A Puzzling Paradox of Purpose
By Mary Cook, M.A., R.A.S.
We are born with divine light shining in our eyes. We are blessed, united, wide open and whole. There is no end to our potential, we behold everything with awe. From our original home, we bring unbounded love, unbridled joy and bountiful peace. We are here because our soul yearns to grow.
So we descend into the uncertain garden, forgetting our purpose and plan. We begin to feel fear more than peace. Instead of unity, we notice separation, jealousy and judgment. Often we see more pain and sorrow than joy, and more abandonment, abuse and hatred than love. Our vision darkens and we see ourselves as inferior and incomplete. We become shadows on the earth with barely a glimmer of the higher truth.
Experiencing significant pain can lead us to believe that life is a battlefield and choice lies in the degree of energy we invest to build fortresses of protection and armaments of destruction. Energy additionally goes into finding false substitutes for peace, unity, joy and love. Sickness, ignorance and fear now hold tremendous power over us. This is how we invite more negative experiences into our life. Who we are becomes the story of life’s damaging blows coiling around us like a deadly python. The more we attempt to appease or fight this snake, the less we recall of our divine origin.
And yet ultimate impending doom can open us up to solutions. It is not our physical death, but the death of this paradigm of living, that offers us hope. Brilliant discoveries and inventions come to those who think outside the given constructs of reality. What enables us to do this, is an awareness of consciousness existing apart from our mind and personality. When we witness ourselves in thought, feeling or action and begin to question the effectiveness of how we are living, we find a key. We are not merely physical minds and bodies. There is something greater than this, observing us.
We typically do not question the meaning of life or our individual purpose when we sit on the comfortable sidelines of contentment. Long leaps forward are neither contemplated nor attempted without a metaphorical fire at our heels. Autonomy and personal freedom are far more precious following a period of enslavement. Feeling the pressure and constraint of deceit can cultivate a deeper commitment to honesty and openness. Abuse and abandonment can awaken greater love and compassion.
We must think beyond our five senses, our mind, and society’s norms, for these transformations to occur. The more we are dissatisfied with life, the more changes we must make within ourselves to correct this. What is familiar, habitual and seemingly protective, drains us of our true life force.
The earthly duality presents a puzzling paradox. Since all things exist, how can we remain aware and make conscious healthy choices without taking up arms against the opposite side? How can we live in harmony with love and hate, harming and healing? This answer lies in learning to see the deeper truth and growing beyond its disguises.
All actions communicate something important. Negative actions communicate what we feel happened to us, and how we are stuck there. When we aren’t able to verbally state this in meaningful understandable ways to others, we are drawn to act it out. If I have been bullied, humiliated and rejected and feel unable to communicate the pain of these experiences to others, I may treat others in these ways so that they develop a personal understanding. Or if I am afraid of others’ reactions to this behavior, I may mistreat myself. In both cases, I am communicating in actions, that I have been hurt, have lost trust, and remain stuck in this painful place because no-one understands me and the help that I need.
Once we realize there is a deeper level of communication and understanding, we are free to make choices that do not cause harm to ourselves and others. When we believe that we are spiritual beings temporarily in a physical body for purposes of learning and growth, we can see painful experiences as a sign that love is blocked. Walking through these experiences allows us to understand more completely, the profound effect of specific deprivations and abuses. When we commit to a thorough examination of ourselves and our lives, this allows us to determine and learn to demonstrate the highest form of transformation from these painful experiences.
Mature love does not offer pollyanna sentiment or coercive schemes. Mature love arises from deeply seeing, understanding and valuing ourselves and others. We cannot live the answers to our questions until we have sufficiently lived and understood the problems. It is through this process of living, learning and transforming, that we discover and attain our unique purpose in this life.
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WWW.MARYCOOKMA.COM Mary Cook is the author of “Grace Lost and Found: From Addictions and Compulsions to Satisfaction and Serenity”, available from Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, etc. She has 36 years of clinical practice and 29 years of university teaching experience. She is a national speaker and has a private practice in San Pedro, CA. Mary is available for telephone and office counseling, guided meditation, speaking engagements and in-service training. Contact her at MaryCookMA@att.net and see website for further information.
