The Self: A Means to an End

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Starwalker
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The Self: A Means to an End

Post by Starwalker »

What is the self anyway? How does self differ from personality? I see personality as a gift from God. It is who we are at our root source. I see the self as an expression of personality while still enshrouded in the flesh. Much like the plans for a beautiful butterfly are existent in the DNA of the caterpillar, our true personalities are existent in our selves but not yet fully expressed. In order to see the full expression of our personalities (fusion with a Thought Adjuster or Spirit Fragment), the self must first be conquered. I think this will get easier when we are resurrected on high where we will have more help and be able to communicate better with our Divine Indwellers. However, in the here and now, we must still contend with our selves.

“Self is man’s invincible foe, and self is manifested as man’s four greatest passions: anger, pride, deceit, and greed. Man’s greatest victory is the conquest of himself.” (UB, 131:6:2)

How does one defeat an invincible foe? The religion of Jesus offers salvation from self by doing the will of God. The will of God is the path with the most love in it. This means loving God first and foremost, and loving others as ourselves. I think the greatest words written by Paul of Tarsus were concerning this love:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

When we practice unconditional love, we are making progress towards the conquest of ourselves. However, this will never be achieved without true religion. Humanists may be able to achieve great things, but their intent is to change the world to suit the self. The true religionist’s goal is to change the self to suit the universe. There is no real progress unless it is Godward. The reason we face so many issues today is that there are so few people practicing true religion or any religion at all for that matter. Many of us have lost sight of why we are here.

The self, being a partial expression of personality, can be a dangerous thing. When left unchecked, it can bring great suffering and even personality extinction if the self becomes fully identified with sin and evil. But when aligned with the cosmos, it can be a bridge to eternalization. In either case, the self as we know it will come to an end. To which end is ours to decide and that decision is made everyday. Every choice that reflects truth, beauty and goodness, is a step away from our self and towards becoming Godlike.
”The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible.” ~ Arthur C. Clarke
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by happyrain »

What a lovely essay Jonathan, thank you!

I think of the self with a big S. There is a difference between self and Self. I don't think there's a right or wrong path, to the extent, another can't tell you what's what- only that the Self is being discovered, remembered... Realized.

I particularly like this expression,

"Consciousness is a singularity, phasing through all beings."

Reading your words of late, I had a strong inclination to share this excerpt with you on annihilation- a word you mentioned in a separate post, which is a spiritual philosophy shared not just with christianity. I believe Sufi's call it Nafs-Kushi

Well, for whatever reason the articles I want to share aren't working right now. I will come back to provide some excerpts later, if you're interested in a continued discussion.

PS... I have been seeing little yellow flowers lately! Do I have you to thank for this beautiful fragrance? = )

For me... I don't think Ego is the enemy as is often described in great text. My being here is seen as a unique opportunity, a privilege and I am learning a very intimate and special dance- Glory BE to GOD!

I will come here to read and contemplate again... And thank you for this timeless piece.

Have a great day!
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by Starwalker »

Hey Eric, I’m glad you get something from my musings. Right or wrong, it’s where my head is at the moment. When you say Self with a big S, I assume you are referring to your Higher Self. I’m not sure if it’s correct to see the TA as the Higher Self as they are pre-personal. But a fused mortal could be seen as a higher form of self. Or maybe the future self is a better way to look at it. This Self does need to be realized and I think you are right that there are many paths, but all will merge into the one path eventually. And there are sure to be a few dead end trails to be backtracked along the way.

I don’t see the ego as the enemy either. I think the ego and the self are two different things. The ego is essentially the false self. It is like a layer of protection around the self, filled with our own opinions and beliefs concerning the self. The ego is essential to live on this planet. We all have an ego, therefore you need your ego to contend with other egos. To hone the ego one must see the self as it truly is and shed the false opinions that are being held concerning the self. It’s a process we will all have to go though eventually.

I hope you enjoy the little yellow flowers. I can’t take all the credit, but I’m glad to have played a part. :D
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by happyrain »

Absolutely, and so- the big S is the truer Self.

As you call it in your initial post, the personality.

