Inspiration
A man who has not passed through the inferno of his passions has never overcome them. As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being. Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
Carl Jung
A Father’s Guide to Wisdom
Jesus Christ knew the power of paradoxical awareness. He spoke to his 12 disciples and the masses through parabolas, a language that moves the soul to go within, and create meaning from both inner and outer awareness. This very act is the process of undergoing the inferno, or the hell necessary to overcome personal passions. But this is not a game for the youth to undertake, for they do not have enough ashes or exposure to the hard lessons of life to have gleaned the wisdom present from a patient predisposition. Instead, it seems that this very notion of delayed gratification has been lost within a counterculture bent on instantaneous gratification. Where can we go from here?
The soul purpose of our existence is to create a light from within. Buddha was well aware of this when he stated.
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
Buddha
Yet, I rarely see individuals focus intent on cultivating happiness from within. They will complain about things such as systems, parents, schools, teachers, etc. that hold them from their happiness; but they never turn the attention inwards, where the perception can be laser focused on the very essence of the light that can ignite the dark matter of soul. Through working this very primal paradox, spirit allows soul to escape its depth, igniting psyche to link to its more divine state: A Self-Realized state of being.
Remember, the Buddha once said,
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
Buddha
When we hold onto this very spirited emotion, the only one that gets burned is the holder of its intent. But anger is only one part of love, an emotion that is inclusive of all other emotions. If we did not love, anger would cease to exist, for anger arises when something that is loved is perceived to be absent from the light of conscious awareness. Is it gone? No… It simply is not perceived in the moment. It’s light is not felt upon the soul.
Let us focus our minds towards the light. Let’s move past childish ways of thinking and being. Let’s cultivate wisdom through the patience of loving intent. As Jesus once said,
Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in this world.
Jesus Christ
In this citation, Jesus does not put us down. We are from God, have have conquered them. This is our plight. We must descend to conquer those very Godlike traits that link us to knowing, as God does, the daemons that will cause the psyche to descend in the first place. We descend in order to ascend. We conquer the daemons of the psyche to return to a state of childhood reverie. In this passage, Jesus reminds us that the child within us all, that soul that unites our individual to collective plight, exists to solely to ignite the light of spirit within. This inner state is far more greater than that of the personae one simply presents to the world.
The fire of spirit burns from within. Hate or Love, Anger or Passion, Guilt or Redemption; the choice is always the responsibility of the acting participant. But maybe, if one takes the time to cultivate the journey within, the descent into the inferno will not be lost. Just maybe, we may even break through the other side, where paradise can be felt, and unity can mend the divides once present.
When you meet your end… What story do you want to have told. What story do you want told about you?
With prayers and blessings. Believe… Achieve… Advance Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams.
Dr. Tom
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