Posted on by bpw

H.S. Wisdom on the Next Phase

The HS spoke to me saying:

It is time to put this fight behind you. Reach out to me, that I may enter in and instruct. The Spirit Spark (or Essence) within you is growing and needs to be answered. These same guidelines can be observed. Do what must be done and worry not for what you will say or do. Neither lift yourself above your adversaries, for it is in them that your nature is reflected. In love and compassion review all things, events and people.

– The HS

Interpretation

When I approach a fight or conflict, I must put it behind me as soon as possible. To dwell upon conflict only scores a person with the marks of materialism. The inner Spirit will always instruct and the Spirit Spark within is speaking so that it can be answered in actions/behaviors.

Guidelines observed in one tradition can often be repurposed to individual usage, whether part of a tradition or not. Allow the events of the moment, without preparation of what to say (the ego), so that the Greater can manifest.

“Neither lift yourself above your adversaries,” adversaries can be anything one is conflict with. If a person, it may not know the conflict exists, as it can be one of the mind alone. The point here is that any person or situation that is in conflict should be observed as an outer reflection of an inner aspect.

Love and have compassion for all sides, all people and events, in this way the inner ego is overcome with an expansion of Self that includes all others.

Posted on by bpw

Navigating the Shifting Sands of Life

During the month of February, the Golden Rosycross produced a series of events (some public, some private) that dealt with the subject of Egyptian gnosis. One topic that I found very appealing was a metaphor for life, as a desert and how our guidance can not come from the surrounding landmarks, as they shift and move with the winds of change.

A desert landscape can have sand dunes appear in one location, only to reappear in another overnight. Likewise the external (material) world goes through similar shifts. One moment we are taught to cheer some global leader, and the next moment we are told they are the villain. Or perhaps the shifting sands of our life are more appropriate to compare to our desires, constantly seeking something to generate happiness but always leaving us wanting something more.

The external world can not offer lasting peace, as it is constantly reinventing itself. It is a series of undulating movements that create more twists and turns than a good mystery. If we were to look externally to a guru, or spiritual teacher, they may take us some distance but given enough time we’d no doubt see the fault in their nature. They wouldn’t be the perfect being we thought they were, and we may hear of secret indiscretions, or misappropriation of money.

Suffice it to say, nothing in in this world is permanent – which creates problems if we set our navigation to any external or wordy context. Instead, we must find a guide that is unmovable. One such guide is within us. It is akin to having a compass in our hands. By tuning out the external storms, shifting sand dunes, or mirages, and focusing on the compass of our inner life, we will know the direction of each step.

This process, in real terms, is the result of tuning out the noise of the world. Being in a state of the present moment, with the intent of attunement unto the Greater One within. In the Golden Rosycross, we call this Greater Source Within, the Spirit Spark. The process of glimpsing this inner guidance is unique to each one. For one person it may be found through observing nature, for another observing their breath. In all cases it involves awareness of the moment as it is, and a release of conceptual thought. Worries, criticisms, desires and the like will fade from view, once the wall of boredom is overcome.

Once the process is realized, a true intent is felt. It is like the proverbial lightbulb over one’s head. It shines a new thought, a new pattern of behavior and most importantly it LIVES THROUGH US.

This is the Gnostic Path. It is trod alone. No one can explain it, or tell you or I what we must do. Each step is unique to the seeker, as only we have the compass that works within our sphere of influence. The answer to life is not more stuff, nor is it new philosophies/teachers/masters. The answer to life is within us already, our work is in the letting go of old strongholds, in order to see the truth – that guiding compass of Light.

Posted on by bpw

Inspired Quote from JvR

Humans in their state as natural beings despair solely because this world does not develop in the way they would like, just as they despair over economic collapse. You should thus not be deceived when these people, possibly in full religious sentimentality, sing their laments on this wicked world, for they consider this world wicked only because they do not get what they wish.

