You Are What You Is…Images Of The Mind Expressed – Dangers Of The Spiritual Path

Tantra amplifies what is already there, hidden and suppressed. Tantric practices shade a huge light and a spiritual/psychological magnifying glass. Tantric practices will unearth all that is hidden that you may wish to keep hidden and suppressed.

It is NOT the path for faint hearted. It is NOT for the “looking good”, It is a way of the spiritual warriors, willing to “slay”
the ego = letting go of identifications to made up personalities we’ve assumed and create.

“Reality” is no-thing more then our images of the mind expressed. This is a subject for a whole book on how we create our own “reality”, whether we like the results of not.

By watching, observing what is, “Reality” and cultivating self-knowledge, you will discover whom you really are, that essence within you that will never die. Developing the “Witness Consciousness” and listening to the Universe as it speaks through you, you surrender to the Superconsciousness – The fact that you are an integral part of the whole universe, ever expanding. This is not an intellectual understanding but a happening that is so visceral. so-real/sureal, that words cannot capture the magnitude of All That Is magnificence.

Time/Space illusion hinders us from comprehending the vastness of our being-ness. We are as large as the Universe, Beyond the Beyond. We buy into the illusion of separation as we convince ourselves that that is how to survive in this illusionary existence, How limiting and depriving.

Joining the spiritual path can be done as an inner decision a private vow to yourself. You do not need robes or gurus! You do not need organised religions. Although, etymologically religion means “bringing together”, which served well in days gone.

Nowdays, with slightly more expanded awareness, this beautiful green blue planet, our world, (spherical or flat earth…) has the potential to be thriving and honouring the sacredness of HumanUnity. Though this is questionable by observing our behaviour towards each other : individually, culturally and of course on states level.

Suppressing our natures, human-Animal and Human-Spiritual, and rejecting all aspects of our being, will eventually erupt in some destructive form. The cliche of “What You Resist Persist” is at work at all times. It takes more effort to suppress something and “not” thinking of “it” and usually is unsuccessful.

Forbidding something often has had the opposite result. That which is forbidden is more alluring.

Back to people seeking and joining “organised” religions or cults. The difference There are many reasons as to why people search and join these, I can only speak from my own personal experience and observations on the thousands of people who pass through my life either through personal development empowerment coaching, therapy or seeking Tantra teachings as a form of alternative to the others.

This is a huge generalisation and if you have a reaction to this and you have read thus far, I commend you and invite you to question yourself as to what is the trigger that you are reacting to. What “truth” am I offering a challenge to your world constructs.

Monasteries, in cultures that distinguish and separate spirituality from engaging in the “real” world of relationships and human sensuality, are full of sex addicts, individuals in despair to be in control rather then being controlled and victims of their addictive drives. Whether this is a successful resolution is another matter.

Most individuals have not resolved certain issues with parenting. A lot choose to escape into cults or organised religions, rather then resolving this by psychotherapy, personal development, family constellations, developing the capacity within to nourish and parent themselves, giving themselves the love/approval/acceptance/forgiveness they so desperately seek to receive from the others/parents/authority.

These individuals will keep on reenacting these unresolved scenarios and project it on whomever represents to them the authority figure, or reminds them or a certain behaviour. In fact we all go around looking for the evidence and resemblance so we can reenact the age old story (HiStory/HerStory).

Of course this never gets resolved by simply reenacting. A conscious awareness of the powers at play and a courage to be willing to rewrite your own story. Taking responsibility = RespondAbility to everything in our own lives will set us free, not the victimhood story.

Choosing consciously the actions to take, choosing to forgive those whom we feel transgressed against us. Choosing to forgive ourselves for all the mis-takes will set us on the path of freedom. It is all within us.

You are the cocreator of your Universe and all that “occurs” within it. Only you get to say whether you are an actor in someone else play, thus choosing to be the victim, or taking ful responsibility for your choices, as all outside in the world “out there” is a manifestation a mirror a reflection of your inner world.

“Reality” is the images of our minds reflecting to us our inner world with a “time” lag. So to alter your “reality”, all you need to do is alter your inner thoughts, they are the cause of your perceptions, experiences and interpretations.

Cultivate being with All That Is. Simply being, this will enable you to realise your “truth” finding your own inner guru (Warning: not from a narcissistic perspective). By accepting All That Is, All Human expressions and embracing all aspects of our being Integration and bliss will be your rewards. It is always here awaiting for you to pick the fruits of abundance.

