13th October 2024
There is a choice to be made in the battle for the soul. Choosing the voice of wisdom emanating from the heart, which may be but a whisper. Or neglecting this for the hot winds that shout from the outside.
Often I have found myself abandoning the post of my heart. A great source of pain arises in order to please, submit and be compliant to either my vices or outside authorities.
I would like to share some small examples in the hope that you too can resonate. I noticed sharing stories are more powerful for you than purely metaphysical abstractions to hear. These are grounded and relatable as it gives real tangible human challenges. While for me it gives the courage to be vulnerable and the release of silence. As my meditation teacher says the best city to live in is authenti-city.
An instance so simple where I am offered extra chocolate cake, the end slice with icing and tea with milk. My intuition knows it will make me feel bad for hours to come and affect my sleep, yet I make a little complaint and comply. Keeping the outside world happy while suppressing the inside voice which is fleeting like a deer. Sure enough at night I can’t sleep. The caffeine affects my brain, the milk in my stomach causes immense bloating.
The truth is, the level of consciousness of the other may not be as sensitive to my being as I am. I abdicate decisions in another’s hands. They may be in a programmed thought condition: the guest should consume what is put out. Why such control from the other? Because their belief could indicate that I am a bad guest, or they are a bad host. Without this compassion towards the other and my self I have noticed my attention can quickly abandon my inner voice and needs in service of others without discernment. The group consciousness also complies making it harder to oppose.
This is a dangerous attachment of ego not serving our inner authentic self and is quite subtle. My insecurity seeks validation outside for love and security instead of my ‘self’. Why?
Good question, at the level of the essence of my being I have been conditioned in such a way to not respect, follow and love my inner voice in favour of the status quo. This is common in society and normalised as being a ‘good person’. Doing the opposite is seen as being ‘bad’. Yet as Rumi says: “Somewhere beyond right and wrong, there is a garden. I will meet you there.” On one side there is a pious religious saint persona, a ‘Goodie Two-Shoes’ on the other, there is a rebel warrior non-conformist. In the middle is a child-like spirit wanting to explore and create.
In the Vedic mythology there is such a story of overly controlling forces of demons. They can be likened to and manifested as foreign invaders who rape and pillage the woman and arts or the internal vices who loot our internal treasures. This can represent the overly controlling wounded masculine.
Not in any vague terms, the extractive mindset of colonialism on South America, Africa, Asia, Middle-East and India. Suppressing and breaking down foundational native wisdom such as Ayurveda and the Sikh heritage instruments. Even constructing religions to become hyper masculine to suppress themselves. Creating an ego identity which is more controllable.
As Macaulay stated in the British Parliament minute on education in 1835:
“We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern; a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect. To that class we may leave it to refine the vernacular dialects of the country, to enrich those dialects with terms of science borrowed from the Western nomenclature, and to render them by degrees fit vehicles for conveying knowledge to the great mass of the population.” “A single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia”
You may draw your own conclusions on the twisted thinking of the colonialists from the above. This replaced one culture and instilled another one inside, like a delusional parasite living off its hosts resources and taxes in the name of prosperity. Bleeding it dry and giving it ‘freedom’ once extracted.
The personified goddess Chandi and her powerful form Kali are the powers which can subdue the demons. Likewise, Athena of Greece and Sekhmet of Egypt hail from civilisations advanced in their social harmonics. This is not merely idolatry but a psychological technology where we may resonate and invoke this resonant frequency of the divine inside of us. Mantras are the music and mathematical geometric forms reflective of creation itself. The energy keys to create, maintain, protect and destroy. Not surprisingly suppressed.
The divine feminine primal power of creation ‘Aad Shakti’ known as Bhagauti is the universal force that can manifest the destruction of negative entities. Our own divine power. The Sarb-loh ‘All steel’ sword is the personafied avatar we can take to cut through, not just these attachments (demons) but also the very foundations on which they are built. Just like taking a weed from its root. So the demons may not spawn and replicate.
On the eve of Diwali the triumph of light against darkness is not just a nice story and good celebration, it is a psychological shift to take a stand to power.
The feminine quality is not just relegated to females. It is an intrinsic part of creation and so it is part of males. Many males are shamed from a young age to express the divine feminine qualities. In turn they become dysfunctional inwardly restraining this part in themselves and outwards in others. Both internal and external balance has been lost and chasm appears. Between the heart and mind coherence.
Think about men who have integrated feminine: Sadhguru, Sidhu Moosewala, Sartinder Sartaj, Obama, Jason Momoa, Bear Grylls, Bruce Lee and strong feminine figures like Jacinda Arden and Opera. Versus disintegrated figures of Lizz Truss, Genghis Khan, Trump and Kardashians. Who is secure and who is looking for security? Be it physical, mental or emotional.
Unfortunately we can see the feminine aspect of the divine suppressed today. Leading to a sick society; controlling, scarce, greedy, addicted and overly competitive. Hyper masculine gym aesthetics, emotional suppression in women and especially in men, overworked corporate workers focused on productivity and an economy consuming the natural world. The various escalations we see today are indeed a tipping point of a global cultural shift. The collective consciousness in the midst of transition and awakening to oppression.
If our tribal ancestors wandered into this drama soup it would surely be called a circus. Our natural and indigenous wisdom is the motherly balm to this raging desire. Being compassionate to her innocent child she knows when to pick up and importantly put down her weapon for the righteous cause of dharma.
Giving away my power, autonomy and sovereignty leaves me meek, yet feeling ‘humble’. Yet this fake humility persona quickly loses integrity and trust in my ‘self’ creating a fragmented psyche. My internal monologue states: a small bend and leeway surely is ok.
Actually no, it’s not ok, it’s unacceptable. Just like this little cyclical scene of complaining and complying so too does this karmically repeat all over the workplace and countries creating co-dependent relationships of imbalanced power dynamics. Known as enmeshment.
Other examples could include saying no, speaking up at work, leaving a group setting, asking for help to get our needs met and not feeling guilty.
In the above I have noticed the tendency to avoid this. Being attachment to the unpleasant emotions of fear of rejection, guilt, shame to ask for my needs and conflict avoidance.
In doing so we easily open up the gates of our kingdom to tyranny and control without any resistance. Locking ourselves in our ‘safe’ prisons giving the keys to our merciful jailers. Yet we have co-created this gold gilded prison. To make our city truly authentic we need to take the time to listen, what is it the heart truly wants?
Truly knowing ourselves, allows us to stand up for what is right no matter how small or insignificant. It sharpens our service of integrity and vanquishes tyranny from ever touching our soul.
I will leave you on two lines of wisdom from the 1st and 5th Sikh Gurus.
Jhoty 🙂
ਸਚਹੁ ਓਰੈ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਉਪਰਿ ਸਚੁ ਆਚਾਰੁ
sacho urai sabh ko, opar sach achar
Truth is higher than everything, but higher still is truthful living
-Guru Nanak Dev Ji
ਤਾਤੀ ਵਾਉ ਨ ਲਗਈ ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਸਰਣਾਈ
Taatee vaao na lagaee Paarbraham sarnaaee
The hot winds do not touch me; the Supreme Divine is my Sanctuary
-Guru Arjan Dev Ji
Jhoty 