Surviving Dukkha

( As an empathic individual who is very much in touch with my and others emotions I needed to explore my experiences rather than riding rough shod with them through my life. This led me to the following understanding).

It is my experience that bearing pain and suffering and witnessing that of others, the assumed reality of an egoic / materialistic existence is called into question.
Occurrences such as the death of a child, the terminally ill and child orphans of war for instance implore us to question the morality of life’s seemingly nonsensical course.
The pain and bewilderment we feel drives some of us to delve deeper into our experience of life in order to make some kind of sense of the seeming reality we face on a daily basis.

Buddhists and Hindus refer to this as ‘ dukkha ‘ and it can provide us with a metaphorical whetstone with which to enquire into the reality of our experience and sharpen our spiritual insight.

Therefore from out of our deepest, darkest moments can, with understanding, develop a powerful glimpse into the true nature of reality. Allowing us to see the impermanence of all that we perceive and how our psyche seeks to deceive us into believing otherwise.

As One……….

The chill November morning air washes over me as I greet the day sitting on my porch. A grey, rain laden sky hangs heavily overhead. A playful flock of house sparrows dive into the leafless overgrown bushes, a solitary robin perches on a twig overseeing the garden as if a self proclaimed custodian. A stiff breeze blows through the branches of the old oak tree, liberating a flurry of golden leaves whom pirouette and float earth bound in a final swansong of movement.
There’s a feeling of the eternal in this moment. A feeling of a shared witnessing with many ancestors whom had also experienced a oneness with the world. A virtual falling away of my personality leaving behind the bare constituents of my being.
The chemical elements such as calcium and carbon are to be found in the earth and all it begets as it is in me. The rain water and rivulets there from also form the same compounds that make up my tears and blood.
It is no surprise therefore that my soul finds eternal connection to all that has ever been, is and will ever be.

Living the Paradox……..

The subtle ochre and aureate shades of the Autumn leaves in the pale sunshine of fall,

The chill air of a new morning brushing against my exposed flesh, as if baptising my body ready for the day,

The tumultuos grey waves of the ocean as they throw themselves angrily at the granite cliffs,

The raging storm filling the sky with heavy leaden clouds, the flashes of steely lightening turning my surroundings into a monochromatic vista.

The look of tender and all consuming love on a mother’s face as she holds her newborn close,

The wide eyed, open vulnerability of the many sentient animals who look to us for protection and sustenance,

The gentle loving touch of a loved one in an hour of need,

The fierce fire of compassion in the hearts of those who fight for the vulnerable.

The beauty and eloquence of this life is there for all who have the eyes to see.

However many of us are not blind to the pain implicit in life’s journey.

It has been said that there can be little appreciation of life’s highs without having experiencing the lower aspects of existence.

The corporate greed often at the expense of the individual,

The ego driven, divisive rhetoric of those who would have us follow,

The angry, vitriolic voices driving human lives to war,

The homeless, the abused and the lonely.

Those of us who truly have an empathic / spiritually inclined disposition can find this polarity of life challenging and confusing,

How is it possible that all these things can co-exist when they all contain the same implicit ingredients?

The call to those of us who are to heal can overwhelming.

As much as we wish to bring a quick and enduring end to suffering, we have only recourse to our finite resources.

This is when we need to remind ourselves that many small acts of kindness can bring about change. Cumulatively it can create a shift.

We can see it happening now with the challenging of investment in climate damaging activities and with society’s renewed interest in spiritual practices like yoga and meditation.

The simple act of a warm smile to a passing stranger, a gesture of compassion to the homeless, a comforting touch to the bereaved or the simple giving of time to those who need to be heard.

All these can make life just that little more bearable for those in need.

It may even save a life.

Epiphany….

The rain thunders downwards, straight and forceful hitting the ground like machine gun fire. The leaden grey sky reflected in the heaving tumultuous waves of the ocean creating an almost monochrome vista. This ruinous chapel affording my dank body some slight shelter from the elements. Situated in an open field on a rocky promontory forming a cape, surrounded by the relentlessly roaring sea, blending perfectly with its environs. The drystone walls, mortared rubble and rounded boulders of which it is constructed taken from the very earth on which it was constructed.

