Theos-Talk Archives (May 1994 Message tl00041)

This is by Eldon Tucker.

----

                  Historic and Spiritual Truth

     We read of historic truth, and will often find a growing
difference between the literal facts, as we can glean from historic
records, and the myths and grand stories we have of great people of
bygone ages.
     Is there really a distinction between historic and spiritual
truth? Is the past an objective reality, or does it only exist as
effects in the present?
     As time moves on, the distant past becomes less real. The
literal facts and experiences of an event long ago eventually
become recycled as more recent memories or the stuff of what is
happening now. We could not continue to exist if we could not
forget, really forget, permanently forget, and move on. There is a
purpose, for instance, in our forgetting the details of previous
lifetimes on the earth.
     The energy invested in events of the past, in the images of
things that have happened and are no more, needs to be freed. The
images need to be broken and die. This energy is needed to animate
new forms in our lives. Do not dwell in pride over great accom-
plishments of the past. This prevents you from doing your next
great work. Or consider a murderer, unable to heal himself and move
on until he can break free of his dreadful contemplation and
reliving of the horrid crime!
     The historic facts are but one aspect of an event. There are
the effects of the other principles (astral through Atman) too.
These effects of the past change or transform as we grow and
change. They are not static.
     People take on mythic proportion over time. This is not
because unreality sets in. The higher truths sought expression in
someone's life. These truths may have only partially come out in
their lifetime. In the years following their physical deaths, the
effects continue, and history has a chance to *correct itself.*
     The higher truths still have an effect on us and continue to
come out, altering us in the present and altering our appreciation
of the person in the past. History literally changes itself as
inner forces behind the historic people and events change us and
our experience of it.
     Certain seemingly ordinary people can be elevated to mythic
proportion over time because of continued effects on us from causes
that originated while they were alive. Others with a mixture of
good and evil could be redeemed. This might happen as benefits of
the good deeds continue to help while the evil deeds are no longer
seen or felt.
     In once sense history in written in stone, forever unchanging.
In another sense, history is a living, dynamic, changing influence,
an integral part of our lives.
     Impermanence is the keynote of life. Failure to accept the
impermanence of life is the primary cause of suffering. Most of us
accept the impermanence of the future, rejecting a literal sense of
predestiny. Some people embrace the impermanent nature of the
present; they see the great Emptiness in outer life. How many of
us, though, embrace the impermanence of the past as well?
     A sense of dynamic past, both in one's private life and one's
relationship with the outer world, is an important part of the
spiritual path. It does not deny those scraps of paper, once
written, that tells us of the thoughts of a day long gone. It
instead frees us to fashion our minds and hearts according to the
spiritual will. We are freed to move on in life and not be
enchained by the personal baggage that we carry with us.