The Transcending Urge

The Transcending Urge

"NO! Get away from those steps!" his mother screamed. While her intent was most likely based a loving concern for the child's safety, the energy was one of fear and possible anger... both energies that can be felt as attacks on a vulnerable being trying to find his or her way in this new world.

There are more positive ways to relate to one another than simply to react from fear or anger. We all have perhaps experienced the negative ways of parenting, both from the child's perspective and also in the parent's role. Hopefully, we have all had some experience along the journey of experiencing positive communication that respects one another as equal aspects of Life's One Being. Given specific responsibilities can bring out both love and fear. It is important for all in positions of responsibility to take time to start with a sense of Being and Love before we move into the actions of doing and living out our activities of service.

Do you wish to be a thwarter of other's growth and development and creative transcending? Or do you prefer to be one who affirms and empowers others on their path? Individuals and institutions have both played their part in the past of operating from a fear base that emphasizes the "no" rather than the "yes." Institutions, corporations, and other organizations have as part of their defined mission a goal of self preservation and survival that makes them basically ego-centric. This can be seen in industry, in military systems, in religious organizations, and of course in governmental bureaucracies. And it is certainly evident in our individual ego structures. It is part of the nature of survival and self-preservation.

Unless thwarted in specific ways by factors in our environment or genes, the tendency toward growth and development is a natural phenomenon. Given the needed nurturance, a child naturally moves from crawling to walking... and will most likely try to climb any set of steps he or she can find to explore the territory above. Of course the same is true about descending the basement stairs... all part of the natural inclination to explore the environment. Hopefully, there are caring guides present to help make the initial exploring adventures safe and positive experiences.

There seems to be a drive within to find that psychological or spiritual space that provides a sense of return home to the core of our being. It may be defined as looking for the missing piece... or perhaps being "chased by the hounds of Heaven."  It may not emerge for sometime as we are domesticated and taught to survive in the current ways of our tribe, culture, and interconnected world.  Tribal connections and tasks take precedence and are integrated into our personality as we enter this world dependent upon others.

In some ways, life seems paradoxical in our modern societies. We spend a good part of our lives being domesticated through tribal/cultural ritual and rules. Then we are educated to fit somewhere into the maze of our industrial and military systems or serving those who do or do not fit into those systems. It's all part of social living and social development. We are encouraged to develop strong survival skills and a strong ego so we can be successful in the world as it exists today. Then at some point... or perhaps at every point... we are aware that there is something that is missing ... some part of this Life puzzle that we haven't found yet. And we think that by looking for it in others, or in another job, or in another person, or in another place... we may magically stumble upon "it" ...the one "missing thing" that will make us happy, content, at peace.

This may be a necessary scenario to urge us on toward transcending our state of unfulfillment, despair, sadness, homesickness... or whatever you call(ed) it. So, first we are focused on developing our personal skills, talents, knowledge, etc to get along in the world... to make a living...to provide for ourselves and others. All good things... and in the process, we often lose touch with the very core of what is most important... the true sense of soul that is grounded in the larger Being of Life.

For our purpose here we can speak about two ways of looking at our life's orientation. One is focused on doing and one is focused on being. One is separate, individualized, and ego based which we might call the 'personal self.' The other is inclusive, interconnected and Love based which we might call the Transpersonal or Transcendent Self. In this case we do not mean to suggest that 'Transcendent' is above or better than the personal. I would suggest that everything is intricately tied together and that which at times appears transcendent to our experience is always within our experience since Life is not a duality but One. So the use of different terms is used for communicating differing aspects only. "Transcendent" might be considered as outside or beyond our current fields of experience and awareness.

As we read the spiritual masters from the various traditions, or read and listen to various current teachers of spiritual energies, or have various experiences of "the bigger picture," we see that there are differing orientations within the Oneness of Life. We can observe many who seem disinterested in spirituality and also many who seem satisfied in their own religious forms and institutions. And of course everyone seems to be on their individual paths, which we might assume is actually the case.

We might also consider that we are One in our individual and collective journey. We are part of a collective consciousness and a collective unconsciousness that holds the energies that are carried forth in the present moment. There are an infinite number of choices at any moment. People experience the stress and uncertainty of life and cope according to their own seeming preference. From accepting what is... to embracing what is... to being resigned to what is... to giving up on what is and finding solace in mind numbing forms of substances, food, sex, entertainment, or any other activity that can distract from the pain, sense of lostness, alienation, separation, unhappiness, etc.

Most of us have experience with these various states. People who would be considered very successful by most conventional standards may suddenly hit a wall and find their life meaningless. This has sometimes been labeled an "existential crisis" or a "crisis of meaning"... in which they find themselves in a condition in which none of their skills, talents, or intellect is of any help.

All religions have started with a person who dared to step beyond the tribal bounds... who dared to walk a different path to find some inner connection to that Life Source of energy and peace. They have left this physical world and are gone now. I would guess that each one of these spiritual beings was in touch with the same Life Energy and shared the essence of Being through their own filters of experience. The sacredness and mystery of Life seems universal. The Life Energy or Great Spirit or Holy Spirit of existence will never be caged or captured in institutional dogma or special books deemed holy and authoritative. The great Mystery and Life Source...often referred to as "God" ...is beyond words and the projections of the human mind.

