Source
Hierarachy Is A Barrier To Enlightenment
Now this is going to be a post of two halves, one aspect being my observations on religious institutions and the way there seems to be a hierarchical barrier between enlightenment and spiritual understanding. And the other half will be my first attempt at describing a personal spiritual experience. I would also like to state that no aspect of this post is intended to offend the Christian faith, I merely speaking out about the hierarchical power and control structure that has grown up around it.
I was raised and confirmed as a Christian and used to attend Church on a regular basis. Although many of the true Christian virtues are to be lauded I’ve come to believe that there is a profound difference between God, the teachings of Christ and the monotheistic church interpretation. In many ways I’ve come to understand that with the creation of a hierarchical structure, religion has become perhaps one of the greatest barriers between us and the Great Spirit/God. Enlightenment is not achieved through climbing up the church hierarchy, it exists as a potential and a possibility within all of us. It is a fire waiting for a spark.
I do not believe Christ or indeed many other religious divinities (The Budda springs to mind) would have understood their exaltation. I also believe they have been aghast at their depiction as deities and idols? How would Christ have viewed a ritual where his followers eternally drank his blood and ate his flesh? Would a man who spent his life amongst the poor and whom had forsaken all worldly goods understand the wealth and politics of the Vatican?
That’s not to say that there aren’t many good people within the Church structure, there are and I’ve met them. Equally, I’ve met many people that are hollow vessels going through the motions with no considerations of said virtues. Attending church as a perceived tick on their eventual journey towards heaven. Indeed people hide behind many masks in this world of illusion.
Under A Rising Sun We Are One
It's my belief that the truth of our connection to the Great Spirit and the profoundly resonating pattern of life possess a beauty and grandeur the most lavish Hollywood epics can barely glimpse at. And yet religion has (in many not all cases) relegated this connection to exaltation, repetition and ritual. Again with this worship and objectification has religion placed a barrier between humanity, God and indeed Christ? My perception is the true word of Christ is that we are all equal, there is no hierarchy, there is neither man nor woman holier than me and equally there is nobody holier than you.
If we are one then equally one is we, indeed this is a concept that runs through all ancient wisdoms and if you look hard enough it’s also in the very foundation of Christianity. I believe there are many profound truths and wisdoms within the words of Christ but they have been attached to the Church and indeed institutions are far easier to infiltrate and bring down than eternal faith.
Source
Spiritual Divisions
I have spent a lifetime studying religion, the esoteric, the tribal shamanic, the psychedelic and altered states of consciousness and the laws of nature. I have come to believe there is an interconnected truth and a spirit that runs through all of them. That’s not saying I seek some form of idealistic one world religion, that moment has passed and the truth needs to come from within where it’s far more difficult to be manipulated. The foundations of our spiritual truths have been shattered into a thousand pieces and used as tools of control and division. I believe the intent has always been that once they have been shattered to the point of destruction they will be rebuilt into a faux one world religion. Now is the time to release the shackles of perceptual control and take responsibility for our collective actions and indeed spirituality.
Too long have we remained divided, too long have we slept, too long have we forgotten the human spirit that connects us all, connects us to the entire cosmos. From a different perspective even if you don’t believe in the validity of spirit then from a scientific understanding we are connected and entangled at a quantum level. Imbalance unbalances us all, life is a dance of balance and energy and the eternal scales have been weighed in the wrong direction for far too long.
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Stages Of Disconnection
It's my belief that the creation of a monotheistic hierarchical structure based upon control and fear has led humanity to embark upon a two stage process, both of which have disconnected us from spirit and the great spirit. Firstly although many people used to attend church service it was often through fear of eternal damnation, but my friends fear and enlightenment are not comfortable bedfellows. Secondly as we have grown as a species fear has been replaced by anger, indignation and ridicule.
As such we have been slowly manipulated to hate God, and in many ways it’s easy to see how this has happened. Many of history’s most heinous acts and violent wars have been attributed to religion and thus the great spirit. Unfortunately this is in fact wholly down to human interpretation and historic manipulation. The holy trinity of perception: Father, Son, Holy Spirit / Mind, Body & Soul / Physical, Atomic, Quantum / The three Dantian energy centers.
