Norwich Independent Spiritual Congregation

For those who have studied it, it is well known that war incurs many penalties. It makes enemies out of the opponents and many observers. It creates psychological harm to both the winners and the loosers. It damages the environment. It costs economies precious resources and forces the working class to incur a debt that can take generations to pay back.

But what of the spiritual costs of war. How does war affect the souls of those who are caught up in it? Is there anything to be gained? What of Karma or Orlog? How does this promote peace of mind?

In this article I provide links to several videos which are on You Tube. This compilation of videos is intended to provide a vignette into the soul of warfare from the eyes of those who make war.

After watching these videos, I invite you to ponder the question what is the true cost of war?

• Army Soldier testifies to Rape & Torture
• Mass-rape of women & children by American soldiers
• US Woman Gang Raped in Iraq
• US Troops rape 14 year old Girl
• What US Soldiers are teaching the Afghani Children
• Americans teach Iraqi children to say “Bomb Iraq”
• US Soldiers taunting Iraqi children w/ bottle water
• American Marines in Iraq Getting Fired Upon
• Iraq Veterans Against the War Speak Out (1 of 4)

Who is Lucifer and What is the Devil really doing?

The Devil card has a lesson for us all. When you look at the card closely you see a man and woman nude, and shackled by a chain attached to a collar around their necks. The Devil, represented as Baphomet, sits on a stony throne lording over the situation.

But look closely at the collar. It is ridiculously loose. The man and woman need only lift the collar off of their heads and behold, they are free. The choice is theirs entirely.

The Luciferian archetype is that of a fallen angel. Someone who comes down from high to walk among the lowly to teach them enlightment. The child who points out that the King is not wearing any clothes is an example of this archetype. Enlightenment is nothing more than a realization that the limitations we are taught to accept are not necessarily real. Enlightenment is the cultivation of true faith. Not faith like the modern Christians teach which would have you think that merely saying “I Believe” is faith. But rather faith is a careful dicipline of the will that can take a lifetime of dilligent work for some to develop while others simply realize it by accident.

Real faith is the power to cause changes, often seemingly miraculous changes, through manifestation of pure will. The bible has a saying, faith without works is dead. There is a secret in that statement. Faith is knowing that you can cause change, but it is also mindful of the accepted order of the Universe. If you want to move a mountain through faith then it is entirely possible that you could develop faith strong enough to do so simply by a look. But, are there more efficient ways to get the mountain moved? Why are you trying to move the mountain in the first place? Is it to get to the other side, or simply to show off? Is it possible that your true desire (or will) could be achieved more economically? How much do you really need to have that mountain moved? What are the consequences to others if you move it? Will you place the mountain in some farmer’s field thus destroying his livelihood?

Every action that we take is governed by a set of consequences. Lucifer is here to teach us that we have all of the power in the universe at our disposal to use for our own benefit or the benefit of all. The Devil stands in opposition telling us we aren’t good enough to drive fast and take chances, and that we are better off accepting the false illusion of the limits we accept.

Are we ready to take responsibility for wielding that power? Perhaps it is better, until we are sufficiently wise, to accept the yoke of this world until we can learn to wield that power in a manner that will not bring about consequences contrary to our ultimate desires.

But herin lies the rub. You will never grow wise unless you have the courage to make mistakes. The dog is kept safely on the leash and never knows the thrill of the wild hunt. The stag roams free through the wood, but is sometimes struck down by the wolf, or these days, a passing motorist.

If you want to taste freedom you must learn to accept the consequences of your actions. As Tupac Shakur was once quoted as saying

“You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks or even months over-analying a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could’ve, would’ve happened … or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and just move the fuck on.”

Or as many children are taught in kindergarden:

Humpty dumpty sat on a wall, humpty dumpty had a great fall. All the kings horses and all the kings men, couldn’t put humpty together again.

“You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs”

This is the Luciferian paradox. You cannot obtain wisdom without first knowing foolishness. Like the hanged man who smiles on the tree, accept your fate for what it is. Most important, revel in your mistakes and your scars for they are your greatest teachers. Never fear death, there are things much worse than death, such as a life received but never lived.

