Body, Emotions, Mind … and Beyond

[Miss Hepburn]

Good one and imp.
Neville and I are like this "crossedfingers".

[Ciona]

Hi zorkchop! I love picking through this thread. I hope to get a chance to sit down and read it all the way through soon.

Nice work! :)

[zorkchop]

Considerations Nineteen …

That’s the way I FEEL …

This post is totally out of sequence. I have been trying to focus mostly on the mind and the mental approach to life around us for the last number of posts … but this is a vital post portraying a very important twist in “life around us” that is happening world-wide … and certainly here in the States. What is happening is exactly what all spiritual students have faced in the past … will have to face now … and will face forever on into the future more and more.

The perspective that is gaining ground right now … and has been the popular perspective as long as the human animal has been on this planet … the viewpoint is … “That’s the way I feel so that makes me / it right.”

Um … NO.

And it’s one of the most difficult … if not THE most difficult perspective to come to terms with and to overcome. Our emotions are the gasoline … the fuel … behind and feeding our thoughts. Whether the thought comes first and the emotion that feeds it second … or vice versa … can be debated endlessly. It happens so fast that there is no distinction.

Few people now are all that concerned with uncovering Truth. They are more focused on validating and holding to what they believe to be true according to the way they feel. Feeling … is not an indicator of Truth. Feeling … is what YoU believe to be true at the moment.

This might be elementary to many of you … but … look around. The “way I feel makes it right” is running rampant everywhere. True and valid research … study … sleuthing … all of that … is pretty much gone.

I’m not going to try and get into the “why” of this. There are plenty of people that want to gain power over others … and to control how others “feel” about this and that has proven to be the most valuable means of control over anyone … groups of people … or individuals.

The huge step that any spiritual student will make is to begin discovering the true awareness within oneself verses the way the mind and emotions have you believing. Awareness goes beyond mental thought … and certainly beyond emotions. You can be aware of that which you have yet to put into mental words. This … is the beginnings of knowing Self and in working with LIFE.

A good working definition for Soul Itself is … awareness. It might be more complete if the whole of consciousness was included in the definition. To draw a working and recognizable difference between awareness / consciousness and mental thought … is a monumental step in the life of the spiritual student. Soul … since It runs the mind / emotions / body … is aware first … and then puts that awareness into mental words via the mental body or facets. It happens so fast … automatically … that there is no distinction. Mind begins to filter anything and everything … to the eventual detriment of the individual.

One of the ways you can certainly begin to make advancements in all of this is to begin to be aware of where your emotions and your mental thoughts are trying to lead you … verses just how broadly aware and truthful that is. Just because you feel a certain way and think a certain way … does not make it True.

Yes … it *does* make it “true” for you. There’s a big difference … and this is one of the differences that each spiritual student needs to begin to address.

I myself have to constantly cast a wary eye towards just what am I focusing on ( both emotionally and thoughtfully ) at the moment. They can be pulled off onto a tangent in a heartbeat. There is no way one can guard against it all. You will notice that mind will watch the ongoings within the individual even more carefully when you begin to purposively make changes in yourself. You may get a new habit / behavior /thought pattern up and running … and mind will watch all of this as a cat watches a mouse … and one false step by you … in momentarily falling back into the old pattern … and BaM … the hammer drops … and you are dropped back into the old habit again just as though you never ventured away from it. Mind quickly embraces it … and it leads you to *your* embracing it … and you almost have to start all over again … which … is pretty much the nature of the game until you gain so much command that you can recognize the approach to all of this and you can sidetrack it by choice.

That … is a major victory.

The best approach is … recognize the misstep as quickly as possible and set about regaining your preferred perspective. Deal with the issue … settle it … resolve it … then lay it to rest … and let it go.

Slowly … these attempted tangents will grow fewer … and with practice … they will become less volatile.

I am not going to get more heavily involved in this. I will say … that this world is being purposively misled … in many, many ways. Yes … this has been going on forever … and yet … here it is again.

