Picking Power–And Its Consequences
A lesson for me that may be useful for others.
By John Dorsey Wolf
There are many kinds of power that thrive in our 21st century American materialistic society. For example: money power; idolizing power of entertainers, sports figures, supermodels; political power; power of position or job authority, and powers to govern and protect.
It is not uncommon to witness these powers being sought in excess or abused. Beliefs in a dead-end universe, where life is accidental and without meaning; where life ends at death with no spiritual realms or existence of spiritual beings; where we exist alone and isolated to fend for ourselves for food, clothing, shelter, health, and physical safety exacerbate fears that fuel excesses and abuses.
Our society breeds other kinds of powers as well: creative, entrepreneurial, pioneering, self-initiating, competitive, risk-taking, paradigm-shifting powers with emphasis on independence and freedom of choice for every individual. There are powers of support, compassion, and respect that can be energized.
Yet there are many people (including me) who feel powerless at one time or another. They do not feel in control of their lives, their own welfare, or that of their family. They feel powerless in the face of man-made or natural disasters, greed, diseases, recessions, corruption, oppression, racism, violence and abuse.
In response to our feelings of powerlessness, what kind of force do we (meaning me and my strands) seek? How do we go about getting it? And what kind of mind do we form in the process?
(The following is a different perspective on power, associated with one of my strands, an African matriarch.)
“You might say she lived in poverty. But that wouldn’t be correct. She did live without wealth. She did not have material trappings. But she had all she needed and lived a life that had a depth of love, experience, dedication and loyalty that would not be possible in a more complex materialistic culture.
She knew of powers beyond hers and other humans. She was aware of other humans who dealt with these powers, but her life centered on a faith that the land, the animals, the tribe, and life itself would supply what was needed. Her family was self-sustaining. They farmed and they hunted. They brought home food as necessary to live, but only that, and never in excess. The clothes they wore were largely made by themselves.
Their expectations were simple: to live for each other, to love each other, to support each other, to share in the work of life to make living as a family and a tribe possible. If death came, it came, and there was an acceptance, without judgement of fairness, or duration, or quality. She accepted life and feared not death.
Death held no power over her. Money held no power over her. Losing a standard of living or quality of life held no power over her, because it was what it was, and nothing was accumulated to lose.
She was steadfast in her role as the family matriarch. She was strength to her family’s culture, how they respected each other, how they approached their own life, how they worked together in silent symphony. She was the steady, day-in day-out, season to season leader, through the ups and downs. But she did not lead by authority: she led because she knew the way to be and it was clear to all that her way was the best way. Quiet, calm, lasting.
Hers was not the job of protector, but she had faith and confidence in those whose role it was. She found little value in fearing enemies, albeit there were few.
What can you learn from her about power? (The following answer came with the question.)
The power that comes from freedom from fear. The power that comes from an acceptance of what is. The power that comes from a confidence in self, that what you are able to do is enough. The power that comes from lack of want of fame, or fortune or notoriety. The power to be herself with her family and her tribe as expressed from the inside out. The power of not needing to know more, but a wisdom that what was necessary to know would be given. The power of being at peace with life.”
The power of the African matriarch is an eternal power, a power of Love and faith. Its an allowance of flow of the greatest and purest energy there is, the Love of Spirit, through oneself and through others, with the intent being: it doing its will. It happens naturally when there is alignment of interest with the greater being.
Nevertheless, the level of complexity and pioneering or entrepreneurial power will be likely more active in a mind produced in the 21st century than one produced in the time and place of the matriarch.
If one believes in a dead-end universe and that we are isolated in a materialistic world, one’s search for power could gravitate to a me-first, enough is never enough, dog-eat-dog mentality.
Alternatively, if we believe that we are part of a greater reality; we are part of a greater consciousness; and we are preparing our mind for an eternal non-physical existence, then our decisions about power will be different.
Different times, places, and cultures are conducive to the production of different kinds of minds with different approaches to power. Power itself is neither bad nor good. It’s the motives behind the power seeking that matter. What is the nature of the mind that is formed with those motives? What is the future potential and the value of the gift of that mind when it emerges into eternal life?
As an example, what if a mind is formed with a dominant value of monetary wealth and power. What does that mind bring to non-physical realms where monetary wealth doesn’t exist?
When we are able to become powerful via Love instead of fear and want, we are able to construct a very different mind—a different soul—and a different home for that soul after there is no longer a body.
It’s always a choice. When it comes to the mind, we reap what we sow.
John
Note:
(1) An overall flavor of this material I got is that there is NOT only one kind of mind power useful and valuable to consciousness, even though it all originates from a single Source. Each life brings opportunity for realizing new potential.
(2) I asked at the beginning of this multi-day discussion, “Is this going to be another one of those theoretical discussions?” The ready answer was, “It’s only theoretical when you don’t put it into practice! Remember there are aspects that you can make real (for all of us) that we can only theorize.”
Beautiful. Thanks, John.
