objectivity, seeing what you want to see, and the awakening of intelligence

[happy soul]

There's a channeled book that's similar to ACIM, called Steps to Knowledge, that has a year long workbook like ACIM does. Actually it's ONLY a workbook, there's no 'text' like in ACIM.

Anyway, one of the lessons is, 'I believe what I want to believe.' This echoes ACIM's lesson, 'I see all things as I would have them be.'

Basically, these books are saying that we all 'see what we want to see,' we believe what we want to believe.

Then how can we ever see the TRUTH?

It's simple. In order to see the truth, YOU HAVE TO WANT TO.

Your desire to know the truth has to be stronger than your desire to believe what suits your ego, your hopes, your pride, or fear.

J. Krishnamurti taught that we have to be aware of our tendency to distort truth, to project, to deceive ourselves. He called this, 'the awakening of intelligence.'

If we can be deeply aware of our tendency to 'see what we want to see,' we can become truly OBJECTIVE, and find a willingness to acknowledge truth and reality.

But we do need to recognize our tendency to deceive ourselves.

The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein said, 'The easiest thing in the world to do is deceive yourself.'

Beware of self-deception!

....................

[Amanaki]

In my experience one need to let go of every attachments to what one see with human physical eyes to start see the world as it trully are. maning what we see is not always they way it actually is.

exampke- You see to guys fighting in the street, if you stop them you might stop karmic reaction to happen in the right way, why? Because we do not know what happen previoues to the fight, we do not know if those to owned each other in teh past and the fight was the repayment of karma.

[happy soul]

Originally Posted by Amanaki

In my experience one need to let go of every attachments to what one see with human physical eyes to start see the world as it trully are. maning what we see is not always they way it actually is.

exampke- You see to guys fighting in the street, if you stop them you might stop karmic reaction to happen in the right way, why? Because we do not know what happen previoues to the fight, we do not know if those to owned each other in teh past and the fight was the repayment of karma.

Bless you my dear brother. You're absolutely beautiful.

[Baile]

Originally Posted by happy soul

we can become truly OBJECTIVE, and find a willingness to acknowledge truth and reality.

This is the key, absolutely. Soul-spirit objectivity. The opposite really of personal spiritual/religious belief.

I've noticed you have several threads of this nature. It's an interesting question to me: the attempt to put into words and to communicate profound truths and understandings of this sort. I point that out because this is wisdom of the highest order. I speak of the process of connecting with that wisdom as soul-depth understanding. Soul-depth wisdom cannot be taught. Rather, it is an epiphany and awakening; an instantaneous transformation (transmutation) of the soul's level and degree of conscious awareness.

The individual cannot be prodded or coaxed into believing any of this, given both the process and the substance of the message itself, transcends mundane belief. Rather, one is called to this wisdom, is ready for it, and freely steps into it without question, thought or doubt. As you put it, "You have to want to." I myself would put it this way: "When you are ready, you want to, period."

[Moonglow]

Hello,

Added thoughts.

To look or be open to that which seems "beyond" ones own conditioning ( whether self induced, socially induced, or other ways/means), one has to be willing and able to do so.

If not, then it seems to mean one will not hear or take in the " message", whatever it may be.

Most, I feel, cope with what one is able to cope with in the manner that is known at present.

At times wonder if one is "seeking" or attempting to understand according to what or how it may be defined or according to what is brought into ones life?

Taking "spiritual", for example. There seems lots of debate as to what this means. Some seem to be trying to fit oneself to conform or be the definition accepted by one or told to be, IMO.

The question that arises is; Is "spiritual" a thing or is it more a way to live ones life? The answer(s) seem to not lie with the words or observations, but what these may bring into ones consciousness, heart, and being.

Which if one only wants or can only "see" it a certain way, then that is the way he/she will "see" it. Perhaps it is the only way they can comprehend.

Many ways to observe a forest, but these do not change the forest, only the perception and perspective one may hold or not, IMO.

To me some things happen because one is open and willing, while other things happen because they simply do. How or if one deals with it or processes it seems to create the changes and/or awareness.

[Baile]

Originally Posted by happy soul

But we do need to recognize our tendency to deceive ourselves.

The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein said, 'The easiest thing in the world to do is deceive yourself.'

Beware of self-deception!