We see that social religious institutions and groups can provide a real avenue for individuals to change and transcend their former activities. Then people often become attached to the form that helped them to Love and Forgive themselves and others and return to the present moment of freedom and a more fulfilling and abundant life. And then we also see that the social needs in us take over and we become attached to a specific form rather than remaining present in the Now. We see the separation that takes place when judgment enters creating 'us' and 'them.' Why do we need to cling to 'our' way, which become simply another ego attachment?

My guess is that we fall back into social convention and stagnating social forms because it is often difficult to stay in the present moment...to remain awake. It takes a trust and a certain willingness to accept that we do not know and can't control the future. Most organizations, as we can observe, are structured to remain stable which usually means they are not open to change in any significant way. God bless the form and individuals in our world who are open to change through feedback mechanisms other than money.

We see a polarity in most political systems of those who wish to make changes and those who want thing to either remain the same or somehow return to the past. Differences are a natural part of life and the best we can do at times is to do our best to live peacefully in the midst of the differences. Fear can motivate anyone and love, in its various forms, can also be a motivator us as well. And yet we are one as we consider the bigger picture.

Our ego structure is a natural and normal aspect of our development here on the planet Earth. "Ego structure" is also a concept... simply something we make up to try to communicate about a life process. One on the main dynamics of our personal ego is that it seems fairly well developed over time and also resists change. In this sense we could say there is an aspect of our psyche or make-up that wants to remain in-charge, stable, and the same. It wants to make sure that it protects this personality structure that it has spent years building. So the ego structure is like any other institution in that sense. It can be a great help in acting in the world around us... and it can be a great hindrance as we try to grow and change. It can resist the urging from Life's Deepest Energy or Source since it wants to assure its own supremacy. Thus, we can sometimes sense an internal conflict and battle waging.

Nightmares can be an indicator that something is trying to break into our conscious awareness from the depths of our personal or collective unconscious. The fear experienced can be seen as the ego fearing a loss of control or that its structure is being threatened. Jung and others suggested, and I agree from my own study and experience, that dreams help to convey things to our conscious mind that are not already known. When repressed or other unconscious material and energies are trying to be released, the ego freaks and we experience fear in our dreams and possible annihilation... All forms including our ego and personality structures are impermanent and yet the ego is like "a body at rest wanting to stay at rest" without change.

The urge toward transcendence is also an urge toward synthesis. Over time the process of growth and development tends to integrate more aspects of our personal functioning. People who were mostly cool-headed thinkers may find more of the emotional side emerging in the second part of life. Those more structured may become less so and feel more freedom to "go with the flow."  Those who were empirical-minded and believed only what they could observe may find their intuitive function popping up at unexpected times. Those who have been quite extroverted and outgoing, will probably discover more times when they enjoy solitude and quiet. And the opposites are equally possible. Life tends to balance out our early tendencies and different experiences can elicit the development of more latent abilities.

This process toward synthesis can be long and slow. It can also make rapid jumps at unexpected times. Most traditional psychological counseling has focused upon personality dynamics and the resolution and integration of energies to help a person function more satisfactorily in their life situations. Various approaches deal with issues in different ways. Some focus on getting the desired behavior while others attempt to release repressed emotions; some use talk therapy while others use dreams, hypnosis, visualization. Some rely on brief methods while others emphasize ongoing relationships with the 'professional.' The medical doctor of psychiatry may use various prescribed pharmaceuticals to try to alter the brain chemistry.

Since the 1960s there has been an increase in the teaching and practice of "spiritual psychology," sometimes referred to as "transpersonal psychology" or "transformative psychology."  As implied in the names, this form of guidance is open to a spiritual component. Jung was one of the first to express the notion that all healing must have an element of the "numinous" or spiritual energy involved. Roberto Assagioli, a contemporary and colleague of Jung and Freud, also emphasized the metaphysical or 'Higher Self" in the theories and practices of Psychosynthesis. There has always been "counseling" within the context of particular religions which tends to be guidance toward integrating the teaching of the religion in one's life and may also involve various forms of mediation and prayer.

The broader or more open forms of "transpersonal psychology" affirm the transformative possibility that the Deepest Life Energy or Spirit is an integral part of a satisfying life, without a strict interpretation of how Life energy is defined. Psychosynthesis, for instance, has sometimes been defined as an integration of eastern and western psychologies, philosophies, and religions... a truly eclectic and global approach which incorporates any methods and techniques that are helpful in the collaborative work of guide and client.

 We can say that the process of synthesis... the urge toward transcendence... is like a tree with its roots growing ever more solidly into the earth and the branches being drawn by the sun's light. There is richness in the tree or plant metaphor that could be the subject of an entire booklet in itself. De Chardin was a Catholic theologian and philosopher who, like Jung, Assagioli, and others postulated that each person is being drawn toward a place of wholeness. It has been called "teleology" which suggests the 'end point' or goal is a significant drive in our lives that urges us and draws us toward that "Mystery."

I am reminded that the center of the earth and the center of the Milky Way galaxy are both Fire... which can also be a symbol for Life Energy.

Our personal development can be viewed as that aspect of our lives that roots us in the earth, on the planet, in form... providing us with actual abilities to function in the world... to "DO"

Our spiritual development can be seen as being drawn toward the fullness of Life... the Source... to the Being to which we are all united as One. The more fully we can find our way home to this center within, waking to the present moment, then the more the richness of Spirit , of Life Energy will freely flow through form into action and service. Waking to Being ...Now...

Love and Peace,

John Hutchinson
November 5, 2010