Source
Indeed although often at war with other tribes Native Americans were not religiously indoctrinated and so remained at least spiritually united by the source. I believe this to be the same Great Spirit that we worship via a multitude of names and religions, and so in effect our perceptions have divided us. Although equally I believe our perceptions have been hijacked in order to spiritually divide us, but more on that in a later post.
Source
I believe God to be a universal consciousness, the source of all life and spiritual energy. From that perspective please understand that to hate the Source is to hate ourselves. In many ways as a society we have been trained to hate ourselves for without self loathing how could we ever allow this world to be the way that it is? Our gift is that of freewill and from that perspective the responsibility for this world resonates within and through each of us, who can save us from ourselves but ourselves? Indeed if the all is in the all then the all is in all.
The path to true enlightenment is not found through wrath, fear, vitriol and penance. The path to God is not paved through guilt and self-hatred for the times we’ve fallen short, the mistakes we’ve made or the negative thoughts we’ve had. As children of the cosmos we carry within our thoughts the duality of the universe. This duality needs to be both embraced and balanced and indeed the road to the rising sun of enlightenment is often reached through our journey into the long dark night. To steady this balance it must be acknowledged, we can’t ignore it and pretend it isn’t there. Without darkness there can be no light, without the hard times how can we ever truly appreciate the good?
Throughout our lives we stumble and fall but it’s how we get back up that defines who we are. Life is a lesson and we are all here to learn, sadly some of us have grown deaf.
Source
My Journey Into The Mind Of The Source
Now as promised at the beginning of my post I’m going to try and quantify my own deeply profound spiritual experience. Now some may read this and think perceptualflaws has perhaps comtemplated one perception too many! Some may also read the following few paragraphs and believe them to be extracts from an over active imagination. That’s absolutely fine and completely understandable, whether you believe the experience to be valid is your choice to make. I seek no justification or validation, all I ask is read with an open mind and make of it what you will.
This is my first attempt at either writing down or verbalising this pivotal moment in my life so lets see how it goes and indeed how far words allow me to take it, you ready? Lets go!
The Downward Cycle
I’ve written extensively about the cyclical nature of time and reality. We are one within these cycles of change and so are held within this resonating pattern of life. This was a time when I was on the downward loop, waiting for the cycle to bottom out before I could rise again. I was grieving the loss of a friend, a family member had been ill, work was generally pretty crap and equally the bravado of youth was slowly releasing it’s grip. Over the subsequent years I’ve come to understand that age has brought me a multitude of gifts that many don’t live to open, but at this moment in time the long farewell to my youth had laid me increasingly bare and there was nowhere left to hide.
After a long a difficult day I climbed into bed and I prayed, I prayed for guidance and received ... nothing! For one week I prayed but there was no voice, no flash of divine light, no sense of wellbeing or spark of inspiration, silence. Now although I was raised as a Christian I must admit that this was the first time I had prayed with any form of conviction. I guess I was worried about the responsibility this may bring to my life, I didn’t want to be a puritan and that was how you reached God wasn’t it? In some ways I think I felt guilty and unworthy. I was also young and wanted to live my life with no responsibility, a life where I could throw caution to the wind and live wild and free from constraints of any kind. So to be finally ready for some divine intervention and hear nothing was a difficult pill to swallow. I guessed that indeed we are alone, spinning through time with no idea where we’re going or where we’ve been. I was wrong.
Source
Forest Of Dreams
For the next few weeks I carried on as usual, too busy to reflect upon my thoughts and too proud to shed my tears. Then one day with a day off work and all my calls made I decided to take myself off to the local forest for a day’s walking and contemplation. Now anyone that’s ever read my hiking posts will know that I prefer to take the path less trod. I knew this forest really well and so after a couple of hours I reached one of my favourite spots, a remote moss covered glade. The wind gently tugged at the autumn leaves and the sunlight cascaded through the trees “what a day to be alive”.
