Meaning of Life

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The Meaning of Life© Dick Rauscher September, 2003

I recently had a wonderful discussion with a close friend regarding our beliefs about heaven, reincarnation, our souls, and what happens to us after we die. What is the meaning of our life? Why do we exist? Why are we here?

We were sitting on the porch waiting for a night blooming cereus to blossom. The flower is known for its light fragrance and lacy beauty. Known as a Moon Cactus, its exotic flower blooms only after sundown and is gone by dawn. So talking about the meaning of life in the presence of this spectacular flower was not surprising.

The combination of this philosophic conversation, and the death of an old college friend last month to cancer have led me, over the last few weeks, to a deeper reflection about the meaning of my life. For example, what dies? My body and my ego certainly do, but what about my soul? Do I even have a soul, and does it continue to exist after I die? If I’m obedient and good will I get to go to heaven like Christian theology teaches, or will I get to come back and continue perfecting myself so as to eventually achieve enlightenment as Buddhism teaches? Or do I just die and that’s the end of it; a brilliant flash of conscious light and then darkness for eternity?

These questions are important to me right now because the cold breathe of death does indeed feel near. The passing of flowers and old friends are reminding me that reality is change. All forms in creation come to an end so as to make room for new forms. I too will die. Will my beliefs be comforting when I only have one night left to live? They bring meaning to my life today, but will they bring me a sense of peace when the moment of my own death arrives? I have to admit that going to heaven was a very compelling belief sitting with my friend that night when I thought consciously about actually dying before dawn.

The soft light of a new moon and the light of countless stars twinkling through the leaves of the forest overhead that night were a sobering reminder for me of the transitory reality of my life.

As my friend and I quietly talked together in the presence of the cereus flower that night, we agreed that God or Spirit is present in all of creation; that God is not an anthropomorphic person sitting in a place called heaven keeping personal notes on our behaviors. My friend said she believes that her soul will indeed come back again and again until she reaches enlightenment. Her Buddhist beliefs in reincarnation bring meaning to the existential questions in her life. She is a compassionate and caring friend to all who meet her and her presence in my life continues to remind me that there are many paths to the Creator.

The belief that my life and my consciousness is simply a brilliant flash of light and then it’s darkness for eternity was depressing to her even though I also shared my belief that even by death, we can never ultimately be separated from the creative energy we call God. When we die, the agape energy of our essential self will simply return to the agape energy of the universe. We are each simply a human wave and God is the ocean.

For me, this belief is not depressing; it is empowering. In fact, like my friend, this understanding of God brings a profound meaning to everything I do and it defines clearly who I am and why I exist. Let me explain.

I believe that God is the agape love energy that manifests in the universe as the never ending energy of creation through evolution. Agape love is the conscious, creative energy that works to create life and to increase the consciousness and the complexity of all created form.

Agape love is an unconditional energy that is not connected to a “ because”, it simply exists. It is the ground of all being. It is God itself poured into all creation. It is the only energy in the universe that is conscious and negentropic. In other words, agape love, the God energy that is embedded in the very fabric of the universe is the only energy that can reverse the entropic process. Without this agape love energy infinitely creating and evolving form, the universe would eventually decay and cease to exist.

In contrast to this agape energy of creation and evolution, all other energies in the universe are bound by the physical law of entropy; the second law of thermodynamics which states that all energy in our universe goes from a higher state of energy to a lower state of energy. Through entropy all form moves from higher complexity to lower complexity, from life to death, from consciousness to unconscious, from light to darkness.

So how does this give my life meaning? Why do I feel empowered by this understanding of God? It empowers me because I believe that my essential self or soul, a local wave of “i am” that exists in the ocean of I AM, is fully capable of manifesting agape love.

Because there can be no form without consciousness, and because I am a reflexively conscious being with free will, I can create form and participate in the ongoing creation of the universe. My essential self can create and support evolution by enhancing life, the increase of consciousness, and the increase of complexity in all forms that I create. My essential self is a Co-Creator with God.

