Joseph Campbell’s famously invited his students to 'follow your bliss'. This was meant profoundly in terms of a very soul sense of vocation or calling. Doing so might not fit into the structures of social expectations - but always expresses the passion and presence of being.
Joseph Campbell is known and valued for his work exploring myth, symbol and story as the evidence of a common spiritual intelligence and calling, in all of humanity, from its primitive beginnings through to the higher consciousness or transformative realisations of spiritual awakening.
I see this common spiritual intelligence as many in form and yet as one in spirit and I call it Holy Spirit - though It doesn't mind what terms or symbols are used to bring your attention present within.
Know that the Holy Spirit is yours and is you, and so it is within you. It is your own guide that leads you from the prison you have made to the freedom that you are. Seek no place else, except within. Seek within your own Heart for that which you want, and ask it to lead you to your place of freedom. Then go with it as it asks, doing as it commands, seeking not for another way to be free. For it is your Holy Spirit that remembers freedom for you, and so it is your Holy Spirit that will lead you to return to it there.~ NTI Acts, Chapter 12 1. (See footnote below)
The above is from a book that I have the highest regard for and have welcomed as an ongoing companion: 'The Holy Spirit's Interpretation of the New Testament, A Course in Understanding and Acceptance'. (NTI in short - New Testament Interpretations), it was written by Regina Dawn Akers within a process of guided listening. This book is literally written from a place of open willingness in trust and its message speaks directly to the awakening in our minds - because that IS the true message of the New testament - as well as the ONLY function of the Holy Spirit. That is my witness - but don't take my word - or its message - as truth. Listen in your heart to discern whether your truth is speaking to you.
The approach of ‘Holy Spirit Interpretation’ is that of using the symbol and story in our mind to teach the mind what it is, and what you are not - for our own minds have become confused and act as if they are subjects to their own thinking. We have become those ‘who know not what they do’.
Do we not each tend to believe and experience ourselves as if we are in fact the central character in our own version of a script that we interpret and accord reality to?
We may not on surface think we are trying to think or make reality - and that we are just ‘being ourselves’ - but if being in silence brings restlessness, discomfort or agitation, it is a symptom of a running program of compulsive thinking that has as part of its purpose the function of covering over your truth with what you are thinking. It is as if our so called conscious mind is defended against what truth actually is - and what we actually are - in order to maintain a wish to act out and be in its own determination of truth.
One aspect of false ‘self’ is that it is a mask. A presentation that is designed to serve a purpose or desire in the one who adopts it.
As a masked presentation we may get satisfactions from maintaining and strengthening our mask - but these only serve to deepen our identifying with it as if it were our self.
But the only real fulfilment in life is felt in the heart of who we actually are - and can never be experienced or accepted in who we are trying to be - or indeed attempting to 'not be', in attempt to escape what we fear we are or judge against.
The masquerade is demonstrably a way that we can use our mind - but equally obvious is that it does not bring the experience of joy freely shared - for it engages in self limiting thought - so at some point it always inevitably runs out of juice. We might experience this as crisis of meaning or identity and, as a result, begin a process of reconnecting with our Original Mind or the True desire of the heart. And learning to live from a restored sense of Grounded life.
Unlike the complexity and self-identifications of our own thinking processes, movement of true desire, arises from our peace or wholeness of being - and though we may 'hear it' in terms of the content of our mind, it carries a tone and quality that transcends our our fragmented and dissociated sense of 'command and control' self - and restores a sense and awareness of communion, connection and purpose arising from the heart itself.
In terms of the human world-mind, following our calling will shine a light and will also be the path that we accept in which light is seen - where darkness seemed to be.
‘Light’ here is used for inspiration, joy, truth, passion and presence.
‘Darkness’ is used here to represent ignorance, belief in guilt or unworthiness, fear, conflict and facade.
Here is a snip in from NTI (New Testament Interpretations - NTI for short). It arose from searching within it for the text 'true desire' and choosing the first findings that offered a sketch of the book’s message. It is - as I say direct and to the point - but never coercive. It is in your own heart that you discern and accept truth. This is your freedom and it that is itself true.
"This is how death and resurrection are to be acted out through you:
Truth cannot die, so Truth need not be resurrected. Truth simply Is, and it always Is without beginning and without end.
What is it, then, that must die? What is there to be resurrected?
Your belief in illusions must die so that your awareness of what Is may be resurrected through you. (v. 7 – 12).
