from What's Going On Here?, Vol 2, No 12
It is often said we are in the world but not of it. Maybe it also should be said we are in the world but not ABOVE it.
Most of us "live" in our heads. This technological, scientific, patriarchal society in which we live values this logic and reason above all. We may even call it the golden idol of Western “culture.”
The acceptance of this supreme valuation of what is called "intellect" causes a division between the mind and body of which we are completely unaware. And while the separation exists we live in one place or the other, vacillating between the mind and the instincts of the body. We have not created a harmonious whole THROUGH which to express Life. What we are instead is a group of fragmented functions very roughly strung together by our individual perspective.
We live mainly in the mental function until the instincts holler; then they are quickly indulged in hopes of shutting them up. How often are we "thinking" about the past or "planning for" (or dreading) the future? How often are we involved in mental machinations about some project or analyzing some situation, or rehearsing a future conversation, or re-writing a past dialogue, or wishing for something to make us happy, etc., etc.?
Very often we pursue spiritual ideas in the mind. We give attention to a spiritual concept, maybe we "work out" a new understanding, and we believe we are "being Spiritual," when in fact nothing more is going on than the computer playing with and revising a program that happens to be labeled, "Spiritual."
Believe it or not, THINKING about spiritual things (no matter how "good" this makes us feel) is in no way a spiritual activity.
Because of the nature of human beings, which is to be the expression of Life in the physical world where we live, we must, in order to function properly, live IN the body, USE it to express Life.
What most of us do instead, is live ABOVE the physical, bodily plane, exercising the mind, and out of necessity, dragging the body along with us. It is not integrated into the whole being, it is felt to be a separate possession of "me", the mind. Because of this neglect, it fusses and will not be ignored. Since we don't have the strength of repeated practice which builds a real, permanent “I", when the body fusses we can’t control it. The instincts will be heard; they come up at any time of their choosing (when we are exposed to possible pain or pleasure) and run over us!
Before we can begin to integrate these functions into a working harmonious expression of Life, we must first recognize that what we think is "I" is really a computer program running endlessly, which is constantly interrupted by a squealing body wanting to avoid annihilation it perceives in every potential pain or loss of pleasure.
We drug this body with mental gyrations constantly; we live in a fantasy world in the head, and wonder why we are always unsatisfied at best, and often miserable.
In order to truly live a spiritual life we must harmonize these mental and physical functions by developing a "container" for all this. This container can be called the "Real I", the heart, or the Soul.
After first recognizing the situation, we can then act to correct it. And ACTION is the only way on this planet earth we will ever accomplish this (or anything else!) Remember, THINKING is NOT ACTING.
The method of action is simple but not easy. And it can only be undertaken in one small increment at a time. It is the only way to stop the chaos, and will take plenty of attention.
We must first create a new member of the group we call "I". This new member is an observer only. It "watches" the body and its instincts (the feelings and emotions), and it "watches" the mind working on patterns and why questions and endless analyzing, and so on. This new member will at first be weak and sleepy and it will take effort to keep it on the job.
A great Spiritual Secret is that this effort produced by the Observer when objectively watching (completely without judgment); for instance, watching the body cry out in pain or desire and the mind searching frantically for the quickest remedy, will transform the instinctual and mental energy into a new kind of energy - creative energy, rather than dissipating, nervous energy. This creative energy builds the container, the new Soul. The Soul is the conductor of what can be a harmonious orchestra, rather than leaderless mass of chaos and confusion, or the disassociated logic and reason constructing its eloquent patterns in the ether.
It cannot be over-stressed that this process can only take place moment by moment. One little instance of observing the instinct and denying it, it's little rampage will build upon the next moment of watching the brain off on still another "problem solving adventure" or other fantasy. The accumulation of these efforts transforms the energy involved in them into something new. The observer we create with this energy will put a Soul in charge of all these human functions so that we will at last be truly Human expressions of Life on this earth, neither OF it, nor ABOVE it, but creating WITHIN it.
Check it out.
