August 14, 2021

01

Carl Jung was the Shaman/Hustler/Hokum-master of his age.
He created an entire psyche-scam,
an artifice composed of little more than
smoke and mirrors
to distract the attention
of those seeking his help
away from the simple secret source
of their escape from their
so-called "neurosis"
back to "the face that was theirs
before they were born."

Jung developed an entire lexicon
of terms that have no meaning whatsoever
apart from the meaning he said they had--
and no one could ever quite understand
what he meant by the words 
or his definitions/explanations

("Neurosis" "Archetypes" "complex"
"individuation" "mysterium coniunctionis"
"anima" "animus" "shadow" "alchemy," etc.)
which kept everyone's attention diverted 
from the central feature of Jung's therapy:
reconnecting people with their own heart;
redirecting them to their own life.

Jung found that reuniting people
with their own spirit/energy/vitality
restored their own sense of balance and harmony,
which was the key in returning them
to the joy and satisfaction
of the life that was theirs to live.

But he knew no one would go there directly.
They had to be sent on a mysterious voyage
to the truth if they were ever to buy into it.
So he led them on a merry search for themselves
through a dreamworld of their own making.

And it worked wonders for those who were prone
to wonderment,
and it did not work at all
for those who were not.

Here are a few statements straight
from the heart of the Master:

“Follow that will and that way which experience confirms to be your own.” 

“Trust that which gives you meaning and accept it as your guide.” 

“We only gain merit and psychological development by accepting ourselves as we are, and by being serious enough to live the life we are entrusted with.” 

“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” 

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”

“In the final analysis, we count for something only because of the essential that we embody. If we do not embody that, life is wasted.”

“At bottom, there is only one striving, namely the striving after your own being.”  

“Particular care and attention must be given to that delicate plant ‘individuality’ if it is to grow and develop.” 

And on and on like that...

From antiquity,
all of the stories that matter to us
are about the return to what matters to us.

All of the great quests of lore
are quests for the heart of who we are.

All of the central themes of literature
through the ages 
are the same themes in every age:

Death and resurrection.
Turning and becoming.
Sin and repentance.
Betrayal and atonement. 
From bondage to freedom.
From being lost to being found.
From sickness to health.
From darkness to light.
Etc.

These are the themes that run through
our own life.
They speak directly to our heart/soul/psyche.
We are what we seek.
And we don't have to go anywhere
to make the journey to healing and wholeness.
We only have to open ourselves
here and now
to the truth of our own being,
and become who we are
within the context and circumstances
of the time and place of our living.

–0–

02

Chang Ling (AKA Chang Tao Ling, etc.) was born
in the beginning of the Common Era
in the province of Szechwan, China,
and laid the foundation
for the transformation of the world.

He created a "Savior Mystique,"
and organized a religious following
regimenting life around a core belief
in the resilient harmony at the heart
of one's own self
and the spirit of right relationship
with one's neighbors and all sentient beings.

His method of healing (According to Martin Palmer,
in his book "The Elements of Taoism") 
consisted of having "the person seeking healing...
to write out all of their sins and failures...and
holding the paper (containing the list)
above their head wade out into a river (where 
they submerged themselves under the water
and let go of the paper,
allowing the river to carry it away,
then stand up and return to shore) cleansed
of all of their failures and shortcomings
and (healed) of their illness."

Create the proper environment
so that people are psychologically prepared
to be saved,
and they will be saved.
All of the great healers heal in this way.
It is the placebo effect applied/experienced
on a mass level 
(which makes it all the more effective).

And, once we understand the basis
of our own restoration,
we can apply it to ourselves
without getting wet,
simply by letting go of our attachment
to our sins and failures
and allowing ourselves to live
at one with the truth of our own being--
with "the face that was ours
before we were born,"
no matter what.

We will sacrifice ourselves
in the service of something.
It would be wise (and healing)
to sacrifice ourselves
in the service of our own true self
at the heart of who we are.

–0–

03

It all comes down to,
and flows from,
sincerity and integrity. 

What these words attempt to express
constitutes the foundation--
the adamantine core--
of life and being,
both individually and collectively.

The most important thing we can do,
for ourselves and the larger community
(communities) of which we are a part,
is to live consciously,
with mindful, 
compassionate,
awareness,
in the service of sincerity and integrity,
moment by moment,
day by day,
in each situation as it arises,
our entire life long.

In conjunction with sincerity and integrity,
we need to be intently and intentionally,
consciously, mindfully, aware 
of the state of our balance and harmony,
and the quality of our spirit, energy and vitality.

These are the seven markers
indicating/expressing/exhibiting 
our degree of wellness
and the quality of our life.

To know how well we are doing,
we only have to take a reading 
of these seven areas of our experience.

Simply give yourself a number 
between 0 and 10,
with 10 being complete perfection,
and 0 being a total void,
and plot yourself throughout the day/week.

Commune silently with yourself
on a regular basis
to see how you might alter your life
to raise your numbers--
not thinking/planning as is our wont, 
but simply watching in the silence
for what emerges/arises/appears/occurs
to lead you along the way
toward the wholeness that is recognized
through balance, harmony, sincerity,
integrity, spirit, energy, vitality
flowing through our life
and transforming the way we live
in each situation as it arises.

Your life will change
without you doing anything
to make change happen.
Of itself.

And you will find that you are
as the Buddha,
One Thus Come.

All because you sat quietly
in the silence,
as the Buddha did
(And as Jesus did,
and as all have done
who share The Way of Life and Being).

–0–

04

Do not have to know "Why?"!

Start with "Why anything?,"
and keep asking, "Why?" of every answer,
and you will eventually get to, "I don't know?"

At the bottom of every "Why?" is "I don't know."

"What?" and "How?" are operative questions.
Ask them.

"What?" is a heart question.

"How?" is a head question.

"What?" is a feeling question.

"How?" is a thinking question.

We feel our way to "What?"
We think our way to "How?"
And we have to ask "Why?"
until we get to "I don't know."

Sit in the silence with "I don't know,"
until something occurs/arises/emerges
unbidden, un-thought, simply realized,
and carry that with you in your awareness
until something shifts within,
and your perspective changes
automatically,
without you doing anything
to make it happen.

This is called 
"Growing yourself up over time."

–0–

05