The largest encouragement that I will always promote through any teachings is for someone to connect with and surface what is in their internal world. It is my belief that external guidance, in whatever form it appears within our lives, has been pulled to us by our own desire to grow or understand something relevant about ourselves (even if we are unconscious of the desire at the time). In other words, your being is the reason that you want what you want, attract certain situations, and like certain things. There is value for you in all of it. External knowledge that you encounter or are attracted to, such as the teachings of a specific organization, guru, motivational speaker, or a friend, is meant to add to the knowledge and strength you already possess so that you expand into becoming who you are meant to be. In other words, words of wisdom are not meant to overshadow or alter your personality but enhance the expression of what you already are within… sort of like a means to clear a way so that the best aspects of the self are highlighted.
I have found in my experiences, that my views on using religion or other belief systems to clarify and enhance rather than replace are not that popular. At best, some strictly religious friends will simply tolerate my rebellion against systems while secretly hoping for an opportunity to get me to somehow join their team. I've even had people start a philosophical conversation to spark my interest with the covert attempt to turn it into a moral discussion through the filter of their own religion. I am aware of what is going on even if I do not let on, for the process in a conversation of speculation or open interest is entirely different than one of persuasion. Despite appreciation for the interest in my own destiny or the concern of what will happen in my end, I am too eager to evolve beyond where I started rather than return to the limited perceptions of my roots. Although appreciative of the bouncing place it gave me in my quest for understanding the world, it would feel as if I was journeying backwards into limitation and suffocation rather than the opposite. And while I can honor those who have no desire to move into a broader understanding of the pie, they somehow return to the view that I am to be pitied and saved from myself because I will not join their party.
I will always support studying the processes of the self and the influences of external information on one's mental, emotional, and physical state. As we encounter experiences that help shape our identity, we will later engage in other experiences that either strengthen or prune the previous version of our identity.
This process cannot really be avoided even if we opt out of reflection or how much we attempt to avoid experiences. The call to do and be more may be of a greater degree in some, but there is not one of us who will succeed in avoiding moments of dissonance without experiencing negative consequences. Our experiences are calling forth growth consciously or unconsciously as needed. As a participant in our own growth, we draw to us the means that support this desired development. The new information encountered enhances the schema if components within the system are compatible and will be dismissed if not, meaning it will either fit or it doesn't. Accumulated information must be relevant to the host if it is to attach to what is already there and broaden the already existing structure. An example would be that a baby draws on his already stored information of movement and his muscles advanced from crawling to walking. You take the basic understandings learned from motion and balance in riding a tricycle to develop the understanding of the balance and motion needed to ride a bike, etc. This process doesn’t replace the old knowledge and then causes us to forget to crawl or ride a bike. In other words, it doesn't replace the prior understanding but adds to the current level of ability.
This same concept applies to all domains of learning. External information, no matter where it is received, should be used as a way to enhance the system rather than as a means to replace all that has made you, you. And yet, many, eager to rid themselves of what is now judged as shameful, attempt to do this. As I see this type of transformation occur in some I personally know, I want to ask, where did you go? Did you adopt dissociative disorder as you became "holier"? Sadly, this type of alteration is often accompanied by a condemnation of the old. Many attach a negative judgment to who they used to be before they encountered the teachings of an "elevated savior." And if you were the one they connected with during that time, you risk getting labeled as "bad news" too. From a developmental perspective, discounting the wisdom gained from the shadow side or any experience, for that matter, is one of the most damaging things a person can do to the self. By condemning who we use to be and failing to develop an appreciation for what darker times have shown us, we negate a part of our humanity. One can never be whole from that perspective. When we do not integrate the entirety of who we are, we fail to express the brightest form of light that we possibly can through a human form. You must make peace with the frailty of the old and internalize the wisdom gained from it. You do not condemn and replace. Not only does this not work because you can't rip yourself from yourself, but it can also lead to condemnation of those in your path who remind you of the old you.
