I ask that you use your own personal discrimination when reading this article, and set aside any words, aspects or concepts that do not resonate with you. For I recognise your freedom to choose what is right for you, and would not wish to violate your freewill, but rather, I would act only as a resource for your seeking. The following is an account of a recent encounter I had with a friend, whom I shall name Troy, who as a single parent who is struggling with the responsibilities of bringing up a sensitive child, effectively by himself. This post is about Awakening the King Within. We took a walk into the countryside, and discussed the influences that the four archetypal energies can have upon our human development. Amongst other things, Troy is a non- dual psychotherapist. He, like me, is deeply rooted in a non-dual awareness of what we call the ‘presence,’ or ‘awareness’ at the core of our being. However, we are also equally aware that it is all too easy to forget or overlook our human self, when encountering and using pure, unadulterated, consciousness in our healing process. Enlightenment for us, is not escaping the suffering of living a relative human existence, to the higher planes of reality; Embodied liberation, as we call it, is about becoming our true Human selves, revealing our unique essence. This process is not about sitting on our mediation mats and disassociating ourselves into the void, totally avoiding what it is to live inside this skin-encapsulated ego, this physical feeling body, this heavy gloopy medium of frustrating ups and downs. To us, being Human is to be a dynamic combination of the subtle non-physical bodies of spirt, and the electrochemical, biodiverse, trillion-cell Earth-Suit, of the atomic domain. It's about reaching into the darkness of the unknown, searching for the shadow, loving the journey of feeling the full spectrum of the emotional scale. It's about facing our suffering consciously, knowing that it is just catalyst, arising again and again to teach us about the themes, lessons and opportunities, to grow as souls. As we walked, we talked about the human journey of parenting, from a practical perspective. Troy had only recently setup house with his girlfriend, living as a cosy threesome with his child in the wilds of Wales. They were very much in love. He, for the first time in a while, after splitting with the mother of his child, felt safe enough to open his heart again to another, and enter into a sacred intimate relationship. He has been working assiduously upon himself for years. Through a contemplative self-study, he was slowly discovering the historical roots of his challenges, achieving a clearer sense of who he is. He had been gradually processing this information in the presence of pure awareness and had begun to let go of old habits and approaches to his life with greater creativity and flexibility. Troy, who is principally a therapist, was clearly working and utilising his Magician powers. This archetypal energy at work in the psyche, is all about mental cognition, knowing, knowledge and understanding about the nature of reality. To be a therapist, one needs to be running Magician archetypal energy. He also has a great capacity to feel what is going on in his own body, with minute alacrity. He loves his boy; he loves his lady – he’s in touch with his emotions and sensations, which indicates that he is also running the archetypal energy of the Lover. He has maintained an extraordinarily strong Warrior practice for over the last 30 years. Therefore, He is running all three archetypal energies of the Lover, Magician and Warrior. With Troy’s permission, which he gave, I asked him directly what is going on in his Royal sector, around his King? He asked me what the qualities of this archetype were. Well, I replied that the King in his fulness will be balancing any overt Magician tendency. He had already confided in me that he was a ‘bit of a lone wolf. ‘This alerted me to one of the main characteristics of the Magician, which is the trait of detachment. I know a lot about this particular archetypal challenge as I come from the Magician sector myself. Unlike the King, the Magician wants to pull away, hideout in his tower, mountaintop or forest, working with the esoteric, playing with the cosmic navel. The King on the other hand is diametrically the opposite; he’s all about community, generation, nurturing, decision making, pushing back the chaos and ordering his Kingdom. It’s about being in the world, acting in a balanced way. Effectively, it’s about becoming the Centre which blesses and regenerates the Kingdom, internally and externally. Being a good Father is just like being a balanced King and vice versa; To be a good Father, we have to bring our psychic domain into order. The outer world reflects the inner world. If we have disowned or abandoned our King, then we have lost connection with our capacity to be an effective father. Troy had already stated that he was finding it a challenge to meet the demands of his 8-year-old, especially since more of his attention was being directed towards his love life and his burgeoning therapeutic practice. I pointed out that his son, in some sense, represents his own inner child, projected out onto his boy. If we don’t feel up to the task of fathering our children, then we have lost some sort of connection with our inner child. He stated that he was contemplating arranging for his boy to perhaps reside with his mother, who lived abroad, who could perhaps attend to his needs more effectively. This I pointed out is a form of abandonment of both his son and his inner child. He replied that he felt that he did not have the resources to meet the needs of the child. I told him that his boy needed him, that he looked to him as role-model, protector and teacher and primary caregiver. The pertinent question that I posed him was, from which particular psychic sector does this observation and decision arise from. If you are coming from the Magician sector, who does not want to take responsibility for others, then one's perspective is going to be skewed towards detachment and hiding out. If it is coming solely from the Lover sector, then a similar distortion will take place, where freedom in the form of less boundaries and less order is more highly privileged. Anything that is stopping or inhibiting us from savouring our pleasures is seen as a distraction. It also prevents us from entering into the great Lover aligned with the King. It seems that we adopt archetypal configurations which in general keep us safe, which observe and align with our deep trauma patterns. We believe that our archetypal organisation to be our fallible human self (the Ego), but its highly likely that it's an adopted approach that maximises our ability to resist reordering our psychic space towards fully owning our Royal sector. I’ve noticed this pattern in myself. The most potent Archetypal energy in my opinion is the Royal sector of the King and Queen. If we become inflated in this area, as active and passive independents, then grandiose flooding can lead to narcissistic tendencies, of entitlement, superiority, denial and subjugation of others. Something perhaps he, and I, had been unconsciously avoiding. I asked Troy if I could speak frankly about my observations, which because of his openness and willing to grow, he graciously agreed to. I told him that he had been privileging his Lover, Magician and Warrior, whilst neglecting his King. Individuation is about balancing the opposites, which builds a stronger human Ego System-self, capable of consciously handling the potent power of the archetypal energies. If we don’t do this, then the archetypal energies run us! It’s a question of being more conscious in our relating to them. I advised him that perhaps it is time to allow the King to step forward and reorder his Kingdom. As with the case with me, the Magician can sometimes act as regent, running the Kingdom whilst the King is abroad on holiday or pilgrimage (see Return of the King article). When the King returns and takes up residence once again in the throne room, in the royal palace, then the Magician can step back into the role as councillor. Sooner or later, within the maturing process, the Royal sector has to come online, containing and regulating the other three archetypal energies. They in turn contain and regulate the Royal sectors tendencies to dominate. Somehow, we need to find the courage to step up to this mark and sacrifice (to make sacred) the archetypal energies we have been privileging or identifying with. Troy loved to exercise, to go to festivals and retreats, developing his therapy practice. As we walked, Troy began to realise what he needed to do, which he’d been unconsciously putting off for some time. The loving King, when properly counselled by the Magician, reorders the Kingdom through the action of his Warrior, coming into direct and conscious relationship with the centre, the Archetype of the Great Self, forming an Ego access with it. Instead of being run by our conditioning, we take our lead from the Presence within, as our guide and healer. The King then becomes the generative balanced, nurturing centre himself, actively blessing all those around him, with love, kindness and clear seeing. Troy began to see the efficacy of this movement towards Kingship, how it might restore a balance in his life, which he knew deep down was missing. I stated that when the King is in, then we can choose and decide how to order our day, with specific time spent in each sector, without allowing their individual energies to dominate and inadvertently take control. Love then becomes continually present in all the activities. Warriorship rises to its highest presentation, by maintaining and executing without fail the decisions of the King, arising from the clear council of the Magician. The penny fully dropped in Troy, landing in him like a stone. I get it he said. Wow this is powerful indeed. He was visibly lifted, as the gravity of the situation shifted in him. I introduced him to the notion of the Puer Aeternus (eternal youth), or Peter Pan syndrome, which is the young man or woman who refuses to grow up and take responsibility for their life. They persistently leave their options open, not wishing to sacrifice anything, because they refuse to make their mind up to grow, to mature, by allowing the ageing process to take place. If we just take our pleasure, working to perfect the shape of our body, ensuring that we are always safe, trying to fathom our true nature, we miss the opportunity to fully become what we were destined to be. I told Troy that becoming the true King, is a tough decision and action to execute. However, the Magician within us knows it needs to be undertaken. Troy realised he was at the watershed (the place where we slough of any excess emotion or Lover energy, expressed metaphorically as water); this is the turning point, where we step up to the plate of our human existence, and hit the ball of indecision, appeasement, and playing small, right out of the park! As we came to the end of our walk, Troy turned to me and said that the route we had taken through the forest shall forevermore be called by him as the ‘King’s path.’ He asked me how he should move forward with this knowledge. Well, I explained that it would be beneficial to enter into some kind of ritual to enact and mark a change within his psychic space, indicating a great conscious evolution. Inadvertently, we all ritualise our lives without even knowing it. If we want to make a real change, then we need to use active imagination and create a mythological ritual, which signifies within our Ego structure that an archetypal rebalancing is going to take place. In this instance, it is about welcoming the King back from self-imposed exile. I had recently done an exercise with my Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist, where I visualised my own internal King and Queen, coming back from their crusades in the Holy Land. They arrived back at the palace, greeted by the Magician and the other court members (my unintegrated shadow parts), for a ceremony which took place in the throne room, where the Magician formally passed his regency (power) back to the King. Since that time, I consciously call in the King archetypal energy on a frequent basis, to offset any grandiose Magician, Warrior or addicted Lover energies which unconsciously spring up in me, pulling me off course. I also advised Troy that to become the true King, we need to attract and be in relationship with a true Queen of equal stature, power and archetypal organisation. Queen in this sense, means running predominately the feminine skill-set or energy. I told him that when I met my Queen, she had two children from her previous relationship. I was not just falling in love with her, but I also had to fully accept and love her children and take up the responsibility of fathering them too. This was my decision, not a demand from my wife-to-be, to do so. They were a beautiful family already, which could not be separated, nor did I want to do so. It was all or nothing! A decision that I have never regretted for a single moment. It has been an honour and a privilege to learn to stepfather these two beautiful human beings to adulthood. If Troy was to become a King, then he would need a Queen, who would fully meet him and his boy, offering herself up as partner and mother, not just lover. This observation dawned upon my friend. Your primary responsibly here I believe is to your boy, not to your romantic need for a lover. The King always looks to the stability, efficacy and harmony of his Kingdom, not privileging pleasure, knowledge or self-image, above that responsibility. If your present lover is not prepared to become a full mother to your boy, ardently and seriously taking up emotional and practical responsibility to learn to mother him, then maybe you need to reconsider your approach with her. For her to become your Queen, she will need to trust you and your relationship, knowing that your King is coming online, holding the space required for wounded hearts to heal, in the strong containment field of a committed and sacred relationship. Again, the gravity of the situation, hit Troy hard. He thanked me for being so direct with him, stating that very few of his friends would have been so kind-heartedly frank. After we had parted, Troy reported to me that he had gone up on the moors, found a stone throne and in the voice and energy of the King, enacted a ritual inviting in his King, which hopefully precipitated spending more time in the Royal sector. He stated that he will repeat these two or three more times to fully ground it into his life and experience. After a week or so, I asked Troy to provide me with some feedback, concerning his experience of the King coming online since we had last met, as he as integrated the talk and subsequent ritual that he had undertaken. He stated that the most potent quality that he had experienced of the King is loving, caring, benevolence. He was embodying all the Kingly qualities that he might associate with this energy, such as structure, clear knowing, decisiveness, accompanied by this incredible, warmth, benevolence, and acceptance. What this allowed him to do was include every aspect of his kingdom. He elaborated on this by saying that in his own inner kingdom, all of the parts that he might be or might have been, ashamed of, scared of, or felt to be unpalatable, or in some way he did not want the world to see, such as the angry, scared, greedy and jealous parts, the King is now sitting on his throne and seeing these parts, these aspects, and he fully welcomes them into his Kingdom. He allows them to take up their space, their residence in the Kingdom, because he sees the potential in all of these parts, and he is an inclusive King. In this process, there is of course some aspect of the queen also sitting at the King’s side. In my experience, Troy’s tale has some similarities to my own. I was an addicted Lover type, gorging myself upon sex, drugs, food, entertainment and music – I loved life, in all its multifariousness. I was always falling in and out love, but could not hold down a relationship, because of my broken heartedness. I was sinking under the oppression of the addicted and lonely Lover archetypal energy, lost in its un- bounded spaces of woe and despair. It was only through the power of the Warrior, setting boundaries and enforcing ridged exercise routines, was I able to apprehend my addictions, enabling me to regulate, and meet my unruly emotional and addled states. My Magician also began to develop at the same time. I got married, became a technician, manager and commercial expert in the corporate world, making money, keeping me safe, enabling me to open to the true Lover energy of having children and the unconditionality of loving and caring for them. It was only in my late forties, did my Magician take me in a new direction of acknowledging and beginning to heal my woundedness, my trauma, my limiting patterns. When I met my Queen and second wife to be, after parting with the mother of my children, my true Lover began to come online. She fully met me, challenging me to become the best that I could possibly be. My loving Magician worked its magic upon me, healing me further, ensuring that my grandiose King energy, supported by the inflated Warrior did not rage too much, as my Lover heart began slowly healing, through intimate relationship. Now, my Magician knows that it is time that my sovereign Royal energy comes online. This will enable my Individuation to begin to power up, so I can hold and run more numinal energy consciously, with loving intent, knowing and enacting my purpose, without cracking and fragmenting under the pressure of aligning to the Centre, the Divine, the Presence. Should you have a situation in your life, where you feel that one or more of the archetypal energies are unconsciously dominating you, please contact me and I will offer guidance and advice, on how to move forward and rebalance your life. Alternatively, please visit my Patreon account, and select one of the tiers at the following link Patreon.

"Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control; these three alone, lead life to sovereign power." Alfred Lord Tennyson I ask that you use your own personal discrimination when reading this article, and set aside any words, aspects or concepts that do not resonate with you. For I recognise your freedom to choose what is right for you, and would not wish to violate your freewill, but rather, I would act only as a resource for your seeking. As mentioned in the ‘about archetypal mind’ page, this blog is a personal blog. Indeed, I intend to talk about how the archetypal mind has and is impacting me, and why I have felt it necessary, to bring this information into the world. In pursuance of the objective, I want to tell you all about the life that I am living. My principal endeavour in this lifetime is to the transformational process of my own individuation. In pursuit of this objective, I believe that I have established access to the Centre, to what Paul Tillich calls the ‘power of being.’ This source constantly infuses my life, with great energy, which is coupled to my own courage, and arises from realising that suffering is just ‘catalyst’, which pushes me forward in the transformation process. Catalyst, in this context, means anything that happens to me which triggers me into an emotional response to what is arising in my life. I don't view this as negative; I consider it to be positive, representing a helpful prompt from the Universe to reconsider that trigger, and to learn from it, so that I may grow, evolve and individuate. If we are psychologically disposed towards the pole of Nonbeing, as opposed to Being, then we might consider catalyst to be negative. If, however, we are orientated towards the pole of our own freedom, trusting the journey, and having faith in our own progress, then catalyst is to be regarded as positive. It helps us to transform, by pointing out to us the areas that need examination, healing and transformation. I feel blessed, and extremely fortunate to now live my life from this place. I am an individual who has principally arisen, in this incarnation at least, from the Magician sector, which is a part of the psyche that is probably more fortified and robust than other energy types. I have a strong alliance to my Warrior, from which the 'libidinal' forces of fire arise, which affords me great determination to maintain, not only connection with the Centre, but with my own energy. As I balance my Magician with my King, I become more grounded, more aligned to the Centre, more able to steady my ship, more able to remain focused in the process of transformation. This is strongly helping me, although not always, to ensure that my energy field is not overrun by others, by events, and most importantly, by my own guilt and condemnation, arising from past acts which have limited my beliefs and had a karmic impact upon me. The 'power of being' is fundamental. Without it, it will be exceedingly difficult to transform, grow and evolve. Wherever we connect to the power of being, it becomes our personal non-religious, sacred sacrament. The power of being is our connection to the Centre, this is our personal life force energy; this is what animates us. This is what we use in everyday life to undertake a human journey. The more numinous energy we have, the greater the radiance we have; the more we shine in general, this is known as charisma or vitality. Instead of only drawing energy from food, or other people or the events of our life, we connect to our core, fully acknowledging that our true energy arises from that place. This is an inexhaustible source, which never runs dry. When we fully acknowledge this, and live our daily lives in accordance with this, we can turn a corner in the way that we relate to ourselves and the cosmos. A robust Warrior practice (Warriorship) is crucial, not only to contain any excessive Lover energies, but to power the process itself. I utilise an array of daily Warrior practices, such gym resistance training, Tibetan rites, Pilates, meditation, and energy clearing and chakra balancing. I consume clean water that is ‘alive,’ I have a healthy vegetarian keto diet, I run, walk and dance. These practices optimise my opportunity to build and maintain sufficient energy for the courage to transform. Rejuvenating ‘yin' time, is essential, where I fully relax and allow, refraining from doing. Every idea, concept, action, sign or symbol, has a light aspect, and a dark aspect. The dark aspect is the shadow, which always exists in opposition. If it is life-giving, affirmative, about love, or growth, it will be the light aspect, which promotes the power of being. If it is the shadow, which promotes nonbeing or death, then this represents its opposite. It’s not what we believe, it’s how we use what we believe, either in the service of being, or in the service of non-being, in the service of love, or in the service of fear, in the service of growth or in the service of retraction. When we have access to the Centre, the power of being, we can become a portal for life. We can shine our charisma upon others, in a positive sense. We can become like the Sun, life giving and life affirming. This must be done in such a way where we do not identify with the great luminal archetypal energies, of the Great Self, which we are unconsciously recruiting. I believe that the optimal spiritual life is about the establishment of a life affirming, positive. psychological framework, which wraps around one’s transformational process. The framework is essentially a myth. The more comprehensive, encompassing, rich and complex the myth is, the more efficacious its psychological impact upon us will be. Life affirming psychological frameworks, which orientate one towards individuation, utilising the power of being, optimise the evolution of the soul. If you do not have an all-encompassing framework that orientates you in the psychological landscape, then potentially there are areas which might drop into the shadow and unduly influence how we act and how we feel. The most all-encompassing, mythological framework, that I have come across is the Law of One. This myth explains the need for contrast, evil and the dark. These are all necessary components, which enable an individuating soul, to evolve to