Flammarion Engraving (with modern coloration) – Artist Known Only to God
"Underlying all [Jesus'] teaching is a clarion call to a radical shift in consciousness: away from the alienation and polarization of the egoic operating system and into the unified field of divine abundance that can be perceived only through the heart."
- Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Jesus, p. 62
"The ocean can be yours; why should you stop
Beguiled by dreams of evanescent dew?
The secrets of the sun are yours, but you
Content yourself with motes trapped in beams."
- Attar of Nishapur, The Conference of The Birds
You were taught to cast aside the old self of your former way of life that had been corrupted by its captivating desires. You are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self created in God's image, in the way of uprightness and holiness that belong to the truth.
- Ephesians 4: 22-24
Last week, as we began Part 5 of The Journey School curriculum, "Higher Body," we were given an extensive overview of the self as manifested through personality and essence, and the possibilities for contact with Real I. This week we will consider one of the ways in which this contact can occur by once again revisiting the topic of metanoia, which we first explored in the email of 9/16/21. It is a crucial stage in the spiritual journey which allows us to view life in an entirely new way.
To review, the word metanoia is a Greek word (meta = transformation or beyondness; nous = mind) used in the Gospels that has erroneously been translated as repent. According to Maurice Nicoll, metanoia contains no sense of sorrow or regret; in fact, it has nothing to do with the heart. "It refers to a new mind, not a new heart, for it is impossible to have a new heart without first possessing a new mind. A new mind means an entirely new way of thinking, new ideas, new knowledge, and a new approach to everything in life" (The Mark, p. 108). This parallels the title of Thomas Keating's seminal work on Centering Prayer, Open Mind, Open Heart. It too indicates that an open mind must come first before the heart can be renewed. Cynthia Bourgeault evolves the meaning of metanoia further by stating: "[It] means to escape from the orbit of the egoic operating system, which by virtue of its own internal hardwiring is always going to see the world in terms of polarized opposites, and move instead into that nondual knowingness of the heart which can see and live from the perspective of wholeness" (Op. Cit., p. 41). Thus, once we enter – and continue on – the path of metanoia, developing an inner consciousness of self wherein our minds, hearts and bodies are gradually aligned, we come to a three-centered sense of "I am." That is to say: we become conscious and present to ourselves and others in all the moments of life.
Reversal
One of the main blockages to a non-dual, open mind is what the Work calls internal considering. It takes many forms, but one of the most pernicious is the aspect of making accounts. This inner complaining causes us much useless suffering as we perceive that the world, other people and even God are the cause of our difficulties and sorrows – and that we deserve much better. "According to outer appearances, human beings may easily think that they are owed: according to inner truth, it is they who owe. This is a reversal of thinking. It is a new way of thinking. It is indeed metanoia" (Maurice Nicoll, Commentaries, "The Necessity of Metanoia for Reversal," November 22, 1952, Vol. 5, p. 1650). The realization that it is we who owe is a shock that can be quite humbling when we look inside and see the ways in which we have had the exact opposite attitude for much of our lives. This realization can be the catalyst for metanoia, for the reversal of how we have viewed the world. It also points to the necessity of the basic Work practices of self-observation, non-identification and Self-remembering. We have to first non-critically see our mechanical attitudes and beliefs, separate from them and connect (in a three-centered way) with the knowing that there is a higher meaning of the world and ourselves. Dr. Nicoll emphasizes this when he states: "You realize you need not take things as you always have taken things. This is the first conscious shock. This means you have intelligence – that is, that you can change your automatic way of behavior. In other words, you can adapt yourself to changing external life and not be held down to one path of associations" (Commentaries, "Intelligence and Instinct," June 28, 1947, Vol. 3, p. 1054). This reversal in all aspects of our psychological and bodily life is the great gift of the Work when consistently practiced over time. "All the Work-ideas reverse things. They require conscious efforts to apply them. These must be renewed continually over the years until they lead to change of thinking that is real. The vision of life and yourself is then different" (Op. Cit., p. 1650).
Karlfried Graf Dürckheim, who was quoted extensively in the email of 7/28/22, also speaks of the idea of reversal and what can lead up to it:
"The conditions necessary to make possible this reversal in a life that has been oriented solely to the world are (1) that the reality of Divine Being present within our being should ceaselessly strive to become manifest in and through us; (2) that with our rationally oriented mind we should have become estranged from and be in conflict with our essential being. Without this tension, this tug of war, we would be as little able to become aware of the divine ground of being as a flower; (3) that in breaking through the barriers of what is inevitably a limited awareness, we open ourselves to greater being and thereby awaken to the realization that the barrier has its origin solely in our rational ego; (4) that we are prepared to allow the Divine Will which summons us from within to become our own will, and to decide to follow the way to which essential being calls us. The reversal of direction – arising as it does from our suffering at being estranged from essential being and our joy at rediscovering it, signals our setting out upon the way" (The Way of Transformation: Daily Life as Spiritual Practice, pp. 59-60).
