The Way to Worthiness: A Work in Progress
The Way to Worthiness
The most simplified explanation of a way to heal the world.
What is this power we call life,
Appearing as the play of flesh and breath?
How may I know this mystery and enter it more deeply?
My attention is enthralled by a myriad of forms,
Innumerable individual entities everywhere.
Flashing into existence and fading away again.
Lead me into the wholeness beyond all these parts.
CONSCIOUSNESS
· Pure consciousness (the unified field) – wholeness – fulfillment – peace -love – non-harm - non-dual – ground of being – no other – the world of no form – space – awareness – creative impulse – oneness – soul – spirit – god – divine nature, the experience prior to the big bang. Let’s just call it WORTHINESS.
· Everything from nothing…NOTHING….BANG…EVERYTHING! The movement from no form to form. Pure consciousness to consciousness differentiated into form. The evolution of consciousness. Bang…matter…life…mind, that’s where we are. Humans evolving to the point where our brains can be consciousness of consciousness itself – self-awareness. Consciously capable to participate in the evolution of consciousness itself. And, consciousness is evolving, whether we choose to recognize and participate with awareness or not!
· For lack of a better word let’s call SOUL the entity that emerges from pure consciousness into form. The soul incarnates in human form. Consciousness moves from no form to form. This introduces otherness, this not that, no longer pure consciousness? Consciousness emerging into form is still consciousness, it cannot be otherwise. The unified field cannot be separated, it is unified. It remains whole, but it appears SEPARATED!
· Because we have evolved to the point where we can self-reference, we can PERCEIVE SEPARATENESS. No other species can do this. My St. Bernard, Bruce, does not wake up and think… oh man, those Golden Retrievers are so beautiful…and my head is too big…I’m such al loser.! This is the birthplace of EGO. The perception of separateness…the illusion upon which all suffering arises. If we did not perceive separateness, we could not generate suffering.
· Consciousness has evolved through the human to the point where each person is capable of dissolving the misperception of separateness. Transcend their ego, stay with me! In order to do so, we must have an ego.
EGO
· The perception of separateness. The perception of separateness arises at birth. Pure consciousness differentiates into form…the SOUL enters through the process of birth. All souls are not created equally. What accounts for the difference in levels of consciousness in humans? It is the balance between the emerging human’s perception of separateness and the awareness of unity or truth of connection!
· The greater the perception of separateness the less evolved the soul. The greater awareness of the truth of connection, the more evolved the soul! The more evolved the soul, the more love, healing, and peace the human contributes to the world. The less evolved the more harm/suffering brought to self and other.
THE DOWNLOAD
· The soul emerges into a context, Family of Origin (FOO). It receives a genetic underpinning, conditioning or programming from two biological parents. This information is not random, it cannot be. It must match the level of consciousness held by the soul, otherwise there is no evolution…the inherent movement toward worthiness in form. The other part of the download is largely constructed from the interaction of the individual and experience in FOO. This download process is both totally unique and universal at the same time. No genetic make-up, nor individual experience is the same, all are unique, facilitating the perception of separateness. However, every single human ever born goes through the same universal process.
· The conditioning or ego download is as varied as there are individuals. However, the mission or purpose for each is the same; transcend the ego. Move beyond the perception of separateness. Bring the truth of unity to the perception of separateness.
· Back up a step. The emerging soul gets the conditioning that is in it’s alignment, the challenges required to evolve in this lifetime. Because the dissolution of the misperception of separateness is at the heart of the mission, and because this misperception is just that, false…the associated downloads are grounded in the misperception of UNWORTHINESS…I’m not whole…enough…adequate…fill in the blank_______.
· The misperception is painful, the greater the misperception the more painful. Conditioning matches the soul’s level of consciousness.
Consciousness = Awareness of Connection (AOC) /Perception of Separateness (POS). You can do the math. Worthiness (awakening) is total connection…Unworthiness (ego) is total separation…and everything in between.
