Day: August 7, 2014

Hands in Society and Head in the Forest

/ onetusk / Leave a comment

‘Hands in society’ means I am in society. I am born in society and I am a part of it.  I grow in society and end in the society. So, no one can say that I don’t have anything to do with society. If anyone says so, it only means there is a lack of understanding. We cannot exist without society. Society is a must for everybody. We are products of society. We are the beneficiaries of society. Therefore, my friends, ‘hands in society’ means or refers to our very base, our very existence, our sustenance, and our maintenance.

The other extreme is ‘head in the forest’. What does this mean? It doesn’t mean that your head is going to be suspended from a tree in the forest, certainly not! The head represents thought and contemplation. The head represents the goal or aim. The head stands for the objective of life. Therefore, while the hands represent action, the head symbolizes the aim, goal and objective of the life.  So, ‘head in the forest’ means the aim or objective of life is not society. The purpose of life is not society.

In the statement ‘head in the forest’, the forest symbolises renunciation. The forest stands for detachment and represents penance. The forest means a life in solitude, aloneness. Therefore, ‘head in the forest’ means that your constant thought should be towards solitude. You have to repeatedly ruminate and travel towards detachment. The purpose is renunciation.

– Sathya Sai Baba

We must not create a wall between our worldly and spiritual lives.

People disorganized in their worldly life search for spiritual wisdom in seclusion; whereas, if organized properly, they can have all the means and resources that are of utmost importance for spiritual enlightenment. The purpose of human life is to make the best use of the resources that nature or God has given us.enlightenmentBut there’s more to it.

There are typically two kinds of people. Some are involved in the world and are busy in their self-centered activities. Others renounce their families and do not participate in worldly life at all. There are very few people who use discrimination, work hard for their self-fulfillment, and at the same time, contribute to the welfare of society. People belonging to these two categories have an incomplete world view, and therefore, strive for their limited goals.

In our modern age, where the standard of living has been facilitated by science and technology, we must learn to make the best use of our ample resources. A lifestyle that is suitable for both worldly fulfillment and spiritual enlightenment is the best.

Those who strive to attain personal enlightenment and help others light their lamps are the true leaders of the human race. ….

Today’s society is waiting for selfless, spiritually enlightened, well-balanced leaders to guide them in how to live happily here and hereafter. Such leaders or reformers will not come from outside our society. They have to be born, raised, and trained right in our own society. We are the ones to become our own guides, our own leaders, and we are the ones to enlighten our own lives…..

 

—Swami Rama from A Call to Humanity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Recommendation – The Dark Side of Light Chasers

/ onetusk / Leave a comment

 

The Dark Side of the Light Chasers: Reclaiming Your Power, Creativity, Brilliance and Dreams

The Dark Side of the Light Chasers: Reclaiming Your Power, Creativity, Brilliance and Dreams by Debbie Ford

Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist, who wrote about our shadow selves. In The Dark Side of the Light Chasers Debbie Ford makes that journey to know your shadow self a practical journey and this is the tour guide for that journey. We can pretend we have no shadow side, no dark motives, but we do, and if we ignore that as a human being we have both good and bad within us, we run the risk of letting our shadow side sneak up and kick us in the butt. We do, what we don’t want to do, because we pretend that option was never there for us. That’s wrong.

When we are angry with the selfishness of a friend, when we find the arrogance of others off putting, we may be reacting to that exact same trait within ourselves. We deny parts of ourselves and so we never are in tune with the world, we stay at war with the world, or at least aggravated with it. This doesn’t mean we surrender to, or take the leash off the bad stuff. It means we can only control something if we know it is there.
Within our dark impulses are gifts, but the gifts come only when we reclaim our whole self.

– Tex Norman

We know the shadow by many names: alter ego, lower self, the dark twin, repressed self, id. Carl Jung once said that the shadow “is the person you would rather not be.” But even if you choose to hide your dark side, it will still cast a shadow, according to author Debbie Ford. Rather than reject the seemingly undesirable parts of ourselves, Ford offers advice on how to confront our shadows. Only by owning every aspect of yourself can you achieve harmony and “let your own light shine,” she explains. “The purpose of doing shadow work, is to become whole. To end our suffering. To stop hiding ourselves from ourselves. Once we do this we can stop hiding ourselves from the rest of the world.”

As threatening as shadow work may seem, it is often very effective in creating transformation. Ford’s step-by-step guidebook is modeled on a highly successful course she developed about embracing the shadow. Ultimately, she helps readers illuminate the gifts and strengths that lie within the shadows. Although this works sound vague, clouded in dark metaphors, Ford manages to make it clear and specific. She has the writing gifts of a successful seminar leader–inspirational, trustworthy, and able to convey murky material with grace and ease. 

–Gail Hudson