Be whole, be at peace, savor now, and stay curious, while being mindful of the nature and meaning of power and authority in a world coming apart at the seams so that it can welcome a new power structure in the midst of rapid change, renewal, and stealth warfare.
This is my essential message for today.
As someone who identifies as INFP, I feel blessed to live, love, and last in a world where “going and growing with the knowing and flowing” can generate and perpetuate endlessly captivating invitations and inspirations to explore, express, expand, and extend the life of my dreams.
As I go deep within, I tap into the truth ~ the truth that living from a place or space of peace and love is not only possible, but preferable; here, I rest in knowing I am free to be whomever I choose, knowing that full-fill-ment is mine, and mine alone, to claim and reclaim at any time.
As I dwell within the whole of my heart and soul, I clear yet another space for possibility, one that opens into yet another living, loving, lasting opportunity to be here now, and I need only begin here and now, even as I welcome each and every subsequent moment of here and now.
In making peace and space for the truth of these moments to expand inward, to extend outward, living and loving what I know to be my truth in my preferences and priorities, in the energies that I embody, I find myself alive, awake, aware, and alert to my own way, truth, and life.
Truth be told, none of this truth is new, or news, to me.
Perhaps I know this truth more intimately than I can imagine?
So what exactly is possible and preferable in practice?
In scoping this in and out, could it really be as easy as 1, 2, 3?
1
Be Whole
Being and feeling worthy and deserving is part and parcel of the truth of what I say or do (or not say or do) in any moment, as a contrast to the truth of who I am as soul and spirit in human form, and here, I harbor a fundamental choice for as long as I remain incarnated in this life :
a) craft a truth of what I be(lie)ve myself to be
or
b) curate the truth of who I know myself to be
In crafting truth with be(lie)f, I risk falling prey to deception and delusion; in curating the truth of who I know myself to be at the heart of being and becoming, I come to know that prior to any be(lie)f about myself, I remain a loving, trusting, caring soul whose spirit remains alive, awake, aware, and alert to freedom and wisdom both. I know and feel this to be true because it is true.
I know the whole of me when I remain authentic in relationship; I know the whole of me when I stand ready, willing, and able to be intimate in relationship. In releasing myself from any endeavor to find or fix myself, I enter the cosmic field of play with genuine care and compassion.
I grow and flow with what life brings me, and I realize that every moment of this life I live offers yet another opportunity to invite contentment, discernment, enchantment, or fulfillment. I remain whole, allowing the experience of this life to reveal itself in all of its grace and glory.
2
Be at Peace
Be this as it may, I might still resist what is here and now; in going against the grain of “what is,” I suffer. I can, however, realize what I know is already true ~ that inner peace is my true nature. Thankfully, I need not seek such peace; I need only allow myself to realize it naturally.
I am also blessed to know and carry the distinction between responsive feeling and reactive emotion. For any given stimulus S, a spontaneous response R can, conceivably, readily and easily occur inside some possibility space PS held between S and R, such that S ( PS ) ⇒ R.
As I learn to process and release raw emotion (within and without) even as I cease to be(lie)ve that this life I live will be better “if only” it were different, I come to realize, effortlessly, a peace that is no longer separate; I cease to be(lie)ve any impulse that would resist and divide.
mind at-tending / body tending / spirit in-tending
Do I long to be at peace? Truth be told, I need not do so; I need only be as I am, where I am. Truth be told, I need neither practice nor perform a single act of mindbodyspirit except to bring awareness to what is already here and now. The way to do is to be (whole, at peace, and at ease).
3
Savor Now
Life has a way of bursting at the seams with a wondrous array of sights, sounds, and sensations. I could try to make sense of it all, assessing, evaluating, or judging intuitively what it could all mean, but instead, why not just allow a timeout to savor what is here and now, just for now?
Why not allow experience to show up as and when it does, and simply enjoy it (or not)?
As I sink my teeth into fresh fruit, why not receive its aroma, taste, and/or crunch fully and freely? As I walk at my leisure in tune with my love of nature, why not make the time to soak it up wholly and fully? As I feel what I feel, why not be curious to meet and greet it all, just as it is?
Could I not savor all of my experience, come what may? As I “savor now,” my whole experience of life changes, and “when I change the way I look at things, the things I look at change;” for “wherever I go, there I am, and wherever I am, everything is perfectly fine just the way it is.”
As facets of personal presence, these re-minders that I give myself ~ be whole, be at peace, savor now ~ serve me well as a foundation for what really and truly matters to me: personal exploration and personal expression. Who am I, really? And, who am I in relation to the Whole?
Bonus : Stay Curious
I have many long-standing interests, but these two questions ~ Who am I, really? And who am I in relation to the Whole? ~ have been with me from the very beginning, serving as a coupling of gentle doves (or wise serpents) in view of that which embodies the sum and source of all.
In line with Q1, Who am I, really?, I have come to realize myself along four dimensions of being ~ personal, interpersonal, transpersonal, and impersonal ~ with the ultimate ground of my being being found in a pure and featureless awareness just beyond the witness perspective.
In line with Q2, And, who am I relation to the Whole?, I have come to realize myself operating within and through four existential layers of opportunity : (1) security via safety (and vice versa); (2) significance via satisfaction (and vice versa); (3) spontaneity via simplicity (and vice versa); and (4) serendipity via serenity (and vice versa). In light of these layers of actualization, I have construed consummation of embodied awareness as the inner presence of assurance via affirmativa (serenity) or as the inner absence of turbulence via negativa (tranquility).
My interests surrounding Q1 are many and varied, and include divining the INFP personality structure of cognitive functions (FiNe SiTe) in the MBTI (I recently completed a reading of Gifts Differing for a clear, concise, comprehensive overview of the sixteen personality types).
