Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Shadow (Symbol, Myth, and Metaphor)


"Where there is much light, the shadow is deep."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

We can trace the Symbolism of The Shadow back to Ancient
Egypt. The Shadow is an integral part of probably all Belief
systems. We find it appearing in ancient texts, mythology,
folklore, and psychology.

The dark, mysterious essence of The Shadow has intrigued
mankind since the earliest beginnings of Time. The Shadow
is attached to all things, and all that is required to view a
Shadow is a little bit of light; for a Shadow cannot be seen
unless we first have light.

In mythology, the Ancient Egyptians expressed the essence
of The Shadow in Nephtys, the dark twin sister of Isis.

In astrology, The Shadow is expressed as Lilith, the dark and
un-seeable side of the moon.

in folklore, The Shadow is expressed as the doppelganger,
or "double walker".

In Psychology, The Shadow represents our alter ego.

And yes, even in Fairy Tales we read of Peter Pan losing his
Shadow; and of his frantic effort to find it, catch it, and have it
re-united with himself.

So, what is this Shadow? And, why does this Shadow enchant
us so?

The first thing we need to keep in mind is that we exist within
the realm of Duality. In the realm of Duality, nothing can exist
without its exact opposite: its Lilith; its Nephtys; its alter ego;
its doppelganger...its Shadow.

The Ancient Egyptians realized that each one of us are composed
of two distinct and different persons:

The first is our physical, visible person which consists of all of the
characteristics, Lessons, dreams, and ideals which we have
Blended and bonded into our everyday self.

The second is our invisible, Shadow person which consists of all
of the characteristics, Lessons, dreams, and ideals which we
have Chosen to not incorporate into our everyday self.

Therefore, our Shadow is our dark, hidden, and unmanifested
Alter-Self. In it resides all of the essences, options, and Choices
of that person which we have either not Become, are afraid to
Become, or have not yet Become. In other Words, within the
Shadow is contained all of the unused aspects, or potentials,
of our personal evolution.

Hence, our Shadow is the necessary Dual part of our current
nature which compliments the person we are today.

Furthermore, in a more cosmic and expansive role, the Universal
Shadow is also the unseen compliment of all things in the Universe
which have as yet to manifest themselves.

As our dark side, our Shadow is our personal receptacle for all of
the things we do not wish to bring into our life. Things we are
uncomfortable with: such as our fears and inhibitions. It contains
that unknown aspect of ourself which we are reluctant to venture
into and experience.

As our alter ego, our Shadow contains many aspects which we
both shun and admire. And every so often we become tempted
to delve into our Shadow in order to experience some of the hidden
and tantalizing aspects contained within it.

These are the Times when we generally bring mischief into our
lives because we are experimenting with aspects of our Shadow
which are not compatible with our established personality.These
are also the Times when we allow incompatible individuals to enter
our lives in order to satisfy our craving for an alter-ego experience.

It is during these "alter-ego experiments" that we discover (and
often re-discover, to our dismay) that although "opposites may
attract", they are not always Harmonious with who we truly are.

And though we may allow these individuals, or temptations, to
temporarily enter our lives, we generally do not retain these
persons or experiences for very long for they eventually Become
too dis-Harmonious with our established personality.

However, we must always remember that we exist in a realm of
Duality. And because Duality always contains a positive and
negative polarity, so too does the darkness of our Shadow.

Darkness has acquired a very bad reputation throughout the
centuries and is hardly ever expressed today in its Esoteric
and True meaning.

Darkness, and by association The Shadow, is often represented
to be "evil". However darkness, in its True and Esoteric sense,
represents the Great Feminine Womb from which everything
comes into being.

In this sense darkness is the Hermetic chaos, or the Great
Subconscious, within which everything that will ever exist already
exists in its unmanifested form. In other words, it is the Great
"Unknown" which we have been Indoctrinated to look at with
fear and suspicion instead of curiosity and awe.

This brings us back to our Shadow, and the positive aspect of its
darkness.

