you do, it's very helpful having the mind around to express it in words! :-)
2) Certain activities and livelihoods are more spiritual than others.
Now, I've considered being a monk at some point in my life, as a result of believing this. It *totally* would not suit me, at least in western austere style monasteries. But this is an assumption that's fairly pervasive.
We are spiritual beings on a human path.
That's a very important sentence to me. We're not humans on a spiritual path. Far from it. We're here to learn to be human. Fully, completely, unreservedly human, and learning to love every moment of every day. Yes, including the 'bad' stuff.
So in this experience of being human, there's no "better". It's not better to be doing a lecture circuit than working an office job, being a struggling mother, or working at McDonalds. For some the former is so full of subtle ego traps, having adoring people lap up every word. For some it's a beautiful learning experience, taken with humility. Likewise for the other examples - there can be a lot of learning in each.
That said, what I see as "spiritual teachings" is really centered on one central task: learning to learn through joy and pleasure instead of pain. That's all it's really about. There's no reward other than this. Love is it's own reward. There's no punishment for not doing this, other than what we create ourselves. We all want to learn, and we will no matter what, even if we resist it to our dying breath.
Now, in terms of nothing being 'better', that's in a universal sense, and for all the egos out there, like mine. Of course, for almost anyone, certain activities feel 'right' and some feel 'wrong'. And most importantly, some things make you feel more fully alive. What could be more spiritual than that? But still, it makes you feel alive. It wouldn't necessarily make others feel the same way. And your revelations, no matter who you are, won't be universally applicable. We're all learning different things. So it's helpful to have a sensible head that says "well, this feels amazingly important to me, but let's not push it on everyone until I really see if it works for others". Helps avoid conflict, I've noticed!
This feeling alive is very important, and ties in with a lot of things. Being completely present in the now, raising vibration, increasing perceptivity, trusting one's self and essence - all these relate to this cultivation of alive-ness. And it *will* be different for everyone. Yes, some people feel more alive participating in what for others would be a fairly constrictive, dogmatic church. But it's not really as important what's right for other people as it is finding out what's right for yourself. When you're alive, you naturally invite everyone else to be too. And that's really all you can do.
The heart is the center of emotions (i.e., "energy in motion") and energy-based perceptivity. It's certainly not the only place Love is, nor is any center "better" than any other. They simply have different purposes. I wouldn't even say Love, in the higher sense, is an emotion - though the warm fuzzy sentiment we all have experienced is in there. :-)
Love as I'm beginning to understand is, is far more than any simple emotion. It is the fact of the utter harmonious, mutually beneficial nature of everything in the universe. It's the perception of the complete lack of separation in essence between us all, despite what our five senses say. And any center can help get to that harmony. It could be through an enlightened philosophy, a beautiful time you touched someone's soul, or it could be through an inspired dance.
Emotions aren't "better" than the mind, either. Each center can operate in a restricted fashion. The mind can get dogmatic and fearful and demand proofs that can never be supplied - just as the heart can get all fearfully sentimental and believe it can achieve anything through wishing it strong enough, for example. And yes, I see sentimentality as a restricted operation of the heart. The more opened heart I see as a place of pure energetic, unrestricted perception. It's a place of being present in the "Now". You "feel" what's going on very clearly with an open and balanced heart! Of course, once you do, it's very helpful having the mind around to express it in words! :-)
2) Certain activities and livelihoods are more spiritual than others.
Now, I've considered being a monk at some point in my life, as a result of believing this. It *totally* would not suit me, at least in western austere style monasteries. But this is an assumption that's fairly pervasive.
We are spiritual beings on a human path.
That's a very important sentence to me. We're not humans on a spiritual path. Far from it. We're here to learn to be human. Fully, completely, unreservedly human, and learning to love every moment of every day. Yes, including the 'bad' stuff.
So in this experience of being human, there's no "better". It's not better to be doing a lecture circuit than working an office job, being a struggling mother, or working at McDonalds. For some the former is so full of subtle ego traps, having adoring people lap up every word. For some it's a beautiful learning experience, taken with humility. Likewise for the other examples - there can be a lot of learning in each.
That said, what I see as "spiritual teachings" is really centered on one central task: learning to learn through joy and pleasure instead of pain. That's all it's really about. There's no reward other than this. Love is it's own reward. There's no punishment for not doing this, other than what we create ourselves. We all want to learn, and we will no matter what, even if we resist it to our dying breath.
Now, in terms of nothing being 'better', that's in a universal sense, and for all the egos out there, like mine. Of course, for almost anyone, certain activities feel 'right' and some feel 'wrong'. And most importantly, some things make you feel more fully alive. What could be more spiritual than that? But still, it makes you feel alive. It wouldn't necessarily make others feel the same way. And your revelations, no matter who you are, won't be universally applicable. We're all learning different things. So it's helpful to have a sensible head that says "well, this feels amazingly important to me, but let's not push it on everyone until I really see if it works for others". Helps avoid conflict, I've noticed!
This feeling alive is very important, and ties in with a lot of things. Being completely present in the now, raising vibration, increasing perceptivity, trusting one's self and essence - all these relate to this cultivation of alive-ness. And it *will* be different for everyone. Yes, some people feel more alive participating in what for others would be a fairly constrictive, dogmatic church. But it's not really as important what's right for other people as it is finding out what's right for yourself. When you're alive, you naturally invite everyone else to be too. And that's really all you can do.
Sheesh, wasn't that preachy? That's about as far down that path as I get. But I'm getting tired, so I'll stop there. Maybe I'll add to this list down the road. Feel free to add comments, anyone!
posted by Loving Awareness | 6/02/2006 09:28:00 PM
2 Comments:
The Nine Satanic Sins
by Anton Szandor LaVey ©1987
1. Stupidity—The top of the list for Satanic Sins. The Cardinal Sin of Satanism. It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid.
2. Pretentiousness—Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn’t applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone’s made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not.
3. Solipsism—Can be very dangerous for Satanists. Projecting your reactions, responses and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won’t. Instead, Satanists must strive to apply the dictum of “Do unto others as they do unto you.” It’s work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point.
4. Self-deceit—It’s in the “Nine Satanic Statements” but deserves to be repeated here. Another cardinal sin. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it’s fun, and with awareness. But then, it’s not self-deceit!
5. Herd Conformity—That’s obvious from a Satanic stance. It’s all right to conform to a person’s wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many.
6. Lack of Perspective—Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain for a Satanist. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints—know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world.
7. Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies—Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it’s something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society.
8. Counterproductive Pride—That first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you’ve painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I’m sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it.
9. Lack of Aesthetics—This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It’s not what’s supposed to be pleasing—it’s what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one’s own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied.
Looks like you are going to have to move over to censorship, as well. You've become a target of my stalker now, too, for some reason. I don't know why he doesn't realize how corny he comes across. Hilarious. Good Luck!
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