=) You didn't ask for this, but I am just itching to share it with you. I see a complete alignment with the wisdom. And so, I hope you don't mind and instead find it assuring with where your 'head(and your heart) is at.' I also hope it helps others see that no matter the path, truth is. Much like your saying, all paths lead to One.

:loves
[In Sufi terms the crushing of the ego is called Nafs Kushi. And how do we crush it? We crush it by sometimes taking ourselves to task. When the self says, 'O no, I must not be treated like this,' then we say, 'What does it matter?' When the self says, 'He ought to have done this, she ought to have said that,' we say, 'What does it matter, either this way or that way? Every person is what he is; you cannot change him, but you can change yourself.' That is the crushing.

When a thorn shows itself and you crush it as soon as you notice it, that same thorn by being crushed will turn into a rose, for the thorn also belongs to the rose bush. And when a person says, 'I will not occupy this position, I will not eat this, I hate it, I despise it, I cannot bear it, I cannot look at it, I cannot endure it, I cannot stand it,' these are all little thorns. A person may not know it, but they are thorns, and when they are crushed, then the rose comes out of it. How easy it is for people to say they want to know about mysticism and occultism. If there were an even bigger name, they would like to take an interest in that, and they believe that by reading books one can understand it, by learning lessons one can learn it, or by doing certain practices one can know it. But it is the everyday life that teaches us from morning till night. Every moment of the day and night we are up against something that our Nafs rebels against; and if we took that opportunity to crush it, to put it down, in some years' time our personality would become a rose.
https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_40.htm

I also offer this to you if you ever find your self bored and wanting to read...
https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XIII/XIII_13.htm
As I've said, you mentioned something the other day before writing this essay which jarred my little spirit: "Share this with Jonathan!" It yelled excitedly.
From wahiddudins website, you can type the word "annihilation" in the search feature and see plenty of excerpts written on this very concept.

I do think I would like to come here and study more. I am in need of humbling... Meditation helps. Lately I've been pulling out very strange energy from people. Or, I have been feeling very sensitive to the unspoken energy from others in my environment. I try to remember that I don't always understand what others are going through, and ask for Gods wisdom and protection. But sometimes it just feels like others are really beatin you up energetically speaking. :cheese: Maybe that's the ego. I also recognize that life is like a mirror sometimes, so maybe there is something imbalanced in my self. But... this kind of stuff feels more like telepathic insight. And maybe it is a test, putting knowledge to practice- seeing how far the annihilation has really come? Do you think God test us like this? Kind of like, helping us get stronger overall. I might have even asked for it at one point.

I once experienced complete freedom in surrendering to Gods will, and it was like whatever "happened to me" didn't matter. I would like to get back to that level of union.

Well, anyway, coming here to read and share with you has been a big help.

Cheers~ :alien:
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by Starwalker »

Hi Eric,

Thank you for sharing the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan. I have read through both links you shared and I definitely needed those words. I feel like I have made some real progress in training my ego. However, the section on self-consciousness resonated deeply with me. I think it’s time to crush a few more thorns so some new roses can bloom. But I think it’s important to go slowly with these endeavours. The world in which we live is such that if we were to completely free ourselves of our egos, we would likely have to go live in a monastery. I don’t think we need to live purely spiritual lives here. We are here to experience the many facets of material life.

I wouldn’t be too worried about being humble either. We need only be humble before God. All people here are on the same playing field. You have as much right to assert yourself as the next person. Perhaps your desire to be humble is why you are picking up on these energies from others. So you are likely right in saying there is an imbalance. I pick up on these energies as well. So thank you for bringing it up. It helps me to understand myself better as well.

To answer your question, yes, I do think God tests us. This whole life is a test. This past Sunday, after I left church I felt very low. I felt the same way one evening earlier this week after practicing stillness. Usually these practices lift my spirits. But I continued the practices anyway. I later thought to myself that maybe that was a little test. Do I worship just to reap the benefits or do I truly love God? I hope I got a decent grade on that one at least.

Another thing that stood out to me in the link you shared was the word Hu, divine. Many years ago, I saw what I thought was a business card on the ground and I had a strong desire to pick it up. It wasn’t actually a business card. I don’t remember exactly what was written on it, but it gave directions to connect with spirit by saying the word Hu in a drawn out fashion much like the ommmm mantra. I started doing it occasionally. This was likely my first experiences with meditation. I actually still do it sometimes. Now I know what it means.