Be very careful in what you choose to believe. Your beliefs do and will … shape your life. I do not mean to degrade or discredit the mind as the tool that it is and its approach to life. YoU choose how to use that tool. It takes virtually forever to even get so far as to consider the validity of this perspective. Until you can gain such a perspective … you are at the total mercy of your own emotions and thoughts by way of beliefs, habits, rituals, and opinions because you feel that they are true and valid.

In a sense … this is a major aspect of the overall Path. It is an ongoing war.

If you wish for more discussion about the whole emotion / astral understanding … post some comments along those lines. I’m going to try and drop back to the mental discussions for a few more posts.

More later.

- - o-0-O-O-0-o - -

[MAYA EL]

Originally Posted by zorkchop

Considerations Nineteen …

That’s the way I FEEL …

This post is totally out of sequence. I have been trying to focus mostly on the mind and the mental approach to life around us for the last number of posts … but this is a vital post portraying a very important twist in “life around us” that is happening world-wide … and certainly here in the States. What is happening is exactly what all spiritual students have faced in the past … will have to face now … and will face forever on into the future more and more.

The perspective that is gaining ground right now … and has been the popular perspective as long as the human animal has been on this planet … the viewpoint is … “That’s the way I feel so that makes me / it right.”

Um … NO.

And it’s one of the most difficult … if not THE most difficult perspective to come to terms with and to overcome. Our emotions are the gasoline … the fuel … behind and feeding our thoughts. Whether the thought comes first and the emotion that feeds it second … or vice versa … can be debated endlessly. It happens so fast that there is no distinction.

Few people now are all that concerned with uncovering Truth. They are more focused on validating and holding to what they believe to be true according to the way they feel. Feeling … is not an indicator of Truth. Feeling … is what YoU believe to be true at the moment.

This might be elementary to many of you … but … look around. The “way I feel makes it right” is running rampant everywhere. True and valid research … study … sleuthing … all of that … is pretty much gone.

I’m not going to try and get into the “why” of this. There are plenty of people that want to gain power over others … and to control how others “feel” about this and that has proven to be the most valuable means of control over anyone … groups of people … or individuals.

The huge step that any spiritual student will make is to begin discovering the true awareness within oneself verses the way the mind and emotions have you believing. Awareness goes beyond mental thought … and certainly beyond emotions. You can be aware of that which you have yet to put into mental words. This … is the beginnings of knowing Self and in working with LIFE.

A good working definition for Soul Itself is … awareness. It might be more complete if the whole of consciousness was included in the definition. To draw a working and recognizable difference between awareness / consciousness and mental thought … is a monumental step in the life of the spiritual student. Soul … since It runs the mind / emotions / body … is aware first … and then puts that awareness into mental words via the mental body or facets. It happens so fast … automatically … that there is no distinction. Mind begins to filter anything and everything … to the eventual detriment of the individual.

One of the ways you can certainly begin to make advancements in all of this is to begin to be aware of where your emotions and your mental thoughts are trying to lead you … verses just how broadly aware and truthful that is. Just because you feel a certain way and think a certain way … does not make it True.

Yes … it *does* make it “true” for you. There’s a big difference … and this is one of the differences that each spiritual student needs to begin to address.

I myself have to constantly cast a wary eye towards just what am I focusing on ( both emotionally and thoughtfully ) at the moment. They can be pulled off onto a tangent in a heartbeat. There is no way one can guard against it all. You will notice that mind will watch the ongoings within the individual even more carefully when you begin to purposively make changes in yourself. You may get a new habit / behavior /thought pattern up and running … and mind will watch all of this as a cat watches a mouse … and one false step by you … in momentarily falling back into the old pattern … and BaM … the hammer drops … and you are dropped back into the old habit again just as though you never ventured away from it. Mind quickly embraces it … and it leads you to *your* embracing it … and you almost have to start all over again … which … is pretty much the nature of the game until you gain so much command that you can recognize the approach to all of this and you can sidetrack it by choice.

That … is a major victory.

