Children of The Stars Paintings by Paul F. Mitchell An Uncommon Wisdom An Uncommon Sense Healing from Ritual Abuse 2 Children of the Stars: An Uncommon Wisdom, An Uncommon Sense Healing from Ritual abuse Researched and written by Paul F. Mitchell For The People 3 This book is dedicated to Rachel Thraves The closest thing I ever had to a daughter; an intelligent young woman who wishes to educate and teach people My wish is that she add to what I have learned and to teach young people how to become individuals and healthy intelligent human beings connected with other people and their whole environment in health Table of Contents Mitchelli Table of Contents Pgs. 1-21 Introduction Part 1 1. Pgs.22 – 25 Materialism, the Unconscious and the Development of Bigotry 2. Pgs.26 - 31 Compassion and Empathy on the lower levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane 3. Pgs.32 – 36 The Destruction of the Lower Levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane. 4. Pgs. 37 - 40 Repression, Regression and the Development of Sadism and Masochism: Enter the Addictive Personality 5. Pgs. 41 - 45 How Society Aids and Abets these Dynamics: Most Groups are a type of Cult 6. Pgs. 46 - 51 Exposing Cult Dynamics 7. Pgs.52 - 65 Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Covert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious 8. Pgs.66 - 71 Control of Environment 9. Pgs. 72 - 78 Evolution, Regression and Devolution: Seeing in Reverse. Social Violence 10. Pgs. 79 – 107 Viewing these Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective 11. Pgs.108 - 111 How Society’s institutions help perpetuate and maintain these dynamics. The big picture: maintaining the Machine. Part 2 12. Pgs. 112 - 134 Exploring the Healing Relationship: Healing the Mind 13. Pgs. 135 – 159 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer are a mutual Affair. 14. Pgs. 160 – 186 Enough Diagnosis: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Therapeutic Healing Part 3 Healing from Ritual Abuse 15. pgs. 187 - 193 How to Recognize a Survivor of Ritual Abuse in the Healing Relationship 16. Pgs. 194 – 206 The psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse 17. Pgs. 207 – 208 The General Principles of Survivor Therapy Table of Contents Mitchellii 18. 209 – 210 The Enemy Within the Healing Camp: When the Psychotherapist(s) are Cultists, Whether Consciously or Unconsciously 19. pgs. 2011 - 226 A brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: A Personal Experience 20. Pgs. 227 – 230 Problems Inherent with the Client being Regarded as Different or Special 21. Pgs. 231 – 272 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Conclusion Pgs. 273 - 282 Appendix Cult Dynamics Pgs. 283 – 288 Glossary of Terms Pgs. 289 - 294 Bibliography Pgs. 295 – 301 Index Pgs 302 – 319 Introduction Mitchell-- 1 The following quotes I place here because of their importance in the context of Human liberation, especially as it relates to the Dignity, Psyche and Soul of all Human beings “If everyone keeps taking an eye for an eye, pretty soon the whole world will be blind Mahatma Gandhi” “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, ties in a single garment of destiny.” Dr. M. L. King Jr. “Each spiritual tradition looked at in the context of the particular perspective it is supposed to represent, makes each one of them as valid as the next. They all spring from the same source, therefore each one of them express a reality of that source of creation; but only one aspect of the whole truth. The solution is to include of them they which people find healthy and beneficial. No one individual is able to practice (in practice) all religions, if, however, one is able to perceive the universal truths and themes expressed in all of the traditions, the segregating effect of labels can be dropped. Then we can develop intolerance against intolerance. We can have freedom to express from the heart, to individuate. Then, it becomes clear we were all saying the same thing in the first place. Just in different ways.” Paul Mitchell Calgary, 2001 Introduction Reading this work only one time will not give an individual the entire possibility to understand what is being described here. As with most written pieces of work that deal with in - depth topics, rereading them will usually give the reader a greater insight into the nature of what is being put across. Importantly, although it is not usually good literary style or practice to repeat something that has already been said, throughout this work I will do this. I will do this for precisely the reason I just gave in the above, especially as it relates to having more information to work with each time something is repeated. Most of our actual thinking takes place on an unconscious level. As for Introduction Mitchell-- 2 rereading the material, going back to it at a later date, after the psyche has had time to “digest” what it has taken in, different and deeper layers of understanding will usually transpire. Most importantly, as you read the following material, as I say several times throughout, be very conscious of your feelings, emotions, and especially any thoughts that you have while taking in some of the material I present here. Being aware of these thoughts and physiological reactions that you have will tell you far more about the accuracy of what I am saying here than the intellect alone. Another important factor to keep in mind is to try to empathically place your self in many of the dynamic scenarios I will be describing throughout this work. Rather than spreading fear and creating separation by expressing what this work covers, my wish is that it promotes the exact opposite. I am presenting, in this book, a way of closing separating gaps between people. Although I am not saying anything here that thousands of people before me have tried to say, here, I am trying to do my part to bring everything together, to create an overall context and overview, as a way of raising people’s consciousness so that a true healing among humankind can take place. My deepest wish is that peace will eventually cover the world and that people will learn how to love themselves as their fellow human being. This will naturally develop into a love for their fellow human being as if he or she were them selves. This would then be able to extend outward and include the whole environment. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate and expose the sources of bigotry, anarchy and social violence that are running rampant throughout world society today. My main thesis is that most of this bigotry develops on the unconscious levels of the human psyche, both at an individual level and collectively. In today’s world, throughout most societies and cultures, people operate from and hold world views that stem primarily from extreme competitive ego perspectives that are dragging far behind technological capabilities and our ability to do violence against each other. I am referring to majority worldviews that have become unconsciously fragmented and dichotomized, affecting in a parallel fashion what it means to be and how to live as naturally oriented and peace loving human beings. This is expressed at the fundamental level throughout the book, with certain sections going into more detail than others. We discuss the dynamics that produce a worldview that has focused on and developed materialism that is a direct expression of a fragmented ego and psyche. This is a false ego view that only respects and honors what can be quantified and categorized, then turned into a profit. Hypocrisy and bigotry necessarily follows from this worldview that represses people’s true natures and refuses to acknowledge what it truly means to be a whole human being. One of the primary results of this disempowerment of the human psyche is a focus on, and misuse of power. Misuse of power is a way fragmented and disempowered people/psyches try to compensate for this loss of potential and wholeness; for loss of their health. It is usually expressed through a need to control and manipulate others in an attempt to obtain energetic psychic and therefore physical requirements. These are energetic needs that could easily be achieved by people in conscious and aware interaction with the whole of their psycho – physiological and environmental reality. Reciprocal interaction of people’s inner psychic realities with their environment would naturally connect them to the human collective psyche at all levels and also the greater environment providing a two way exchange of energetic needs. The result, as homeopathy has been saying for a long time, is greater health. This relative state of unconsciousness that we have fallen into has usually expressed itself through increased violence, to ourselves and also to others. In reality this separation does not exist and what we do to others we do to ourselves; what we do to ourselves we also do to others. Although this violence originates unconsciously, it eventually manifests itself psychically and therefore physically and materially eventually. Materialism, as we will explore and see, for the time being refuses to acknowledge that the individual shares a collective psychic reality with all other human beings, indeed all life forms on earth. We share a collective world environment that Introduction Mitchell-- 3 is alive and grounded in a natural desire to evolve into higher levels of integration, complexity and reality. The astounding advances humankind has made in the development and use of technology, in some cases, is being misused and, primarily unconsciously, sabotaging the human psyche and human potential. It would be nice if humankind could avoid the historical reality, demonstrated in individual as well as collective historical development that (quantum) jumps in evolution and developmental growth are usually impelled to move forward by some sort of shock or crisis if that development has been interrupted in some way. I will qualify this last statement by saying there is a possibility this frustration in growth is natures way. Although I will not develop or search these possibilities in great depth, there is archeological and historical suggestibility as demonstrated by some of the wisdom traditions that when it comes to quantum jumps in development, so to speak, this is indeed the way nature provides the impetus to propel evolution forward. In this respect I am not talking about the concept of survival of the fittest. When it comes to humanity in today’s world this is simply an outmoded mindset inviting collective suicide. Because of what has happened world wide, psychically and socially, environmentally and in a whole Earth sense, we now find ourselves on the brink of world wide catastrophe. Consciousness raising can change this. It is awareness developed through consciousness raising that can change the destructive use of technology and a technological mindset to be instead used for evolutionary purposes. Instead it is in many cases being used to maintain and exacerbate a war-like and lower level state of fragmented psychic reality that simply perpetuates the cycles of bigotry and separation between people. This is also a bigotry that goes against nature, in all of its manifestation, lower and higher, Earthly as well as Heavenly. This represents the horizontal Earth plane and the vertical Heavenly plane. This latter plane is not some sort of imaginary place in the starry night sky but a higher place within the universal and archetypal human psyche that was made in the creator’s image. It refers to the higher levels and potentials of the human psyche. We will explore the psychological reality that most of the decisions, thoughts, emotions and actions of human beings originate on levels far below the usual levels of conscious awareness, for most people. Unconscious human behavior, similar to technology developed under controlled laboratory conditions, individually, and between individuals and therefore collectively have unforeseen consequences on the collective environment that are not foreseen on a strictly egocentric level. The word occult refers to virtually any hidden aspects of human and psychic activity and thought. Everything is psyche or mind. However, compared to times in the past, we have become unconscious of what was not at one time included in the occult. We are all responsible to become aware of our selves, especially when the results are violence and harm, to ourselves, to others and to the larger environment. We are all responsible for stopping the maintenance of this destructive cycle. To say, “I was just following orders” does not cut the cake. We are all responsible for making these unconscious dynamics conscious once again. In respect of the occult, as will be explored in depth in the following work, the idea of consciousness raising is important for a very good reason. We will see that many of the unconscious dynamics within the psyche, for most people, are manipulated, in fact controlled and directed by a few elite at the top of the world power structure. Many people, and today there are greater and greater numbers, are involving themselves in the occult and expansion of awareness and consciousness. Unfortunately, most of the people entering into these areas have not overcome many of the egocentric tendencies society has conditioned into them. In other words, many people do not know themselves. When people who do not know themselves enter into the occult, ritual and the deep arcane, by not knowing themselves, in other words not being in control of themselves, they run the risk of being controlled by the more powerful forces, energies and psyches that are at the top of the power structure. Introduction Mitchell-- 4 In today’s world, these controlling forces are not always of a benevolent sort. This will be heavily explored, however, there is a very important point I am making here. Since most of what we call the occult, in all areas of society, not just the deep arcane and spiritual realms of the psyche, is so controlled, the rest of the world population, literally, is being controlled by these forces at the top of the pyramid. This is a crime against humanity and is the reverse of what the Creator intended. The only solution to this is to completely open the doors for everyone, to awaken people’s curiosity, imagination and especially a true sense of justice, equality and human liberation. In other words, to expose the hidden potential within all human beings; this is the heritage of all people. It can only be achieved by exposing many of the shadowy negative forces and energies that have taken over the operating controls of human destiny. The separation, fragmentation and bigotry that subsequently develops as long as we remain unconscious results in the formation of groups that operate primarily on an unconscious level, and primarily for reasons of survival. However, given the nature of the dynamics that create these groups in the first place, although they attempt to shield their members from other groups, there is always a domino and totem affect within groups where members overpower those weaker than them selves within the group, either psychically or physically. This is nature’s way in some cases. The problem is that with human beings, given the population of humanity on the Earth today, this primordial way of “surviving” is quite obsolete. Under natural conditions and circumstances, evolution is ever expanding. This takes place both horizontally, embracing the collective and lower levels of the human psyche and Earth environment, and vertically into the higher realms of psychic potential. The vertical movement is usually initiated by individuals, followed by the rest of the human collective. I am not talking about dictators and leaders in a political sense. I am talking about Galileo’s, Einstein’s, Martin Luther King Jr.’s and leaders of emancipation and spiritual development. I am speaking about individual developments in a psychic and therefore psychological sense. We will explore what helps development and what hinders it. We will look at the psychic dynamics of empathic connection and interdependent connection with others and what hinders that from happening. We will look at how all higher development requires an integration and maintenance of all developments that preceded it. Without this maintenance a sort of crumbling takes place individually, collectively, socially and environmentally. We will see that many of the symptoms of this psychic fragmentation are looked upon as the various problems within society and how this can be remedied; especially the problem of these symptoms being looked upon as the causes while the real causes are ignored. For example, as touched on above, even if we don’t consciously acknowledge it, the fact is that everything that occurs within individuals and between individuals is entirely reciprocal and cyclical, whether of health or unhealthy imbalance. We will explore how this reciprocity can be put to productive and creative purposes rather than destructive. Solid individual freedom to develop as discreet individual entities is the only way true interdependent and creative reciprocity can take place. Connected interaction has to develop from freedom not coercion, whether it is conscious or unconscious, psychological or physical. This is the true definition of health. Health is also defined by ever increasing levels of consciousness being attained. This recognizes that most of what takes place on the “unconscious” levels of the individual and collective human psyche takes place consciously on a level that most of us have lost contact with. A healthy recognition of the horizontal psychic plane as well as the vertical upward plane and dimension of psychic growth is crucial. Aware integration of these two dimensions and their dynamics naturally results in optimal health. Balance is the important factor to consider in most areas of human activity. Both balance and imbalance are mirrored in healthy worldviews and unhealthy worldviews. In the latter case, a conscious worldview may not even be present. Anything taken to an unbalanced extreme will set all the other factors inherent in wholeness off kilter as well. The first casualty in almost all cases Introduction Mitchell-- 5 of imbalance is a solid and well grounded consciousness. Separation resulting in nihilism, oppression and narcissistic isolation are consequences of imbalance. We will look at the antidote to this, and that is the development of true empathy and compassion. One of the symptoms of our