Sending good vibrations,
Jonathan
”The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible.” ~ Arthur C. Clarke
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by Starwalker »

Since last posting I have been thinking about the humility thing. In one of my minister’s sermons he spoke of being powerful vs being humble, and admonished the congregation that they are to be humble. I later wrote him an email explaining that the church should actually be empowering people. Of course, there is a big difference between being in power and being empowered. The majority of people in power on this planet seek to control others. Whereas, an empowered person takes responsibility for their self and their actions. I didn’t get a reply to that email.

I think it is a false teaching that we should be humble in our dealings with our fellow men and women. To humble ourselves in this regard shows that we think lower of ourselves than others. In the hierarchies of this world there are inferior and superior positions. But in spirit we are all equal. Therefore, if we are spirit minded people, we should view each person as our equal. Their position in life matters little. We should be treating rich men the same as poor men. And that treatment should be respectful. But we must also respect ourselves. And sometimes that means letting people feel our thorns when they violate our boundaries. Afterall, it is only through affliction that we acquire wisdom.

“The Master does not hesitate to refute the religious teachings of today and to declare the new gospel with positive authority. He is assertive, positive, and authoritative.” (UB, 161:2.8) Jesus was not “a mild-mannered carpenter, having come to relieve mankind from the burdens of their sins through forgiveness by being used as a scapegoat.” His message empowered people and taught them to love one another. And true love is simply the desire to do good for others. We are to serve our fellows, not be subservient to them. A service-minded person helps people solve their problems. A subservient person unquestioningly obeys the will of others much like children obey their parents. God is our Father. He is superior to us in all ways. Therefore, it is appropriate for us to be subservient to Him. The covenant between God and man is such that God does everything, and man does as instructed.

I hope this clarifies what I mean by being humble only before God.

Peace,
Jonathan
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by Starwalker »

P.S. What I meant by letting people feel your thorns is that we should express our displeasure with their behaviour or attitude towards us. There is no need to retaliate, but we don’t have to enable people either.
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by Starwalker »

I’m starting to think that I shouldn’t be taking all of the credit for my posts. I think there is a celestial helping me with these. I’m not sure of their name, but the word absonite is coming to mind. I am the one putting them together, but certain words are being planted in my mind. I’ve wondered about this before, but didn’t think it was possible for me to be a receiver. But lately it’s becoming clearer to me that someone is working with me behind the scenes. The reason I think this is that these are lessons for me too. I actually felt a bit embarrassed after the last post because I shouldn’t be trying to pluck a mote out of anyone’s eye when there is a beam in my own eye. And so I humbly acknowledge the help of my celestial guides in composing these posts.

Also, I have to let people know that I receive the X:52 time prompts. And I don’t only see it on clocks. The number comes up everywhere for me. I think I need some help in figuring this all out.
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by Starwalker »

I have been asked to write a little bit on the aspect of the self known as the id. And so, I will endeavor to explain my thoughts on this subject. The id is a counterpart to the ego. It is unconscious and is the source of all instinctual drives, both good and bad. The id aims to avoid all discomfort and pain, and seeks the satisfaction of all its needs and wants. I would liken it to the animal brain, the beast within.

The mind of a newborn baby is purely id. It knows what it wants and it wants it immediately. When a baby feels hunger, it will cry until that need is met. As children develop, they are taught to curtail negative impulses, and find acceptable ways to meet their needs and wants. This is the how the ego develops. The ego is the learned portion of the psyche, and the id is the instinctual part. This relates to the nature vs nurture philosophies of human psychological development. But to me this was never a debate, as both clearly play a role. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to argue which plays a greater role. And to that I would say it should be considered on a case-by-case basis.

When people inherit the propensity for certain behaviors, the id is where they come from. A child can inherit behaviors from its parents. It is the function of the ego to control and manifest the desires of the id. If the ego is underdeveloped or weakened, the baser desires of the id are more likely to be acted out. This is why people with low self-esteem are more prone to undesirable behaviors. This really drives home the importance of having a healthy ego. Of course, a good upbringing is key to developing a heathy ego, and unfortunately many do not have that luxury. This unfortunate occurence often causes history to repeat itself as negative behaviors are inherited, and then reinforced by their parents' example.

