Understanding the Duality of Life by Joni Patry

4 Aug 2012

Understanding the Duality of Life

We can become so entrenched in our cognitive minds and thinking that I believe we miss the entire point that we are here to learn. It is written everywhere we look. It is in the Sun and the Moon, the night and the day, male and female, light and the dark, and the good and the bad. It is our Duality of opposites that is everywhere and has the simple message we are here to learn.

Understanding the Duality of Life

Separation verses Unity

As we live our lives amongst all the busy events we often wonder “why are we here, where did we come from, where do we go, and what is the purpose for all this seeming chaos?” We are born here with no information and are taught from an early age many reasons to explain these mysteries of life. So much is misunderstood. Myths and parables are taught at an early age to make sense of the mystery that is our life.

We tend to complicate things more with scientific knowledge that seems to explain the unexplainable then excluding the most important essence of life. The most important essence of life is the power that gives life. That is the essence that gives life to every living creature. This has many words but the essence is the same and different semantics confuse many believing their essence is different due to a different label placed on this source. Some call it God, Spirit, the Force, Light, Cosmic Consciousness, the Divine or the Universe to name a few. It doesn’t matter what name we place on it, but we must agree we are all a part of this energy that gives us life.

This energy force is natural and non judgmental and reacts through the will of mankind. There are essentially only two choices in this world. They are the duality that exits here. The duality is prevalent in everything we do and see here. It is represented by male/female, black/white, day/night, positive/negative, sun/moon, good/bad, fear/love to name a few here. This duality is really about separation verses unity. We have choices with our free will and truly there is nothing wrong with these opposites only we are here to find a balance between these to live a life of harmony. Human beings are here to understand and become conscious as to who and what they really are.

Understanding that we live in a world of duality and we are connected on all levels with the great life force gives the awareness that we are not actually separate beings. We are actually one and connected. This is the problem we are having here with humanity. We see ourselves as separate beings while our essential nature is in unity. We are essentially all one. When in the spirit form we are not separate beings we are one with the collective unconscious or the spirit of God. We have so much trouble here being separate from one another and at times become fearful and begin to operate in survival mode which is represented as the Ego.

When we come from a place of the ego we are in a survival mode and do not think of the welfare of other human beings or humanity. Our self centered pursuits separate us from others which means essentially we separate from God. This instills more fear and creates a feeling of isolation which creates a world of chaos and confusion. Here is where all the problems originate for our world or humanity. It is in the sense of unity that we get back to nature and connection with others and our God essence.

We must seek unity with all of life and live in accordance with the essence of the will of God. When we unite with the essence or spirit of God which is within us we feel plugged in or connected and all problems dissolve for we are living in Divine order.

Understanding this from an intellectual level is one thing but does not give the sense of what this is truly about. It is important to first understand this from an intellectual level and this can be deemed as the science of God but the truth of this or the duality is that we must know this from the feeling side or the heart. This can be called the emotion of love. To intellectually understand love has no meaning unless you can feel it and this is an entirely different process. It is actually taking action and being the principals in your head. Love is the energy that unites and heals all human disturbances created by the ego which is based on fear, lack and separateness. Love is unconditional, acceptance that unites every human as one, therefore can be called the God force.

When we come from a place of unconditional love for all living creatures we are awakened to the spirit of God within us and recognize it in all creatures. Seeing this truth compels us to heal and help others for they are essentially us. We truly understand we are one and we are a part of the God source which is us. This realization is God consciousness and brings total liberation from the confines of the suffering created from the idea that we are separate from God, and this separation is created through the Ego.

The ego feels that we are separate and convinces us that we have to compete with others to get the desired earthly prize or get ahead of others. This creates all kinds of chaos, fighting and greed. And when we are beat out of getting the earthly prize we become unhappy, angry and depressed. We are fighting amongst each other to feel we are better than others. The game is to outdo others to have more and be more. This competitive edge causes jealousy, judgment, hurt feelings, resentments and eventually depression resulting in disease and all the problems that plague humanity.

The need to be superior to others begins with this sense of competition, for to have a competition means one person wins and the other loses. The one who losses feels all the negative emotions but the one who wins becomes all the more egotistical feeling their own greatness which is not in alignment with our natural state of mind which is love and unity. Instead they come from a place of separation and eventually this brings them to a very isolated and lonely place, for others do not want to associate with the selfishness of the egotistical person.