However, my essential self will not manifest unconditional agape love until I have learned to empty my individual ego of its judgmental beliefs and opinions. My individual ego can only love conditionally; it cannot love without a “because”. Thus the energy that comes from my individual ego is primitive and entropic. It is always a self centered energy. Others exist only in relationship to the needs of my individual ego-self.

Because consciousness creates form, I create form in every now; consciously or unconsciously. Through free will, I have the ability to consciously walk the middlepath of ego emptiness and not knowing so as to manifest agape love, or I can choose to unconsciously manifest the entropic energy of my individual ego. The choice to live my life conscious and awake, or unconscious and asleep is mine; it is a choice I must make in the now of every moment.

I do not believe I will get the opportunity to come back and try again. I believe that this is my one opportunity to be a co-creator in the conscious evolution of the human species and of the universe itself. Reflexive consciousness and free will are the most incredible gifts that any sentient life form could ever be given in that they enable that life form to be a Co-Creator with God.

It is now my responsibility and opportunity to create form; to create reality. I can no longer blame the Devil or God for pain and suffering, and I can not wait any longer for God to fix reality for me. Unfortunately, most prayer in the world today is nothing more than the primitive ego’s wish list for God, or a lament blaming Satan for the ills of the world.

I personally believe the choice is now mine. Form will manifest from the choices I personally make in each moment. My only valid prayer is for me have the courage to stay awake and participate out of my essential self so that the Creators will is done. Authentic prayer is the conscious mind of a Co-Creator manifesting agape love in the service of creation and the evolution of form.

To summarize, this moment to moment choice is always present in my life. I struggle each day to stay awake to the reality that in every moment I have the choice to either participate in the negentropic creation and evolution of the universe…..to love unconditionally without a because and increase complexity, consciousness and life, or to manifest the entropic energy of my primitive ego………to love conditionally and thus create pain, suffering and “otherness” through the life rejecting judgments that ooze out of my individual ego beliefs.

How could my life have more meaning than being a Co-Creator with God; a conscious participant in creation and evolution itself!

At the moment of my death my only prayer will be a question. Was my life the conscious prayer of a Co-Creator, or the meaningless ranting of an unconscious primitive ego?

What forms will you create with your consciousness and free will today? Conscious or unconscious, you will create form.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS

I have come to accept that when the weather is warm, and the sun is shining, my psyche wants to be outdoors hiking, digging in the dirt, weeding gardens, mowing lawns, working on projects around the house, and visiting with friends. When summer arrives each year, it feels freeing to break out of the structures and routines that I’ve built into my life over the last ten months. It is a time for me to go outdoors and play; to gather up energy and renew my spirit. In other words, it is very hard to be inside writing articles and publishing newsletters; things I love to do the rest of the year.

At first, this feeling of freedom each summer is wonderful. But after a month or two, I begin to get “out of sorts”. The lack of discipline and structure begins to feel like chaos. I begin looking forward to putting on long pants and getting the fleece sweatshirts out. Boots and wool socks think good on my feet. My soul tells me it’s time to start working on firewood. I could do without the snow that’s coming, but the thought of fall colors on the trees, and getting up on cold crispy mornings is very energizing.

As I sit here thinking about the September issue of the Stonyhill Newsletter, I am somewhat distracted planning a final summer canoe trip to the Adirondack’s with friends over Labor Day. A part of me is excited and very much looking forward to the canoe trip, but a still small voice within is calling me back to my vision. It is calling me to dust off the computer and get back to my writing; to welcome home my old friend, that warm and comfortable sense being grounded.

Wisdom is nothing more than paying attention to the still small voice. Some say it is our soul speaking to us. Some say it is Spirit calling us back to the reason we are here in this human form. What ever our understanding of this still small voice, it is important that we learn to pay attention to it because it will lead us step by step into our passion; the one thing that you, and only you, can do; that unique thing that every event and every experience in your life has prepared you to do.

My ultimate goal or vision in publishing this newsletter is to develop a community of people who are interested in exploring the intentional integration of spirituality and psychotherapy; the conscious development of a mature human ego.