The Lesson contained here is that not only does our Shadow
contain those aspects of ourselves which we have Chosen not to
Become, it also contains those aspects of ourselves which we
have not yet Chosen to become.

Therefore, if we are to Become all that we can be, we must not
be afraid to boldly venture into the dark unknown of our Shadow.
For within our Shadow Realm is where our Creative Womb resides.
And our Creative Womb contains the Realm of our Imagination; in
which all of our unmanifested opportunities and wonders reside.

When we venture into our Imagination, we are accessing our
Creative Womb. We are journeying into the dark, magical, mystical,
and enchanting domain of Our Shadow!

Here is another interesting point to consider:

Although it takes very little light to create a Shadow, no amount
of light can ever quench a Shadow. The brighter the light, the more
dense the Shadow Becomes.

The Lesson contained here is that the brighter and more
Illuminated we become, the more we realize we do not know.
These additional unknowns then become deposited into our
Shadow and serve as new catalysts for future Adventures and
manifestations.

Our Shadow is the dual, complimentary part of our current nature.
As we expand our nature, and Become more Enlightened, our
Shadow has more and more unmanifested essences deposited into
it. This causes our Shadow-Self to becomes denser and denser.

Therefore, Symbolically and metaphorically, the brightest and
most Illuminated individuals possess the darkest and densest
Shadow.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2011
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Sunday, February 20, 2011

Failures, Mistakes, And Tinkering


"From their errors and mistakes, the wise and good
learn wisdom for the future."

- Plutarch

The stress of academic and career perfection is enormous. And
this stress is imposed upon us at a very early age.

From the day on which we first enter school, we are Indoctrinated
to strive for a 100% grade in all of our tests, exams, homework,
and memorizations.

Later on, those of us who Chose to pursue a college or university
education were further faced with the burden of achieving a 4.0
grade point average.

And afterwards, when we finally enter society's workplace, we are
further expected to be 100% correct in all of our Decisions and
Actions. How many individuals have performed 99% of their
workplace or career tasks correctly only to lose a promotion, and
possibly even their job, because of one single and solitary failure?

The expectation of 100% success at all times in either our job
related or academic related world is not only unreasonable to
expect, but the stress of trying to achieve this sort of "perfection"
burdens many good, qualified, and dedicated individuals with a
wide variety of physical and mental illnesses.

This imposed Belief, that we must be 100% correct 100% of the
time is the process by which life "beats us down"...if we allow it.

Life is not a continuous rose-laden Path of never-ending perfection.
Life is a Path of Failures, Mistakes, and Tinkering.

Failures, Mistakes, and Tinkering are life's Trial-And-Error method
of Teaching.

All Trailblazers understand this Truth. All changers-of-history
understand this Truth. All those who hearken to the call to
experience new Horizons understand this Truth. And because these
Lone Wolfs understand this Truth, this Reality, they live their lives
according to a completely different set of rules. This is what enables
them to become Great Achievers and the Changers Of History.

These individuals realize that our Failures and Mistakes are a part
of the process by which we can measure our progress. This is why
they invest so many solitary hours Tinkering with their experiments
and ideas. For without knowing what is wrong , what does not work,
and which Paths are ill-fated, they have no way to truly measure
what is correct, proper, and successful.

When we accept the Reality that life is one continuous Road of
Failures, Mistakes, and Tinkering, our mind becomes elevated to a
higher mental and spiritual plateau. By honestly knowing what is
incorrect, by way of first-hand experience, we no longer rely upon
Hopes, wishes, guesses, or second-hand Advice to keep us on the
Path of our Dreams. For we in fact know, by way of our personal
experience, those things which do not work. We also discover for
ourselves those Paths we should not Travel. We keep eliminating,
through the process of Alchemy, all that is unworkable until we are
finally left with the hidden pearl which we have been Seeking...the
"Eureka!" of our personal Dreams.

Those who do not acknowledge, and understand, this Eternal Truth
find themselves living by questionable assumptions, unsound
"Advice", and by the unfounded Opinions circulating throughout the
mainstream of society.