grow to transform. This framework provides an exquisitely detailed account of the evolution of conscious entities. It proposes that there are two kinds of paths, which a soul can take. One can either take the path of “service-to-others “, or the path of “service-to-self ". Both are equally valid. The service-to-others path, where instead of serving oneself, we serve others as our primary, is in general, the easier of the two paths. I will dive deeper into the myth of the Law of One, in another article. The service-to-self path excludes love of anything outside of itself. It places the individual fully at the centre of their own universe. They have become the Centre, fully and completely identifying with the archetype of the Great Self, seeing no distinction between the two. All others are to be subjugated to oneself, as they do not matter in any way, shape or form. In fact, they have no tangible or real existence, they are just backdrop individuals, who are here to serve small 's' self or Ego. The image of Sauron from Lord of the Rings is the archetypal example of the service-to-self type (see The Return of the King blog post). Let me be clear, this path, as stated before, is as valid as the service-to-others path. The Creator plays both parts. Since all is the Creator, then the service-to-self is valid and is not to be excluded from Creation. If you are connected to the Centre, to the archetype of the Great Self, unconsciously identifying with it as your ego self, then you will most likely be fully plugged in to this enormous energy. Its power is immense, and it can light you up! However, if it’s grandiose and serving nonbeing, then it is going to be what Paul Tillich and Robert Moore called demonic energy. So many imperialistic types in a modern world are plugged into the Centre just like this, being in their inflated grandiose selves, being gobbled up by the Dragon, behaving in egotistical terms, which are not life affirming, and is wholly negative and dark. This type of connection to the to the Centre provides energy, but it does not provide the courage for transformation, for change, for evolution, for the individuation process. However, whenever you begin to plug-in, one is going to inflate, and contact this energy. If we don’t have some level of containment and regulation, that energy will build, and it could lead to a psychotic break. A strong practice of meditation will regulate and contain that energy. By meditation, I mean contacting, becoming and allowing the Presence within us to arise. This is the true Centre the core, which is pure Awareness, the ground of universal being. Here wholeness abides, which is unbroken, unchangeable and immutable. When we have a practice of connecting to pure Awareness and sitting in it, then the Human self-ego axis begins to burgeon, to strengthen and be grounded into the physical Human world. If you have not developed a meditative practice to this extent, then just sitting in silence with eyes closed, feeling, listening, and being with whatever thought, feeling, sound or sensation arises. Ten or fifteen minutes just spent in this type of contemplation, can ground us and connect us to our Centre. In contemplation, we are not really using any type of meditative technique, we are just being with whatever arises. Meditative and contemplative practice is not necessarily a warrior practice per se, i.e. a 'doing thing'. However, Warriorship is required in order to maintain discipline to undertake any sort of practice. The Warrior is the protector of your domain. It is the one that builds practice, it is the one that commits to discipline. It is the one that keeps you safe. When the king tasks the Warrior to do this, in allegiance to that process, the Warrior executes the King's orders without fail. These practices take one out of the profane world and into the sacred world. In so doing, we can re-establish what Peter Berger called the 'sacred canopy'. However, the difference is that instead of using a priest, or a shaman, or a rabbi to regulate and contain, we are undertaking our own regulation and containment, utilising the archetypal energies, consciously, and for life affirming purposes. If this libidinal energy is not manifesting in your life, then you may be shutting it down, or passing it onto someone or something else, through an' idealising projection', allowing them to carry that energy for you. Grandiosity is very seductive; it sneaks up upon us when we’re not looking. Just when we think that we believe that we have it under control, is the very moment that we don’t have it under control - it has us under its control! Profanation (to make profane) is characterised as a deflationary phase of being in touch with the archetypal energies. This is a lack of energy, a deflation, when we begin to go through life by unconscious rote, without really being connected with it in any deep and meaningful way. So, we have two poles of potential, swinging between this low energy of profanity and isolation, and this high energy of grandiosity. Both do not serve life whatsoever. It takes ritualistic undertakings to contain these energies. It takes prayer in the form of dialoguing with the Centre. This practice builds a relationship to the Centre, to the primordial power itself. The use of mythic symbols also connects us to the Centre. These symbols are means of aligning to this energy. The previously mentioned use of a psychological framework to contain and regulate, is a deep kind of symbolism, which is how we connect with the collective unconscious, the objective psyche, the Great Self within. Essentially prayer is a discourse with our soul, with our Higher Self, with our Highest Self, and ultimately the source, the primordial fountain, or pure Awareness. The true act of courage is essentially being oneself, no matter what one experiences, no matter what obstacle is placed in the path of this endeavour. The act of courage is an ontological act, the basis and means of our personal being. It’s an endeavour is to establish and maintain the being of individuality. The courage to be our true selves is in my opinion, the noblest of human endeavours. Courage is the essential quality of the individuation process; without it, we shall falter and fall short of reaching the zenith of our personal trial to bring forth our essential and most resplendent blueprint. The courage to withstand the compelling force to comply with the will of others, whilst maintaining one’s pure hearted stance, of being true to oneself, is in my opinion, the height of Human nobility. To maintain faith that all is well, no matter what the circumstances, requires the most, nay the utmost courage, above all else. There is a trinity of expressions of courage, the love of the Creator, the love of others, and love of oneself. This leads to the revelation of universal love of the Creator for itself, no matter what form it manifests as. The power of being actualises the self through the will to be. The will of the power of being, is to hold strong, to focus on the ultimate outcome of perfect self-affirmation, is the ontology of Individuation. Within the context of this piece, I don't have the scope to go into sufficient detail to explain the history of our current living arrangements. Suffice to say that my wife and I took a decision around two years ago, to step back from working in the manner we were, and fully invest our time and savings into healing ourselves, to coming into deeper alignment, with the aim of bringing forth more of our true gifts and talents into the world, in service to others and the planet. This has been a bumpy ride of extremes as we attempt to face within us all that inhibits our flow. We are in an interesting position at present, where we are waiting for additional funds to come through, and our savings are rapidly running out, leaving us in a position of potentially not having a house to live in, in the next few weeks. This predicament enables us to examine all the fears that are coming up within us. Some would say that this is irresponsible position to allow ourselves to be in. At a soul level, we have chosen to do this; at a Human level it would not be our choice and it's as scary as fuck! However, it takes us right to the edge of our comfort zone', to face and own our fears and is a perfect opportunity to dig deep. The aim is to continually be aware that we are always connected to the Centre, to the power of being, and that the Universe always has our back, even though it may appear that that is not the case! If we can maintain balance, groundedness, and knowing that all will be well, regardless of the circumstances, then it does not matter whether abundance is physically flowing into us or not. When we can establish this foundational knowing within us, and live it day by day, moment by moment, then we have crossed the Rubicon, we have connected more deeply to the Centre than ever before, to the good, to the everlasting prosperity of abundance. This is our practice! When we can meet each feeling as it arises, with love and compassion and patience, then the part of us that is troubled, begins to soften, begins to know that we are a representative of the Centre, are looking after it, and that all will be well. Each unintegrated part within us, which is associated with some type of trauma from our past, needs to be met with the self-energy of the Centre. When our parts begin to trust us, then, slowly bit-by-bit, they can come in from the cold, slowly releasing their trauma, their story, which enables them to be integrated into the system self of the ego. This is where the 'rubber hits the road', where we' walk-the-talk', and live what we have been preaching. If we cannot or will not allow ourselves to explore this, then maybe we have been kidding ourselves with all our spiritual endeavors, only pretending that we can do it. Only when we push to the edge, can we really test our mettle, our commitment to the process that we have undertaken. This is the type of life-testing which one can deliberately create, to push the boundaries of our own capabilities, using the power of being, and the courage to do so. All this is really a description of faith in ourselves, faith in the process, faith that everything is always turning out for the best. At the root of our human experience, is anxiety. The most basic feeling of anxiety arises from the instinct to survive, to be. "Am I worthy enough to exist, to take up space, to have needs, to be respected for my individuality?", is the unspoken anxiety. Some say that our shame is the 'underbelly of narcissism', which arises from the thought or feeling that one does not have the right to exist, or to manifest. Self-worth is the basic platform upon which we build the system self of the ego. Perhaps our most fundamental trauma, existing in the most primordial aspect of our being, is what is known as the 'fall from the unity of the One'. When our specific consciousness was birthed, we were no longer a conscious part of the connected whole (of the Centre), we were on our own, on the great path of individuation. The paradox within us is the unspoken, shadow knowing that we are a part, and simultaneously, the whole. We are therefore caught in the tension between the two, between being and non-being, between life and death between being a part and being the whole. For me, there is a fundamental dynamic at work in the universe. It is represented by the symbol of the torus. This toroidal dynamic is the push-me-pull-me action, the attraction and repulsion, represented by the polarities of a magnet. The pushing away is the independence (or separation), the pulling back, is the unification (the making whole). The birthing of your being as a conscious entity, was the pushing away. The attraction of the whole is pulling you back into unity, through the action of love. Faith is the knowing that you are part of the whole, and always connected to the Centre, which is the source of well-being, creativity, abundance, and above all love. Trust yourself, trust life, trust that you will never truly be abandoned, because you are an irrefutable, undeniable, unique aspect of the whole and completely worthy of love, and it is your birthright to be your authentic self.

