I died as a mineral and
became a plant
I died as a plant and rose to animal
I died as an animal and I was Man
Why should I fear?
When was I less by dying?
Jaladdudin Rumi
In nature, the cycle of the seasons includes death,
sprouting, blossoming, bearing fruits, withering, death and rebirth. Every autumn old
leaves die, while being "reborn" in spring. We are part of nature, hence
following the same law.
In breathing, we should focus on the breathing out
(first). The more we let go into the nothingness of the pelvis area, the more powerful our
subsequent breathing in. The more thorough we die, the stronger our vitality. Most people
never really die, hence they don't live to the fullest.
In our body 25% of our cells is continuously dying,
50% is in a state of (relative) stability, while 25% is new. The dying cells are secreting
a substance, that promote the growth of the newborn. The miracle is this: without death,
no renewal.
Hence, fasting to be "the royal path toward
healing". By thorougly detoxifying your self, your bodymind rejuvenates. Again,
the more dying, old and sick substances, tissues and cells are destroyed, the greater the
chance for full recovery.
Death is a pre-requisite for balance....
In the female body, every month old blood and cells
are degenerating and excreted, refreshing the body with the purpose of offering a possible
child an optimal inner environment. Hence, "the mother dies" in order to make
new life possible.
This cycle corresponds not only with the Moon cycle,
but also and primarily! with the dynamics of the Cosmic Vacuum ("Womb"). In its
(her) Emptiness everythings dies in order to become reborn. Menstruating women are
therefore optimally resonating with the Cosmic Cycle.
The way men are connected to the Cosmic Cycle is by
continuous "death and rebirth" of their ego. Only then will they benefit from
the primordial energies governing their lives. Resonating with these energies is granting
you optimal regeneration, rejuvenation and strength.
Service and sacrifice are the highest possible
achievements of men. Unfortunately, men have put these qualities in the service of greed
for power and money. They thus became utterly corrupted. Men should urgently change aims
and goals. From self-centeredness to serving the Whole.
Thoughts come and go. The more awareness expands, the
sooner thoughts die into your inner space. The space is "negative", while
thoughts are "positive". The former appears to be more
"powerful"......Hence, the goal of the spiritual Path being "an empty
Mind".
Spiritual growth is continuously dying to the old. It
can be compared with body awareness exercises. E.g. starting with feeling your foot. Once
shifting to feeling your leg, the awareness of the foot as a separate entity has
disappeared. The smaller dissolves into the bigger.
We suffer "small deaths" all the time. We
have lived countless lives in this life, already. This process of renewal is ongoing.
That's why in pre-historic times the Vegetation God had to die every year on order to
guarantee a new fruitful season.
In Enlightenment the ego disappears into the Eternal
Light. In its turn, the Light dissolves into Absolute Nothingness or Cosmic Womb. Her
Bottomlessness is the greatest mystery in the universe. Surrender to Her and your rebirth
will be optimal.
"L'amour, c'est mourir un peu". It is a
French saying, meaning "love is to die a little". It can be compared with our
breathing experience. The more total your surrender (death), the more blissful your
ecstacy. If, on the other hand you hold back, frustration will be your deal.
The more you "forget yourself", the greater
the moment of bliss. Being "no more there" can be experienced in all situations
of life: sitting on a mountain, watching the sunset; surrendering to music; playing with
your children or working in the garden.
Giving is a kind of death too. By giving you empty
yourself. Space is created for something new to enter your Being. Accumulating, on the
other hand, is clogging your innermost core. Your cup is full. You miss the chance to
renew yourself.
To physically die is an Enlightenment experience.
First your most superficial layer - thinking - is dropped off. Subsequently, the emotional
layer dissolves. After that body-identification disappears. From that moment on you have
become timelessness, to be followed by the Eternal Light.
Not surprisingly thus, that mystics of all times have
emphasized this timeless experience: "die to the old and you will live". The
world turned upside down. (Ego)Death as the gate to life. It marks the hour of truth.
