In Western society, we are told that the individual should desire to serve the community or the whole. We are told that we may be required to sacrifice ourselves in favor of the collective or society. We admire those that give back to the community more than all others and usually rightfully so. However, it seems that in our admiration of the community and of society we have lost our admiration for ourselves and for the individuals that create that community. This is no accident but rather was engineered by the elite and powerful people of the world. The influence of Christianity upon the evolution of the entire human race mustn’t be ignored. Christianity above all other religions teaches that the self is contaminated, evil, dirty, in need of saving and doomed without it. It also teaches that this salvation can be attained by sacrificing your own life, wants, desires, and even your own safety/survival in favor of the something larger that yourself. Christianity has taught subservience to governments, monarchs, churches, and religious leaders as well as God. The religion teaches that the individual does not have the power to save and conduct themselves and that something larger is needed. This message was not contained to Christianity nor was it necessarily the creation of it. Throughout all of Western culture and even the rest of the world the idea that sacrificing oneself for the whole is almost always a great and heroic action. We are even asked (forced) to give up personal liberties and freedoms in favor of the collective. Many are thoroughly convinced that individual liberty is dangerous for society. Is all of this wrong? No. Is all of this right? Also, no. As stated above, the propagation of this idea is no mistake. It is calculated and greatly assisted. The reduction of the power of the individual is beneficial to those that seek to magnify the whole in order to use it for personal benefit. The Elite that sit atop the thrones of society benefit greatly from the improving of the same. If the economy is good, their economy is good. If society is subservient and unquestioning, they do not have to fight too hard for control. As long as we all bow to what we are told are the needs of society, The Elite are safe and secure upon their pedestals. As long as we believe that we NEED what society offers and that we cannot provide for ourselves, we will sacrifice our deepest desires to survive and afford a bit of comfort. To be clear right here in the beginning of this article, I am not teaching or implying that one should be selfish or that one should value themselves OVER society. This is another extreme position that is simply not able to be maintained. Neither extreme is sustainable. We cannot be overly infatuated with the whole or with the individual. The relationship between the individual and society must be symbiotic and synergistic. One must not drain the other or take from the other. They must build upon one another. n quantum theory, every particle in the Universe is bound by certain laws. These laws indicate that no two particles in the Universe can be exactly the same. No two particles can be at the same location, traveling the same direction, moving with the same momentum, etc. This mandated individualism is what allows for the existence of matter and subsequently this human experience we are having. Each individual particle in the entire Universe is fated to be ever an individual. At no point can any particle truly become removed from its individual nature lest the entire Material Universe be in violation of The Law. At the same time, every particle in the Universe is exactly the right individual, at exactly the right time, all of the time. This perfect nature allows each particle to be a part of something larger while still maintaining its individualism. This is the Divine Duality. Neither the whole of the Universe nor the loneliest particle within it take even a single thing from one another. They maintain perfect harmony. The Universe gives the particle purpose yet the particle creates the Universe. If one truly understands this idea, they can see the implications for human life. As above, so below. As below, so above. This Principle of Correspondence holds true throughout The All. What holds true for the particle and the Universe holds true for everything in between. This neatly includes humanity. So then, let us become the particle and let society be the Universe. This is how the relationship should be maintained. Each of us should strive to be an individual and to be personally responsible for ourselves. We should use our individual desires and attributes to augment and uplift society. We should seek to IMPROVE society while staying true to ourselves and always focusing first on being happy within ourselves. Some are indeed most happy in service to others. That is absolutely okay and I would never want to dissuade someone who feels that is their place. If that is what makes you happy as an individual, then you should go to that with all you have. However, no one should feel obligated to society. No one should feel like they must neglect their own desires and happiness in favor of society. This is not to say that one should drain from society to prop themselves up. Our desires must not be detrimental to society. If we find ourselves abusing the benefits of the collective while not feeding anything back in, then we find ourselves unbalanced and in need of improvement. That path is not for the spiritual seeker and it will create only unhappiness and discontentment in the end. As always, this topic comes down to polarity and balance. We must maintain the polarity of the individual and of the whole. We must stay balanced between the individual and the whole. If the whole asks more of you than it provides, it is the whole that is out of balance. This is the case most often. Why? A collective made of unbalanced persons becomes an unbalanced collective. Would you not agree that most of humanity does not maintain this balance? So then, we are faced with the fact of the unbalanced nature of others and thus of society. What are we to do? Do we neglect balance within ourselves and seek to balance the whole? Not so. Do we neglect the whole and shut it out and become an island? Not so. All we can do is maintain our own balance while taking care not to drain from society. Look to the Material Universe for evidence of this fact. Suppose you find yourself on a tight rope with a large group of people, all just out of arms reach of one another. Can you maintain balance for all? No, you cannot. You can only maintain balance for yourself as the whole manipulates the movement of the rope. You cannot stabilize the rope alone. You can only stabilize yourself. You could, however, be so unbalanced that you cause the rope to become unstable and thus destabilize the whole. Keep this in mind.