When the wolf gets caught robbing the hen house and the farmer places an ounce of lead in his hide, the wolf does not lay there bleating for help, he runs away as best he can and licks his wounds till he either heals or dies. Next time he tries to be more careful.

As Janis Joplin used to sing:

“Freedom is just another word for nothing left to loose”

Freedom requires giving up our attachments, driving fast and taking chances. But only if you really know what you are doing. Wisdom, is learning to know when to push the pedal to the floor and when to set your cruise control for 15 MPH.

Baphomet, is a Hebrew epigram of Sophia, which represents wisdom. The Lucifer brings us the fire, but it is entirely up to us to decide whether we use the fire to cook our dinner, or to burn down the house.

Just remember, your limits are superficial, and you can lift off the yoke any time you choose. But be forewarned, with freedom comes responsibility. Freedom is not for cattle and lambs, it was always meant for wolves and rams.

I have recently made a new friend in Colorado. He has a fantastic site worth reading http://www.roage.com.

I have copied one of his stories and placed it here for your perusal, but all credit goes to him and those whom he would credit.

The Man In His Cage by Roage

What evil trick has man fallen for that lead to this life we lead? We were once awake, free and conscious of that which men call God.

One day a man, being bored, in his idle time wondered that if there was a “good” force, meaning God, then there could be “bad” force. He became frightened of these thoughts. So rattled by this fiction was he that the man asked God to build a protective barrier to keep this “bad” force at bay and to protect him from this bad mental creation. As is often the case “could” becomes “should” and the man’s confusion drove him to action. God did not want to impinge on the free thought of his creation and thought it best to warn the man rather then allow the man to learn the lesson of his mistake. God told man, “You have confused yourself. You should not dabble in this fiction as it is folly and there will be consequences.” “What consequences?” the man replied. “You could lose yourself, forget all about me and even convince yourself that you can die” God explained. The man laughed, “Never!” The man became insistent that God build him a barrier to this “bad” force.

So God constructed this protective barrier for the man as the man requested and made the walls stronger then the man could breach. The man was pleased and walked inside and tested the walls. The man said, “I feel secure in here but the walls are confining and it is dark in here. Can you make the walls invisible and such that I cannot perceive that they are there? “Shall I do so?” God asked. “Yes, and can I leave at any time?” the man asked, “Yes” answered God. The man thought about it. He asked, “Can you make it so the barrier moves with me so that I cannot accidentally leave it even if I tried?” “Yes”, answered God. “Can you make the barrier larger then the earth so I can go where I please.” “I will not do that”, answered God, “There are other men and women on the earth that are not afflicted with your confused fear and I will not subject them against their will to your confusion.” The man thought about it for a while and asked, “If I can convince them all that they are better of within the barrier then without and they choose to enter then you will expand the barrier to accommodate them?” asked the man. “Yes”, answered God. “Under these conditions”, God added, “You cannot use force to bring people inside the barrier. They must enter willingly and know what they are giving up. Also”, God continued, “When a man or woman convinces themselves that they died then they will be removed from the barrier and rendered unable to return.” The man agreed.

The man set about his task of recruiting companions. Most shook their heads and said, “You are confused. There is no “bad” force.” The man was undeterred, “You cannot know this bad force as it looks just like God and speaks with his voice.” Soon, as word of his protective barrier spread, more people willingly entered the enclosure fearing this unseen “bad” force.

The man choose a wife from the multitude that now inhabited the ever expanding barrier and she bore him a child. “I wish my child to be protected within the barrier.” The man declared. “No!” God said, “The child is free to come and go until he is at an age where he can choose for himself.” The man was not pleased and since the child could not see the barrier the man choose to withhold that knowledge from his child. When the time came when the child grew to the age of consent the man told him that he was better off within barrier then without and used fear to influence his child’s will.

