Spiritualist Circle of Light

To distrust people is to distrust the Divine. The behavior of others is always towards a state of harmony.[1] At the same time, we may wonder what constitutes harmony for any given individual. For most it will always be a sense of satisfaction. What might satisfaction look like? To the observer it may be imperceptible. To the individual it will always reflect their self-image. More precisely, how they view themselves in relation to those around them.

Think of it like this. People tend to act within their character.[2] While their character appears dynamic it changes little. Our traits are sometimes seen as being inherited. That’s because there are only five traits that are recognized. They are extroversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness.[3] This is said to be the basis of our personality as it blends each of these into our uniqueness. Our special blend is revealed through how we view our social environment, which changes quickly. The way we adapt to those changes is according to our self-image. Through our projected image we become predictable. Therefore, we can trust people will behave according to their perceived image.

Thus, it is not the person we should distrust, it is their motives. To the observer, motives appear confusing because they only make sense to the one applying them. Motives can be extremely complex, so we will reduce them to something manageable. Abraham Maslow proposes a hierarchy of needs consisting of physiological, safety, belongingness, and worth.[4] While he discovered the formula is flawed, many use it as a means of explanation.[5] Shall we briefly look at each of these needs?

Physiological needs are the most basic. They consist of food, water, and shelter. While they may be basic, they are sometimes difficult to meet. Our culture has developed along the path of approving, if not encouraging, taking advantage of the disadvantaged. This occurs through the support of an economy founded on the acquirement of power not wealth. The illusion we must accommodate is how we react to and apply power in its many guises. We must have some form of power in order to obtain our goals. Ours is not a society that invests in social capital as a rule. Respect is not gained through maintaining social harmony, community alliances, or fairness. Community alliances, fairness, and perhaps harmony is brokered through power exchanges directed towards mutual destruction. Although the illusion is to benefit, it is often a guise for self-serving interests.

While safety may appear to be just as difficult to obtain, it is more easily accomplished. Safety is achieved in a variety of strategies ranging from retreat to makeshift bulwarks and squatting in abandoned buildings. Of course, these are short-term solutions. Anything beyond requires a level of responsibility to the self, and some are not ready for that.

Belongingness has no physical markers and exists within the implicit realm. This too is more easily satisfied than those previously listed. We naturally gravitate to those who are like us. If we were to invoke the condition of love, then we have wandered into an undefinable area outside of the written word. No one provides an applicable sense of identification to the term. We shall offer one of own that may encompass the many descriptions given. We identify love with nurture. Thus, if we now apply love, we are suggesting that belonging and love are demonstrated through the ability to nurture and be nurtured.

One other need exists which is mingled with safety. Worth is tied to safety and holds an intimate position. Thus, we will address it on its own merits. Recognizing a sense of self-worth is the most difficult to experience and to hold onto. Self-worth is a primary concern to all[6] and is the most complex of basic needs. Of all the potential motivations one can conceive of, defending one’s sense of worth is often the most incomprehensible to the observer. From our very first breath, our authentic self, which is our sense of worth, is being shaped by others, not we. We are shaped by our parents on so many levels. When we begin to explore the world, virtually every person encountered has had a hand in shaping who we are today.[7] If we are unsatisfied with who we have become, our tendency is to blame those responsible, which serves no one.

The self-esteem motive is a common element to enhancing our perception of self.[8] For many of us, it may also be the least understood motive. When we begin questioning ourselves, we have nowhere to go but to ourselves. The very moment we begin questioning who we are or why we act in certain fashions or what we hope to accomplish, our confidence is shaken. At that moment, we make a choice. We may remain with what is familiar, or we may embark upon an unfamiliar path. The former may be fraught with anger, while the latter is filled with fear. In both cases, we are seeking harmony within ourselves.

