Sometimes, literature can engage our mind, instruct our soul, and inspire us to action. It does not require we treat the writing as some sort of scripture, nor does it mean we even agree with all of it. However, if it moves me, I enjoy sharing it.
Such is the case with Paulo Coelho’s novel, The Fifth Mountain, which is about the imaginary time Elijah the prophet of Israel spent in exile. I shared some of the powerful message last night. Briefly, this evening, I will add a few thoughts from some of the book. I examined the question that Elijah the prophet raised to God when considering all he and the people he had settled amongst suffered: “What is the meaning of thy struggle?” Is this all there is? Is the suffering of life worth it; is struggling to be good, to be anything, worth it for such a seemingly brief, hard life? Here is one beautiful use of Ego. When it brings such questions to mind and soul, we have to dig deep to see what we are really made of. Many times we blame others for our struggles, or we conclude that we’re worthless as a human or deficient in some way. Those are good things to think about, but we dare not get stuck there. On the same page, same passage I referred to last night from The Fifth Mountain, Elijah says, “The man who did not know how to answer this question would resign himself…Cowards never allow their hearts to blaze with this fire; all they desire is for the changed situation to quickly return to what it was before, so they can go on living their lives and thinking in their customary way” (Coelho 204).What is the Ego answer to asking about the value of suffering and life? Resign self to plod ahead in relatively meaningless existence with the hope that things might at least get back to what they were. It’s too risky to really discover anything deeper. There’s the danger: not recognizing Heart whispering, maybe shouting, in our soul. If one gets stuck in these Ego-generated questions, things get pretty damn bleak. These dichotomous possibilities occur as Coelho explores them in Elijah’s evaluation, and Elijah comes to this judgment about facing what I call Ego, a dynamic within us that would cause us to be fatalistic: the cowards resign self. However, those who are brave “set afire that which was old, and, even at the cost of great internal suffering, abandon everything, including God, and continue onward” (Coelho 204). Those who hear Heart won’t rest until they know who they are. They drive to discover, to be the “one who sought a meaning to existence, feeling that God [life, Universe, etc.] had been unjust, would challenge his own destiny. It was at this moment that fire of a different type descended from the heavens…the kind that tears down ancient walls and imparts to each human being his true possibilities” (Coelho 204). When that happens, Spirit, God, if you wish, allows that and “smiles contentedly, for it was this that He desired, that each person take into his hands the responsibility for his own life. For, in the final analysis, He had given His children the greatest of all gifts: the capacity to choose and determine their acts” (Coelho 204). We learn who we are, and we create our fate. If we listen to our Heart, that direct piece of Spirit in us, we come to question all we have gone through and our relationship, part, and suffering in all, and we come “to the abyss of the unavoidable” (Coelho 205) so that we can see that we “must choose — and not accept — [our] fate” (Coelho 205). How do we choose? What if we choose wrong? What should we choose? In one more article, I will address the harmony of Coelho’s and my philosophy through The Fifth Mountain. In the meantime, we each have Heart. We each have Ego, too, and we will be brought to points of reckoning throughout life. Then, we choose: Ego or Heart; accept fate or create fate; resign to doom or rise to discover. These times are not trivial, and to someone in the throes of such moments, encouragement to choose Heart may sound trite. It is by no means that; choosing Heart will mean taking responsibility for Self, for discovering and living personal truth, no matter the cost. And that is not a trivial, trifling, or easy way out. It is, however, the way of freedom, blessing, fulfillment, significance, understanding, light, love, and peace. Blessings until tomorrow! All quotes from my version of The Fifth Mountain: Coelho, Paulo. The Fifth Mountain. Harper Collins, 1999 (Reissued 2009).
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I am not an advocate of organized religion; however, I do believe religion can lead people to face themselves, their Ego selves, because religion is powered in many instances by Ego. It brings individuals who are searching, asking those big life questions, to the point of realization: the answers are within.