Those who feel they have lost feel a sense of failure, lack, anger and depression. Then all sorts or distorted judgments set in set in such as defeat and guilt which becomes resentment and emotional persecution or victimization. We then tend to view the outside forces as being hostile and punishing us which then leads to deep resentments.

To feel superior to others in any way breeds resentments but is based on a sense of feeling inadequate. You must prove yourself to be better for deep down you really feel a sense of lack and isolation because you are consumed with the separateness of the Ego. This can take form in all areas of life such as religious superiority, feeling that you are the special chosen one and others are not on your level. This means that people use their spirituality to feel more superior to others. This is what began the religious wars. Some feel more intellectually advanced and some feel their prestige and wealth make then privileged therefore superior.

The Ego does not take responsibility and blames everyone else for any problems one may have in their life. The Ego projects all personal problems onto others. And when the fault finding is projected onto others there can be no growth spiritually for the opportunity is given away and there can be no advancement. The Ego wants to be superior for it has no faults or short comings. It is resentful and righteous always finding faults in others. The Ego is the force that separates us from the all knowing wisdom that is God. The ego could be equated to what some religions call the devil. It simply keeps us from the truth. But what all these Ego emotions actually do is separate us more instead of uniting us with a sense of love and compassion for others. When we come from this sense of union with the Divine we feel whole and complete and understand there is no separation, this liberates us for we feel the essence of God which is whole and complete love; a feeling of bliss. This union is oneness with all of humanity, which is consciousness or enlightenment. Then we are free from all the struggles we have created in our own minds for the Ego is actually just an illusion.

All the great mystics have said this world is, "...all an Illusion!"

In Vedanta philosophy the world is said to be Maya or an illusion. It is all a big dream in the mind of God. The great Swami Baba Muktananda said, "The world is simply a play of consciousness."

Paramahansa Yogananda said, "Our lives are like a moving picture show in the eye of God."

Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you."

The Upanishads state that our higher self is like light and our lower self is like a shadow.

Course in Miracles teaches us that everything is in our own mind including our body.

The mechanics of our Miraculous Illusion and what we can consciously do to master our movie set to create the movie we want of our life.

Feelings/Emotions
We go to movies, concerts and sporting events because they make us FEEL a certain way. Everything is about our feelings. So if we think we want a certain thing or person it is generally based on the way it, or they, will make us FEEL. When another person evokes a feeling of hurt or love in us, our reaction is to blame that person for making us feel a certain way. But you are in charge of your own feelings nobody or thing is controlling how you feel. Emotions are strong feelings and have the power to create anything you want in your life. Realize there are only two core emotions, fear and love. When you come from a place of desperation you are coming from fear, and when you come from a place of love you come from abundance.

How does our Consciousness work? How do we get caught up in this Illusion?

Our minds are composed of three parts; the conscious mind, the subconscious mind and the superconscious mind. Your conscious mind is the reactor to stimulus in the world. The way in which it reacts is based on beliefs we have acquired. Our beliefs are stored in our subconscious mind.

If you have a recurring pattern in your life it is simply the way the brain is programmed to work. It will naturally react instinctually with the defense mechanism of fear. But we have a higher power to work with if we choose - this is the superconscious mind.

Swiss psychologist Carl Jung said, "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate" or, "That which you deny will become your destiny. "

Beliefs are how we create our supposed reality. Beliefs, unconscious or not, are creating the events in our life. These beliefs are composed of limiting patterns instilled in our subconscious mind. They are acquired from our ego self or shadow self that is not part of our true self which is the Divine. Our superconscious mind is our higher self or our connection to the Divine. This is who we really are, everything else is an illusion. Our conscious mind is controlled by our ego which operates on fear. So our ego is based on fear and our superconscious mind is based on love.

The more we choose to come from a place of love the more the ego will try to control the mind. The ego does not like to be defeated. So the struggle will not be easy. More and more issues will confront you as you decide to not let the ego take charge of your mind. This is the struggle of the darkness and light suggested in many spiritual texts.

Limitless power comes when you surrender your ego to the higher power. You will then receive inspiration that becomes your intention that comes from a source beyond your ego. It comes from your higher self. This is the power of the Divine. This direction will come from your heart, not your mind. When you follow your higher self you are following your Divine path.

There is no power outside of yourself. There is no power in the illusion you have created, not in anyone or anything. Other people are there to reflect back to you what you are thinking or feeling, based on a belief that you have. You project things from within yourself onto everyone else in your life. Additionally other people are in your life to teach knowledge or move you forward in growth.