With my heart singing I decided to attempt a very deep meditation, as I retreated into myself I once again asked the Source to enter my life. I’ve sat down several times to write down what happened over the next second, minute, hour? But to no avail. Time stood still and equally how do you capture a feeling with mere words? Tonight the words seem to be flowing a little easier so I’m going to grab the opportunity in the hope that they may ignite a spark of interest or lift someone that’s feeling down. But back to the moment.
Source
Suddenly I no longer felt alone for in that instant I was at one with creation. I breathed, the trees breathed, the grass breathed, the world breathed, the universe breathed and we breathed as one. I could feel the beating heart of a deer as it danced through the forest, the wind ruffling and buffeting the buzzard as it soared through the sky. I felt them, I was them and you know in that moment I knew they felt me. This was the truth of an interconnected reality humanity had disconnected itself from.
Source
At One With The Great Spirit
Then came the voice, I use the word voice in the loosest sense of the word. This voice came from within and it both resonated with and spoke to my soul. As my mind was filled with profound images and wisdoms it stated something along the lines of “there is but one true voice, one life, one breath, one truth, one wisdom and one love”. Now obviously from a visual and physical perspective that does not appear to be true but the message seemed to relay that the entire multi-dimensional nature of reality and spirituality all arose from a moment of divine and intelligent singularity. Indeed a singularity that will one day once again envelop the entire cosmos of creation.
Although I believe in one God/Source I also believe that birthed from this source there is some form of energetic evolutionary process occuring throughout the universe. The compression of energy creating a multitude of spiritual intelligences and as with all universal processes there is again a duality at play within these various energetic manifestations. But I've digressed!
I then started to observe a huge circle and it was impressed upon me that this signified the unity of humanity, our oneness. I was shown that over the course of human history we have been divided and weakened and had lost our way. I felt an immense sadness emanating from the source, like a mother mourning the loss of her children, there was certainly no anger. The circle then began to be cut like slices of a cake, the process accelerated until the slices became wafer thin (unable to sustain anyone) and then began to fall away. I was shown, no correction I felt the sadness and weeping of a million lost souls. I was on my hands and knees with tears streaming down my face. Somehow I knew that the root cause of human misery, madness and psychosis stemmed from our disconnection to the natural order, the source.
I also felt that we are connected to this earth far more profoundly than many understand. It was as though our thoughts and actions have a direct effect upon the energetic resonance of the planet. Not simply from a sense of our actions, industries and extractions damaging the earth (although that obviously feeds into it) but also that our very thoughts and actions towards each other and the eco-system feed into this energetic resonance. As if the earth has some kind of will to survive and if we lower the energetic resonance with hatred and evil then somehow it unbalances said earth and in turn sets off some form of self preserving chain reaction.
As an aside over the next few years I went away and researched this feeling and actually incorporated it into one of my first posts here where I included the below words:
Source
The ones that become left behind
So within a mess of a society that works for some at the detriment of others, the people that profoundly feel this disconnection are often the kindest and gentlest souls. In turn they become the most dysfunctional, often turning to heavy drink, drug use and promiscuity (refer to my indigenous communities statement) as a way to try and fill the void they instinctively feel. Within this process (there are always exceptions to these rules) those with a harder edge and perhaps less compassion often rise to the top of a dog eat dog society. They define themselves with money and status but use their drive and intellect to fuel a system that (if it continues in this current trajectory) will one day kill us all, clever eh?
But Back To The Moment & The True Singularity
At this point I was lifted up (in a metaphorical sense) in a whirlwind of love and wrapped in a comfort blanket of compassion. Indeed that’s kind of what God felt like to me, not a man in the clouds but a resonating intelligent love. I was told that I needed to follow my path and that my soul carried with it a burden of truth and that it had become akin to a lead weight upon my shoulders. Indeed many reading this post will feel the burden of truth for the day grows short. Do we always gets it 100% right? no we don't, but it's the intent that's the important thing and if I sense your good intent whether I agree or not I'm with you 100%. And then ... the moment had gone, like sand seeping through my fingers the more I tried to hold onto the feeling the quicker it disappeared.
