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Profound discontent

Started by Linda, May 12, 2010, 01:02 AM

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Steve

Hi Linda

Quote from: Linda on May 13, 2010, 05:15 PM
I also wanted to ask about the deep sense of alienation in the 1st stage spiritual.  Sometimes my sense of alienation feels more like 2nd stage Individuated in its intensity. Could the sense of alienation in the 1st stage spiritual be even more intense than that experienced in the 2nd stage individuated?  Recently I became involved with a friend and a group activity for the sake of assisting her, but the activity was not one I would usually get involved in.  Getting involved was detrimental to me - but strengthened my resolve to keep away from those activities, people and energies in the future.  Could you please talk more about the deep sense of alienation in the 1st stage spiritual? On an intuitive level, I personally believe this sense of alienation acts as a "separator," allowing us to avoid people and places that are not conducive to our spiritual condition. Does this make sense?

I have quite an affinity for 2nd stage indiv people and condition myself.  There are many markings of alienation in my own chart and its something I've struggled with lifelong, initially resisting it for all I could, in recent years learning to increasingly accept it.

It has something to do with this principle of self-honesty that's been discussed here a lot in the last few days.   Since we live in a 70% consensus world, the more I insist on being my unique self, the fewer people are going to be able to relate to me, and vice versa.  By the time 1st stage spiritual is reached the Soul's begun to recognize to some extent its never going to find ANYTHING in this world it can relate to or feel at home in.  That may not be the friendliest news someone has ever received - they are not yet in true communion with the Soul.  It creates an increasing sense of aloneness and alienation.  On the deepest levels the intention is to force it inward, to learn to build that inner connection.  Often times that impulse is resisted for all its worth.

I believe I recall Jeffrey having written once that, coming up through the individuated stages, the Soul has finally won its "hard-won individuality".  And now the inner nature is changing and it seems to be getting asked to surrender even this hard won individuality.  And the obvious initial response is resistance and "I don't think so".  So its a back and forth struggle.  Yes, I am remembering now him saying this is the reason for inconsistent practice if moving towards Divinity in the early stages of 1st stage spiritual, back and forth, back and forth. 

Its a hard thing to accept, Linda, that you are fundamentally going to feel alienated from 95% of everything you encounter and everyone you meet...   In terms of "not an activity I would usually get involved in", there are many reasons this could have happened.   Maybe you have past life stuff with that specific person that needed to come out at this time.  Maybe it is your skipped step Pluto.  Maybe you were giving yet one more try at trying to fit in, to see if possibly this one time you could get away from the alienation, and in the end finding out as usual the answer is No.

These are human things.  We all go through them, and have to go through them.
Steve



Dhyana

#16
...I have just been reading all of the recent posts on here in awe... And they are reaching IN so profoundly... i can barely speak/write...

All I wanted to say today is this; What an amazingly liberating place this MB is!

..i am speechless, beyond that, at the moment

thank you all for your posts --from the deepest wells of my heart.

and Linda, you are speaking directly to my path lately

wow, such radical honesty here

all love,

dhyana

JJ

#17
Hi Linda,

I want to add to some of the comments that Steve made regarding a sense of alienation in the 1st stage spiritual. Even though you can't relate to experiences that perhaps have previously been fulfilling and therefore you experience a sense of alienation, that alienation is there to move us towards what we do want to experience. The experience of the Divine is not one of alienation, but of total and complete love and acceptance. So you can use that alienation as fuel to increase your desire to know and experience the Divine directly. I have found living as if all of my actions are a prayer to the Divine and are in service of the Divine to be a helpful attitude to cultivate that transforms alienation into a meaningful life.

I am not talking about New Age "create your own reality thinking," I am talking about a genuine offering of all actions to the Divine without attachment to the fruits of the actions. This is what the philosophy of yoga is all about. We can sit in meditation and have direct experiences that are life-changing, but most of us are not doing this for the majority of the day. We have to live and work and participate in mundane reality, but we can do all of these activities and infuse them with meaning. If you've ever had an earthly romance where you are swept up in wonderful feelings, where you are so happy to cook for your new love and do your work so that you can have time to spend with them again; this is the same feeling that you can aspire to in your spiritual life. Also we can pray almost any time of day and no one has to know about it. A simple buddhist practice is to bless everyone that you see: "may this person be happy and free from suffering." We can walk around all day blessing people with no one ever knowing we are doing it and this action protects our mind and heart from alienation. It's pretty difficult to be thinking about oneself if you are sincerely wishing for the happiness of someone else.

So my point is that we can learn to focus our minds in our everyday activities in ways that enhance our meditation practices and our striving for spiritual realizations. By doing this we can cultivate very pure intentions which eventually can help us to realize directly the Divine. Alienation implies separation. And we can cultivate ways to use our minds to see everything as part of the Divine creation and every challenge to help us to draw closer to the Divine. It is a cognitive reframing, but it is one that is a large component of and part of the discipline of many spiritual traditions. We are creating minds that reflect more of the truth of unity rather than of separation.

Hope this is helpful.
JJ

chuck h

#18
Hi Steve,  :)

I liked that answer...which is great news.  I like that you used 'Trust' in your comments.  Trust seems  the foundation for surrendering the 'resistence'.

Thanks again,
chuck