As I mentioned before, the ego is honed by removing false and limiting beliefs about the self. A sharp ego is one that truly knows itself and works towards self improvement. But even with a sharp weapon, it takes a consecrated effort to achieve the conquest of the beast, which should be the goal of any true religionist as this task befalls each of us. Full hearted devotion is required in the approach to God. Half-hearted efforts will not be unavailing. I will end this post with this quote in hopes that each of us will one day see the day when we are victorious over the beast as well:

“John the Revelator saw a vision of the arrival of a class of advancing mortals from the seventh mansion world to their first heaven, the glories of Jerusem. He recorded: “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and those who had gained the victory over the beast that was originally in them and over the image that persisted through the mansion worlds and finally over the last mark and trace, standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God, and singing the song of deliverance from mortal fear and death.” (UB, 47:10.2)
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by happyrain »

Starwalker wrote: Sat Jan 21, 2023 10:08 pm I’m starting to think that I shouldn’t be taking all of the credit for my posts. I think there is a celestial helping me with these. I’m not sure of their name, but the word absonite is coming to mind. I am the one putting them together, but certain words are being planted in my mind. I’ve wondered about this before, but didn’t think it was possible for me to be a receiver. But lately it’s becoming clearer to me that someone is working with me behind the scenes. The reason I think this is that these are lessons for me too. I actually felt a bit embarrassed after the last post because I shouldn’t be trying to pluck a mote out of anyone’s eye when there is a beam in my own eye. And so I humbly acknowledge the help of my celestial guides in composing these posts.

Also, I have to let people know that I receive the X:52 time prompts. And I don’t only see it on clocks. The number comes up everywhere for me. I think I need some help in figuring this all out.
Hi Jonathan,

Absolutely...

Reality can feel like a joke. Often blown away by an even greater reality. A beautiful, lively connection. There are others, "out there" from "within" representing a greater aspect of Self, which you and I belong to.

And this personality... Prompting you- indeed, a guide, a loving companion, because of the intimate relationship- interconnectedness with Being.

You are guided, and I am grateful you recognize and share the wisdom.

This is so cool, for me, :mrgreen: To see you make this connection... And a potential discovery for all of us.

:loves
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by Starwalker »

But wait, there’s more. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s super-ego. The ego primarily works within the conscious mind, the id is largely hidden in the unconscious mind, and the super-ego is mostly super-conscious. The super-ego is essentially the moral framework by which we operate. When the id urges the ego to fulfill its desires, it is the super-ego that admonishes it to do so in an appropriate manner. It is important to realize that the ego, id and super-ego are constructs to help us understand ourselves. The psychic phenomenon of selfhood is much greater than the sum of these three parts; however, these constructs are good scaffolding to help us reach a higher understanding.

The super-ego is conceived when the ego is born. The embryonic super-ego is developed by the ego until the time of the first moral choice, which marks the birth of the super-ego. It is the super-ego that makes it possible for the mind to be indwelled by a Thought Adjuster. The TA is the Divine Pattern to which a person must align in order to become eternalized. It is not our possession, therefore not a part of the self. The TA indwells us, but is a separate entity which uses the super-ego to slowly spiritualize the mind. But this process requires the co-operation of the ego. With every moral choice of eternal value, we grow closer to fusion with our TAs. And when the Divine Pattern is fully matched by the ego, the self ceases to exist and we become a new being. So, the ego is not only tasked with controlling the baser impulses of the id, but also with following the admonitions of the super-ego in order to fulfill its true purpose: the co-creation of an immortal soul.

The process of spiritualization requires fluidity of the super-ego. The super-ego is the ideal self as it is perceived at any given time and this perception must be progressed according to the leadings of the TA. Dogmatic belief systems greatly handicap this process and beliefs steeped in fear can halt it entirely. The fear of God may be the beginning of wisdom, but it shouldn’t stop there. We should always have a great respect for the Father, but we must move away from fearing God and towards loving Him. Surely, the more we learn of the true character of God, the easier it will be for us to love Him. And the Urantia Papers are the greatest source of information about God on our planet, and perhaps beyond here as well. This text is currently little known. However, someday the three azure blue concentric circles of the banner of Christ Michael will be flown all over this beautiful sphere. Believe it and it shall be so!
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by Starwalker »

And the word of the day is… goodbye.