It was not long before all men and women had chosen to enter the barrier. As God predicted those that had died were removed from the barrier and never returned. God said, “This is madness! When will you cease this nonsense?” The people within the barrier became afraid and said, “You are the ‘bad’ force. Be gone from our sight and never trouble us again!” God reluctantly complied.

Many generations had come and gone. The people did not pass on the knowledge of the barrier to their children had all forgotten of the barrier’s existence. Without the counsel of God, men and women engaged in ever more self-destructive behaviors. They were now firmly convinced that death was the end and God was a powerless force as only “bad” things were happening. Many did not even believe in God and tried to make friends with this fictional “bad” force by employing more and more complicated fictional procedures and rules.

God, complying with the wishes of their parents, was left outside of the barrier unwilling to break his word, by the people’s request, kept from taking action. The people within began suffering in ignorance and pleaded to God for help. God sent messengers into the enclosure to try to teach them where they went wrong. God continued to honor his word. A few people listened and heeded God’s direction and although they remained in the cage their lives became better for doing so. However, most had become confused and a few people even sought to dominate the rest. They used the fear of the “bad” force to scare people into submission. Things became worse.

God decided that he would enter the enclosure in the form of a man and teach those inside of the barrier and what it is like to live free on the outside and the proper ways to live. He said death is not the end and you can live free and not be confined in the barrier. The people would have none of it. Those that dominated the rest attacked God in his disguise and attacked those people that choose to listen to his words. They tortured and destroyed the disguise and it became lifeless. God left the barrier to observe if the lesson had been learned. Some had retained the knowledge of the barrier and how to escape. Those that dominated sought out those who were free and convinced them that they would be provided everything if they would not reveal the secret on how to become free. Those who were free conceded and lived like kings. Those that dominated then located all writings and references to the secret and killed all people that were still trying to learn the secret. The people were threatened with torture and death if they sought to escape and be free of the barrier. They lied and said if you do not obey us then the “bad” force will make you die forever.

Even with that, the secret was spreading. It became necessary to create a structure to manage the people who were looking for God. Those that dominated had destroyed all references to the secret of freedom but allowed some of the proper ways to live to remain. They then made a hero of the disguised man. They codified the proper ways to live among other things in a book and threatened the people that they should look no farther then the book for answers.

The children of those that escaped by listening to the words of the disguised man, after a few generations, themselves forgot the secret to escape and the secret remained only with those that dominated. The people were not only firmly under the domination of the few but captive within the barrier. As time went on a few of the enslaved people, through following the proper ways to live, began stumbling upon the secret. They created a nation and began living outside the power of those that dominated. That again would not do, so those that dominated decided that they had to corrupt the people and confuse them that God was a fiction. They invented new fictions to confuse the people and made those that sought to obey the proper ways a laughingstock so that the people would abandon their search and once engage is self-destructive behaviors.

Then one day, an odd man thought, “what if what is happening in my life is a lie? What if the man in the disguise was right? What if I do live forever? If there was a God then what do I need to do to find him and ask him to make me free?” So he set about his life to find this God that people referred to but could not see. God saw this initiative and began giving this odd man clues. The clues were subtle and only for the odd man to see. Men standing right next to the odd man attributed these strange occurrences to chance or luck. The special occurrences and events stuck out in the odd man’s mind because he had thoughts come to him coincidently about what was about to happen had already prepared him for what he was to see. The odd man noted that he could not relay these thoughts to others as they would not listen or believe. It raised even more questions in the odd man’s mind like, “What if these curious coincidences, that are happening more frequently, are not coincidences at all? Where were these thoughts coming from? How is it that I became perfectly positioned to see these wondrous events and had this foreknowledge?”

As time went on the odd man noticed that he was being led and sometimes had no choice but to see the clues that God was sending him, in his mind, in his life and that he was amassing interesting knowledge and views that no one around him shared. The odd man then concluded that these wondrous things could only be the work of this unseen God. He began to address the open air to prompt this unseen God to communicate in a voice that he could hear. God did not answer but more thoughts came to his mind. They were specific rules by which he would be allowed to perceive God without seeing God or hearing God. The odd man then studied the rules so that he knew them by heart. The rules provided all that he must do and they were surprisingly simple.

