Simple Seekers

A Simple seeker was reading Alan Seale’s “Create a World That Works” How can that be done, she asked herself.

“It’s being done.”

“By whom?”

“By everyone.”

“And everything?”

“Yes.”

“How are we doing it?”

“Simply by being.”

“Being what?”

“No what necessary.”

“What does that mean?”

“What might it mean?”

“Is being the same as living?”

“In what way?”

“Existing.”

“How?”

“Just as we are.”

“We?”

“All of us.”

“No.”

“Then, what?”

“We each of us exist.”

“Separately?”

“No.”

“Then what’s wrong with my saying we?”

“It suggests one way.”

“Is there more than one way?”

“For what?”

“For each of us to exist.”

“Yes, and no.”

“Please explain.”

“We each are as we each are, in a continuous process of becoming.”

“Becoming what?”

“We can never become a what.”

“Then becoming whom?”

“We are now whom we are.”

“Then, whom are we?”

“We each are we.”

“One?”

“Yes.”

…..

A simple seeker’s note to herself

Thinking back on Spirit’s so-called lesson, I must confess, if only to myself, that I still have a long way to go, when it comes to understanding life, and I’m still not sure that I understand what Spirit was teaching me.

“What don’t you understand about life?”

“What it’s all about, and why?”

“The general picture, or your own individual life?”

“Both.”

“One fits into the other.”

“In what way?”

“In every possible way.”

“Then, how should I live my individual life?”

“Your way.”

“How can I know which way is my way?”

“Whatever way works to help you feel satisfied with how you live.”

…..

A simple seeker was meditating on her recent and strange discussion (if it could be called that) with Spirit.

“If it could be called what? A discussion? Strange? Or a strange discussion?”

“I’m still trying to figure it all out, and any discussion with You has to be considered as strange, in that it’s not a generally accepted possibility. Added to that was the topic of spiritual philosophy.”

“Is spiritual philosophy also not generally accepted to be possible?”

“No. On the contrary, spiritual philosophy is very much a part of New Age thinking “

“What is New Age thinking?”

“It’s thinking about life, and what it is, and about how we can learn to live in harmony with each other, and with the environment.”

“Hasn’t that always been generally accepted?”

“Yes, perhaps, but New Age thinkers are not restricted to a specific school of thought, such as religious beliefs, or other exclusive group thinking, such as a particular scientific theory as having a final answer.”

“A final answer to what?”

“To the origin or possible purpose of life, gender, relationships, potentials, truths, ..”

“So, where are you in all this so-called New Age spiritual philosophy thinking?”

“That’s the beauty of it all. I don’t have to be anywhere.”

“Why?”

“My thinking can adapt and change as I’m introduced to new ideas. That’s called being open-minded.”

“How does your open mind differ from an empty one?”

“An open mind is open to continuously accepting new thoughts, and then possibly trading them for even newer thoughts that seem to make even more sense.”

“And, an empty mind?”

“With an empty mind, no new thoughts are …”

“Why?”

“There’s nothing in an empty mind to attract thoughts.”

“No foundation?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

…..

A simple seeker’s note to herself

Thinking back on my discussion of New Age spiritual philosophy, I may have seemed a bit foolish to Spirit.

“How did you seem to yourself?”

“Upon reflection?”

“Yes.”

“I now understand that we need to be careful before trading old ways and ideas for new ones.”

“Yes. Times change, and we need to learn to adapt to changing circumstances, and yet accepting that the old ways and ideas seemed to have served us well, if they did, while they did. Sudden change can create chaos. Caution can protect us.”

“So, to adapt to change without necessarily losing total faith in the past?”

“Yes. We can, if we will to, learn to see old issues from a newer perspective.”

…..

The Page of Wands looked strangely familiar, and yet .. It was the image of a young boy, dressed up in clothes that he didn’t seem to feel comfortable wearing.

“What does it say to us?”

“It wouldn’t say the same to me as it would to you.”

“How do you know? Or, do you?”

“What does that mean?”

