For a minute—step outside of the confines of our value-laden cognition patterns—what is positivity? What is negativity? What makes these concepts in opposition?
Positivity and negativity are concepts—they are not real. You cannot touch them, you cannot inform them of anything, they are not even constant or universal. I will not dip my toe in the pool of nihilism here and say that there is nothing—that there IS no right/wrong, good/bad and life is a moral free for all. Instead I argue that the way in which we choose to conceptualize (think) and operationalize (act upon) these constructs is often “willy-nilly” and is largely dependent on social settings/contexts. We can hardly perform a behavior--no matter how high our intentions--that does not harm another being since all consequences of our behaviors are largely hidden and unforeseen. Yet, all actions have a clandestine mission to balance the whole "system".
Everything simultaneously needs to be brought into balance and is already in balance. This is because there is both a time-bound existence in which we perceive things to need to change to be in balance, and a timeless experience wherein things are already in balance. This relates to Bentley's Paradox which is concerned with the question of whether the Universe is infinite or finite. The idea here is that if the Universe is infinite, then "the force on any object, tugging it to the left or right, would be also infinite, and therefore the stars should be ripped to shreds in fiery cataclysms" (Kaku, 2005). The other side of the paradox is that if the Universe is finite, then the Universe would collapse on itself. I believe this is just another paradox in which both sides are true. Just as we have a life that is bounded by time, and another existence that transcends it--so is the Universe both finite and infinite. Finite in that this Universe will come to an end and infinite in that another existence that supersedes our idea of a Universe will continue because it never ceases being. What exists is a whole ecological system that is best understood together to highlight its interdependencies—but when we use our judgmental faculties we see “good” and “bad”. “Oh look a bunny! [good] Oh no, a fox is about to eat it!” [bad]. But it’s good if you’re the fox right? The labeling/categorization of positive and negative is highly influenced by what “team” you are playing for. This in-group/out-group push and shove is an enduring facet of human history. It is in our ancient religious texts and on our modern-day television and computer screens. It goes something like: Group A doesn't like Group B so Group A makes up false accusations or judges and embellishes behaviors enacted by Group B as unusual and thus, "bad". Group A is "normal", and normal is "good". And of course, on the other side, we have Group B claiming they are normal and Group A is "bad". It really takes both camps to participate in a stereotype for it to stick and have meaning. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yet until we realize that we are on the same team—that positivity and negativity is a byproduct of the ideology that there are “teams”—we will be stuck in an endless debate about who is good/bad, positive/negative, and who can and cannot be trusted or legitimately share their opinions.
Many of us yearn to wake from this black and white novella and step into the kaleidoscope of life which embraces and includes light and dark—and everything in between—into a beautiful tapestry of life. The question is: how do we create an ethos that does not revolve around avoiding bad and embracing good?
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then your thoughts and feelings are worth millions. The links between our thoughts, feelings and speech create and categorize our experiences into limiting storage bins. (This was good, that was bad.) To arrive at a way of life that minimizes this dichotomy and maximizes the ecological fluidity that is your life, changing your thought behaviors is a necessary step. When we spend our time labeling positive and negative aspects, we end up focusing on what we want to experience (desire) and what we don't want to experience (fear) rather than what is (experience). One way to minimize the pitfalls of fear and desire is to be truly thankful for what we do have, and to speak, think and feel about things in a different way. Instead of saying, "I want/need to lose weight." Try rephrasing it as, "I am losing weight." And then most importantly--go do it. "Want" and "Desire" are akin to "try". You can say, "I am trying to lose weight." But why throw the "try" in there? A logical follow-up to this statement that is not being said is, "but, I'm not losing any weight."
Focus on DOING--instead of "trying", "wanting" or "avoiding". Frame your thinking and your words with craft to reflect action and a transcendence of a dualistic point of view.
Taking the time to judge your interactions with people, places and things as positive/negative takes you out of your current moment of experience. When you are reflecting on the events of the day or thinking about what you will do tomorrow you are taking yourself out of the only moment that really matters-NOW. Sure, it is useful to reflect at times to come up with new solutions to a reoccurring problem. But when we focus on how we judged others or how we felt others judged us (i.e. Did I look stupid when I did such and such? Do I look like this person when I do that? Did that person mean to make me feel like that?) we are largely wasting our time. What other people think of you is none of your business. What matters is how you feel about you.
Living happens in the now. What matters is the choices you make right now. Choosing to relegate your now experience to thinking about time that has or has not happened yet is fruitless. Focusing on the past and future is often where we tumble into those pitfalls of "desire" and "fear". When you bring your attention into the present, you may notice that joy is readily available. That instead of groping for that thing, person or event that will make you happy, the experience of being alive is joyful in itself. You can begin to open up your intuitive faculties and to shut down the cyclical thought patterns that produce the same events and emotions that you are trying to "want" and "avoid" your way out of.