In closing, do not overvalue the community and undervalue yourself. Make yourself happy first so long as your happiness does not come at the expense of society. Use your happiness to improve society rather than trying to use society to create your happiness. The latter will never work.
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It takes one to know one.
We have heard that a thousand times. We have probably said it nearly as many. Often, these clichés are taken lightly and not even examined. They are so overused that when we hear them we immediately recognize them as borrowed philosophy. However, maybe we should take a second look at some of these clichés when they come through our ears. When you really think about the meat of this message, it gets much deeper and contains a lot of truth. In order for us to recognize a fault in someone else we must first recognize it within ourselves. Even that sounds cliché, I know. However, really think about that. Understand it. It is very, very true. If we do not know how to lie, how can we spot a liar? If we do not have a capacity for violence, how do we recognize a violent person? If we have never experienced fear, how can we see that someone is scared? Anything we notice about others we must have first noticed about ourselves thought we may not be honest with ourselves about many of these flaws. We have probably all recognized that those that accuse others are often guilty of what they accuse others for. Think about relationships. It is a commonly accepted idea that cheaters are often insecure about their partner and accuse them of cheating. I have witnessed this personally on multiple occasions. Yet another example of this logic can be found in serial killers. More than once police forces have consulted serial killers in efforts to capture other serial killers and often with success. There is even a popular movie from the 1990’s about this very occurrence. So then, why is this relevant and what is the practical use of this information? For starters, this allows us a window into ourselves. If you find yourself constantly noticing certain flaws in others, maybe you should consider some looking inward and being honest with yourself. Secondly, this allows us a bit of peace when someone is pointing out our flaws. Try as we may to surround ourselves with uplifting people, there will inevitably be a time when someone highlights your flaws. They may do this out of friendship and care or they may do it maliciously in an attempt to harm. Their reasoning matters a little bit less when you realize that in order to recognize your fault they have to contain that same fault within themselves even if they are unaware. With the understanding of this we can be a little more forgiving (or at least forgetting) of people when they judge us. Also, we can be receptive to sound judgment when it is offered. This is possibly the most crucial point of all of this. When someone judges us truthfully, we must learn to embrace it. Even when the judgement is hurtful, we must recognize truth. Often, we reject judgment due to the person offering it. We tell ourselves, “Who are they to highlight my flaws while they have their own?” Of course they have flaws. They must have or at least used to have had the very flaws they have accused us of having. Even a liar can tell the truth and even a bad person can expose a need for improvement within ourselves. We must learn to accept good judgement and not be offended by it. This, of course, does not excuse unnecessarily rude behavior. There is a proper way to do things. If someone is exceedingly hurtful in their presentation or obviously trying to harm you then you do not have to accept that behavior even if you accept their judgment as true. One can expose an issue without being hurtful. That does not mean that the information presented won’t be painful as the truth is at times. It is painful to realize one’s own failures and shortcomings. We must learn not to let the pain of realizing our own faults be projected on to others. If someone offers sound judgment without trying to hurt you, there is no reason to be offended at them. Only those that truly care for you are willing to risk upsetting you to tell you the truth. A fake friend will allow you to linger in ignorance while the true ones expose and illuminate our ignorance to help us overcome it. Do not be angry at them. This is what friends are REALLY for and for those seeking Self Mastery, such judgment from close friends is imperative as we are not always honest with ourselves. We should not shy away from these types of people but flock together with them so that we can judge one another and subsequently increase one another. Objectivity should be welcomed as we keep in mind that those judging us must contain the same flaws within themselves. There is a lot of talk amongst spiritual circles about being an ‘empath’ and what all that means exactly. There are many memes, articles, and even books about the topic. Due to the many, many ideas about the topic there is a bit of confusion about exactly what being an empath is supposed to mean. The most basic definition that I believe is generally agreed upon is: Empath - a person with the paranormal ability to apprehend the mental or emotional state of another individual. In fewer and more basic words, an empath can feel the emotions and mental states of others. Due to this, empaths are often overwhelmed in public places or large crowds. They can become overwhelmed even by television and radio. They often feel the emotions of even fictional characters as real and within themselves. Empaths are