I'm guessing Ludwig Wittgenstein was a Christian Spiritual Scientist. Spiritual Science is rife with these types of "Beware!" warnings. I personally avoid that approach when communicating ideas to others, and I'll explain why. Humanity still hasn't made the conscious transition to Age of Aquarius self-understanding and self-knowledge (soul-spirit awareness; internal process). Most individuals -- including many spiritual people -- still come to their thoughts and ideas via archaic Age of Pisces conceptualing (religious belief; external process).

One particularly malignant quality of Age of Pisces religious conceptualing has to do with the idea that there are wrong, bad and even malevolent dangers one must fight and war against.

Whereas the Age of Aquarius thinker understands that the path to self-knowledge is not a war at all. It is a gentle, loving internal process of happy self-discovery: the path of Higher Self union within the embrace of a benevolent Universe. There is no danger here, no warnings necessary, nothing at all to fear or concern one's self with. This is an ongoing process of natural, organic, holistic consciousness evolution, and that's all it is.

FYI, just looked up Wittgenstein in Wiki: "The children [he was the youngest] were baptized as Catholics, received formal Catholic instruction, and were raised in an exceptionally intense environment." Typical life-development pattern with many Western spiritual philosophers and esotericists of the past two centuries.

[Baile]

In truth, an individual on the Aquarius self-aware path understands there is no such thing as self-deception. Or perhaps more accurately, there is nothing to fear from such a thing or idea. There is only consciousness, which is always evolving and relative to the particular individual.

One can only ever "cope with in the manner that is known at present" as Moonglow correctly pointed out. And that is perfect in and of itself, and it is enough, and it is all that is required.

Any "thing" can never be more than what it currently is, and what it happens to be in this moment. The individual on the Aquarius self-aware path understands this, and accepts, relaxes and joyfully lives in this NOW of this truth.

[happy soul]

Baile, I fully agree that 'when you're ready, you want to.'

One thing is, which precedes/creates/begets which, willingness or readiness?

I was talking to one of my sisters once about my desire to quit smoking (which unfortunately I still haven't done.....btw if anyone reading this would like to pray that I quit this coming new year, please do) and I said that I needed to be READY to quit. She replied that I would be ready when I WANTED to.

This is a very tricky subject, because you get into the relative versus the absolute, but my view is that, in the absolute sense, or ultimately, READINESS creates WILLINGNESS, not vice versa.

The thing is that it's a matter of WHO and WHAT are we? And WHOSE will are we doing?

We're not mere people - 'human' is only the form of incarnation we take. Our divine nature is perfect and unlimited.

What I'm saying is that, WE DO THE WILL OF OUR DIVINE NATURE.

BUT, if I were to say, 'Well, I'll quit smoking when my divine nature wants me to (which is ultimately true),' I might use that as an excuse to keep smoking, or otherwise not quit due to a misapplication of absolute truth.

So basically, even though in the absolute sense, I must be READY to quit, and I'll be WILLING when and only when I'm ready.....in the relative, it may appear that I become ready when I'm FIRST willing.

You said that there's 'no such thing as self-deception.' In the absolute sense, I would agree with that. ACIM would call self-deception an ILLUSION.

But you see it's tricky because there IS an 'illusion' OF IT. It's like saying, 'Lack of love is only an illusion (which I think is true).' But illusions exist AS ILLUSIONS.

Btw I know that what I just said about self-deception didn't address what you said about it....in other words I wasn't saying that you said self-deception isn't a relatively significant thing.

Moonglow, very good point (you too Baile) that we cope with things in the manner which our understanding dictates. I guess the key is to learn truly effective strategies. That's one of the great things about psychotherapy - much psychotherapy is aimed at acquiring such techniques.

As far as what constitutes 'spiritual', I think you're right that it's more a matter of how we live. LOVE, and its many forms, are what it's all about imo.

Not to sound judgmental, but I'd hardly consider a life lived without a significant degree of love a 'spiritual life.' It would be a life based in fear. (I'm coming from the pov that all FORMS are in their CONTENT either love, or fear)

Edit: Reading over this I realize I didn't express myself very clearly.

This is what I meant. We're willing when we're ready, and we're ready when it's the will of our divine nature. Therefore readiness precedes willingness, and readiness and it being the will of our divine nature are identical.

[Busby]

Originally Posted by happy soul

We're not mere people - 'human' is only the form of incarnation we take.

.

)

Are you sure about that?

I'm not.

And is incarnation the right word?