It is here--in this space where you recognize the loving interconnectedness of your life to others around you in the NOW moment--that you can learn to transcend the positivity/negativity trap. You can truly learn to love with your heart open, free of judgment and not be scared of being taken advantage of. How could you? No one can take more than you give because there is an infinite supply of love. (isn't that great!)
Not the smothering and selfish kind of love where you ultimately want others TO BE LIKE YOU—the way you deem is correct, worldly, right—but to accept them for who they are and to help each other out of bleakness of duality.
Unconditional love feels like you are the friend, the enemy, the mother, the father, the brother, the sister, the oppressor and the oppressed all rolled into one—you cannot decipher your relationship with them in this terminology and you needn’t do so because you are recognizing that you are staring your CREATOR in the face.
We are all in mythology--whether you are a star-crossed lover (the story of King Arthur), vain and in love with your own reflection (Narcissus), feel tricked into accepting responsibility you did not want to undertake (Persephone), or have had your love interrupted by a jealous sister (Ishtar and Ereshkigal). These dramas occur because we lose sight of our interconnectedness and unity. Myth is a universal language filled with parables that echo our life struggles and triumphs. The zodiac represents a universal time--a unit of measurement--better yet, a context of the situation. These settings are "places" and "names" that represent the energy flowing through the universe and your psyche. Mythology is one way for us to recognize patterns of energy so that we may journey back to ONE. On our journey of remembrance of unity, as individuals we have "aspects" or parts of ourselves that have "fallen" into duality. We no longer represent the unity within ourselves--and no longer feel at "one" with the Creator or Creation energy. (And anything other than an expression of unity is an illusion.) I also find that it is not a coincidence that "sin" is very close to "sine" in Latin which means "without" and that "sin" in Hebrew literally means "to miss the mark". What I believe is "missing" or "without" is the idea that we are not separate. Mythology is filled with stories about "mini-falls" or dualities, and as such they are filled with fears and desires. These are the symptoms of an illusion since the good and the bad, the right and the wrong, are all emergent from the same energy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The intention we put behind energies make entities/beings/contexts seem "positive" or "negative", but the Truth is neutral. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mythology are stories in our collective conscious that remind us of times when we forgot the penultimate rule: that We Are One. Dreams are an important mechanism to relay these stories in contexts that make sense to you--to personalize the universal. Every myth has its impossibility. There is always something a little unexplainable....and this is why myth is relegated to fiction. "How doe he have super strength?" "How did she get pregnant as a virgin?" "How did they return from the underworld?" "How does s/he know things that we are heretofore oblivious to?" But what if these stories represent real accounts written in metaphors, yet the metaphors have lost their context over time and are now taken at face value. Once we can transcend the limitations of the chronological context, these stories represents underlying principles and archetypes that echo throughout time. Again with each archetype representing a "duality" or a fall.
As we heal our mini-illusions that collectively create the grand illusion in our minds and bodies, your being, the planet and the universe(s) will heal as well. We can stop reenacting the infinite play of illusion and participate in the reality of unity. Our children will lead lives in abundance....rich with opportunity. And by "opportunity" I mean the ability to achieve that which is imprinted on their souls...what it is "in their blood to do"...to express themselves in the way they intend. Opportunity is not equivalent to the ability to acquire mass amounts of wealth or to attain a position in a hierarchy that gives more weight to those who venture farther away from "one". For as we seek to obtain credentials and goodies that set us apart from the rest, what we end up with is just that--being "a part, not whole--and without experience of the reality of equality.
Mythology assists us in understanding the forces in our lives that
we have little understanding of.We
often wonder how it is we end up in the same situation or fail to learn a
certain lesson, or why our lives never go quite as we plan them.It is because who “we” think is doing the living
and planning is only a small representative of the totality of our being.There are planners in our being that many of us are
largely unaware of.A part of you wants
you to fail because you don’t think you can do it, you are not worthy, or maybe
because deep down inside, you know that the path you are pursuing is not the
location of your bliss.
The forces that make up your own
sphere of consciousness are the same ones that govern the body and the universe, but are manifested as psychological dispositions.Your mind, body and spirit are in constant
war with itself to create harmony (another paradox)—much like the cosmos—to maintain a balance.We already have a notion of this in our
biological sciences called “homeostasis”. Homeostasis is the idea used to talk about how various
parts of your biological being work together to achieve balance, and that when
organs and systems are out of balance, dis-ease occurs.Your conscious and subconscious mind also works in this fashion.
