How to combine our 'path' and our current live..., Combine our 'path' and our current live.

Reading and understanding books is step 1. Practice what you read is step 2.
Where we are born, who our parents are, our physical body, our partner in live…our difficulties we meet….most of these things are put in place for use to make the best of it.

So.. only with reading books we don’t get further in our evolution. I am curious how you are dealing with this dilemma.

Somehow, I'm sort'of getting lost in what part the [dilemma] is supposed to relate to. And, there is no question mark, so am not sure if this is an actual question, though you write later "I am curious how..."

... to that in a moment.

For now, your follow-up sentence indicated below (emphasis added), what is the "IT" to refer to? The dilemma, ... or the collection of birth, parents, body, partner, difficulties, ... or maybe "it" is really a [them]?

Now to the dilemma question.

The Topic Title referes to combining the "how to" of combining our 'Path' with our current lives.

Your points one and two are, I presume the [ANSWER?] 1, the reading/understanding of books, and 2, putting what is gleaned into practice.

Is the dilemma you perceive in reconciling path/current lives the exercising of step 2) given the indicative solution implied with step 1)?

... or
Are you suggesting the problem lies in the listed items {birth, parents, body, partner, location, challenges} will prevent us from exercising step 2)?


... I am going to attempt an answer next by using just your Topic title alone, while waiting.

Our Path and our current expression of life are for most two entirely separate things − granted.

The latter, our current lives, are a result of our upbringing and the ego we develop growing up, (which provides an [imagined] direct focus to achieving the success life is meant to be.)

Along that journey, we discover, many of us – that is, that there is an innate direction our life [was meant] to take, and it is in juxtaposition with both the direction we actually took, and where that learned direction might incorrectly take us.

I would say, Zabo, you must START by deciding what the true priority is. That does not mean one is to the exclusion of the other, but to solve the problem we have to establish with certainty (not necessarily clarity) which is ultimately more important. That is not an easy problem because such is something that can change through the course of living, and too, we feel pressure from the commitments and their attentive responsibilities we have already caused. Sometimes there are also religious, family, status or peer pressure to consider.

To be asking the question at all, we can presume both have at least something approximating equal value from [some] perspective, or there would be no dilemma, or problem. So the answer will likely be to move that “slider” away from the present … moving it all the way up to the end of your life. Then, from the perspective of hindsight, therefore looking back, what SHOULD your focus have been.

Whatever it SHOULD have been, actually IS the priority. And, given the greater purpose of life and human's themselves, we will likely lean towards “path.” I will continue with that presumption.

Knowing that, start first by simply ESTABLISHING that thought into your sub-conscious. Make it a TRUTH for you, regardless that the implications have not been resolved. There is a reason for this, and a very important one. We ARE NOT ALONE on our journey. Man is expected for fail, and he is expected more specifically to get into situations that the ego of the mind alone simply cannot handle – we rack our brains, take things out on family members, begin philosophizing, become ill and upset because we can’t get out of the problem.

Eventually, we “reach out”, pray, or meditate. We are acknowledging that ultimately man will fail from ego alone − frankly, this is the point in time we begin spirituality.

When you are now in the mode of “reaching out” it is important to not over-think the matter. Simply state –and this can seem as if to yourself− that you have reached an impasse of man’s ego, and his spirituality. And say, “Here are the facts:” List what your [path] is, (and we are presuming at this point that you actually know what it is.) Drop the emotion, the analysis and the rationale … these will simply make the mind [think] in which case you are right back into ego.

Just get the definition of the Path out. Follow this with the simple acknowledgement that “I DO NOT KNOW how to reconcile the reality I have created, my life, with the path I was meant to follow.”

The “I DO NOT KNOW” is what must be expressed to the Universe, your Higher Self, God or the Absoluteness … all reach the same place where the answers will come from. When you say “I DON’T KNOW” you are acknowledging the limits of ego. You are also saying, “IF there is a God, I need help now,” regardless of which term you are using for the Highest. This is a surrender of ego. Once you do this, something quite amazing happens.

NO LONGER does the Universe [require] you solve everything that you and the world karmically have put before you to date as hurdles. HOW ABOUT THAT. That Universe (I will use this term to cover all spiritual beliefs) WILL automatically help you once you surrender your ego and acknowledge you have a greater side to you, the spiritual side. Man can NEVER succeed on his own, not for some time yet to come. This was always known, and for that reason the Universe has provided us with help mechanisms. It is okay if you want that to be your Higher Self, or a God, or a literal Universal Mind, or that ideation we refer to as the Absoluteness. You will not need to know all the technical workings of the Divine mind at this stage.