“When anything, or anyone, speaks to our inner knowing, we’re receiving a message, and we know it.”

“Can it be an important message?”

“It’s always more than important. It’s vital to our self-interest, and to our personal world.”

“That would create inner tension.”

“Yes.”

“Who wants inner tension?”

“It’s not a case of wanting.”

“Then, needing?”

“Yes.”

“Why do we need inner stress?”

“There’s a difference between stress and tension.”

“In degrees?”

“In cause. The situation causes tension, and ..”

“Ignoring the message of tension causes stress?”

“Yes.”

“So, if we feel stressed, it’s not directly caused by the situation?”

“Exactly. Too many people seem to attempt to cope with stress with medication, instead of meditating on its possible cause, either alone or with a trusted and qualified teacher.”

“Are we talking about you and me?”

Yes, and anyone else who cares to listen.”

…….

A simple seeker’s note to herself

Thinking back on Lesson 8, what did I learn about tension and stress?

“You may have learned that tension is a necessary part of daily life.”

“Things don’t always go smoothly?””

“Exactly, and that’s a blessing.”

“How can tension be considered as a blessing?”

“Without tension, nothing can happen. Nothing can move. Nothing can get done. Nothing can grow, or change.”

“What causes tension?”

“Opposing forces.”

“Such as?”

“The desire to learn more, to do more, and to become more than we now seem to be, and yet to fear change.”

“Why do we fear change?”

“Change is as the unknown. We don’t know what will be expected of us.”

“By whom? Or what?”

“Perhaps, by ourselves.”

“Lack of self-confidence can keep us stuck in old ways of doing, thinking, and being?”

“Yes.”

…….

A simple seeker was accepting the reality of being something akin to being possessed, even though the very thought of that possibility sent shivers of fear through her body. It seemed to bring memories, or stories, or where they from lived experiences of an earlier lifetime, of the torture inflicted upon millions of helpless individuals (mostly young women) who were accused of being witches, by self-proclaimed but generally accepted male representatives of God.

Of course, Spirit may not be a spirit, at all, but a materialized adept, living in a secret community, perhaps in the mountains of Northern India, and using occult powers to control her, or attempt to, or attracted to her by the Universal Law of Attraction, to harmonize his wisdom with her simple thinking.

“What is a materialized adept.”

“A highly evolved spirit who has chosen a human disguise, in order to develop enlightenment among ordinary humans.”

“So, a spirit in disguise as a human?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t we all playing that game?”

…..

A simple seeker’s note to herself

Thinking back to my discussion with Spirit about materialized adepts, if there are any, it might be as a game, to him. But, for some of us, we may not be aware of being more than physical humans.

“Perhaps, for some, they’re not yet aware of being much more than animals.”

“Are we all materialized adepts?”

“Yes, and no.”

“What does that mean?”

“What do you think it might mean?”

“That we’re each and all spirit beings, living in a physical body.”

“What about us all being adepts?”

“No. Perhaps a few of us might have that potential, but most of us are likely content just to live a physical life, within a wide variety of states of awareness.”

Yes. and the problem arises of how to live in harmony with people who may possess different states of awareness, and a possibly infinite variety of personal rules of conduct toward other people.”

“Strict general rules of order would necessarily have to be designed to ensure peaceful co-existence.”

“Yes, and if necessary, enforced.”

“By whom?”

“By those who have power and/or a sense of responsibility to do so.”

“How do they get that power?”

“Freely given, or taken.”

…..

“

A simple seeker was meditating on the concept of intention, and she was attempting to connect and merge individual human energies with those expressed on the Kabbalah Tree of Life, and also, necessarily, those expressed on the Ladder of Light. To be on one tree …

“Not on, but within.”

“We’re moving beyond form?”

“We were always beyond form.”

“Then, what purpose does form serve?”

“As a map.”

“Where does intention fit on the map?”

“Intention isn’t on the map.”

‘But, if the map is a guide, …”

“A guideline, not a guide.”

“But, the structure of the map …”

“Or tree, or ladder?”

“Yes. Don’t they point a way to travel?”