materialistic worldview is that, unconsciously, humankind has reached a point where people work to maintain a market driven society that has stopped working for the benefit of most people. In an ego sense what this is an expression of is a disempowered humanity working to maintain a lower level, materialistic mindset. Collectively, this mindset has stripped most people of all except a competitive level mentality that keeps most of the world population in a state of psychical and physical survival mode and almost 100% of humankind struggling to maintain some sense of interdependence and dignity, individually and collectively. Scientific philosopher Ken Wilber’s concept of holarchy demonstrates quite nicely that, in order to evolve upward, in an evolutionary sense, people and in fact all life, in virtually all respects, have to maintain an integrated, reciprocal and rooted existence from which they emerged. Holarchy also demonstrates that, although no one perspective has all of the answers and solutions to existence, they are all valid in a partial sense. All of them provide a partial picture of reality but they all have to be looked upon in an integrated and whole context. In order to exist in a healthy, evolving way people have to maintain a psychic, and in extension, physical integration with themselves, with other people and with the whole of their natural environment, both the horizontal Earth plane and the vertical Heavenly plane of existence and potential. When people within the existing worldview live from a strictly ego perspective, expressed most completely through materialism, this is not possible to maintain indefinitely. Not only does evolution stop, in many cases it goes into regression. Many of the symptoms of this regression we will explore throughout this work. However, the main expression of the subsequent loss of the integration I spoke of above is a world wide collective competitiveness and bigotry that has stripped most people of any sort of integration of body, mind and spirit. Expressed collectively, it is mirrored within individuals equally. Violence, physically and psychically expressed, is a symptom of the inquisitorial and egotistically repressed soul of humankind and the unconscious rule by a shadow controlled super ego, in a psychoanalytical sense. We will explore the symptoms of this psychic imbalance in the following chapters. The conditioning factors involved in maintaining this mindset, as I will consistently stress throughout, are perpetrated primarily unconsciously. The result is that finger pointing and blame cannot really be performed; this repression results in a type of acting and theatrical performance. All finger pointing would do is exacerbate the situation and in fact is a prime example of the hypocrisy and repression of human reality that precipitated the imbalance in the first place. This is an example of “blaming the victim” that we have to overcome. Having said this, the main question people have to ask themselves is who benefits from what I have been describing? In fact, the word, “profits,” speaks volumes in looking towards an answer. We will see that reductionism will have to be replaced with an appreciation for integration and wholeness at all levels and states of individual and collective development. This is the only way true health can be achieved and maintained; by an appreciation for the quality of human existence rather than a consumerist focus on quantity. I mentioned the subsequent hypocrisy and bigotry that result from a world operating from a primarily ego perspective. Sadism and masochism, primarily unconsciously motivated, is a widespread phenomena and symptom of the mindset I am talking about. This is a symptom of alienation and lack of integration within individuals and people. It has more of an impact throughout society and the world than most would imagine. What all of this demonstrates is a type of self hate that perpetuates the machine – like cycle within a prescriptive world cult – ture. Introduction Mitchell-- 6 When I use the word prescriptive, it denotes a mindset that categorizes and divides everything into parts, assigning people to machine – like roles within society. This is mirrored in psychic development, or lack thereof, within individuals and the human collective. This is the opposite of a proscriptive mindset where people maintain as much of a whole and reciprocal interaction with their environment as possible, in whatever they do, especially work. It is integrative and holistic. These dynamics, both prescriptive and proscriptive, will be explored in depth and within many apparently separate and diverse areas; in apparently different ways in which they are expressed. What I have been describing is very political and it is an understatement to say that in the context that I am saying it, the personal is political. I will draw from the wisdom teachings of both the Eastern and Western areas of the world to demonstrate that the only way to achieve a healthy integration and wholeness is by a psychological process known as centering. This process recognizes both the horizontal plane of existence, as well as the vertical movement of evolution, represented by an integrated individual psyche. This demonstrates recognition of the inter-psychic connection with other people and the larger environment. The vertical plane recognizes the higher potentials of the psyche and is demonstrated by upward movement in evolution of spiritual or conscious development. The first plane is primarily feminine in nature while the second dynamic is primarily masculine. However, both planes have a blend of both energetic patterns. These distinctions have nothing to do with gender. One has to do with embracing and integration: this is feminine. The other dynamic, masculinity, makes this possible by the energetic creation and expression of consciousness. Both energetic dynamics have to be present in a mutually reciprocal way in order for healthy life and existence to be a reality. One of the symptoms of a lack of this existential health we will look at is an addictive mindset and tendency within world society, and how we are conditioned to it. One of the cruelest expressions of this stunted emotional psychic growth, and addictions is only one example, is pedophilia and an obsession with and distortion of a sacred expression of humanity and life, sexuality. In fact, sexuality, or rather, sensuality, is one of the casualties that will be discussed at great length. It is sexuality that has become one of the most obscene ways in which sadism and masochism, on many different levels, is expressed. It is expressed in psychic ways as much as it is in physical ways, in fact more so. This symptomatic tendency has distorted and perverted what should be a most beautiful expression of humankind and human interdependence. When we look at the potential of the human psyche we will see it goes far beyond what most people consider realistic. As an example, we will look at what used to be known as “female intuition” and how it has become degraded and pathologized into something called paranoia. This is an example of how the human psyche has been mute-lated. It is an example of how an artificially created “pathology” is being used in order to create profits in a materialistic market driven world. In looking at the above, we can begin to see the way in which power can be misused. Power has to be equated with responsibility, especially when that power involves a potential or in fact contains within it a power differential between the powerful person and other people. This would mean that there therefore is a potential to hold power over other people and misuse that power. The lethal combination in these kinds of situation is increased egocentricity, cynicism and unconscious hatred on the part of the powerful person. In looking at these dynamics we will be looking at the nature of cults. A primary characteristic of cults is one way control, from the top down. One of the main results of this type of control is dependence and the creation of an addictive personality. The two dynamics are definitely related. In respect of cults or groups, the important dynamic to look at is the one way flow of control, with a resulting domino – like affect. Society is almost completely comprised and saturated with these dynamics, on a continuum ranging from mild to severe. I already mentioned one of the causes creating a “perceived” need to exert illegitimate control: this is regression. Introduction Mitchell-- 7 The only way to reverse these dynamics is purposeful consciousness raising. This results in increased awareness of what is taking place. These dynamics are present from the family up through to various institutions, national levels of government and now international level organizations, including multinationals. When attempting to leave cult – like groups, most people leave one situation only to go to another like it, sometimes. Because of conditioning and familiarity, mainly unconscious people like this go from one cult – like group to another. This is very similar to situations where abused people leave one abusive relationship only to be gravitated to similar situations. This dynamic is well documented and researched and hardly requires discussion. All we have to look at is situations where battered people in relationships go from one abusive relationship to another. People involved in spiritual or psychological occult practices do gain power because of increased levels of consciousness. This power can be used to liberate people or to manipulate people. In most occult groups I have been involved with, because of a lack of self – knowledge the people I have witnessed allow ego to interfere and the result is conscious or unconscious manipulation of their environment, including people. Speaking for myself, when I initially got involved in these areas, in addition to reasons related to employment, as well as scholarly and spiritual interests, there were also self – defensive dynamics present, as there are with a lot of people. All of these dynamics occur in most groups, not just the spiritually or psychologically oriented groups, in a relative way. As I said, they occur on a continuum. Remember, the word occult simply refers to “what is hidden” whatever that knowledge or information may be. A symptom of manipulation and control is depression and other so – called mental illnesses. This is because of a resulting draining of masculine or libinal energy, as I will continue to mention repeatedly, and with in-depth analysis of the actual psycho-physiological dynamics. I will discuss many of the very institutions within society that increase these types of dynamics that result in psychic imbalances, while their conscious mandates are to alleviate them. They usually combine their “treatment” with an increase in dependency, which in itself depletes people of energy. In discussing the dynamics in these areas always keep in mind the people involved have been themselves wounded and conditioned, and perpetuate these dynamics unconsciously. Sexual exploitation and the use of sexuality in the manipulation of people can be perpetrated as much on a psychic level as physical. All forms of dependency, enmeshment, co – dependence and other forms allowing the use of control and manipulation result, on some level on a continuum, in a form of psychic possession. In fact, all forms of conditioning, and this includes a large segment of society, is responsible for doing this sort of thing. We can look at the ever constricting “official” definition of what it means to be normal. When I use the word constricting in this manner, I am referring to the ever greater tendency to officially increase methods of control over large populations of people This then becomes a tool used by various groups in society, to categorize and subsequently label and scapegoat people. This does more than simply turn these people into unconscious sacrificial victims. This will be looked at in depth. The most sensitive people in society who psychically recognize the above dynamics are quite often labeled mentally ill, and are psychically imprisoned and controlled, usually by medication, to avoid any type of attitude changes within society, and subsequently any healthy improvements. One of the main ways in preventing awareness of these dynamics becoming known is in making psychically aware people look or in fact become insane. This a tool used, to make these realities look like psychotic or delusional hallucinations. This is the main way society’s awareness of the realities of manipulation and population control are kept under lock and key (pun intended). Introduction Mitchell-- 8 Energy draining related to sexual exploitation and the resulting ability to manipulate is one of the main reasons sexual exploitation is used and is perpetrated by weak and wounded people This is one of society’s most widespread and horrendous methods of exploitation and control. I will not explain here these dynamics in any detail. However, I will give one other very obvious example. In Hollywood Satanic cults, that is, in ones that operate on a conscious level although behind closed doors, there is one characteristic way they keep people from escaping from the cult. Cult members are usually ones that hold positions of power and influence within society. Even if they don’t hold high positions of power and influence, when someone tries to escape, they are powerful enough to make the stories that the person who tries to escape look unbelievable, and the person telling them look crazy. The escapees are usually powerless young people. What the person has experienced is usually so horrendous, sometimes and usually, the cult members have no difficulty in making the person telling of these experiences as looking crazy. These victims are then re - victimized by other people or institutions, and sometimes by cult members in these institutions. I will expand upon these dynamics in reference to both Hollywood cults and true Satanic cults that operate almost exclusively on the unconscious or subconscious realms of the psyche. In looking at these nasty tendencies within the psyches of people, being consciously aware of the whole self or psyche is the only way to not realize the lesser admirable, possibly deeply repressed aspects and dynamics of an individual. Hollywood or “open” style Satanic cults do consciously what most of society does unconsciously. This is accomplished by a collective super ego that is controlled and dominated by a shadow infested collective operating primarily from the lower (ego and below) levels of the psyche. This is especially true of angry energies, and angry people who add to or allow themselves to be caught in these areas. As mentioned above, this is why anyone getting involved with openly “spiritual” occult practices have be aware of themselves as much as possible. This can otherwise allow wounded people become or remain perpetrators and continue to commit crimes against other people. There are some groups of people this applies to more than others. I will explore some of these groups, however, in all cases the important thing is for people to use some common sense and to ask questions for themselves. When these dynamics are not consciously made aware, people end up doing the very things they condemn in others without even being aware of their own hypocrisy. As most psychologists and people who work with other people, especially survivors, know, if a person responds to situations with anger, this will usually indicate a degree of guilt in whatever the situation represents. Nature meant anger to be a short term emotional reaction to impel someone into action; if hung onto it quickly becomes hate. In more developed people, through the development of discipline, emotions such as anger are by-passed. In these cases, as soon as they stir from within they are recognized and immediately refined and redirected upwards into the areas of the higher functioning aera of the whole psychic system. This is what Eastern disciplines and traditions such as the various forms of martial arts teach, as an example. In looking at the darker aspects of groups, cults, and human behavior, in the occult repertoire of terms, one aspect of “black magic” is the draining of masculine or libinal energy, mentioned above. In using common sense and asking questions, I will leave it up to the people to verify what I am saying for them selves, after reviewing much of the information encountered throughout the rest of this work. A deficiency or imbalance of masculine or feminine energies, usually a result of conditioning and trauma, will usually put in place or perpetuate the above mentioned dynamics. If people scoff at the realities that I am referring to, all I ask is that they seriously look at and consider the things I will be discussing. All of what I speak about is supported by thousands of years of knowledge. In addition to modern scientific support, most of the activities I speak of, I have no doubt, will reverberate with almost everyone who reads this presentation. I ask people to monitor their responses as they read what I say. If they are honest with them selves what they experience will speak volumes. Introduction Mitchell-- 9 In looking at these dynamics and how unconscious dynamics are activated or deactivated, we will look at rituals and their use. There are rituals that can be consciously performed. However, just about every aspect and level of human activity involves the activation of psychic energies and realities by ritual. Ritual, through the use of symbols and the parallels between physical and conscious activity and resulting movements within activate the deeper areas and contents of the inner psyche. Symbols activate aspects of the psyche we would not usually be aware of. Ritual can either be used to unite humanity or to separate them. We will look at both types of these dynamics. When symbols or ritual activate certain aspects of the psyche, the assimilation of emotional responses and data are not usually filtered through the critical apparatus of the intellect. This is why rituals, especially when performed “consciously” within spiritual occult settings have to be done with knowledge of the intent behind them and awareness of the possible outcomes. The whole person, beyond ego, who performs the ritual, requires that the person involved “know thy self,” and is of paramount importance. This is especially important in low magic that involves manipulation of the environment, including people. This