Huddled alone and drenched against the granite corbelled walls, my mortal self feels strangely alone. It’s as if I was the only living being in this seemingly austere yet enigmatic world. The only ever witness to the rugged beauty of the landscape.
Yet a paradoxical sense avails also.
A sense of oneness with the Earth, of being a unified part of all that was, is and will ever be. I am but a microcosm reflected in the greater whole.
In this rugged stone panorama I perceive my bones.
In the moss and meadow see my flesh.
In the sea and the rivulets of rain I behold my blood.
A numinous peace settles around my war torn heart.
For now I know ( as I have always known, deep inside), that I and all that is, are eternal.

The Individuating Empath….

For those of us who feel that we have truly empathic ( energetically sensitive) nature, Carl Jung’s quote is particularly pertinent.
For our gift ( for despite its seeming burdens, is what it is) can prime us for spiritual and numinous experiences. Of course the downside can be seen as it can make one feel more isolated and misunderstood than others.
However, at the end of the day, the ability to feel and sense subtle energies can us a rich and bountiful life experience of which many could not begin to understand.
Also I personally have found that unless we take conscious control of our individuation process then we run the risk of losing ourselves and thus never reaching our potential. For as Jung states, the daemon within us will never quieten. For whatever avoidance tactics we employ such as intoxicating substances, affairs of the heart, work or reverie, the daemon will win out.

“The fact that a man who goes his own way ends in ruin means nothing … He must obey his own law, as if it were a daemon whispering to him of new and wonderful paths … There are not a few who are called awake by the summons of the voice, whereupon they are at once set apart from the others, feeling themselves confronted with a problem about which the others know nothing. In most cases it is impossible to explain to the others what has happened, for any understanding is walled off by impenetrable prejudices. “You are no different from anybody else,” they will chorus or, “there’s no such thing,” and even if there is such a thing, it is immediately branded as “morbid”…He is at once set apart and isolated, as he has resolved to obey the law that commands him from within. “His own law!” everybody will cry. But he knows better: it is the law…The only meaningful life is a life that strives for the individual realization — absolute and unconditional— of its own particular law … To the extent that a man is untrue to the law of his being … he has failed to realize his own life’s meaning”.

Carl Jung

Should I Stay or Should I Go ( another bout of ascension sickness)

It always starts off seemingly innocuous enough. Sore throat, aching limbs with a knife kind of brain fogginess which renders me unable to communicate as effectively as I would wish. Each time is a little different however, sometimes there is a bombardment of synchronicities ( songs, memories and realisations), sometimes an increase in paranormal activity, frequent vibrational changes both internal and external to myself and inevitably a change of perspective.
My usual human perception changes, my reality becomes a flux of energies, all interconnected and seamless as the outside world dances before me. I am no longer ( nor ever was) a separate entity walking the planet, I am now in this very moment, all that ever was and will ever be, as I am part of the whole, undifferentiated and eternal.
My sense of self falls away, my previous egoic values which I held dear to my corporeal heart whither before the infinite ocean of existential potential.
So here my human self stands ( metaphorically speaking), on the dizzying precipice of embracing oneness, of falling into the brightly lit abyss of ego annihilation.
The sacrifice of my perceived selfhood for perennial Nirvana.

The Journey…..

“The act of consciousness is central; otherwise we are overrun by the complexes. The hero in each of us is required to answer the call of individuation. We must turn away from the cacaphony of the outerworld to hear the inner voice. When we can dare to live its promptings, then we achieve personhood. We may become strangers to those who thought they knew us, but at least we are no longer strangers to ourselves”.

James Hollis, The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife (Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts, 59

Our own unique individuation process leads us, if followed, along a spiritual path. This may well differ for individuals but this is necessary.
Ultimately we need to trust in ourselves and that if we truly follow our heart’s compass then we can become whom we are meant to be.
There will be struggles of course, times when we may feel lost and alone, filled with self doubt and confusion. This too is part of the process. The spiritual seekers of old have well documented the challenges that one faces, but there is no growth without pain. As individuals we frequently underestimate our strength and tenacity which can lead us to turn to distraction from the cause or even complete abandonment of our path.

