Darkness of our Minds

[Jared.L]

Juzt realised as the darkness of my mind nearly took over.

We do not battle the demons that surround us but we battle the demons that we create, in our minds.

These are more powerful but much more weak.

Because we create them and they exist alone in our imagination they are the most easily defeated.

Because we created them we can defeat them with nothing more than a thought.

Just a thought, think about that

It's a subject I've thought about often but some aren't easily dismissed with just a thought; and they often arise through processes far deeper than our imaginations. We can image them, sure, but dismiss them? You're asking for some serious spiritual surgery on the intricate network of experience(s) that make us what we are today. If you're a believer in incarnation it's difficult to see how such surgery to reach back into an episode that would seem to be over. You can change a lot about your current life but you can't return to change a past life...I wouldn't have thought, anyway.

Were dismissal easy the woes of the world could probably be cured in short order. Dealing with our dark side is, to me, a significant part of spiritual development that leads us to becoming whole, finding our Selfs which is a bit different from the talk of "higher self" and principles. There is no higher self to me, just Self (which would embody our real higher principles, our maitre tete) not the ones we thought we held before we found them)...and as it engages in the mundane world that Self becomes modified (some might say distorted) at root to survive and a little above that, to survive with some comfort and fulfilment.

The battling of demons was a subject taken up in a big way in the 16th/17th centuries. There's the Ars Goetica and the work of Abramelin. Though a terrible bit of paraphrasing! it seems to be about evoking demons then containing them and getting them to work for you.

Not all demons are bad. In the gnostic idea of the cosmos they form syzygies with angels - pairings that are balanced. Some could well protect us. It does seem important to confront them, though, getting to know them may cause discomfort but they may be the providers of information that helps people on their path. Tricksters, yes, malign sometimes but if one allows for their machinations they can be contained within - and rendered harmless....because you know what they're up to.

...

[Jared.L]

Originally Posted by Lorelyen

It's a subject I've thought about often but some aren't easily dismissed with just a thought; and they often arise through processes far deeper than our imaginations. We can image them, sure, but dismiss them? You're asking for some serious spiritual surgery on the intricate network of experience(s) that make us what we are today. If you're a believer in incarnation it's difficult to see how such surgery to reach back into an episode that would seem to be over. You can change a lot about your current life but you can't return to change a past life...I wouldn't have thought, anyway.

Were dismissal easy the woes of the world could probably be cured in short order. Dealing with our dark side is, to me, a significant part of spiritual development that leads us to becoming whole, finding our Selfs which is a bit different from the talk of "higher self" and principles. There is no higher self to me, just Self (which would embody our real higher principles, our maitre tete) not the ones we thought we held before we found them)...and as it engages in the mundane world that Self becomes modified (some might say distorted) at root to survive and a little above that, to survive with some comfort and fulfilment.

The battling of demons was a subject taken up in a big way in the 16th/17th centuries. There's the Ars Goetica and the work of Abramelin. Though a terrible bit of paraphrasing! it seems to be about evoking demons then containing them and getting them to work for you.

Not all demons are bad. In the gnostic idea of the cosmos they form syzygies with angels - pairings that are balanced. Some could well protect us. It does seem important to confront them, though, getting to know them may cause discomfort but they may be the providers of information that helps people on their path. Tricksters, yes, malign sometimes but if one allows for their machinations they can be contained within - and rendered harmless....because you know what they're up to.

...

Maybe I was wrong calling them daemons....maybe I'd better call them destructive thought-forms (energy substances) that block our energy and live in our auras. I'm sure we can fight them just because we have created them.

[lemex]

Maybe I was wrong calling them daemons....maybe I'd better call them destructive thought-forms (energy substances) that block our energy and live in our auras. I'm sure we can fight them just because we have created them.

I agree with you, we may create the thought or at least it was for me and what I'm familiar with. I believe training the mind helps light the way. The first thing I was ever told and was I ever insulted by it that I was willing to not see it. Too much pride

[Gem]

I was going to analyse a couple of music videos: "Monster" by Skillet and "The Monster" by Eminem feat. Rihanna (the videos have a very similar psychiatric theme). You tube them if you want. While I was thinking about the videos it seemed to me that the monster manifested when some force of control was used to subdue some part of the mind. After a while it becomes hard to tell if the monster is one being controlled or the one doing the controlling - but essentially it seems to emerge from the control issue itself.

[Starman]

I agree with you; as the Tibetan Book of the Dead says; when a person dies the thoughts and emotions which they have given attention to and most nurtured during their life leaves their body with them and take on the appearance of helpful angels (benevolent thoughts and feelings) and hurtful demons (malevolent thoughts and feelings.) It is a Buddhist saying that "the mind is free to create its own demons and its own angels."

[Jared.L]

Originally Posted by Starman

I agree with you; as the Tibetan Book of the Dead says; when a person dies the thoughts and emotions which they have given attention to and most nurtured during their life leaves their body with them and take on the appearance of helpful angels (benevolent thoughts and feelings) and hurtful demons (malevolent thoughts and feelings.) It is a Buddhist saying that "the mind is free to create its own demons and its own angels."

Yes, the last phrase is the essence of it.

[Govind]

Darkness of our mind termed as all the negative thoughts and vibrations which comes in our mind as a fear from the result. We should always think positive and do our level best without fearing for the result.

[Starman]

A very popular story is the Native American tale of Two Wolves:
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance,
self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” The other is good – he is joy, peace,
love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

[Jared.L]

Originally Posted by Starman

A very popular story is the Native American tale of Two Wolves:
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance,
self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” The other is good – he is joy, peace,
love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Hmmm...Interesting. This is a very wise story