aspect of the occult also applies to all occult knowledge and their applications, technologically speaking, and especially mental health where actual control over people and their lives are at stake. It is the aspects of low magic and environmental manipulation that that have to be considered more than high “magic”; the latter is geared towards “knowing thy self” and the joining with the source of life. In the case of low magic, when tribalism, bigotry and separation (hate) enter into the ritual, the more powerful the outcome is: the more powerfully destructive the outcome. This is especially true when the rituals focus on symbols and archetypal energies, or even accumulated negative energies, that resonate within the collective psyche. This takes place on a continuum. Although low magic can be used to heal, it can also be used as an illegitimate type of manipulation, as found in some types of voodoo. Scapegoating and any form of hypocrisy and oppression is a form of black magic that drains people of life force. As mentioned above, examples of these types of activities will be discussed by using, in some cases, mundane examples everyone will recognize. Many people within society aware of these levels and realities, unfortunately, work for the “system” or themselves in an egotistical sense. This will be discussed. The most sensitive people who are aware, intuitively, of these realities are usually subdued in various ways, “sacrificed”, in fact because of the energies they have access to as well as the threats they present to the powers that maintain the status quo; they are sacrificed more ruthlessly than any other segments of the population. This was mentioned above and we will discuss this at length. Mute – lation is the usual result. With most of the perpetrators, it is only by the awakening of consciousness and conscience, that the oppressors will more than likely stop their actions. Many would be quite amazed, “who me?.... I had no idea…” A theme I will repeatedly state throughout is that when we harm others, we are harming ourselves. Can a person recall a time they hurt someone and felt bad afterwards? As mentioned above, oppressed people, in many cases try to compensate for their disempowerment by oppressing those beneath them. This is the domino affect and is one crucial factor in the cyclical perpetuation of these dynamics. I will stress many items of importance over and over to get this point across. Fear is one of the main tools used to keep these dynamics in place. The world and society is saturated in fear. The use of fear is most cruelly used by perpetrators in committing childhood sexual abuses, even if it is coated with candies and words of praise. Taking into consideration all of the dynamics I am discussing, on the unconscious levels of the collective unconscious, these accumulated energies become shadow(y) hate and revenge seeking entities in its own right. This is the shadow from depth psychology. It is usually combined with the collective super ego and the lower level primordial aspects of the individual and collective psyche. As we will see, many of these dynamics, because people are unconscious of their true Introduction Mitchell-- 10 natures, result in antagonism between groups, men and women, and other identified concentrations of people. Consciousness raising can remedy this situation. In considering the reality of the interpenetration of psyches, consider the aspect of being in mass rallies, spectators in large sports events, and so forth. Unless a person is very aware, it is quite easy to get caught up in the much more primordial and lower level energies of the mass mind.I will provide a fair amount of material that should provide enough grist for the mill that people will seriously consider what I am saying. Consider the affects of sadism, masochism and in fact any sort of violence: emotional, psychological and physical. Consider the above mentioned energy drain in mass atmospheres. Then consider where all of that energy goes. It does not benefit the sadist, except for a short time, certainly not the masochist, and after a mass rally, once people come back to down to Earth, everyone feels drained. On a collective level, where does all of this energy go? Certainly not to constructive purposes. Consider: shadows or blackness sucks up and absorbs light, energy. Light, awareness, however, creates and radiates energy, like the sun. I will provide several real life examples, and also physical (physics), metaphysical, philosophical and other scientific documentation and facts for people to use in conjunction with intelligence when considering these questions. Groups and cults are major tools used by the collective, in manners described above, in perpetuating these dynamics. A state of mind that follows from all of these dynamics is not only a dependence on the “expert,” but also authoritarian leadership. These dynamics are present within almost all groups. Some of the more obvious ones can be called cults. I will give you examples of this latter type of organization, and the less obvious forms cults can take, and especially how the dynamics of conditioning are implemented. During these sections I will explore the idea of psychic retreats that people make because of these dynamics and the resulting psychic imbalances such as dissociative identity disorder, so – called schizophrenia and so forth. During these discussions consider the emotion fear, which is nothing more than an aspect of a false, in some cases regressive, and certainly immature ego. Consider how these dynamics attempts to maintain and perpetuate a cyclical situation as the one described above. I will take a look at how a person’s and people’s environment and their perceptions within that environment are distorted in order to maintain control over people. Most of this is unconscious, although there are ways in which it is consciously maintained. I am referring to propaganda, subliminal suggestion, through to advertising and the mass media. Only rigid skeptics and closed minded people will be able to deny validity, at least to some extent, to what I am saying. Regression in development, such as I have been describing, actually causes people to see things in reverse. Think of it. If a person denies realities within them selves, they will hypocritically project and see it in other people. This is the whole purpose and subsequent result of using scapegoats. People deny things within them selves and project it onto someone else and then blame the other person for the very thing or things they are guilty of. When the ancient people first created the scapegoat, during ritual, it was originally done to real goats. They “blamed” the goat for their own shortcomings once they “prayed” their undesirable traits into it before sending it off into the wilderness. This was an actual ritual that will be mentioned later in this book. After thousands of years, this ritual has created a psychological state of mind for the collective psyche, found within most individuals with some exceptions. Looking at the whole interactive nature of the psyche, it follows, logically, that the whole of the human being, and in extension, the collective, has become characterized by this state of body, mind and being. As will be explored, thousands of years later this tendency of psychic reversal has developed into the origination of conditions such as turrets, dyslexia, and so forth. You see, in addition to mass repressions, we are not using goats anymore. We create human scapegoats and act in bigoted ways. We are using real people. Introduction Mitchell-- 11 This is “seeing” in reverse, and because of body and mind interaction, including responses by the deeply repressed unconscious, this is being expressed by the emergence of new diseases, rampant social violence, and so forth. I’m simply asking people to keep an open mind as they read this material and think logically and with feeling as they review what I say. Put emotion, sentimental conditioning and propaganda aside. Think with your whole person, with your heart as you read this. Experience what and how you feel as these realities are considered. Especially consider the mute-lated human psyches reaction to this; both individually and collectively. Especially consider how this relates to the widespread epidemics of violence throughout society and the world. Consider the nature of bigotry, hypocrisy and the subsequent tendency for people to therefore see things in reverse. Because of this tendency people actually create situations to induce people they accuse to fulfill their accusations. It is no understatement to say accusers should be cross examined just like those persons accused, of whatever they are accused of, in some instances. I feel this should actually apply even to polygraph tests. People haven’t changed that much since the days of the inquisition and witch burnings: those particular circumstances were prime opportunities for hate-filled and jealous people to claim innocent victims. This is quite dramatically the nature of hypocrisy and scapegoating. Awareness of the main ways people are scapegoated and bigoted against, when brought to light, can counter the psychological dynamics of this process, and it will be discussed in some detail in this work. When true psychology is reduced to the material and genetic levels in trying to understand these dynamics, preventing learned and aware public knowledge of these realities, the only recourse is consciousness raising This would be similar to what many oppressed groups have done throughout history. In respect of the dynamics I am speaking about, people should become concerned about possible loss of civil liberties and government population control. Seriously consider these things as you read this material. Is this why official medicine, as one example, looks at mysticism, mystical abilities or even “female” intuition and other demonstrations of raised levels of consciousness in such a paranoid and persecutory fashion? The psychological creation of addictions followed by the unconscious, and sometimes not so unconscious, maintenance of an addictive society effectively decreases collective and individual levels of consciousness. This also acts as a form of medication that keeps people at earlier and less evolved stages of psychic development. In this state, people are more easily manipulated and turned into consumers that provide a market driven society with what it needs. As people read this material, feel how you feel, what you feel and as I will say many times, closely monitor your reactions to the things I am saying. If there has been one recurring theme throughout all of history it is the truth that when some individuals initiate a change in the common perspective of things, they are usually scorned at and not taken very seriously. Galileo was imprisoned, people thought Columbus was crazy for thinking the world was round, Martin Luther King was assassinated, and do you think people seriously thought about walking on the moon that many years ago? Consider the truth that I am by no means the first person to say the things I am saying. Consider the ways in which many people have expressed the same things in addition to the written word. Art, film, and other forms of poetic expression attempt to say similar things. Art is not fiction. It expresses what is submerged in the depths of the psyche; contents that are struggling to break out and be expressed. When it is not expressed, the repressing dynamics increases the size of the collective shadow that psychoanalytical literature speaks of. I will discuss and explore in-depth extreme examples of psychic fragmentation: dissociation identity crisis, what used to be called multiple personality disorder, is perhaps one of the most obvious examples. I will also discuss obvious forms of psychosis that can actually be caused by societies various addictions/medications, especially misuse of some of the pharmaceutically manufactured psychotropic medications. The ability of a true person’s self to emerge under Introduction Mitchell-- 12 natural conditions can be a prodigious achievement. In today’s world, consciousness raising is the only thing that can place people’s natural drive to achieve these higher levels of consciousness and psychic development back into an evolutionary mode. I am talking about integration and individuation. In the above respect, I will relate a short dream I had several years ago, very soon after I started using anti-depressants. Dream In this dream, I was standing in front of a bar counter. The bar tender however, was not serving just drinks. He was also serving prozac. Most of the patrons of the bar actually seemed to prefer this over the usual depressant known as alcohol. I think this dream sums up very well what I said in the above. Interestingly, I never even considered what this dream was trying to say at that time; not until quite recently. Years after I had that dream, and quite some time since I have had any need for any type of psychotropic medication, while doing serious research in these areas I remembered this dream and now see what it was trying to tell me. The dynamics I am discussing here will also be discussed in relation to cults and cult-like groups and how they operate. These dynamics are present throughout all of society, with more obvious levels of expression in some groups than in others. I will also demonstrate how psychic fragmentation and manipulation by the shadow/super ego of society and its various tools of enforcement are very sexual in the sense of psychic invasion and rape. This can also be far more devastating in affect than physical levels of violations. The main reason for this is because in our material culture, any physical forms of violation are usually recognized for what they are and dealt with by law enforcement and the justice system. This is not the case at the moment with the psychic invasions that I am speaking of. I will discuss both physical and psychological forms of trauma induced by abuse and for lack of a better word, sacrificial torture. In various sections of this work I will give clear in – depth examples where repression, bigotry and victimization of certain “unseen” groups and individuals result in oppression of a sort that appears to be perpetrated unconsciously. I suppose in some respects it might be unconscious. However, in the main example I am going to explicate, I will demonstrate instances where the oppressed can become the oppressors. This will show how, when people who have been oppressed in the past and in the present begin to be liberated from their oppression, or even in cases where it has stopped, if there is not a clear understanding of the dynamics that created the oppression in the first place, the formerly oppressed quite often become the oppressors. This example will illustrate the need for what has been wounded, repressed and placed out of conscious awareness to become uncovered and healed. If it is not healed, it sometimes returns in the form of revenge. This has been a recurring theme in the history of humankind. In tandem with the above dynamics, I will develop an exploration of how some of society’s institutions can create environments conducive to making or helping the formerly oppressed become oppressors. I will investigate how these dynamics affect everyone in society and the human collective, consciously and unconsciously. What these dynamics represent, quite simply, is a hypocritical perpetuation of the very aspects of oppression that one group of people condemn in others, and then do themselves. This is not exclusive to any one group either. This dynamic creates an environment that maintains illusional differences and divisions between people. A perfect example of this is political correctness. In addition to what I just mentioned above, political correctness forcibly and coercively pushes biased opinions and viewpoints onto others, and quite often to other people’s detriment and oppression. In no cases can coercion and intolerance overcome intolerance and differences. The only type of intolerance that can be acceptable in society is intolerance of anyone being hurt or oppressed. In relation to all of the above, I will explore the nature of healing relationships. I will discuss, in depth, ways that demonstrate the need, in many cases, for would – be healers to in fact heal themselves from psychic fragmentation and discover their own inner sources of bigotry. I will look Introduction Mitchell-- 13 at how many apparently healthy and well meaning people in fact can become oppressors and perpetrators. I will show that healing and being healed has to be a mutual affair in that a state of true empathy and compassion must be a living reality with the healer in order for a true healing relationship to exist. That necessarily involves a two way exchange and recognizes the truth that no one person is perfect: all can improve and evolve. That is the whole purpose of a person’s life. In the final section of this book, I will explore the dynamics of hard-core ritual abuse. I illustrate there are two distinct levels of ritual abuse. One level involves perpetrators and the abuse they commit they do in blatantly obvious ways and can most easily be recognized in the crimes of physical sexual abuse, especially within obvious cults. However, I will also discuss the less obvious forms of abuse, especially sexual, that take place on the unconscious and more subtle levels of awareness. Ritual abuse is also a dynamic perpetrated through the creation, maintenance and act of hypocrisy. The targets of this form of ritual abuse are the various scapegoats to be found throughout society. I will clearly draw parallels between the two forms of ritual abuse. I will use personal experiences from my own life to demonstrate the way cult or cult – like dynamics affected my life and the challenges I had to overcome. The main tool that I had was the ability to develop awareness of the dynamics that were taking place around and within me. The methods I used to achieve this aware consciousness was by using various techniques of consciousness raising. I used tried and true methods of meditation from both Eastern and Western traditions until I developed a unique, personalized form that suited me. In other words, the tried and true forms gave me a blueprint from where I could start to find my own true style and individuated way of mediation, of being. In fact, it is only when a person develops this awareness from within that one finds the real self. In this sense, I have heard