(From Craig)
Hey, John! Some good thoughts and ideas here! I’ve been struggling w/ these questions, esp. this year, quite frequently. What I’ve come to realize is that I’ve allowed myself to be “cowed in fear”, by the opinions of some others (directly known, or written, e.g.), instead of “setting sail from the harbor” to go and find out for myself. It seems to have to do with these opinions coming from those w/ “letters after their names”. I still do get scared at times, even when my own inner “B.S. detector” is screaming at me for attention!
I was in a family of intellectuals; just to be brief, I asked my own Guys Upstairs early this morning, when having trouble falling back to sleep, if I’d known two of my family members (who both got PhDs, and became Zen Buddhists–one has since passed, and shows up in dreams occasionally) in a “previous” life-time. I “got” that, in my military life of “Leonard Levoissier” (who I was told about in dream about 10 years ago), I had a long career (1813-56) in some military (“French Canadian”, is my impression, but I think that timeframe was prior to “Canada” being an entity–at least on this timeline) branch. My Mom and Godfather were soldiers who served under me; I sent them into battle; they died. Could be “I’m making all this up”, but I “got back” the question, “Just WHO is this ‘who’, making up the story?” Something for me to ponder, anyway…also, I possibly had two other military-related life-threads, again “prior to” my current life-group. More to ask; it’s a fascinating process, esp. when looked at w/ the idea that we are composed of a myriad of “life-strands”!
Hope you are well, and enjoying the holidays!
Craig
Hi Craig,
Great to see you back online. Yeah, I’m with you. Sometimes those letters behind the name can become a liability to open learning. If we could jettison all our doubts, we would move faster, and at Frank’s encouragement, I have given some background on my struggles with stoppages and doubts that will be shared on his site here. What’s good is that Frank has set a tone where difficulties become just part of the territory. There is only one person you need to trust–yourself.
John
…indeed, “those letters”…Amongst (to me) the most horrifying of opinions from these “lettered” sorts, are those which imply that things such as NDEs, OBEs, and even what we’re trying to do here are just “delusional/illusions/hallucinations”, and then add some “zinger”, such as “we’re merely biological machines, evolving w/ no purpose whatsoever”…I guess that’s (somehow) comforting for those folks, but not me!
The “horror” is my own subjective reaction, of course, but sometimes encountering such opinions just makes me more determined to “find out for myself”. My trick now is to set such voices aside, “to my lower right, in my ‘Skeptico corner’,” as I named it the other night, where they serve as a reminder to keep asking deeper questions.
I’m still working w/ “daily gratitude” exercises, and opening myself to synchronicities/serendipitous meetings during the day; I feel these help “strengthen my Uplink awareness””…
Craig
So very true John and Craig….and ditto to what Jane says. Thank you very much.
I have NO DOUBT about it, but more the sense for the one question: “What`s working out in the best way with me and my environment?” I have not figured it out as yet other than just trying to handle the life “as it comes”….otherwise than being a helpful grandmother to my kids(who is living in my neighbourhood).
B & B, Inger Lise
P.S. But I have dreams at night as everybody else… always to have felt as it is paralell existences and the time overlap…. but the environment very diffuse as looking into the fog or a cloud. I am trying “to penetrate” it.
Hi Inger Lise,
I can relate well to your mention of “parallel existences” in dream-life; I seem to have several “parallel/probable selves” going on about their lives in my dreams. And I also find that those dream environments are as you describe, rather murky, and the settings/objects contained w/in seem to “morph” frequently, often in response to my thought-processes (which seems to indicate my dream-life is often in thought-responsive environments, described by Jane/Seth, and many OBE travelers).
What is interesting to me (and I may have described this before, on this blog) is that, w/in these dream-settings, I’m aware of being “me”, but often have no “recollection” of my “waking self”. Often when I awaken from such dreams, it takes me a minute to reorient to where my waking self is…I can be awake, yet feel I’m “still in” the dream environment. So many interesting states to explore…and like so many of us, I “got trained” to think of them as “not real”. As Seth used to say, there is a lot of “unlearning” to do!
Craig
Looking at this from a new perspective, knowing that John has passed. The african matriarch has genuine wisdom. But from my perspective, I feel I am bringing with me a sizzling curiosity about life, all the possible forms and shapes it can take. We are really being squeezed by life – children are imprinted with patterns that are extremely problematic – so they/we have to find ways to re-invent ourselves, and that brings with it a different kind of freedom. So internally we have lost the balance those earlier cultures had, and gained a freedom they never experienced – maybe did not even long for.
Kristiina it is VERY interresting really, and thank you.
But so far to have come to realize in us TO BE the socalled “former generation” as well as “the stand-by generation” (and later on the future generation). That is, we are the past, the now, and the future. Quite amasing with all the connected ” strands.”
I`ll guess that`s what Seth is calling : A self-created Reality. We are all family within the same Consciousness (some calls it The Universal Mind). Well, then, we ARE our children no more no less.
Jane Roberts and Rob Butts, Jane`s husband, decided NOT to have children (bringing new babies into this physical dimension)… because of the inheritance material. Obviously we do have many choices to make.
BTW: There is no snow here with us along the coast-line but heavy stormy weather with lots of rain.
I`m dreaming over White Christmas, by the long gone Bing Crosby (he is singing the song much better than anyone else).
Bliss & Blessings, Inger Lise.