The Great Experience
Dr. Dürckheim goes on to speak of this reversal from finding our meaning in the world to a focus on God devotion as the 'Great Experience':
"The Great Experience – which leads to metanoia, to a reversal of the old life and to new birth –contains two elements: the experience of oneness, in the stillness of which all things are rendered down, and the encounter with the special way in which we as individual beings participate in Being as Greater Life, which drives forward with dynamic force into the 'light of the world.' Our experience of Divine Being as the Life which strives within us to manifest in the world is none other than Essential Being. The Great Experience necessitates first the melting down of the world-ego structure and this, when it happens, has the effect of liberating us from our hitherto compulsive obligations towards it. The second requirement is that we must encounter our own essential being and experience its drive to become manifest in a certain form, and thus arouse our creativity and our sense of responsibility towards life. Liberation from the ego allows us to take the step that leads to the birth of the Person. The birth itself, however, occurs only when the experience of Essential Being is felt as a compelling summons. Thus, we can see that the encounter with our essential being, which presupposes release from our old selves, does not merely bring us to blissful awareness of our own individuality, or a feeling of jubilation at personally participating in Divine Being … It has the further effect of reminding us of the heavy responsibility of our human mission, which is to give evidence of our participation in Transcendental Being in terms of our own individuality in the life of space and time. Once we open the door to Essential Being, we are required to make an irrevocable decision to be answerable for the realization of its image in a form that is viable for life" (Ibid, pp. 110-111).
Most of humanity suffers yet never wakes up to the truth of our being, consequently missing the opportunity to develop greater consciousness and thus lightening the burdens and relieving the suffering of the world. It should give us pause that we have been offered this opportunity. As Dr. Nicoll stated above, we do indeed owe for the gratuitous awakening of our magnetic center. So how does one make payment for this priceless gift? Or, as Mr. Gurdjieff so compellingly states in his fourth Obligolnian Striving: "to lighten as much as possible the suffering of our Common Father?" We pay by participating in removing the blockages that prevent us from contact with Real I, through the process of kenosis.
The Way of Kenosis
Dr. Dürckheim stated earlier that one requirement for metanoia is the "melting down of the world-ego." This is accomplished through kenosis or self-emptying – our daily dying to our preferences and identifications – through making daily aims and applying the knowledge of the Work to our being. We must strip off the "overcoats" of our personality through the unflagging effort to self-observe, non-identify and Self-remember. In the Commentaries, Dr. Nicoll illustrates the idea of kenosis through referring to The Conference of the Birds, a 12th century Sufi allegorical poem depicting the spiritual journey:
"Perhaps some of you have read that rather interesting esoteric book that comes from Sufi literature – The Conference of the Birds. Here it is related that the birds set off on a journey, corresponding to the path of the Work, and when they reach their goal they have lost all their feathers. If you see what this Work is, you realize that it is a journey, a path, that you have to follow. We have to lose our feathers" (Commentaries, "A Note on False Personality and Imaginary 'I'," April 20, 1946, Vol. 3, p. 884).
We are not to add anything to ourselves as we are; rather it is the emptying, this losing of feathers – through seeing, understanding and Working on all of our self-defeating patterns – that feeds and grows essence. Then, as we learned last week, another reversal takes place: the personality/ego becomes passive and subservient to essence, which then becomes active. What Dr. Dürckheim calls "[t]he summons to realize and give proof of our essential being amid all worldly conditions" (Op. Cit., p. 111) becomes our joyous aim as we travel the return journey to Real I and God, committed to becoming, above all else, servants of Divine Being.
Homework
Find specific examples of reversals in your thinking/life/being and share them with your Journey Group, Work Partner or other spiritual friend.
Can you find the Great Experience in your own life? If you are unsure, look deeply for the moments of insight, seeing or inspiration that turned or started to turn you in a different direction. Consider the enormity of this gift of grace and with a humble heart, give thanks to God that you have been chosen to receive it!
You may wish to participate in the upcoming seven-week class "A Passage Through Self, or Consciousness," the personal spiritual journey of Bernadette Roberts for further insight into the self and its possibilities.
September Practice: Singing and Chanting
Singing and chanting are both powerful forms of vibrational expression which affect us physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Combined with text, sung melody intensifies the quality of the words. The vibration created – through bone conduction – can be felt throughout the entire body and radiated beyond. This week you are invited to take a short piece of text from Scripture or another sacred writing, and create a simple chant melody for it using just one or two tones. Repeat the chant for a minute or two, perhaps prior to, or after your Centering Prayer period, or at any time throughout the day. What do you observe about the effects of these vibrations?
Attend The Journey School Thursday Class Tonight: All are encouraged and welcome to attend tonight's class for a review of these teachings and, importantly, to produce a container of beings seeking to be more conscious and whose efforts assist one another: 7:00 pm Central Time via Zoom only.
