Saturday 5 July 2014

Freedom From The Invisible Prison

by Lucira Jane Nebelung

The Garden of Eden is a metaphor, a myth, and like all myths seeks to justify why things are as they are... only it's not a complete, unbiased story. There is another myth, that of Lilith, who was Adam's first wife. Here is a very brief version of the "full" story.

When "God" created Adam from dust, he also created Lilith, also from dust. As Adam's equal, Lilith refused to be submissive sexually (think missionary position) and in a rage left or was cast out of Eden, cursed. (The story lines differ.) Adam then asked "God" for another "helpmate" and Eve was created from Adam's rib. It was Eve who was tempted by the snake to eat the "forbidden fruit" of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and so they were cast out of Eden.

Here is a bit of perspective: This entire myth is embedded deep in the human psyche with the purpose to justify the patriarchal mindset of hierarchy with power over others and love as approval that permeates our global cultures. The knowledge of good and evil is a metaphor for our free will, to choose love or fear. We made love mean approval, generating all of our fears. This was the "Fall" of humankind or "Original Sin." The message we hold: Love is conditional, based on approved "conditions."

Hiding in Plain Sight
This one belief, love as approval, is the foundation of the perceived supremacy of the patriarchal mindset governing our culture and invisibly permeating all social structures and every aspect of our lives, including family, religion, government, education, and commerce. It generates hierarchy and expectations along with their need for control, submission and compliance. Love as approval is the root cause of all resentment, conflict, violence, competition, greed, addictions, and the use of force. It sets up the power dynamics of victim, rescuer and perpetrator and fears of betrayal, abandonment and annihilation. What we believe to be "love" is really approval, with attachments to expectations; it's of the mind, not the heart.

Myths are archetypes that we live every day and the myth of Eden is no different. We leave Eden every time choose love as approval and its fear.

Love as approval has us living to please and comply with others' expectations, cuts us off from our own hearts and the Love of Self. Love as approval sets up the consciousness of separation. We look to others, see them as objects, an external source that provides emotional and physical security and support. The myth has been perpetuated from generation to generation for eons and continues even today. When we individually and collectively condemn the inequities and oppression we see elsewhere, we do the same thing; theirs is perhaps more blatant, ours more subtle, but it's there.

Any and all creation requires both masculine and feminine energies (not gender). We can call this Will and Love. We have taken "will" to mean "The Father's" Will - love as approval by the patriarchy. This denies and distorts the feminine energy of Love which is open, allowing, accepting, receptive, surrender, and passionate. Love (the feminine energy found in our hearts) births all creation, even in our denial of its presence.

Bottom-line, approval is judgment; if we approve we can just as easily disapprove. Love never judges. We were given "free will" as a gift of human consciousness; an innate freedom to choose. Perhaps what is meant by "Will" is really "Truth": "God's Will" is to live the Truth that we are spirit in matter; that we ARE Love. The union of Truth (masculine energy) and Love (feminine energy) within becomes Wisdom in action, the source of all creation. You might say that Love is The Mother of All.

We have taken this so far that most spiritual teachings and practices until recently have been rooted in the same patriarchal mindset: Transcendence or reaching for (think erection) Truth (mind) by complying with rules and following prescribed rituals. We have not paid much attention to the embodiment of Love (the feminine) within our hearts. Transcendence without embodiment is unsustainable.

We have reached a point that the world we have constructed without the conscious embodiment of Love is no longer sustainable; implosion is imminent. We are witnessing the collapse of love as approval in all of our conflicts and chaos. The patriarchal mindset simply denies the Truth of Love, the heart, while proclaiming the love of truth, the narrow, limiting viewpoints of the mind. Love as approval is the ultimate "evil" - it blocks the flow of both Love and Truth.

True Freedom
Today, the USA celebrates Independence Day. Our Declaration of Independence proclaims:

* [ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all (men) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are, Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness ].
* Statue of Liberty Looks to an illuminated Open Heaven.
These are the three Universal Truths found in all spiritual traditions, Life - Oneness (Love), Liberty - Uniqueness (Truth) and Happiness - Free-will (Wisdom). Love as approval violates our uniqueness and free-will, our liberty and happiness. There is no hierarchy, no approval is required, we are all equal.

At an individual level, love as approval is our root cause addiction, it generates all other addictions. It blocks us from having compassion for ourselves in our imperfection and to seek to escape the pain of separation from our true nature as Truth and Love.

The Psychic Structures of the Superego within the framework of the Enneagram put forth by Russo and Hudson offer a way to see our personalized attachments to love as approval. We are loved, approved of, IF we:
  • Do what is right.
  • Are loved by others and are close to them.
  • Are successful and others think well of us.
  • Are true to ourselves.
  • Know and have mastered something.
  • Are responsible and do what is expected.
  • Feel good and getting what we want.
  • Are strong and in control of situations.
  • Are at peace and others are at peace.
These are virtually impossible to live up to: Who is the judge? What is the standard? Seeking approval both within and from others crushes our freedom to be Loved.