it said that a true teacher is a person whose greatest desire in their thirst to teach, in all cases, is to teach a student and have the pleasure of seeing the student surpass them in ability. This is the characteristic of a true teacher. This is also the mark of a true healer. In both cases the person is helping to empower someone. The opposite of this would be to create dependency and idol worship. A true teacher or healer is humble. Towards the end of the book I will show how increasing levels of consciousness and wholeness cannot adequately be put into words to describe the actual process and view that subsequently develops from within. The closest way this can be done, in respect of the more highly evolved areas, is by the psychic manifestations of spiritual imagery produced by the mind. Unique to an individual’s culture and material origins, religious or spiritual imagery is the usual way the human psyche expresses these levels of consciousness, awareness of the contents of consciousness and wholeness. Later in this work, in most cases, I will draw upon and use spiritual imagery and draw as well upon personal experiences and expressions to demonstrate an experiential appreciation and understanding for the dynamics I am trying to describe intellectually. This is why I urge people to closely monitor and be very aware of any physiological, emotional and intellectual reactions they may have. To develop a feeling – toned understanding of the process they experience as they study the material I present here. As I have already said, a person’s reactions and especially intuitive feelings they have can say a lot more about the truth than can intellect alone. Throughout this work I describe the dynamics of meditation. I will illustrate that meditation is not a religion, some form of exotic and weird cult activity or anything remotely similar to that. Meditations take on many different forms and methods. In its most simple description, meditation is simply any form of concentration that follows thoughts, emotions or feeling in such a way that body, mind and spirit are united; they become synchronized. It teaches a person to become comfortable and accept everything one encounters in the mind and body, and letting it go. Tolerance is developed to the point that the various thoughts, feelings and emotions no longer have a hold on the individual. Tolerance is developed to the point where the mind is actually able Introduction Mitchell-- 14 to attain clear spots free of the clutter of thoughts and emotions, even feelings. Thoughts and associated emotions are primarily creations of the individual and collective ego. Once free spaces within the psyche have been found, movement upward to higher levels of awareness can be attained. The higher levels of awareness are free of the Earth like gravity and obsession with egotistical thoughts and fears. Importantly, the foundations or roots from which a person emerges, their cultures, will usually determine the best methods for an individual during the journey to wholeness. However, it most certainly depends on the individual and only the individual can determine the method best suited for themselves, not someone else. The only exception to this is when a true teacher can be found for this purpose. After having read and studied the dynamics above and throughout the rest of this work, I know people would then have a better idea for themselves what they themselves need or require. In fact, that is one of my main points being made throughout this book: most people have the God given and natural ability to heal themselves. To give up that ability is called disempowerment. Before I say anything else I will state at the very beginning of this work that many words, phrases, and the contexts in which I use them quite often have many layered meanings. Sometimes I will note the double of or layered meanings I intend, at other times I will leave it up to the reader to perhaps see for them selves. As well when I made Freudian slips that I wrote down as I was putting this commentary together, in most cases I have left them, and there are only a few of them. For a double meaning example, sometimes, when I say well, I am using the common usage of the word. However, I am also referring to the deep well of the unconscious. I have done so in these few instances because of the obvious or given the nature of the mind, the necessary and applicable context and meaning. Even in these few instances there might be a deeper meaning, especially when I make reference to gender. Whenever gender is used, at all times, the reader is advised to keep in mind the double nature of all human beings and the fact we all contain elements of both masculine and feminine dynamics and energies. Based on my own experience, especially from what I’ve learned from people, and of course what I’ve read and studied, and most importantly, my various experiences with some of the different socially sanctioned institutions of society and our culture, the following is an expression of what I believe our existential reality to be. When I relate my own experiences some of them may seem very difficult to understand given their traumatic and criminal nature in respect to the treatment I received, and certainly many of my very real experiences in the way I was affected will seem out of the ordinary nature. I use them in the same way that Freud, Jung, et al. used many of their very real and eye opening experiences and the affect they had on them and other people in the study of the mind. In addition, I will also use some very real examples of my own experiences that are examples of the very real types of ritual abuse I have personally experienced. Most of them will be towards the end of the work where I focus more on the actual dynamics of treating survivors of ritual abuse, however, there will be elements of these and this purpose recorded throughout. These examples are very personal and are items that I have taken from my personal journal. Throughout this work I contend that true healing is only possible when a person stops repressing and is brutally honest, with him or herself as well as with others. Some of these personal experiences are amazing to consider, especially when we are supposed to be living within a civilized and free society. More than anything else, what they demonstrate, among other things, is the fact that a lot of the abuse appears to be consciously perpetrated, and I suppose some of it is, but a lot of it must be unconscious otherwise I cannot fathom how people could actually allow themselves to do the things they do. When it comes to my own family, friends and perhaps even other people mentioned that colluded, took part in or otherwise closed a blind eye, I will change their names because ultimately blame cannot be assigned to things which are primarily induced unconsciously by the shadow and contaminated super ego and aother associated dynamics. It is a fact that in order to truly study the mind for the purpose of healing, rather than use other people as guinea pigs and the attempt of some people to learn about or control their minds vicariously through other people, a true psychology of the mind is only possible by study of one’s own. All of Introduction Mitchell-- 15 the great masters, psychologists, philosophers and spiritual saints throughout recorded time have demonstrated this fact. Taking into consideration my own personal experiences they have been quite varied. I was born into a typical family in Nova Scotia, Canada. The first few years of my life were lived in a rural area outside Halifax, Nova Scotia. As happens with so many families these days, my mother and father separated and divorced early in my life. What many people refer to as dysfunctional families is not only a common phenomenon; in fact it has become accepted by most of society’s population as being the “norm”. As I write these words never again will I ever assign blame, condemn or judge people as individuals or even as groups. What I can and do, is evaluate the unhealthy dynamics that have transpired within the world of the human psyche. As any good counselor knows, when addressing psychological issues you do not condemn the person or people responsible for them but you can deal with the unhealthy dynamics associated with the resulting behaviors and actions. In this context I will reserve judgment in saying the same about many of our institutions and the powerful dynamics that maintain many of society’s, indeed, humanities dysfunctions. Therefore, although much of what I say may appear harsh, in fact whoever is reading it may consider it, rather, to be a blunt, no nonsense approach to the issues I am trying to bring to light and provide some help in trying to address. I have learned that to “beat around the bush” and try to say something “in so many words” simply so that people who have a vested interest won’t be threatened does not, never has and never will work. I say this in the same way that to try to deal with someone or something that is harmful or doing harmful things or closing a blind eye to them, they can only be addressed by being truthful and to the point: if you are dealing with a rapist you don’t try to say what he or she is doing is wrong in a nice way so that they won’t be offended. The only thing that works is forthright honesty. Very early in life I developed a profound and ongoing need to ask “Why”. Later in my life, this developed into more of a spiritual search than anything else. Many of the dynamics I speak of in this book I personally experienced and they cover a wide spectrum of society’s different areas and levels. I did indeed experience some extremely painful, challenging and at times, seemingly unbearable difficulties. In overcoming them I can only say there was a deeper intelligence working from within and guiding me along my journey. I will not try to name this deeper intelligence however; I will say that it is to be found within each and every human being alive. As a woman I knew once said to me, “That which doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger.” I suppose it might be in reference to what the Buddha was referring to when he said, “Life is suffering.” I will refer to it as the illusion our egos fabricate, for good or bad, that prevents us from seeing the true nature of humankind and everything that comprises it and from which life springs. Having been raised as a Christian, I will say that it is some of what I believe Christ tried to teach us two thousand years ago. I am not Christ so I cannot speak for him, only the way I understand what he attempted to teach us. People all exist on different levels of development and therefore understanding. The important thing is for people always to ask, “Why.” The important thing to remember is that people, all people, are the same, literally. We are all made in the Creator’s image. Regardless of appearances every person in existence is fundamentally good and perfect. The other thing I want to make clear is that I will in no way adhere to modern medicine’s and especially the modern view of mental health that considers a lot of so-called mystical, even paranormal experiences people talk of as psychotic or sick. As I mentioned above, considering the nature of the mind, it is only natural that many of the psychic experiences people might encounter, given the context of the culture and spiritual characteristics of that culture, that much of the imagery and knowledge of the higher realms of the psyche can only be expressed through the filter of the human mind using images and concepts that we can interpret. Religious imagery is the only way to conceptualize or speak of some of these things. Later in this work I will provide more information showing that much of modern psychology and especially psychiatry only deal with the lower levels of the mind, usually as it relates to ego. Therefore I do closely evaluate Introduction Mitchell-- 16 modern psychiatry’s attack on human mysticism. I know from personal experience and many people I have spoken with as well as research I have done that when a client speaks about religion, mysticism or anything spiritual it is considered a sign of psychosis or illness. Yet that same individual who commits the diagnosis may then turn around and go to church every Sunday and listen to sermons that talk about a highly supernatural, and in some cases, superstitious type of God, hellfire and other such nonsense. This in itself is extremely childish, pathological and deadly to the human psyche and spirit; it is literally a crime against humanity It is from my experiences with people, and it is from other people I have learned more about myself than any other source, that I gained a true appreciation, respect and reverence for our life here on the blue planet. It is especially from people who have caused me suffering that I have obtained the greatest wealth of understanding and knowledge. I have learned that whether it was from the street people I associated with, the lawyers daughter I went out with at one time and her friends, from elderly people who appeared to be old fashioned and rigidly set in their ways or other associated people in different areas of society’s artificially created divisions, all of these people have shown me they had a wealth of resources for learning to offer me. In my thirst for information, learning and knowledge, I learned that there is a lot of information out there for people to “consume”, but very little of it is useful unless it can be put into its proper perspective. Learning how to read between the lines, separating fiction from non-fiction, separating emotional propaganda from true human requirements; all of this was to teach me that no one person, opinion and viewpoint or way of life is less useful for the purpose of human education than the rest. As I learned that no one person, perspective, way of life or way of being told the whole story I also learned the importance in realizing that from the day we are born until the day we die the process of learning never ceases. Not being able to realize these truths I now understand is the source of all bigotry. The written word is simply a vehicle for recording an individuals, groups’, nations’ or cultures’ particular viewpoint on life. I remember a book and its title I read at one time, “Aging is a Life-Long Affair”. Today, this title sums this realization up for me quite nicely. Considering my interaction with and experiences with the various institutions within society I have to say, my work in and personal involvement with medical and psychological institutions more than anywhere else showed me just how limited, controlling and regressive some of the aspects of these institutions really are. In some ways, they are more responsible for halting and in some cases reversing the growth of humans and the human spirit more than any other institutions within society. I am going to discuss the reality of the psyche within society and the world today, how the psyche is mutilated and abused in a type of unconscious sacrifice to the shadow of humankind. As mentioned, I am going to discuss how to recognize this type of ritual abuse, how to take steps to heal and then emerge from this in the form of therapeutic counseling, individual and collectively, beginning with the healer. The reality of the psyche is comprised of so more than what is usually considered “real”: only that which is able to be quantified and controlled through external sources is considered valid and worthy of respect. Ay level of the psyche that exists or is trying to emerge beyond the mature ego but encompassing all of the lower levels; that is, a psyche showing signs and expressions of the emergence of the higher levels of the human psyche, is looked upon by modern psychology and psychiatry with a pathological eye. Because they do not understand these realities of the psyche Introduction Mitchell-- 17 when they are confronted with them, they respond by diagnosing them away,1 thereby repressing them in both themselves and their clients causing only further mutilation and violence to the human psyche. As said, this only adds to the unconscious sickness of the human psyche that is known in psychoanalysis as the shadow and contaminated collective super ego. It is to be found within individuals and by virtue of every human being containing within themselves the whole of the human collective psyche, the collective as well. In attempting to understand the reality of the psyche and the world we live in we have to utilize as integral an approach as possible. In speaking about the integration or eclectic recognition of knowledge we can introduce the idea of centering and balance by using an approach that does not accept a purely objective or inter-objective approach or a purely subjective or inter – subjective approach. Each approach, situated in one of four quadrants and, placed on a graph has to be balanced by the other quadrants. In this case the left side or subjective and intersubjective approaches in understanding the reality of the psyche have to be balanced with the objective and inter – objective: individual outer and collective outer in order to understand how we maneuver and operate within the world. The left side of the graph can be thought of as a living psychic reality and the right side, because of its purely materialistic and objective viewpoint can simply be thought of as “it.” 2 It is only when one side or portion of the whole is used to the exclusion of the others that imbalance occurs. In today’s world validation is only assigned to the right, purely objective and materialistic side. What is accepted from the other side is only considered useful by the dominant structure if it can “make a profit” or further technology. The realities of the subjective and inter – subjective side, that is, the individual psyche, the collective psyche and the collective and individual interdependence of both, are discounted or pathologized. This is itself pathological and creates dysfunction in a vicious cycle, just as acceptance and recognition of only the left side as displaying the only validity of reality is equally unbalanced and ungrounded. Otherwise, we end up with neurotic and/or psychotic imbalances that do not understand and thereby mutilate both the psyche and other people’s psyches, and the world. A purely materialistic, technological and objective world view that predominates throughout this planet called Earth does just that. It destroys the psyche, both individual and collective, and by focusing exclusively on material reality thereby destroys it as well by over exploitation, imbalance; by too much attention being paid to quantitative rather than qualitative reality. Because of this quantitative, materialistic and therefore profit driven mentality we are left with a market driven society where people become Skinner’s rats. Their behaviors can be controlled and exploited, so that they purchase, in most cases, unneeded consumer products. People become bodies instead of being treated and acting like human beings; to maintain the machine – like requirements of a profit oriented society. The psychotic and sociopathic aspects of this type of society, is most evident, where people become objects simply to be used for making profits within a medical and pharmaceutical controlled “health - care” environment. The true subjective and therefore inter – subjective health of people, for the most part, is side – tracked and sabotaged because of subsequent alienation from self, from other people and their living environment. This consumer approach to living also distorts, mutilates and prevents attaining the higher levels of psychic potential and development as nature, both earthy and heavenly, intended. 