When you surrender your ego so as to accomplish your innate Path, whatever guidance is actually out there of a spiritual nature not only WILL COME, it will do it RIGHT AWAY. You do NOT have to dwell on it, for that simply puts you back into an ego mind state. Just sleep well and continue along in life with a tightly held TRUTH, which is your path, and you can both TRUST the workings of the Divine will change the clockwork mechanism of the physical Universe to match your newly-tooled “gear” (your part to play), … and IT will give you proof all along the way that YOU HAVE BEEN HELPED if you simply also ask to be kept informed every few days or so. The circumstances of your life will start to change, [seemingly] all of their own. DO have the wherewithal to realize you are being helped, and simply ride the horse in the direction it is going … today!

This is my insight to share, which would draw from Theosophy, but also our spiritual connection to the Absoluteness through its dimensions and agencies, and our psychic nature (to feel, hear and see that which we’ve ignored before.) Other opinions on this subject, may vary.

The underlying message is “BE TRUE TO YOURSELF.”

Zabo,

Many Theosophists suffer from the same problem -- reading Theosohical ideas in books, but being unable to make changes in their lives that accelerate their progress towards enlightnement.

Do you have any examples from your own life?

Hello Christian, Nick,
thanks for your reply's.
I am not so fast in replying expecially not when there is a lot to read.
This is my first post and that's why I dind'nt use the dilemma part right. I am from Holland so parts of the text I need to translate first before understanding the full meaning.

Chistian, I know where I like to go to. That is clear to me.
But I am not in a hurry, I need to learn a lot, and I don't want to seperate from, for me important people around me.
I do learn a lot from them about myself and it feels like I am waiting for them to follow slowly on the path.
But I see around me more and more people are discovering en starting up.

Nick you ask me for a example.
My wife has very much sadnes in her live. She has a very big heart but people around her keep passing away. She has also some nasti chronical illnesses.
To make life a bit better I need to be there a lot. mentally and fysically.
Whithout her in someway I could move faster.
But I don't want it that way.
I believe that eventually you will grow more when you learn to pay attention to feelings of other people and when you help other people to make there own start on the path. (your good karma will grow and next time....)

But I cannot go to theosofic evenings, I cannot meet special people, so in that way it will slow my down.

Nick I told something about myself, can you tel me how you deal with questions like this?

Kind Regards, Zabo

Zabo, I see no dilemma here. Theosophical literature seems to focus on study and research, but theosophy also has a heart. I would suggest that your selflessness in supporting your wife will make you a better person (and theosophist) than if you were to abandon her for personal study.

Zabo,

I stayed in Holland during the summer of 2000, doing training with KLM Airlines in the northern town of Eelde. Holland was a nice place, and Dutch people are very nice people.

Yes, we need to learn to pay attention to feelings of other people, and yes we need to help other people to make there own start on the path. But we have to receive emotional support too. Does your wife give you emotional support over the difficulties you have in life? A good romantic relationship consists of two people giving each other emotional support. And it has to be balanced in some way, not too much one-way. I have gotten into some romantic relationships that were too one-way in the giving and receiving of emotional support. (I usually give a lot more than I receive.) I hope you can find such a balance in your marriage. I hope you can ask for emotional support from your wife when you need it.

Nick, I agree that there must be balance in all things, but sometimes the balance isn't direct or immediate. We can never judge the circumstances of other lives. Perhaps Zabo chose this incarnation to be of service to his wife to balance karma from previous lives. If he needs support, it doesn't necessarily have to come from his wife here and now. He might even feel supported on this forum, in which case we are all playing a part in balancing the universe.

Meanwhile, as Zabo says, he is learning a lot from his experience.

Hello Harvey,

Thanks for your reply. I feel you understand my dilemma, and more... you understand why I am living my live like I do.
It is nice to see the discussion between the 3 of you about this issue.

I will open a new topic inspired by your discussion.

Kind Regards, Zabo

Dag, Zabo, glad I was able to say something useful. Have you come across The Voice of the Silence. It was Madame Blavatsky's last message to humanity. It doesn't mention the cosmos and evolution and studying and science. It is a very simple book looking at a life of service. Perhaps that has more relevance for you than Isis Unveiled or The Secret Doctrine.
Tot Ziens, Harvey

Zabo, hello, I can relate.