The Coming New Man, by Jan van Rijckenborgh pg. 52
Posted on by bpw

Great men of the past are not our masters

Shall I not follow in the footsteps of my predecessors? I shall indeed use the old road, but if I find one that makes a shorter cut and is smoother to travel, I shall open the new road. Men who have made these discoveries before us are not our masters, but our guides. Truth lies open for all; it has not yet been monopolized. And there is plenty of it left even for posterity to discover.

Seneca

The above quote synthezises my personal view of spirituality. No person should be considered a master. The only master is the awakening one within and it may reveal a path contrary to great teachers of the past, yet my road is for me and their road theirs. Each must forge the path in solitude and not by dogma or obedience.

Posted on by bpw

The Self and Ego – Contemplation on the Golden Rosycross

In a recent monthly seminar a statement was made regarding the ego and the Higher Self. What was said was, “It is the path all humanity will eventually go, the path from a self-centered life, focused on the lower and higher self – the ego in all its facets, towards a life centered on the Spirit, God.” From this one statement quite a debate can be made. Specifically it is the idea that “the lower and higher self” equate to ego. Exactly how the ego is defined will determine how one views that quote. Similarly, there’s a concern that the statement negates the path itself, in favor of the focus on the goal.

The Ego Defined

Modern definitions of ego, often based in psychology, tend to consider the ego as a person’s self-worth, or perhaps the mediation aspect between the conscious and unconscious states. These modern uses of the word neglect a spiritual significance, so a deeper understanding is necessary.

The Hindu, Paramhansa Yogananda, said that the ego was “the ‘self’ identified with the body.” This definition aligns with the idea of “I” being the central theme of ego, and yet one’s personal “I” is more than a body. In this way Yogananda emphasized a Greater “I” and a lower “I”. What Yogananda proposed is that the Greater “I” is the Divine Self, while the lower “I” was the ego.

Yogananda wasn’t alone in this view of Self. Much of the mystical paths of the West align with this central theme that there is a carnal or ego aspect and a non-carnal or Divine aspect. The path of the initiate is to find the way to direct awareness as the Divine Self.

Pleasure seeking spiritualists tend to elevate the ego, almost in a form of worship. Perhaps Aleister Crowley is an extreme example of this, seeped in pleasures of the world. Most mystery schools today will bend to the idea of the ego, and prefers living in the world as their focus (politics, power, duality all being part of their nature).

Personal Awareness

While the words of others can be good, they can also conform to personal bias. It is important to go beyond the words of others and directly experience truth for ourselves. My personal truth experienced the relationship of the Divine to ego driven humanity in the symbol of the sun itself.

Consider the crude, childlike depictions of the sun. It’s a sphere with lines extending from it. Now consider the possibility of each of us are one of those “Rays of Light.” Next, ponder the nature of light. In terms of a metaphor, all light is brightest nearest its Source and diminishes further from Source. A solitary lamp left in the room will shine brightest at the bulb, but in the furthest corner the light is all but given way to shadows.

Following this metaphor, if each of us is a Ray of the Divine Light, then each of us has a Divine aspect, and a lower aspect. The lower aspect is the material, nearly opposite in nature to the Divine. The “god” of the lower realm is the ego, which is fixated on empowerment to command and control the world around us. In this way, although the ego might mean well, as it fixates on the individual success over all others it leads to greed and conflict. Yet throughout the process, there is an element of us that is Divine and one that is the furthest from the Divine. Consider this zoom into a ray of this metaphor:

showing the details of a spiritual ray of light

In the above figure, the ray of light is zoomed into. On the left is the darker, material world. On the right, the brightest aspect that joins the sphere of Divinity. The blue rectangle is our current state of consciousness. As we grow spiritually, the blue rectangle shifts along the ray, to the right. But the pull of the world can shift our conscious awareness to the left.

Golden Rosycross

From the Golden Rosycross’ perspective, which I also agree with, as the spiritual path awakens the True Self is born. The way I integrate that feeling into my diagram would be akin to the conscious awareness of self becoming realized (shifting far to the right), the ego’s gravity is lost and the True Self is realized.

In other words, I interpret that as awareness being One with the True Self.

However, I can’t speak for the depth of the Golden Rosycross and their philosophy as a whole. I haven’t read everything they’ve presented, but the quote at the start shows some element of definition that is perhaps not in agreement with my own experience.

