Universal Symbols

"Words are devised by the symbolic levels of the mind." - Bhante Gunaratana, Mindfulness in Plain English

When I used to debate on message boards, very little irritated me more than the red herring fallacy of picking on words used in an assertion. As a (nearly) professional writer, I am intentional with my language, and as a mystic I am specific, and therefore oftentimes I won't use certain words. But from an unprejudiced academic and in so reliable point, there are many words that can sufficiently describe a single point.

What I love about the above quote is that it suggests the mind has a universal bank of concepts that we as social beings choose from. Carl Jung called this the Collective Unconsciousness - archetypes (aka symbols) that we draw from in our day-to-day living. This in fact is the teaching that started me on my Hero's Journey over twenty years ago.

The idea of a symbol is tri-fold: 1) It quickly indicates something, which goes back to the reptilian brain where we had no time to relay dangers to the tribe, 2) It is universal, transcending language barriers, and 3) It communicates something that cannot be sufficiently expressed through words due to abstract concepts.

Symbols are so profound, because they are a way around God's punishment as shown in the story of the Tower of Babel. People were trying to reach God on their own terms, by building a tower to reach Him. As a consequence he divided them by language, so that they could no longer speak with each other and work together on the tower. This is why symbols are now associated with witchcraft, the occult, and magic, and for the most part collectively frighten people.

But now I understand symbols to be a safety net for people like me who are seekers of Truth, and who can easily be blocked by those using our words against us. We all come from the same place, we are all erecting this single archetypal tower in our own ways, yet through the phenomenon of separation we became enemies to one another. Using speech can harm us to the point where symbols can come to the rescue.

There have been many occasions where I was told I didn't use a word correctly, ironically from people who do not have English or Linguistic degrees, when they were in fact appropriate. The problem with being berated, which usually happens from people who are in opposition to us, is that it's easy to then second-guess ourselves (cue one of my best tools, the thesaurus). But through universal archetypes in its purest form, before the confusion and that can salvage us even to the point of our careers or reputations.

No matter how much we blunder a sentence, distort a vision, or simply cannot express ourselves, we will always have ubiquitous symbols to support us, whether we refer directly to them or not. While people can be harshly judged over misunderstandings and wars can be waged over miscommunication, we always have a way out by returning to our well-intentions, through the use of symbols.

When the Student is Ready...

"And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." Matthew 6.12

Yes another metaphysical teacher I followed bites the dust. Perhaps she really will return in 2020 as forecasted, but will I still be around for her by then? Yet again someone who I have been deeply influenced by has seemingly thrown in the towel. The third in five years who has backed down.

But I remain compassionate, because there might be a time when I back down too. Will Wisdom in Christ Ministries always be available? God only knows. In the past I would have blamed the New Age in its entirety for yet another disappointment, but really, this disillusionment can happen to anyone, irrespective of prestige or consequence. Unprepared and unreliable leaders are all around us and we can't for the most part detect them.

What I have learned the past month after a turbulent summer and losing and winning readers is that each path, when in its most pure basic form, is unique. It is when I feel threatened, guilty, or unimportant that I define a "right" path and defend it to the core. Today I understand that as rigid thinking, and recognize it as a very dangerous place to be. It makes enemies when none need to be made, and it alienates people who are only trying to learn. It's not about being a prophet who rebukes, it's about being one who heals.

I can appreciate how beautiful and solid my work is today because I can trace it back to a lineage which is not only demonstrated but most importantly practiced now without fear and apprehension. The greatest blessing is that it was all in God's time and the most cherished outcome is that it's all my own, which means I get to define healthy boundaries and decide who comes in to benefit and who needs to stay away. And I think the root of this power is realizing that in the final analysis, there is no right or wrong way - there is only the art to stay.

The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein

In Your Eyes

Many many years ago,
Before the curse grabbed hold,
I looked into your eyes
and said I'd never let you go.

It's not like this day wasn't coming,
It's not the present or the future that I see,
It's the past, and knowing I was absent
Not protecting what I promised would be.

What time is left, I will see you again
You and me, we are the same.
I'll look into your eyes once more
And you'll relieve me of all the blame.

Because that what the saints all do,
Those who can do no wrong
Those who are mistaken and misunderstood
Those who never could belong.

Double-minded

"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." - Two- Face, The Dark Knight Rises

John Donne famously wrote, "No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main." Supposing that this is true, it should be said that we must reach a time where we are corrupted. I have been contemplating the idea of assimilation into the world. Can God's people withstand the debasement of the unregenerated human nature and overcome our inclined weakness to conform?

Jesus said to Peter, "Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail." (Luke 22.31-2). There is no promise that even the saints won't succumb to the evil of the world. There is no guarantee that even the devout won't be polluted.

There hardly seems a solution. But if Jesus prayed for us, it would be nothing short of stupidity that we do not pray for our integrity, faith, and commitment as well. St. Paul said that true worship (honour) is a daily renewing of the mind. (Romans 12.2) In this same breath Paul addressed the pressures of the world, of our environments, and he offers incredible hope. What we failed at yesterday, we can overcome today.

Pray for your redemption, to be delivered from the iniquity of this world, from the destitution of your surroundings and the insistence of those within it. The best part about failing is knowing what precisely needs to be changed. We are not defined by our mistakes, we are defined by our efforts.

Living in Joy

"Joy is the ultimate creator." (Gabrielle Bernstein)

In my experience, times of joy have been far and few between. But I have developed a new way of living over the past 5+ years where I am learning what for me is true definition of joy. I used to think that joy meant happiness, cheer. and success - and it does, but today I think of it as exaltation.

