Friday, August 31, 2012

Spinning the Great Mandala


"Take your place on the Great Mandala
As it moves through your brief moment of time
Win or lose now you must choose now
And if you lose you’ve only wasted your life."

                                         Peter, Paul and Mary

 
One of the biggest tricks that life plays on us is having us experience being young before experiencing being old.  Especially in our current society of ever-increasing value on youthfulness, we grow up with intense programming to loathe "old people."  The focus is on old age frailties and infirmities. Elders are portrayed on TV and in other media as inept. 

We realized that we've been "tricked" when the years go by, we find ourselves "old."  At first, you experience shock and you wonder "what the hell has happened to me?"  After a few years you realize that you aren't the first person to grow old.  Your parents experienced the exact same thing before you, and their parents before them, and their parent before them.  You find a little bit of consolation in thinking that the younger people of today will experience it also, and their children after them, etc.

In intellectual terms, maturity comes from accepting your age, loving yourself and making the decision to do the best with the "time you have left."  By doing these things, you find freedom from self-loathing.

However, there is even greater freedom in realizing and knowing that you are not just your body, but you are a spirit with a body.  This lifetime is just one of the many you have had and will have.  You have seniority over the body.  This means that the body is yours to own.  You can come into your body and own the reality you have created thus far.  If you have been unconscious and just followed the programming to become decrepit, it is still not too late to own your body, love it and do some healing work. 

There are a few spiritual lessons we can learn from aging. You can become aware of your genetic agreements that you made with your family about aging, and release your karma with them.  You can accept that "growing old" is part of the human experience. You can become more aware of how the limitations you experience in your "old age" are reflections of your beliefs, attitudes and programming.  You can realize that every moment of experiencing human life (in whatever form it takes) is precious. This is why we get to do it again and again. We get to learn from our "mistakes!" 

Best of all, and at the very least, you can decide to bring even more of your spiritual awareness into your body next lifetime.  You can get a good head start on enjoying and mastering your life as a human being.  See you next time around!
 
Madeline

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