Letting Go of the Past
Limiting patterns within your beliefs hold you back from the realization of the truth and keep you locked into the illusion. Everyone and everything out there is essentially you. To totally release your grudges and resentments against others will release you from all negativity in your life.

When you realize that the way you feel has nothing to do with the person who activated the hurt in you, you can then realize it is only an issue that has been activated within you from a past hurt or event. It is a limiting pattern. You will keep attracting people and situations to reflect this issue until you learn to release it and let it go.

Every one of us has a past hurt that controls our life. This creates a pattern forming our beliefs and judgments. Until you can fully recognize and feel the hurt that is deep within you, it will continue to operate and sabotage your life. Take it a step further to understand why you are feeling this way. This is about something within you, not anything or anyone "out there" because there is no out there. Realize this belief is based on false assumptions about yourself.

Forgiveness
The next step to releasing the beliefs, judgments and resentments that control you and your life is to find forgiveness. But it is not about finding something wrong with you! It is about coming to a place of gratitude. There is nothing to really be forgiven because there is nothing wrong within you. You have only distorted everything believing there is something wrong with yourself. So, forgiveness is actually about understanding and finding appreciation and gratitude. You must focus on what you appreciate about others but particularly about yourself. Then you will see the resentments dissolve. In actuality there is nothing to forgive because the Divinity that is you has never come from a place of judgment. We have created the illusion of judgment. In the "Course in Miracles" it states, God does not forgive, because in order to forgive you must judge, and God has never judged us in the first place. We are the ones with judgment. God is love and acceptance. We created this illusion of judgment and right and wrong.

Gratitude/Appreciation
Gratitude is the most powerful energy you can have to heal and shift the negative energy of resentment. Once you feel this energy of gratefulness you are in the zone of the power to create miracles. When you are grateful there is no room for resentments and negative beliefs, for to be in judgment and negative emotion is to be ungrateful. Shift to appreciation and gratitude and you will be in connection to your higher self and at one with the Divine. You will manifest what is for your highest good, which is better than what you could even imagine for yourself. Gratitude will shift everything in your life. You will learn to love everything, everyone and especially yourself. GRATITUDE IS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

Surrender to the Higher Power
Ask that your intentions not come from the ego but from the Divine. Let your inspiration move you from your heart and ask that, "not my will but Thy will be done." Trust the Universe! All you have to do is let go, and the Universe will drive the perfect circumstances and people to you to achieve what is in your highest good. Let go of all fear, doubt, and any negative emotion that will prevent you from achieving your desired goal. Remember EVERYTHING in your life that happens is always directing you to your highest goals and is promoting growth on a spiritual level. There is nothing else out there. There is only one true source and everything else is a projected illusion because the source is all there is, it is you and the essence of God that directs and is everything. It is pure oneness. It is LOVE.

With enlightenment one comes to realize everyone that appears separate is actually one with you therefore, all relationships are a mirror of ourselves or a part of us. Relationships teach us everything about ourselves for what you see in others is essentially a part of you. If you are seeing anger, hate or resentments you must realize there is an element of these qualities in yourself. With this realization it gives you an opportunity to recognize how you have a part in these feelings. Meaning you must be aware as to how you are part of this image you are viewing. And as you change and evolve on a spiritual level you will see a different reflection through the people and attitudes you encounter. Relationships are the best teacher we have as a mirror of our spiritual development. What we come to realize is others are actually an extension of ourselves and the way we treat them is the vibration and essence we will receive in return. So to give to others is to give to ourselves. And as a whole each and every soul is a part of the whole which constitutes humanity. Therefore, until everyone reaches enlightenment then we are not complete because we are one. There is no such thing as reaching enlightenment without everyone reaching enlightenment. This is why the self realized teachers come back to teach and uplift humanity.

The Universe is in constant communication with us and is telling us exactly what we need to know at all times if we pay attention. There are messages that come from nature such as birds, animals, rain or storms. Also the radio, television, and signs talk to us. But most of all the connections to others are the most revealing information we can glean from in terms of our progress and spiritual growth. The point is there is always a spiritual awareness amongst us if we chose to see its mystical occurrences.

When you realize your true identity you will get the sense that nothing in this world can destroy who you are or your spirit. This comes through the conscious awareness of this fact and the realization that you are in control of your thoughts, therefore you must remind yourself of the perceived illusion and that you are capable of creating the world in which you want to live. And every time you think a negative thought you must reverse it. You must become the master of your mind, thoughts and words. Choose again every time you think a negative thought. You have the power to do this! And it is constant in this world where negativity seems to prevail, but you must conquer the mind and your thoughts.