However it is my experience that unless we continue then our life will remain less than fulfilled. The hero in us calls for us to stand alone if necessary and separate oneself from all that does not resonate with our souls. Only then can we stand strong in our knowledge and belief that our lives are authentic and our actions just.
For myself, my friends, colleagues and family more often than not believe me to be quirky and perhaps a little crazy and therefore humour me.
But as I have ‘grown’, I have found that I am no longer dependent on any one thing or person to help define me. Through the individuation process one becomes an actualised and independent entity who is a true rendition of one’s inner self. You become invulnerable to life’s rigors and the childish chatter of the ego.

With this comes a creative and playful aspect to living. A pure enjoyment of life, uncomplicated and unburdened of fear or doubt, we celebrate every moment with an open heart and joyous gratitude.

To The Warriors…..

A toast offered to those silent warriors in this world ( you know who you are) whose every action is a considered one.
Those bodhisattva like individuals who seemingly exist for the sole purpose for the furtherment of other souls.
For they see the bigger picture.
The impermanence of life and yet the interconnectedness of all of existence, both seen and unseen.
The ones who :
– walk carefully upon the Earth with the intention of not harming the the smallest of creatures
– unbeknownst to others send love and blessings to those in need
– interact with the wounded with eyes and actions of empathic love
– secretly rejoice in the riches that life bestows on them in the form Nature in all her guises
– will eternally until their dying breath act and voice their truth in the name compassion.

Though many days may end with their armour dented and their hearts heavy from the service of love, will again rise to resume the fight again. For they are driven by a force outside of themselves which cannot be denied. It seems to be the reason for their existence and to deny it would go contrary to Nature and spirit.
So I offer a toast to those of you who fight and suffer in silence, to your benevolent soul and your eternal resolve.

Sunday Sentience

I love Sundays. When I was younger I quite disliked them, what with shops, cafe’s, pubs etc either closed or shutting early. I would feel bored and confined to more mundane activities.
But not now. Sundays make it easier to step out of the hustle and bustle of the working week, away from the overwhelming array of social stimuli and having to remain seemingly stoic in the face of the many challenges that modern life can present us with.
Sitting on my porch on this still and frosty morning my mind naturally settles into a relaxed, reflective, lucid state. The pale, watery winter sunlight permeates the remaining foliage of the trees at the bottom of the garden, illuminating the crystalline drops of molten snow dangling precariously from the twigs and branches. A quarrel of small house sparrows fly into a nearby hedge seemingly bickering loudly. Two grey squirrels chase each other over the snow mottled grass, running and jumping in a fervent game of tag.
A couple of night black rooks stare down from a nearby rooftop as if surveying their territory. By their proximity to each other and the purely natural ease of their togetherness, their monogamy is undoubted.
I shiver outwardly as an icy breeze picks up and sears my face announcing the imminent arrival of distant clouds, heavy and grey with precipitation.
As I sit here watching Nature at play, I become aware of a wry but gentle smile upon my face.
I reflect on my current thoughts:
– whatever life presents us with, it is but the smallest ripple when compared to the enormity of existence, time and space.
– strange but paradoxically comforting is that my brief sojourn of life as a human on this planet is finite and at its end I return to my source, complete again.
– life itself is nothing more concrete than a constant dance of ephemeral gossamer illusions.
– that at the quantum level, I have never been or ever will be separate from the complex and exquisitely manifested world around me.

Yes, life is good, as long as I don’t take it personally ❤️❤️.

With Impunity?

I believe that Man has largely yet to understand that in whatever activity he cannot ever act with impunity. For whatsoever he does to himself, he does to others. And what he does to others, he likewise does to himself. For at the lowest quantum strata we are and never have been separate from each other, or indeed from any one thing perceived. Be it the grass underfoot, the air that we breathe or the mountains and forests with all the wildlife therein that adorn our planet.
To realise this in one’s very heart can free us from our personal drama. Whatsoever then befalls us in life will never again be seen as either as good or bad, for it would never again be personal. It would be seen simply as part of the great unfolding of life of which all and everyone are inextricably linked.

pjwatkiss.