Source
The Dawn Of A New Day
I danced through the next few weeks as if I was ten feet high, something had changed, my outlook had changed and my heart had opened. Who I was, is different to who I am. That doesn’t mean I suddenly became an instant monk and I can't profess I ever will. There is a part of me that will always be a rebellious and wild free spirit, but it’s how you find the balance within that’s the important thing. Am I perfect? Definitely not! I’m a work in progress and as such some days I fall and let both myself and others down. But each new day I pick myself up with the knowledge that we are reborn in the first light of dawn and as such are granted the opportunity to rise above and grow beyond the mistakes of our past. But equally each day is a gift and time is a rare commodity so my advice is to spend it wisely.
I also want to state that I have zero delusions of self-grandeur, I’m in no way special (well no more special than anyone reading this) and I have no direct line to the source, I receive no hidden messages or information. I’ve tried many times to reach this moment of divine singularity again but to no avail and that’s fine. I feel incredibly lucky to have had this experience for it has ignited an eternal flame within me, a flame that burns on even the darkest of days. But it’s a flame that burns within all of us, we just need to find a way to ignite it.
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The Message & Conclusion
I have written about and incorporated our disconnection from the natural order into many posts. I have also written extensively about the technological singularity we find ourselves hurtling towards. I feel as time moves on the vast majority of us will begin to forget our connection to the natural world, to the source. From that perspective this experience and the feeling I hold within me will give me the strength to never forget. I will never forget that the technological singularity is simply a synthetic and controlled manifestation of what we already have. And I will never forget that we are all part of something far greater and more profound than I or anyone else can hope to fully comprehend.
Although I’ve actively written about these subjects this is the first time Ive shared this personal perception. In many ways societal pressure and fear both controls us and hold us back from speaking our truth and our mind. My advice is simply follow your path and speak your truth and thus liberate yourself from these societal perceptual chains.
Source
It’s one thing to write these words and share this experience but something else entirely to feel it. Mere words will never fully convey that feeling and it’s the feeling that will stay with me until my dying day. My only hope is that in the future as society changes and the lure to connect ourselves to this synthetic sub-reality becomes even stronger these words may help someone to ponder whether there is another direction and another way.
Thank You for taking the time to read and remember your views and perceptions are as valid as any I may have. Indeed there is nobody better placed to decide who has the perceptualflaws. Over and out.
Written by perceptualflaws
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I'm proud to be both a member and supporter of the Minnow Support Project - brought to you by the hard work of: @aggroed, @teamsteem, @canadian-coconut and @ausbitbank,
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Dude, I'm running out of superlatives to describe just how monumental your posts have become. You truly are in a league of your own here at Steemit. I always said you you'd be a huge success once your genius talent for explaining the unfathomable was recognised by the masses.
This is the best part for me......
Better advice will never be given.
You're awesome mate.
Thank you so much for all your support my friend, you know how much I both appreciate it and value your friendship! You've been here since day one and have never faltered in the support and encouragement you've given me and I'll never forget it. Equally great to read your comeback post, offering a multi-facted exploration of this world of illusion and conspiracy, like a tailer weaving his cloth it's not until the job is finished that you can stand back and appreciate the bigger picture . I really appreciate the way your mind works and the perspectives that you give and the chats that we have. Thanks again @tremendospercy you really are erm ... tremendos! :D
Haha, do we need to get a room?
Seriously dude, thanks for the kind words. Having studied these scumbag families for years you try to get in their heads and imagine the moves they'd make to get what they want. Nothing is off the table as far as they are concerned and innocent deaths are just an acceptable part of doing business.
What a world we live in eh?!
Wow, that was a deep one! I appreciate your time on this post @perceptualflaws. I agree that when we look outside of the church walls we might see something bigger. I do believe that living under constant rules and restraint limits our ability to perceive a concept larger than all things. Cheers!
