There are many things necessary to improve the quality of life for all beings in the world and even the earth itself. Rabbi Cooper, a Cabbalist, in his book God is A verb wrote that the Kabala is based on the precept that we are all human beings sparks of the Divine embedded in us. These sparks are the higher self and our God nature. Not only human beings contain these sparks, plants do, animals do and even stones do. To reach a platitude of enlightenment we must connect with this spark, our higher self. When we do we embrace our responsibility, which is actually more of an opportunity, to help raise up and liberate those sparks, so they can return to a higher plane of existence in the universe when they are released, thus moving the universe to a higher and higher more complete form. The universe is still in the process of being created and none of us know for certain what it is becoming, according to Rabbi Cooper and also Ph. D. Brian Swimme.. Brian Swimme, physicist and cosmologist, spoke of something similar. He said that each human is like a piece of the universal puzzle. It is our duty, therefor, to develop ourselves as fully as possible and to cultivate our uniqueness. If we dont do that our piece will never be placed into the whole and the universe will never be complete. No one can every take our place. For Swimme, if there is sin, this is the only one. As we do Karmic Yoga we should us these ideas, and those like them, as our guide. Many people go out into the world to help. Sometimes they get paid for it. Sometimes they feel a bit guilty and put in time as volunteers to relieve that guilt. It is even a power trip sometimes. Sometimes people help others so they can get a group together to help them reach their own goal and fulfill their self interest. This, though helpful in some cases, perpetuates the power-over mentality with all of the manipulation that goes with it. It is not Karmic Yoga. One might say that it is the opposite. The difference between the two is that Karmic Yoga works from an action reflection model. The other is from a reactive model, power-over band-aid model.. The first step in Karmic Yoga is knowing oneself and ones core beliefs about the world. It is constantly examining the core of self and identifying ones own thoughts and feelings, i.e., what one knows to be true. From that place, full knowledge of the self, one goes out into the world and acts to fulfill the need that presents itself. After doing the work one goes back to a quite place and considers ones actions. One sits and thinks about their feelings during the work, the way they related to the population they are helping, and why the people are in need. If he is with a group of people working in similar surroundings or at the same place, he can do it with the group. In accordance with ones thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions, he changes the action as needed and does the inner work on whatever needs to be corrected, and then goes out and does the action again. There is a spiral that take place where the Karmic Yogini is actually learning, growing and expanding her spirituality through her actions. She is not only changing the world, but she is being changed. There is a dialectic taking placean intimate dialogue between herself and her actions that promotes growth and enhances the quality of her enlightenment. She is involved in inner-work, outer-work and the work of transformation as she interacts with those with whom she is working, imparting knowledge and truth which she has learned from the great mystics and sages and through life experience. She is receiving knowledge and truth back from what they have learned through life, and the mystics and sages that they have read or learned from. In that way she is raising the sparks and helping our circle rise to a higher level. As we break down the walls between helper and those being helped and become oneone group working together to transform our communities and the world, we will never be alone. As the walls and artificial separation falls away like scales from our eyes we realize that we can never be alone, because we are all one family on this beloved earth. As we grow in grace, in love, in faith and in power-with we are never alone for we, as Krishna Marti theme went, are the world. |