often very emotional people and can even be accused of overreacting at times. Now that we have the most basic definition and a loose grasp on what it means to be an empath, let us discuss the matter further. The idea of being an empath and holding that title attracts many among the New Age Movement as well as other spiritual movements. By proclaiming to be an empath, the seeker separates themselves from the general population. A person that believes they are an empath can then justify their emotional nature and even gain some moral credibility based on that nature. It is this behavior that I intend to address. Research has shown that human brains detect the brain waves and heart patterns of other humans. Along those same lines, experiments have been conducted that lead scientists to understand that humans produce scents based on their emotional disposition and that each of us have a unique scent ‘fingerprint’. Further, experimentation has shown that we constantly pick up on and interpret these scents from others without even knowing it. Even if we try to judge others as little as possible or not at all, our brains are constantly intercepting information from the brains, hearts, scents, and behavior of those around us and then subsequently interpreting that information. What does this mean? It means that we are ALL empaths differing only in degree. Yes. You read that right. The science is out. The studies have been completed. The facts are in. Every human on this planet is capable of and constantly in the process of interpreting the emotions and mental states of those around us via scent, heart patterns, and brain waves. I, of course, do not want to imply that science has it all figured out but rather that it has confirmed the fact that we all sense one another in more than one way. Our interactions are not limited to material, physical interactions alone. So then, if we are all empaths or at least have the capacity to be what makes some of us more prone to greater levels of empathetic interactions? Just as with all of our physical senses, we each have different natural tendencies due to many reason. Genetics, culture, education, spiritual pursuits, and many more things affect all of our senses. Some of us need glasses to see. Some need hearing aids. Some of us have keen senses of smell or superior vision. Some of us feel more physical pain while some hardly notice it at all. Just like the rest of our senses and abilities, our empathy is subject to variations between persons. There are, of course, those that naturally feel more emotion from both within and without. The reasoning is not simple and there is no exact answer as to why some are more empathetic than others. Being an empath is often used as a means to justify emotional instability. Many suggest that their wild emotional states and changing moods can be excused because they are experiencing the emotions of others and thus they alleviate personal responsibility. This is unacceptable. Imagine that a person has naturally bad vision so they in turn crash their car and kill someone in the process. Would their naturally dull vision be sufficient to reduce their responsibility in the accidental death they caused? Hardly. Now, this is an extreme example and being overly empathetic or emotional may never cause a death. Don’t get hung up on the example as it was merely for the purpose of understanding. Continuing, if a person of reduced visual acuity killed someone in a car accident they would be held accountable to some degree. They would most likely be charged with some form of manslaughter here in America and possibly even do some serious jail time. Why? Well because there are methods to improve vision available. For the person with bad vision it is absolutely imperative that they have some device(s) to improve that vision if they want to operate a motor vehicle. This is for the public and for the person of bad vision. The same logic can be applied to the person who experiences strong emotions and increased empathy. There are methods available to us that allow us to develop our emotions and learn to observe them without action. These methods are free and one needs nothing but their own willpower to practice them, unlike eye glasses or contacts. That being said, the overly empathetic should not try and reduce their empathy or bury those emotions. That is not what I am suggesting. Unlike problems with vision, added empathy can be beneficial. Being able to discern the emotional states of others is vital for the teacher, the healer, the guide, and the shaman not to mention many others. No effort should be made to reduce emotions or to neglect them at any point. The effort to be made is towards controlling our responses to those emotions. We must learn to feel hate without acting upon it. We must learn to feel anger without becoming it. We must learn to feel sadness without allowing that sadness to control our lives even for a moment. The overly empathetic must learn to observe emotions without reacting. Since we have identified that we are all empaths differing only in degree, can the term still be used to describe those of us that feel more and connect more? Sure. It is understood what is meant when someone uses that term. It is of extreme importance that we do not allow ourselves to use the term and title to alleviate personal responsibility or to reduce our efforts at self-control. Empathy is no excuse for outlandish behavior or wild mood swings within ourselves. Such things are not evidence of empathy but rather they are evidence of the need for self-improvement and self-mastery. Buddha, Jesus, Rumi, MLK