Home | About Us | Publications | Articles | Translations | Ordering

Chapter Twelve

Life

It is important to first understand what life means and what it entails if you are going to attempt to change your personal life. Life does not belong to the first Creation described in the last chapter but rather is added to it. Before Life appeared, the universe consisted of a process of the dispersion of Energy. Our planet was formed and gave up much of its heat and energy. Materials that would react together did so and gave up their individual energies, the outer layer of the earth cooled and solidified. The world was settling into equilibrium. But then Life suddenly appeared and was able to reverse this deadening loss of order and available energy called Entropy.

Two different forms of life appeared quite suddenly on the scene. One form could absorb the relatively feeble energy of the sun and use it to combine inert carbon dioxide, water, and minerals from the ground into a concentrated fuel or food. The other form of life consumed the fuel to become mobile and free to move about with capabilities for using the fuel to change the face of the world. In order to do both of these, Life had to create special molecules called enzymes to extract and concentrate energy for the stationary plant life as well as other enzymes to obtain energy from the fuel for the mobile animal form. The creation of the enzymes had to appear simultaneously with the two life forms.

The activity of the enzymes is controlled within both life forms by an inner control system with data that is contained within DNA molecules. This gives individuality and freedom to both life forms. For instance, plants can optimize their growth and then survive during the night without sun. Animals can eat and then move freely according to their inner data. Within both life forms exists an individual expression of Law or data to which can be added new Law if required. Higher life forms give evidence of their individuality with physical characteristics such as form, height, strength and mental capability differing from others within their own species. Variation in an individual characteristic such as the height of an oak tree follows what is called a normal distribution law that is a further characteristic of higher life forms.

Most life forms are able to control their future to some extent. Some plants are able to project new growth into greater sun exposure or roots toward increased water supply. In general, life forms must control their future if they are to survive. This can be stated as: life forms that can adapt and change to future demands will survive, whereas those that cannot will probably die. In this endeavor, variations in each life form assist or hinder .

Another interesting aspect of the higher and more complex life forms is that although they are highly individualistic they must also exist in nearly perfect union with other life forms. Nature attempts to remain in balance and will quickly restore harmony by shifting some individual characteristics such as rate of procreation, dormancy, sociability, stamina, strength or endurance in the affected species. The slight shifting of individual characteristics over a large population and over an extended period of time results in large changes that are able to counter any imbalances.

This slight shifting of individual characteristics can also take place under intentional direction over a prolonged period of time . A parent, for instance, keeps introducing new things to a child very slowly over a period of time without losing the union or relationship with the child. Similarly, political and religious viewpoints change very slowly without the majority of the people being aware of it. Any attempt to suddenly change anything is however met with resistance. As an example, it is not possible to suddenly change your viewpoint about a person or to change your taste in food.

The ancient Greeks had a very good description of life that can further add to the above discussion. Life to them was evidenced by growth or puffing up coupled with a very subtle exhalation of something. As an example, unconscious persons can be tested for life by holding a smooth surface such as a mirror or a piece of glass up to their nostrils and observing if a fine condensation of moisture appears on the surface. This same phenomenon was also observed with plants. Growth and exhalation therefore characterized life. The Greek word for growth was orgao which means to swell and exude moisture from which comes our word organic.

The power of some individuals to change their world was explained by the ancient Greeks as being due to the manner in which they breathed. Powerful people such as warriors, orators, people expressing strong emotions or exerting themselves had one characteristic in common. This characteristic was the manner in which they exhaled. Plants and weak individuals had a rhythmic, slow and gentle breath, but the powerful people had a very forceful and deep exhalation that came from their lower body instead of from their chest. The power was attributed to the forced breath just as life had been attributed to a gentle exhalation. This deep forceful breath called pneuma in Greek or Spirit in Latin, became identified with the inner drive or power of an individual.