I believe that authentic spiritual growth is growth in self-awareness, and all growth in self-awareness is authentic spiritual growth. I am convinced that we will evolve as humans only to the degree that we a) become self-aware and b) increase our ability to love.

The time of summer renewal is coming to a close; a still small voice is calling me back to my vision. I hope you too have all experienced a summer of spiritual renewal and healing.

Stick season is coming.
See you next month.

3) SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

Most of the conflict in the world comes from knowing and the need to be right. The primitive ego is convinced that it has the absolute truth on all issues. Its beliefs and opinion are “right”. The problem of course is that all of the other primitive egos think that they are too.

The need to be right usually leads to arrogant arguments and conflict. No one really listens to the other. Both egos are too busy mentally getting their rebuttal ready so as to show how they are right and the other person is wrong.

Virtually all of the wars in human history have been fought over primitive ego beliefs and opinions as to who was right.

Walking the middlepath of not knowing, so as to manifest the creative energy of agape love, requires the spiritual practice of simply letting the other person be right. When you let the other person be right, pay careful attention to how difficult it is for the primitive ego to remain silent.

It is helpful when practicing this spiritual practice to remember that ignorance is not “not-knowing”; ignorance is knowing for certain that you are right. When your primitive ego knows it is right, it stops listening, growing, and learning. Remember, all truth is relative. All beliefs and opinions are subjective.

I believe it was Mark Twain who began all controversial statements with the words “Now I could be wrong, but it seems to me that……………..” He always tried to let the other person be “right” if they needed to be.

The spiritual practice of letting the other person be right will help you grow in self-consciousness, and it will increase the non-violence of the universe.

GOALS OF THE STONYHILL NEWSLETTER

We live in a world filled with conflict and violence. Almost everyone agrees that something has to change. There is an urgent need to develop a more compassionate global spirituality.

At Stonyhill, we believe it makes no sense to profess the values and morality of peace and compassion while continuing to manifest the primitive ego's paradigm of vertical power called survival of the fittest; a paradigm of power, control, and violence.

We must learn how the unconscious judgments of the primitive ego bring the seeds of conflict, and a sense of "otherness" into the world. If our personal goal is to do no harm to others or the world, then our thinking must consciously evolve and become more conscious or self-aware.

We will become what we think about and authentic spiritual growth is achieved only when we grow in self-awareness.

Traditional mainline religions are based on primitive pre-modern and violent tribal metaphors written during a time when our human consciousness was still very primitive. Until our mainline religions remove the violence contained in their scriptures and come to understand that most of the wisdom in their scriptures is metaphoric and should not be interpreted literally, they will be unable to offer the moral and ethical framework needed to create effective global solutions to the challenges facing us in the 21st century.

We will evolve as humans only as we become more self-aware and intentionally increase our ability to love unconditionally. A compassionate global spirituality is no longer just an interesting philosophic idea; the future of the human species may very well depend upon our ability to create it. The danger that we could destroy ourselves as a species has never been greater. The creation of a compassionate global community is the most important goal of human consciousness in the 21st century.

The Stonyhill Newsletter explores the insights and spiritual practices required to achieve the authentic spiritual growth that comes from deep self-awareness, understanding the primitive ego that resides in each of us, and the intentional evolution of our species consciousness.

The Stonyhill newsletter is written each month for counselors, therapists, clergy, and individuals interested in authentic spiritual growth, intentional growth in our human consciousness, and the formation of a compassionate, non-violent global community that openly embraces radical inclusiveness and diversity.

Namaste
Dick Rauscher

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The Stonyhill Newsletter is written and published by Dick Rauscher, M.Div., Fellow AAPC. For past issues of the Stonyhill Newsletter and other in depth articles on authentic spiritual growth and the Primitive Ego Theory of Human Development written by Dick Rauscher go to www.stonyhill.com
All rights reserved.
Copyright 2007

There are many article on spiritual growth, the middlepath and the primitive ego on the Stonyhill web site at www.stonyhill.com. If you would like to read an in-depth article on The Primitive Ego Theory of Human Development and the relationship between authentic spiritual growth and the growth in self-awareness that comes as we better understand the primitive ego that dwells inside each of us, you can go to the Awakening article #26 on the web site or just click on this link: http://www.stonyhill.com/articles.htm - awakening

Visit the STONYHILL INSTITUTE website at http://www.stonyhill.com/articles.htm for additional articles on the integration of spirituality and psychotherapy.