· AOC/POS. 0-10. 10/1=10 Extremely conscious, connected, authentic, creative, loving, empathetic, peaceful, joyful, blissful, helpful, caring, kind, eternal. 1/10=0.1 Extreme unconscious. Disconnection, inauthentic, reactive, fearful, hating, judgmental, harmful, versus, divisive, death. The greater AOC the less POS. The relationship is inverse. 9/1=9, 8/2=4, 7/3=2.3, 6/4=1.5, 5/5=1, 4/6=.66, 3/7=.42, 2/8=.25, 1/9=.11. The actual numeric values are not relevant. The larger the value the more consciousness/worthiness.
CONDITIONING
· This is the download outlined above, largely family of origin based, expanding outward as we age. It includes community, school, society at large, and the world. It is the automatic, default mode, exclusive, separate “story” of your self. It is a construct, a historical artifact, the cumulative memory of experience! It matches your soul’s level of consciousness, the download you require to evolve in this life.
· In order to understand where our conditioned self or ego comes from, we first must define a few terms. “Family of Origin” is a term that evolved from the field of psychotherapy (especially in what is known as “Family Systems Theory” or “Systems Theory,” i.e. counseling theory and practice expanded beyond the individual to examine that individual’s part of a larger “system” of people in their lives). Your “Family of Origin” is the family in which you grew up. This interactive and ongoing system of people—and hence communication, behavior, emotion, relationships, and especially roles in the family—plays a large part in creating the conditioned self that you identify with as an adult. A huge part.
· The actual function of a Family of Origin is to download the conditioning that our soul needs to transcend in this lifetime. The processes by which the data is downloaded are both genetic or biological and learning-based. Biological parents pass on their genetic conditioning to their children—that’s the nature part—and then the learning begins— that’s the nurture part.
· Genetic Download: Infants are not blank slates! They arrive on the scene with some conditioning, or programming, that differentiates them from others. These genetically downloaded characteristics match the level of consciousness of the emerging soul and correspond with the level of consciousness of the biological parents. The term temperament is used in psychology to describe characteristics that differentiate infant behavior. There are numerous studies and classification schemes used to describe temperament. Nine of the most popular are:
1. Activity. Activity refers to the child's physical energy. Is the child constantly moving, or does the child have a more relaxed approach? A high-energy child may have difficulty sitting still in class, whereas a child with low energy can tolerate a very structured environment. The former may use gross motor skills like running and jumping more frequently. Conversely, a child with a lower activity level may rely more on fine motor skills, such as drawing and putting puzzles together. This trait can also refer to mental activity, such as deep thinking or reading—activities which become more significant as the person matures. [MW1]
2. Regularity. Regularity, also known as Rhythmicity, refers to the level of predictability in a child’s biological functions, such as waking, fatigue, hunger, and bowel movements. Does the child have a routine in eating and sleeping habits, or are these events more random? For example, a child with a high regularity rating may want to eat at 2 p.m. every day, whereas a child lower on the regularity scale may eat at sporadic times throughout the day.
3. Initial reaction. Initial reaction is also known as Approach or Withdrawal. This refers to how the child responds (whether positively or negatively) to new people or environments. Does the child approach people or things in the environment without hesitation, or does the child shy away? A bold child tends to approach things quickly, as if without thinking, whereas a cautious child typically prefers to watch for a while before engaging in new experiences.
4. Adaptability. Adaptability refers to how long it takes the child to adjust to change over time (as opposed to an initial reaction). Does the child adjust to the changes in his or her environment easily, or is the child resistant? A child who adjusts easily may be quick to settle into a new routine, whereas a resistant child may take a long time to adjust to the situation.
5. Intensity. Intensity refers to the energy level of a positive or negative response. Does the child react intensely to a situation, or does the child respond in a calm and quiet manner? A more intense child may jump up and down screaming with excitement, whereas a mild-mannered child may smile or show no emotion.
6. Mood. Mood refers to the child’s general tendency towards a happy or unhappy demeanor. All children have a variety of emotions and reactions, such as cheerful and stormy, happy and unhappy. Yet each child biologically tends to have a generally positive or negative outlook. A baby who frequently smiles and coos could be considered a cheerful baby, whereas a baby who frequently cries or fusses might be considered a stormy baby.
