Theos-Talk Archives (April 1996 Message tl00967)

>From: MACDOUGLEE@aol.com
>Date: Mon, 22 Apr 1996 07:32:08 -0400
>Subject: control/meditation

>In medit-l today:
>
>Nice post Susan-
>I believe that the soul does recognize truth but it is the outer person or
>what you refer to as a mental thing that often resents and rejects criticism.
> In fact "I just know" that God is All Knowing, All Wise, etc. and when
>someone comes across as an authority on this or that in terms of criticism
>there is this inuiting thing that kind of says,  "wait a minute God is the
>authority and parental figure, you are my peer, another servant and have no
>right to join partners with Him and condemn or criticize what I do or say."
> In knowing and feeling this I take the responsibility for how I should
>spiritually react to the situation and to this other soul in seed form like
>me, struggling in their own way to become something "better than best" so to
>speak.
>
>However much of our current behavior is automatic, out of preconditioning in
>experiences far less spiritual that we should have.   Embarking on a
>spiritual path is just that, a beginning, and we can meditate, study
>spiritual and heavenly realities, receive inspirations and inner teachings
>all we want but if we do not translate these into actions they are nothing
>more than nice thoughts.  To me faith is conscsious knowledge and righteous
>deeds and this comes about by a process of belief plus experience.  No matter
>how clear my meditation appears to me in my human consciousness they are just
>beliefs until I put them into action and when finding they work I have
>increased my conscious knowledge and it reinforces the practice.  To me
>meditation is not an end in itself for the purpose of relaxation or insights,
>it is a means of connectedness to something both outside and inside of
>ourselves.
>
>There is a vast difference between true spiritual guidance than
>ego-prompted-imaginations.  It takes action to separate the two because in
>reality I believe we are fallible creatures and trial and error is our mode
>of behavior.  With meditation, prayer, service to humanity and study of the
>spiritual information available we open more choices and can become more
>successful beings by acqiring virtues to replace these human faults and
>character deficiencies born out of our natural process from physical to
>rational and finally spiritual development.  The all work together as one if
>we keep focused on spirit and not giving in to our automatic reactions and
>yet seeing these reactions as signals that we need something from another
>level to solve the situation.  Reacting from a purely physical level, or from
>our rational level, is not enough for effective human relations.  I feel we
>need to get upstairs, so to speak, and see more of reality and respond to our
>fellow and kindred souls form a spiritual level for the way of the animal in
>fight and flight, or from rationalizing our attack and defend behaviors does
>not produce good human relations.
>On a higher or spiritual level these same powers can be used to attack a
>problem, defend our friends and faith with peaceful means or reject things
>that can stunt our spiritual growth and take in things which are conducive to
>this growth but the stict use of these lower level powers to attack a fellow
>or run from the pain of human interrelations is to use these powers against
>ourselves.  We say human relations yet I wonder if in reality they are soul
>relations.
>
>Much love,
>Doug
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