Firstly, I would like to cover "dimensions". Have a look at this post here, about "the signs and symptoms of the evolving adult" (and here for a post about signs and symptoms of the awakening Kundalini - but do finish reading this paragraph first, please). Now, we DO all continue to evolve and grow - no doubt about that, and there ARE signs and symptoms of that growth (such as natural, automatic rising of the Kundalini when one has sufficiently evolved - you don't need to do anything in particular to "make" it rise!). However, I have a couple of points to pick with this article.
Point of Pickiness No. 1: dimensions
We live in a three dimensional world: we have some control over length, width and up/down. I can lean in any one of those directions, for instance. If I lived in a two dimensional world, I would only be able to, say, move back and forth, or side to side, but not move up or down. It would be like being confined to living entirely on the surface of a sheet of paper.
On the other hand, if I lived in a four dimensional world, on the premise that the fourth dimension is usually taken as time, I would be able to do things like .. in the next minute, go back to yesterday. I can't: that means I do not live in a four dimensional world.
If I could communicate to someone in a two dimensional world (and maybe cause their version of "UFOs" by putting a finger tip on their sheet of paper), how would I explain the concept of a third dimension? Hmm ... pretty tricky.
By the same token, it would be hard to explain the fourth dimensional world to someone like me who is living in a three dimensional world.
OK, I am all OK with that: I'll get to experience a fourth dimensional world when I get there, in due course.
What really gets my goat, however, is when people start talking about "fourth dimensional awareness", which is a nonsensical phrase, when what they REALLY mean is "advanced spirituality/metaphysical awareness", or "fifth dimensional" when what they REALLY mean is "VERY advanced spirituality/metaphysical awareness".
You don't need to claim ridiculous connections to validate spirituality!
In fact, one of the problems of making that claim is that it can seem like this world can never be good enough, almost as if you HAVE to go elsewhere to gain an adequate spirituality, and that is just absolute, complete and utter rubbish.
So ... no more rubbish about dimensionality, please: just stick to "degrees" of spirituality/advancement of knowledge.
Point of Pickiness No. 2: weight
The article also includes inferences that weight gain may be due to accumulation of negative energy. This is a bit like saying all overweight people eat too much, or all overweight people are unattractive (or that you must be thin to be attractive). Rubbish!
Just as some weight gain can be due to overeating, in my experience some weight gain can be associated with trying to cope with negative energy (think about where some people, particularly men, tend to accumulate such weight: round their middle, almost as if they are protecting their Solar Plexus Chakra [1], which is the chakra associated with emotions ... )
It is, perhaps, significant to this idea that the body tends to store toxins in fats, so, by the principle of "As Above, So Below", perhaps one can suggest that "toxic" energies (negative or disharmonious energies) could be associated with fat ...
Well, any time I have chosen to lose weight (and that is not because of some idiotic idea that I have to be thin to be attractive), I have found exercise the most useful device, with eating a sensible diet helpful. I am capable of undertaking some very string energy work, and have never found it led to any particular weight loss. In fact, when I was learning and was working with some substantial crystals on top of me (see here), I tended to put on a layer of fat under where the crystals sat - perhaps to help protect me from the weight of the crystal ...
Random Thought No. 3 - more on aging
I heard a couple of radio programmes on ABC radio as I drove in to work today, one of which related to my recent post on aging (see here):
- Redefining old age, about what might happen as the "Baby Boomers" move into retirement, which was on the Radio National's Lifematters programme; and
- and interview with Daniel Akst, which was on Classic FM.
Well, something I recall reading once was that hunter-gatherers (and, biologically speaking, that's still what we are) generally worked around 25 to 30 hours a week to survive. That suggests, to me, that putting in 40+ hours a week at a job in order to "survive" is something we are not meant to be doing. Hence, we should, in fact, arrange the world so that we spend less time struggling to survive, and then we could have more time for ... what?
It is at that moment that I think fear of boredom kicks in for many people.
I'm OK, I have lots of hobbies and interests (such as developing myself personally and/or spiritually and/or psychically), and I would, in fact, love to have a chance to get bored enough to start putting more time into those other interests. But other people are not in the same category ... in fact, I think many older people lose their interest in life through boredom, and then ... just ... die. There tends to be an assumption that retirement is when one "should" be looked after by one's family (which I fortunately will not be in the position of having to say no to), or one "should" take off on the round-the-world trip, etc, etc, etc.
So ... what happens? What goes wrong?
I think firstly, as I mentioned in my recent post, people fail to look outside their focus on family, job and social status. Secondly, I think people feel that they "should" have self-centered interests ... maybe they should accept that it is OK to want to do something like lobby for the human rights of the third world during one's retirement. Daniel Akst's book "We Have met the Enemy" may help prompt some thought about the balance between greed and selflessness ...
