In my stories the lead character goes through the process of transformation. What they believe their dramatic need to be changes as the story develops. In the end the character is different from the one who starts the story and many times these differences are internal. They are the differences that allow us to enjoy the adventure that is life. I am currently writing a screen play about a young boy who believes that other worlds and dimensions exist. It his dramatic need to prove these worlds exist, even though his parents and friends do not believe him and he has become an outcast, he continues to believe. As he moves through the story the dramatic need changes where he ends up is a far different place than he would have believed. This concept of transformation is what drives all our lives. We have certain dramatic needs that we want from life and they are the basis of what we are and do. Have you ever stopped for a moment and thought about why you are here and why you do and act the way you do? Just like the character in my screenplay I have always believed these other worlds existed and now I spend my life sharing these stories with others.
In the screenplay the entrance to the mirror world is a energy that my old friend Stuart Wilde called the Morph. He described it like misty rain falling. People and objects that go into the morph disappear and then reappear. I have seen the morph on many occasions but as yet I have never stepped into it. Not from fear but because I am not quite ready. In the past it has always moved away from me, but over time it has come closer and closer. When I opened my eyes after a meditation it was directly in front of me. I stretched out my hand only to see the morph collapse in on itself.
If there is one thing that I have learnt on this journey it is that the only way to know these other worlds is through discipline. There are many who take the easy way through drugs, but ultimately these drugs drag them into what some have called the astral worlds. I personally believe that the drugs take them into the shadow self and because they do not have the training or the discipline they ultimately get stuck in these worlds and live a life of hell.
So if you want to experience aspects of your Higher Self or have a window into these other mystical worlds I would suggest that you learn to discipline your mind and body. In today's chapter of the story the young Huo learns that discipline is the doorway to the infinite self. I hope you enjoy.
Discipline Is The Doorway To The Infinite Self
It was just after 4.a.m when the old sage shook the young man awake.
"Huo, after what happened yesterday, I want to change your training. Rather than continue to work on connecting you with your inner self, which seems to be taking on a life if its own, I believe it would be best to work with your physical self. Today, we will begin your lessons in martial arts, as well as in meditation. If your inner life continues to develop at the current rate, it is important that you learn physical and mental discipline to be able cope with the changes."
"Master, how will martial arts help with my inner life?"
"Your inner world expresses itself in your outer world, and unless we discipline your mind, body, and emotional responses, then you will create your outer world based on your childish reactions to what you perceive as external influences. Everything in the outer world is only an expression of what is first created in the inner worlds. As you open yourself up to the inner worlds, you will get messages from your higher self, and if you are not a clear channel, then these messages will be distorted by your ego and emotions. When the message tells you to go forward, your ego may tell you the opposite. It is only through discipline that we can quiet the ego and clear the subconscious mind of its previous programming.”
The old sage moved into the horse stance, took a deep breath, then closed his eyes. "Now, Huo, I want you to attack."
"But, Master, you have your eyes closed, and you are so old. I am afraid that I will hurt you, as I will be too quick for you."
The old sage smiled; the young man was much like he had been those many years ago.
"Yes, you are probably right, but please do this as a favour to an old man. Attack me."
Huo faltered for a moment, then he moved forward, dancing around the old man, flicking out an odd punch; it was more of a test to see if the old man would respond, rather than trying to hit him.
The old sage never moved.
Huo's confidence began to grow. He decided that he would not hit the old man hard; just a light tap on his head to teach him a lesson and show him how fast he was. Before the fist reached its target, however, Huo could feel himself being thrown in the air. As he struck the ground, feeling every bruise, he replayed in his mind what had happened. His fist was about a hand’s length from the old man when the old sage moved inside the fist, grabbed his arm - and in what seemed like an impossible move, went underneath him and launched him into the air.
"Teach me," was Huo's only reply.
And that was when his Martial Arts training began. Each day, well before sunrise, the nocturnal animals would gather around in a circle to watch the old man and his young apprentice practice, using stances the animals themselves used and working with the energy of the elements to understand how to read your opponent. More importantly, though, Huo learned how to understand and observe himself, ultimately moving to the stage where there was no reaction; for it was in the reaction that the old sage knew that you moved out of the flow.
Month after month, they practiced. First it was Martial Arts, then it was daily meditation, one minute of meditation for each hour of the day. At first the young man could not hold his emotions in check as he reacted to the strikes of the old sage, which always ended up with him getting another bruise or landing on his backside. He was progressing well with the physical aspects of the training, but he could not move beyond his emotions, which was something he would need to do to move on to the deeper aspects of the old sage's teachings.
The old sage was not worried, for "it was what it was; it was neither good nor bad." He knew the young man would move beyond the ego in his own good time. It just meant that he would have to slow down on the inner work.
It was after a particularly bad session when the young man had received far more bruises than normal that the Sage's inner voice suggested they do their daily meditation by a stream that ran a few hundred meters from their camp. As soon as he saw the stream, he understood what his inner voice was trying to tell him. Even after all these years, it was the inner voice from his Higher Self that was always there when needed. The key, as always, was to be open enough to listen.
They sat beside the stream, only this time the old sage asked Huo not to close his eyes, but rather stare into the water and allow it to take him into a meditative state. The young man watched the stream, not quite sure how this was going to help him go into a meditative state. All the same, after a few minutes he found himself very calm, and he released the frustration he had experienced from the early training session where once again the old man had made him look stupid. It no longer mattered, for he began to understand that he was not fighting against his Master, but himself. That one realization released any anger he had stored up in his body, and all at once his body healed itself, the bruises disappearing along with the aches and pains. He even noticed that his paralyzed left arm was now completely free from any pain and that he now had full use of it. He looked to the old sage for an answer, but the old sage had disappeared. Unperturbed, he looked back into the water, for in that moment he knew that it was his teacher that morning.
He watched as the water flowed on by kissing the bank and giving its life force to the plants and animals that lived along the stream. He looked into the middle to see a large rock rising out of the water. The water did not seem to fight against it, but simply flowed around the rock. It did not need to react; it just found another, simpler course. He understood that in time the water would defeat the rock, but it would be done in a calm, balanced way. The water had so much power, yet at the same time it gave life to everything around it. He had never looked at the elements in this way before, but from that moment on he would begin to observe more, for there was far more to this world than he had previously thought possible.
Blessings and Peace and may you become the water and may your essence give life to those around you.
Geof
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The 33rd Sage and the 33rd Sage and the Initiate are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris, a number of online book stores and on my websites.
The Way of the Initiate will be published mid 2013
Twitter @GeofSpalding
Official Author Blog - the33rdsage.authorsxpress.com/
Translatable Author Blog - 33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/
Book Websites 'The 33rd Sage,' at www.33rdsage.com
'The 33rd Sage and the Initiate,' at www.the33rdsage.com
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