The best approach is … recognize the misstep as quickly as possible and set about regaining your preferred perspective. Deal with the issue … settle it … resolve it … then lay it to rest … and let it go.

Slowly … these attempted tangents will grow fewer … and with practice … they will become less volatile.

I am not going to get more heavily involved in this. I will say … that this world is being purposively misled … in many, many ways. Yes … this has been going on forever … and yet … here it is again.

Be very careful in what you choose to believe. Your beliefs do and will … shape your life. I do not mean to degrade or discredit the mind as the tool that it is and its approach to life. YoU choose how to use that tool. It takes virtually forever to even get so far as to consider the validity of this perspective. Until you can gain such a perspective … you are at the total mercy of your own emotions and thoughts by way of beliefs, habits, rituals, and opinions because you feel that they are true and valid.

In a sense … this is a major aspect of the overall Path. It is an ongoing war.

If you wish for more discussion about the whole emotion / astral understanding … post some comments along those lines. I’m going to try and drop back to the mental discussions for a few more posts.

More later.

- - o-0-O-O-0-o - -

This post made me smile not many people these days have come to this understanding . 👏

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by MAYA EL

This post made me smile not many people these days have come to this understanding . ��

I know!
As usual great topic and great 'essay'.
Emotions, how we feeeeeel.Gosh so many think their feelings are SO darn important...they are 'them', they are their emotions.
Feel 'em ...ok...move on.

[Ciona]

Originally Posted by zorkchop

I’m going to try and drop back to the mental discussions for a few more posts.

Looking forward to the next few posts.

[zorkchop]

Considerations 20 …

Stop the mind … Kill the ego !

- - o-0-O-O-0-o - -

I want to proclaim that I am not trying to just put opposing rants against many of the forum boards more common topics. My point again is to just offer a bit of clarification. Take it or leave it. There is an upcoming post that will give a bit more about just why the mind likes to approach things the way it does.

- - o-0-O-O-0-o - -

Both stopping the mind and killing the ego are mental approaches to trying to take control of the mind … through slowing or stopping the mental chatter and through dismissing desire and / or preference.

Stopping the mind I’ve addressed in an earlier post (post # 54) … and it certainly is something that most everyone will set out to practice at one point or another … often for a very long time in terms of lifetimes. It is certainly possible to do … and does give relief … but addresses few mental patterns and beliefs that will later begin their chatter when one returns to daily life. The slowing and quieting the mind can however be used to redirect inner patterns and begin to take charge of just where the mind will focus.

Killing the ego is another matter. Theoretically it is possible to kill the ego but technically it cannot be done.

The basic, bare-bones ego is what gives the I-ness to the individual. It is merely the perception that it is *you* that is living *your* life. It is part of the mental body.

What begins almost instantly with the first incarnation into the psychic worlds … is the preference or choice or passion or desire as to just how, what, why, where, and how much the * I * wishes to engage in and demand. It can somewhat be tied directly to attachment.

In other words … the basic ego is just fine. It lets you know of your own personal existence.

The overblown, exaggerated, excessive, extravagant ego is of little benefit to the individual. I wouldn’t necessarily call it “killing” the ego … but it certainly needs to be harnessed. Again … not an either / or approach but more of a middle path.

Yet in the societies and cultures around us … businesses, religions, philosophies, personal possessions, and more … would all suffer greatly unless they constantly told us that we needed this-or-that to find happiness or fulfillment. And we blissfully accept their offerings and / or promotions.

We certainly need very little to exist as a human animal … air, food, water, hopefully some clothing and a shelter would be nice. Our legs can transport us. And no … we don’t *need* televisions and cell phones. ( Horrors … I can’t live without them … many of you would say. Yup … I’ve got them both too. )

But beyond these basic needs … most everything beyond would be acknowledging or formulating the ego. The path does not call for total abstinence or asceticism … but again … it is often something that each of us will undertake at some point or another. It *does* educate us.