Harmony is what we desire, but this is not always our motive. Harmony is something implicit. Only through awareness can we consciously move in its direction. Awareness allows us to choose actions leading towards self-empowerment. Actions without awareness amount to impulsive behavior. This is what is distrustful. Behavior is multi-dimensional[9] suggesting emotional and cognitive states are involved. This also suggests behaviors are selected based on perception, which is often skewed by our faulty beliefs. Beliefs are often based on rational and irrational ideas,[10] but they are the only thing on which we can rely. It is the ambiguous nature of our beliefs that give cause for distrust. Not only the observer, but also the performer should question beliefs and motives.

The one thing we can rely on in others as well as ourselves, is the desire to achieve harmony. Unfortunately, along the way our perception becomes a delusion. It is the delusion we must distrust if we can separate theirs from ours.

Many teach that fear is an absence of love, however, if we teach that love is nurturing, then this may be false. If the expression of love is nurturing, then to take it away is to inflict pain or to do harm. What inflicts the most pain, both upon the one receiving it and the one giving it? It is hatred. Hatred is not our topic. Our topic is fear. Fear is an absence, but what might it be an absence of?

When we experience fear, we may become paralyzed or apprehensive. The first causes immobility, whereas the second is caution. The latter is more easily understood, despite the two being related. When we become cautious, we must consider why is there a need to do so. I am an investor, which means I buy and sell stocks and mutual funds. I do not buy and sell when the mood strikes me. I research the stock and I monitor the markets. Presently, the market appears to be in a downward spiral. The markets did the same thing during beginning of the pandemic. A lot of investors sold their interests while in a state of panic. They sold their stocks because they were fearful of losing gains and possibly their principle. They lacked confidence in their ability to stand fast. This is what fear is about, confidence, or a lack of confidence.

Those lacking the confidence to perform a task, whether it is investing, speaking, or in relationships with others are fearful of the outcome. What does this feel like? When experiencing fear, we may become anxious, paranoid, apprehensive, our heart may begin to race, we may even experience what is called panic attacks. While love may aid in overcoming fear, it does not take it away. The only thing that will take fear away is to discover its cause.

Fear is often a realization of something lacking. Information is usually what is lacking. Fear of the unknown is due to a lack of information, which leads to unexpected events. Fear of being successful is not planning for what happens after success. Fear of failing is not having an alternate plan. We might say fear is due to our lack of anticipating challenges. By anticipating potential downfalls allows us to prepare and be flexible in our execution. The better prepared we are, the more flexible our thinking, the more confident we become. With confidence, fear is less likely to paralyze us.

We cannot always be prepared unless our approach to life is one of flexibility. Flexibility acknowledges the nature of life, which is change. Knowing that change is the nature of life and accepting that change is the nature of life are not the same. Knowing through change we evolve allows us to prepare and to maintain alternate plans. Accepting change as progress may become our view of life, and those challenges we experience become opportunities. Accepting is not as easy as knowing but acknowledging and anticipating lead to accepting.

The next time fear is experienced, look for the message it is bringing. If love is nurturing, try not to nurture the fear. If fear is lacking, then filling the void with the appropriate response to the message alters the experience. Filling the void properly, does not take away fear, but it does lessen its influence.

© 2022

Western culture encourages us to focus exclusively on ourselves, sometimes with little regard for others. We often follow this path when we are young because we don’t know any better. Only later do we discover the fallacy of such a belief, however, we have so much of ourselves invested in this approach to life it becomes difficult to move through the changes that may be required. We say move through because we are already there and unless we move on to the next crossroads it will always follow us because it is always behind us.

We make a commitment to make changes in our behavior and then attempt to fulfill our self-imposed obligation. While it would be nice if it were that easy, but it’s not. We are creatures of habit, and upon any sense of failure will return to what we are familiar with. This is normal, and we see it in nature. When moving through what is being experienced, embarking on a different avenue is difficult because we are letting go of something. We are moving from a neighborhood of familiarity to one of mystery. While this may seem exciting it is mixed with periods of grieving. Mind interfaces with the wiring of the brain, which is our neuropathways. Thus, mind receives mixed signals which may result in mild confusion or bewilderment.