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QUOTES

“…….every part of the universe is worthy of reverence and no part may be
exploited. Even nonhuman beings have rights of their own; their meaning
is not exhausted by a description of how we can use or enjoy them. Those
of us who are free beings and do manipulate other parts of the universe,
therefore, have a serious obligation to try to discern the pattern being
developed by the spirit of the whole and to follow it. Beatrice Bruteau.

“The primitive ego is totally invested in itself as a self-object totally unique
and separate from all other self-objects. The primitive ego will engage in
violent conflict to be “right” and “in control” so as to avoid the need to
change its beliefs. The overwhelming majority of humans alive on the
earth today never progress beyond this level of ego development
regardless of how “mature and civilized” they appear in day to day life.
When squeezed, or put under dress, or threatened by criticism, shame, or
blame, the primitive ego of the child within will quickly emerge and
manifest itself. This reality is the bedrock of all the wars, the Crusades, the
ideological and nationalistic struggles, all the tribal and religious conflict, all
the witch hunts, all the sexism, racism, and homophobia, seen throughout
history and the conflicts of the modern world.” Dick Rauscher

“The co-creative society may seem impossibly difficult from the historical
perspective, but from the evolutionary perspective we are encouraged.
Imagine early humans, shivering in caves with nothing to protect them
from the weather, starvation, and animals far stronger and quicker, being
told that one day they would have to protect other species and care for
nature herself. Imagine the pioneers seeing for the first time the Pacific
Ocean and being asked to envision today’s Los Angeles. Since all that
happened, we cannot doubt that the next step is possible, and indeed,
inherent in the nature of reality.” Barbara Marx Hubbard

“A person who is spiritually awakened has the ability to accept the reality
of what is, and is able to internally challenge and explore the many ego
beliefs, assumptions, certainties, and expectations that they have
unconsciously accumulated over the course of their life. The goal of such
exploration is to empty the ego and simply be. A spiritually awakened
person lives life in the knowledge that all of one’s accumulated words and
beliefs are only relative metaphors and concepts that talk about reality;
they do not ultimately define reality. For a person who is spiritually
awakened, reality can only be experienced.” Dick Rauscher

Upcoming Spiritual Growth Workshops:

The spiritual growth workshop “Creative Relationships: The Heart of Spiritual Practice” will be offered at the Bath UMC on September 12th and 13th. This spiritual growth workshop will be facilitated by Dick Rauscher and will focus on our ability to be more gentle and caring in relationship with others. Participants will explore why so many relationships end in conflict, and they will learn the essential spiritual practices that must be a part of their lives and their relationships with others if they want to increase happiness in their lives. All spiritual growth is a growth in self-awareness. The power of a creative human relationship is it’s ability to help us become more self-aware.

This workshop is appropriate for family relationships, marriage partners, pre-marital partners, church family members, business colleagues, parents, or any persons wanting to improve their communication and their relationship skills with others.

Comments from participants of previous Stonyhill workshops:

“Words seem to fall short to express how deeply this material resonates. I’m just grateful for this entire experience.”
“It was in simple, clear presentation. It shows such understanding of people!”
“Presentation was delivered in a manner and at a speed that could be easily digested. Time and attention was given to questions and interpretations without criticism.”
“You have a real gift of opening things up for people to look at in a totally different light. You have the ability to describe traits of individuals and use your teachings to benefit people in both their relationships and personal lives.”

An application for this workshop can be downloaded from the website or by calling 585-781-4000. This workshop will be limited to 30 people so be sure to apply early.

Visit the STONYHILL INSTITUTE ARTICLES for additional articles on the integration of spirituality and psychotherapy.

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