The Art and Science of Life



The Art and Science of Life
Gwen Randall-Young.

     Despite exciting interdisciplinary encounters, in the western world a schism yet exists between science and spirituality. There is still some discordance between hard evidence about how human life operates, and soft evidence about the meaning, or deeper purpose of life. Interestingly, the schism exists only within the mind of the thinker, who must, of necessity, separate himself (or his perceptions) from the unified whole in order to even formulate his schema. There is a huge difference between Descartes, I think, therefore I am , and the rationalists I think, therefore it is.

     Descartes philosophized that it is in thinking that we become aware of our being. It is true that thinking must occur in order for one to realize his or her independent existence. The newborn does not realize existence independent of the Mother. It is also true that as we grow, what we think about ourselves can limit or enhance our being. If I believe all things are possible, then like Edison, Einstein, Gandhi, Jesus or Mother Theresa, I may stay focused on my path no matter what. If I believe I am not musical and could never learn to play the piano, I would not even try. My belief becomes my truth - even if it is wrong.

     The rational scientist chooses a small, manageable playing field. He makes up the rules. If it is not measurable, observable, recordable, i.e. real in his mind, it is not true. The tools used, however, will determine what is found. An x-ray reveals something different than what is seen with a CAT scan, while an MRI reveals information beyond what the others could detect. So, if we use a scientific, rational mind as a tool for understanding reality, as wonderful a tool as it is, much will remain undetected.



     Science will never isolate God, love, or spirit, because they are non-material. That much is true. However, the leap to the conclusion that these are unscientific and thus not real, reduces science itself to a purely utilitarian exercise. It might be possible to do an in depth profile of every movement, every muscle contraction within the body of the ballerina as she dances Swan Lake. That would do nothing to explain how the audience is touched by her grace and passion. One could do a highly technical analysis of the voice, the sound waves, and the acoustics in the concert hall, and still know nothing of why the opera singer brought tears to the eyes of her audience.

     The science of life is profoundly fascinating. The exploration of the human body is as vast and wondrous an undertaking as the exploration of the Universe. However, human life itself, is art. Art is defined as any human activity that is the product of, and appeals primarily to the imagination. Imagination is the power of forming pictures in the mind of things not present to the senses; a creation of the mind. Quantum physics suggests that everything may be a creation of the mind. This is a dilemma for the scientist, who has limited his scope of exploration to things he believes to exist independently of any individual mind, including his own! This effectively eliminates God, spirituality, eternity, intuition, divinity, soul anything beyond the biology and psychology of body and mind.

     The scientist will allow that much exists in the physical Universe that is beyond our ability to detect as yet, but would not suggest that unless we scientifically validate it, it is not there. Humans have senses and the ability to tune into other levels of reality for which, currently, there are no scientific measurements. Animals have the ability to sense a coming earthquake, and have likely done so long before humans inhabited the earth. Dogs can hear sounds which are beyond the range of human hearing. If animals have the ability to perceive things that are not perceivable in an expected sense, it stands to reason that humans would also have this capability. Those grounded in reality may roll their eyes when someone feels the presence of God in their lives, senses the energy in a room, or just knows that some synchronistic event is profoundly significant.



     Life is art. Human evolution has played itself out on the canvas of the Earth. We are not separate, distinct, from all who have come before. We are part of a flow of life DNA which combines and recombines in different forms. We carry with us some part of our ancestors, as some part of our being continues on in our descendants. Imagination, myth and metaphor allow us to tap into the train of consciousness that is the evolving human mind. Like the tail of a comet, human consciousness is a path behind a moving life force a primeval force set in motion eons ago, pulsing along as an unfolding future. Myth and metaphor awaken something in consciousness that cannot be named, only felt. It carries us all the way back to the time when there were no words, no language, no science, only life itself unselfconscious, unanalyzed. Yet long before the dawning of rationality, there was passion, love, intuitive knowing - without which humans would not have survived.

     Perhaps it is science that is not real. It is a stepping apart from life, an applying tools and rules to try to understand. When we look at a painting, we can know the specifics of the colors and techniques used, how the painting was created, and how it will endure from a physical standpoint. No matter how sophisticated our analysis, we will still know nothing of the artists intent, or consciousness at the time it was created. We will know nothing about how the work impacts viewers, or changes their consciousness. But these are precisely the aspects which are most meaningful, most real, most alive.