Archetypal Grandiosity What is it and how to spot it, when we're under attack ... I ask that you use your own personal discrimination when reading this article, and set aside any words, aspects or concepts that do not resonate with you. For I recognise your freedom to choose what is right for you, and would not wish to violate your freewill, but rather, I would act only as a resource for your seeking. If you did not know it, our Human personality or Ego, is always using one of the four main archetypal energies in our daily lives. These instinctual energies form part of our psyche. We cannot undertake any Human activity without them. These four archetypes come in two pairs, King/Queen (Royal) and Magician, Lover and Warrior. The Royal energy relates to decision making, nurturing and ordering (Earth); The Magician relates to thinking, knowledge and knowing (Air). The Lover relates to feeling, connection and of course, love (Water); The Warrior relates to action, boundaries and determination (Fire). The Human Ego has no energy per se of its own; it is always co-opting one or more of the four archetypes, either consciously or unconsciously. What do I mean by this? If we are acting unconsciously, then the energies maybe using us; if we are conscious, then we will be using them, to undertake specific tasks. The challenge arises that when we are unconscious, we can become identified with the archetypal energy, believing that it actually us. When I refer to ‘us,’ I mean our Human personality, or Ego. When we unconsciously identify with one of the four energies, we can become what is known as ‘inflated’ with it, or alternatively, over energised. If we become too inflated, then we can become grandiose (archetypal grandiosity), or what is commonly called egotistical. When we become grandiose, we begin to act and think unconsciously, so much so that the negative aspects of the four archetypes arise within whin us, causing us to ‘act-out,’ and behave in amplified and distorted ways. For example, the grandiose Royal energy takes on excessive entitled, assertive and arrogant qualities (independent). The grandiose Magician becomes aloof, deconstructionist, and manipulative (detached). The grandiose Lover becomes addicted, highly emotional and obsessive (dependant); and the inflated Warrior becomes violent, rageful, and sadistic (ambivalent). Such archetypal ‘possession’ can become the ‘norm’ for some people, living unconsciously in a state of inflated grandiosity all the time, without comprehending that something has them by the tail, compelling them into ‘compulsive 'behaviours and ways of perceiving the world around them. Let me be clear, these archetypal energies do not form part of our Ego, they co-opt it, coming from a separate part of our psyche called the ‘collective unconscious.’ The trick is to spot the compulsive inflation when it arises. How do we do this? Our mission is the process which Carl Jung called Individuation, is to become aware of the four archetypal energies, come into conscious relationship with them and begin to balance any inflation in any of them with their opposite (Royal-Magician, Lover-Warrior). To begin with, let’s undertake a little analysis of our own psychic geography, to understand what is known as our archetypal organisation, to determine how we crack and fragment, when the archetypal energies flood the psyche. Are you principally a thinking person (Magician), a feeling type (Lover), a leader (Royal) or a doer (Warrior)? Alternatively, are you principally a down-to-earth organiser (Royal), a person concerned with appearances and relationships (Lover), a dreamer figuring out the world (Magician), or an outdoor/sporty type, with a strong work ethic (Warrior). An understanding of these distinctions will orientate us. One’s job type also gives us a strong clue to the ‘sector’ which we feel most comfortable with, although not always. Magicians are technicians of any type: teachers, engineers, designers, doctors, scientists, therapists, clergy, mechanics, etc. Warriors are actioneers and doers such as sports persons of all types, manual workers of any kind, dancers, armed forces, policeman, etc. Royals are all leaders and managers of any kind and entrepreneurs. Lovers are carers of all types, artists and musicians, and any occupation that addresses the senses and nurturing. There is a secondary archetypal sector which can be closely allied with the primary one such as Lover-Magicians or Magician-Lovers; a lot of therapists of all types fall into this category, using their erudite knowledge in a caring and healing capacity. Similarly, Lover-Royals and Royal-Lovers, combine leadership and caring together, such as any carer who is also a leader or any heart-centred leader. We can if we want, determine the complete order of all the archetypal energies, such as Royal-Warrior-Lover-Magician, or Lover-Warrior-Royal-Magician. There are twenty-four possible permutations. If we use, or are used by, any particular archetypal energy, we will become inflated with it. We have internal regulatory systems in the psyche which can (but not always) regulate that inflation; this is called depression. Bipolar disorder is frequent and excessive inflation, followed by deflation, in a roller coaster ride. Normally, among less obviously bipolar individuals, this is known as the ‘ups and downs’ of life. Let’s use a few examples to illustrate the types: the ‘God complex’ for instance, is an excessive grandiose Royal sector inflation. This appearance can be followed by a ‘crash,’ as the regulatory mechanism kicks in, bringing them back down to earth. Grandiose Lover inflation can be characterised as promiscuous and addictive behaviours of all types. The ‘Mad Scientist,’ is the Magician out of control in his laboratory, pursuing Frankenstein-esque monstrosities. The inflated Warrior is a mercenary a hired gun, the Ronin, the premeditated serial killer. The deflationary phases are sometimes characterised as remorseful and shameful, sinking into oblivion. In actuality, the archetypal energy is still present, but expressing in its negative aspect. Now we have a feel for how these energies work, how do we know when we are inflated? Let’s use a real simple example. When someone hurts us, or verbally attacks us in any way, triggering some trauma response from our past, typically we can; (a) stay calm and centered; (b) we can go quiet and distant; (c) we can protect ourselves in some way; or (d) we can collapse into an emotional heap. If (a) then we are perhaps aware of the archetypal forces at work within us, which can take us over, and perhaps we are meeting any tendency to recruit them consciously in the moment. If (b) we might be detaching from the situation, by being flooded by Magician energy, causing us to move away in an internal sense, closing down emotion and action, retreating into the cosy cavern of quiet aloofness. If we protect ourselves (c), then maybe Warrior energy is beginning to rise. We can lay down a clear boundary, by saying something like “that’s enough thank you,” getting up and walking away, and dealing with any emotion that arises, by meeting it or just calming down. Depending upon our archetypal organisation (as described in the paragraphs above), differing levels of Warrior energy can be recruited to forcibly pushing back upon the antagonist, from shouting, to rage, to punching them on the nose! Alternatively, Royal energy could arise, by saying something like, “How dare you, what gives you the right to talk to me like that!” This could be followed by some Warrior display of aggression, indicating that the Royal-Warrior combo has been activated. This is a powerful blend, much used by the elite, to get their forceful way. If one falls into a heap, collapsing under the weight of too much emotion (d), then maybe the Lover energy is beginning to flood the psyche and body, producing all sorts of physical consequences in the solar plexus and the vagus nerve, producing a shallow shortness of breath, possibly breaking down into tears. This is a ‘feeling’ response to the situation, with accompanying emotion. If a Lover-Warrior alignment is activated, then a passive-aggressive response might spring forth. Each archetypal inflation will have an associated type of energy to it. Warrior produces fire, a burgeoning heat of outrage, which needs to be directed towards an ‘enemy.’ Magician inflationary energy is dispassionate, cold and withdrawing, a pulling in, but highly judgmental and clinical. Royal grandiosity is indignant, it wants to push out and away, it’s about stamping the royal foot, ‘I own this ground’. It is a sloughing off, a dismissal and outright arrogance being directed towards the other, for daring to question their rights, position or authority. At the core of all inflation is anxiety, which is reflected in voice tone and breathing patterns. One way or another, the Ego feels that it is under attack, and needs to deal with the energetic which is flooding the system. We will crack and fragment in accordance with our archetypal organisation. Are we going to deal with it passively or actively? If we are a King-Warrior, or a Magician-Warrior, it will be more active. If we are a King-Lover, or Warrior-Lover, it will be more passive. If we are a Lover-Warrior or Magician-King, it will be more passive-aggressive (emotional contraction, followed by some sort of counterattack). If we are a Warrior-Lover, or King-Magician, it will be more aggressive-passive (attack first, followed by some sort of withdrawal). Just to be clear, the Royal and Magician, like the Lover and Warrior, are on opposite sides of the same coin – they directly relate to each other (dualism) along a sliding scale. The Royals push their energy out (active) – the Magician pulls their energy in (passive). It’s a push-pull, all or nothing, dynamic. The Warrior builds protective walls (active), the Lover lets then dissolve away (passive); it’s a defended-undefended, isolate-affiliate dynamic. It is of great benefit to undertake an archetypal organisational diagnosis, to map out our psychic disposition. Only then can we understand how we react to the world. When we begin to know this, we can comprehend what our tendencies are. Individuation is about having a ‘vision,’ about how we want to proceed with the journey. Imagine a four-sided pyramid. Place the Magician on the top edge or side, with the Royals on the bottom edge. Place the Lover on the left edge and the Warrior on the right. This is the geographical shape of the psyche. At the top or pinnacle, the four archetypal energies meet, becoming one. Individuation is a spiralling journey to reach the summit, balancing the opposites of both pairs, building an Ego Self-System, which is robust and does not crack or fragment under the strain of the human journey, which can consciously handle all the four archetypal energies equally. We can spot archetypal compulsivity, by reflecting upon our emotional triggers, using the above pointers to orientate us. To do it on the ‘fly’ requires us to be vigilant to the movements of energy in our bodies, and the thoughts we are having. We need to be aware how we are breathing, what is the tone of our voice, are we anxious, are we contracting or tightening. Compulsivity is pushing or pulling towards the poles of extremes, which is either moving in or out, with fire or feeling. Watching for changes in our outlook is the key. When we notice an inflation in one direction, use the opposite pole to balance it. When we feel that we need to build a boundary (Warrior), to do so with loving intent (Lover). When we over give to others (Lover), remember that we need to look after ourselves first (Warrior). When we start ordering others around (Royal), recall that we would not like it if others did this to us (Magician). If we are being overtly dispassionate or intellectual (Magician), summon up the courage to be helpful and nurturing (Royal). It’s balancing the opposites, living in the tension of both, being the surfer of contradictory dynamics, relaxing into the flow of being. To undertake this process of transformation, we need the courage to change, to commit to becoming the best version of ourselves that we can be. This comes from the Centre, our true essence, what Paul Tillich called the ‘power of being.’ The Centre is at the top of the pyramid; it is the primordial fountain, the Source. Faith is the knowing of this! Faith is the belief, that you are on a journey of evolution. Faith is the acceptance of the fallible, relative imperfect human, underpinned by our soul that is drawing us lovingly forward. Faith is surrendering any conditioning that prohibits Individuation. Faith is feeling safer, more joyful and less defended, attending lovingly to our wounds, even though the world around us seems to be tumbling down. The pain of our conditioning pushes until the vision of the top of the pyramid pulls. Developing a strong Warrior practice, which channels fire coherently towards defined goals, set out by the Royal, is essential to build sufficient energy for the process. Without the contained, determined push of the Warrior, it is going to be difficult to undertake Individuation. Undertaking a daily practice of Warriorship, which is balanced with the Lover (not over doing it, or straining too hard), serves the overall health and vitality of your Kingdom/Queendom, using the expert knowledge of the Magician, is essential. Should you need any help in this process, please subscribe to the site and drop me a line via the contact page. I offer consultations, advising optimal ways forward in your Individuation process.

I ask that you use your own personal discrimination when reading this article, and set aside any words, aspects or concepts that do not resonate with you. For I recognise your freedom to choose what is right for you, and would not wish to violate your freewill, but rather, I would act only as a resource for your seeking. In this piece, I’m going to explore how we can work with the archetypal energies, in a conscious and respectful way, to enact changes on our lives. The Ritual-The principal method that I have begun to use recently for this purpose, is called “ritualistic mythic 'imagination.' This is a type of methodology which utilises ritual or ceremony at its heart, to enact certain defined paths forward. As humans, we continually use rituals in our daily lives, perhaps, without really even realising that we are doing so. For instance, sitting down for a meal with our families on a Sunday. 'Breaking bread', as it sometimes known, is a ritual. Taking our early morning cup of coffee or tea is a ritual. Any action that we undertake on a repetitive and regular basis, is a ritual. Going down to the pub on a Saturday lunchtime, perhaps to watch the 'game' and meet some friends, is a ritual. To a certain extent, even lovemaking when done in a conscious way, can be seen as a ritual. The difference here is that we are going to be deliberate, precise and very conscious about how we undertake this focused ritual. It is important to get the details right, for we are reordering our psychic space, with respect to certain decisions, outlooks and approaches to our life in general. Bringing About Change – So, if we wish to change or evolve by balancing the archetypal energies, some new structure in our psyche, and thus are lives, then the use of mythic imagination in a ritualised form, can bring about the change we are seeking. Last night I had a dream about my own Warrior swearing allegiance to my new Sovereign essence, undertaking certain revised commitments. This swearing of allegiance is sometimes known as an oath, which is the type of commitment or agreement, to undertake certain actions. My dream prompted me to undertake a mythic imagination process. So, I offer up the following, as a mythic ritual that one might undertake to bring about a specific change within our psychic space and therefore our lives. Previously, in my life, my Warrior had greater allegiance towards my Magician than to my Sovereign. This was because my Magician had been acting as “Regent,” in the absence of a centred Royal sector in my psyche. Now that my King and Queen (Sovereign) have taken up residence once again in my psyche running the Kingdom, perhaps a new allegiance between the Royal sector, and the Warrior sector needs to be established (See post https://tinyurl.com/bp8ruvxa) Symbolism - At this point, I want to emphasise that ritualised mythic imagination is symbolic, or metaphorical in its nature. As previously defined, the distinction between signs and symbols, is that signs relate to the external objective world, whereas symbols relate to the subjective, internal, psychic world. Symbols arise spontaneously from the collective unconscious. They are not human constructs; they are psychic constructs. Myths are psychic tales of symbolism, which have immense impact upon us. Myths - In some way, all our stories are myths. Let's be clear, the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Harry Potter, and Avatar, are all examples of significant and impactful myths of our time. The greater the symbolism within a myth, the greater its impact upon us. You will note that four of these myths utilise in some respect magical forces, in the sense of the paranormal or transpersonal. Myths are especially important to humanity. Whether they are creation myths, religions or scientific disciplines, they are all to be considered as a mythological in nature, having a direct, and sometimes indirect, impact upon what we believe, how we view ourselves, others and the Universe around us. Preparation of the ritual space is essential to the efficacy and success of the ritual. By this, I mean, creating either in your house, your garden or out in nature, a space which will hold the ritual is crucial This is a portal connecting the inner and outer worlds. You may wish to mark out the boundary of the space with whatever is symbolically appropriate to your own mythological story. Place in the middle of the space a representation of what I call the Centre. This signifies the central connection with the Primordial Fountain, the Source, or whatever it is within your own personal myth, which represents your connection to the Divine. You may wish to call in some level of protection of the space. Some utilise the process of calling in the four directions or calling in certain beings to protect the space itself. This is important, because the space itself is an external representation of your own internal psychic space. That space needs to be protected from any unwanted influence from external forces at work in the collective unconscious, connected to your psyche. It may be important to you to have a witness, a friend or your partner, to be present for the ritual. However, this is not always as important as we might think. We may wish to have the proceedings witnessed only by our connection to the Divine. Placing some burning incense in the space, representing ‘fire,’ will also help. Setting up and igniting a small bonfire in the centre, would even be better. The Significance of the Warrior - For the purposes of the myth, let us elevate the Warrior within, to the position of a General, to reinforce its significance. The Warrior represents our physical interface into the external world. The Warrior undertakes all actions. The other archetypal sectors have no access in themselves to action whatsoever. This is a crucial point of understanding. If the Warrior is not acting in accordance