7. Distractibility. Distractibility refers to the child’s tendency to be sidetracked by other things going on around them. Does the child get easily distracted by what is happening in the environment, or can the child concentrate despite the interruptions? An easily distracted child is engaged by external events and has difficulty returning to the task at hand, whereas a rarely distracted child stays focused and completes the task at hand.
8. Persistence and attention span. Persistence and attention span refer to the child’s length of time on a task and ability to stay with the task through frustrations—whether the child stays with an activity for a long period of time or loses interest quickly.
9. Sensitivity. Sensitivity refers to how easily a child is disturbed by changes in the environment. This is also called sensory threshold or threshold of responsiveness. Is the child bothered by external stimuli like noises, textures, or lights, or does the child seem to ignore them? A sensitive child may lose focus when a door slams, whereas a child less sensitive to external noises will be able to maintain focus.
· These genetically downloaded conditions of the infant interact with the conditioned level of the parent’s consciousness creating the experiential or learning download.
· Experiential / Learning Download: Interaction between the child and the environment (FOO). The level of consciousness of the child is matched to the consciousness of the parents. The download for the child can be understood largely in the context of stages of psycho-emotional development in a social context (FOO) (Eric Erikson). Parental behavior that facilitates the positive pole can be seen as more conscious. Parental behavior that facilitates the negative pole can be considered less conscious. The majority of the download is in by around stage 5 or midway through stage 6. At that point increasing levels of choice can arise. The increase of self-awareness and self-observation, as we age, allows for the movement from automatic or reactive to choosing. We can actively participate in the evolution our own consciousness, or not. Below is an outline of Erikson’s developmental model. It illuminates the stage, crisis or opportunity of the stage, basic virtue behind each stage, and age. It provides a helpful tool for the assessment of the overall download.
Stage
Psychosocial Crisis
Basic Virtue
Age
1.
Hope
0 - 1½
2.
Will
1½ - 3
3.
Purpose
3 - 5
4.
Competency
5 - 12
5.
Fidelity
12 - 18
6.
Love
18 - 40
7.
Care
40 - 65
8.
Wisdom
65+
THE UNCONDITIONED
· The Truth is unconditional, not conditioned, not separate, the true Self! The more conscious the soul the greater its awareness of wholeness retained in form. Old souls are less conditional, they have the capacity to love less conditionally. They do not perceive as much separateness and therefore have a much higher capacity for “less conditional love.” There is a definition of love that I love by a counselor in SF, I don’t remember his name but the quote is “I’d like to say that I love you…but the truth is I just love and you happen to get in the way.” Love or consciousness in truth is not conditional, it is not personal, not based upon any condition, quality, behavior, trait, or action, that another has or does not have. The awakened state, total consciousness, beyond ego, is Buddha’s awakening, Christ’s consciousness. Our authenticity is this, this is the truth of who we are, it is our ground of being. The problem is that it is covered by conditioning/programming that says otherwise.
· All harm, to self and other is done from the perception separateness. To reduce this is to reduce all harm in our world. The greater the POS the greater the perception of threat. The greater the perception of threat (based in POS / perceived inadequacy / lack / unworthiness) the more we move into fight or flight… harming self and others and the world. The more aware we are of the truth of connection, the less threat we perceive and the less we can harm anything. All perceptions of threat come from the perception of separateness, lack, unworthiness.