“No.”

‘Then, what purpose do they serve?”

“They represent possibilities.”

“Potential possibilities from which to choose?”

“Choose what?”

“The path, or way we want to travel, from among the various possibilities represented on the map.”

“Yes. We choose the way we want to travel.”

“As we go?”

“Where?”

“Along our way.”

“Which way is our way?”

“The way we have chosen to travel.”

“A predetermined way?”

“Can it be considered as a predetermined way if I’m only considering the next step?””

“Yes.”

“How is that possible?”

“It’s the only way.”

“How can that be, if I see the destination that I wish to reach?”

“Wishing isn’t moving.”

“Then, choosing …”

“Yes. If we consciously choose the destination that we wish to reach, then a map can provide us with a guideline.”

“But, intention is our guide along the way?”

‘Yes.”

…..

A simple seeker’s note to herself

Looking at a map doesn’t move us anywhere. We can sit in a cafe and study a map, and even make plans about where we’d like to go, but we have to get up on our feet and start moving, if we intend to get anywhere.

“Yes, looking at a map doesn’t get us anywhere, but it does help us to plan where, how, and when we intend to go.”

“But even then, we need intention to inspire us to move forward.”

“Or backward, up or down, this way or that way.”

“Please explain.”

“A map as a guideline can refer to a plan of moving forward with our life, in many more ways than one. A daily schedule is as a map of how we plan to spend our time.”

“Are you suggesting that I need such a map?”

“Do you plan your daily activities?”

“For activities of importance, yes.”

“What percentage of your daily activities are important enough for you to plan for?”

“I do prioritize”. Isn’t that planning?”

“Yes.”

…..

A simple seeker was meditating on the concept of serving a sacred cause, alone, if necessary, but not necessarily alone.

“What cause?”

“I don’t know.”

“So, all that is missing is the cause?”

“The cause? Not a cause?”

‘Could it be any cause?”

“No.”

“Then that narrows the field, somewhat.”

“You’re mocking me.”

“Yes.”

“But I do seem to need to do something with my life.”

“You have.”

“What have I done?”

“You’ve lived.”

“So has everyone else.”

“Yes, but with a difference.”

“And the difference is?”

“Everyone else lives his or her own life.”

“And I have lived mine?”

“Yes.”

“But that relates to the past.”

“Are you not living now?”

“In the present?”

“Where else can you live now?”

“I want to do something in the future that I haven’t done in the past, or now.”

“What?”

“I don’t know.”

“”Will you know in the future?””

“Yes, of course. But I want to plan to do something.”

“How you’ll do whatever you’ll do?”

“How can I know how to do what, when I don’t know what to do?”

How have you done what you did, in the past, and are now doing in the present?”

“I did what I seemed to need to do, as well as I could.”

“We can never do more than that.”

…..

A simple seeker’s note to herself

Thinking back on my discussion with Spirit, about planning for the future, He seemed to be reminding me that we each live our life from day to day, more and/or less,, and that it’s just not possible to know for sure what will be important to us, in the future. But, if we work to do what is important to us now, as well as we can, then we’ll be developing skills and habits which will help us adapt to whatever the future brings our way.

“Yes. Study and practice whatever you think is important for you to do, now. In the future, perhaps you’ll be interested in something else. So what? Then you can study and practice doing that something else. The skills you’re learning now, and the study habits you’re developing now can be adapted to whatever situation and/or opportunity that presents itself in the future. You’ll be prepared.”

…..

A simple seeker was meditating on the concept of reverse transcendence.

“How did that idea get into your mind?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps you put it there.”

“For what purpose?”

“Perhaps to inform me of the topic of today’s lesson.”

“How would you explain reverse transcendence?”

“In traditional yoga practice, the mind of the student and that of her teacher become interconnected.”

“Where does reverse transcendence fit into such a situaton?”

“As the student absorbs more and more of her teacher’s understanding …”

“Understanding? And not wisdom?”

“Are they not the same?”

“Yes. Go on.”

