Every human practice has served a spiritual purpose, but it's time for humanity to transition from hunting outer animals, whether in the woods or the science lab, to sacrficing our inner animals, i.e. lower impulses and passions. This is how the astral body is purified, becoming the Virgin Sophia, through the Christ impulse.
On the ascending path of evolution, breeding, killing and eating animals will become more and more a hindrance, first and foremost for spiritual development. The pain and terror within the astral bodies of the animals, as they meet their grim fate, fills the astral world and forms a kind of atmosphere that we breathe and live in. One day it will be revealed that many of the psychic diseases that trouble more and more humans today stem from this. We recognize that we get sick when breathing the smog of the cities but we still don't recognize that we become sick in the soul by breathing the pictures of death, pain and terror that are released in the astral world with each murdered animal.
So these things will change one way or another but focus should be, not on moralistic decrees to "save the animals", but on understanding our soul and spiritual nature. Then things like preserving plant and animal life will come as natural consequences. If I strive for developing higher cognition, eventually I come to a point where my soul contents are spread out before me. Then if I still hunt and consume animal flesh, I understand that I'm constantly pumping my astral body with fear that only weighs me down and clouds my consciousness. Then I know what to do. I'm not doing it out of compassion for animals. I'm doing it for purely egoistical reasons! I want to walk consciously on the path of development and integration. The Cosmos is so wisely interconnected that when one being pursues its highest aspirations, even if it doesn't specifically intend to, this path benefits all life.
Thank for sharing that, Ashvin. But what do you make of the fact that it is not only humans who hunt and eat animals (at least some humans) but that animals themselves do? Right now we raise lambs on our farm, but we used to raise pigs. I know that if I ever had a heart attack and died in the pasture with the lambs, that I would just lie there until someone found me--but if the same thing happened in the pig yard, no one would find a trace of me a few hours later.
Right, the ethical assessment all depends on the evolving stage-specific relations. What's Good for the Whole will vary depending on those evolving relations.
Animal instinct (which of course also lives in us as humans) is the subconscious reflection of superconscious activity. The latter is fully conscious, intentional, supra-intelligent, morally wise, etc. When we think about how animal instincts symphonically orchestrate the collective behavior of many individual animals over long timeframes, symbiotically and harmoniously with the mineral and plant kingdoms such that the entire Earth's organism can flourish, then we start to get a dim picture of the holistic superconscious activity. In that sense, we hardly feel that an animal can act ethically or unethically, rather it simply expresses the Wise soul rhythms of Nature. An animal's life unfolds completely in sync with these natural rhythms. The hunting and killing of other animals are part of those natural rhythms as well.
Humans, however, have also developed a conceptual life that allows for the taming of instincts and some degree of independence from natural rhythms. Many people sleep during the day and stay up at night, if it suits them. Most people reproduce, not based on propitious times of the year indicated by the stars, but based on personal circumstances and preferences. New festivals and holidays pop up at all times of the year. And so on. All of these possibilities reflect the fact that we have been liberated from natural rhythms in our mental life and that has also influenced many domains of physical life.
We justifiably feel that the human soul acts unethically when it simply follows instincts to grasp at momentary sensations that bring pleasure because the soul has evolved to a higher stage where it now has a choice. It is expected to renounce certain momentary pleasures and redirect the force of that attention to higher spiritual aims. There is a gradient of development, of course, and we shouldn't expect all the more instinctive cultural practices to end in a snap of the finger. At the same time, I don't think we should rationalize it to ourselves as simply participation in the Wisdom-filled universe, for ex. that we are helping keep animal populations in control. Especially if we are on a path of spiritual development, we should let go of such rationalizations and take up our proper spiritual functions in the Cosmos. Eventually, one of those functions will be to raise animals up to the human stage, to develop inner freedom. As said previously, that will be harder and harder to do if we continue pumping in the images of terror and death in the astral world.
Sure, but it should be mentioned, these are intuitive truths that we can reach through inner experience without ever having heard of Anthroposophy or Theosophy. Every individual experiences these same evolving relations from infancy to adulthood. We only need to carefully reason through that experience without overlaying it with our personal desires and preferences.
Not related to your post (which we've talked about before), but I just read *Trees*, and wow—that was something. It should be a fun session this week.
I was thinking about signing up for your Sophiology class, but I might have already explored a lot of the material after you first introduced me to the topic. So, I'm not sure if I should leave the slot to someone who could benefit more from it. But I'm definitely interested in the other upcoming topics.
Thank you for this. I'll be deer hunting for the first time this Fall and have been reflecting on hunting as the act of becoming a psychopomp through taking life and my responsibility to infuse that with reverence.
My dad always told me the first thing you do after taking game is thank the animal--most of the people I know who hunt do precisely that. Some even offer tobacco.
Yes, David who slew the lion and the bear and Goliath was a wild man after God’s own heart. The Lord is called a warrior in the OT and Jesus returns in a robe dipped in blood. The Lord appeared to Job and Ezekiel under the aegis of a storm rolling in from the north. A sight I well remember from my Wisconsin youth. The god of the philosophers and theologians (that lifeless thing) would not have me sing and speak in tongues and rock me with the Spirit in my body as the Living God does. Or have me converse with the angels and Mary.
... I love this so much it hurts.
lol
Every human practice has served a spiritual purpose, but it's time for humanity to transition from hunting outer animals, whether in the woods or the science lab, to sacrficing our inner animals, i.e. lower impulses and passions. This is how the astral body is purified, becoming the Virgin Sophia, through the Christ impulse.