Psychological discomfort often arises because
we are all of these energies, but desperately
try to identify only with those attributes that we consider positive.This of course disrupts our natural state of internal harmony and agitates the energetics inside
of us that we consider "negative".Ironically, as experience is a large circle or loop, the more we run away from the
dark or negativity, the faster we run into it again.All is experience—positive and negative—the best
we can do is to hold on to the center.
We are all one, we are all the energy of source...there is no need to be envious, confused, angry or depressed. Yet, don't beat yourself when you feel these emotions. If you find yourself reenacting any of these "mini-falls", look at the source of this situation/feeling. Be honest. You can look through a mythology book (or website)...identify with the "fall", the character, the setting...and call upon the name associated with this fall to acknowledge, process and release this fear/desire.
Both questions that have simultaneously uninteresting and fascinating answers.
On the uninteresting side, we know that—in references to the aforementioned questions—we are: a) Human Beings b) Here by way of procreation of two other human beings.
* Not too exciting right? *
On the more interesting side of things, we are:
a) Both time-bound and timeless entities b) Destined to experience as much or as little of an infinity as we desire.
The nature of human being is that we are in a paradoxical maze of experience. On its face, everything seems pretty “normal”. “A” causes “B”. You are here and I am there. However, again there is an interesting extra dimension to being if we choose to define the human condition as such.
Our situation can be represented by the infinity symbol. While the whole symbol in itself is interesting, it is in the middle that we can witness an endless stream of experience--a.k.a. eternity. The experience of being both in and out of time; of being both dark and light; of being a cause and a consequence. From this vantage point, we can see polarities of experience that both leave and return to center.
For an interesting presentation on ancient symbology concerning maintaining centeredness amongst polarity in art and religion, please see my post on: Learning from Fortune's Wheel. (forthcoming).
I’m not usually good at something the first
time when it comes to
physical endeavors.I think I attended two
softball practices before I got hit in the head with a fastball and never came
back.I played soccer for the local
leagues for three years but was always stuck playing the same
position—defense.In P.E. I dreaded any
team sport that involved a ball and a racket, net, or any other kind of
obstacle that you had to throw, kick, or fling a ball into.I preferred running, gymnastics, or any type
of physical activity that didn’t require me to coordinate my clumsy physical
exertions with anyone else's.
In my twenties I really got into
running.I ran 5ks, 10ks, quarter marathons,
half marathons and full marathons, because to me, running (especially long
distance running) was all about mental
stamina.And that, I had plenty of. I wasn’t the quickest runner or the most
efficient, but I was the runner who smiled the whole time and crossed the
finish line with a heel click.I truly
enjoyed spending time with myself inside my head—and finding new ways to take
my mind off of the fact that my legs felt like burning tree stumps.It never occurred to me that the inner
dialogue I engaged in during these sometimes excruciating moments could be
considered to some as meditation.
For me, meditation wasn’t one of those
things I was dying to try.Generally, I
stay away from “trends” and meditating seemed like one more trend that I
didn’t’ want to get caught up in—kind of like skinny jeans, e-readers and
apps.Yet, one early spring day my
enlightened office mate Ben asks me, “Hey, do you meditate?”Immediately images of being folded up in an
impossible position on the floor quietly listening to my “inner voice” flooded
my brain.Being bored to tears…just sitting there…waiting for some great
awakening. “No,” I said breaking my inner-visioning,
“It has actually never occurred to me to try.”“You should try it,” Ben replied, then began rattling off the benefits
of meditation and how it has helped him uncover peace in his own life.I believed him, because amidst the neurotic,
competitive, and socially awkward arena of graduate school, Ben seemed
remarkably chill and grounded.I replied to his convincing meditation “pro”
list with, “I’ll have to give it a try”, and continued writing my lecture notes
for the afternoon’s discussion on cross-national perspectives of income
equality.
I
didn’t think much more on the topic of meditation for days.But I could tell that I was headed in the
direction of another not-so-happy episode in my life.It was like clockwork.I would hit a short period of fluidity in my
life filled with contentment and clarity—followed by an agonizing three-month
downward spiral of struggle and uncertainty.It was almost as if there was an expirationdate on my happiness.Kind of like one of those crazy car
dealership commercials…
Come
on down!We have a special on happiness
today!We have all kinds of
happiness:unconditional love,
abundance, joy, self-esteem.But we only
have a limited supply!Come visit us on
the corner of elation and gratitude today!
Then,
in that fast, deceitful speech:
Restrictions apply.Only available between the dates of May 25th
through June 2nd.Void in
states of mind that prohibit you from accepting yourself and others around
you.Call your maker for details.