with a loving King, well counselled by the Magician, then any unconscious Warrior actions, will be enacted as our behaviour. This can be in the form of unwittingly and unconsciously expressing aggression and even violence in pursuit of protecting the kingdom against ‘perceived’ enemies. The Oath - The Royals (King and Queen) have invited the General to enter into a ritual, whereby it will swear an oath of allegiance to the proclamation that the King/Queen has issued. The use of King or Queen here, is interchangeable, depending upon how we consider we express our sexuality/gender, or whatever equivalent we utilise, in the world. For myself, I’m in the process of balancing both my masculine and my feminine energies. Therefore, I prefer to use the term Sovereign instead of King or Queen. Before enacting the ritual, it would be beneficial to have determined and written down the nature of the oath itself. By this I mean, what it is that you wish the Warrior, in the form of the General, to commit to. For myself, my Sovereign is asking my Warrior to commit to the following. I swear by the great Warrior archetypal energy invested in me, to my King/Queen/Sovereign that: I will transfer my allegiance from the Magician to my Sovereign Whatever instructions, the Sovereign issues I will faithfully carry out, to the exclusion of the Magician and the Lover (this is important, we don't want either issuing instructions to the Warrior, without first going through the King/Queen, for proper judgement that they will benefit the Sovereign realm) I will conduct myself with humility, openness, kindness, grace, and above all else, total respect for others I will protect and serve the interests of the kingdom, from a heart-centred position of mutuality for all those around me I shall gently enforce boundaries around any Lover tendencies towards addictive behaviours I will not overstep the Sovereign's authority Intention plays a crucial role in the enactment of our ritualistic mythic imagination. The ritual is to be performed with reference, pathos, and serious commitment to the proceedings. If we approach it in a flippant, offhand or comedic way, then the significance to ourselves, and the efficacy of the ritual, will be reduced. The ritual is to be considered as life changing and is to be approached with great reference for us and the impact it will have upon others. The Enactment - I offer up the following merely as a guide as to how to conduct the ritual. Please use whatever resonates for you and undertake whatever actions you consider are appropriate. First, we must fully step into our Warrior energy. To do so, we literally say aloud, I” call forth the great Warrior energy to be present within me for this ritual”. We may need to repeat this three times to ground its pure presence into our physical bodies. Second, we connect directly with whatever symbol you are using in the middle of your space, as representative for the divine numina of the Centre. It is vitally important that we connect with the Divine Centre of our psychic space with reference, and if possible, loving devotion. Lastly, we say aloud, the prepared oath, with dignity, solemnity and deference. Step outside of the of the space, bow and depart. Summary - These types of rituals can be used for any number of proposed changes that we desire to bring into our psychic structure, resulting in changes to our commitment to our lives. For example, we may wish to instruct our Magician to undertake a certain task. We may wish to instruct our Lover to become more aligned with the Royal sector, the Warrior and the Magician, in a balanced way. The more importance we place upon each ritual, the more meaningful the change that we are seeking becomes. Physical enactment in the world underlines, the importance of the ritual. Yes, we can conduct the whole thing in our imagination inside our heads. However, a physical enactment, I believe, is more powerful. Please subscribe to the site and contact me directly via the contact page, if you would like some help with setting up your own rituals, or any other aspect of coping with archetypal energies, compulsivity or individuation.

How Adopting a Psychological Framework Can Reduce Anxiety and Increase Wellbeing ... "I died as a mineral and became a plant, I died as a plant and rose to animal, I died as animal, and I was man. Why should I fear? When was I [ever] less by dying." Giordano Bruno I ask that you use your own personal discrimination when reading this article, and set aside any words, aspects or concepts that do not resonate with you. For I recognise your freedom to choose what is right for you, and would not wish to violate your freewill, but rather, I would act only as a resource for your seeking. According to the theologian Paul Tillich, there are principally three types of anxiety which Humans are subject to: (a) death in the shape of non-being; (b) meaningless and emptiness; and (c) guilt and self-condemnation. Each of these are detailed in more depth below. One could see that at one time or another, each one of us have probably suffered from one or all three of these forms of anxiety. We could conclude that it actually defines the Human condition! If this is the case, then as I have stated previously, Mankind is in a state of psychological sickness, brought on by the spectacle of our own perceived mortality, which prohibits a deeper understanding of the nature of our lives, leading to a misinterpretation about the reasons why we suffer. This piece will examine the mythology of reincarnation, as a psychological framework for wellbeing. What do I mean by psychological framework? Well, I mean a coherent belief system, by which we can contextualise our lives, which has the most beneficial outlook upon our wellbeing. As conscious beings of will, we can either accept the beliefs of our family and culture without question, or by using our freewill, adopt a belief system, which affirms life, helping to support us to accept the incredible gift of a Human life, upon this beautiful planet. The predominant belief of our culture is that the life we lead is a one-off affair. We are born, we suffer, we die – that’s it!! This approach, it seems to me, builds in unnecessary degrees of anxiety. Our prime power as humans, is our freewill to choose what is right for us as individuals, which leads to outcomes which support us to the greatest possible extent! "I know I am deathless…We have thus far exhausted trillions of winters and summers, / There are trillions ahead, and trillions ahead of them." Voltaire Creative Living is the process of spontaneously reacting to whatever arises within our own lives, in relation to one of these three sources of anxiety, where we continuously reorder our perceptions, interpretations, and conclusions, in accordance with a dynamic belief system, which reaffirms that all is well, and the universe has our back. I propose to you dear reader, that we can adopt a more creative approach, as defined above, to the psychological challenges that we all face. I would like to pose the following question: "is it psychologically more beneficial to believe in reincarnation, or to believe that we just have one life, one shot, and that’s it?" I would always argue that psychologically it is always the former and never the latter. Reincarnation, in effect means immortality, not of the Human personality, but the deeper essence of our identity, which is called our soul. This, by all accounts, is a non-physical, energetic series of subtle bodies, which maintains a continuous repository of our unique experiences, across space and time. Now, if your reaction to the former paragraph is incredulity, then I draw your attention to a way of thinking which is rationalistic, based upon scientific truths, which is not always psychologically healthy. Let me be clear, I am not stating that reincarnation is the truth, nor am I stating that it is not the truth. We do not know what the truth of it really is! Humans adopt belief systems, either consciously, or unconsciously, in accordance with their psychological dispositions (see below), as sometimes dictated by the culture in which they were brought up. With every paradigm shift (change in basic assumptions) that Humanity goes through, the nature of truth always seems to change. As we learn more, and our models evolve, new interpretations, theories, and hypothesis continuously arise. In this context, the search for truth per se, can sometimes be seen as a rather futile or irrelevant pursuit. Science seems to have left an indelible mark upon us, which has raised the need within us for absolute truth, to the highest of human pursuits, as opposed to determining what is the most important proposition which will make us happier and healthier. Perhaps we need to re-examine this need, which has been thrust upon us, by those who need to know, above all else, in the wake of the rise of atheistic material reductionism. It is apparently a well-known fact, arising from countless studies, that we are all driven by what is taking place below our conscious awareness, in what is defined as the unconscious, by as much as 95% [1]. This implies that what we believe and how we act, comes from the unconscious part of all of us. The unconscious is composed of habits, patterns, creativity, emotions, personality, beliefs, biases, long term memory and automatic body functions. Whilst the conscious is composed of will, planning, critical thinking, short-term memory, judgments and decisions [2]. One can easily conclude that our conscious capabilities are mostly, if not all, driven by the unconscious. If that is the case, then the arc of our lives, the jobs that we supposedly select, the partners and friends that we pick, the beliefs we hold, the