... I am going to attempt to summarize what I was hoping to talk about.
In a ironic fashion we start with with a quote by Sri Yukteswar- Yoganandas Guru:
"Wrath springs from thwarted desires."
This can be found in Chapter 14 of Autobiography of a Yogi, "An Experience in Cosmic Consciousness" (perhaps another ironic moment... 14 is a spirit friend and way-shower for my self and others)
https://www.kriyayoga.org.in/ebooks/Aut ... r%2014.htm
It's a great chapter and I hope you take the time to read it.
I also want to share something from our dear friend Welles. His most recent piece on emotions is both comical and thought provoking.
https://open.substack.com/pub/ascension ... medium=web You'll have to read it in full to see why I find it comical (cue the turkey emoji)When the emotional energy center is stagnant with desires and fears there is no room for the dynamic use that provides a continuously updated feel of the world around us. We might then try to reach outward toward someone or something only to have the energy blocked by our own limitations. Depending on the intensity of that rebuffed desire, our reaction falls somewhere on a sliding scale of frustration to anger. What we often perceive as ‘emotions’ are actually only reflections of the intensity of our attachments and defenses resulting in an inability to actually use our emotional centers!
In my previous attempt at a romantic relationship with a long time friend- things went sour. It's because we both started projecting our desires and expectations on the other. Nothing wrong with this, some couples willingly accept these energy dynamics in order to propel themselves along the journey. I personally believe every experience that happens, no matter its outcome, is for the benefit of understanding the reality of our being. I do think this life is a journey and an opportunity for growth. Ego is what we're endowed with, I don't see it as an enemy. I believe I am both a material and spiritual being. They can exist in harmony. Peace, for me, has come in recognizing my limitations or being graced by some profound experience less burdened by the constant-fulfillment seeking Ego. Yet I am with Ego and here for the ride~ My hope is to recognize those moments of Divine Love and to cultivate awareness.
I believe the majority of life is attitude. Geoff, if you're reading- I have seen your continued importance placed on the words divine love. It's a curious concept to me. What is divine love? We all carry unique ideas, perspectives or attitudes. What's considered divine to one may be mundane to another. Could a couple close calls with what we call death have changed a persons perspective? We don't know. But we know that we can experience the same thing differently.
I had typed up so much! I can't remember all of what I had written... So I am simply going to redirect this focus on the concepts of love and divine love quoting an excerpt from chapter 14 of Autobiography of a Yogi. I will interject with additional comments/ideas should anyone take an interest in this thread!
"I want to know, sir—when shall I find God?"
"You have found Him."
"O no, sir, I don't think so!"
My guru was smiling. "I am sure you aren't expecting a venerable Personage, adorning a throne in some antiseptic corner of the cosmos! I see, however, that you are imagining that the possession of miraculous powers is knowledge of God. One might have the whole universe, and find the Lord elusive still! Spiritual advancement is not measured by one's outward powers, but only by the depth of his bliss in meditation.
"Ever-new Joy is God. He is inexhaustible; as you continue your meditations during the years, He will beguile you with an infinite ingenuity. Devotees like yourself who have found the way to God never dream of exchanging Him for any other happiness; He is seductive beyond thought of competition.
"How quickly we weary of earthly pleasures! Desire for material things is endless; man is never satisfied completely, and pursues one goal after another. The 'something else' he seeks is the Lord, who alone can grant lasting joy.
"Outward longings drive us from the Eden within; they offer false pleasures which only impersonate soul-happiness. The lost paradise is quickly regained through divine meditation. As God is unanticipatory Ever-Newness, we never tire of Him. Can we be surfeited with bliss, delightfully varied throughout eternity?"
"I understand now, sir, why saints call the Lord unfathomable. Even everlasting life could not suffice to appraise Him."
"That is true; but He is also near and dear. After the mind has been cleared by Kriya Yoga of sensory obstacles, meditation furnishes a twofold proof of God. Ever-new joy is evidence of His existence, convincing to our very atoms. Also, in meditation one finds His instant guidance, His adequate response to every difficulty."
"I see, Guruji; you have solved my problem." I smiled gratefully. "I do realize now that I have found God, for whenever the joy of meditation has returned subconsciously during my active hours, I have been subtly directed to adopt the right course in everything, even details."
"Human life is beset with sorrow until we know how to tune in with the Divine Will, whose 'right course' is often baffling to the egoistic intelligence. God bears the burden of the cosmos; He alone can give unerring counsel."