What are the differences between cults and religions? In a very crude way, a cult becomes a religion depending on the numbers of zeros.  Below are couple of collections which are fascinating.
The 1st is attempting to distinguish between religion and cults. The 2nd is collection of opinions when a cult becomes a religion. Enjoy and make up your own mind or your own religion…

“The 11 commandments of cults vs. religions:

1) CULT: Single, unquestioned leader who makes all the rules, with no accountability to peers, a presbytery, a chapter, or co-leaders.

RELIGION: Plurality and hierarchy of leadership, accountable to one another with a charter or church constitution including a mechanism in place to remove leaders who abuse their power.

2) CULT: Cohabitation. Members often live in a group or commune, often with the leader.

RELIGION: Members have their own lives and homes and come together to worship or socialize, then go back to family homes.

3) CULT: Isolation. Members are often not allowed to interact/socialize with outsiders, and frequently are required to separate from their friends and families.

RELIGION: Respect the friends and family of their adherents, almost always encouraging family relationships, even with family members not part of the religion.

4) CULT: Coercion. Coercive recruitment methods, often including sleep deprivation, withholding of food or bathroom breaks, locking the initiate in a room with a succession of people hammering in the group’s ideas. Essentially, these are classic brainwashing techniques.

RELIGION: Members, including new members, are free to come and go as they please. 

It does not take a genius to see the difference here. Atheists often claim that all religions “brainwash” others, especially their children. If brainwash means teaching your kids what you believe, then everyone does it, not just people of faith. 

It is often claimed that because most people of faith grew up with that faith, that is evidence of “indoctrination.” Not by the definition of how cults do this. Furthermore, most Democrats grew up in Democratic families, and Republicans in conservative families. No one accuses political parties of “indoctrination” or “brainwashing.” This is just anti-religious rhetoric and has nothing to do with real brainwashing.
(Note: I did not grow up with the faith I now hold)

5) CULT: Repetition. Members are told what to believe on a daily basis, with intense, though often subtle, indoctrination techniques used to hold members. The few items that distinguish that cult are repeated endlessly.

RELIGION: Teaching and study groups are mutually encouraged with all members free to contribute insights. A variety of subjects are discussed.

6) CULT: Exclusiveness. Initiates are often told that only “select” members of the cult will reach the ultimate goal. This is incentive to stay and to be more dedicated to the cult.

RELIGION: All have the same requirements and opportunities for advancement, leadership positions and participation.

7) CULT: Bread trails. The dogma is fed to the initiate in small pieces, and gaining more knowledge about the dogma requires a greater commitment to the organization. 

RELIGION: Typically all beliefs are publicly available with no effort made to keep some beliefs secret. 

8) CULT: Alienation. Adherents are encouraged or even bullied into thinking in terms of “us versus them” with total alienation from “them.”

RELIGION: Members are encouraged to quietly show themselves as exemplary among their peers in secular workplaces and in public. Yes, okay, some are not very good at this, and those are usually the ones you notice. Still, it’s a far cry from the above.

9) CULT: Seclusion. Members are often not allowed to leave the cult or even the cult compound. Even temporary excursions among outsiders are done in pairs or in groups with a trusted member always present.

RELIGION: Gatherings are held at regular intervals with members free to come or skip as they please. 

10) CULT: Totalitarian. Cults ask significantly more time and money from their adherents, often asking for a person’s life savings to progress in the organization. They are usually totalitarian and demand that the individual give themselves up to the organization or theology.

RELIGION: The tithe (10% of income) is a good example of what a religion may ask of its adherents, and rarely will anyone check up on members to make sure they are doing this. In pretty much all churches, this is strictly voluntary.

11) CULT: Secretive about the workings, the leadership, and the finances. No one but the leader and perhaps a trusted member are aware of where the money goes.

RELIGION: Respect individual freedom and ask for a commitment typically less than a person devotes to their work and family. There is no secrecy over the leader’s activities, typically these are very transparent, with the congregation knowing the salary their tithes pay the clergy members, the amount going to building upkeep, and how much goes into helping the needy, community charity, etc. Financial statements are typically available to church members. ”
https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-difference-between-religions-and-cults

“When does a cult become a religion?