Thank you for taking the time to lend your support and leave such a great comment @freedompoint I really appreciate it! I think the problem is that humanity lives within a box of perceptual awareness that never allows us to see the big picture, indeed how can you view a picture that's been fractured into a thousand pieces. The problem is that when we break out of one box it's immediately replaced by another of a slightly larger size. Thanks again.
For sure @perceptualflaws ! I love reading about mind expanding ideas. I love the concept of breaking out of a box just to be in larger one. I am on quite the journey these days. I try not to jump into mainstream spirituality, but really seeking and looking for myself...the only issue is not wanting to talk about "small" stuff. It keeps coming lime one question after another. Maybe at the end of all of this...there might be answers! Cheers!
ha ha .. YES .. the "R(US)S-i'AN" DO(LL)S !!! - )))
= the .. P-(LAYER)-S .. of BE(lie)FS - ))
WitH(IN) .. or .. WITH(OUT) .. a 'choice' - )))
.. that few reCOGniZE .. the'Y .. H_a'vE ???
i really enJOYed this POST !!! !!! - )))
but, yOUR comments .. are GreaT TOO !! - ))
lovelovelove )))
greb'Z )
Very nice article with some really fantastic images.
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Thank you I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
very good post, I have been interested in esoteric (books, when internet is not yet even born) during my early college days, I'm glad concepts are still alive these days.
Thank you.
Thank you for the support @guruvaj I'm really glad you enjoyed the post and equally thank you for taking the time to comment. Yes indeed these concepts seem to be experiencing something of a rebirth. Again a duality, some turning away from the natural order and some people being called towards it. One things for sure we are hurtling towards a pivotal moment in the history of humanity.
Welcome, expecting more post from you about these stuff.
@perceptualflaws, wow, wow,wow!!!! To respond accordingly i would need to write as much as you did, and you have inspired me again to write my truth.....I have been on this same journey which is called deconstruction from religion...As a pentecostal christian gripped by fundemental christianity, and driven by guilt, shame, and condemnation i was brought to,utter darkness in addiction and eventually prison for a non violent drug related crime....In this dark place God began to teach me through my lens of christianity about grace and love which led to a monent in time where I had my greatest spiritual experience ever....It was as if a source of energy was charged through me so intense it almost hurt....From my belly to the top of my head, i now believe it was similar to kundalini.....After this i began through study and meditation the deconstruction of fundemental christianity or religion.....Learning the devil and hell were not even really properly taught and werent real, and then learning about the history of AD70 and that the bible was simply mistranslated and misinterpreted history book writtem to jews for jews.....The true message of Yeshua of Nazareth was the Oneness, God Withinh, the Kingdom of God within, unconditional love(Agape)...This is a very short version, our message is important, you are a true prophet my friend......Much Love Blessings❤
Thank you so much for your kind words my friend I really do appreciate it and I'm so glad you were able to take something from my most. Equally sorry for the late reply but I caught your message just as I was heading for bed and then I was out to work at the crack of dawn. Like yourself I have seen the good, bad and ugly that this world has to offer and whilst I was never a bad person (again like yourself) good people can sometimes lose their way in this world of illusion and mixed messages. I sometimes think you have to travel through the dark night in order to appreciate and indeed bathe in the light. And yes indeed fundamentalism of any nature is never meant to complete us or sate our appetite for the unity and oneness we instinctively feel.
When I used to hear the words "your body is a temple" I thought of this concept in a purely physical sense but now I realise how profound and misinterpreted the phrase actually is. We are a conscious manifestation of every process taking place in the known universe,and at a spiritual, quantum level we are the universe. Atoms vibrating at a frequency dense enough to accumulate mass, when the atoms cease to vibrate our consciousness is once again freed to become part of the oneness, the infinate sea. And so yes from that perspective it would seem ludicrous to suggest that the answers and the balance we seek does not lay within each of us. Indeed to question is to grow but fundamentalism teaches us that to question is wrong? Equally although the answers lay within each of us we all need to find a way to lift each other for to empower humanity is to empower ourselves. Thanks again for the great comment @positivechange10 and please do write your truth for it's as valid as anything I could ever say.