The writings, scriptures of religions contain much wisdom and give insight into the human condition. And it is from the stories about Elijah, the prophet of Israel, that Paulo Coelho appropriates and weaves a tale of wonder and spiritual truth, a novel of visionary fiction, The Fifth Mountain. Visionary fiction presents the philosophy with which most of my writing, thus far, has been concerned. Self-discovery, self-identity, spiritual awakening — whatever you may wish to call it — is described through different terminology and in some differing methods, but I feel the least common denominator ends up being we bear eternal Spirit in our complete being of body mind, and soul. By creation design, we also come equipped with Ego, and we seek to discover that Spirit core within, Heart, that bears marks of who we are, that is personalized by us. I’ve written much of this. Just because it has been in my soul, I would like to share some quotes from Coelho’s novel addressing these great life issues of self-identity and life-purpose. While the nature of his material takes on some of the biblical, religious tones, the essence of it brings the reader to seriously consider what it means to awaken spiritually and walk in purpose. I especially wish to focus on a concept I have used personally and I feel is valid and can be helpful for those struggling with their identity and purpose. In Coelho’s imagined life of Elijah in the city of Akbar (Zarephath), Elijah has a dream in which he remembers the struggle of Jacob who was renamed Israel. Upon remembering the story, Elijah thought this: “God challenged one to confront Him and to answer His question: ‘Why dost thou cling fast to an existence so short and so filled with suffering? What is the meaning of thy struggle?’” I equate this to my reality that the Great Creator Spirit put Ego in each one of us, Ego that creates the same struggle when we face the same questions about the meaning of life, about why we are here and why things seem so hard. Whichever terminology one uses, the effect is the same: provocation to find the answers, to fight to gain personal identity, purpose, and truth. And that spark, once kindled, will not be extinguished because our own Heart urges us onward till we find It; our mind and soul push to know Heart, discover that Self and create what we wish to be. And I have decided, chosen, created that I will continue this tomorrow. I will share briefly that as I finish this up, it is actually 12:30 a.m., Sunday morning. We babysat two of the grandchildren tonight, and I worked this morning. I have had little time, and I still find myself on the verge of exhaustion. It has been a satisfying day, although I know I begin to get crabby with myself and my puppies, even, when I get this tired. So, I bid you good night! Blessings! In my “Afternoon Pages” post, I described my personal experience in fellowship with my Heart this morning as I sat outside. Three of my totem birds who often lend me their energy visited me. I won’t describe the specifics as I did this morning; however, I will share the message.
Developing personal interpretations from such animals with whom we identify requires Heart-energy. Ego can misinterpret and misdirect almost anything. Heart will connect us with the Universe and encourage us. Oh, it will challenge us, too, but Heart always challenges us to succeed, not to fail, not to capitulate, not to conform. Heart challenges us to forge ahead in confidence and faith and Self. This morning that is what I experienced. After listening to the birds, receiving their energy, processing it in peace and calm, I heard the words, the message of my Heart to me:, “Relax. Relax into Me. Release self. Relax into Me.” Whenever such times occur, it is our responsibility to process and interpret that which we experience. And that should not be daunting or doubting. We are, at core Self, Spirit. Our responsibility is to Self, no one else. And the message to me was to relax into that essential Self, Spirit. Relaxing means releasing, releasing all those Ego-charged, Ego-fueled aspects of Self, the shallow, petty thoughts and actions that create isolation, separation, despair, or even delusions of grandeur. Therefore, when I say we need to make meaning of what we experience, of what we observe and sense from Nature, we need to know our own Heart, know Self, and have nurtured fellowship with our own Heart. The whole Universe opens to us when that occurs. What I didn’t mention this morning was the immediate association I had as I processed the visitation of the birds. It was with Paulo Coelho’s novel, The Fifth Mountain. I would point out here how Heart uses total life experience, all those collections of knowledge and emotions and thoughts and studies, and then, Heart sparks the connections that allow us to create, which is our very essence. All of our experience, our life, can be for our own Purpose. It’s always for purpose, but the blessing and reality and fulness and significance of our life is when we acknowledge Heart and allow Heart to be our primary operating system in order to live our own created Purpose. Anyway, when I thought of The Fifth Mountain this morning, here are some of the connections I made. I should add that Ego has kept my mind and soul churning about finances and others’ expectations, and even though I know better, Ego is still a part of me. When all that chatter starts and runs, it can create inner turmoil, hence, the message to relax and release. Relaxing always requires releasing those things that get us up tight. Release the negative, busy energy and allow Spirit, peace, love, light, calmness. State these positive emotions, and allow Heart to spark those. However, we need to put ourselves in the mindset and setting to do that — like purposefully going into Nature to listen, observe, sense, and learn. When I thought of release, I focused on those things that are causing tension. I needed to be free of those to relax into Heart, Spirit. In The Fifth Mountain, I have connection: “This was freedom; to feel what the heart desired with no thought to the opinion of the rest…” Freedom is found in following Heart. Forget the rest; disregard them for you can never love them or provide for them or enrich them if you are a slave to their opinions. Ego leads us to such beliefs. Heart frees us. And then when I get to the point of exhaustion as I have the last two weeks, Ego spurs those doubts. Have I chosen correctly? If I have, why am I feeling like this? See, at least I know that’s Ego working, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel such emotions at times. Again, Coelho’s novel addresses