I understand that when people are lost and fragmented, there is a heightened need to escape from pain and negative evaluation. From this state of deprivation, the first guru, religion, or belief we relate to and that carries an answer to what we are seeking is generally the one that we risk becoming attached to. It isn't long after, that I see people proclaiming that this new path is THE path that holds the answers for everyone. Others being saved from the dark in a different way are defending their own path, claiming their salvation is THE way too.
One should always appreciate the foundations and experiences that provoked the development of any enhanced human capabilities. Both the positive and negative do this. However, our development does not stop…ever…in any domain, even spirituality. This is the first mistake people assume in the process of self-evolution. If one believes that it does, you must compartmentalize the part of you that wishes for more from the part that is afraid of change or fears being wrong for wanting more than your current chosen end-all.
Institutes will provide a sense of community and relief that will be long-lasting for some. However, it is rare that the interpretation of a belief is not altered at some point by participants. In fact, I find that many organizational believers pick and choose or alter aspects of what they believe to be true while adopting the organizational identity overall, claiming that the way they were taught before was simply interpreted as "wrong," and that now they have evolved their personal understanding. Often, this seems to occur with change in leadership within the same organization. No matter how it happens, the desire for change or longing for a different interpretation will eventually occur as an individual grows because of the balance sought between one's environment and internal desires.
Like all external data, I see spiritual information as a tool to strengthen the individual as long as it remains relevant to overall development. Anything that encourages condemnation over authentic understanding or absolutism over speculation is laced in limitation. You are not in control of yourself when you allow someone outside of you to dictate what you are and are not worthy of, whether you believe it comes from one more powerful or knowledgeable than you or not. To remain in control of the acceptance and internalization of information coming your way is to remain rooted and committed to the enhancement and expression of the core self.
If the urge to move beyond your adopted belief system occurs, participants are often reminded of how lost they were without the guidance of the savior in question. Many of these organizations will blame the negative consequences of the past on you being lost to the influences of the devil or some evil force. That is not a perspective that helps anyone develop awareness and internal strength to independently overcome negative behavior. The organization's insistence that you are safe from returning to the darkness only because you have found their form of salvation is, frankly, one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. By understanding who you are and why you made the choices you did, then taking the time to heal the cause, you are more likely to ensure that you do not return to old ways. Just because you develop an understanding and appreciation of your darker side does not mean you will return to it. Your authentic success at transmuting your pain doesn't come from being knighted in salvation by a church that has no clue who you really are or what you are meant to evolve into. Their teachings can serve as a means to improve your life but allowing them to overtake who you are can keep you lost to your true path.
Rather than waiting for someone outside of me to tell me what I should be doing, I can take charge of myself by accepting teachings when it logically serves my mental, physical, and emotional development and choosing something different when it does not. If you are unsure but curious, go ahead, give it a go and see if it helps. If whatever system you are participating in liberates you from your current placement (depression, confusion, etc.), then utilize the knowledge until it no longer does what was promised. However, it is wise to remember that light does not exist without shadow. Given we are geared toward evolution—slow or fast— (that's my belief anyway), the light will eventually become a shadow if you do not answer the call to your own growth. The same holds true in relationships. What once was considered endearing can be seen as a burden in a different context or simply, over time. You will either grow together or apart as a desire for change occurs. For example, after years of doing the same type of exercise, you will most likely be drawn to some different or a little more challenging over time as you become stronger. Our bodies need to work different muscles to stay balanced. The same is true for spiritual development. When the light becomes shadow, one continues walking where the light leads. You don't deny that you need the light or say you are fine with seeing in the dark. By remaining the executive of your development, you control the value the system grants you rather than the other way around.
Multiple paths must be allowed because of the vast variation in perception. If I allowed a religion to tell me there was something wrong with me or the reason I do not feel like their spiritual practices are a match was because I am lost, a sinner, or stuck, rather than just knowing that it isn't my gig, then I mistakenly hand the reigns over to something outside of me that could lead me away from myself rather than towards. I'd rather remain in control of my identity apart from the organization rather than become a slave to external demands of those who are clueless to what the best path for my life is. You are not wrong in choosing another direction when the light shifts, so don't let anyone make you feel like you are.
Opmerkingen