“Then, her own wisdom, or understanding, expands as she absorbs some of his.”

“Does she transcend her own mind?”

“No. An overlap, such as in a paradigm shift, develops between the student’s mind and that of her teacher’s.”

“Duality becomes one?”

“Not totally.”

“So, she absorbs his energy without losing her own?”

“Perhaps our unique energy could never be in danger of being consumed by another.”

“It could be weakened, or strengthened. Is this the result of a student attracting and absorbing her teacher’s energy?”

“Perhaps neither happens.”

“Then, what does or might hapen?”

“The student may become increasingly aware of her own vibrating energy.”

“Very good, but where does the concept of reverse transcendence fit in?”

“I’m still vague about it, but transcendence suggests going beyond, and, if her guru’s energy is strengthening her own, then the flow of higher energy is from without to within – a reverse flow from the generally accepted view of transcendence as going beyond, or from within to without.”

“Does the teacher lose anything from this transfer of energy?”

“Is there a transfer?”

“Yes.”

“Then, the higher energy that the teacher transmits to the student would be replaced by an even higher energy, from his source of enlightenment, as a pressure gradient system might work.”

“Is that all?”

“For now, yes. Did I do well?”

“For now, yes.”

…..

A simple seeker’s note to herself

Thinking back on my discussion of transcendence with Spirit, what did I learn?

“Perhaps you learned that transcendence is not possible without an infusion of Higher Energy into your mind.”

“Yes, but what triggers such an infusion of higher energy?”

“What triggers growth within your body?”

“My body may be designed to grow when nutrients are provided.”

“Yes, and yet it gows from within to without.”

“But it can only expand when nourished by outside forces.”

“Yes, and so it is with your mind.”

“Could you be considered as an outside force?”

“From the pespective of your limited mind, yes.”

…..

A simple seeker was meditating on the mystery of Tarot.

“How did you manage to move your focus from The Hermit, as a solitary seeker of enlightenment, to comparing Aces?”

“The Major Arcana, which includes The Hermit, relates to general personality characteristics, while …”

“Did I ask …?”

“The Aces introduce each of the four suits of the Minor Arcana, and offer a sacred gift – a promise, almost.”

“How could a gift, or promise, be sacred and still be no more than an almost?”

“It’s not a freebee.”

“Then, what does it cost?”

“It’s not for sale. At least it can’t be purchased.”

“Then, how does one receive a gift that isn’t free, and yet can’t be purchased?”

“It’s a promise of reward, if effort is made to follow one’s dream, or path, and is meant to inspire self-confidence.”

“How does Tarot differ from I Ching?”

“You’re asking me?”

“Yes.”

“From my limited understanding?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. They have little or nothing in common.”

“How so?”

“I Ching explains and supports social stability, within a system of generally accepted rules of order.”

“And Tarot?”

“Tarot explains inner dimensions of personal experience; feelings, desires, needs, fears, and interests, and helps us to make sense of them, and to learn to blend them together, and more. It encourages us to believe in our individual values, and inspires us to reach for success and happiness.”

“And I Ching does not?”

“Personal satisfaction and happiness don’t seem to be high priorities, from an I Ching perspective.”

“Then, why study both?”

“We seem to need both individual and collective general rules of order, but we also need personal, emotional satisfaction.”

“Where does awareness fit into this two-sided view of the ideal society?”

“I didn’t call it ideal.”

“No. I did.”

“Then, I’ll let you explain where and how awareness fits into the picture.”

“Awareness is understanding the reality that the individual and collective are as two parts of an infinite oneness, within which they share a dynamic relationship to each other.”

…..

A simple seeker’s note to herself

Spirit seemed to be helping me to understand that, though I live my individual life, I also live as a contributing member of a community.

“Yes, and this is necessarily so, even within our individual families and neighbourhoods.”

“We can’t escape being personally responsible, both for ourselves and others?”

“Why would you want to escape from responsibility?”

“It can get too much, when everyone seems to want from me, something that I can’t give, without giving less to myself.”

