Eschewing Obfuscation

You have religionists who are satisfied to hold "God" separate from themselves and remain essentially unconsciously self-conscious.

You have "readers of every esoteric literature" who are satisfied to assert that "I am God" without having ever removed their egos; and remain essentially unconsciously self-conscious.

You have materialists who deny "a God" in favour of an independent self in a chance universe, "full of potential" without themselves ever actually plumbing and plumbing that "self" and examining that ego, or developing the contemplative intuition to ever receive Knowledge – nor ever realizing the untold potential of the divine Human form; thus remaining for their part, essentially unconsciously self-conscious.

And you have those who, by whatever name or title they’re designated or which status they’ve achieved in this world or the next, actually do the Work of pursuing soul-knowledge, consciousness of Self, of examining the ego inside and out and expressing life beyond it, becoming "realized".  It is a Work of love, of devotion.  And this more than anything enables us to follow suit.

It’s not for one to judge, others or oneself, on this – but to be observant toward it, to avoid bullshitting and to eschew obfuscation.

There Are Things

There are things which cannot be discussed
and those which may not be; the one
because language however eloquent will not suffice, the other …
because there are matters which transform matter
and which are therefore kept unavailable to the probing, curious ego
of the conditioned mind and character not yet ready – perhaps never,
or unreceptive to the Knowledge and the way toward it, requiring everything.

Because the purpose of that soul and the maturity of that personality,
the ripeness of the interest in reaching the most primal and likewise ultimate
re-cognition of Being Human, and to receive the training and the strength to
also hold and to carry and to use, to apply this – is more than an apprenticeship;
it is a gift by grace and can only be met with the sincerest of gratitude and humility.
One arrives with condtioned reasons and replaces this with humility;
even that humility will be surrendered for effacement. There are things...

There is hierarchy, deny it or not, in but not of this world; as there are those
serving the work of drawing consciousness into the Human form,
each holding a position at a place in this world yet not, perhaps hidden from view,
and a point in time yet transcending time measured, perhaps hidden from view.
Spiritual democracy is for this world, the right of each to develop
undominated by another's insistence by force on what should be adhered to.
Hierarchy is without name or form, yet has its names and its forms –
one will not find it however, but only the indicators if that is to be –
and those, right before one's nose. Soberly, neither seduced
by the exotic nor the banally bland familiar, but quickened through awakened eye.

This world is full of contradiction, and by this world is meant perception.
The hierarchy is stable, and there is no discussion, no debate, but liberation.
In the scope of democracy one should question and challenge – but oneself,
and all that one has bought into from all around oneself, this requires discipline.
In matters of hierarchy not of this world of shadow-control and shadow-force,
questioning is stilled, argument has no place – to meet it requires more discipline,
the will to reach consciousness and be free requires surrender of will to Reality.

Discourse on this at all belongs to travellers there, not to those who have arrived.
One is taking liberties even writing this, and to be positioned somewhere in this work
is to be confronted with contradictions as well – and to learn to bear that with grace.
One may be called to take positions one had never imagined, or to take no positions.
It is of inestimable value to learn to cleanse the heart of sides and angles, to eschew
manipulation both internal and external, to take a stand if need be and stand fast.

For a time, or some time or some other time – one needs to gather and hold strength,
cultivate trust, cultivate prayer, cultivate action and repose alike.
Alone the appreciation of the fact that there is a work, that there is a hierarchy
of consciousness – not of ego – and that there is service and something being served,
for the entire benefit of oneself even as one leaves that for the entire benefit of
Humankind, for the liberation of this seemingly fixed world – alone this appreciation
amounts to receptivity toward transformation, not metaphoric but real.

Without once using the word God, one has meant exactly that.
Lest one ask concerning Love, one is pointing to exactly that.

For Mevlana (II)

Our Work is a labor of love -

   it hasn't gain or profit for a spearhead;

   it goes back to gratitude

   so deep it's timeless, bottomless . . .

Whether one is fed or another is fed -

   it doesn't matter anymore.

We work because we see no separation,

   not because we do:

but work we must, for it's all we know.

Our Work is a labor of love -

   when the "workers" have dissolved

   into the fruit of that labor,

this Work will return to the realm of Ideas . . .

Love only is real.

(April 1987)