Is it by any chance possible you might have picked a few items in your life specifically to leave you stranded, seemingly without a way to be able to solve it?

2012 is around the corner so to speak- maybe a few of us picked something on our laundry list for incarnation to get us to the "I don't know" stage?

That fear of "I surrender because I admit that I do not know" is almost scarier than the actual "going with the flow" to get to the destination.

The almost hysterically funny thing is that while trying to understand why this dilemma is as described a bit like the gordian knot of my life- I was thinking "gosh, I am so alone in this"- I am learning by way of this dilemma that I am not alone.

And then I noticed that things did start to happen. They did not change the facts of the dilemma actually- but these things happening were quite the little helpers along the way of doing what I did want to do. I started doing the things I wanted to do- and if it was only to avoid the pain of my dilemma.

Reading books did not solve my issue- but they helped me understand why I might have chosen to experience this issue this time around. There's something I needed to know through my dilemma- and they only way to learn it by way of knowing it- is to quite literally LIVE through it.
Suddenly it dawned on me, oh no, what if, before this incarnation, this was agreed upon? Maybe I even signed off on it? That thought in itself it pretty hilarious to me.

At least it renewed my faith in miracles- having seen a few being dispensed in addition. That's pretty priceless in itself.

Hello Modulating Lights,

thankx for your reply.

Glad to hear you also have these experiences. I do think we have to realy live certain situations to be able to learn from it. Books help us to understand why we are in this situation but in real live we have learn how to cope with these situations. By realy understanding we change our individual character our cause changes for somebody else. And that’s the only luggage we can take with us from our current live.

I am now in a specific situation where I need to learn from.
My wife has a big and good heart, is very sensitive, but has much sorrow in her life to deal with and she is very dominant. I am someone who like’s to please other people and forget to make room for myself. I learn a lot from her, but it is very difficult for me to open her eyes for a number of things she could learn from me. It is difficult to make her focus on other things when there is some much sorrow.
I am sure we encountered each other and are together for 31 year for a reason.
I feel I should learn more from this situation. The question is what is intended;
- Do we learn more when we break off the relationship and go our own way with room for our personal development.
Ore
- Is this specially the situation where we need to learn from. Maybe in small steps but we need to learn these issue. When we cannot solve this we will experience a similar situation again next time (next live).

I am curious you have a story like this to.

Zabo, I think that you are right in thinking that you need to learn from your situation, and that you and your wife are together for a reason. Here is a bit from W. Q. Judge (Friends or Enemies in the Future) that may apply to your situation:

"Shall those whom we now know or whom we are destined to know before this life ends be our friends or enemies, our aiders or obstructors in that coming life? And what will make them hostile or friendly to us then? Not what we shall say or do to and for them in the future life. For no man becomes your friend in a present life by reason of present acts alone. He was your friend, or you his, before in a previous life. Your present acts but revive the old friendship, renew the ancient obligation.

"Was he your enemy before, he will be now even though you do him service now, for these tendencies last always more than three lives. They will be more and still more our aids if we increase the bond of friendship of today by charity. Their tendency to enmity will be one-third lessened in every life if we persist in kindness, in love, in charity now. And that charity is not a gift of money, but charitable thought for every weakness, to every failure.

"Our future friends or enemies, then, are those who are with us and to be with us in the present. If they are those who now seem inimical, we make a grave mistake and only put off the day of reconciliation three more lives if we allow ourselves today to be deficient in charity for them. We are annoyed and hindered by those who actively oppose as well as others whose mere looks, temperament, and unconscious action fret and disturb us. Our code of justice to ourselves, often but petty personality, incites us to rebuke them, to criticise, to attack. It is a mistake for us to so act. Could we but glance ahead to next life, we would see these for whom we now have but scant charity crossing the plain of that life with ourselves and ever in our way, always hiding the light from us. But change our present attitude, and that new life to come would show these bores and partial enemies and obstructors helping us, aiding our every effort. For Karma may give them then greater opportunities than ourselves and better capacity.

"Is any Theosophist, who reflects on this, so foolish as to continue now, if he has the power to alter himself, a course that will breed a crop of thorns for his next life's reaping? We should continue our charity and kindness to our friends whom it is easy to wish to help, but for those whom we naturally dislike, who are our bores now, we ought to take especial pains to aid and carefully toward them cultivate a feeling of love and charity. This adds interest to our Karmic investment. The opposite course, as surely as sun rises and water runs down hill, strikes interest from the account and enters a heavy item on the wrong side of life's ledger."