One of the differing perspectives on this is … when we define ourselves by our possessions or habits or rituals or even our knowledge … when we define ourselves by what we have gathered to our individuality … then it can be suspect … highly suspect. This is not a declaration to kill off anything and everything. We can at least consider … then perceive … then balance.

Again … it is the excessive, the exaggerated, the inflated, the magnified ego that needs to be reigned in and controlled to the extent that is acceptant to us … and is often refined again and again from lifetime to lifetime.

Once more … there is a middle path here. Each individual needs to find and fulfill what is necessary to exist. It doesn’t mean we have to leave society and go live in a cave and live off the land … although many of us have had lifetimes somewhat along those lines. Desires often need to be modified and contentment recognized. Becoming a slave to our own possessions brings little peace … but an overblown ego would have us do just that.

More later in a continuing post.

- - o-0-O-O-0-o - -

[zorkchop]

For those of you who have entered this set of posts from one of the later entries … here is a handy index of posts and the forum board post number of its location. I have had a request or two to do this … so … here it is. I will try to keep it updated every 5-10 posts or so and will re-enter it again or edit the old one.

- - o-0-O-O-0-o - -

Con 1 … Post 1 … general what-it’s-all-about blab
Con 2 … 2 … a bit of mind / energy discussion
CL 1 … Post 7 … Clarifications … why I’m making these posts
Con 3 … 10 … Reincarnation and the Path
Con 4 … Post 12 … Reincarnation continued
Con 5 … 15 … Reincarnation continued again
Con 6 … Post 19 … Know Thyself
Con 7 … 21 … We did not forget
Con 8 … Post 22 … Duality
Con 9 … 30 … God
Con 10 … Post 31 … Personal Confessions 1A
CL 4 … 33 … Clarification … find the original concept
Con 11 … Post 39 … Personal Confessions continued
Con 12 - 44 … Checkpoints, Safeguards, and Spiritual Law
Con 13 … Post 48 … I’m Offended
Con 14 … 52 … Mind cannot be forced
Con 15 … Post 54 … Stopping the Mind
Con 16 … 58 … Divided Thoughts and Narrowness of Focus
Con 17 … Post 60 … Thoughts are Things
Con 18 … 61 … Take Specific Time
Con 19 … Post 64 … That’s the way I feel
Con 20 … 68 … Stop the Mind / Kill the Ego
Con 20B … 70 … Blame the Ego

- - o-0-O-O-0-o - -

[zorkchop]

Considerations Twenty-B …

Blame the Ego

- - o-0-O-O-0-o - -

There is a new updated index in the post directly above.

- - o-0-O-O-0-o - -

Let’s back up a little bit concerning this whole ego topic. Soul … from the beginning … has neither brain nor mental function with Its creation in the more pure Upper Worlds … for lack of a better way to word it. Soul is aware there is an individuality to Its own creation. There is individuality … not separateness … but individuality. With no brain or mental faculties … Soul just accepts that there is an * I * to Its experience.

Now down into the psychic worlds … adding mind, emotions, and physical body … the mental faculties incorporate this I-ness into a more selfish perception. It begins to recognize that there are differences between a personal I-ness and that of everyone else. When you even lightly consider it … it would be almost impossible to not have some sense of what is “me” as opposed to everyone and everything else. We have enough trouble wrestling with the “me” in it all. If … at the same time … we had no such faculty … there would be little discernment with or for anything.

So … through the centuries … the religions, philosophies, sciences, sociologists, and business began to draw definitions for this I-ness. It became a handy scapegoat … blaming it for anything and everything … and in a way … rightfully so … because we allowed the I-ness to run rampant with demands, preferences, desires, passions, power moves, etc. Again … we didn’t know any better. We allow the mind to pretty much take charge of running our lives … out of control … and ego is certainly a mental function outside of the fundamental I-ness of Soul Itself … which is based upon the Whole and not upon a mental attribute.