Contemplation of the Quote

The quote illustrates an idea that the lower and higher self are the ego. When I first read this I was not in harmony with the idea, as I see the Higher Self as a deeper True Self that extends towards the Divine Source. If that is ego, it would always pull one back to the material, limited sense of self.

But I do not see “ego” as “self” – because if so, then even the Divine Self is ego (as a “self” is still being identified with it).

In my view, the Higher Self is the separation point from the ego identification – the ego being the concept of “self” identified with material (the body, etc.). However, the Higher Self is the True Self that is being released through a process of going beyond the ego. As the Higher/True Self is released, the conscious awareness of that Self will gravitate into the field of Divine Oneness.

IN OTHER WORDS, gravity shifts from the ego as the source of gravity, to the Divine being the source of gravity. Consciousness when identified with the Higher Self, pulls into Divinity.

Calling the Higher Self the ego, is in my opinion, dangerous because the Higher / True Self is a requirement of moving through the process. If one tries to move from the carnal ego self to Divine Oneness, the process is so wide a gap it is like telling someone to move a mountain with a spoon.

When you are given an impossible solution, the ego can often remask itself AS the solution. Going from carnal to God, may simply be the ego remasking itself as “God”. Consider all the unholy wars for thousands of years, in the name of “God”. Horrible atrocities (such as slavery), done in the name of “God” – these acts, to me, are like the ego as “God.”

In order to reach the true Divine Source, one must first separate into the True/Higher/Expanded Self or else the ego will lead to delusion.

Posted on by bpw

Strange Dream

I had the oddest dream last night. Normally I don’t pay them any attention but last night was very odd.

In the dream I was in attendance at a gathering, much like a Freemason gathering, except it had men and women. All were dressed in their very best. No one paid me much mind and I just mingled with the crowd in this large room.

I was made aware that three men were the leaders and ran the group, but then something happened. I felt this power come over me, and I let go of my personality self to allow the inner to expand. The room disappeared and I saw this wondrous sight. Like a dream within a dream, I was seeing a light. There was a central sphere of blue-white light. Wisps of blue-white vapor moved about the central sphere, like a strange galaxy before me. In the curved arms of the wisps where brilliant dots, like stars.

In my dream I knew that the vision was there, but my body was in the room. I let go further and twirled, like a Sufi mystic. Reaching out into the spirit vision, I plucked one of the star-like dots of light and it turned into a physical object, a piece of writing.

I found myself standing in the room with the crowd, and now I am the center of their attention. They watched me twirl in the room like a madman, only to show a document in hand. They began to hail me as someone versed in the spiritual arts. Someone said that what I held was a sacred writ, or document – something from a hidden archive that only the three masters were allowed to enter.

One of the masters hailed this achievement, but the other two were missing. One had gone rogue and had entered into the sacred chamber to rob it. Another of the masters followed after him, disappearing from the crowd.

The sacred chamber was not accessible by physicality. It was accessed through pure will, and I found the path. It wasn’t a place, but a movement – a spiritual movement under Divine will. I saw myself before a mystical gate, iron wrote gate with interwoven piping. I pushed deep upon it and moved through it, as though pushing through a thick, stone wall.

Once on the other side, there was the space of the sacred chamber. Artifacts were stacked upon shelves, while others were put on pedestals for singular display. Shafts of light illuminated the area, in golden rays.

The objects were curious, but I became more curious of the master who came to rob the chamber. Focused now on finding him I crept between the tall shelves. That’s when I heard the robbing master, and the one who came after him. They were now working together. The one who claimed to restore the chamber, had made an arrangement with the robber – together they claimed, they would split the prizes.

Uncovering them at last, I drew upon them. Now, in my hands, was a sickle. I found myself striking each of them down, and they were not men at all, but puppets. As they tore open they were filled with stuffing. As they ended, I left the sacred chamber.

No more masters, I was taken past the crowd who were now confused. The masters they followed had been put down. Someone was guiding me, it was perhaps the 3rd master, who now allowed me to take charge of the state of the situation.