(Note that I am not necessarily endorsing anything written in the book: I am just suggesting it as a way to possibly help think an issue through.)
By the way, have a look at Grandma Moses' lifestory as an example of someone starting something at an "old" age ... she started painting in her 70s!
Random Though No. 4 - suffering and catastrophes
Have you ever wondered that there seems to be more natural catastrophes in areas that are less developed?
Well, leaving aside the issues around perceptions colouring "reality", news reporting and lower building standards in areas subject to extreme poverty, I DO happen to think we influence the Earth - psychically, as well as physically.
That, to some extent, makes sense as it is the flip side of the coin to the idea of ... doing a ritual to heal the Earth. Of course, that does mean it gets a bit scary when one thinks about how many people are unhappy on this planet, as it means the planet is also unhappy and may eventually get to the stage where She wishes to do something about it ... perhaps to ALL of us .... hmmm?
Now, if simple compassion for the plight of another human being isn't enough to motivate you to do something to help them, perhaps the thought of their suffering triggering catastrophes might?
No? Well, how about the fact that one incurs negative karma when one fails to take action if one is in a position to help others? There are lots of inexpensive things one can do - such as wish or pray for those less fortunate than oneself, or light a candle. If you can afford it, why not try donating 0.7% of your after tax income?
Here in Australia we have a movement which is trying to encourage the Government to spend 0.7% of Gross Domestic Product on overseas aid. Their being a bit slow to take that on, so maybe I can do their job for them, in a sense, and make a donation each pay to a suitable cause.
It's fairly small, but the payoff may be worth it.
Random Thought No. 5 - group karma
A couple of thoughts came to me recently concerning "group karma".
Now, to some extent the plaintive wail I hear about this from some people is, "but it wasn't me that did the wrong!" That may well be true enough, but:
(a) the situation is a bit like marrying into a family; and
(b) you have other karmic debts.
If you marry into a family, then, to some extent, you may well be taking on their problems as well as their pleasures. This is not in the sense of "marrying into mob" (NO-ONE has to take on active criminality), but in the sense of a normal commitment between loving adults (not necessarily opposite gender, and not necessarily only two - see here and here). In that sense, if there is, say, a sibling who is differently-abled, you take on loving and caring for them as part of establishing a relationship with the rest of your partner's family - just as if there is some rubbish and abusive or unhealthy relationships, you hopefully know about them and either decide to tolerate them or do what you can (without patronising) to resolve the issues, or decide to avoid that part of the situation. To push the example a little further, if the family has a family business, you may be getting into the financial ups and downs of the business.
In the context of group karma, when you plan your life, you choose the group you will be born into or will live in as part of your lesson plan. So ... you basically made some sort of agreement around the group karma aspect of your life situation - it may not have been a simple "yes I'll do what I can to help pay off that debt", but something was decided ... about both the good and bad aspects.
Now, the only thing to consider here is that, unless you're beyond rebirth and have come back solely to help (in which case you don't need this little blog :) , you're not a saint - Christian or otherwise! That means you have karmic debts: it may, in fact, be to your spiritual advantage to come back into a group which has a karmic debt, as you will be able to, to some extent, pay off your personal debt through working on the group debt. People often tend to feel better about doing something which will help people close to them who they care about, rather than just doing something of benefit to themselves, so they may do more under these circumstances than they would if all they had to do was deal with their own karma.
Let's consider a couple of examples.
Suppose you had had several centuries of being a violent thug through the Middle Ages. As part of dealing with that (including the lessons), you may choose to come back as a German soldier in the Second World War and experience defeat, and the collective guilt associated with the Holocaust.
Or ... you may have had several centuries of avoiding the gritty aspects of reality by hiding in a nunnery, and thus come back to a situation where you cannot avoid problems ... perhaps as a white in South Africa or Australia who winds up working against racism.
The point is, we are not helpless, innocent victims of the karmic situations we find ourselves in. Of course, we also find ourselves in unpleasant situations for other purposes, such as learning, or spiritual testing - it is not all karmic ...
I've got quite a few other posts on karma: for now, I'll just suggest here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
Point No. 6 - some reading on the Akashic Record
Now, I always keep in mind Lobsang Rampa's caution about the Akashic Record, which is to the effect that you need to be particularly gifted to be able to access it. That said, though, the following articles, which come via the Spirit Rescuers site, may be of some interest: see here and here.
Point No. 7 - some reading on the healing benefits of meditation
This link, also via Spirit Rescuers, has an interesting article on the healing benefits of meditation [2].
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
Notes:
This post's photo is yet to be posted.
Tags: dimensions, evolution, growth, about me, aging, suffering, catastrophes, down to earth, karma, groups, physical attributes,
First published: Wodansdagr, 16th February, 2011
Last edited: Wednesday, 16th February, 2011