1 Ken Wilber, “Eye To Eye, Shambhala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, copyright 1983, 1990, 1996, 2001 by Ken Wilber, Pg. 83 2 Ken Wilber, “Eye To Eye, Shambhala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, copyright 1983, 1990, 1996, 2001 by Ken Wilber, Pg. 83 Introduction Mitchell-- 18 Fortunately, we’ll always have our Socrates’, Galileo’s, and Dr, Martin Luther King Jr.’s who are individual enough, brilliant enough and courageous enough to go against the status quo. Thank God, so that truth, reality and justice can emerge at least long enough for humankind to see its mistakes sharply enough and clear enough to propel us into our next stage of evolutionary development. Sometimes this historical truism reminds me of watching a toddler learning how to walk: he or she takes a step forward, starts to lose balance and takes two steps backwards, regains balance enough to move forward far enough so that movement beyond the place where imbalance first occurred can be achieved. At least within the Western world, the development of our psyches to the point where we have the ability to use abstract thinking did not continue on to developing the higher levels of the psyche as this abstract ability was originally intended by nature for us to do. Instead, it has become locked in the lower levels of the ego, with the lower levels of the ego serving only the lower level reptilian and limbic aspects of the brain. Technology and the ability to manipulate matter and the human psyche increased inversely to our evolution as civilized human beings. As a world society, we have today developed a technology far in advance of what our war-like, reptilian mentalities can handle.3 The cleverness of the intellect’s ability, located in the left hemisphere of the brain, gives us apparent potential to have dominion over the more primitive limbic and reptilian (r-system) components of our psychic environment and planetary intelligence. Under natural circumstances, this is known at an instinctual and naturally forward moving and life enhancing level. The physical vessel is located in the right hemisphere of the brain. In today’s world conscious attempts at domination by the left, logical and scientific hemisphere of the brain has disconnected us from the right, more all encompassing part of our brain and psychic power (no wonder there is a medical/psychiatric condition known as bi-polar disorder). The left side of our brain is the side that is out of control, in the sense that it has enabled humankind to dominate rather than have dominion over the right side. What nature intended was to use our left hemisphere’s intellect to work in service of, to “civilize” the whole psyche,located primarily in the right hemisphere. This would provide balanced support to allow the employment of the instinctual, imaginative and more powerful side of the mind, to be used in an intuitively creative and evolutionary expansive way. Instead, what has happened is the conscious domination of the right, more encompassing Soul part of the brain, about 9/10ths of the whole psyche. This has resulted in a subsequent regression of the right side and has caused us not only to destroy by control what is represented by the right side, and we have done it with a pathological focus on materialism, it has also created a situation where the more powerful right side’s instinctual imagination and intelligence has unconsciously taken over in the form of the shadow and controls the collective super ego. This shadow destroys rather than creates by apparently working in unison with the left logical side, working to serve a primitive and war-like ego that is driven in its ruthlessness by an environment saturated with fear, alienation, and competition. As many intelligent people have said over the years, an enemy you cannot see is more dangerous than an enemy you can see. This is especially true when that unseen enemy has grasped control of humankind in a sort of unconscious, subliminal chaotic anarchy. Attempts to control the social symptoms of this anarchy in the traditional ways that produced it in the first place, obviously, will only exacerbate it. In other words humankind’s attempts to control nature and through that paradigm or world view, human nature, has backfired. The beginning point or area to heal this is human mental health. In may of the esoteric traditions, and today not so esoteric but terribly mutilated and misunderstood, it is well known that there are two terms that describe a person’s or people’s 3 Joseph Chilton Pearce, “Evolution’s End: Claiming the Potential of Our Intelligence”, Copyright 1992, HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022 Pg. 181 Introduction Mitchell-- 19 conscious and sometimes not so conscious direction on the mystery path: these are known as the left hand path and the right hand path. The only reason I use the term mystery is because they refer to the higher levels of the human psyche that we have been denied access to and that for the vast majority of the human population they are a mystery, and today looked upon with a “knowing smile” and a feeling of foolish superstition. In the left hand path, the symbolic motion that represents its world-view is counter clockwise or anti sun-wise; against nature and separating rather than inclusive. The right hand path is characterized symbolically by a clockwise or sun-wise motion, unity, inclusiveness and harmony with nature and life: evolution. An example of the left hand path can be seen in the Nazis and especially the Nazi swastika. It represented a reverse of life enhancing forces, anti-sun wise, separating and against nature. The arms on the Nazi swastika cut into the air and ripped away. In comparison the original East Indian swastika, an extremely ancient and holy symbol went sun wise; symbolizing harmony with nature and life its arms flowed with the air, the vibrations of life. A natural movement in relation to the psyche, the movement from left (hemisphere) to right (hemisphere), is symbolizing a movement utilizing logic, consciousness, light. Nature flows from the left side to the “larger” and deeper right side, using the left side’s consciousness to “enlighten it. Instead, when the left side is “in charge,” what happens and has happened is that the resulting movement is from the right, psychically far more powerful side towards the left side, unconsciously. What the left logical side has done in sabotaging the right side is to, paradoxically (or should I say Pandora’s Box), cause and enable the unenlightened, primordial and pissed off uncivilized right side to take over. By society’s primarily systemic focus on the left brain’s intellect and ability to dominate and control, we have unknowingly and unwittingly, unleashed a monster in the shadow: the ghost in the machine, literally. Possibly in this respect I will relate a dream I had at one time several years ago. I know it had to do with the recollection of my integral self as I developed in consciousness and remembered aspects of myself that were lost or forgotten, ripped away from me temporarily. I also know it had to do with the frustrations I encountered on the journey to wholeness. In this dream I am outside on a green grass covered backyard. I am sitting on a motorcycle and am trying to get it started. Then, a woman comes over to my motorcycle from the right side, reaches over and presses the electric starter that powers up the motorcycle. As I start a forward motion on the bike, I start out moving in a left direction and then I decide to change directions and head right. There are many important factors I can see in this dream. However, I believe the most important elements are: 1) My inner woman or Earth level, instinctual intelligence located primarily in the right brains powerful all-encompassing depths, my anima, starts the power in the bike. She is moving from the right to the left however, similar to the way the world in which I was born has been moving. It is counterclockwise, anti - sun wise in movement because of the mute – illation and violence that has been done to the soul, my Soul and the Earth Soul. The person sitting on the bike is my ego self, but also my masculine or “heavenly” self. At first, perhaps because of frustration, unconsciousness, or even habit I begin also traveling in a leftward direction. However, I believe in my decision to turn right, that is moving from my vital left side, as it is known in Yoga, towards the right, I started to operate from a conscious position but also a moral, and ethical and life giving one rather than life denying position; the common type of position that characterizes the world into which I had been born. Morals, ethics and empathy naturally follow as one increases in true consciousness, free of the false ego. Introduction Mitchell-- 20 2) the electric power used to start the engine immediately makes me think of the pain and suffering I have encountered ever since I began to wake up and go against the backwards moving motion of the herd mentality. When I say electric I say it in the same way that an electric chair is used to murder someone. Ever read Steven King’s “The Green Mile”? Ever since I started to go against the herd, I have felt like I have been on the “hot seat” of an electric chair. The electric energy has been bone rattling rather than providing a humming and flowingly harmonized form of energy and power. Especially, I say this in respect to the way my character has been attacked, along with my psychic well being because of the severe abuses I have encountered, and in short, the barbaric and brutal treatment that has been handed to me by the very people I opened my heart, mind and various abilities to. This also applies, as well to those people and institutions I looked to receive support from to help me overcome the brutalities I endured. As I said, the motorcycle represents, in a very real symbolic way, and this had been the case for me for as long as I can remember, the power of woman, as in horsepower, earth power. This is separate from heavenly power, the other element that is represented by me, the man, on the bike. It is that heavenly or masculine aspect of my psychic makeup riding the horse. In respect to the “fallen” nature of Earth, in the sense I was born in a fallen state as in fallen away from the heavenly creator or source, there is also another dream I will share. The important element of this dream is that it demonstrates in a very powerful way the fact that each of our individual psyches share and take part in the whole of the collective psyche. This is especially true in the sense that each and every person we meet and in fact that exists in the world is no more or less than exact replicas of each and every aspect of our own individual psyches. In a collective material sense, there may be billions of people alive on this earth today, however, the fact is that every one of those individual psyches or entities are contained in the psyches of each one of those billions of persons alive. There is an important point to be made here however: it is a fact that within each human individual there is a lot of darkness and unclean nature. That is why virtually every person alive is responsible for uncovering that darkness, bringing it to light and using it for life giving and constructive purposes. Therefore, it goes without saying there are aspects of a persons psyche that have to be civilized and controlled. In the same sense as I described in the above, that can also be interpreted, in a material sense, without prejudice, hypocrisy but simply honesty and love, that there are reflections of us in society that have to be civilized. They have to heal, before they can be productive, and they have to be brought to a point of consciousness before this can even begin. To become at least conscious enough to want to, themselves, rebel and break away from the tribe or heard, long enough to begin to emerge as individuals. Individuals that truly want to give life in an interdependent fashion rather than existing in a fragmented and alienated state that characterizes large portions of society today. Importantly, when I use the word tribe, I am not denouncing tribes per say, only the aspect of tribal consciousness that creates divisions; creating us and them mentalities. In that sense, every group of people that consider themselves better than or superior to or different from other groups in a fundamental sense, whether that belief is based ongender, color, creed, nationality or religion, operate from a tribal mentality that denies the reality that all of humankind is one big family. Any differences in perspectives can be used as strengths if mutual elements are also acknowledged. This statement is no different than taking a group of people with widely differing areas of interest and perspectives, bringing them together and “brainstorming” from different perspectives to bring together the best of what each has to offer. In the next dream I am standing by myself inside what I instinctively know are a type of showers. The walls are covered in blood and I know that many people have died in these showers before me. I also knew at the time I had that dream, within the dream, that I had been about to die as well. Interestingly, interesting almost in the same way Spock from the TV series Star Trek may have used the term, I knew I was going to die in those showers. As far as trying to interpret this dream, all I will say is that what the dream meant to me was a conscious awareness Introduction Mitchell-- 21 of how many people within society are used as scapegoats, whipping boys or are in some way used by bigots and hypocrites to carry their own projections that they refuse to carry themselves. I will also say that this dream also illustrates the fact that we are all responsible for the state of the human collective psyche or spirit; the world Soul. In this context, I remember reading the words of a Jewish holocaust survivor who was a well known author and Nazi hunter earlier in his life, who had come to the realization at one point in his later life, upon deep reflection, the unity and sameness of all humankind. He said that if history and circumstances had been different it could just have easily have been him standing in the SS uniform watching the ritual sacrificial victims in the concentration camp in that blatant Hollywood style Satanic cult instead of the other way around. In this sense we are all our brothers and sisters keepers; not jail guards, not policeman, keepers; in the sense that we are all responsible for the welfare of everyone, most importantly and necessarily beginning with ourselves. If we don’t start with ourselves we wouldn’t have the energy, courage or ability to have the compassionate empathy and love required for the love of our fellow human beings. We have not been using the ego in a natural and healthy development progressing to a harmonized balance with it being the aware director in service of the whole psyche. What has happened is that the subsequently mutilated, betrayed and very angry right side of the psyche once turned into the shadow, has used it’s much more powerful energies to gain unconscious control of the puny little egos that dared to turn it into a psychotic shell of the once beautiful and bountiful life source it had been at one time. We can heal this and turn it again into a beautiful and life giving source of creativity and harmony. Materialism, the Unconscious and the Development of Bigotry Mitchell- 22 Part 1 1 Materialism, the Unconscious and the Development of Bigotry Over the course of my life I have developed a world view that is beginning to expose me to the true, and this is only my opinion, understanding of life. It is a world view which questions our present view dramatically, and whose understanding opens up awareness of a whole different set of problems for human kind and alternatively, immense possibilities. The psychological and philosophical understanding of ourselves, especially how we interact with our environment including each other and most importantly, how we use Power, capital letter, all have to be questioned. I use a capital letter to indicate the word power because it represents an extremely important dynamic within our world. One thing I will clarify: I would like to try to use the word power only in a positive sense however, for simplicity sake this is not always possible. However, when power is misused as for example, illegitimately controlling other people, that is not a sign of strength and power; it is an expression of a powerless person expressing that lack of energy by harming or controlling other people; by trying to compensate what they are not able to obtain from within themselves. Ultimately, a perpetrator harms psychic and manifest expressions of him or herself through the harming of other individual people’s integrity, individuality, and liberty, everyone being connected within the human collective psyche. Therefore, the perpetrator is also in this sense harming him or her self. There is brute power, which is obvious to the senses. Power can also be found and expressed in the subtlest and most effective forms and there are many ways in which it can be used. Awareness of the concepts and realities I will discuss would affect all people in all cultures and societies, although some of the more so-called “primitive” cultures, which still survive, retain some understanding; albeit at an early emergent level. The possible exception to this, and many people may be amazed to hear this, is the Australian Aborigines who have developed a far superior level of psychic awareness as a whole group, as expressed through “dream time” abilities, that far exceed most other groups of people as a whole. We living in the West, because of our technological development, and now going overboard with it, our subsequent dissociation from Mother Earth and Father Heaven, because of this, it has caused us to have lost conscious connection with our roots literally. Try separating a plant from its roots. Those living in the most technologically developed parts of the world, especially in North America, we will see, are more adversely affected by not being aware of our true natures This is because the environments in which we live in addition to slowly being destroyed are far more chaotic and high speed in comparison to “primitive or “3rd World” countries and outposts. There is far less stability in the former notwithstanding the huge potential which is really only to be found in the more highly technologically developed parts of the World The science of technology is a wonderful thing, and progress has lifted some of humankind out of physical misery, leaving some of us materially comfortable. Knowledge has accumulated and anyone interested in developing his or her minds have public access to much more information than any one person could ever process. Many more people potentially have the ability to reach a point where they are able to create something of their own. Now that we have Materialism, the Unconscious and the Development of Bigotry Mitchell- 23 the internet via computer and satellites, not to mention the possibilities with the use of electromagnetic waves and lasers, and so forth, indeed all that technology offers us, it is truly amazing the physical and psychic power at our disposal. The question is how do we use it? Power. Consider our power to create. I find it interesting to think about the concept of consciously uniting body and mind, then taking that same concept and applying it to technology and mind. Consider: when we create physically with our hands, there is a simultaneous and parallel process taking place in a person’s mind, similar to how the process in spiritual alchemy operates. This tradition, which, honors psychic or mental potentiality and promotes evolution of consciousness, alchemy gives historical evidence to the immense power of the mind. As stated above, with the substantial power now available via computer and satellite, it is simply astonishing to consider the possibilities for human development if they were combined: nature on Earth as she has always been united with the higher mind known as Heaven and the changes humankind can add through our own creations. But it has to be in harmony with nature and the elements. I am speaking here of both Earthly and Heavenly nature; the lower and the higher realms of the psyche Using technology to the benefit of human evolution is, apparently, not happening to humankind at the moment though. If one looks at history it becomes evident that, unfortunately, we normally have to be yanked into our next higher stage in development. It usually seems to require a shock, and then, FLASH, BOOM there it is. As Eastern and Western Wisdom attempts to teach us, it is already there if we simply open our eyes and see it. Potential: when we see it and feel empowered to act upon that realization, we gladly nurture it in a loving way. Reaching this point can sometimes be attained when the teacher simply raps on the student’s head at a precise moment, or we can have a “Eureka” experience. Sometimes the catalyst might require some more severe form of Mother and Father Nature demonstrating these realities The accumulated wisdom and information we have available in our libraries, combined with technology is simply astonishing. We could do what is popularly known as “good” with it. In fact there is a huge amount of good, a way of describing something that is constructive rather than destructive, being done with it now. But there is also either ignorance or misuse of it. Both the ability to do a huge amount of “good” as well as a huge amount of “bad” has a mind boggling arsenal of technology at its disposal. In talking about technology and power, this leaves us with the most important problem we have to deal with in the world described above. It appears to us as many, many different problems, but it can usually spiral into one main problem. The question all spirals around the words “human behavior” and the way technology is used by the behavior, especially toward his or her neighbor. From there it takes one final spirally turn to the location of the problem at its root: materialism, an expression of pure egoism divorced from the larger and greater whole of the human psyche. All of this as it relates to the psyche; thoughts and attitudes both conscious and unconscious. In my search for the “Truth” as I stated above, I used many different sources. During my spiritual and psychological search, when studying the various forms of occult practices over the years, one of the most recurring themes I encountered was the warning that, especially in applying occult knowledge, people are equally responsible for the contents of their unconscious psyches as well as what is conscious. It is important to realize that the word occult is a word whose true semantic meaning simply refers to that which is hidden. In this sense the word occult does not simply refer to spiritual sources of the occult. The word occult can be applied to virtually every aspect of society, politics, and science and technology, especially the technology of medicine and the various forms of psychology. Materialism, the Unconscious and the Development of Bigotry Mitchell- 24 Unconsciousness is no excuse for doing harm within the environment. When a person is confronted with something they’ve done wrong it is not excusable for them to say I was unconscious of this or that, or I was afraid, and so on. It didn’t work at Nuremburg and nor does it function as an excuse today. There are no excuses. If things we do which are wrong stems from the psyche, then we are responsible to know the sources of those wrongs. After all, these psyches belong to each and every individual and it is every human’s responsibility to either learn the contents of their own psyches and/or to hold accountable those persons, people or institutions that are responsible for hiding the facts. Alienation along with bigotry and violence run rampant. They range from classical examples demonstrated by visible “Minorities” through to examples of in – group back stabbing. This bigotry goes far beyond our present understanding of the word bigotry, and exists on levels and in groups which have little resemblance to our present conception of minority groups and those adversely affected by bigotry. In fact, in some of the traditional areas where bigotry exists, in some cases, it has become a two – way street. This is because the pendulum is heading too far on the other side, in many places, creating atmospheres conducive to backlash. The result is simply cyclical imbalances better known as dysfunction. This is also adding a lot of negative energies on the collective unconscious. As has been pointed out, there were certain aspects of immature human development that detribalization in the ancient world evolved out of, that have re-emerged in the form of a re-tribalization in the modern world.4 This results in the separation and magnification of differences between people instead of similarities. Importantly much of this development is unconscious and is analogous to the creation of cults, groups, and gangs, and is exacerbated by the sometimes isolating effect of technology, lowering people’s levels of consciousness. This re-tribalization is really a form of fragmented egotistical false-individualism based on competitiveness at most levels of society, reinforcing the new type of bigotry that is attempting to destroy society and the environment. Echoes of “Battle star Galactica” and the “Terminator,” to use symbolism everyone will recognize. It is materialism, in every sense of the word, expressed through our egos and in extension technology, which has prospered. Ego growth is a wonderful, logical, and a necessary development, and without egos the world doesn’t even exist for us as individuals. However, as sometimes happens during development and growth of life on Earth, especially with humanity, it has gone too far in a lopsided and unbalanced direction. Because of this we have lost a much greater understanding of our true nature. A primarily technological advance has actually reversed a good portion of human – kind’s evolutionary development. Instead of promoting the arts and culture of society, that is, civilization and especially growth of the whole psyche, we primarily train people to make widgets, if you know what I mean. We work and mold our needs to that artificial creature known as the “free market”, a term that today has become a misnomer because it is only free for a few. It has become a self – supporting, intelligent and self-aware entity on the unconscious level in its own right. People shove their real selves out of the way, and take on personas, perhaps to fulfill a job requirement or otherwise people – please and go about maintaining the machine, disconnecting from themselves in a sort of volunteer lobotomy. However, as has been historically the case with most aspects of human development, a time always arrives when civilization must drastically change if it is to continue development and evolution, indeed its very survival. In fact, a great healing is required for the Earth and her people and the time has come for this to happen. It can only come from having a greater respect for ourselves, and not just our ego selves; we have to come to respect our whole person. We have to make friends with our unconscious psyche, especially with what we shove down there because we don’t want to see it. I’m referring to individual as well as collective psyches, science having 4 “The Guttenberg Galaxy” Pg. 17, by Marshall McLuhan, University Toronto Press, 1962 Materialism, the Unconscious and the Development of Bigotry Mitchell- 25 demonstrated their interdependent nature; they naturally flow and are inter-connected by the other. Remember the light at the end of the tunnel! As it stands now, our inner psyches are being massacred and the source of our health and essence is being poisoned and destroyed. Our broken inner souls/psyches are attacking each other for energy while being disconnected from their source. In a very real sense, we have become passive in our mental ability. We have become machine like and conditioned to be passive receptors of information, orders. We are pressured by society to conform to and develop a cookie cutter type of mold for our personality. We are being trained not to think independently but to be part of the heard, a cog in the machine. The idea of teamwork has degenerated into the idea of a military type of mentality. We have allowed ourselves to become a type of voluntary behavior modification subjects. As one parent said to me: “We train our children” similar to the way we train pets, how to react appropriately to certain stimuli when the appropriate stimulus command is made. We don’t teach most of our children to be human in the fullest sense. Compassion and Empathy on the Lower levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane Mitchell- 26 2 Compassion and Empathy on the Lower levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane Over the years I have met people who exude the type of attitude, presence, and direction which indicates a compassionate understanding about what they are doing. The type of caring I’m referring to indicates they know that what they do and think has a profound meaning and affect on themselves and others as well. This is intimately connected with the way they would have others treat them, whether consciously or otherwise. In a very real sense when they provide this compassion to others they are also treating themselves, their inner selves, to this same compassion. Most importantly I have come to see that anyone who is successful in being helpful or compassionate to someone, and you can see the affects, I see that these people live their whole life in the same manner. Real compassion has to be a living reality for someone if they are going to be truly effective in nurturing themselves and others, for example, in healing relationships. Although we are all supposed to be creators of our own destiny, unfortunately, in most societies many people have not been given the tools or resources to be self sufficient or healthy. Everything, everywhere, has a profound interrelatedness and connectedness. This state is such that one aspect of our environment, our reality, seems to represent some larger truth. That is, if one takes a small part of that reality it will be a reflection of the larger whole or truth. For example, it has been rather adequately demonstrated that an individual’s “normal” psychological development, as nature intended, not what it has become, is precisely mirrored in the historical development of humankind. Existence, especially our own, can be intimately connected with the larger reality, in a growing, ever evolving pattern. The paradox is that it is also hierarchical in the sense that the larger whole is comprised of a bunch of smaller wholes moving upward to something greater, rather that simply increasing what already is in a horizontal expansion outward. It still contains elements of holistic reality however, it moves beyond a purely mirror image type of character. A good example to use in illustrating this concept, though, is the very idea that is a main theme, concept or idea behind this work. This is the idea of recognizing and using the whole psyche, not just those aspects recognized by mainstream society, especially medicine. The individual psyche contains within itself the whole of the human collective psyche, in just the exact same way an individual’s life time psychic development, under natural circumstances will mirror the exact evolution of the human collective psyche in historical terms. This is holistic because every individual psyche is a mirror image, of the whole collective human psyche. However, I expand and add to that concept: if any of those psyches are left out; and similarly if any one individual person or psyche cuts out a part of their psychic wholeness as happens when a person represses aspects of themselves, the result is not wholeness but fragmentation. Every psyche or individual human being a person sees outside them selves’ in society is exactly mirrored within their own psyche. If this is not acknowledged the result will be psychic fragmentation of self and the development of bigotry, neurosis and even psychosis; also, self-hate. When someone hates or commits bigotry against another, they do it to themselves. Compassion and Empathy on the Lower levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane Mitchell- 27 In understanding that everything is comprised of parts that comprise a whole in itself, but then become parts in turn to some greater whole, this conceptualization becomes apparent. Here, if one part is removed or forgotten, then everything, which has developed so far, will crumble. We need the foundation out of which everything else flows. This applies to both individual and collective psyches. This is because the greater complexity depends on the presence of the evolutionary periods or parts that preceded it. The development or regression of civilization is an example, which reflects the dynamics referred to as Holon Theory; the holons are the parts, which make wholes, then parts that again comprise wholes, ad infinitum.5 Intact foundations are necessary for continued development, for virtually everything around us: holistic, but so much more. An empathic awareness represents, on one level, in the truest sense of the word, a world-view that is not only the starting point; it is also the end point. In other words truly interconnected, expanding outward but also expanding on a vertical axis as well: alpha through to omega. Then an apparent paradox appears, similar to the wave/particle duality. Instead of simply picturing a circle, think of a pyramid, and try to imagine the two of them combined, and think how this might relate to the idea of foundation. The circle represents the whole collective of human psyche on the material plane and the pyramid represents both individual and eventually collective movement and integration towards higher levels of evolution; the first represents a horizontal movement while second represents a vertical movement. Then we can go beyond the idea of holistic but include it. 5 Ken Wilber, “Eye To Eye, Shambhala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, copyright 1983, 1990, 1996, 2001 by Ken Wilber Compassion and Empathy on the Lower levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane Mitchell- 28 Part of the above graph is produced by the scientific philosopher Ken Wilber. I have modified it to include the symbols of centering: THINKING, INTUITION, SENSATION, and FEELING, with the symbol of The CENTER: MARRIAGE; a unity of all four quadrants, with the CENTER representing, in my terminology, THE FIFTH ELEMENT. Just as the individual psyche is comprised of many different aspects and levels, ultimately it is whole in itself. However, since every whole is necessarily part of a greater whole, all psyches are then also of the collective, and the collective whole is contained within each individual psyche, what Jung refers to as the collective unconscious. Everything is part of something greater, however, as above so below and as below so above; seemingly paradoxical. Compassion and Empathy on the Lower levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane Mitchell- 29 Jung was afraid of people being “infected” by their unconscious psyches. What he never took into consideration was how their infected psyches (read: repressed/dysfunctional) may affect not only the individual but in extension, the collective psyche and vise versa. This begins spreading outward including more and more of the environment, human and otherwise. It then becomes a vicious cycle. As more people become disconnected or remain disconnected to the larger