God watched from outside of the barrier and decided that those, like this odd man, who could not be logically held to the original agreement, truly wished to be free and acknowledged that God would free them would be given the secret and could count on God’s assistance. To protect these free people, like the odd man, God would allow them to live unnoticed by the confused people and even unnoticed by those that dominate. These free people remain undetectable and appear as any other man or woman but they are free of the barrier. God communicates with them in ways the confused, or those that dominate, are not able to perceive. The secret is only available to those who really want to be free and are willing to allow God to protect them.

Years went by as the odd man mulled over the rules and procedure in his mind. He noticed that things in his life were changing. He found he was not free to do certain things and he was being led somewhere. He could not yet discern the reason but he had attributed it to God. Towards the end he found that had little freedom to do anything he wanted. In a fit of frustration the odd man decide that he would try to comply with the rules and the procedure.

Suddenly, the odd man was startled when he was able to perceive God. He was able to communicate with God freely. It was not that he could see God or hear God but he could know in his mind with absolute certainty that God was there and what God was telling and teaching him. The odd man then understood why man had chosen that God remain silent and that God was simply complying with man’s will.

The odd man was allowed to share his secret only with those others that God deemed ready to be free and only those people. Those that were not ready would not understand, not believe or simply be distracted from the secret knowledge the odd man relayed.

The odd man also realized that God decided that the original experiment had run its course. He could not allow the confusion to continue. God decided that most people had become so confused that they had no chance of ever returning on their own. God would decide to allow the rest of the people to “die” their painful “death” and at last break free of the barrier. It pained God but most people willfully decided to remain confused and engage in self-destructive behaviors. God simply complied with their wish. To allow them to suffer in the cage no longer served a valuable purpose as the lesson was learned but the way back for these people was obscured and out of their reach as they chose to be so confused.

Now if you are such a man or woman that wishes to be free. The only thing that keeps you enslaved is fear of this thing called “death” or the intimidation of those that dominate. One can easily live free on this earth, free from the confused and free from those few people that dominate. The barrier is a fiction that we have ourselves constructed along with the fictional reason for the barrier in the first place. When we really want out and we can face our unfounded fear, we can live free of this fictional barrier or this fictional “bad” force. We are then free on this earth and live side by side with the confused. They will not know. How can they? God does not permit them to know. That is the protection that God offers. They cannot see or think that we can be free while they remain enslaved. Those that “die” are also free but they are not allowed return to the cage. Why would anyone want to anyway? It is, after all, a stupid idea.

If you are interested in knowing how things are instead of what we are told and want to know how to escape then Click Here.

You must remember that if you truly do not wish to be free and you do not want to meet God then the words will not have meaning, they will be confusing or you will not be able to allow yourself to believe.

One of my biggest personal challenges has been avoiding toxic romantic relationships. What do I mean by a toxic relationship? Well the following link has a good basic description of what a toxic relationship is: Don’t Keep it Bottled Up

In the above article Dr. Glass answers the question: what makes a toxic person tick?
She says:

“They’re people whose feelings of insecurity and inadequacy make them jealous, envious and uncaring, so they end up sabotaging your projects, your relationships, your happiness-even your soul journey!”

This about sums it up for the last two significant romantic relationships I have been in. I have a friend at work who I spoke with about this, she seems to really have a great time in life and is a very self actualized person. Her thoughts on the subject is that she simply keeps a distance between herself and people who aggravate her. Good advice so it would seem.

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Dr. Glass at “Toxic Relationships and How to Handle Them”

Dr. Brewer: A toxic relationship is one in which you are feeling harmed either emotionally or physically.

David: What is it that causes us to get involved in toxic relationships?

Dr. Brewer: There are many reasons why we choose toxic relationships. We may have grown up in a toxic household, we may have been taught that we are not deserving of happiness, or we may have learned to take responsibility for others. One of the most important things to remember about being in a toxic relationship, is that you do have choices and you can get out!

David: Can you give us some examples of a toxic relationship?