Instructed that we should enter the “chapel,” I found myself at the mystical gate, but this time blood was upon the gate – the blood of the previous masters. Pushing upon it, I was in the chamber, but it was like a chapel now. The crowd sat in pews or walked about. I was shown paintings of the previous masters.

Someone was heard telling the lineage of the masters and I asked, “who is the lineage holder now that the masters are gone?”

“You are the only one now.”

Interpretation

In thinking upon this, I believe the opening scene with the sphere and the wisp like galaxy is the opening the spiritual calling. I plucked something special out of the air… perhaps Gnosis being described in a metaphor.

The three masters I believe are the head, heart and life centers of the self. One betrayed us. Perhaps desire, found in the life center, or ego of the head. Something betrayed the Self, turning from the sacred to the profane and it lead to another failure (another center).

Finally it occurred to me that the betrayal must be put to death. In overpowering, and destroying the weak “masters” I became the only thing left. All that was, was now gone. What remained was the inner reticence.

The third master, who had remained true to the cause, bowed to the new birthing of the realization – that self-realization, and it became my True Self.

The dream, you see is a reminder of what I really am, and the betrayal that is the personality. The three centers have a material counterpart, which need to be overcome. Once they were removed from their seats of power (either by direct confrontation) or by their own acknowledgement of relinquishing power, I became the only one – the True Self.

This is the way.

Posted on by bpw

Ray of Love

In the Spiritual School of the Golden Rosycross, that is the school of Rosicrucians, there is a concept of the 7 Rays of one Light. It is the second Ray that relates to Love. Love is a challenging thing to discuss because so many people think so differently about it. The Love spoken here is not one of sentimentality, but of Unity. When a person is unified with another, with their Higher aspect, then they are in harmony – in a field of Love with that person. This harmonic love breaks when the the characteristics define “an outsider” or “another person.” The case for this type of Spiritual Love is paramount, as it is a characteristic of our Soul expansion. This Love doesn’t fall prey to the faults of others (harmonizing with anger, hate, etc.), but rather harmonizes with the truth of the Creator that sources each one of us. Yet the path of Love is a challenge, all too often it feels as though we are harmonizing the failures of others.

Love is Compassion not Admiration

This type of Love is a form of compassion, not an admiration of person. While I do not condone the actions of authoritarian leaders, I can find compassion for them. The world we live in, dialectical in nature, wants each of us to chose a corner of love or hate. We are told to hate the evil and love the good, ironically the very people telling us this often come from churches who’s doctrine espouses the opposite!

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. 
Matthew 5:43-45

Donald Trump or Joe Biden as an Example

Let me bring this task of Love to a real and practical example. Our society expects you to hate Donald Trump and love Joe Biden, or hate Joe Biden and love Donald Trump. We are expected to pick a corner of love or hate on every situation, person and view.

Personally, I am not a political person, but I have concerns over authoritarian leaders who blame the weak for the problems of the world. Regardless of which political candidate or choice, any individual that we find great fault with, can still be loved.

To love such a difficult person, an “enemy,” is not to in admiration but the Love of Compassion. It can seem, by the world’s standards, that to Love a negative person is to show alignment to their ideologies – but this is not the case. Jesus and Buddha (as well as many Buddhists) are great examples of Loving an “enemy”. This is the pure love of accepting, but not aligning with, another person.

There is something within each of us that is worth loving. It may be deep in some, or on the surface in others, but it is that inner connection with the Divine Source. This is the same Source within each of us, and in that we can find Unity… the very definition of Namaste (The God in me see’s the God in you.)

Posted on by bpw

Books & Dogma

Today, in a philosophical discussion with friends, the notion of dogma was raised. It was quoted from material by JvR. I felt, however, that the word dogma is a stumbling block for myself. It conveys the path of someone else, solidified in the world of formation until it becomes a system of rules and regulations for others to follow. Regarding books, they too can become a hindrance, a fetter. Each has a purpose, as what we are drawn to in the moment is perhaps what we need to utilize. In time, a change may come where the book, the dogma is no longer needed, and in that moment I believe the path will require letting go of all of these. As some professed a belief in following books and exoteric teachings, comparing it to natural learning, I believe a point is missed in the analogy – the difference in the natural path vs. the spiritual.