Your belief is expressed through thought. Above all else, watch your thoughts. What are you allowing your thoughts to think? Are you thinking of the illusion of the world as if it is real? If so, you are expressing your desire to accept the veil of darkness. Is this your true desire? If not, why do you permit yourself to express it through the activity of your thoughts?
Watch your thoughts. Ask them to express your true desire. Your thoughts must do as you ask, because you are the thinker of your thoughts. Let them express your true desire, and if they do not, let them go. (v. 13 – 15).
Fix your eyes and your thoughts on the true desire of your heart, not because it is your hope for the future, but because it is your reality now. You are what your heart tells you you are. You do not see it, because you do not focus yourself there.
Focus on the world, and you will believe the world. Believe the world, and you choose to keep the veil, which hides your truth.
Focus on your heart in all of your thoughts, and you choose not to choose the veil. You choose that the veil may be lifted, so you may see your truth and your brother’s truth, and to know in the joy of your heart that it is true". (v. 16 – 18).
from "The Holy Spirit's Interpretation of the New Testament" 2 Corinthians, Chapter 4. (See Footnote below)
The New Testament itself is rich in inspiration but also controversial and often confusing because it is interpreted by minds that are not free of guilt and fear. Holy Spirit is free of guilt and fear and can translate and interpret the mind by which we believe them so as to release or undo the false mind that arose from making judgement.
The term 'Holy Spirit' points to the living Voice for God - or Living Truth - for even as the human mind seemed to separate in the ‘fall’ from Eden, our truth remains that part of our mind which never left nor can leave its Source. And to the mind experiencing separation, serves the function of guide and awakener to restore your self to You.
It is this Voice and Mind that Jesus felt, heard, discerned and gave witness to - and became one with - and called (down) to our attention. It is not an external 'Authority' that can be used in the world for manipulation - but is the Guide within that - according to your willingness - reveals your true desire to you. It is holy because it is altogether present and without guilt and is spirit because what is, IS - beyond belief or concept - but is known by its effect or fruit in our heart and in our lives.
Desire is the creative force. What you hold in your heart will call forth and govern all that comes from it. But to release the heart of your demands and listen for the movement or prayer that is already there is to awaken to the life that is. Waking up is not something that the ego mentality does - it is the dawning in the mind that the ego mentality is an ego mentality - and nothing need be done to it or with it. It is put behind and released regardless of its recurrence as a habit.
The voice for ego is legion - yet it is all one illusion. It is that which hides love from you and hides you from love. The most significant thing that can be said is that when you look upon it - you clearly will see that you do not want it or what it offers. It is this that withdraws its only support.
Yet it will attempt to use your mind to convince you not to look on it, and it is bringing and maintaining willingness to persist in asking the heart amidst temptation to fear, doubt or judge against yourself or another in your stead.
"When you do not seem to know how to become an empty shell, it is because you are focusing on your head, or better-said, on your thinking mind. Your thinking mind will not teach you how to not think. Your thinking mind is interested in its own survival, so it will take the time you give it to think some more.
When you notice your mind is full, and you want to become as an empty shell, you must refocus your mind from your head to your heart. Your heart will teach your mind the way of release, because your heart is love. (v.s 1- 3)..
Your heart, being of love, knows one purpose, and that is love. Your head, being of thinking, knows many purposes, because that is thinking. Let go of the confusion of the head, and focus yourself on the purpose of the heart. Focusing on one purpose leads you clearly in one direction, but focusing on many purposes does not lead you at all".
From 'The Holy Spirit's Interpretation of the New Testament',
(NTI) 1 Corinthians Ch 8
I trust my enthusiasm has not made my invitation in any way an attempt to persuade.
That is not my desire!
In Peace
Brian
Footnote: Two chapters of the book - Mathew and Acts are freely downloadable from the web address below and there are online resources where much more can be read and discussed if interested.
In the first instance I felt to just bring it to attention and sense that some of you will be glad to find it.
"The Holy Spirit's Interpretation of the New Testament"
Copyright © 2008 by The Foundation for the Holy Spirit, Inc.
http://www.forholyspirit.org
Regina's Website:
www.reginadawnakers.com
NTI study group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NTIStudyGroup/
NTI discussion group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NTIDiscussionGroup/
My review of NTI - at the publishers site
http://tinyurl.com/3olyvw
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