“Perhaps the secret is to develop a sense of balance between caring for self and caring for others.”

“That sounds easy enough, but how to live it in the real world of everyday interactions with others?”

“If you study both I Ching and Tarot, with intent to learn, you will discover how to balance your personal needs and desires with your responsibilities and/or duties to your family, your loved ones, and to the many levels of society that you necessarily are a part of. And then, having done what you can, release yourself from any further responsibility.”

“Does it really work?”

“Yes, it really works if you work at it. Of course, you don’t really need to study Tarot or I Ching, or any other formal, or less than formal system.You could simply learn to trust yourself to do what seems right, in any given situation.”

…..

A simple seeker was meditating on her spirit teacher’s explanation of their relationship. He didn’t need physical existence, or human form, He told her.

“Why?”

“I use you as ballast, to connect to your particular world of illusion.”

“If my world is one of illusion, and I can reluctantly accept that it is, or seems to be, at times, then at least some others must also be living in a personal world of illusion. Are they each separate from each other?”

“Yes. We each seem to know that our so-called individual world is intricately connected to everyone else’s world, even though surface appearances deny this reality. Only on the surface do our individual worlds of illusion appear to be separate. Beneath this illusion there is a common root that holds us together; that connects us inextricably together, as one.”

…..

A simple seeker’s note to herself

Perhaps Spirit was helping me to accept that we live in a world of illusion if we think that we’re separate from other people, places, and things. But He and I live in different worlds.

“Worlds are as communities, and the same rules apply. The correspondences are the same. No world is totally isolated from any other. The forces, or universal laws, of integration and synthesis, impel us to develop personal relationships with other individuals and groups of individuals.

Perhaps, not so simple seeker, you also learned that there’s no real separation between people, places, and things. Everything and everyone is connected to everything and everyone else. The ten thousand forms of plant life each contain roots that connect them to a common ground that nourishes them all, and without which they couldn’t survive.

Collectively, we’re as a picture puzzle, with each being as a piece of the whole. There is only one world, which contains all smaller worlds. There is only one humanity, which contains all races. There is only one religion, which contains all religions. We each may live in different ways, and/or in different worlds, but we each live.”

…..

A Beginning

A simple seeker was lost in thought. What thought? She was meditating on The Fool, the Tarot’s anti-hero, or so he seems to be, at least as he begins his journey through life. He isn’t even given a number, unless zero can be considered as such. Like herself, or as she once was, he seems to be full of high hopes and self-confidence. But, again, as she once was.

“How are you any different, now?”

“I don’t quite fit the picture anymore, if I ever did

“In what way?”

“The Fool, at the beginning of his journey, has no real life experience, and is totally unaware of immediate dangers, let alone of those that are waiting for him, somewhere down the line. He’s lost in thought, enjoying the perfume of the rose that he’s holding in his hand. He doesn’t see the cliff that he’s about to step off, into high altitude Even his small, four-legged companion seems unable to warn him. But, perhaps, we were all innocent at some time in our past.”

“What would it look like?”

“The Fool, I guess.”

“Yes, and yet, as the Tarot’s Fool will discover through life experience, innocence is a beginning – the only possible beginning of our life’s journey, our mission to discover who and what we each are.”

“Only a beginning?

“Yes, but an important one.”

“In the sense that we have to start somewhere?

“Yes, or somethng like that.”

…..

A simple seeker’s note to herself

Thinking back on my discussion with Spirit, what did I learn, if anything?

“Perhaps I was trying to help you to understand that life experiences are as lessons. We learn somethng from everything that we experience, or we might.”

“How can we know if we’ve learned from them?”

“We?”

“Okay, me .How can I know if I’ve learned from my life experiences?”

“What life experiences?”

“Any of them.”

“Perhaps you need to choose which life experiences need to be reflected, or meditated, upon, to protect yourself from repeating them, if they were unpleasant, and to find a way to repeat them, if they seemed to be pleasing.”

“To try and learn from any mistakes?

“Yes, and to try to attract more of those experiences that seemed to have a positive outcome.”

…..