On the ascending path of evolution, breeding, killing and eating animals will become more and more a hindrance, first and foremost for spiritual development. The pain and terror within the astral bodies of the animals, as they meet their grim fate, fills the astral world and forms a kind of atmosphere that we breathe and live in. One day it will be revealed that many of the psychic diseases that trouble more and more humans today stem from this. We recognize that we get sick when breathing the smog of the cities but we still don't recognize that we become sick in the soul by breathing the pictures of death, pain and terror that are released in the astral world with each murdered animal.
So these things will change one way or another but focus should be, not on moralistic decrees to "save the animals", but on understanding our soul and spiritual nature. Then things like preserving plant and animal life will come as natural consequences. If I strive for developing higher cognition, eventually I come to a point where my soul contents are spread out before me. Then if I still hunt and consume animal flesh, I understand that I'm constantly pumping my astral body with fear that only weighs me down and clouds my consciousness. Then I know what to do. I'm not doing it out of compassion for animals. I'm doing it for purely egoistical reasons! I want to walk consciously on the path of development and integration. The Cosmos is so wisely interconnected that when one being pursues its highest aspirations, even if it doesn't specifically intend to, this path benefits all life.
Thank for sharing that, Ashvin. But what do you make of the fact that it is not only humans who hunt and eat animals (at least some humans) but that animals themselves do? Right now we raise lambs on our farm, but we used to raise pigs. I know that if I ever had a heart attack and died in the pasture with the lambs, that I would just lie there until someone found me--but if the same thing happened in the pig yard, no one would find a trace of me a few hours later.
Right, the ethical assessment all depends on the evolving stage-specific relations. What's Good for the Whole will vary depending on those evolving relations.
Animal instinct (which of course also lives in us as humans) is the subconscious reflection of superconscious activity. The latter is fully conscious, intentional, supra-intelligent, morally wise, etc. When we think about how animal instincts symphonically orchestrate the collective behavior of many individual animals over long timeframes, symbiotically and harmoniously with the mineral and plant kingdoms such that the entire Earth's organism can flourish, then we start to get a dim picture of the holistic superconscious activity. In that sense, we hardly feel that an animal can act ethically or unethically, rather it simply expresses the Wise soul rhythms of Nature. An animal's life unfolds completely in sync with these natural rhythms. The hunting and killing of other animals are part of those natural rhythms as well.
Humans, however, have also developed a conceptual life that allows for the taming of instincts and some degree of independence from natural rhythms. Many people sleep during the day and stay up at night, if it suits them. Most people reproduce, not based on propitious times of the year indicated by the stars, but based on personal circumstances and preferences. New festivals and holidays pop up at all times of the year. And so on. All of these possibilities reflect the fact that we have been liberated from natural rhythms in our mental life and that has also influenced many domains of physical life.
We justifiably feel that the human soul acts unethically when it simply follows instincts to grasp at momentary sensations that bring pleasure because the soul has evolved to a higher stage where it now has a choice. It is expected to renounce certain momentary pleasures and redirect the force of that attention to higher spiritual aims. There is a gradient of development, of course, and we shouldn't expect all the more instinctive cultural practices to end in a snap of the finger. At the same time, I don't think we should rationalize it to ourselves as simply participation in the Wisdom-filled universe, for ex. that we are helping keep animal populations in control. Especially if we are on a path of spiritual development, we should let go of such rationalizations and take up our proper spiritual functions in the Cosmos. Eventually, one of those functions will be to raise animals up to the human stage, to develop inner freedom. As said previously, that will be harder and harder to do if we continue pumping in the images of terror and death in the astral world.
I don't subscribe to those kinds of Anthroposophical/Theosophical orthodoxies (though I did at one time), but if it works for you, go for it.
Sure, but it should be mentioned, these are intuitive truths that we can reach through inner experience without ever having heard of Anthroposophy or Theosophy. Every individual experiences these same evolving relations from infancy to adulthood. We only need to carefully reason through that experience without overlaying it with our personal desires and preferences.
The silver work in the illustration of Cernunnos is extremely advanced craftsmanship.
Not related to your post (which we've talked about before), but I just read *Trees*, and wow—that was something. It should be a fun session this week.
I was thinking about signing up for your Sophiology class, but I might have already explored a lot of the material after you first introduced me to the topic. So, I'm not sure if I should leave the slot to someone who could benefit more from it. But I'm definitely interested in the other upcoming topics.
I know! And I don't know why almost nobody knows about her! I didn't realize the pdf I sent you all had my comments. lol!
Hey, I just realized that I don't have the Zoom link for the class today. Could you please send that to me?
Thank you for this. I'll be deer hunting for the first time this Fall and have been reflecting on hunting as the act of becoming a psychopomp through taking life and my responsibility to infuse that with reverence.
My dad always told me the first thing you do after taking game is thank the animal--most of the people I know who hunt do precisely that. Some even offer tobacco.
Gotta point out that Robin Hood was devoted to the Virgin Mary!
Robin Hood, Robin Hood,
Telling his beads,
All in the greenwood
Among the green weeds.
I knew that!
I know YOU know. I was reminding myself and the people of the internet. Oo-de-lally!
Interesting! Recently became aware of Sebastian Morello myself. Life is full of synchronicity.
It is, indeed.
Yes, David who slew the lion and the bear and Goliath was a wild man after God’s own heart. The Lord is called a warrior in the OT and Jesus returns in a robe dipped in blood. The Lord appeared to Job and Ezekiel under the aegis of a storm rolling in from the north. A sight I well remember from my Wisconsin youth. The god of the philosophers and theologians (that lifeless thing) would not have me sing and speak in tongues and rock me with the Spirit in my body as the Living God does. Or have me converse with the angels and Mary.