Dr. Brewer: Wow! That’s a big question! But here it goes.

A toxic relationship is one in which you are chronically tired, angry, or frightened. A relationship in which you worry about a safe time to talk to your partner. A relationship in which you do not have the “right” to express yourself. In short, a relationship that is abusive in any way, may be a toxic relationship.

David: Many get involved in these types of relationships and find it difficult to break away. What is it inside ourselves that keeps us from being able to do that?

Dr. Brewer: Often, we stay in relationships because we do not understand that we have rights and options. Low self-esteem can be a factor in remaining, as well as depression, fear of being alone, or threats from the hurtful partner. Sometimes, people stay because the toxic relationship so much mirrors their lives as children, that they truly may not have a sense that it is a toxic relationship and that life can be better.

David: What is it that makes a toxic person tick? What motivates that person to hurt others?

Dr. Brewer: Low self-esteem. Although low self-esteem can be a very complex experience, the bottom line is that the person does not have a good and clear sense of themselves, and so it is almost impossible, without clinical intervention, for that person to understand that there is a better, healthier way to be.

Part of why the toxic person hurts, in addition to having to do with their own low sense of self, is that fear of being out of control and the fear of what exposing the true self would mean.

The following excerpt is taken from a book called Dance of the Wounded Souls by Robert Burney:

This dance of Codependence is a dance of dysfunctional relationships - of relationships that do not work to meet our needs. That does not mean just romantic relationships, or family relationships, or even human relationships in general.
The fact that dysfunction exists in our romantic, family, and human relationships is a symptom of the dysfunction that exists in our relationship with life - with being human. It is a symptom of the dysfunction which exists in our relationships with ourselves as human beings.

And the dysfunction that exists in our relationship with ourselves is a symptom of Spiritual dis-ease, of not being in balance and harmony with the universe, of feeling disconnected from our Spiritual source.

That is why it is so important to enlarge our perspective. To look beyond the romantic relationship in which we are having problems. To look beyond the dysfunction that exists in our relationships with other people.

The more we enlarge our perspective, the closer we get to the cause instead of just dealing with the symptoms. For example, the more we look at the dysfunction in our relationship with ourselves as human beings the more we can understand the dysfunction in our romantic relationships.

According to Wikipedia:

A “codependent” is loosely defined as someone who exhibits too much, and often inappropriate, caring for persons who depend on him or her. A “codependent” is one side of a relationship between mutually needy people. The dependent, or obviously needy party(s) may have emotional, physical, financial difficulties, or addictions they seemingly are unable to surmount. The “codependent” party exhibits behaviour which controls, makes excuses for, pities, and takes other actions to perpetuate the obviously needy party’s condition, because of their desire to be needed and fear of doing anything that would change the relationship.

As hard as I tried not to I found myself a dependent in my last relationship. I knew I was a good father, but I allowed myself to be convinced that I needed the help of another person to provide the female side of the mix for my children’s sake. In the end, the relationship between this person and my daughter grew quite toxic to the point that my daughter became increasingly depressed.

Related to the notion of Co-dependence is the concept of obsessive love:

Wikipedia has this to say about obsessive love:

Moore, Forward and Buck believe that rejection is the trigger of obsessive love - also known as love addiction or relationship addiction. They state four conditions to help identify it, namely, a painful and all-consuming preoccupation with a real or wished-for lover, an insatiable longing either to possess or be possessed by the target of their obsession, rejection by or physical and/or emotional unavailability of their target, and being driven to behave in self-defeating ways by this rejection or unavailability.

Two characteristics indicative of obsessive love are:

• Obsessive lovers believe that only the person they fixate on can make them feel happy and fulfilled.
• Persons close to the love-obsessed can also be greatly affected. Witnessing a friend or family member suffer from the disorder can be distressing.

The site goes on to characterize the phases of obsessive love:

The initial phase of ORP is characterized by an instantaneous and overwhelming attraction to another person. It is at this point the relationally dependent person becomes “hooked” on a romantic interest, usually resulting from the slightest bit of attention from the person they are attracted to.