Will the wealthy Western world renew itself or not?
The deep reverence people have for e.g. the Black
Madonna is based on a primordial intuition, namely, that darkness is synonymus with the
regenerative power of the Ultimate. Indeed, from my own experience I know, that Light is
born out of Darkness.
The greatest fear is (existential) fear of
Nothingness. That's why many people identify with a Savior. Nothingness is the Essence of
the Divine, though. The irony: religion as a ritual to keep you away from God. Hence, true
God-people being a threat to the church.
Hence, the fundamental difference between "born
again" and "rebirth". The former is lost, confused and full of despair. He
or she doesn't have "anything to cling to". "Born again" consists of
finding an outer object - savior/belief - with which one can identify. He or she is then
"saved".
The greater the despair, the more "firm"
your belief. They are two sides of the same coin. These sentiments can easily be exploited
by ruthless "religious" leaders (USA), aiming at taking advantage, lust for
power, fanaticism and revenge. True religion is based on freedom, commitment and
compassion, though.
The key characteristic of fundamentalists is the
inability/refusal to "die". This remains unconscious, though. Existential fear
(of Nothingness) therefore accumulates. This is projected in the "other", the
latter subsequently perceived as "threat". Stress-release is sought by
fighting/killing the "adversaries".
"Rebirth" on the other hand, is exactly the
opposite of being "born again". Rather than being lost, you feel imprisoned by
your ego. Its starting point is not looking for identification, but the longing to drop
it. Hence, the need to be freed from clinging, and to find your True Self.
Capitalism is the refusal to die. Instead, it is a
flight ahead. The fear creates the greed for more. The inner emptiness has to be filled
with accumulations of all kinds. "Profit", "progress",
"expansion" are the expressions of a system that will die because it didn't want
to.......
In fact, Christianity has laid the foundations for
this. By making Jesus the God "who died for us in order to redeem us" the Church
deprived us from our most essential core: personal regeneration through dying to the old
in order to become reborn. That's why we could focus our life on "business as
usual"
Historian A.Toynbee has described the rise and fall
of some twenty different civilizations. They all had a common denominator: death, birth,
flowering, decay and rebirth. Our Western societies are in a stage of decay. Intelligent
people understand the meaning of it. They consider it as an invitation to "dying to
the old".
This is the reason the Great Mother has revealed
Herself. Without understanding of Her Vacuum and "Law of the Universe", the age
of decay would be incomprehensable e.g. unacceptable. Thanks to Her we are able to
cooperate with Her wisdom, in order to renew ourselves.
In a way, those in despair "have already
died". They have nothing to go by. This group of people will only increase. They long
for "restructuring their lives". Hence, the urgency of offering perspective. How
to cope with (moral) decay, abuse, meaninglessness, isolation, deprivation and alienation?
Death and rebirth are not ends in themselves. Once
renewed, we have to become part of Mother's web of life - Heaven, earth and the (new)
community - once again. It is the foundation of a new society, centered around
interconnectedness, cooperation, love and respect.
Our initiative has to include the promise of a total
Transformation of Self and Society. First of all, by helping people to (re)find their True
Selves, while subsequently rebuilding their lives. It is a process of drawing concentric
circles to the family, the workplace, the neighborhood etc.
The global crisis will only help us in overcoming
major obstacles. Aren't we standing with our backs against the wall? We have no choice,
but to change. The challenge is to not loosing our humanity. Instead, overcoming the
crisis should be equal to making a "new step in evolution".
The way out should be offering a true perspective,
recognizable for large groups of people. We have called this the "Healing the Planet
in 7 Steps" Initiative. It is a guideline for rebuilding your life. Together, we will
create a new world. Commitment is dearly needed.
It is up to you.
Back
In order to have a full overview of the
work,
we recommend you to first going back to the beginning of
Han Marie Stiekema's website.
Please, click HOME and proceed from there.
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