I’m not asking to be happy 100% of the
time.I’m not asking to reach that level
where I am told that I have inoperable brain cancer but can still muster the
energy to optimistically dance in the street and declare my eventual undeniable
success in beating an incurable malady.No.I am asking to be able to
love myself, my husband and my children without condition.I am asking to avoid second and triple
guessing myself, and to put down my heavy knapsack of guilt, inadequacy and
fastidiousness everywhere I go.That’s all.If there was a God, surely He
would have made it a little easier for me to function.Hell, He would have made it easier for everyone to function.Instead, millions endure alienation,
humiliation and toil just to meet basic human needs.
I cannot focus on my school work.I’m supposed to be reading articles that will
inform my nebulous dissertation topic, but despair creeps into every fold of my
despondent brain.“Damn,” I think to myself, “Here
I go again.I just wish I KNEW that I am
going to be okay, that I am headed in the right direction, that I have a
purpose...”I pull the cap off of my
yellow highlighter and mindlessly accent a passage in the journal article under
the “limitations and suggestions” section. Then, amidst the rambunctious voice of my
inner-critic, I hear a comforting voice assert, “There IS a God, and He loves you.”
Instantly, something in me responds with
a genuine knowing Mona Lisa smile.Before
I have time to doubt what was just revealed to me, my mind instantly replays my
conversation with Ben, my officemate, about meditation.Spontaneously, I re-cap my highlighter, push
myself away from the small wooden dining room table and head for my inviting
coffee-brown over-sized sofa.I plop
down comfortably in my “TV watching” pose, but instead decide to cross my legs
and straighten my back.I then take a
deep, relaxing breath and gently close my eyes.Alright, I completed steps one and two of meditating—sit like a pretzel
(check), close eyes and relax (check, check).
I wasn’t really sure what to expect
next.The only thing I witnessed was the
back of my quivering eyelids, and so far, nothing magical was happening at all.Frustrated, I reposition myself, settling deeper into the couch cushion
and coerced myself into a deeper relaxation.
In
milliseconds I was catapulted into an expansive void whose form and color
changed fluidly like a futuristic neon billboard.There were blues, greens, pinks and yellows…pulsating and shifting left
and right, up and down, and in and out.This formless thing looked
alive!
Just
as I was beginning to wonder how it was even possible to have this experience,
I felt myself leaving the colorful presence and being drawn into a bright white
light amidst a curtain of black.Like
the colossal rainbow-colored animate being, this bright light also seemed very alive.I pulled back even farther to witness a spherical luminescent shape.In the center was a bright column of piercing
blue-white light which looked like two funnels with their narrow sides butted
against each other.Beautiful bands of
energy dove in and out of the funnels like a self-generating never-ending light
bulb.
Suddenly I found my own spirit merge with
the elegant flood of energy. I felt
“charged” as an astonishing and comforting rush of energy flow through me.Although I could not sense the rhythm of my own
heart at the moment, I felt as if my whole being pulsated to the rhythm of the
Universe.It was at this moment I felt
the ultimate Truth of existence—We Are All One.
(This is what I saw--click here to see the animated graphic to put it all in perspective.)
Jim Carey has a very touching story that reminds me of how I felt in my own "awakening" at 7:28 in this video called "Awakening":
I would *LOVE* to hear your stories about your "wake up call". Please write it below in the comments section OR e-mail me. I will never use your stories for any other purpose but personal enjoyment.
What I have to say here are ideas and
concepts that have repeatedly reared their heads in a variety of regions,
times, and philosophical traditions.In
this way, these ideas come as close to the “truth” as our words and art are
able to encapsulate.We often have a
tendency to believe that the “Truth” with a capital “t” has yet to be
discovered.It has, but the Truth is
so basic that it seems to fail to do the mystery we feel in our souls
justice.The Truth seems so elusive to
us, yet is encoded in our very being.When you hear stories of acts of selflessness—whether between strangers, friends, family or even in the animal kingdom—you are witnessing the
Truth being acted upon.That we are all
one.That you are I and I are you.That the only thing that separates us is an
idea; a perception.That is the Truth.
The moment we not only recognize, but can hold and act upon this
idea in our minds and bodies without any fear, desire or doubt is the moment of
healing.And because we are all connected, the
moment you heal, others around you heal as well, like a gigantic
set of dominoes one-by-one falling head over heels in love with life.
The mission of “Mastering Infinity” is to
assist you in your journey recognizing and accepting your
infinite existence.To understand
that your being stretches to the highest of “heavens” and the deepest depths of
“hells”— it is all within YOU.The
main philosophical tradition motivating every piece of information available on
this blog is to spark your remembrance that