Phase one: Attraction phase

• An instant attraction to romantic interest, usually occurring within the first few minutes of meeting.
• An immediate urge to rush into a relationship regardless of compatibility.
• Becoming “hooked on the look” of another, focusing on the person’s physical characteristics while ignoring personality differences.
• Unrealistic fantasies about a relationship with a love interest, assigning “magical” qualities to an object of affection.
• The beginnings of obsessive, controlling behaviors begin to manifest.

Phase two: Anxious phase
This phase in considered a relational turning point, which usually occurs after a commitment has been made between both parties. Sometimes however, the relationally dependent person will enter into this phase without the presence of a commitment. This happens when the afflicted person creates the illusion of intimacy, regardless of the other person’s true feelings. The second phase of ORP behaviors can include:

• Unfounded thoughts of infidelity on the part of a partner and demanding accountability for normal daily activities.
• An overwhelming fear of abandonment, including baseless thoughts of a partner walking out on the relationship in favor of another person.
• The need to constantly be in contact with a love interest via phone, email or in person.
• Strong feelings of mistrust begin to emerge, causing depression, resentment and relational tension.
• The continuation and escalation of obsessive, controlling behaviors.

Phase three: Obsessive phase
This particular phase represents the rapid escalation of this unhealthy attachment style. It is at this point that obsessive, controlling behaviors reach critical mass, ultimately overwhelming the RD person’s life. It is also at this point that the person being controlled begins to pull back and ultimately, severs the relationship. In short, Phase Three is characterized by a total loss of control on the part of the RD person, resulting from extreme anxiety. Usually, the following characteristics are apparent during the third phase of ORP.

• The onset of “tunnel vision,” meaning that the relationally dependent person cannot stop thinking about a love interest and required his or her constant attention.
• Neurotic, compulsive behaviors, including rapid telephone calls to love interest’s place of residence or workplace.
• Unfounded accusations of “cheating” due to extreme anxiety.
• “Drive-bys” around a love interest’s home or place of employment, with the goal of assuring that the person is at where “he or she is supposed to be.”
• Physical or electronic monitoring activities, following a love interest’s whereabouts throughout the course of a day to discover daily activities.
• Extreme control tactics, including questioning a love interest’s commitment to the relationship (guilt trips) with the goal of manipulating a love interest into providing more attention.

Phase four: Destructive phase
This is the final phase of Obsessive Relational Progression. It represents the destruction of the relationship, due to phase three behaviors, which have caused a love interest to understandably flee. For a variety of reasons, this is considered the most dangerous of the four phases, because the RD person suddenly plummets into a deep depression due to the collapse of the relationship. Here are some of the more common behaviors that are exhibited during phase four of ORP:

• Overwhelming feelings of depression (feeling “empty” inside).
• A sudden loss of self-esteem, due to the collapse of the relationship.
• Extreme feelings of self-blame and at times, self-hatred.
• Anger, rage and a desire to seek revenge against a love interest for breaking off the relationship.
• Denial that the relationship has ended and attempting to “win a loved one back” by making promises to “change”.
• The use of drugs, alcohol, food or sex to “medicate” the emotional pain.

I personally love to be touched and value the warm bond of intimate love. I feel as though it is healty to have this in my life. Sex is a critical part of our psychological well being. However, sex can also be used by a co-dependent as a lure to the love trap.

I can definately say from personal experience that my last relationship followed these phases almost like an instruction manual. Once you become involved with a co-dependent person they begin to knock out your defenses like an attack on Iraq. First they go after your friends so that you don’t have a sounding board to see outside of yourself (e.g. they remove your external voices of reason), then they play on guilt, fear or sense of duty to further reel you into their coils. They play you like a chess board.

One thing I have learned from this is that any relationship that cuts you off from your friends should throw up a big red flag and make you take a step back. One of my friends puts it this way. Sometimes the screwing youre getting isn’t worth the screwing they are giving you.

Sex = good. Love = good. Obsessive love = trouble.

So that’s my lesson learned for the month. Any comments?