such to my soul in simplicity: “Sadness does not last forever when we walk in the direction of that which we always desired.” And then, when over-analysis kicks in, constant, churning thoughts, I hear “Stop thinking about life and choose to live it.” Relax into Me and release the Ego ruminations. I hope this illustrates how we can experience Ego-conflict and use those resources of life and the amazing, magical creation around us along with all who we are to resolve the challenges, to face the conflict, and to know Heart-energy. It propels us forward in Heart-purpose — not Ego-urgency or doubt. However, I welcome such times; they only increase my joy in living my purpose: “Blessed are they who go through moments of indecision.” Other words of Coelho in the novel harmonize with that which I have said: “There are things that are brought into our lives to lead us back to the true path of our Personal Legend. Other things arise so we can apply all that we have learned.” I know that to be my truth; otherwise, I would not be finishing this up at 11:50 p.m. Blessings! Last night I did not get to the material I hoped would be most helpful for you, my friend and reader. That’s because I usually feel some sort of compulsion to create a perfect context for everything I present. Maybe it’s a sick compulsion. However, I feel so strongly about Nature and our need for an authentic, genuine connection with it. 100 or 105 years ago, I wouldn’t have needed to create such context, although Thoreau sure did.
Since I am about out of gas tonight, I want to share some ideas that are a combination of my thoughts and those of Ted Andrews in his book that has helped me in my relationship to the natural world and given me an understanding of how Native Americans relate to Nature. Andrews passed from his physical body in 2009, but his life spirit persists, especially in his work of Animal Speak: The Spiritual and Magical Power of Creatures Great and Small. I will borrow form that work tonight, along with my knowledge of Celtic beliefs and practices, especially concerning human relationships to Nature. The Celtic elements I use practically can be found in a concentrated work of Lyn Wilde’s, Celtic Inspirations: Essential Meditations and Texts. I am not doing a formal academic essay here, so I give full credit to Ted Andrews for the practical suggestions I will make, even though some of it is my personal interpretation and practice. The Heart operating system we come equipped with is pure Sprit energy. It is the same energy operative in all of Nature. This is why at gut, soul, mind, body level, we know we have a link and connection with Nature, and if we deny it, it will cause us troubled minds and souls. We all know we need contact and contemplation in the world of Nature, even if it’s in city parks, the suburbs, a zoo or botanical garden, or our own neighborhood and back yard. We require connections for stability, understanding, and spiritual fulfillment and development. How? Well there are some very practical suggestions. If this isn’t enough, by all means pick up some of Ted Andrews’ books or Lyn Wilde’s book, Celtic Inspirations: Essential Meditations and Texts. Or just listen to your own Heart, although it is helpful to hear others’ thoughts that Heart may help us process. Here are some suggestions: Get out anywhere in Nature with NO devices or distractions. Ask your own Heart, speak directly to it, preferably aloud, to help you notice and see things that are relevant to you. A sense of expectation and joy would really help here, rather than Ego-skepticism. But Heart will always respond. It’s just nice when it doesn’t have to cut through a bunch of Ego red tape. Try doing this some set amount of times or intervals: every day for a week; every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday; every morning in the little median park across from you job — you get the idea.
3. What animals do you seek out online, read about the most, go to see more often than any others at a zoo? You know, the one that if you are going to the zoo and only have time for one thing, what will it be? (I have to confess that even though I am not a big zoo advocate, we have a world class one in St. Louis, Missouri.) 4. What animals, birds, plants or any other natural elements keep showing up in your times in Nature and speaking with your Heart? 5. Ever dream about animals? Which ones and what were they doing? 6. Especially, listen to and observe the birds. They are everywhere. Any bird call, feather, or contact you have may be part of your totem: “…any natural object, animals, or being to whose phenomena and energy you feel closely associated with during your life” (Andrews, Animal Speak). Totem animals can help strengthen our natural frequencies and amp them up, not to mention giving us our own insights into magic and miracles we have access to. 7. Try communicating with the birds. Mimic their calls and listen for answers. Develop a conversation, even if you don’t know exactly what is being communicated. I have often carried on conversations with owls, cardinals, and doves for many minutes at a time. Also, watch for those animals of any kind with whom you make eye contact or who do seem to be directly in your path. 8. Try keeping a journal. Write while you sit or stroll in the setting you have chosen: What did you see and feel? Which animals impacted you in a special way? Is there any relevance to anything you have been thinking about or life situations? As you answer these questions and experience Nature, especially the animal world, keep in mind that Spirit has imbued itself in all expressions of creation. Because we are Spirit at Heart level, we have this natural desire to experience on a physical level that which is, in essence, part of our own creation. This is why we are so drawn to the natural world. Well, much philosophy attends this, but for tonight, I will leave it here. Make the determination with your own Heart to venture out into Nature and find out the special connections you have. Spirit values this, and you will grow in your appreciation and enjoyment of life in general, not to mention that being actively in Nature has positive health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure. For tonight, this is it. Blessings in your adventures to discover deeper relationships to Spirit, your essence, in Nature, Spirit’s creation. Nature has always played an important role in the development and daily life of humanity. In earlier years, century, and millennia, the understanding and use of Nature determined if people would live or die. They respected it, valued it, and lived in harmony with it.