When we began to sort out our experiences here in the lower worlds … we needed something to blame … and “ego” was handy. The religions and philosophies have done a superb job in the attack and accusation game … for anything and everything we wish to accuse it of. Very few people are going to admit that their own personal habits, patterns, desires, ambitions, and preferences just took them over … and now s/he is a slave to ones own passions.

A high degree of personal development and spiritual advancement comes with the re-training and re-balancing of the I-ness. To recognize Self as Self … is one thing. To accept Self as Self … if and when the Self has accumulated an endless list of power moves and material possessions … is quite another.

There is a part of the mental makeup of each individual that deals with thought … just … the thought process. This can be understood to be the intellect. The intellect just likes to think about things … almost as an entertainment. The intent was … to take what happens around us … then to think things out through analysis, definition, categorization … … sort through it all … make a choice … and the I-ness would take that decision and carry it out / put it into practice.

Nowadays … many would just like to mentally spin … endlessly … and never settle anything. Without a doubt … mind can spin … well. It can also mentally devise and conjure up most anything possible … whether “sane” or not … beneficial or not … safe or not … wise or not … true or not.

Most individuals … are slaves to their own minds and their mental patterns … and most will dismiss this perception quickly and outright.
As has been said before … we have eternity to figure this out.

Honesty with Self is a massive part of high awareness. An individual may fool themselves and all around them … but that same individual will never fool LIFE … and LIFE makes you earn each and every step forward … and hangs ITs head … so to speak … on the backslides. LIFE IT-self is not an emotional existence.

Let’s take a quick review of just how the mental facets work. Soul views all through the psychic filters of mind and emotions and then on into the physical body. Soul doesn’t know that It is doing that. It is just gain experience via all these facets at the moment. The five senses gather the information for us … sight being the prime aspect here … hearing second … and taste, smell, and touch come in a close third. The intellect … or the thought processes … juggle the information … babble endlessly over the various topics until it decides which it likes or doesn’t like, wants or doesn’t want, declares as safe or dangerous, declares as valid or invalid … etc endlessly … most all according to previous chosen preferences. When it makes a choice … if it ever does … it passes the decision on to the I-ness of the individual and this becomes a part of that persons ongoing lifestyle and belief system. The I-ness … or the mental ego … by any name … is the mental version of the much more lofty I AM principle. You are mentally choosing through your various and personally formed filters that you believe this or that, I am capable of this or that, so … I am … but a small ‘I am.’

You can never totally destroy the I-ness of individuality. You can give it a multitude of different names and attack each one. Again … this is not an either / or situation … and there is plenty of room for a middle path … and this can offer a wealth of spiritual unfoldment with even more room later for additional refinement. The individual can play a game of mentally destroying the ego … or the small I am … but it is a game that only mind can play. If one believes that this can be done … then the game goes on … for as long as the individual wishes to play or believes here is benefit to it.

The I-ness of each individual is fundamentally just that … the individuality of Self. What this I-ness has been made out to be by the religionists and philosophers, etc. … is another story altogether. The re-training of the mental aspects of this individuality is a major aspect of getting out of these lower psychic worlds.

To summarize … each individual Soul has an I-ness facet … giving It an individuality. If Soul were to remain in the pure Upper Worlds … then this aspect would carry on as intended. Dropping Soul into the lower psychic worlds is another story altogether. Mind focuses, develops, sidetracks, and customizes the I-ness through its own mental filters which we train it to use … so when we humans need a scapegoat for things that we don’t like about ourselves … one of the prime targets is the “ego” … by any name you wish to use. We can hold the ego responsible as if it were somewhat totally separate or outside ourselves or as a mischievous intruder that just likes to cause us grief … which is easier than admitting that we allowed our mental patterns to get the best of us and now we pay the consequences. We can blame, kill, or otherwise the I-ness of Self … but most all will still need to eventually be addressed and resolved … one aspect at a time. It’s always handy to blame “something else” rather than “us” as the individuals we each are.

This should not be news to many or any of you reading these posts. Just what this I-ness is … makes for an interesting adventure.

More later.

- - o-0-O-O-0-o - -

[MAYA EL]

Good solid observation