T_re-A-SURE_S .. = .. AC(cure)AT .. CELL-F .. ME_A-sure-ME'nT !!! - )))
ha ha - )))
YOU are the .. P_arT of 'me' .. T(ha)T'S YOU - )))
i AM .. the P_arT of 'you' .. T(ha)T'S ME - )))
(YO)U_N_i-VERSE - ALL - ))))))))))))))))
= ap.PARENT .. or .. FUN_da_MENTAL - ))))))))))))))))
i love BOTH - ))))))))))
but .. the most satisfaction .. !!! !!! !!!
... (co)M(es) from the ClaritY .. of NOW = fun_DA_me(NT)al - )))
lovelovelove )))
greb'Z )
I look forward to reading more of your posts!
Powerful stuff. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thank you for taking the time to read and lend your support @buggedout I'm really glad you appreciated it.
I believe you are on to something here, I have done some exploring in this life here as well & I have had so many questions that I have many answers to, & yet so many more unanswered questions. Your spiritual perception is very inspiring & I have learned in this life here as well... The more I know , The more I don't know. Up voted.
Thank you for hopefully having started an enlightented conversation on Steemit. (No puns intended! ;-)
I think you will find that there are many of us that will agree with you that our various institutions/systems lie to us in an attempt to enslave us for a variety of reasons. I use the phrase "The Lie" when referencing them. @wwf uses the term "fictional realm" (although I might be expanding his thought beyond his intention). But I think we all agree that there is little pure Truth to be found in their structure and teachings because they have distorted their sources. So enough about them. Let's talk of "Sources."
Given that we all begin this journey under The Lie which has defined our perception of literally everything, how then do we recognize The Truth, should we chance upon it since we cannot trust our own perceptions? It seem that a source, originating outside of ourselves (but possibly operating from within ourselves) is necessary.
One source that I hear of repeatedly is Nature/Creation. When humans still the "noise" that they create and begin to hear/see Creation our perceptions are altered. Usually we first see our relative smallness , next we often see that we are part of a larger whole, and as you describe we often experience an overwhelming visceral feeling of that connection with it all.
But then we return to our "reality" of daily living, changed but still not enough so we seek more. We look for other Sources that will afford yet another perspective for our tainted perceptions. It is these other Sources that I hope we can explore on Steemit.
The reason for this exploration is that we know from statistics that no inferences can be made based on a single observation where N=1 (i.e. enlightening experience). Each individual observation is just as good as the next. Yet The Truth should (I presume) be universal because that's kinda the definition of Truth. It's that singularity (as in the state of being single) we ALL share and that some are seeking to experience and understand. What other Sources might be valid such that we have a sample of N=(some sufficient number)?
Thank you for lending your support and leaving such thoughtful comment, I really appreciate it. Structure and teachings seem to attract those that seek to obtain power and wealth from such hierarchies. Although many are started with good intentions over time they seem to draw those that hide behind masks and carry out their deeds in that dark. A multitude of perceptions that have both fractured and deviated from the oneness also play to the age old concept of "divide and conquer" although a worldwide unity defined by an an individual or an institution brings with it a dangerous element of control and indeed that is the current conundrum of humanity.
"Given that we all begin this journey under The Lie which has defined our perception of literally everything, how then do we recognize The Truth, should we chance upon it since we cannot trust our own perceptions? It seem that a source, originating outside of ourselves (but possibly operating from within ourselves) is necessary"
Yes I agree entirely for our perceptions have been controlled and manipulated since the day we were able to formulate words and thought, equally our understanding of our surroundings begin to be formulated even before our birth. I believe in both a source operating outside of ourselves and indeed inside of ourselves and at a spiritual or quantum level both are profoundly connected. Perhaps this could be viewed as akin to a higher self. In discussing a higher I use the analogy of a beautiful river, the higher self is the river and the mind represents self-preservation and as such attempt to swim against said river. Indeed i wrote the below words in a previous post.
