beyond control “… voluntary simplicity is the best road to health, happiness, justice, and humanity’s survival …” ~ Kabir Helminski
Can we – in our everyday life – see the Divine in everyone ? … everywhere … ? … can we experience oneness ? … or, at a practical level, can we become the unifying solution to the ills of our self-interest driven life ? … that is promoted (directly or indirectly) by the “… forces that facilitate the control system that continually divides and oppresses humanity …”
A unifying solution that – Kabir Helminski might say – lets us “… integrate the personal dimension of consciousness with … the unitive level of consciousness …” …
Helminski is well versed in such human potential through his own life work of several decades : immersion in Rumi – and Sufism. Rumi, was known to be “drunk with the Divine” and consequently saw the Divine everywhere – not just in the sacred but also in the profane … in the extraordinary and the mundane … all of which is well recorded in his poetry – uttered over the last 30 years of his life! Rumi’s “universality” was also honored by the fact that representatives from all the major traditions were present at his funeral.
Helminski’s latest book, The Mysterion “… deepens our appreciation for {Rumi’s} teachings by illuminating both the practical psychological dimension behind them, as well as the universal spiritual truths they offer about what it means to be human. …” … The title Mysterion is most apropos as it refers to “… the unifying concept that bridges the human and the divine …”
We began a 2-part series offering a substantive preview of this book through excerpts of the entire chapter, Oneness on the World Stage …
… in Part 1 Helminski shares his thoughts on Seeing the Divine in All and the Practice of Oneness … and articulates the real challenges and dilemma of embracing oneness, both individually and collectively … and then lays the groundwork for …
… the potential, practical “solution” offered in this post – the concluding part 2.
Also, we highly recommend you read Helminski’s Preface: Rumi and Humanness and more via the look inside link on the book’s summary page.
This series is part of our ongoing Shambhala Publications series that offers substantive previews of selections from Shambhala Publications new and classic titles …
All italicized text here is adapted from The Mysterion: Rumi and the Secret of Becoming Fully Human by Kabir Helminski, © 2023 by Kabir Helminski. Reprinted in arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO. Shambhala Publications has also generously offered a free downloadable PDF of the Table of Contents (link is at the bottom of the post).
You can purchase the book at Shambhala Publications or Amazon.
Beyond Opposites: The Unifying Solution …
The Custodians of Consciousness
There are Sufis, and mystics of all traditions, who have been among the “custodians of consciousness”—those who maintain and benefit from an awareness of higher levels of reality.
They can integrate the personal dimension of consciousness with the imaginal and the unitive levels of consciousness. They have perceived that everything in existence reflects consciousness, intelligence, and eternal life. As custodians of consciousness. they move through life with humility, patience, intuitive awareness, and love.
The custodians of consciousness bear a special responsibility. There has always been a certain portion of humanity whose level of consciousness is relatively free of the biases, superstitions, jealousies, and self-righteousness that enslave so much of humanity. These custodians are the mystics, the gnostics, the peacemakers, the wise, whose hearts and minds are less contaminated with the toxins of egoism. If the custodians of consciousness increase in number, humanity might be turned in a different direction.
It should not be unrealistic for nations and communities to live and function without making self-interest into a primary strategy and instead seeking the benefit of all.
If, on the other hand, nations exclusively pursue their own national self-interest, resorting primarily to force, subterfuge, and information dominance, then we will continue to create a world like the one we have. We will continue to be dominated by a hidden elite, those who have mastered the strategies of control and power.
The activist who becomes enraged by the abuse of the truth they see and who self-righteously adopts an aggressive, oppositional stance in the argument will inevitably create an opposite reaction. Blinded by self-righteousness, which is a merely self-satisfying aspect of ego, they fail to see that they are driving away exactly the unity they intend to achieve. It must be remembered that our struggle is not against people but against those forces that facilitate the control system that continually divides and oppresses humanity.
“Them and us” is a dangerous concept. There’s only us. We are one human family.
