Responding to Demaz Alexis comments on Lesson 8 Audio Assignment Posting # 7156 and Sebai Maa’s response
There are a few things that I found interesting about what Demaz Alexis had to say in relation to lesson 8 Audio assignment.
First, I agree with him when he says that “the battle of Set is within us and not outside of us. The outside is only a manifestation of our state of mind resulting from the combined effects of the Arius”. I think it is important for us to be mindful of this particularly at those times when we lose control and, for instance, get angry and then mistakenly see the person that we are angry with as the cause of our anger. In doing so, we often project unto the world emotions that reside within the self thus blaming our degraded behavior on external agents rather than taking responsibility for it realizing that it is a result of our own Arius and the reality we have created for ourselves. I also found interesting what Sebai Maa had to say in terms of pointing out that this Arius may not be due only to the experiences in our current lifetime but also the results of past lifetimes. I am not sure what implications this has for us still being responsible for how such Arius are expressed in the present but I would think that the responsibly still resides with us and that we are accountable for Arius created in our past lives.
Secondly, I can relate to what Demaz Alexis said about being “prudent and not generate negative Ariu in the manner in which we tell the truth which should be in a manner that brings a higher good”. I remember Sebai Maaa making this point also which for me is most relatable based on some experiences I have recently had. In reflecting on these experiences I see where the “truth” that I was expressing to someone may have been partly ego based since I do not think that I was mindful of the impact it would have had on the person to whom I communicated it and that it resulted in a higher good. It makes me realize that one must be reflective of what we thing is truth being mindful of how it may impact the other person before we express it to them.
Thirdly, I also found interesting Demaz Alexis discussion of how we know when we are progressing on the path which he said is, in part, based on intuitional realization. Sebai Maa then pointed out that signs of progress is also based on experiencing an inner peace expansiveness and that this is detectable as one becomes more sensitive about inner processes. This issue is interesting to me at this particular time since I do feel that I am making progress based on the indicators previously discussed but I am also cautious and mindful that our desire to believe that we are progressing can also be delusionary. More specifically, I see where I need to be careful that my intellectual understanding of the teachings does not lead to a state of ego inflation whereby the expansion of consciousness that I may sometimes experience may not be grounded on a self that is sufficiently purified and the result of practicing the teachings in an integral fashion. Such expansiveness may instead be reflective of ego inflation or even if authentic, is still not sustainable because of not conducting the practice in an integral manner. This point I think was later made by Sebai Maa when he said that much of the content of Demaz Alexis’s essay reflect the aspirations of the Aspirant but from a practical point of view cannot be expected to be attained by a beginning Aspirant who is not sufficiently purified and grounded in the teachings. I do agree with this sentiment and that one should take much caution in how one proceeds with the practice as one may experience negative psychological consequences if it is not done in an integral fashion. I think this is my biggest challenge at present which I am trying to work on.
Additional Comments
I am recently finding that what appears to be an expansion in consciousness that I have recently been experiencing is accompanied by two things 1) I feel that the world in some way feels threatened and is disapproving and sometimes respond in ways that make you feel like prohibiting it’s expression 2) Also this expansion is accompanied by what feels like a diminution in ego strength and which sometimes impacts how effectively I am able to function in the world. I sometimes feel that my grip on external reality is somewhat tenuous which gives me greater which sometimes scares me but gives me greater insight into how such conditions as schizophrenia which my sister has had most of her life has a spiritual basis. It is just that in her case her consciousness is not integrated and because it is not purified then the Sethian dimension of her personality dominates which further alienates her from the world. Such a realization causes me to have a greater understanding of her condition and resultantly greater compassion. There is however a part of me that fears that happening to me also which makes me even more convinced of the need to purify oneself. In doing so I recently find the need to fast which causes me to feel more purified but at the same time the sense of purity that I believe I am experiencing make me want to fast in a more compulsive way which may not be balanced since the compulsivity of it make me question whether or not this is particularly good for my spiritual enhancement as I may not be doing it in an integrated fashion.