Our intelligence is a slave to the ego and as such we become an accumulation of external influences. Every question and every answer is a slave to both intellect and a narrow band of perception, reality is not human centric but our interpretation of it is. Human experience is observed from within and if you know this to be true then you know that in this understanding there exists an element of control. The truth of reality will never be fully understood by intellect alone for it’s a slave to perception, the senses and the ego. The truth is found in our ability to let ourselves go and float along the river of life.
I believe there is a oneness and a truth but it displays it's gift in such a way that our life experiences and perceptions may understand. Indeed my truth may not be your truth but that doesn's always mean they're not the same truth, if you see what I mean? Now you've got me thinking so I'd also like to add: Whilst your excellent comments have opened my mind to thought and contemplation I also understand that if I ask you a question your answer should be the first thought that enters your mind, if you give this answer even a seconds consideration then it's a deviation from your truth. Again great comments my friend, thanks for taking the time to read my post and then display such a concise and coherant wealth of knowledge and thought processes @yulem
To continue the dialogue, you state:
Can we look specifically at "... ability to let ourselves go ..."? It seems that this is the crux of our conundrum (sorry, couldn't resist the alliteration) as spiritual beings constrained by a three dimensional "body." I posit that our mind/intellect is a slave (in the sense of dictated to) of the sum total of the limited perceptions stemming from the senses of a three dimensional body. That set of mentally processed experiences results in our internal self perception of who we are, i.e. ego.
Given that context I agree that we are seeking to "let ourself go" and all it implies. But based on personal experience "letting myself go" simply ushers me into another layer of my "ego" (to use the word as just defined). In other words ALL my experiences of which I have any awareness are still within that created realm dictated by my mind's processing of my sensory inputs (or lack thereof).
We can have experiences that afford us an alternate perspective. We can employ psychedelics, sensory deprivation, mediation (especially on Creation), etc. and they ALL do strip away that very myopic state where we all start.
But I believe the rabbit hole is deeper than that! And I'm not sure that in the absence of something TOTALLY outside of ourselves we have the ability to let go of ourselves. It seems we are no better off than the two dimensional creatures of Flatland by Edwin Abbott. It wasn't until the three dimensional creature came along that the flatlander experienced ANYTHING outside his sensory/mental prison.
(I'm not sure I've met the "first thought" criterion you suggest. But I can share that in my thoughts and writings there is a linear flow from the initial "trigger" to wherever it is that I land. I agree that if we begin with a preconceived goal and write to that effect it's bogus. I suppose I could try a Ulysses' style stream of consciousness next time ;-)
Thank you for getting back to me. I suppose the concept of letting ourselves go has (for me) a dual meaning. Firstly I tend to feel that if we remain true to ourselves and allow it, life wants to carry us in a certain direction i.e the river of life. Our minds often overanalyse and in turn complicate this process and as such we often find ourselves swimming against our river and our path. From this persepctive flowing with the river of life comes from understanding ourselves and feeling/knowing the direction life (or indeed the great spirit) wants to take you in. This can only really be achieved once you've managed to strip away the societal and perceptual control mechanisms that have been built around us. Indeed from a societal perspective to follow ones heart as opposed to ones head would suggest a division, but do the two really need to offer alternative choices?
I believe a balanced mind, body and soul also unlocks higher levels of instinct and intuition and as such it's this balance that enables us to navigate said river. Indeed heart and head (or mind, body, soul) held in perfect unison often seek the same goal and as such are a powerful force. This is a potential unity that exists within all of us, but alas many remain divided from themselves and each other. I suppose in some ways the fracturing and division we see in society is a physical manifestation of this internal process.
And secondly, when I think of a human brain I actually perceive it as three brains
1)Firstly we have the physical mass of the brain.
2)If our minds were placed under the microscope we could zoom in closer and begin to see a second brain of atoms.