authority we believe we have and the groups and tribes that belong to, are not consciously chosen. They are unconsciously thrust upon us, by the unknown influences of our hidden cognitive biases, unresolved traumas, unspecified imprints and indefinite mass psychosis’s. Any conclusions, interpretations and certainties that we believe that we have, are at best built upon shifting and indeterminate sands, providing psychological safety and security and at worst, inflated, borderline disorders, verging upon narcissistic and psychopathic pathologies! This is what I call the ‘psychological disposition,’ which is not just a personal, but also a collective challenge. When I use the term 'psychologically beneficial', I'm referring to the extent of the impact that our unconscious has upon us, with regard to our general wellbeing. Any conscious belief system, such as believing in reincarnation, which positively offsets or recontextualises, through Creative Living (see above), unconscious influences, is I believe psychologically beneficial. The Anxiety of Death or Nonbeing The belief in reincarnation addresses one of the most fundamental forms of anxiety that Humanity has to constantly cope and live with, which is that eventually we will die and enter into a state of nonbeing. This is why the reincarnation psychological framework (RPF) is so beneficial to us. To a certain extent, if accepted and lived within, it could begin to alleviate the anxiety that wells up in us at the thought of our own deaths. As we explore the myth of the RPF, and it becomes richer, and more encompassing, explaining more of the phenomena that we encounter, then the possibility of adopting it may begin to increase. Believing in it, having faith in it, and trusting it, could potentially bring about a reduction in the anxiety of our physical death of the vehicle that carries this present human incarnation. "Genius is experience. Some seem to think that it is a gift or talent, but it is the fruit of long experience in many lives." James Joyce The so-called argument of the realists, who believe that it’s better to believe in something which is true, but is not psychologically beneficial to one, as opposed to believing in something that’s not true, but is more psychologically beneficial for one, does not seem to be to make a great deal of sense. Again, I remind you that the use of this framework is not an argument for what is the truth, or what is not the truth about reincarnation, for we really don’t know one way or the other. So, let’s stop beating around the psychological bush, and plump for the one that is the most psychologically beneficial to us. Anybody that continues to argue that the realist position is the better one, needs to take a long hard look inside themselves at their psychological disposition (as described above) and their shadow aspects. If they did so, then I’m fairly certain that their position on reincarnation might change. Let’s be clear, as a mythological framework, there is tremendous amount of logic to it. One life is way too short to raise ourselves to any level of wisdom, understanding and maturity. It only makes sense, when one has dozens if not hundreds, if not thousands of opportunities to grow and evolve and take on different personas across the ages. Moreover, the law of conservation, a redoubtable foundation block of science, would be observed, as nothing would be lost, in evolutionary terms. For some, the RPF may allude to the proposition of the fundamental unity of an intelligent, conscious universe, represented maybe theistically by a Supreme Omnipotent Being, which maybe rejected by the realists, naysayers and pessimists, on the following grounds: Because of the ignorance of the impact and effect of their own unconscious psychological bias, victimhood and inferiority complexes, caused by their unresolved and unexplored psychological dispositions. This negative and unwitting position dominates their perspectives, causing insentient resentment, anger, mistrust, disappointment, grief and ultimate despair, bubbling up in their psyches, misleading and misrepresenting their deeper connection to the possibility of their own unique specialness. This state precludes the acceptance or recognition of a beneficent being, or their inclusion as a part of it. By associating the idea of a Supreme Omnipotent Being, with limited, controlling, distorted and self-serving interpretations of ‘God’, as presented by the majority of western religions. This is how God is traditionally represented, and how some are conditioned, within our modern global culture, causing gross denunciation of anything that even faintly approaches the stamp of the existence of a unified intelligent Creator. By the conscious justification, substantiated by a belief or suspicion that if a Supreme Being did exist, why does it allow untimely death, persecution, inequality, loss, disease, suffering, enslavement, pestilence, violence and war? Therefore, such a being is either suffering from gross and unequivocal moral incompetence or cruel indifference, or as is more likely the case, that it does not exist at all! For them the uncertainty of a deity free universe, filled with apparent chaos, injustice and meaningless, is easier to hold as a central truth or tenet, as opposed to the beauty, elegance and sufficiency, of the belief that there is only one being at play, within its own eternal game of hide and seek. The deeper questions that are really being asked by these individuals is “if God exists, why do I suffer, why at times am I unsafe, why don’t my dreams and desires come true”? “Why do I not really seem to matter in the grand scheme of things;” The answer to this question is dealt with below. The Anxiety of Meaningless & Emptiness The proposition of the RPF brings back real meaning into our lives, it imbues us with a sense of wonder, excitement and adventure. We become the perpetual gameplayers, the citizens of eternity, creators extraordinaire. True meaning is once again abroad in the world, where atheistic scientific materialism had once consigned it to clinical facts, figures and algorithms. The fundamental truth of reincarnation is that there is only one player, playing all the parts, simultaneously. That player is consciousness itself. The game, in which it plays, is also consciousness (it is both the subject and the object, and the means of perception). It is all one interconnected, extraordinarily complex, intertwined, and interlaced experience of consciousness, exploring itself, ad infinitum. You are an aspect of this singular consciousness. You are the Universe, seeking itself, exploring every facet of its manifestation, from a subjective perspective. Once this understanding begins to seep into our lives, landing within our unconscious, perhaps the anxiety of meaningless and emptiness will begin to diminish. "Let us face it: 'deep down' nobody in his right mind can visualize his own existence without assuming that he has always lived and will live hereafter." J D Salinger The Anxiety of Guilt and Self-condemnation The RPF also enables an understanding that each one of our lives is filled with opportunities to learn grow and evolve. Prior to each incarnation, our soul chooses the themes, which it desires to explore in the incarnation it is about to take. Our lives become a glorious setup, directed by none other than ourselves, in the form of our soul. Therefore, any suffering we experience, only reflects the themes themselves. Even though the suffering causes us grief, loss, and pain, they are all designed to help us grow. Again, if this is the case, then as a psychological framework, this will begin to alleviate anxiety. So, guilt and self-condemnation, is to be viewed as just catalyst, which is the term that we use to denote positive aspects of suffering, which promote growth. "All human beings go through a previous life… Who knows how many fleshly forms the heir of heaven occupies before he can be brought to understand the value of that silence and solitude whose starry plains are but the vestibule of spiritual worlds?" Charles Dickens Using this type of psychological framework could promote a sort of spiritual bypassing. Therefore, it is vitally important that we fully meet anything that arises within our lives, with love, compassion, and understanding. Even though we are now considering ourselves to be immortal, human life is still a serious affair, and not to be taken lightly. Each life is a gift, a jewel, a spectacle of great grace, it is not to be flitted away lightly. Our Higher Self, known as the soul, is always guiding us forth, towards experiences, which will benefit us. We need to learn ways in which we can listen to this guidance. The greatest tools that we have is trust and faith. By adopting this positive psychological framework, and relaxing into it, allowing ourselves to be held within its elegance, it enables us at the beginning and end of each day, to be grateful to what we have experienced. Gratitude for the journey is an essential aspect. Loving whatever we experience either good or bad, it’s essential. Faith is knowing that everything is always turning out for the best even though it does not look like it sometimes. Maintaining a positive attitude insures, more fruitful outcomes to the experience of living on Earth. "There is no death. How can there be death if everything is part of the Godhead? The soul never dies, and the body is never really alive." Herman Hesse As creators, let us pursue belief systems which benefit us, instead of depleting us, or causing us to be victims, or degrading our specialness. I therefore commend to you the proposition of adopting the RPF, as a way of being, as an ontological expression, which affirms life and promotes wellbeing.