My interests surrounding Q2 include the Case against Reality, where the reality we know (or think we know) is not real in any substantive sense; “spacetime is doomed,” a mere data structure, a representation, an emergent property arising out of conscious experience, probability spaces, Markovian kernels, decorated permutations, cosmological polytopes, and amplituhedrons.
Here, the role of consciousness (both subjective and collective) rises to prominence.
How do the conscious experiences of a network of conscious agents, in and of and by themselves, underpin Reality spiritually and materially, where polarization (service to self or service to other) conditions perception, leading to attentions and intentions both diabolic and divine?
With respect to the basic question, Q2, these questions have captivated me for many years: What is the evolutionary imperative, subjectively and collectively speaking, in the context of spiritual ascension? What is the history of humanity? And what is the global situation at this time?
In exploring these questions, I have probed the depths of subjective freedom and collective wisdom, broaching such topics as the ubiquity of narcissism, in its subjective and collective forms; tribalism versus universalism; as well as spiritual deliverance from archonic and demonic oppression, obsession, and possession, both in their subjective and collective forms.
In view of these topics, I often wonder: What can we learn from artificial forms of intelligence (automated, augmented, autonomous)? Is AI a blessing in disguise for humankind? Or will it ultimately prove to be a burden to humanity (or worse, rendering humanity redundant)?
It is well and good that we not allow ourselves to be consumed by darkness, which is why I welcome the inspirations of luminaries in the fields of personal growth and spiritual wisdom. For example, consider these predictions from luminaries for the weeks, months, and years ahead . . .
- major upgrades in awareness, realized with rapid clarity
- personal revelations that bring personal transformations
- the rise and resolution of stormy emotions and reactions
- relationship renewals and fateful changes in relationship
- a widespread preoccupation with “restoring the balance”
- keen pushback on authoritarian structures and influences
- renewed emphasis on friends and mentors in community
- magnifications of love to inform and inspire wise actions
A fuller realization of number 8 on this list can be supported by the wisdom from stories told by those who have gone to the Other Side (see “The Other Side NDE” on YouTube, for example). Here’s a sampling of wise suggestions offered to souls who found themselves on the other side :
1. be authentic
2. explore and create
3. embody love
4. be willing to love (and be loved)
5. listen to your inner voice
6. use technology responsibly
7. replace prejudice with sound judgment
8. exercise the power of creation, but . . .
9. beware of diabolical influences
10. understand the purpose of evil, and . . .
11. know that “We are One”
In keeping with the case against reality (commonly construed physically in terms of spacetime as fundamental), one could well ask : is God not the source of any apparent reality? If God is mere projection, a case might be made for “reality is more powerful than God,” but if God is a living, loving, everlasting reality with legitimate power and proper authority, what then?
Instinctively, we know that diabolic influence cannot be ignored, dismissed, or used for anyone’s benefit without dark consequence. We also know, at least intuitively, that diabolic influences from beyond can be quite subtle and cunning, especially against the innocent among us.
Today, evil is presented as good; the diabolic is presented as “not evil;” all manner of spells and curses are presented as good; books on evil are catechetical in nature, intended to bring young people to a place where they can no longer have a true and genuine relationship with God.
By contrast, the prescription offered by all major religions for dealing with diabolic influence is clear to anyone with a mind and will to heed it, even as the details of its practice remains open to interpretation :
–
“live out faith (pray, attend ceremony, be in communion) and be in a state of grace;”
prevent all manner of diabolical influence from gaining a foothold in consciousness
–
With countless ways to play the devil’s game (occult practice, indiscriminate exposure to what passes for entertainment, or a life of habitual sin, to name a few), what hope does humanity have for keeping diabolical influences at bay, especially in times of rapid change and renewal?
But then, could it not be argued that diabolical influence is a potent catalyst for growth?
–
the curse of Eve affects every woman differently, regardless of her notions of ‘desire’ and ‘husband’ : “your desire shall be for your husband” (to contain, control, compel, and coerce without right reason)
the curse of Adam affects every man differently, regardless of his degree of ardor : “your desire shall be for comforts and pleasures” (rather than duties and obligations to family, community, and/or nation)
the promise of Satan (Lucifer, the bearer and bringer of Light in the heavenly realm) affects everyone differently : “do as thou wilt; be master or mistress of your domain, and stand proudly as a god(dess)”
the presence of God affects everyone, regardless : “if the past is for learning and growing (to accept and forgive), and if the future is for trusting and caring (to inform and inspire), welcome the presence of mercy, grace, hope, faith, and charity; allow them to infuse your character”
–
I keep notions of God as “a living, loving, everlasting reality with legitimate power and proper authority” open to exploration and interpretation, with a readiness and a willingness to draw on the best from all religious traditions, including the so-called godless traditions of the East.
By the same token, in reading a book like The Book of Understanding, as I am currently, I remain ever mindful of my responsibility for cultivating power and authority in my own right, without falling under diabolical influence, in keeping with the purifying virtues of divine guidance.
Addendum : Notes on Power and Authority
power is a capacity to act, the ability to do or make
in effect, power is the ability to bring about change
authority is the moral power to command or enforce obedience in community; moral authority is the right granted by moral law to impose obligation on the acts of others, such that moral power binds a person to act or not act in certain ways under penalty of missing the mark
power without authority occurs when I have the power to act but no authority to exercise the power associated with this act; authority without power occurs when I can be placed in charge of X, Y, and Z, but, for whatever reason, cannot be effective in getting anything said or done
caveat : power is not authority, not even in relation to spiritual warfare; by conflating power and authority, those in power can abuse legitimate authority by imposing power with illegitimate authority to make both their power and their authority appear both legitimate and proper
beware the presence, promise, and power of diabolical influence