We cannot be an achiever if we are a follower...We cannot be an
Adventurer if we are a tourist...We cannot be a participant if we are
merely a spectator...We cannot be The Solution if we Choose to
remain an inherent part of the problem...We cannot stand out as
being someone special if we continue to hide amidst the crowd...
And, we cannot be knowledgeable if we do not Honestly "Know".

All Great Adventurers, and Changers Of History, have one thing
in common with each other. They are obsessed with the Passion
of their Dream! And it is because of this Passion, this Obsession,
that they welcome Failures, Mistakes, and Tinkering as part of
their personal learning experience. Furthermore, they know that it
is just as important to recognize the "wrong Paths", which need to
be avoided, as it is to recognize the "right Path" when it ultimately
presents itself to them.

Even geniuses like Newton and Einstein understood that they would
have to Tinker their way through many Mistakes and Failures in
their experiments while pursuing the achievement of their Dreams.

In addition, they also knew that their Achievements would "ruffle
the feathers" of the established mediocrities within their fields.

Did they occasionally become frustrated during the pursuit of their
Dreams? Of course they did, for they are human. But, did they give
up on their Dreams? Never!

Therefore, if we are to Achieve our Great Dreams, and walk
shoulder-to-shoulder with the Immortals of History, we must
accept the fact that Failures, Mistakes, and Tinkering are part of
the normal experience of life. And that Tinkering with our Failures
and Mistakes allows us to explore all of the options available to us
so that we may serendipitously "stumble" upon the Dream which
we have been Seeking.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.


© copyright Joseph Panek 2011
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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Opinions


"All empty souls tend to extreme opinion."
- William Butler Yeats

Opinions: everyone seems to have one. And the vast majority of
people are not at all bashful about "sharing" their Opinions with
others. Furthermore, the newspaper media, along with radio and
television stations, are constantly bombarding us with "expert"
Opinions on numerous topics. Opinions buzz around us like swarms
of gnats in the springtime. However, while the swarm of gnats is
short-lived, the constant buzzing and influx of Opinions is never
ending.

We have become so Indoctrinated to seek Opinions that we do not
ask, "What is the Truth?". Instead, we have become trained to ask,
"What is your Opinion?"

It is interesting to note that should someone ask us "What is the
Truth" about a certain matter, most of us will honestly answer,
"I don't know". However, should someone ask us "what is your
Opinion" on a certain matter, or Event, our demeanor completely
changes. We become all too willing to spew out all sorts of
comments and conclusions about things we know very little about,
and have done very little, if any, research.

In other words, Opinions allow us to, metaphorically speaking, throw
Truth, Facts, and Reality out of the window for the grand pleasure of
simply hearing ourselves talk.

But what are these things we call Opinions which hypnotize us,
fascinate us, and consume so much of our precious Time?

To begin with, Opinions are not Truths. In most instances Opinions
fall into one of the following categories:

...personal and subjective wishes or Hopes;
...marginally-informed guesses;
...egotistical comments;
...the product of a manipulated mind;
...an argument that one person is attempting to impose upon another.

To compound the matter even further, gathering more Opinions
does not lead us any closer to the Truth which we are seeking.
More Opinions tend to lead towards more confusion because
Opinions, by their very nature, do not contain complete Truths
or facts...They are merely Opinions.

Therefore, those who are Seekers of Truth attach very little merit
to Opinions.

Furthermore, those who are Truly Wise, keep their Opinions to
themselves. They do this because they know that their Opinions
are not yet Truths: they are merely subjective guesses about
what may be True based upon partial, and possible faulty,
information. To the Truly Wise, Opinions are warnings, cautions,
or options on how an Event may eventually play itself out.

When we make comments, or take actions, simply based upon
Opinions, we are speaking or acting from a standpoint of limited
factual information. The Consequences which are born from Words
and Actions based solely upon Opinion can, at times, be
devastating.

It is not unusual to see large groups of people rush to action based
solely upon Opinions. Opinions which are oftentimes faulty,
unfounded, and incomplete.