We are all the “children of Adam (and Eve).” Or as the poet and musician Baraka Blue wrote in a recent social media post, “All I’m really saying is that this ‘us’ vs. ‘them’ has got us in the situation we are in. We have to see everyone as ‘us.’ And we have to start with ‘us.’ If we blame ‘them’ we have already lost. We will never be safe until everyone in this global village is our family. Until everyone is ‘us.’ France is us and Palestine is us and Ferguson is us and Mali is us. I believe in us, and I love us, but I weep for us for what we do to us in the name of us.”
The control system has increasingly maintained its power through the omnipresent great Lie: mind control in its many forms, the debt-based economic system, tactics of “divide and conquer” leading to perpetual war. The primary strategy in confronting the dominant culture would be to remove its primary weapons of control. Foremost among them is the fiat monetary system that has created a monopoly of money creation. Not only has this allowed a group of insiders to profit profligately, but it is the mechanism by which perpetual war can be financed. Certain governments would not be able to spend virtually infinite amounts of money to finance the military machine if it were not for the ability to create “money” out of thin air and make future generations pay.
The laws of reality, however, will not permit an egoic system to survive indefinitely, but unfortunately its end may be painful for the innocent as well as the guilty. On the one hand, it may appear, if we take a hard, honest look at those who maintain such strategies, that they seem to be ruthless, heartless, without empathy, virtually human in form alone. On the other hand, we cannot discount the possibility that there are enough people, even among those serving a control system, who have hearts, no matter how cold they may be, and that these hearts can be awakened.
The strategic question then becomes, how do we place ourselves beyond the argument, beyond the clash of opposites? How do we become the unifying solution?
Keeping our spirits up is a spiritual practice. No matter how dark it may seem, the light is growing. Deaths by war and oppression during the twentieth century were estimated at 203,000,000. Despite the horrors of the present moment, the human situation is improving. Instead of being shocked at the obliviousness of many, we can keep a sense of humor, laugh at the stupidity of evil, keep striving, and keep our spirits up.
Sufis will recall the story from the time of the Prophet Muhammad of a crude Bedouin who relieved himself in the mosque, causing a disruption among the companions who then wanted to give the Bedouin a thorough thrashing. But Muhammad ended the argument by cleaning up the mess himself, telling his companions, “We have been sent to make things easy, not difficult. Make it easy, don’t make it difficult.”
The question remains: How do we place ourselves beyond the argument? How do we move beyond the predator/prey syndrome? How do we bring wisdom and spiritual reconciliation into a world like ours?
Might it be possible to live in such a state that we can say, “We are the enemy of no one”? Those who appear to be our enemies are actually enemies of themselves, for they are creating their own suffering, imprisoned in their own illusions and negativity.
The Divine Way should be a way of mutual support, human solidarity, sharing, and true happiness.
If enough people can step into this reality, it may become clear that this happiness and virtue is a better strategy than seeking self-interest and power over others. But above all, it will become clear that spiritual laws exist and those who violate them will face consequences. Spiritual laws have a power of their own, greater than the powers of manipulation, exploitation, and domination.
In a world where so many billions of humans lack the basic conditions for a healthy and honorable life, what justification is there for the pursuit of more and more wealth only for ourselves and our families?
The systems and structures of competition, exclusion, privilege, and domination only compound the world’s miseries. Eventually more and more of those who have been invested in the false reality will simply see the suffering they are creating for themselves and others, and simply walk away from it all.
Whether you identify with Buddha, Jesus, or Muhammad, you have an exemplar that did not make material accumulation a priority. The way of voluntary simplicity is the best road to health, happiness, justice, and humanity’s survival.
~ Kabir Helminski
Stay tuned for more substantive previews of other books (both new and classic) in this ongoing Shambhala Publications series …
All italicized text here is adapted from The Mysterion: Rumi and the Secret of Becoming Fully Human by Kabir Helminski, © 2023 by Kabir Helminski. Reprinted in arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO.
And, click here for the free, downloadable PDF of the Table of Contents.
You can purchase the book at Shambhala Publications or Amazon.
And, may you realize Helminski’s … unifying solution … in your life … and …
May you remain safe and healthy.