Dogma

From the Oxford dictionary the definition of dogma is stated as, “a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.” While there may be other definitions, this is by far the most accepted view of dogma that I have found in my personal life. People who follow dogma, adhere to an authority figure (alive or dead), believing the literal (or interpreted view of the group/religion) is without fault.

The first problem with dogma amounts to the exoteric need of an authority figure to tell us what is true. If we follow a leader (dead or alive), as the source of our truth, our path, then the leader becomes a Master. A Master outside of us will define their path to truth. But is it ours? Each of us is seeking to reveal the True Self. Our task of daily dying is towards this very end. If we become the Holy figure, do we become our True Self? Even if their path overlays our own walk through life, I believe that if we do not find the Source of our Path from within, it will lead to non liberating actions. It becomes mental – egoic even.

The second problem with the definition of dogma is the requirement for incontrovertible truth. Pilot asks the powerful question of Jesus, “what is Truth?” Spiritual truth differs greatly from natural truth. In the natural world, we consider something true if it adhere so to the scientific method of investigation. We attempt to remove personal bias, and collect data that is analyzed and tested. If the data is repeatedly aligned to a specific direction, this direction becomes the accepted truth. Spiritual Truth is quite different. Spiritual Truth may not be discernible by science, logic or even reason. Because of this, it shouldn’t be spread for others to obey, but accepted on an individual level. How one arrives at spiritual Truth, is not even by reading a Holy book, or listening to a Holy Master. Spiritual Truth is lived, it is experienced directly. Rather than follow a creed, a book, one finds the Master within and it becomes their own guide – ultimately we join with it, and harmonize in Unity with that inner Master, living the Truth. That Living the Truth is known to me as Gnosis.

Book Learning

In my past I used to horde books. I bought many a book on mysticism, occultism and spirituality. At times I saved up for an ancient tomb and was often inspired by those who learned dead languages, in order to translate ancient works themselves. One group I listened to at the time were composed mostly of Phd’s. They were published authors, and spoke deeply on topics of Hermeticism, Occultism, and Mysticism. While their knowledge far outpaced my own intellect, I came to realize that many had little self-knowledge or even direct experience. Such is trap of knowledge.

Book knowledge has the vice of the Lust of Intellect. It seeks to enrich itself, because we were told as children, “knowledge is power.” Such a person may quote Buddhism, Taoism, Hermetic Masters and so on, but often become limited to the ivory walls their knowledge encases about them. Is knowledge a bad thing? No, of course not. True spirituality knowledge should inspire, more than educate. In the early stages we need information – this is like milk to a child, but as Paul warns, “I gave you milk, for you were not yet ready for solid food.” When we are ready for more depth, we may feel the One within us challenging the very doctrine, books or dogma. Allow this. Let go of anything… everything… that holds us from the revelation of the One within.

Book learning (in Spirituality) isn’t in itself wrong, it is simply an attempt to apply the natural learning process to the spiritual. The spiritual path is one of direct experience, or esoteric wisdom (Gnosis) and not so much of exoteric knowledge. While the Greek word Gnosis may translate to knowledge, it holds a special meaning for me: Wisdom rather than knowledge. Wisdom, unlike knowledge has no vices for it is the direct experience that bridges the Soul. Knowledge, on the other hand, has many traps of intellect and ego.

The Natural Path vs The Spiritual

A theme appears: Natural paths and how they differ from Spiritual ones. In the natural world, if one seeks to become good at a discipline, they seek out a master. This master craftsman takes on an apprentice and trains them in the ways of their craft. In the end, the apprentice has duplicated the workmanship of the master, insuring the line of quality persists. It is a mistake to consider that this approach works in the spiritual world, for the Spiritual world requires the uniqueness of the True Self (the True Master) to be uncovered and such work isn’t accomplished following the path of others.

