Is it possible to be in a position of authority and maintain your authenticity? As Yogis, this question is one of many that call upon our ability to see the duality within the reality.
Does the mind bow to the soul?
The duality we experience in each moment has certain polarities to it. For example, authority vs authenticity, honesty vs humility, love vs loss, etc. Within every duality lies it’s polarity, and as Yogis we are trained to examine this in our personal experience. There is always a duality we must face as we gain experience. Pairing the polarities is simple path towards healing, whereby we can identify and hopefully end the duels we are fighting within ourselves. “When the battle is over and the victory is won, we can all shout together ‘we have overcome’… when we make it to the promised land”. – Jerry Garcia
The promised land is where everyone lives together in a harmonious understanding. It is a metaphor for our intention and our motivation as a species. In each moment and in any given arrangement, we can be humbled or lifted by our experiences. As we strive to bring out the best in ourselves (and others), it is said that we bounce around various stages of wisdom. And that each stage comes with its own duels.
- Stage 1: Beginner
- Stage 2: Apprentice
- Stage 3: Craftsman
- Stage 4: Expert
- Stage 5: Master
The way we handle the challenges of each stage is revealed to us through spiritual messages that are later brought to our attention. Like voice mail, if you don’t listen – you don’t receive the message. Listening to and connecting with our inner wisdom is how we receive our spiritual voice mail. Sometimes we just don’t want to listen. Sometimes we can’t hear. Perhaps we’ve never been taught how. Listening to our spiritual messages, no matter how late, requires us to be brave in many ways. (1) It means we must face the human catastrophe no matter how dark and how desperate the circumstances may seem. (2) It means embracing the karmic chaos no matter what. (3) It requires us to be willing to face it until we make it. Spiritual voice mail is no joke (it’s a yoke, actually). Our spiritual messages are often are hard to hear (such as pain, guilt, shame, and wounding) and knowing this, we will avoid checking. (4) Listening requires us to be wanting that connection with the Soul. If you are stalling in checking your spiritual voicemail, ask yourself:
- Do I have the Courage (needed to face it)?
- Do I have the Comfort (I’ll need to tend to my wounds)?
- Do I have the Care (needed to provide consistent attention to my needs & healing)?
Does the mind bow to the Soul? Who’s really in charge here and why?
More questions we must as ourselves in navigating polarities such as Authority and Authenticity come up when we talk about being in relation to one another. Human relationships battle all kinds of duels – making agreements and/or abusing each other for power. It is said that we come together for a reason, a season, or a lifetime to work on our polarities, things like Authority and Authenticity, Humility and Honesty, Betrayal and Being True; in order to face the challenges of our time together. Hindu teachings (referred to as Madurya Rasa), look at 5 Types of Love or relationship that we cultivate as humans:
- Parent & Child
- Siblings & Childhood Friends
- Lovers & Consorts
- Teacher & Student
- Master & Servant
These 5 types of Love or human relationship can also be seen as 5 types of betrayal – a polarity to Love. The duality we experience when we are betrayed in relationship is often shocking, heartbreaking, sometimes abusive, and perhaps even criminal. We ask ourselves “how could one love when one betrays?“ in an attempt to understand or come to terms with the duality we are experiencing.
Do we listen from the ears or the heart?
In Journey of Souls, by PhD Michael Newton, he writes: “Our spiritual masters constantly remind us that because the human brain does not have an innate moral sense of ethics, conscience is the soul’s responsibility.” CONSCIENCE IS THE SOULS RESPONSIBILITY. Although we are reminded to do our soul work with spiritual messaging, we often ignore, cannot hear, or have never been taught to listen to the messages. The yogic practice of listening from deep within, called Sunia, is a tool for strengthening the ear of the hEARt and can be a powerful path to healing. If used correctly, the ear of the heart can hear beyond the karmic chaos through the powerful energy center known as Anahata Chakra. Translating as ‘un-struck’ (an-ahad), it can sense vibrations that have not yet struck a chord within us.
Does the head bow to the heart or vice versa?
When we are inauthentic and dishonest, our Soul cannot connect with our inner wisdom to receive our spiritual messages. It’s like we’ve unplugged. And being unplugged when you’re a Master can be dangerous. Within our relationships and even within ourselves, duality is the framework of our reality and it provides the battleground for our inner duels. When we don’t listen to our spiritual voicemail, duality starts stacking up and answering the messages becomes overwhelming. Too often I have seen spiritual mailboxes that are full and overflowing. Betrayal, abuse, death, and destruction set in as polarities go unquestioned, unnoticed, unattended. Trust, transparency, honesty, and humility are often too great a price to pay in the moment, and so authenticity dies. The effects of spiritual ignorance and abuse are contagious and easily extend beyond ourselves to our relationships, friends, family, lovers, students, teachers, and communities.
Stephen McCarnie wrote “the Master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.” In understanding Authority and Authenticity and other polarities within the dualistic nature of experience – we must listen with the ear of the heart to know what is needed. Once known, we must bring what is needed in order to see our success. I’m encouraging YOU to help heal the world by meditating!! Spiritual messaging helps us find the polarities of experience.. and you can help end the battles we all share by aligning your intentions, words, actions, and deeds TODAY. In short, ANSWER YOUR MESSAGES!!