reality, in this case the collective human psyche as it relates to the greater spiritual reality by virtue of being fragmented and disconnected within their own psyches, beyond the astral level, more crumbling will take place. This is because the astral part of our selves is separate and not necessarily connected to the whole. This is caused by the ego characterization of the astral double, the personal shadow. Anyway, this greater whole is so much greater and beyond what we call the “earth,” i.e., the flesh, the materialistic or ego aspects of reality. Without this conscious integration, more and more of the collective psyche will break apart and become dysfunctional, naturally including society. Not wanting to sound too pessimistic, because it can be remedied, the chaos spreading through society and the earth’s environment is a prime example of crumbling. It is expressed very well by looking at the crisis affecting our young people today, and not just in relation to violence. They don’t have a good grounding to their roots, which they have lost amid the change and instability. We have lost connection with the positive aspects of what people have always referred to as tradition. There are no stable traditions, including important initiations to introduce people into milestones during their physical and psychological growth, for example the change from childhood to adulthood. These important transitional tools are not guiding the collective psyche for the first time in recorded history of humankind. Young people are afloat a sea of huge volumes of information but no grounded knowledge to guide them. Only by looking inward consciously and thereby grounding and connecting with the greater environment, especially with other people and themselves, for example, expressed through traditional mythologies, in the universal sense, can this happen. All relationships within the natural world are reciprocal, dynamic, and ever changing. People and all life forms are constantly attempting to achieve equilibrium. They obtain this goodness of fit by adapting to their environment, in a dynamic process in which countless factors or events act one upon the other. In a lot of cases the dynamic process to achieve balance has been set off kilter. A collective, interpersonal awareness represents, within simplicity, that all relationships within the natural world are reciprocal, dynamic, and ever changing. Reciprocity is most important to consider. Relationships in which this “goodness of fit” exists may be referred to as examples of healthy Interdependence. That is, a relationship in which mutually give and take exchanges, reciprocity, takes place resulting in each party exercising relative control over their environment. However, in the process both independence and interdependence are promoted, through a process of progressive growth. Thus, interdependence, a process where individual independence must also exist, allows an adaptive process to take place. In the natural world, at times, the fit may be achieved at the expense of other organisms, thus reflecting the issue of differential power and conflict. Obviously within society this primitive level is not acceptable. However, even in these instances the important factors are those related to independence, interdependence and reciprocity. In society “independence” has become perverted into an extreme move towards a false individualism. It denies and distorts our need to be connected with others. Furthermore, this false individualism sometimes expresses frenzied attempts to break out of the rigid attitudes and ways of living that contain or imprison them, thus preventing a healthy and natural evolution in growth, both outward and upward. Compassion and Empathy on the Lower levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane Mitchell- 30 The largest and most sophisticated computer in existence could not even begin to locate and chart the impact of, seemingly, the most trivial of occurrences. Modern physics, with an emphasis especially on Quantum physics and Einstein’s pioneering work, Heisenberg’s uncertainty Theory, and so on, support this assertion. Earlier physics (Newtonian) attempted to explain all physical phenomena and matter by utilizing a mechanical, hierarchical, and reductionist and static type of reasoning. We now know, once again, welcome home, this particular scientific approach, although extremely useful, is also extremely limited. It is impossible not only to understand, scientifically, the “the web of life, it is becoming increasingly clear that in order for nature in all of its manifestations, including humanity, to work properly, it must interact with all of its parts. That is, in a balanced, and therefore healthy way. A person may consider the relationship between their mind, body (Earth) and in extension, Heaven, in a similar way. Modern physics also demonstrates that the material aspects of nature are comprised of a type of consciousness that defies scientific or reductionist understanding. This consciousness is a manifestation of the complete web that many people over time have referred to as intuition, inner knowledge and what Native Americans think of as Nature Spirituality. Fundamentally, whatever one wishes to call it, it is the sum total, in all of its dynamic processes and energy, of everything that comprises the natural planes and levels of existence, united by the spiritual or vertical energies and dynamics. It is that part of reality that cannot adequately be described in an objective way. In the case of human beings, one may think of it as the life sustaining relationship one has, not only with other people but as well with all that comprises a person’s environment. All of this is alive on subatomic and ever evolving higher levels. As mentioned above, scientific reductionism is extremely useful to an extent. It would be ludicrous not to acknowledge the benefits humanity has derived from science and the scientific model. What must be understood, however, is the danger inherent in any view that claims to be absolute. This is especially true in claiming to be essentially able to understand absolutely, with scientific documentation (measurement of parts separated from the context of the whole) everything about the natural world. The negative ramifications to humanity and the living ecosystem that we are a part of are only now emerging to the surface of our consciousness as our world reaches a point of crisis. This crisis is manifesting itself socially, politically, economically, as well as, and in some ways most critically, psychologically, environmentally and physically. This “new” way of viewing the world is not seen by the majority of the world’s population. In fact, most are not even aware of any world-view they may base their life’s activity upon, except in a narrow, rigid and segregated and extremely materialistic way, void of spirit, that is, of consciousness. This is because almost all of modern society has internalized a reductionist world – view. Society is therefore structured in accordance to a mindset that reduces and dichotomizes all aspects of nature as well as human activity. It also lowers dramatically the true level of consciousness in individuals and the masses. It leads to a type of social fragmentation. In the past I would have used the term “schizophrenia” but I realize today that is simply a term artificially created by modern medicine to describe higher or potentially higher aspects and functioning of the human psyche they do not understand. Schizophrenia therefore this is a dragnet or catch-all phrase to “capture” and contain, through diagnosis, that which they do not understand. It is an example of egotistical fear. Under these circumstances, such a person diagnosed with “Schizophrenia” may indeed develop debilitating characteristics. This will be discussed further on. I would emphasis that most all of the negative elements that we associate with today’s society, extreme, unbalanced and angry competition being a good example, are not in and of themselves bad things any more than stress is always to be considered a bad thing. Rather, the problem lies in the tendency to have an all or nothing mentality because of the absolutist/reductionist mindset. Although life on Earth necessarily has to contain within it certain element of competitiveness, that Compassion and Empathy on the Lower levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane Mitchell- 31 no human law or endeavor can completely overcome,6 in a natural setting competition is balanced successfully with the need to cooperate for survival. The human race would not be here today if it were not for this truth. The balance is out of whack today. A true sense of uniqueness and self – sufficiency is under attack. This has largely resulted in the creation of narcissistic obsession or compulsion and other forms of nihilistic psychic retreat. This leaves the vast majority of people with feelings of emptiness that can never be filled as long as adherence to this mindset continues. A circular dynamic is in motion where people in dysfunctional families create dysfunctional, unbalanced, repressed and reality denying people. A dysfunctional society exacerbates and generally helps keep the cycle of dysfunction “alive and well.” In fact, it is sometimes difficult to say where the dysfunction begins. One thing is for sure: it will be impossible to allow people, especially young people, to emerge as healthy human beings until the destructive and dysfunctional family and societal systems in place are changed for the better, in conjunction with simultaneous positive changes of society’s structural dysfunction as well. 6 “Spirituality and Society”, Pg. xii, David Ray Griffin, State University of New York Press, State University, New York, 1988 The Destruction of the Lower Levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane Mitchell- 32 3 The Destruction of the Lower Levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane In extreme materialistic cultures, where we work for the market which, is controlled by a few, instead of the market working for the people, the state of mind to which I am referring extends beyond individual families. In fact, whole nations may be characterized with the same destructively narcissistic and nihilistic state of being. As the holarchical model illustrates, a small portion of the whole, individuals, are a mirror reflection of the larger picture: cultures, nations, the world. This is true of some nations more than others, depending on their level of subservience to this mindset, psychically, and physically. On the other hand, the deeper an individual goes into the unconscious realms, scientifically and symbolically, and subsequently archetypically, once the collective unconscious is reached and especially beyond, it takes on an actual life of its own, beyond any one individuals ability to control or manipulate. The most a moral and ethical adept will do is navigate it, although there are “arts” that are available to a few to manipulate even at these levels. This is because people usually become more unconscious as they move or are manipulated into these realms. I am talking about regression into unconsciousness instead of progression beyond the collective. This happens the more a person lives only in their egos. Therefore, paradoxically, the more a person does not pay attention to their unconscious, consciously, the more unconscious they become. Modernity tends to produce an imbalance throughout all of the areas that encounter its influence. In today’s world that means virtually everywhere. In social groups, organizations and their ways of viewing the world throughout society there are countless examples to be found where imbalances occur. These include, but are not exhaustive to: racism, sexism, classism, ageism, egoism and elitism. It has taken me a long time to understand this but it is materialism, a purely ego based, repressed and limited awareness which incorporates all of the isms within its structure. The Earth’s ecological system is virtually on the brink of collapse through indiscriminate development and application of Newtonian technology. Environmentally this may be seen through such examples as depletion of the ozone layer, the greenhouse affect, etc. Physiologically, the effects of this may be seen anatomically by the increasing numbers of people suffering from diseases and environmental sensitivities, especially cancer, so-called mental illness, and so on. Interestingly, it has been demonstrated that many so – called mentally ill people, who definitely do not just live in their egos, have a much smaller incidence of getting cancer. It makes sense; they are open to the natural flow of the environment, coercively unbalanced as it may be, not rigid, closed and disconnected from their bodies. The most prevalent psychological example is violence. In fact, symptomatically, “mental illness” is nature’s reaction, her “acting out,” to the condition of the unhealthy and unbalanced psychic and physical environments in which we exist. When a person has an appropriate physiological or mental reaction that accurately indicates something is amiss, it means they are psychologically sensitive and responding in a natural way, even if The Destruction of the Lower Levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane Mitchell- 33 natures way is to express it through imbalance and disease. When someone suffers a panic attack it is because their bodies have learned how to identify, resulting from past trauma, something which triggers recognition of a similar threat. It becomes like a six sense, something a consciously alert police officer, for example, develops during performance of his/her work. It means they are working the way nature intended (this will be studied with greater depth further on). Then again, in ignoring these facts, the results are huge profits for the pharmaceutical companies, right? The subsequent stress this has placed on the Earth, and especially on people, comes as no surprise. Reductionist science fails to take note of interdependent relationships in nature. Since most technology is developed under controlled conditions, unforeseen consequences result when this same technology is applied in a natural setting. The natural dynamic processes become broken resulting in unhealthy, unbalanced action. Nature requires the whole of its dynamic interactions and processes to work “naturally With people, the vast inability to find sustenance from within because of disconnected psyches, their energy needs tend to be satiated by “stealing” energy from others, literally, or through the use of artificial stimulants; stimulants that ultimately deplete the body and mind of any natural ability to provide energetic requirements. In the first instance, the usual way this is accomplished is through manipulation and control of other people. Co-dependence and passive aggressiveness are good examples. Sadism is another, both conscious and especially unconsciously perpetrated. Exclusively ego or quantitative, mathematical, and bio-chemical understanding or acknowledgement and application of that understanding within society and the world, will only promote this state. Without reciprocal interaction people cannot thrive properly because of the resulting unbalanced lifestyles that many people adopt. This includes unbalanced modes of coping, which, initially, serve as vital survival mechanisms. However, when short – term, unbalanced coping mechanisms becomes long – term they sometimes becomes destructive in nature. Repression causes the shadow, both individual and collective to increase. This is especially true if examples of people’s psychic shadows occur in greater individual combinations, and ever-stronger extremes along the continuum. The more numerous and stronger the collection of these unbalanced coping mechanisms, the greater the destructive effect. Let us consider modern society in a general, all encompassing manner. Consider both the vertical levels of reality as well as the various levels of existence of the horizontal, Earth axis, then consider the question of technology. We will see, obviously, that technology by itself is not necessarily “bad”. It may be classified into two distinct groupings: proscriptive and prescriptive. Proscriptive technology is holistic and holarchical in nature, at least in respect to the human user. For a practical example, a crafts-person may use this type of technology in producing a product in which, that person carries out all phases of production. This requires an overall knowledge of the product and its production process. It also requires a maximum amount of control over the process by the crafts-person. Therefore, we may classify proscriptive technology as that type in which the user remains in control of the process; in partial, healthy, control of one’s environment. Instead, today, we have a population of people that are being primarily “trained” to fulfill a function, a part of a process, and disempowerment is the psycho physiological result. Performing a small insignificant part in comparison to the whole is reflected by an inability to become a whole person; a symptom of a fragmented society. The subsequent symptoms of the individual or collective is to “put up” up with a power and control exerted over them because this cannot be prevented by the disempowered person or collective. This does sound rather paradoxical and pessimistic. However, consider the fact that a person who does not know themselves cannot control themselves; and a group or society of people that do not know themselves cannot control themselves either. What they do not know, cannot see or recognize they are not able control. The second type, prescriptive technology, is analogous to the unnaturally produced hierarchical divisions of labor which have, for example, relegated people to a distinct and The Destruction of the Lower Levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane Mitchell- 34 separate position within an artificial social structure under the control of a very few number of people. In our present society, prescriptive technology does the same thing to people in general. “Prescriptive technologies are a seed-bed for a culture of compliance and servitude.”7 They are also largely responsible for breaking down the ability of people to function in a holistic, and therefore healthy and interdependent manner. What needs to be emphasized is that technologies are developed and used within a particular social/cultural, economic, and political context. There have already been vast studies and the compilation of research documentation illustrating the fact that most areas throughout society utilize top to bottom exercising of one-way control. They are isolationist, alienating and mechanical modes of systematizing and organizing people using technologies stemming from prescriptive methods and models of technology. This mechanization of people is disempowering in the fullest sense of the word: “authoritarian, competitive, and exclusive”. 