3)If were able to journey into the brain at a sub atomic level we would see it’s third manifestation, the quantum brain.
It's my belief that consciousness is held within the quantum/divine field and as such we could be viewed as droplets in an infinite sea, although "we are not a drop in the ocean, we are the mighty ocean in a drop". Our physicality anchors us in one place and holds us within a bubble, it's not until the bubble bursts that we once again become at one with the ocean. Equally I believe that within each of us there exists the ability to enter (at least to a degree) these higher levels of consciouness. In fact it's my understanding that through writing and artstic endeavours many people (mostly without their knowledge) are already accessing this energetic field. Indeed even from a scientific perspective many of humanities greatest leaps forward have not occured through repetition but have been gifted by a series of eureka moments, entire ideas and concepts seemingly plucked from the air.
I suppose letting yourself go in the moment is a predetermined desire to bypass and rise above the constraints of mind and perception in order to reach this state of higher awareness and intuition. Accessing these higher states of consciouness comes from understanding the difference between ego and self and indeed the level of ego dissolution required to hear self and thus become one with consciousness. Sadly these moments are indeed transient and so I agree entirely that there is a far bigger rabbit hole. To varying degrees we are and will remain to be prisoners of perception.
In a multitude of ways an increasing problem is that many of us are also becoming prisoners of other peoples perception. Handing away our intuition and instinct and thus allowing society (and a neverending stream of "experts") to define both our sense of the possible and the boundaries of the impossible. Yes to a degree this has occured since the dawn of humanity but the evolution of our connectivity now appears to be ushering us into some form of hiearchical hive mind.
In many ways the "first thought" criterion works to a much greater degree in the context of conversation, the moment. Writing will always require contemplation and thought, although (as you display) you can still remain true to the initial thought process/spark that started said work.
As a connected aside to what I've already written, I believe that in many ways we (as a species) are both feeding from and feeding the universal mind. Our thoughts and actions have the potential and power to affect and perhaps infect the collective psyche of humanity.
Thank you,
I think I should write a post so we can continue a bit there.
" Suddenly I no longer felt alone for in that instant I was at one with creation. I breathed, the trees breathed, the grass breathed, the world breathed, the universe breathed and we breathed as one. I could feel the beating heart of a deer as it danced through the forest, the wind ruffling and buffeting the buzzard as it soared through the sky. I felt them, I was them and you know in that moment I knew they felt me. This was the truth of an interconnected reality humanity had disconnected itself from." well this i too have lived both on land and at sea where I have spent almost as much of my life it seems !! A man needs to empty his mind before he can hear the whisper of the One that is all around him ! This post is yet again breathtaking in its worlds and illustrations beyond any i have seen before here on steemit ! @perceptualflaws you are indeed a Magician )
Thank you so much my friend, I really appreciate your kind words and support! Equally I'm so glad you were able to take something away from my post. "A man needs to empty his mind before he can hear the whisper of the One that is all around him" Yes my friend that's so true for we need to be able to hear the eternal whisper but equally how can people hear when they don't want to listen.
it sings out so clear
but sings only to those
that are able to hear
Well hear it seems we can you and I @perceptualflaws ! But hearing is knowing and knowing allows us to relay this whispers message ! )
When there is truth, there is oneness. when there is fear, there is blindness. Once you open up for the gift of energetic explanation without filter like you have then a part of the world population will always be ready to receive the message.
The fault of monotheistic religion is not the teaching but the interpretation. But luckily for all of us, the collective consciousness has evolved to a point where great spiritual masters are not as needed as they used to be, because the searching has become so much easier. Please keep sharing your positive unifying message.
Thank you for the great comment and support my friend, I really appreciate it! Yes, I really feel the collective consciousness is indeed evolving although equally our news media feeds us a daily diet of fear as a way to (as you say) blind us to the truth of our unity and our inherent power. In a way society is structured to impede these moments of reflection and awareness. But under the sun we are one and the dawn of our universal consciousness is rising. Thanks again @suntiger