I have enjoyed the ‘happy’ adventures in the ‘rain’ and walks along the beautiful ‘Sandy’ beaches. But I think its time for me to do my own thing. Or maybe its just time to forget myself.

All the best to you all!

Signing off,
xJonathan
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by happyrain »

And a time to discover. :loves

I'll see you again, maybe even in a unique way.

Thank you for sharing your self with us Jonathan, you have been a wonderful support system with my own journey and I've enjoyed reading your insights.

It's not over Brother.

:alien: Until then.
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by Starwalker »

Eric,

After you asked me about why I left the site, I revisited this post. I was actually very sad to leave back then but felt that it was the right thing to do. When my 114th post was in the :14 thread where I mentioned being born at 1:14pm, I got to thinking that I was right to leave when I did and that everything truly is divinely timed. Goodbye isn’t a bad word. It means God be with you. And that’s actually a lovely sentiment

Thank you for your kind words. I look forward to a unique connection with you. We have a lot to learn from each other. And I think we both need a support system sometimes. It seems like we’ve both been reaching out into the universe, and I feel like the universe is reaching back to us through each other. Does that make sense to you?

Anyway, I don’t want to get too sentimental. But just know that I’m here for you and value your friendship.

Your brother,
Jon
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by happyrain »

Wow. Yes, wonderful sentiment is right. I will have to re-read your essay above when I have some time in stillness. I believe we are helping each other discover the powerful connection with God. Cheers friend~ God be with you! :alien:
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by Starwalker »

I believe these essays were lessons for me. I was given some guidance on what to write, but I was the one to put them together. They reflect upon the phenomenon on selfhood, and the end of self is the beginning of Self.

This week when I was contemplating infinity, I reached a level in my mind where I knew beyond doubt that God was real and felt his love overpower me. I felt such reverence that the thought occurred to me that I could fuse if I continued wholeheartedly feeling this way. I think this is true worship. But I still have a ways to go before fusion with my Thought Adjuster. This requires the the complete giving of self to God in order to become something greater, Self.

For now I will just continue with the discovery of my little selfhood. The tadpole does not worry about becoming a frog. It just lives faithfully as a tadpole and then one day it starts growing legs. In the same manner, if we live faithfully as humans we can trust that someday we will get our wings.
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by Geoff »

Starwalker wrote: Sat Mar 16, 2024 9:57 pm where I knew beyond doubt that God was real and felt his love overpower me. I felt such reverence that the thought occurred to me that I could fuse if I continued wholeheartedly feeling this way. I think this is true worship.
That's awesome, and yes if you kept it up intensely enough you would experience a pentecost. And ultimately, you will reach the Eternal Zone that way. We might disagree with the issue of the TA, but that becomes irrelevant. This process is the absolute foundation of my 23 year old website. Unfortunately the process is not as fast in this realm as we would like. I spent about six years intensely focussed on this with typically 3 hours a day meditation just on feeling that energy, and it did bring significant soul growth, sufficient for our guides to tell us we had reached our objective.

take care
Geoff
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said Chief Flaming Arrow.
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Re: The Self: A Means to an End

Post by happyrain »

True Jon. Because forced renunciation is not real renunciation. Forced renunciation will not yield the same fruit as the one who is ready and willing to renounce their very self. I can not speak on these matters with authority, only sharing the wisdom as it has been relayed by Hazrat Inayat Khan. And I do believe he is right. I have tried forcing renunciation, to have gone through a rebound effect. And I have willingly renounced other things, because the time was right. I was ready to do so. Of course, nothing wrong with trying. But being honest where we are at in our life journey is crucial. Like you, I'm in no rush... I am happy with the level of intimacy I feel with God and no matter where I find my self I try to keep my compass, "Godward." There's a joy recognizing what that means as experienced from the limited scope of a human lifespan and with the boundless nature of creative intelligence. We are both change and changeless, the joys of Spirit and the lessons shared in our dance with the One are as Yogananda describes like "Ever-new Bliss"
Peace friend.
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