Those who follow the spiritual path of others adopt a disciple approach to a Master or Guru. They trust, that like the craftsman example, they will learn the spiritual “trade” becoming a master “craftsman” themselves. At best this approach will only make a person an echo of the master (a copy). At worst they will flail in disharmony with their True nature.

The ways of the natural world embolden the physical process, keeping us focused on this physical plane and going no further. In order to break that pull, one must be willing to let go of the weights and fetters that hold us down. Truth becomes a living thing, that we embody (not read) and our path is forged esoterically from within, not exotically from an outside authority.

As one friend on the discussion today said, “we realize that the true Master is within us.”

I’ll end with a quote from one of the speakers who said, “The past should be put into the cemetery of our past experiences. What matters is what is here and now.”

Posted on by bpw

Organs and Spirit

Update

This morning (11/7/22): I asked my HS about organs and spirituality. Initially I didn’t feel any answer. An hour or two later I’m doing my morning sanctuary service of the Heart and an answer was provided. This service is to read something of Gnostic literature and contemplate it. While pondering what to read, an answer came to me – but the answer wasn’t from my regular consciousness. It wasn’t memory, or personality, it was deep within and it pointed me to “Dei Gloria Intacta”. Opening it up I get to page 16 – and it deals with something about Flesh and Spirit.

Deep down I “Know” (Gnostic wisdom) that this applies to my question… so I read on. Jan van Rjickenborgh quotes Paul from the Bible, “Now this I say that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, neither does the corruptible inherit the incorruptible.”

After the quote Rjickenborgh explains that this, for him, is a reference to the human personality and that liberation is not found din resurrecting or pursuing the goal of personality perfection. He quotes the Bible again, “He must increase and I must decrease!”

While I don’t take everything written in the Bible as Gnostic truth, this came to me through my question, a specific question regarding Organs and spirituality. Max Heindel (and other Rosicrucians) postulated that the physical organs in a body were stitched together with a silver chord that binds the soul to the body and by modifying this relationship, one degrades their spiritual process.

My concerns with this type of thinking (that the body is important and impactful to spiritual growth) are listed below under the heading “Original Post.” However, I also came to realize this morning that flesh and blood do not inherit the Kingdom of God. The “Kingdom of God” is a metaphor for the spiritual bridge within us – in other words, it is our spiritual growth. The human body does not control the spiritual component.

But what does this mean? It means that the body isn’t saved. Is the personality? Rosicrucians say “no” as it pertains to the body. The seat of the ego being in the liver, if the liver perishes, in time so too does the personality.

The real question though is if organ donation or replacement changes us. Does having a replacement kidney change you? Or a replacement liver, or heart? In my original post I referenced data on heart transplants – there are few studies on personality change with heart transplants. Those having been done showed little to no statistical weight to the claim. But what of the liver?

Since the Rosicrucian perspective is that the liver is the seat of the ego, a liver transplant would be very significant on personality. A quick dive into research on this topic reveals a government paper detailing that up to 70% of liver recipients indicate a change in personality. However, it’s not clear the cause – if it is deemed psychological (which is how the world would understand a change in ego) or medical (fungus infections of the spinal fluid, etc.). Both infection and psychology are mentioned and the results seem to be intermixed. Various MRI’s are presented as evidence of changes in the brain.

Another data point is from China. China performs 50% of all liver transplants in the world. However, personality changes are not something reported or noted in this (less scholarly article) on the topic.

The science is a toss up – one side saying no effects, another side noting personality/psychological effects but factors in a lot of mental issues related to post-op infection.

Back to the spiritual perspective: If the body doesn’t pertain to the health of spiritual process, then it seems that there should be no concern for organ replacement with machines or other organs. Even if the ego is seated in the liver, the remaining organs would seem to have negligible impact upon the spiritual path.

Original Post

A recent discussion has been on my mind lately. It relates to the philosophy of Max Heindel. Specifically his views on organs and spirituality. According to the Rosicrucian Fellowship’s site, Heindel felt that organs were stitched together with the silver chord that binds the soul to the body and by transferring an organ from one person to another, that the result would be counter productive spiritually speaking.