     So it is with life.
     The parts that are most meaningful, real and alive, are the most elusive.

     They are aspects, the dimensions of which are unbounded, at times indefinable, and often cannot be named. These are the aspect we must embrace if we are to experience the fullness of being human. All that can be measured is that which is temporary. When our time runs out, when the pulse winds down, when we are taking our last breath, all of the rules, definitions, proofs and certainties will mean nothing. Death is only the end of the aspects of life that can be measured. All that is timeless, eternal, and true, will be there as it always was, and if we have prepared ourselves, we will embrace it more fully than ever before.





HEALING OUR SHADOW






HEALING OUR SHADOW

by Meg Benedicte @ soulfulservices.com

     We've often heard from the sages of the past that the true path to enlightenment requires the total acceptance of the shadow self. This process of soul integration includes all aspects of our being - both positive and negative aspects. In order to become whole, healthy, complete beings we need to face our shadow and compassionately accept and heal these lost fragments of consciousness.

     This requires digging deep within, observing and confronting our wounded human self, the part of our being that has suffered throughout time, and offer solace, gentle care and release from the painful shadow stored in our cellular memory. It is not an easy or comfortable process but it is vital that we connect to ALL energy present within our unified fields so that we can piece ourselves back together again.

     And yet the capacity of the human ego's resistance to self-reflection, analysis and forgiveness is astonishing, but very real! We would rather distract ourselves with just about anything before we will admit we even have a shadow self!

     But the truth is that we all travel the same journey towards becoming a Divine Human; the spiritual embodiment of the Soul. And that journey entails the gradual healing, clearing and releasing of all darkness from our bodies, our auric fields and our consciousness. As long as we exist in a human reality we contain within ourselves a mixture of Light and Dark; we are the living embodiment of duality!

     And so first we need to observe and recognize life's lessons as we reflect and analyze our personal patterns and behaviors. The gift of karma is the wisdom it imparts as we allow ourselves to receive the soothing balm of forgiveness and compassion. Wisdom erases all karma! Every aspect of human life has meaning and purpose---we only have to open our minds to reveal it. So as we dig deep into our shadow, we need to look at all the nuances and insecurities we are sensing, feeling and reacting to. We have tapped into the emotionally charged area that is ready for healing and forgiveness!

     Every layer of shadow that we probe, uncover, heal and integrate will contribute to the increased raising of our energetic vibration. As we let go of more and more heavy, dense, stuck shadow energy we begin to feel lighter and lighter. We feel lighter thoughts, lighter emotions and also lighter bodies! As we convert our low-vibrational shadow into Light, we enhance our physical health and well-being. Each time we merge more of our hidden consciousness into the Light, we are piecing back together our whole self! We begin to feel less dis-connected and empty inside and more Soul presence and wholeness in our daily, human lives.

     There has to be a shift in power, like the passing of the baton, from the ego to the soul so we can evolve into Divine Humans. This can be one of the most harrowing of experiences, often referred to as the "dark night of the soul", when the ego battles to maintain control of the will.

     We tend to blame outside forces when we don't get what we want, not realizing that everything is flowing into our lives as a result of our past thoughts, feelings and actions. When we can move into following the wisdom of the soul and feel the presence of our personal power and true essence, then we are able to take full responsibility for what we create in life. It is only when we can switch to seeing through the eyes of the soul that we can see the consequences of our past, egoic decisions, actions and words. We are then able to own and accept the legacy of the less-developed self and begin the process of clearing shadow from our energy field, so that we can move into the purity of the future.

     It is this process of internal house-cleaning that frees us from the shackles of the past; the locks and chains holding us frozen in time. By cleaning out the shadow of the egoic self we can break free of the limiting beliefs, patterns and programs that have kept us prisoners in duality. This freeing process allows our true self, the Over-Soul, to fill our bodies with power and self-love. It opens the heart to feel the natural flow of abundance and the exquisite joy present in the quiet moments in life. We can soar to the heights of our visions and feel the bliss of freedom.

     If darkness is the absence of Love, then the most effective tonic to use in healing internal shadow is self-love. The more love we flow into our deepest wounds and darkest emotions, the quicker we are able to clear and raise our vibration. This process gradually transforms the bio-energetics from a broken-down human into a powerful, healthy evolved Soul living heaven on earth. This is our destiny and our purpose, and so it is!




Lightworkers