Part II: The Spirit of Wisdom (and the Corruption of Madness)
Fractions of the Truth
The great paradox of pursuing wisdom in this life is that we will never understand anything fully because we are finite beings incapable of comprehending all of the infinite variables that are interwoven into the fabric of truth. For this reason, we must learn to be confident despite our ignorance and press forward believing that the fraction of the truth that we are able to comprehend is enough to carry us through to the best next-step that we should take. Then, once we arrive there, it will be sufficient to show us the best next-step after that.
Where does this confidence come from, though? How can we be certain that we are taking the right next-step when our understanding is limited? What if there is a better option out there that we just haven’t thought of yet?
To cultivate confidence within our ignorance, we must first realize that wisdom is not simply an intellectual pursuit but a relationship. Everything in this universe is interconnected and is meant to work together in harmony, even things as seemingly unrelated as the intimacy of interpersonal love and the passionless reasoning of the intellect. The One Great Spirit shares wisdom with those who will love wisdom and use it to spread goodness and light in this life. In order for this to work, though, the one receiving the wisdom must, in turn, trust that the insights they are being given are good and reliable, or else they will not make use of them. The real driving force behind growing in wisdom is how intimate and honest our relationship is with the source of wisdom—the One Great Spirit, who created all wisdom and everything else.
To put this in more human terms, how fully two people understand each other is directly connected to how deep their love for each other is. Their desire to know more and share more about themselves with the other person is realized through open and honest communication, which over time leads to trust. The time they spend getting to know each other causes them to become familiar with one another. They learn to recognize the other person’s physical appearance, the sound of their voice, the patterns of their behavior, and the desires of their heart. This makes it difficult for someone else to pretend to be their loved one and deceive them.
When we love wisdom and make an effort to become well-acquainted with it, we are less likely to be tricked by madness.
It is good to test every spirit, including the spirit of wisdom, to discover if what is being revealed to us is in fact true and reliable. This way we will not blindly follow evil down the path of madness-masquerading-as-truth. However, because our understanding will always be limited by our finite natures a more sure way to be confident that we are in fact following the path of wisdom is to acquaint ourselves with the voice of wisdom, to recognize its tone and to understand its purpose.
There is an energy to wisdom and to all that is good that is different from the energy of evil spirits, or of the soul of an individual person. We all interact with these energies and make decisions based off of these interactions when we follow our gut, or listen to our heart, or just having a feeling, or a sense about something. This is a part of our daily lives, but most of us choose to accept it as a cosmic mystery, rather than trying to understand it. The distinction between the energies of good and evil—harmony and destruction—are subtle, but your heart can learn to feel it and your mind to discern it. If you desire to hone this skill in order to do good and not evil, then the One Great Spirit by means of the Perfect Guide is willing and able to cultivate it within you:
For that which is good cannot deny any good thing, or it would not be good. If good for any reason refuses to cooperate with good then it is evil, and the universe would not exist.
Meditate on this truth as you learn to differentiate between the energies of good and evil, and over time their subtle distinctions in vibration, purpose, and flow will become clear to you (in so much as your spirit is in alignment with all that is good).
Where does this confidence come from, though? How can we be certain that we are taking the right next-step when our understanding is limited? What if there is a better option out there that we just haven’t thought of yet?
To cultivate confidence within our ignorance, we must first realize that wisdom is not simply an intellectual pursuit but a relationship. Everything in this universe is interconnected and is meant to work together in harmony, even things as seemingly unrelated as the intimacy of interpersonal love and the passionless reasoning of the intellect. The One Great Spirit shares wisdom with those who will love wisdom and use it to spread goodness and light in this life. In order for this to work, though, the one receiving the wisdom must, in turn, trust that the insights they are being given are good and reliable, or else they will not make use of them. The real driving force behind growing in wisdom is how intimate and honest our relationship is with the source of wisdom—the One Great Spirit, who created all wisdom and everything else.
To put this in more human terms, how fully two people understand each other is directly connected to how deep their love for each other is. Their desire to know more and share more about themselves with the other person is realized through open and honest communication, which over time leads to trust. The time they spend getting to know each other causes them to become familiar with one another. They learn to recognize the other person’s physical appearance, the sound of their voice, the patterns of their behavior, and the desires of their heart. This makes it difficult for someone else to pretend to be their loved one and deceive them.
When we love wisdom and make an effort to become well-acquainted with it, we are less likely to be tricked by madness.
It is good to test every spirit, including the spirit of wisdom, to discover if what is being revealed to us is in fact true and reliable. This way we will not blindly follow evil down the path of madness-masquerading-as-truth. However, because our understanding will always be limited by our finite natures a more sure way to be confident that we are in fact following the path of wisdom is to acquaint ourselves with the voice of wisdom, to recognize its tone and to understand its purpose.
There is an energy to wisdom and to all that is good that is different from the energy of evil spirits, or of the soul of an individual person. We all interact with these energies and make decisions based off of these interactions when we follow our gut, or listen to our heart, or just having a feeling, or a sense about something. This is a part of our daily lives, but most of us choose to accept it as a cosmic mystery, rather than trying to understand it. The distinction between the energies of good and evil—harmony and destruction—are subtle, but your heart can learn to feel it and your mind to discern it. If you desire to hone this skill in order to do good and not evil, then the One Great Spirit by means of the Perfect Guide is willing and able to cultivate it within you:
For that which is good cannot deny any good thing, or it would not be good. If good for any reason refuses to cooperate with good then it is evil, and the universe would not exist.