This is very hard for me to accept, but I don’t wish to dismiss it outright. Sitting in neutrality on this topic I have to concede that I view three forms of truth. For me, truth is either:

  • Directly experienced by means of the five senses
  • Directly experienced by means of spiritual truth (Gnosis or Self Awareness)
  • Understood logically through a pattern of reason

The greatest of the three mentioned processes is of course Gnosis. Gnosis, direct experience through Divine inspiration, is by far the greatest truth. After that, direct experience through the senses and finally following the logical flow of thoughts by means of reason.

As this topic is not something I’ve directly experienced in the carnal world, nor have I had a Gnostic awareness to this topic, I’m left with reason alone.

Empirical Evidence Argument

A modern argument for Heindel’s views is in recent heart transplant research. Research that states a percentage of heart transplant recipients begin to take on the personalities of those who donated the organs.

“The original seed atom of the recipient of a transplanted heart, we believe, would remain with the etheric counterpart of his original heart, which continues a part of his vital body…. We believe it likely that, once a heart transplant has taken place, the angelic Beings in charge of such matters would transfer the recipient’s seed atom to the apex of the donor’s heart, which now is pumping blood through the recipient’s body.” (Rosicrucian.com)

https://rosicrucian.com/zineen/organs.htm

Empirical data has been provided, which shows that some heart recipients felt their donor’s heart caused a change in their personality. Such a data set is the work from Austrian heart transplant recipients. In this data of 47 recipients, 3 patients (6%) felt they had a personality change/influence that reflected the donors personality.

Problems with this Data

While 6% may seem small for some, I think it is statistically significant. My issue with the data is the lack of clarity. Was this a double blind analysis? Certainly this isn’t an experiment. People where not forced to have their hearts replaced, it was instead to be analysis after the fact. Due to this, the data integrity is perhaps compromised.

If the 6% of this study who felt they had a personality change to reflect the donors, the real question is, “did they know the donors?” If they knew the donors of their new hearts (close friends or family), then it is likely they are acting out a psychological manifestation.

Psychological Manifestation Post Traumatic Death

When people lose a loved one, even without a organ donation, they can slip into the person’s personality traits. A son who’s father was a carpenter, may pick up woodworking as a hobby shortly after the passing of their father. I myself have experienced this, and I’ve seen the effect in others as well.

I would imagine that the trauma of not only losing a loved one, but also in gaining their organs, the psychological transition would be very strong.

In an article from Psychology Today, this topic is brought from the point of view of organ memory. The author points out various studies that indicating memories can be transferred on organs (not the brain, but other non-cerebral organs). While compelling it doesn’t prove that memories equate to spiritual progress.

The Spiritual Dynamic of Organs

If we look at blood and body organs as having a spiritual bond, it could (and has been) argued that for a spiritual person to take on the organ of a carnal man, would simply be putting a tarnish on a previously spiritual bond. But let’s reverse the argument…

If it holds true that blood, or an organ contain spiritual tonality, then it would seem to follow that the reverse would be true: a Holy man giving his blood or an organ would have a lasting positive effect on a carnal person. It would seem like the perfect outreach program, as Holy men/women would offer their blood (or organs) for the carnal and thereby influence them into Holy states of mind.

The Problem of the Spiritual Dynamic

If a Holy person could transmit “holiness” to another by means of a blood transfusion, or through an organ transplant, then it seems we remove personal sovereignty from the recipient. That person who undergoes a change (positive or negative) is bypassing personal awareness, choice and conscious effort. That is a problem for me, I currently lack the acceptance that such things are doable through physical means.

For me, spiritual growth is a product of making a choice – a conscious decision. Suggestion that something else (blood, etc.) can change a person seems counter to what I’ve known to be true.

Eugenics

Francis Galton initiated an idea, later called Eugenics, that presumes to seek genetic perfection through the careful maintenance of humanities bloodline. This philosophy becomes dangerous in that it nullifies genetic traits deemed “bad.”

