It is often said we are in the world but not of it. Maybe it also should be said we are in the world bul 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.
to be continued...
From Arizona Newsletter vol 2, no 12
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