Is There One Independent Objective World, or One Subjective Universal Consciousness? "Everything Should Be Made as Simple as Possible, But Not Simpler." - Albert Einstein I ask that you use your own personal discrimination when reading this article, and set aside any words, aspects or concepts that do not resonate with you. For I recognise your freedom to choose what is right for you, and would not wish to violate your freewill, but rather, I would act only as a resource for your seeking. This is a remarkably interesting question, one which is worth exploring a little more deeply. The conventional worldview, upon which are modern scientific perspective is based, says that the world exists independently of any human's perception of it. This is an assumption which drops out of sciences ideological approach. It is not only just an assumption, but also the a priory basis on which our culture's world view is built. It has never been proven, nor can it ever be proven. A priory, by definition is the founding assumption upon which a conceptional idea is based, which itself does not need to be proven. Science has many of these a priory assumptions', which do not need to be proven, upon which great cities of conceptualisation (theories) are built. Have we as Humans, ever found or experienced the world that is independent of our perception of the it? Why do I say this? Well, on what basis can we prove this? Is there an independent agent that exists, external to Humanity which can verify the independence of the world, as separate from the process of perceiving the world? Of course, the obvious answer is that there is not and can never be! Such an entity would have to use its own perception of the world, to confirm or deny it! Which of course, would mean that even this entity needs to use a perceptive process coupled to a mind, which would again confirm the erroneous claim of the independence of the world from mind. Of course, we could ask, can robots of any kind (including self-driving cars) confirm the independence of the external world, free of first perceiving it? This scenario, at first glance, would seem to break the proposition sited above. However, in the case of robots and self-driving cars, they have onboard, integrated sensors, which use pattern recognition software and decision-making algorithms, to move about the human world. Therefore, perception and mind, albeit object orientated, narrow AI minds, are involved. Therefore, again, we still do not have an independant, verifiable entity, of any possible description, which could corroborate the independence of the world, free from perception or mind. Moreover, robots are just objects which we perceive; therefore, a conscious perceiver is still required to perceive even robots. The conventional view as held by science, is that there are 8 billion minds that contain separate consciousnesses, all viewing one single independent world. Again, this perspective is based upon the previously defined a priory assumption. These are the founding principles upon which of our world culture is based. This is a perspective based upon a deconstructionist, material, and mechanistic understanding, that the world is based upon imperishable, atomistic particles, obeying predefined universal, constants, which cannot be altered, by any human intervention, especially perception itself. This is utterly a left-brain perspective. The difference in the left hemisphere perception, and the right hemisphere perception, was discussed in an earlier blog this week, see link below. The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness. - Lao Tzu The left brain, scientific material, reductionism, has persuaded us all that our subjective perspective of the world, is invalid, and of no particular consequence. This is not our own personal experience, which each of us can verify. "When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness." - Joseph Campbell What if the truth of the situation is that there are 8 billion minds on Earth, which share one single consciousness creating 8 billion subjective experiences? It is quite obvious that all of us have a different perception of the world, based upon all sorts of variables, such as age, colour, creed, culture, religion, education, et cetera. Not only that, but we share the planet with trillions of trillions of other creatures, who also have their own personal perspectives of their own subjective view of the world, based upon their own point of view, which represents the loci of their own local perceptions. Well, some could object by saying that there seems to be a lot of consistencies between these 8 .5 billion separate perceptions of the world, which of course, would be a correct statement. We could answer by saying that it is the consistency of consciousness itself, which gives each of these trillions and trillions of world perspectives their unified consistency. This is why we state that consciousness itself, can be seen as foundational to the entire Kosmos. In the system, all of creation, in it’s beautiful and brilliant complexity, arises, out of a foundational field of consciousness, sometimes known as the quantum unified field. Some branches of science which evolved from quantum dynamics of the 20th century, have established this understanding already. This is the perspective of a right hemisphere perception. It is based upon a big picture perspective, which is so enormous, that it takes in account the entire creation of the universe, perceiving it as one single entity, which we can commonly call consciousness, or to be more precise, awareness. Awareness has the ability to appear to itself as an infinite number of separate objects, into which it can perceive and experience itself from the perspective of that virtual object. It does this, so that it can experience itself subjectively, and through that process, know itself, from an infinite number of perspectives. "A radical inner transformation and rise to a new level of consciousness might be the only real hope we have in the current global crisis brought on by the dominance of the Western mechanistic paradigm. - Stanislav Grof Interestingly, science always thought that religion was ill founded, hokum and just 'plain wrong', based upon the faith principle. However, science has perhaps itself become its own religion of materialism, believing in untested, and unfounded a priori assumptions, and thus having faith, through which it builds, a disconnected, dead, mechanistic view of the universe. Left brain perception believes that objects have independent existence, regardless of the perceptive process of being observed. However, before objects can be perceived, a human (or animal or insect, or any) coconsciousness must be present and aware before the object is perceived. This is not a belief, but is always our direct experience, which you can verify, and can never be anything else other than this. The objectivity of our scientific left-brain perspective has tricked us all into thinking that this is not the correct way of thinking or perceiving the universe. Let us place consciousness first in the process, and then place everything else downstream from it! This accords, precisely with our own direct experience of the world. When we block out the external environment by limiting our perception of sounds and vision, what still remains? Of course, it is our own perceptions which are still running. If we drop into deep meditation or contemplation, then we also experience that we can observe our own thoughts, feelings and sensations, which really are just the contents of our perception. This is why we call consciousness Awareness; when everything has been stripped out of our experience what remains is our Awareness, which is our essence being. If you want to know how to drop into your essence being, please read my article of 7th June 2003 press here.

I ask that you use your own personal discrimination when reading this article, and set aside any words, aspects or concepts that do not resonate with you. For I recognise your freedom to choose what is right for you, and would not wish to violate your freewill, but rather, I would act only as a resource for your seeking. Do we lead lives of destiny, or do we lead lives of fate? This is a fundamental question. So, what is the difference between destiny and fate? Fate can be described as something which happens to you, which seems to be beyond your direct control. Whilst destiny is something which we can deliberately aim for, taking actions to achieve it, knowing the rightness of each step, to arrive at a place where we were always meant to be. I would like to align Carl Jung’s individuation process, with destiny. Why is this so? Well, the individuation process can, if we intended to be, come under our direct control and aspiration. Therefore, within the context of individuation, we are destined to become our true selves in the process of fully and completely individuating. If we are not aware of the individuation process, not aware that we have the power to alter the trajectory of our lives, not knowing that we are in a trans-incarnational evolutionary path, then we are maybe destined to suffer at the hands of fate. I want to introduce you to the two ways of perceiving the world around you. The brain has two distinct hemispheres, separated by the corpus callosum. The left hemisphere is what is known as local, logical and linear. It is predominantly transactional, dealing in one thing at a time, in a disconnected way. It does not see the big picture, only fragmented moments in time, which can be categorised and broken down. The right hemisphere, in contrast, is trans-rational non-local, and nonlinear. It perceives the connection between all things, it sees the entire picture, it connects all the dots, providing holistic meaning. The left-hand side is used to do one-off specialised, separated tasks like catching a ball, driving a car, adding two and two together. The right brain provides an intuitive, universal, unified perspective. Some are prepared to go as far as to say that the left-brain is masculine, whist the right brain is feminine . We could go one step further and say that the former is the Warrior archetype, and the latter is the Lover archetype. This is not a distinction of men and women, but a distinction of energy types, generating differing perspectives. Because the left-hand hemisphere is transactional, it sees everything as single one-off actions, with no overall coherency. On the other hand, the right-hand brain is about relationships, connection and affiliation. The left brain is the logos, whilst the right brain is the mythos. Science has fallen into the trap of the left brain, measuring, categorising, filing the world into separate disconnected silos. Our modern age is the epoch of the left brain, devoid of meaning and overall purpose. Because of this perspective, the left brain sees the Universe as a great machine, running down, without meaning or purpose, where perhaps mankind has been abandoned, by an uncaring God. It believes that this machine is broken and needs to be fixed, managed and upgraded, in accordance with its perspective, which is devoid of meaning and overall purpose. The right brain transcends transactional, linear reality. It connects us to something beyond ourselves. This universal connection is inherently mysterious, it transcends, space and time, which are foundational constants of the left-brain perspective. Now, I want to come back to fate and destiny. You are more than just a collection of fifty trillion cells. You are more than the sum of your biological parts. You are more than just a collection of transactional perspectives. You are more than your left-brain perspective. If you predominately use just your left-brain perspective, in a technocratic, rational sense, you are potentially fated to the outcome of a mechanised, logical, local, linear life, devoid of meaning. I want to advise you that you have a destiny out beyond this way of being and seeing the world. Your destiny is to expand your perspective, again and again and again. Your destiny is to realise that you are an aspect of an intelligent, connected, purposeful universe, by using both hemispheres in a balanced way. When one walks out into nature, away from the human mechanised world, brimming with technology, one experiences, the interconnected ecology of the natural world. One can become infused with its beauty, coherence, and total integration. If we allow ourselves to breathe it in, to move from left hemisphere thinking to right hemisphere being, then our body relaxes, the tension drops away, and the feeling of belonging increases. All organisms have these two perspectives that are used congruently to move through the world. We are gifted with both hemispheres to be used for different tasks for different ends. The left brain, isolates, whilst the right brain connects. The left brain breaks up the world into categories, and our right brain puts them back again with overarching meaning. Our left brain disenfranchises us, the right brain enfranchises us. The left brain is mechanical, our right brain is organic. The left brain is material, our right brain is spiritual. We need our left brain to undertake transactional activities in the world – we need a right brain to connect us in relationship to the world, providing insights, intuitions, which take us beyond the mundaneness of left hemisphere perception. Living in a predominant right-brained approach can sometimes exclude our individuality, transcending what it is to be human. The existence of a left brain and right brain creates a tension within us. To live fully as spirit in the human world, we are being asked to balance that tension within us, between the proclivity to isolate and protect, and the desire to unify to know our own belonging, within the larger context of the collective. This is the process of individuation; being our true selves is as important as being part of the collective. Both are essential, both are intrinsic! This is our destiny - all else is to suffer the fate of being either in the left brain or right brain. We are here to balance both perspectives. This is known as walking the royal highway, by balancing all opposites, living in the tension, surfing between the physical and the non-physical. Your right to be here, to be you, to express your true nature within the unified field of being, is absolutely sacrosanct, and beyond question. Freewill is the highest gift, followed by will and action. Awaken to your destiny, by waking the road of redemption, restitution and salvation, as a citizen of eternity, resolving your limiting patterns and becoming your true essence self. The following is offered as a meditative piece to drop into, which can balance these two perspectives: I am the One, and I am all… I am order and I am chaos ... I am the light, and I am the dark… I am full, and I am also empty… I am service to self and service to others. … I create universes, I destroy galaxies… I manifest and obliterate, reabsorb and generate I am the celestial voice ringing through all time and space … I am the canvas, the paint and the painter, The word, the page and the writer, I am both angel and demon ... I am the left and simultaneously the right, I am you and me … I am all things and the opposite of all things… I am the smallest and simultaneously, the largest… I am the beginning, and I am the end, and all things in between… I am all players, the play, and the stage… I am the simultaneity in all things ...