Jr., Hermes, and many others greater than you and I have been empathetic without being uncontrolled. Jesus faced even his own death and embraced it without becoming wild or irrational. MLK Jr. faced violence and racism without losing his cool. If you believe that being an empath is excuse for irrational, illogical, and uncontrolled behavior within yourself then you are sadly mistaken. Examine yourself and be honest with yourself. Do you claim the title because you can feel and discern the moods and minds of others or do you claim it to justify your own asinine behavior? Or is the answer perhaps both? Are you actually an empath and yet use it as an excuse? That is even less acceptable. In the end, this behavior harms everyone around you. If you allow yourself to become emotionally unstable you will inevitably impact those around you. We all recognize this. Not only do you harm those around you, you harm yourself more than all. If you allow yourself to dwell in that mindset then you become stagnated and commit yourself to a lifelong loop of mood swings; highs and lows. I hope above all things that you received this message positively and realize that this is not someone trying to hammer on you and belittle you for your lack of control. I hope that you recognize the true intent of this message. That intent is to convey the message that you do not have to live the way you are living. You do not have to accept wild mood swings and emotional irresponsibility. You do not have to live in depression and sadness. You do not have to be so moved by others. You can improve and you can make your life better. If you truly want to use your empathy (and if you are an empath you most certainly do) then you must learn to harness it rather than be harnessed by it. Learn to observe these failures within yourself but do not be a harsh judge. Learn to recognize when you are being exceedingly emotional. By this recognition alone you will improve by leaps and bounds in only a few months. I speak from experience. I speak as living proof. If you are having trouble with this, please feel free to contact us. We can provide you with a bit of support and objectivity for your situation as well as suggest methods of improvement. We can also offer you personal success stories to help you stay motivated on the path to self-mastery and to becoming truly empathetic and controlled. Sources and links of interest:http://www.heartmath.com
http://www.heartmath.com/research/#eer https://www.heartmath.org/articles-of-the-heart/science-of-the-heart/the-energetic-heart-is-unfolding/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerdooley/2012/11/08/people-can-smell-emotions/#784fd22866b2 http://www.brainworksneurotherapy.com/what-are-brainwaves http://www.iamthedoc.com/thefilm/ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2006885/Humans-really-DO-sixth-sense-lets-detect-magnetic-fields.html https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-narcissus-in-all-us/201102/how-you-know-eyes-are-watching-you http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/smell-feelings-disgust-fear-chemosignals_n_2083047.html It seems there is an assault on sound judgment within the ranks of the New Age spiritual movement. The more time progresses, the more the idea that it is never okay to judge anyone for anything comes about. Is this true? Is this a proper way of life? Can we really go through life without judging others or even ourselves? As with all things, there is a duality to this answer. While it is true that we should not judge others harshly or treat them unfairly based on such judgment, it is equally true that we must become capable and strive for sound judgment in all things. There is somewhat of a slippery slope to this task. What is sound judgment? Who gets to make that determination? This is where the slope becomes extra slippery. Judgment must always be grounded in truth rather than belief or faith. Judgment should seek to expose lies and misunderstandings by expressing truth. However, how can we be sure that our judgment is sound and that our understanding is truth? We simply cannot. There are things that we know, things we know in part, and things we know nothing of. Most things fall neatly into the category of ‘things we know in part’ and thus we cannot be sure of our own understanding entirely. However, the only understanding we can truly know is our own. That being the case, we must seek to increase that understanding if we desire to pass sound judgment upon ourselves and ESPECIALLY if we desire to help others by offering judgment upon situations. We must increase our knowledge and be continually questioning of ourselves and of the world around us. If there is an opportunity to become educated about a topic, seize that opportunity. In the Age of Information, the internet is everywhere. If you have internet access, you have an infinite library at your fingertips. By the time you finish reading this, the internet will have grown tremendously in size. There simply is no excuse for ignorance among spiritual seekers any longer. So then, sound judgement can be labelled and defined as judgement based on truth. Nothing less qualifies. If we are being truthful in our judgement then it is sound. However, the very idea of judgement seems to invoke negativity among most. The New Age crowd is no exception to that. Sound judgement has become so rare that it is almost unrecognizable to most. When we think of passing judgement we immediately think of rude behavior, derogatory commentary, highlighting negative traits, and exposing character flaws. While some of that may