Reality is the only thing which is True. Therefore we should
concern ourselves with Reality and Seek the Truth contained
within Reality.

Reality is not concerned with the Opinions of any individual,
group, or faction. It is not concerned with what any of us think
"should be". Reality laughingly brushes aside these whimsies of
ours, our Opinions, and continues to be what it Truly is: the
ultimate Truth!

And because Reality is the ultimate Truth, it is our responsibility to
recognize it as such, and be able to separate the "wheat of Reality"
from the "chaff of Opinion".

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2011
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Sunday, February 6, 2011

The Hermetic Logos
(The Master's Lost Word)


"In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God."

- John 1.1

"Nothing happens until something moves."
- Albert Einstein

In the beginning all was still. Nothing existed but unmoving and
eternal Divinity. Everything that ever would be, and could be, was
asleep within Divinity. Then something happened: The Mind of
Divinity (the Hermetic Nous) "spoke The Word". And, in that
instant, Time, matter, the cosmos, and Duality sprang forth.

Nothing happens until something moves: Creation myths from all
parts of the world tell of a Breath, a Spirit, or a Bird (which is the
Symbol for Spirit) passing over the dark, still, and deep Primal
Waters of Chaos which represent the Great Subconscious. This
caused the Primal Waters to "stir"; to move; to vibrate. This stirring
process activated the interaction and Blending of all that was still.
This initial Blending and stirring was the First Cause in the Act of
Creation.

At that moment a mountain rose from the Chaos and above this
mountain the sky was formed. The sky then separated itself from
both the mountain (matter, earth) and the Chaos (the Waters). This
was the moment of physical creation; the moment of prima materia;
the moment of First Matter.

Next, everything that exists within Water and Air, and upon the
Earth, was created to occupy these domains.

The Breath, Spirit, or Bird which passed over the still Primal Waters,
in the initial Act of Creation, Symbolizes the "Word" of Divinity. This
"Word" is what ancient Hermetic teachings refer to as "Logos".

Logos is not actually a Word as we understand Words to be. Logos
is the Initial Thought of Divinity. It is the Genesis, or Source, of
Creation. It is the Divine Initiation of movement or stirring. It is the
Masculine Spiritual Seed which impregnates the Feminine Spiritual
Womb, or Waters. It is the Prisca Sapientia, or Pristine Wisdom. It
is also what is referred to, Esoterically, as the "Master's Lost Word".

But what do these creation myths mean? And, what hidden Lesson
do they impart upon us?

Creation myths consist of Three essences, or Gunas: The Mind of
Divinity (Nous); The Word, or Breath, of Divinity (Logos); and the
Primal Waters of the Great Subconscious (Chaos).

The number Three is the number which represents Creation. And
the Three Essences of Creation compare to the Three Gunas in the
following manner:

Sattwa is the Mind of Divinity. It is the Nous.
Tamas is the Primal Waters. It is the Great Subconscious. It is
that which must be acted upon. It is the Chaos.
Rajas is the Word, or Thought, of Divinity. it is the invisible force,
or Action, which causes Mind (Nous) and matter (Chaos) to Blend
together in the Act of Creation. It is the Logos.

The Lesson we can learn from creation myths is this: Thought
creates matter; the unseen creates the seen; what can be imagined
can be manifested.

All great inventions, innovations, and ideas were first a Thought
within someone's Mind. This Thought was then Acted upon. This
Action resulted in Creation.

We are all children of Divinity. Therefore, we have the "spark" of
Divinity within us. This "spark" enables us to also create whatever
we Choose to create by simply using our imaginative minds.

Our Imagination is what enables us to delve into the deep, dark
Waters of the Great Subconscious where everything that is, and
ever will be, already exists in un-manifested form. All it takes is
for us to find whatever it is that interests us and then take the
necessary Actions (the Logos, or Rajas) to pull the un-manifested
out of the Great Subconscious and bring it into the world of matter,
and into Creation.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2011
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