Meditate on this truth as you learn to differentiate between the energies of good and evil, and over time their subtle distinctions in vibration, purpose, and flow will become clear to you (in so much as your spirit is in alignment with all that is good).
| The Cycle of Pride and Self-Destruction |
Evil wants us to believe that we are not really connected to the spirit of wisdom; that we are alone, cut off, or unable to trust the Source of All Life. It wants us to think that we have to figure things out for ourselves—maybe because we are being punished for something we did, or maybe because we have to learn to stand on our own two feet so others don’t think we are weak and helpless. How will anyone ever be impressed by us if we can’t show them that we are self-reliant? At the very least, don’t you want to be able to impress yourself and be proud of who you are?
These lies and manipulations appeal to the evil inside us that stems from pride. When pride thinks it is strong enough to handle things on its own, or that even the whole of humanity is wise enough to take care of itself, this is the beginning of madness. Destruction at our own hands will soon follow. Even when our motives may appear to be good, as soon as we turn a deaf ear to the advice of the Perfect Guide and the One Great Spirit, we are now working to try and solve our problems using only a tiny fraction of the truth. We refuse to accept guidance from the one source capable of seeing all of the infinite variables that we are unable to detect or predict.
Inevitably, if our plans are met with success, our pride will grow and in turn so will our madness. With each victory we will become more drunk on our apparent greatness, and our once good intentions will be corrupted by self-worship and greed. We will appoint ourselves kings and CEO’s, we will establish empires, exploit our environments, and we will subjugate those who were not strong enough or wise enough to achieve the same level of “greatness” as ourselves. Then, whether it be by conflict, disease, or famine; our kingdoms will crumble, lives will be lost, the earth ravaged, relationships ruined, and we will be forced to rebuild and start the cycle all over again—while amid the wreckage the same evil that helped us along our way cheers our downfall and laughs at our foolishness.
This may seem like a commentary on the present age, but it is not a new phenomenon. It goes all the back to the dawn of civilization, pre-dating even the Ancient Pharaohs and the Kings of Sumer. It is the self-destructive cycle that our pride blinds us to and that relying on our tiny fractions of the truth traps us in.
These lies and manipulations appeal to the evil inside us that stems from pride. When pride thinks it is strong enough to handle things on its own, or that even the whole of humanity is wise enough to take care of itself, this is the beginning of madness. Destruction at our own hands will soon follow. Even when our motives may appear to be good, as soon as we turn a deaf ear to the advice of the Perfect Guide and the One Great Spirit, we are now working to try and solve our problems using only a tiny fraction of the truth. We refuse to accept guidance from the one source capable of seeing all of the infinite variables that we are unable to detect or predict.
Inevitably, if our plans are met with success, our pride will grow and in turn so will our madness. With each victory we will become more drunk on our apparent greatness, and our once good intentions will be corrupted by self-worship and greed. We will appoint ourselves kings and CEO’s, we will establish empires, exploit our environments, and we will subjugate those who were not strong enough or wise enough to achieve the same level of “greatness” as ourselves. Then, whether it be by conflict, disease, or famine; our kingdoms will crumble, lives will be lost, the earth ravaged, relationships ruined, and we will be forced to rebuild and start the cycle all over again—while amid the wreckage the same evil that helped us along our way cheers our downfall and laughs at our foolishness.
This may seem like a commentary on the present age, but it is not a new phenomenon. It goes all the back to the dawn of civilization, pre-dating even the Ancient Pharaohs and the Kings of Sumer. It is the self-destructive cycle that our pride blinds us to and that relying on our tiny fractions of the truth traps us in.
____________________
No matter how fully we may believe the lie that we have been cut-off from the source of all life and wisdom, this is never the case. Our bodies and spirits—heart, mind, and soul—are inextricably connected to the One Great Spirit, to All-That-is-Good. We live because the One Great Spirit lives and as long we have breath in our lungs, warmth in our hearts, and a single thought in our minds, that life-sustaining bond has not been broken. We are always free to forsake our madness, return to this truth, and declare, “Though we have tried, we cannot save ourselves!”
Upon coming to this realization, our willing participation in the spread of life, and the creation of something truly incorruptible can begin. Even in our madness we are still a part of this grand scheme, but by choosing to align ourselves with All-That-is-Good, we are now able to receive the infinite benefits that blossom forth from its design. Then, we will be able look down at where we stand and see our feet firmly set upon the Way.
Upon coming to this realization, our willing participation in the spread of life, and the creation of something truly incorruptible can begin. Even in our madness we are still a part of this grand scheme, but by choosing to align ourselves with All-That-is-Good, we are now able to receive the infinite benefits that blossom forth from its design. Then, we will be able look down at where we stand and see our feet firmly set upon the Way.
____________________
Do not forget where your soul comes from, or your ignorance will be used against you!