be a part of sound judgement, those things certainly are not always associated with sound judgement. Further, rudeness and derogatory commentary are typically the last things one would want to incorporate when trying to pass sound judgement. We can be kind judges for ourselves and for those around us. We can tell the truth without being offensive. This does not mean that others will not get offended. Such is not the case. People will become offended. The truth is painful at times and many resist it. This is why it is important to pass sound judgement upon yourself FIRST. Ask yourself if this person will be receptive of your judgement and if the answer is, “no”, then why bother? Why offend them for no results? Why cause a problem where none is necessary? Also, we must judge ourselves to ensure that we are simply offering sound judgement to others rather than trying to assert ourselves over them. We know our hearts. We know our true motives and desires. A working model for sound judgement is based on cooperative behavior. We must be open to the judgement of others, especially if we intend to judge them. We must communicate with one another and recognize our own shortcomings as well. It is entirely possible to recognize a problem within yourself and thus be able to pass sound judgement regarding that problem on someone else. As a matter of fact, the best judgement we can provide is judgement based on our own problems. As the old saying goes, “It takes one to know one.” That is very true. Take drug addiction for instance. Who is better at recognizing drug addiction than someone who has dealt or is dealing with it themselves? Who better to recognize a health issue than someone dealing with the same issue themselves? Who is more suited to expose someone’s tendencies to be a liar than another liar? This issue is a common wedge between judge and the judged. Often the person being judged is resentful of the judgement due to the fact that the judge is flawed. This is illogical. Of course the judge will always be flawed, no matter who it is. We are all flawed. The ability to recognize our own flaws is the first and most important part of becoming able to pass sound judgement. Those of us that have taken the roles of teachers, seers, mystics, and seekers of knowledge are often accused of being hypocritical or manipulative. Of course, many times it may be true. However, even if the judge IS a hypocrite it does not reduce the truth. Truth can be uttered even by fools though they may not understand it. Do not disregard a message simply because the messenger is flawed. Do not reject sound judgement because the judge is not perfect. Those of us that have chosen these paths of knowledge are bound to be accused of such things sooner or later. No matter how many people love and are improved by your words, many more will be offended and resentful of you. In the words of Pythagoras, “Rest satisfied with doing well, and leave others to talk of you as they please.” Do not concern yourself if they reject you and even despise you. There are multitudes that despise knowledge. Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Do not be shaken or upset by such rejection. Continue your path and light the way for others. There are those that will listen, though few they are. Be steadfast and remember to judge yourself FIRST. Do not use sound judgement as a means to place yourself above your brethren but use sound judgement as a way to uplift them. Be receptive of the judgement of others and always test to be sure the judgement comes from a place of truth. Again, truth can come from any vessel. Even a liar can tell the truth. “Rest satisfied with doing well, and leave others to talk of you as they please.” - Pythagoras “You can hypnotize people with music, and when you get them at their weakest point, you can preach into their subconscious whatever you want to say.” – Jimi Hendrix Music is a powerful tool. It can be used to aid us in altering or elevating our consciousness. It can be used to create an atmosphere or set the mood. It can be used to convey powerful messages and emotions. Ask almost anyone, anywhere on the planet and they will agree that music is a powerful tool. Music has long been in the toolboxes of the shamans, the mystics, the alchemists, the philosophers, and the religious institutions. The psychedelic revolution of the 60’s and 70’s was fueled by music and revolved around it. Music has been employed on the battlefield and in war. Music has been used to torture inmates and frighten them. The truth of the power of music is very, very clear. So then, what does this mean for the Initiate or the spiritual seeker? Firstly, it means that we can add a weapon to our arsenal. However, possibly the most important thing the spiritual seeker can do in regards to music is choose it wisely. Remember, what you put in your head is what you get back out. o fully understand that, a sufficient understanding of neuroplasticity is required. Neuroplasticity is the process that alters your brain’s neural synapses and pathways according to environmental, behavioral, and neural changes. Basically, your brain creates pathways of information according to your lifestyle. Just like a trail through a field, the more you use a pathway, the clearer that pathway becomes and the easier it is to move down it. This occurs hand in hand with synaptic pruning – the brain’s way of deleting unnecessary neural connections that you no longer use. This all depends on your life experiences and the frequency of your use of these pathways. Again, the more you use it the clearer a path becomes. This is