Any time we experience confusion we become disturbed. Disturbance is unpleasant and we are conditioned to avoid all that is uncomfortable. It is not that we want to abandon change, it is the disturbance we wish to avoid. As our perspective shifts, we experience a stew of varied emotions, uncomfortable emotions. What do we do about this inconvenience? We don’t just rush through it. We don’t just meet the challenge. We get to know the disturbance. We discover what it needs. We give it a name if needed. We don’t negotiate we give it what it needs.

When letting go of something familiar, it is not easy to grab a hold of something else. The reason we experience a disturbed state may be due to a lack of information. Some changes are by choice, others by necessity. Regardless, the process stays the same. Something familiar must be let go and something else used to fill the void. The transition begins with, a question. Why? Why must we let go of something. When we look to nature, we may notice that she is in constant flux. Nothing in nature is still. We, being of superior mind, often believe we are the masters of Nature. This makes for great fiction, but in real applications is fantasy. We expend tremendous amounts of energy resisting change. What would happen if we approached change differently? Chod is a Tibetan practice that cuts through obstacles, more precisely cuts through distractions. Tsultrim Allione, suggests opening lines of communication.[1] Through communicating with the challenge being experienced, we gain insight into what we are reaching for. Sometimes what is needed is more information, or information presented in an understandable format. Other times it may be understanding why we must let go of something. Many smokers would like to stop their habit to improve their health, and often end up exchanging one habit for another. Typically, the cigarette is exchanged for hard candy, which results in adopting another unhealthy habit. We begin to converse with ourselves about the habit.

I apply this method by writing letters to myself. I begin by asking what is wrong. Set it aside a few days, and then come back to it and reply. This communication continues until a resolution is discovered. By discovering the habit’s purpose, in this case smoking, we gain insight into its development and can change or even stop the habit.

Often what we resist, or encounter has a personality of its own. Many have referred to such personalities as our ego getting in the way. This is not the case. It is our ego that desires the change and is sometimes at a loss. When any relationship is severed, there is grief, and it is the grief through which we must work. We will experience the denial; no, we really don’t need to give this up. We will become angry with ourselves because of the difficulty of letting go. Yes, we will bargain; this one time won’t hurt. Depression will find us because we recognize the need for change. Lastly, we come around to accepting the need and will, at last make a serious attempt. This will only occur if we make it through the previous steps. A habit is a relationship, the same as if it were a friendship, or any other type of relationship. While there are many ways to work through changes, and this is only one of many, the path always remains. We can and will eventually move through it. The only question is how.

     Winter, traditionally, is a time of darkness. In Michigan, and perhaps most of the northern United States, the sun appears to have abandoned us. We can go for days with nothing but seeming twilight or dusk. This is something all must reconcile; however, it often reaches deeper than many would suspect.

     I sometimes wonder if nature reflects us, or do we reflect nature? Of course, it is we who reflect nature. Not only does the sun appear to withdraw from the sky, sometimes it appears to withdraw from life, and we are left in darkness. Symbolically, the dark represents mystery, but other times it represents ignorance. Ignorance is a darkness all must enter, and in the midst of ignorance we find ourselves in mystery.

     Even those who claim to never experience darkness, experience it. Ignorance is something we cannot escape or avoid. This darkness can be our friend or our jailer. Those who befriend ignorance understand that from darkness came light, and from ignorance comes the light of knowledge.[1] Such does not occur of its own accord. Of those who find themselves in darkness, in ignorance, may choose to endure the darkness, or they may befriend it. How does one befriend ignorance?

     When we befriend ignorance, we are no longer alone in the dark. We begin to question our mysterious friend. This is what separates those who endure. To endure ignorance is an aberration of nature. Within this mother, we experience change. Sometimes change is rapid, other times it like the snail, slow and gradual, unnoticeable. Yet, change is the conductor of harmony. Those who choose to endure the dark are resistant to change in any form. Nature is devious in her conspiracy. She eases her manipulations upon us, and we are none the wiser. Enduring the dark alone is foolish.

