What if I told you that Jesus grew up in a loving stable family and the Buddha had to run away from his very rich parents to find himself and Mohammad only got a visitation from an Angel once he was 40.
Why is all or any of this relevant? Because I have been thinking about unconditional love, the self, spiritual practice and even martyrdom. That these days, although the unconditional love doctrine may well be on the back foot from self-love; service, is still very much part of the prescription for spiritual growth. Yet it doesn’t take into account that many of the spiritual masters started off their human life with a certain kind of privilege or indeed took a little longer to place their feet on the spiritual path.
Advanced teachings of unconditional love are almost impossible to achieve without the support of a loving family or community unit. This concept came to me after reading the teachings of the Virgin Mary for the perspective of the Violet Flame. This idea was then confirmed (not scientifically) through a conversation on reincarnation with a friend of mine who is a Krishna Monk, while we discussed reincarnation. That as we ascend through the human life experience via multiple lives we don’t go back to level zero every time we tap out at the end. That maybe if we do a lot of work we might reincarnate in a highly evolved spiritual family where we are raised to reach our fullest spiritual potential.
That may be Martyrdom, Sainthood and Ascension are some very serious stepping stones on the divine comedies path to ending our own suffering. Even the beautification process of how people arrive at sainthood embody a very deep honouring of the human life lived. Last week I wrote in The Birthing Process about the relationship between love and respect. That we must hold our own value beyond the monetary.
This realisation has let me ponder more deeply the role of community in individual healing, after all the human is hardwired for connection. In the case of trauma victims, connection can be re-traumatising. This reflection draws me towards the principles of the 12 steps and the structure within which Anonymous or 12 Step Meetings are run. They rely wholly on radical self-reliance of the group. The support and care of the community no matter how disparate has to come from within the community. That even in community we all have to be responsible for our own care, even if it is just turning up. The is no bailout option. That even if your whole life is in disarray you can be part of an organisation that is dedicated to supporting without offering up the damage of re-traumatisation.
A digital guru that starts chatting about unconditional love, before having asked what the fuck has happened to you? (Check out Gabor Mate) Is setting impossible standards by which we all fail. Which is something I touch on in Prioritising Self and Fluidity
Isn’t it great to know Quan Yin – is still waiting for the whole world to become enlighted?