how your brain fine tunes itself to think about the things you deal with most often more quickly. This is how your brain develops itself to respond faster and faster to your demands. It is for this reason that ‘practice makes perfect’. The more you do something, the more you think about a topic, the more you focus on a certain thing the quicker your brain becomes at it. If this is still a bit of a fuzzy topic, think of it from an electrical standpoint. The brain is essentially just a bunch of electrical signals and chemical interactions. Electricity always takes the path of least resistance. If your brain keeps building the path and making the path easier, it literally becomes the path of least resistance allowing your brain to fire electricity down said path at a faster rate. So then, when it is said that you get out what you put in, it really is deeper than a cliché. How does this tie back in to music? Well, if it isn’t obvious, the topics that your music discusses fuels this neuroplasticity. The more you listen to music about certain topics, the quicker and more accustomed to that line of thinking your brain becomes. If your music discusses materialism and bad relationships, your brain becomes literally hardwired to those topics. The more you listen, the more your brain continues to improve these pathways and let the information flow more quickly. If you listen to music about positive things or success, your brain becomes attuned to such things. This is the vital, crucial importance of music to the Initiate or to those that seek enlightenment and illumination. Be selective in your music. In today’s Western culture, it is quite normal to listen to music without ever examining the lyrics. We let the radios play everywhere, all day long. In restaurants, in elevators, in cars, in trains, in subways, even while we pump gas there is music playing. Usually, it is popular music and usually popular music is devoid of any significant lyrical content. Popular music is almost always about bad relationships, loose morality, irresponsible behavior, lack of personal responsibility, drug addictions, alcoholism, violence, and MATERIALISM. Are these topics what the spiritual person should be putting in their brains? Are these the pathways that we should be cultivating in our minds? Probably not. Now, I do not want to seem high and mighty. We are in this world but not of it. However, that does not mean that we need to shut out the world around us and be a music snob or anything like that. There is no reason to worry or fret if you find yourself in a place with disagreeable popular music or music that is discussing things you are not interested in. The occasional exposure will not calcify your pineal or prevent you from reaching your goals. You may even enjoy popular music upon occasion. You may enjoy gangster rap or death metal. You may even like country-pop. That is fine. It is okay to enjoy yourself but do not become absorbed by it. Do not allow yourself to become fixated on the topics of popular music. To further recognize the importance of music and how it can greatly influence our minds, let’s continue observing popular music. Is it not strange to you that many popular musical artists use occult symbolism in their art? Is it not strange that esoteric concepts are discussed plainly in popular music with increasing frequency? Take a look below this paragraph and you can see the evidence for yourself. Why would so many artists use similar symbols and discuss similar ideas? To the conspiracy theorist that thinks they know what direction this is going, no…we are not about to discuss the tired and misunderstood thing that is The Illuminati. That is a subject for another time. The reasoning behind the persistence of occult knowledge in popular culture is explained simply. These artists have an understanding of the power of music and they use it for their purposes or possibly for the purposes of the highest bidder. These artists understand that if they can instill their idea in you that they can create culture. One has only to look at our Western society to see the huge impact popular music has on our fads and trends. Musical artists set the trends for everything from fashion to technology. They encourage us to buy shoes and clothes. They sing about fancy cars and big houses. They rap about making lots of money and abusing others to do it. They make music glorifying apathy and carelessness. They decide what charities are popular and what causes we should fight for. They stand behind political viewpoints and sway millions. Some would argue that musicians simply make music about the culture they are targeting but I submit to you the idea that many of them are out to sway culture with their music. Now, that leaves one more thing to discuss. What exactly is good music? If so many of these artists are using their music for negative reasons and cultural conditioning, are there others fighting against those efforts? Absolutely. There are huge artists that fight the messages of the mainstream music media. Music is powerful but it is not limited to only the corrupt and morally deficient. Of course there are those that use their music to rise to a position of power and then spread positive messages and knowledge. No one can decide for you what you should put in your head. However, each of us can examine the music we listen to and be honest with ourselves if it is doing us harm or good. What pathways are we creating in our brains with the music we surround ourselves with? What is the message of the music we find ourselves attracted to. That can be a huge window into ourselves.