     Those who chose to make a friend of the darkness, have also befriended variation, multiple solutions, numerous paths leading into manifold possibilities. Only one path leads nowhere, and they recognize that. Those who choose to endure, often see only the one path. Why do they only see the one path? There is no guide.

     Few may not need a guide, for they carry their own lamp. They do not do so out of habit, they do so through experience. All have walked a single path through the dark, hoping to encounter a way out. Unfortunately, they soon begin to walk in circles. It is not that they have encounter a rut, or that they have created their own rut. They travel in circles in the dark because they have not stood still and called upon a guide. Each of us is a guide, and each of us has the option of calling upon a guide. What does a guide offer?

     The solution is as obvious as is the answer. A guide often listens. No solutions are offered because they know the seeker is the solution. Patiently, they listen as the seeker releases that which has been pent up within. The guide knows the seeker must let go of darkness, let go of ignorance before they can see the many paths. With numerous paths before us, we may become overwhelmed. With numerous paths, we may become lost once more. During such times, a guide is useful. The guide does not direct or cajole. A guide merely points in a direction. A guide merely reflects us, enabling us to see the light within.

     As we move out of the darkness of the dying year, we must look for the light of the year being born. We must see where we desire to go. If we cannot see, or if we continue in the darkness, we must have the courage to call upon a guide.

Blavatsky, H. P. (1888). The Secret Doctrine. London: The Theosophical Publishing Company, Ltd.

Image by truthseeker08 from Pixabay.

     We are magnets for change because we are always dreaming about what if. What if I had asked her out, would she have said yes? What if I had finished college? What if I had taken the other job? The funny thing about such fanciful inquiries is that they are filled with emptiness.

     A lot of us like to say we use the Law of Attraction, but we really don’t know much about it. Yeah, we say like attracts like. While that’s true, we often wonder how we attracted the messes we often find ourselves in. The true question about all of this is what are we really attracting? Think about all of those ideas or plans many of us have on our mental back burner. When was the last time they were revisited? Don’t know?

     If any are like me, whenever something seems to click, it’s time to renew investigations. Sometimes they lead to a dead end. When this happens, dump the pot. Other times, innovative ideas are discovered and added to the stew. If we don’t check on what’s cooking back there, it goes bad without any of us being any wiser. What happens then? Everything goes sour.

     If any are following the Law of Attraction, at least our understanding of it, we may want to do a mental exercise to see if it's time to get rid of some stuff. For instance, a lot of us like to use the term, I want to be (fill in the blank) when I grow up. If we are in our forties, it’s time to throw that pot out. The reason we are saying this is because most have already made the decision one time or another. Adolescence is not just for teenagers. Sometimes it bleeds into early adulthood. If any are still trying to make that choice, then perhaps they are interested in making changes in their life.

     When we begin experiencing poor job satisfaction, we begin fantasizing about a better position. So, if any are daydreaming and wishing, then they may have discovered wishing gets you a handful of nothing. Of course, there is a more colorful way of putting it. This means it’s time to check the mental burners to see if you have any recourse available.

     Not knowing what we want leads to confusion. If there is nothing on the back burner, then get a pen and paper and write down all your passions. This means, don’t write down the mediocre stuff. If any want to shift from a state of confusion into a state of purposefulness, then they are going to have to engage their emotions. Become emotional about what we want out of life and live a life of expectancy. What I mean is expect greatness from life and it will happen, but we have to do our part.

     If procrastination is an enemy, then find someone to hold us accountable. This means be proactive in our efforts. Enlist the aid of a friend, find a mastermind group, or hire a life-coach. In Neal Conan’s Talk of the Nation on National Public Radio, he interviewed Atul Gawande, they discussed the value of a coach for professionals and suggest others should have life-coaches as well to improve life satisfaction.[1] Accountability is what moves us forward. Step out of confusion, wishful thinking, and daydreaming of life’s scenarios. Step into purposeful actions, clarity in purpose, and satisfaction.