THE DOJO OF LIFE
· At some point in our lives, we may begin consciously moving toward higher levels of awareness. We may begin to see our conditioning rather than see through our conditioning. We may become increasingly aware that our conditioning is just that, conditioning or programming. We may become aware of the story as a story. This typically begins because our conditioning is not working out so well. It fails to lead us to fulfillment and happiness, or worse, it produces discomfort and pain. Typically, the ladder. A wise friend of mine says…”nothing changes without a crisis.” The crisis is the failure of conditioning, and it is designed to fail! Remember, the perception of separateness is an illusion, a falsehood, a misperception. Its failure at some point is guaranteed in order to facilitate our evolution or growth. When we reduce the POS to 0 and the TOC increases to 10, we are awakened, living the unconditional life. This evolution occurs in the world of form,
STORIES FROM THE DOJO
· A list of some very evolved souls: Christ, Buddha, Basho, Tolle, Gurdjieff, Krishnamurti, Lao Tzu, Moses, Mother Meera, Sister Theresa, Yogananda, Maharishi, Rumi, Socrates, Gandi, Mandela, Auribindo, Muhammad, Berg to name a few. We can familiarize ourselves with their experiences and gleen what it is like to live from a more evolved / enlightened place.
· The souls/people above lived very enlightened and evolved lives. They lived from a place of transcendence, beyond conditioning or ego. They brought the truth of connectedness to the perception of separateness in a very real way. We are all here to follow in their footsteps and our life is the practice space.
· Every single thing we experience in our lives is in the service of our awakening.
NOW WHAT
· To evolve, to grow, to become more conscious is the goal of humanity. To consciously participate in the process of evolving our consciousness. How does one do that? The first thing to do is develop a conceptual understanding of what is happening. Wrap your mind around it as a possibility.
1. I am very conditioned / conditional / I perceive great separateness (Ego) – the human condition.
2. My separate ego is unique and universal at the same time.
3. My mission is to transcend my ego, my perception of separateness.
4. Become aware of my ego, I can observe it.
5. Examine my FOO download, look at it vs looking through it.
6. Identify a power greater than my POS (myth), name it. TOC, connected Self, higher Self, conscious Self, aware Self, creative Self, loving Self, divine Self, etc.
7. Choose any method to facilitate TOC and practice. Therapy, any spiritual path that is not divisive (Kabbalah and Buddhism are excellent examples), meditation, any 12 step group (Ego’s anonymous), create it for yourself.
8. Commit to the ongoing process. The universe is constantly facilitating for us because we are an integrally connected part. Anywhere we have reactivity (fight or flight) we are perceiving separateness, lack, unworthiness, disconnection. This is a hard concept to grasp because we are so identified with form. Consciousness is the world of form and the world of no form, the totality of reality (Cohen). Everything we are presented, everything we experience, serves as grist for our evolution. The statement “everything happens for a reason” is just that; the reason is because your level of consciousness attracts what it needs to evolve. Your conditioned history, your early experiences, your challenges, losses, joys, sorrows, traumas, pains, relationship patterns, successes, failures, etc. are exactly what you need to grow your level of consciousness, connection, truth, soul, authenticity, etc.
How can we tell the truth of connection from the perception of separateness. Living from authenticity vs inauthenticity.
TRUTH/CONNECTION FALSE/SEPARTENESS
· Conscious Unconscious
· Creative Reactive
· Loving Fearful
· Empathic Judgmental
· Compassionate Indifferent
· Connected Disconnected
· Authentic Inauthentic
· True False
· Honest Dishonest
· With Versus
· Whole Divided
· Trustworthy Untrustworthy
· Accountable Blaming
· Aligned Misaligned
· Benevolent Uncaring
· Gentle Harsh
· Kindhearted Uncharitable
· Feeling Disconnected
· Confident Arrogant
· Self-loving self-centered
· Peaceful Suffering
· Choosing Automatic
· Expansive Contracted
· Giving Taking
· Aware Oblivious
· Worthiness Unworthiness
· Valued Lacking
· Safe Dangerous
· Respectful Disdaining
· Wonder Apathy
· Curiosity Indifference
· Open Closed
· Easy Hard
· Nice Mean
· Pain Pain
· Forgiveness Resentment
· Acceptance Denial
· Mindfulness Unawareness
· Calm Anxious
· Fulfilled Depressed
· Content Frustrated
· Friendly Angry
· Form No form
The above are just some of the descriptions that indicate where we are standing. Add your own, watch for them, consciously choose the place from which you move in the world.