Tag: inner alchemy

Heaven and Brimstone

Seeing Beauty Where None Is Expected

To see burning brimstone as beautiful gems is not a naive optimism but a profound reorientation of perception. The alchemy of consciousness transforms what is often labelled as suffering or undesirable into something sacred, even divine. The journey to this realization does not lie in escaping difficulties but fully meeting them, unguarded and undefended.

Most spend their lives seeking an idealized heaven, a utopia where pain, conflict, and discomfort are absent. Yet, what if the true heaven is not a destination but a shift in how reality is experienced? What if heaven emerges not when circumstances change, but when the mind stops resisting the circumstances it once fled?

Burning brimstone evokes images of torment, the archetypal inferno of spiritual suffering. Yet, fire has always been dual. It consumes, but it also purifies. It destroys, yet it forges. The very flames that sear can illuminate. To see gems within the fire is to recognize the transformative power hidden in every difficulty, every discomfort, every perceived flaw.

This is the paradox of awakening: the world remains the same, yet nothing is the same. The raw intensity of existence, with all its chaos and unpredictability, becomes a source of wonder. Heaven, then, is not an escape but an embrace. It is not found elsewhere but revealed here, in the present, when we are willing to see clearly.

How Do We Begin?

• Drop the Narrative: Pain and suffering often intensify because of the stories we weave around them. Without the narrative, fire is just fire. Burnt bridges are just opportunities for new paths. The mind’s interpretation makes them unbearable.

• Engage Curiosity: Rather than judging experiences, approach them with curiosity. What is this discomfort teaching? What lies beneath the surface? Gems rarely rest in plain sight; they are unearthed through inquiry.

• Surrender Control: Heaven is realized not by controlling life but by allowing life to be what it is. This surrender is not weakness; it is the strength to flow with life rather than against it.

Through these practices, what once seemed like burning brimstone—the unbearable weight of human suffering—may transform into beautiful gems. This is not a denial of the challenges but a recognition that all of existence, even the painful parts, is imbued with beauty and meaning when approached with the eyes of wisdom.

The question is not whether heaven exists but whether you are willing to see it, even amid flames.

Morgan O. Smith

Yinnergy Meditation, Spiritual Life Coaching & My Book, Bodhi in the Brain…Available Now!

https://linktr.ee/morganosmith

Sand Castles of Consciousness

Discovering the Essence Within

Introduction:

In the tranquil tapestry of Eastern philosophy, where contemplation converges with existence, there lies a profound revelation – Everything in existence is composed of Pure Consciousness. Here, Consciousness is not merely an attribute; it is capitalized, symbolizing its omnipresence as the very fabric that weaves through the cosmos. It is akin to an ancient tale of a castle crafted from sand, reflecting that though it may don the guise of a majestic structure, it remains, in essence, sand.

The Sand and the Castle:

Visualize a child meticulously building a sand castle on the shore. The grains of sand, amassed and sculpted, assume the shape of a castle. Does the sand cease to be sand when shaped into a castle? Certainly not. This allegory mirrors the realization that while the myriad forms around us may appear different, they are all permutations of the same unyielding Consciousness.

The Essence of Consciousness:

Consciousness is akin to Brahman in Hinduism or the Tao in Taoism in the Eastern philosophical context. The unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond. Our ephemeral existence is a mere reflection, a ripple in the vast ocean of Consciousness.

Flow of Forms:

Just as a sand castle is subjected to the whims of waves and winds, forms in the material world are in a constant state of flux. The ancient Hindu text, the Bhagavad Gita, illustrates this with the concept of ‘Lila’, depicting the world as a divine play of forms. The Taoist philosophy also reverberates with this thought through the Tao, which flows through and is the inherent nature of all things.

The Inner Alchemy:

One might inquire, how does this realization benefit our daily lives? Understanding that we are not just isolated entities, but integral threads woven into the fabric of Consciousness, can be transformative. It helps us transcend the illusion of separateness and cultivates compassion, humility, and interconnectedness with all beings and the natural world.

Conclusion:

As we embrace the wisdom of Eastern philosophy, let us be mindful of the sand castles we build and the sands that shape them. Let us embark on a spiritual odyssey to unearth the Consciousness within and around us, recognizing that the essence is unchanging, infinite and all-encompassing. Like the sand castles by the sea, our forms are transient, but the Consciousness that shapes us is eternal.

Morgan O. Smith

Yinnergy Meditation & My Book, Bodhi in the Brain…Available Now!

https://linktr.ee/morganosmith