When I am animated, I am able to create, and then it comes back around full circle where I experience joy once more in appreciating what I have made. But it took a long time for me to learn this. Instead of creating out of joy, I destroyed out of agitation. It's no wonder that joy has been virtually absent from my life.

But I then began to learn a new way of living where I also adopted a new definition of joy - Freedom. Freedom from all of the passions that I thought joy represented; freedom in now knowing that happiness, cheer, and success are not what will give me a quality and honest life.

For a very long time I lived in emotional and material scarcity, but worse than that, I thought I deserved it. Even today as I practice material and spiritual alchemy, I must resist the belief of karma, that I get what I deserve. And yet I also resist the belief that I am entitled to joy. I am not entitled to anything, in fact that word repulses me. But I am able to gladly reap what I sow, and in the miraculous when I reap what I do not sow, I acknowledge what was given to me.

"Freedom is never free".  Just as I have to work to create, I also must to work to experience joy. There is a process of deprogramming and that is no easy feat. Finding the right methods and breaking free from tyrannous systems can be exhausting. People think that the therapy is for the deprogramming, but we also need recovery for the process of reversing brain-washing as well. That process is just as traumatic as the events that led to needing help in the first place.

Living a life of joy, of creation, is still elusive to me. It's hard to imagine a life with joy in it. So much so it took over half a week to actually write this piece and publish it after having it saved as a draft. The only reason why I chose this topic is because I pulled a card from a deck called The Universe Has Your Back. I felt like playing with cards in the goal of finding a topic to write on. But today I forgive that selfishness that has been at the root of my inability to live in real freedom and creation, because I believe that is merely a coping mechanism that I adapted growing up with alcoholism and mental illness.

In writing this piece, I believed that I was denying Jesus' teachings on joy. Since I couldn't recall an exact quote of Jesus speaking about joy, I did a quick Google search, and I saw this from the Gospel of John, the most romantic, beautiful, and mysterious book in the entire Bible:

"Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy." (John 16.20, NKJV)

It will take time. The road to recovery is long - if we are lucky and survive the journey that is often in worn-out sandals, with blisters, wild animals waiting to devour, the blazing sun and bitter cold, hunger and thirst, and all sort of aches and pains. But today, I could never say no to that walk.

Evil Personified

It is chaos.
It is loud, and yet inaudible.
They yell when I must speak
Jealous of each other, but show fake love.

When the cat is in,
They behave.
They are simply mice,
but I have lost my compassion.

They broke me down,
and I prepare for flight,
because I have wings,
And they hate that I can soar.

But in my heart, I know I can't really fly.
I am a mangled dog, infected and pathetic.
I wonder, if I am good enough,
Will you keep me?

Oh how they taunt me.
And God no longer provides.
I tried so hard to serve,
but now, I am just a shell.

A Truce

When it comes to healing trauma, the Bible doesn't say too much about it. Mental illness, which is the product of trauma, was considered a demonic possession (as were all forms of illness and why Jesus could heal on the spot). Today, other than the orthodox religious, we do not believe that mental or physical illness is the result of Satan's attacks, but rather biological defects. Because of this, it can be really hard to target specific people with comforting verses in scripture, because there are none that specifically address mental or even physical illness. This is because Christianity is dedicated to dying to self and lifting up our crosses. The problem with mental illness though is that it attacks the mind in such a way that the sufferer is essentially incapable of this sort of sacrifice.

I believe this is why New Age is popular - it addresses pain and stress in a very friendly and colourful way, and of course that is attractive. But it is rooted in emotionalism and is fleeting. Still, I am entertaining the thought that New Age can act as an appendage, adding a psychological component. Now, this is murky water for two reasons: 1) It suggests that the Bible doesn't have all the answers, and 2) It can water down parts of the Bible that are popular for the public to take from, but taken out of context.

I am feeling a very strong calling to open up to this idea though, because I have never been fully on-board with the born-again Christian community: their fear-tactics very rarely affected me because blood is thicker than water and I am a Masonic legacy. Now that I am starting my own ministry, this might actually be the time to remember that while Jesus is the narrow gate (Matthew 7.13-4), the highway for God's people is broad, so that they don't lose their footing (Psalm 18.36).

I know I have come down hard on the New Age community since my born-again experience on July 19, 2019, but that is only out of love for all who are like myself - broken and defeated, and I want to warn against the self-exertion of self-healing that we do and attempt through the New Age movement. I have been mentally and physically ill from the New Age and what it asked of me and what it "offered" me, to the point I believe there is permanent damage. But I also see in it the beauty of inclusivity, the virtue of hope, and the aspiration of strength.

It hasn't been easy for me to minister the Gospel, to have my words fall on closed ears and shuttered hearts, and by no means will I compromise the message of the cross in order to win followers, but I am willing to walk with a bit of the way until it becomes evident that God will walk the entire way. I have the advantage of knowing Jesus and of never having been afraid of the New Age as my colleagues have, and so this places me in a position of timeliness that I believe is genuine and can be extremely fruitful, for both myself and those willing to get honest with themselves and God.

I have been extremely damaged by the New Age to the point that even some of its language repulses me, and I have experienced for myself and observed in my peers fruitless results. But I also believe that there is an ideal within it that might be effectively tapped into. It is within that spirit of forgiveness, healing, science, progress, sacrifice, and peace that I will work to be of the utmost service, while still maintaining the integrity of the violence that those who gave us the Bible had to endure.