According the The Guardian.com news and people’s comments, here are some opinions on :
https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,,-1659,00.html

• WHEN it is granted a tax-free status by the Government.Anthony Breckner, London W4.
• WHEN it progresses from killing its members to killing non-members.David Lewin, Oxford.
• THE ESSENTIAL difference is openness. Religions publish their beliefs openly in the Bible, Koran, Bhagavadgita, etc, and seek to persuade the public of their truth. Anyone who accepts these beliefs and the accompanying rituals is recognised as a member of the religion. There is a priesthood which is open to any (normally male) person with the necessary commitment. Religions therefore seek a mass following. Cults, however, rely on secret or special knowledge which is revealed only to initiates by the cult’s founder or his/her chosen representatives. Beliefs aren’t normally published. Everything depends on a personal relationship between the founder and followers, who are required to separate themselves from the rest of the world. This enables the founder and his associates to dominate and exploit the members. All religions begin as cults. Christianity began as one of several competing messianic sects and became a religion when Paul and his followers began proselytising outside Judea. Cults fade away when those who knew the founder die. Who remembers the Ranters, the Sandemanians or the Muggletonians now?Laurie Smith, Carshalton, Surrey.
• ON THE SUBJECT of how to recognise false prophets, Jesus is quoted as having said, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7: 15). This seems an eminently practical method of defining when a cult becomes a religion. Cults come and go, but those which survive and mature, develop into systems that are recognised as beneficial to society and individuals in that society. Initially, both Christianity and Islam were regarded as cults. It took Christianity about 300 years and Islam 20 years to be recognised as religions.Linda Holmes, Hull (p.a.holmes@scand.hull.ac.uk)
• According to Laurie Smith’s definition the Church of Scientology is religion, not a cult. Its beliefs are very open. L Ron Hubbard’s books, both about Scientology and his science fiction (there is little difference) are widely available. His books about Scientology have even been advertised for sale in the Guardian. By Linda Holmes’s definition, too, Scientology, which has easily outlived Hubbard is no longer a cult. But to every observer, it is plain that Scientology IS a cult. So these definitions do not meet our intuitive feelings about the way this word should be used. Incidentally, Linda Holmes’s definition falls on another count: subjectivity. There are many Christians who would deny that the influence of Islam has been “positive”, Moslems who would make the same denial concercing Christianity, and Humanists who would deny it of both of them.Quentin Langley, Woking UK
• Cults are small and generally ignored and despised. Religions are big and generally accepted. Cults grow into religions but the bigotry remains the same. The bigotry then becomes acceptable.Phil Edisbury, Wick, UK
• I think that another relevant factor in distinguishing a religion from a cult is that cults typically require the adherents to pay (often large) amounts of money to the person or organisation founding the cult, where that money is then used for private, rather than organisation-wide or public benefits. It is true that many religions (eg the Catholic Church) seek and rely on donations by members for the propagation of that religion and the support of its educational, charitable, liturgical and other functions. However, a cult often channels such donations towards the cult leaders for their personal use. Witness the “Orange People” sect in the US, where member funds bought the leader dozens of Rolls Royces. Similarly, Scientology (despite the claims of another respondent on this page) is not publicly open about its beliefs. Novices must pay large sums of money to progress through the initiation process. The Church of Scientology also refuses to publish its core “sacred” texts, (which would allow public scrutiny and comment,) and threatens legal action against those who attempt to do so. Nothing could be more indicative of an organisation being a business as opposed to a religion.Peter Johnson, London, England
• A religion is a cult which has become acceptable.Richard., None. UK.

• According to Frank Zappa, the only difference between a cult and a religion is real estate.Alan Mazonowicz, Brussels Belgium”

On a very personal note, my own “religion”, has 1 member – me, the rules are:

1) Thou Shalt Not read Instructions (especially from IKEA)
2) Thou Shalt brush hair seldom if at all ! 
3) Thou Shalt not Iron, ever ! (I love this one) 
4) There was another commandment I cannot remember right now, Will keep you posted…

IF YOU REALLY READ ALL THIS, THEN YOU DESERVE A GIFT OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. I COMMEND YOU ! DO SHARE YOUR COMMENTS. NAMASTEHere is Frank Zappa song: “You Are What You Is”, Enjoy or not.

Here is Frank Zappa song: “You Are What You Is”, Enjoy or not.