One can hypothesize that if society believed a person having a high chance of transmitting poor organ traits (such as genetic diseases of liver, heart, or lung) they might encourage such a person to not reproduce. A fear or concern might become prevalent that such progeny will be without the spiritual spark or depth that a “normal” person might have.

Perhaps a stretch, or perhaps not. Who knows for certain?

Truth and Openness

In the end, the best I can offer is to remain open to this topic. I can not confirm, nor deny the effective influence of a physical organ over another person. I will continue to seek the Gnostic Light of truth and perhaps one day will have a direct experience of Truth in the Light of Gnosis. Until then I can only reason out, laying out the concerns or benefits of such philosophy.

Posted on by bpw

Suffering as a necessity for Spirituality

Last night, in an online discussion, someone raised the question of the requirement of suffering for spirituality. This person had suffered greatly in life and felt it was unfair that our spiritual path would require suffering.

After the meeting an answer of sorts floated to my mind: it isn’t the suffering itself but the realization that the world we live in can only bring suffering.

Suffering is a cornerstone of Buddhism, which says early on in the 4 Noble Truths that life is suffering. They also offer a way out of suffering by detaching from the world. For some though the question will remain, “how can someone say that life is suffering when there are good elements that match every bad?”

Life is Suffering

The suffering nature of life is based upon the idea that everything in this world decays. It is the physical aspect of entropy that all things gradually fall into disorder. This disorder can be disease, loss of income, and ultimately death.

As long as one attaches to these “things of the world,” they will suffer. Yet if one detaches, and accepts the things of the world, suffering ceases to a great degree. Hence the Biblical passage, “death, where is thy sting?”

To a carnal person the suffering (due to attachment) can be offset by gains in life. You loose all your money, well you can get back up and try again to get more money – like a sine wave, the highs and lows recycle and once again you’re back on top. If you get divorced, just get remarried. This theme of constantly hunting for the next new thing is throughout our media, movies, tv and marketing. Marketers tell us that last year’s model of iPhone is now trash, we now need to buy the new one. This is craving hedonism and it seemingly has no end. It is a constant play in the world of sleep and illusion.

Suffering is Necessary

You (or others) may not need to suffer directly in order to find the spiritual path, but it is required to know that the carnal world can not be a vehicle for lasting happiness. Without this knowledge of the world’s lacking appeasement, the average person will seek enjoyments in the world. If they find the world enjoyable, easing life’s pain with desire objects (sex, alcohol, chasing money and power, etc.), they will have no reason to enter a spiritual path.

There’s a very good reason Jesus was attributed to saying, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter heaven.” When the mind is focused on wealth (either gaining or spending it) there is a constant requirement to navigate life’s waters to keep the gains high and the costs low. Focusing on money in such a way is an attachment to the world, and simply creates a stumbling block for the seeker.

I speak from experience. While I was never “rich” I did seek after riches at times in my life. My desire to be free of debts could become so strong that I would loose myself in the world. Months later I would realize that I hadn’t applied my spiritual path at all – that I was off course and I needed to let go of this misdirection.

In some ways life is like a casino. Some people have the karma to win well, and when they do they suffer the most. Their losses are spiritual. Instead of focusing on world outside the casino, they stay indoors and keep playing… keep winning… keep spending… living a “fun life,” which is ends up being empty. To tell such people that desire for things of the world will separate them from God, is unthinkable. Their whole identity is based on desire and accumulation.

Those that loose at the casino games, becoming depressed they leave the casino, they are the ones that now have the eyes to see. They can see that their desires didn’t amount to greater joy. Losses took away all that joy and now left penniless they are open to a greater truth. They have become empty of carnal desire, which offers the space for Divine infusion.

Perhaps you don’t need to be the one who looses all their money at the casino metaphor, perhaps you can observe how the casino works on others and how it eats up their income. After seeing this you walk away from the casino, without directly being affected. In this way one may not need to directly experience life’s greater suffering to see the spiritual call. Yet in the end we all will suffer who hold on to attachments rooted in this world.

As our attachments in the world will hurt us (over time), if we change our attachments to be sourced from the greater Kingdoms within – then we find less suffering as our attachment is to God and not a world of entropy and decay.