There will always be challenges, but these challenges are getting us to look at different aspects of our lives and how we need to change to adapt to the new growth. We always look at change and growth as a challenge for it forces us into the unknown but once we make the shift we are always in a better place with more freedom and awareness. Never look back, for all past experiences are opportunities for progressive growth and we are continually growing to a better place always. Remember in the story in the bible, Lot’s wife became hard and crystallized (turned to stone) when she looked back. When you are always looking in the rear view mirror you will surely crash.

The message is always the same, and has never changed since the beginning of time. When you hear it presented in a different way you sometimes believe you never heard this message before and it somehow opens your mind and you feel like you finally got it.

Main Message

The main and most important aspect of our lives is spiritual growth. Spiritual growth is the awareness that we are one with God and the separation is an illusion. This realization is the only purpose for our life. Therefore, everything in our lives is a result of our spiritual progress and growth. Our relationships, career, money, family, and health issues are a result of our spiritual growth. Problems of any kind are healed by our spiritual awakening. Lack or problems in any of these areas are the result of our unawareness of our purpose and connection to our Divine source. To heal these issues opens our lives to happiness, prosperity and freedom. All lack, limitation and fear are a result of the restrictions we have placed on our minds due to our past beliefs, conditioning, and resentments - an unknowing that we are divinely connected. It is time for all of us to awaken to our Divine rights and heal the planet.

To connect to our own Divinity, which will free us from the limitations and fear we must connect to the essence of God within ourselves. This is done through the heart. For the spirit of God resides within our very hearts. When we connect with our emotions to our heart energy and ask God to open us to the Divinity within us, we will feel peace and love. Opening the heart though prayer and meditation will heal all illusionary self-inflicted problems we perceive. This will invoke tears of emotion. Ask that you and everyone who has harmed you be forgiven. When you combine the essence of God contained within your heart with the emotion of compassionate love you will be completely and totally healed of any adverse human condition. You will then be moved to extend your love and service to others. This is our purpose on earth, for this is spiritual growth and why we are here. This will begin to heal your life of lack and fear and you will know you are healed on a soul level.

In terms of physical healing, asking that the problem be healed cannot happen because the fear in itself that created the sickness is an illusion. Illusions cannot be healed or eradicated by making them real. If we want release from fear then we finally need to recognize where the original cause lies in our minds, not outside of us. The only way to heal these perceived illusions is to ask that the Divine heal your illusion of the fear that created the sickness and shift your mind to truth.

When we offer help to others unconditionally we give and do not consider our own lives and make it about us. When you listen with an open mind and open heart you are offering love. And love is the only power that truly heals on all levels. And remember what you do for others you are essentially doing for yourself because there is no one else out there. To achieve true power and success in your life you must empower others. It is truly ourselves we are empowering with these acts because we are one. This is the surrender of our ego to know giving is receiving.
The Ego wants to keep us separate by believing in fear, judgment and guilt. We must understand there are no such things, there is only ignorance of the truth and that is all wrong acts are a cry for Love. Knowing this truth we will see there is no evil for evil is the belief that we are separate from God. The Ego believes that by casting judgment and guilt onto others that we ourselves are no longer guilty. It believes that by casting the guilt and blame onto others we ourselves are free from punishment. It is deluding us to believing in separation. For to have no guilt, judgment or resentments we are free of the illusions of this world. We realize our total Union and oneness. This is total liberation and enlightenment.

We are here to uncover the illusion of this world which is that we are not separate from others and we are all one for we are the Divinity of God. We will discover who we are as we give unconditional love from the heart to heal each other from this illusion of separation and we will all ascend into oneness together. This is when all is one and one is all.

Uranus in the sign of Pisces will heal the issues people have with conflicting religious beliefs and find freedom from righteousness. There will be discoveries in space, and new a paradigm in health and healing will begin to heal our bodies, minds and spirits.

By the time we reach 2012 there will be a new world order that promotes a much better world to live in. We will understand it was necessary to go through the fire to get to the other side. 2009 has to be the year of transition. But we only learn through difficulty. That is our nature. We had to go through these growing pains to get here. I thank all the souls who sacrificed so much for us to see the reality of this lifetime. We are in this together and we are one.