In the end, just as with all things music needs to be thought about from many angles. Be honest with yourself and make choices that reflect the direction you want to travel in. Influence the pathways that you wish to and neglect those that you no longer want to travel.
What is the ego?How can we identify our ego? Traditional psychoanalysis defines ego as, ‘the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity’. Basically, this means that your ego is the most important part of your mind when it comes to the subjective human experience. That, however, does not mean that letting our egos run wild is better for our human experience and it most certainly does not mean that reducing the ego is better either. It is far more complex of a situation than that. Metaphysical philosophy would define ego as, ‘a conscious thinking subject’. That definition is even more broad and further asserts that we ARE our egos. So then, to mold the ego is to mold the self and to mold the self is the desire of almost all spiritual seekers, mystics, religious persons, etc. To further understand the ego, let us define it in even greater detail. The ego is the part of our mind that transcends modes of consciousness. It moves between your subconscious and conscious minds relaying messages. Having an ego unchecked can lead to incorrect messages. With an ego running rampant, one could convince themselves of some undeserved superiority or that they deserve something more than others; that they are above human law and even natural law. This delusional state creates psychopaths, narcissists, sociopaths, and similar types. What does this mean for a spiritual seeker? What could become of the spiritual seeker that allows their ego to trick them into overvaluing themselves? The most obvious issue that can arise is the issue of stagnation. If we allow ourselves to believe that we are superior to others, we risk missing out on knowledge from what we consider inferior sources. We can become so sure of ourselves and our knowledge that we disregard the knowledge of others and fail to question our own. This is obviously folly for the person on a path of illumination. Likewise, having a frail and weak ego is equally if not more damaging to the seeker. If we humble our egos and humble ourselves so much as to doubt every experience and every truth we find within ourselves, then we risk being indecisive and running in circles. We can get in a loop of ‘good enough’ because we fail to see that we can be more. The ego can be a fuzzy thing to identify in writing but it is not hard to identify within ourselves so long as we do not let it grow/shrink out of proportion to begin with. When you begin thinking about a task or goal, that voice that tells you, “yes, you can do this” or, “you will never succeed” is your ego. When you introduce yourself to someone new and you feel confident or maybe even unconfident, that is your ego. That voice in your head that tells you what you do or do not deserve in life, that is you ego.