However, as soon as humans started making more modern discoveries and advancements that developed from the scientific foundations of previous centuries and coalesced in the Age of Enlightenment, then abuses of Nature began. Humans thought they stood above Nature because of their intellectual prowess. It’s been the case ever since the onset of the Industrial Revolution. Today, technology outstrips decisions of ethics, and those decisions are often based on apparent conflicts with Nature: cloning and genetic engineering being two examples. Nature and the composition of our total being — body, mind, and soul — are inextricably linked. We need Nature for learning; we need it for discoveries not only of physical creation but also of spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental health. Those discoveries and connections come through Heart. As the Romantic writers and philosophers saw the abuse, disrespect, and disregard that Ego-driven industrialists heaped on Nature, they exposed the insanity. Of course, the Ego-goals of a greedy consumer base fueled the advancement. I am making a judgment call here, because I feel whenever Nature is abused and it is deliberate, knowledgeable, and purposeful, then that is Ego. Heart-principle, Heart-motive does not destroy Nature. Sometimes, that may mean humans are inconvenienced. The alternative to living in harmony with nature? Well, it’s not good for Nature or humans. William Wordsworth, one of those Romantic authors and thinkers, near the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, saw the battle. He framed it in a sonnet, “The World Is Too Much with Us.” The first four lines lay out his view fairly clearly. “The world is too much with us; late and soon, / Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers; — / Little we see in nature that is ours: / We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!” That Ego-desire of commerce, of want, want, want has blinded humanity to our close connection, our dependence on Nature. Most humans have more affinity for materialistic things that they do for Nature, even at the expense and destruction of Nature. Note that fourth line: “We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!” Heart-truth, the essence and core Self purposefully forfeited for a dirty, filthy benefit of some sort. I love the remaining ten lines of the sonnet, one that basically raises awareness of the mythical gods of the past because they were all attributes of Nature in some way or another. Wordsworth basically says screw christianity because most of the drive of the Industrial Revolution derived from those principles. Not all christian beliefs did so, but it was the prevailing mindset. So, what’s my point tonight? If it comes down to who loses, Nature or us, the game is over. We lose out on convenience, profit, business, jobs, control, or whatever else Ego-ensconced simpletons want. And they use all those reasons to do things like justify unsafe environmental practices, destruction of forests, rivers, oceans, and extinction of species. We just don’t get to do that — that is, we don’t get to do that and think we can get away with it. In her seminal book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson explores this uncontrolled and burgeoning abuse of Nature. She points out the necessity of valuing it and benefitting from it: “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” Where do you and I find beauty? If we see it in Nature, do we preserve it, conserve it, renew it? I must admit again tonight that I have not gotten to where I will get tomorrow — some suggestions and thoughts about directly relating with and interacting with Nature. Maybe indirectly, too. I shall see. In the meantime, spend some time outside. Take it in. Tell Spirit what you see and what it means to you. That’s a beginning, and if you haven’t done it lately, it may not be a slam dunk in finding meaning. But ask your Heart; fellowship with your Heart as you take it in and seek meaning. Blessings! |
Questions to consider:How many times have you asked yourself or simply thought about the following questions?
Who am I, really? What is my truth? How do my actions reveal what I really feel and believe? What would I do with my life if I could do anything? What is my passion? Why am I here? How can I discover answers to any of these questions? If you have considered any of these questions, I hope that my experiences and writing will give you some guidance. Please read my blog and comment and share your thoughts. I would love to hear from you! Archives
December 2019
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