In the modern world, it seems strange to equate an individual's spirit to a particular breath, since the modern thinking would be that any breath follows or is caused by the brain's response to an outer situation. The thinking brain is considered to be in charge and controls the body whereas the ancient model required the brain to respond to the breath or inner spirit. The controlling aspect of the spirit will be discussed in more detail in Chapter Twenty, but for now, it can be pointed out that the ancient's model may be far more accurate than the modern thinking. The power of the breath can be briefly introduced now with the simple reference to the times in which you encountered some new dynamic situation in which your first response was to gasp with a forced breath. Following this gasp, you many times felt that you were taken over by the situation and your brain and body responded in some uncontrolled manner.

The nature of breathing became important to our ancestors. India perhaps led the world in the development of a science of using the breath to invigorate the body and mind called pranayama which means control of the life force .

The source of the higher power, evidenced by the forced power exhalation, was universally considered to be in the belly, bowels, or lower abdominal region. This region was considered to be the seat or heart of power, passion, and creativity in developed individuals. Even in the modern world you hear of individuals speaking of 'gut' feelings, 'gut churning' as well as inspiration 'rising from the guts'. Further, the modern world associates the use of the breath as a method of calming the emotions by taking a deep breath, relaxing and letting the breath exhale slowly or by holding the breath. One interesting sign of leadership in a group can be observed by listening to the conversations. The leader will invariably speak with a lower pitched voice and with a more forced exhalation. Listen to someone, for instance, who is wishing to control or take command, his voice will lower in pitch with more exhalation. Ironically, almost everyone in the modern world has been conditioned starting at an early age to pull their tummy in, tighten their anus, and to breathe in their upper chest, all of which prevent the full usage of the exhalation.

One very early definition of a human being indicated another aspect of an individual that has been lost through the centuries. The Greeks called humans anthropos that is derived from the word for an individual, aner , and the word for looking at something with wonder or receptivity and openness, optomal . The higher forms of a human were therefore able to fully see and were more than just physically resembling an individual anthro-poid . Optomal is more than observing, but is also associated with learning, being changed or being overwhelmed by that which is looked at . The ability to see something clearly without your own bias or expectation is not however, a common characteristic of the individual in the modern society who is conditioned to only see in part with a particular bias. As a simple example, it is very difficult for most people to see their family members or friends as they truly are. This is evidenced by the fact that they are seen as unchanging from day to day despite the fact that they are changing as much as the observer. The ancients found that special exercises or practices were necessary to see individuals and things as they truly are, such as being able to see an enemy as no different from your friend, to see your mother as no different from a woman on the street, or yourself as no different from a beggar or famous celebrity.

The above characteristic of looking with openness can be exemplified when you are attempting to impress some friends with a story about yourself. You watch their face very carefully to observe whether you are telling the story improperly and adjust your style of telling the story depending upon their observed facial expressions. This simple introduction into control can then be seen as looking, optomal, and changing the driving force, pneuma, to reach the desired goal.

The looking, the driving force and the goal are not normally easily perceived and, in fact, are generally hidden under the veneer of being civilized or of being controlled externally by your society. In general, what you see when you look is what you expect, desire or fear. The driving force of life is tightly suppressed by years of conforming to acceptable activity levels with surrounding people and interactions. The goal is generally already formulated tightly in your mind as to what you and the world should be. The ability to formulate new goals is also suppressed with a very limited and rigid image of your self and world.

In order to change your self and world and become more full of life, it is obvious that you must be able to fully 'see' a world as it is to become and then activate yourself in the new world to change it. The next chapter will discuss how the aspect of seeing can be changed by your view of the future or your goal.

The Ancient Individual Control System

PRE-SPIRIT             DATA           Muladhara Chakra

SPIRIT                                             Svadishthana Chakra

SOUL COMPARATOR                  Manipura Chakra

 SENSORS

SELF          ACTUATOR (will)      Anahata Chakra

                     CONVERTERS

                      Interaction                 Vishuddha Cakra

                      Manifesting                Ajna Cakra

                       SPIRITUAL               Sahasrara Cakra

LAW AND ENERGY (Back to top of Table)

Home | About Us | Publications | Articles | Translations | Ordering

Comments and questions: webmaster@personaldevcenter.com
Copyright ©1998-2007 Personal Development Center
All rights reserved.