Again, an ego that is too large or too small can drastically effect our ability to receive or to seek new information. We either don’t value the outside sources enough or we value our own understanding too little. To ensure a positive role of the ego in spiritual development, a healthy balance must be maintained. According to the circumstances, the ego may need to be enlarged or reduced from time to time. There may be no ‘one size fits all’ ego. However, it is important to recognize ego and to be certain that our spiritual path is not being directed by our ego. Are we pursuing knowledge for the sake of having knowledge or are we pursuing knowledge for the sake of knowing more than the person next to us? Do we just want the inside scoop? Are we just seeking to be ‘in the know’? Are we truly in search of the experiences of spirituality and the benefits that brings or are we just trying to position ourselves above others? These are questions we must ask ourselves frequently to ensure that the ego is not guiding our spiritual paths. A sufficiently large ego is necessary to attain upper levels of mastery. The role that the ego plays in our illumination is the role of self-confidence. We must be sure of our own understanding and have the ability to recognize when we actually have something figured out. However, we must not be so sure of our own understanding that we reject sound doctrine or new information that opposes our understanding. This is further evidence of the importance of a questioning attitude when it comes to the ego. We must constantly question ourselves and our egos. Without this practice, we are destined for delusion and/or stagnation. How do we treat the ego while we work towards enlightenment and illumination? Well, as previously stated, we must continually question ourselves about our motives and perceptions. This is probably the most important part of keeping the ego within the right dimensions. Secondly, we must maintain an adequate level of ego based on that questioning. If we find that we are starting to overvalue our own understanding, maybe it is best to humble oneself and seek greater complexity of understanding. Nothing reminds you of your true level of understanding like trying to grasp a new and complex topic. Another healthy exercise in ego management is in the company you keep. If you surround yourself with those that are obviously of lesser understanding, it is easy to allow yourself to feel superior or above the crowd. However, if you surround yourself with those that you recognize as being of superior understanding, you may have a hard time convincing yourself that you are more worthy or deserving than they are. On the other end of the ego spectrum, if we reduce our egos so much that we lose self-worth and do not value our own understanding and our own direct experiences we risk falling into a pit of depression, stagnation, and mental inferiority. It is healthy to recognize falsehood and fallacy. It is wise to take note of that which is base and incorrect. If something is wrong, there should be no issue with asserting that it is. You may not wish to do so publicly but the wise can always recognize and notate the things that are untruths. There is no shame or dishonor in calling bullshit when it is time to do so. Just remember to ask yourself about your motives. Are you trying to increase knowledge or do you just want to show off and prove something? Recognizing and separating truth and lie is good practice and aids in our spiritual and mental progression. Even if that recognition is completely internal, we benefit from it. Another important aspect of ego maintenance is being able to recognize your worth and how much ego you are justified in having. The ego is a slippery slope. It is just as important to remember to keep enough of it as it is to remember to not let it grow wildly. This is often forgotten among spiritual people. It is perfectly fine to know your worth and even be proud of your intelligence or accomplishments. There is a distinct difference between boasting to make yourself feel better and to receive recognition and boasting to belittle others or reduce their worth. Those that do such things are usually guilty of having a large ego that they recognize they do not deserve. They have an inflated self-worth with no reason so they attempt to validate themselves by reducing others. Rather than lifting themselves up, they attempt to pull others beneath them. They are the ones that have created this negative outlook on larger egos. If you win the strongman competition for the entire planet, you can be justified in allowing your ego to recognize that and live accordingly. If you are the world’s fastest man, there is no negativity in admitting it. The same can be said of intelligence. If you recognize that you are intelligent, there is no shame in admitting it. There is no moral deficiency in knowing that you are smarter than most. However, do not use that to put others down. Do not use your mental superiority to reduce others. Everyone has different proclivities, fancies, attributes, inclinations, aptitudes, and abilities. You may be smarter than someone but that does not mean you are a superior human as a whole. There are many smart, wicked men on this earth. In the end, the use of the ego should be to build the self rather than to destroy others. One can have a marvelously large ego and use it for their own good. This is evidenced in athletes, artists, musicians, and many other talented people frequently. However, there are probably many more that use a large ego to destroy others and so they become politicians, bankers, fraud clergymen, con artists, and the like. Keep yourself in check by questioning your motives frequently. Be honest with yourself. You will most likely fail at times. Most of us get a big head at times and many of us even get depressed and feeling worthless at times. It is important not to get stuck in one of those loops. By questioning yourself and being honest with yourself, you can recognize when you may be straying from your path and thus can correct your direction. Do not let society convince you that humility is more valuable that understanding or knowledge. Do not let culture convince you that you cannot rely on your own understanding but rather increase that understanding so that you can rely on it. Use your ego. Do not be used by it.
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Throughout the rest of the site we try to keep things as focused on raw information as possible. On this page, we at The Hidden Ones will be sharing our unique views and opinions on a wide variety of topics. Archives
March 2017
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