Each of us is here to contribute a unique aspect of Love and Truth in a unique way. Integration, integrity, is living the Truth of Love and the Love of Truth, both transcendence and embodiment. It is the integration of our mind, heart, body and soul (or whatever word works for you). This is our Centerpoint for Being, the footing and foundation for Living the True Self. Deep in our psyche from the myth of Eden we hold the fear that Living the True Self will result in betrayal, abandonment and annihilation: the loss of love as approval. We are never free. Are you standing as Love and Truth or perpetuating love as approval? Our greatest legacy is the transmission of our unique energy of Love and whatever our consciousness of "love" is, is what we pass on.

Love is acceptance and appreciation of what is, never approval. We deeply desire to be appreciated and cherished just for who we are. Appreciation is the energy of Love. Vulnerability is our greatest strength of Self Love. We feel the desire for acceptance and appreciation - love. The desire for approval usurps our desire for love. We get the approval and it doesn't fill our underlying need for love in any kind of sustainable way. On this Independence Day just notice where you may be locked in the prison of approval in the freedom to be your Self or imprisoning someone else.

We, as a nation, have as our founding principles and have offered the world the blueprint to step free of our personal and collective nightmare of love as approval. Love created us and moves us. Invite Love to come alive within you. Freedom is alignment with Love and Truth. Step into your Freedom.

The Centerpoint for Being is what you came to stand for and contribute to Life, your Truth and Love, the Wisdom, Freedom and Independence from social conditioning and approval. It is the highest Vision for yourself; the unity of you with You. Living the True Self is your fulfillment and calls forth your innate wholeness into visibility. Take charge of your Life and embody transcendence. Dare to be vulnerable, open to Love and Truth. Let Freedom ring in your heart. Let this capture your focus and be Free.

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* Lucira Jane Nebelung, Founder & Principal of "Leading as Love", is a faculty member at The Graduate Institute. She writes from Connecticut, USA.

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Thursday 3 July 2014

Understanding The Concept Of Charity – Part 1

by Benson Agoha
 
How often have we heard it from friends that “Charity begins at home”.  I have heard so much about such statements in recent months, and each time, always felt a need to diverge.

Interacting with members of the public is, perhaps, one of the best ways to learn of, and potentially alter skewed perspectives - and there are lots out there.

During my field runs in recent weeks, I have been privileged to meet and chat with people of all races and creed, listening to them, answering their questions and attempting to, where necessary, shape their opinion.

This piece on Charity, part of my ‘Paradoxes Of Divergent Views’ series, has therefore, been motivated by that experience.

The Nature Of Charity:
Charity is the act of willfully extending benevolence to others, a conscious act and decision made by a willing heart, without expecting a reward. In this regard, it is safe to say that Charity is a one way act.

In fact it is its one-way nature that makes it unique and invaluable. And it is this nature that places an exclusive right of decision on the part of the giver.

Why Must We Show Charity:
When they say “Charity begins at home”, I disagree because, I believe it originates from the heart. And have consistently argued, and hopefully convinced some that, charity begins not from home, but from the heart.

Charity begins with the inward recognition of a need to show compassion to others – known or unknown. In this regard, charity does not start with the individuals who are shouting about their problems.

Everyone has a `problem’ of a sort, said a sage. But charity starts with those who play down their own problems, in other to extend compassion to, and help others.

And this explains why some people set aside an allocation for that purpose - without anyone actually having to ask.

Charity Decisions:
The question of whether or not to help an individual or group, though still personal, has over the years, been gradually made somewhat obligatory.

As society embraces charity for its positive contributions, leaders have managed to persuade Faithfuls that, assisting others is ‘ideal`, and ‘positively rewarding’. Never mind that, often times, fundraisers are hardly able to find the right answers, when confronted with such questions as “..what of me, who will help me?”

WHOM/How Much To Give:
Although some fundraisers put a `lowest’ benchmark on how much they expect from donors, it is the exception, rather than the rule and should be used only under specific situations, such as where the capacity and willingness of donors can be relatively ascertained.

Genuine charity should have no `lowest or highest benchmark’ and donors should only give according to their feeling, desires or willingness.

In a recent conversation with one person in Camberwell, I argued that donations should not be a matter of compulsion, and should only be made conveniently, by `willing hearts' and `able donors’. This way, the wheel of free-giving will not be clogged up.

Of course, as an exception, when caps are placed on charity donations by fundraisers, compensatory remarks of gratitude must be on hand to `nudge on' affected donors.

And as with how much to give, whom or where to give is also at the potential donor's discretion.
Donors can even make, and are at liberty to prescribe specific beneficiaries, or projects to which they desire their donations to be directed.
 
Will The Donation Be Used Well?
The question of whether fundraisers actually use the money well, is always difficult to answer, and not in the least helped by the fact that incessant reports of abuses by some fundraisers abound.
Unfortunately, some of the accusations are also peddled by those who do not understand fully the scale of a fundraiser's project. And so not all such claim are substantiated.

And big charity projects are sometimes, even executed through multi-agency co-operation, where each agency undertakes to be responsible for a segment of the project.
 
During my recent runs, I was faced with the argument that some charity workers abroad collect the monies at home and go there to `waste it' on big four-runners.

While this allegation maybe difficult to disprove, especially with no specific case pointed out, it is pertinent to state that the Jeeps might have, also been provided by a donor as their own contribution to the project. And the driver, might just have been a volunteer giving free time.

To continue reading click here [ Understanding The Concept of Charity Part 2 ].