8 This is definitely a political statement. Characterized by the artificially created division of labor, prescriptive technology, by its very nature, i.e. mathematical and quantitative mechanization is, obsessively, concerned with efficiency and productivity. This translates into materialism and consumerism. When productivity and efficiency become more important than human quality of existence, indeed when material consumption becomes the yardstick of “human progress”, what has to suffer, in addition to the larger environment, is the basic sustenance derived from interdependent relationships, and most importantly from the spiritual sustenance that can only be obtained by growth upwards on the vertical axis towards Heaven, and I am not referring to some far away place up in the stars. The location of Heaven is to be found within the psyche. In psychological terms our relationship to the vast majority of our psyche, our Souls and therefore the World or Universal Soul, suffers. The path is to join Heaven and Earth. It does not have to be a dog-eat-dog world. In many respects, holarchical interaction is a profound form of communication; communion with the environment if you will. Healthy existence and growth requires reciprocal interaction with one’s environment. This implies true individuality and self – control and thus interdependence. In prescriptive technologies “communion” is one-sided. People who utilize prescriptive technologies become people conditioned to have very limited and narrow abilities that prevent them from being able to look at and have a contextual overview of things. They become acculturated to only being able to see small parts or elements of the whole picture, creating a reliance on the expert. 9 Following from this, reciprocal interaction does not take place, resulting in alienation and isolation. It also creates an environment conducive to the development of addictive personalities. The grave impact (pun intended) of this is evident when one realizes that peoples’ ability to have an impact, and especially a creative and constructive impact by their own participation in the world around them dramatically affects their self image and therefore overall psychic strength; it adversely affects their own creation and maintenance of healthy self identity. 10 Especially important is the positive feedback we receive from our environment. This is expressed both through material sustenance or stimulating mental interaction in the form of support, validation, and cooperation, inside our own psyches and inter-psychically. It is a prerequisite for the horizontal growth outwards as well as evolutionary movement upwards, the horizontal and the vertical. This is why a cross with four equal quadrants is a perfect symbolic representation of centering, individuation and full human potential. Labeling and scapegoating, hypocrisy, and the vast amount of harm created this way, is a symptom and a prime example of the destructiveness of a prescriptive and segregating 7 “The Real World of Technology”, Pg. 75 Ursula 8 Ditto, Pg. 103 9 Ditto 10 “Social Work Treatment: Interlocking Theoretical Approaches, Pg. 622, Francis Turner The Destruction of the Lower Levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane Mitchell- 35 environment when this sustenance is not available. It only makes sense that if people’s psyches are disconnected from the whole, this very disconnection results in the creation of difference, responsible for the development of bigotry. This is only possible when our sense of interdependent mutuality has been lost. We need to regain that. The ability to be imaginative and interested enough to ask why, and the subsequent development of methods of continuous learning; the ability for people to be empowered enough to have a constructive and sustaining impact on their environment, and in turn feeling valued and needed, will either create autonomous and empowered individuals or dependent individuals that allow others to take over control of their lives. 11 Being people pleasers, instead of learning to be true to your self can only increase alienation, especially alienation of self. Competence may also be considered to be a reflection of self. That is, a person’s relative control over their environment becomes, in a profound sense, an expression of that person’s existence. Validation through reciprocal interaction with the environment is crucial to mental health. As adherents to homeopathic medicine have demonstrated, there is a strong positive correlation between mental and physical health. A predominance of prescriptive technology within culture can only lead to a culture of compliance and in turn must result in dependence, as opposed to healthy interdependence. It is dependence that creates addiction and an addictive personality. Since technology based on the linear or flatland approach, better known as the reductionist scientific model permeate virtually all structures within society, it should therefore come as no surprise that our society has become an obsessive compulsive and highly addictive society. Because of the imbalance and the yearning to fill the sense of emptiness, or cover it up, immediate gratification begins to rule: look at the prevalence of the drive – thru mentality. This creates a narcissistic mode of existing, void of any real sense of self, especially in relation to others. Reliance on the “expert”, I will suggest can account for the development of pedophilia within people and society. It is an expression of people who are psychically and emotionally stunted and halted in their developmental growth. It is an expression of people who have been severely abused. Physical sexual abuse can certainly do this but so also can psychic sexual abuse: a type of invasive psychic disempowerment. The expressions of pedophilia are not necessarily expressed in a physical manner. In fact, later in this work I will quite substantially demonstrate how this can come about and be expressed. For the time being consider how prevalent pedophilia was during the Victorian era in Europe, and this has been adequately demonstrated by history and psychoanalysis. The cause: repression, most of it forced onto people. This is reinforced by the machine, and the end result is a prescriptive culture: enter into the picture the pharmaceutical/medical megalith. Most persons not only lose the ability to communicate with their environment, including themselves and other people, but reliance and dependence on the “expert” becomes so overwhelming that a sense of oneness or wholeness of person is never achieved. What is achieved is a cult-ture with an addictive personality. Thank God and the Madonna that there are individuals who are able to maintain a balance between awareness of the whole through individuality, able to keep the spirit alive. The dependent types of personalities which have come to dominate our populations in numbers are ones which have very low levels of stress tolerance. Concomitant with this is a severe lack of adaptive or healthy coping ability in response to what might otherwise be rather trivial occurrences to the more (double meaning: our nightmares/worst fears, swamps, the mores) well (double meaning: waters of the deep unconscious) balanced individual: the dispelling of and bringing to light our deepest fears in the unknown depths. Learning how to live and survive in a fragmented and dichotomized social system sometimes far exceeds a person’s ability. 11 Ditto, Pg. 623 The Destruction of the Lower Levels of the Psyche: the Horizontal Earth Plane Mitchell- 36 However, Human relatedness is a biological and social imperative for the human being. Without a true development of interdependent relationships, beginning in the womb, continuing into infancy, childhood and into adulthood, the human being cannot survive or learn to be human in the fullest sense of the word.12 Today, the usual mode of coping with this is to become even more unconscious of it. 12 “Social Work Treatment: Interlocking Theoretical Approaches, Francis Turner, Pg. 623 Repression, Regression and the Development of Sadism and Masochism: Enter the Addictive Personality Mitchell- 37 4 Repression, Regression and the Development of Sadism and Masochism: Enter the Addictive Personality The full, implied meaning behind the word wholesome becomes especially apparent when understood from the above point of view in the preceding chapter. The feminist expression: “The personal is political” becomes fully appreciated. It does, however, go far beyond our present conception of political and affects people in a far more dramatic fashion than most people are conscious of. In addition, there is a primarily unconscious pecking order producing a domino effect in which many individuals think they have a need to control others to obtain, literally, in a psychic/emotional sense, the energy required for sustenance. They don’t know how to obtain this energy from the inexhaustible source of creation. However, there is one thing people should be aware of. “Powerful” people, if they wish, may attempt or for a while succeed in manipulating other people. What they forget is that, at the same time or in turn, there are those who control the controller. It is well known in Depth Psychology that those needy persons not in self-control, because they don’t know them self’s, need to project those needs on to others. This usually takes the form of an apparent need to have control over other people That is one of the reasons why Christ taught people to “know thyself”, and “to become as children”, why he especially embraced the children. Without outside interference children naturally know how to connect with the source because they have not been conditioned away from it in their early years, although the time they are connected with it is slowly dwindling in today’s world. Some People use animals for this purpose (energetic requirements): they are loyal, cannot talk back and are under that person’s complete control. In psychological terms, when it is applied to people interacting with other people this is known as sadism. The majority of the masochists are society’s scapegoats and victims. Sadism and masochism can be expressed either psychologically or physically which is a combination of both. It exists in varying degrees on a continuum and most of these phenomena are unconscious. They permeate all of society. That includes most of the global society as well, with some important exceptions. I find it fascinating that some of the biblically fundamentalist states of the U.S.A. have imposed censorship of a very paranoiac nature. This includes such books as “The Art of Loving”, which deals with psychological repression and the subsequent development of sadism, and as opposed to that, it also shows how to truly learn to love; “Lord of The Flies”, a book that describes how people may sink back into savagery; even “Kramer Vs. Kramer”, a book that delved into ethical and moral difficulties that have to be dealt with sometimes in child custody cases. Many other books have actually been banned from public access. Echoes of the Nazi, Stalinist, Maoist, and other book burnings from various tyrannical periods in history; the destruction of the library of ancient Alexandria is a major example. In each case, knowledge related to human empowerment, Repression, Regression and the Development of Sadism and Masochism: Enter the Addictive Personality Mitchell- 38 liberation and growth were destroyed so that the dictatorship responsible would be able to maintain control over the people Creation of the scapegoat: “The ancient Jewish People used a goat for this purpose…,” getting rid of those aspects of their whole person/psyche they could not accept, ultimately resulting in repression and projection onto other people(s). “...In the spring they would put a goat in the middle of a circle and then gather and pray over it. Then they would tell the goat the things they had done that year that they felt badly about. After these confessions had been spoken “Into” the goat, the priests would lead it into the wilderness. The scapegoat went away and took all the people’s guilt along.”13 They still lead scapegoats into the wilderness, everyone leading everyone else. We can see why the popular image of the Devil is a goat: we created the image. Note that the goat couldn’t speak back. It was relatively mute, the most it could do might be to bleep and forced into total obedience. But, we stopped doing this to animals. We went back to doing it to people as we did as long ago as 10,000 years ago, long before the Hebrews or various Semitic people were recorded in history. Unlike the usual forms of literal human and anima(l) sacrifices that began around 10,000 years ago, today, in most cases, and only quite recently, blatant human blood sacrifice is not the usual methods used to create or maintain repression except in the examples of war and blatant Hollywood Satanic cults. Usually, we simply murder souls. It was then that we really started to provide food for the Devil with a vengeance. This is because most of the sacrifices and their methods have become covert or occult. The result is projection and sadism. I am we all are somehow related to the Hebrew. They were not the only ones performing similar practices. Everyone did; everyone. Most people still do. However, there is always a creative life giving solution. I’ve heard of fables, myths and folklore that expresses the idea of civilizing God; that humans help with this emergence through the process of evolution, from the primordial through to the civilized; because God created the World. What seems like ages to us would be a very short time for God or what we think of as the creator, the source; eternity. All living entities must grow from childhood into adulthood. Similar to the way in which each and every individual’s life, from childhood through to mature adulthood is a direct reflection of the whole growth of historical humanity. That’s why we have to embrace that which we would rather not see. Nothing that happens within Nature is accidental. Most manipulation, beginning in the family but today applying to society in general, is perpetrated primarily unconsciously between ordinary people. However, effective influence can only take place within groups of people where there is some sort of relationship, an overlapping of psyches. In obvious cases it is referred to as enmeshment; whether this is within family, work, school, the community, and so on. These influences play a much greater role in the thinking processes of individuals and groups than is generally known or admitted. Today this abusive manipulation is approaching dangerous levels. Most important, the manipulation increases as a person operates from a strictly false ego and superego level of consciousness. Because the person is operating from, in reality, a weakened ego, by virtue of not utilizing the whole psyche, the person tends to rely more on outer acceptance and possession, rather than independence in thought stemming from true communion, and does not learn to live from a grounded and strong ego in service of the whole person, and in extension of humanity. From a whole, interdependent position, one naturally extends outward to include other people and the environment. In a psychological and mental evolutionary sense, the more people rely on outside “authoritative” sources for information and validation the more this small ego becomes, primarily unconsciously, coercively employed in service of the herd (the superego. I remember 13 Ditto Repression, Regression and the Development of Sadism and Masochism: Enter the Addictive Personality Mitchell- 39 one time reading a book on the dangers of venturing “into the rainbow”, the hidden or unconscious aspects of the psyche. This book was written by a member of the clergy. He kept stressing the importance of not carrying on a conversation with the “Devil”, as he called it. I do agree that one should not debate or argue with the “Devil,” that shadow infested inner part of our selves and collective psyche or superego. This type of dialogue only provides food for the Devil. However, the above person’s advice is exactly the type of advice that leaves the vast portion of the human psyche untouched, isolated and in the dark It becomes devalued and despised; in other words, this person was recommending that people neglect and starve their wounded and mutilated Souls. What this person was telling people to do would indeed do the very opposite of what he was trying to accomplish (take note of his intent, however!). Instead, acknowledgement and love is the only thing that can work. Then, our inner psyches can be released from that aspect of the inner shadow that is beyond the ability to be recycled. To ignore the hidden, occult or unconscious aspects of the psyche would and has changed The Soul, Adam and Eve, into the Devil. This is feminine and masculine or rather human and God hating in the most profound sense. Since the Soul is a feminine vessel, The Goddess or Madonna, it is form given manifestation by pointed force, energy. Although the God provides the pointed focus to manifest, what manifests is woman, the World; both of the aspects of the forces working together. And He becomes She through manifestation, and she becomes He, and He expressed himself through she, and She expressed because of He, and they saw themselves, ad infinitum; Evolution, expansion. This is Great Spirit, Christ, Buddha nature, God, because it is beyond gender. It transcends gender. It transcends. It is true unity, true love. As shown earlier, today’s society has in large part denigrated as pathological anything that involves any part of the psyche besides the ego, when it serves their purpose. This is very scary when one considers that over nine tenths of the psyche is located in the unconscious. The apparently all-powerful medical/pharmaceutical megalith holds this “official” approach to the psyche. This view it-self is pathological: it is so fragmented and exclusionist, mutilating what should be whole. Oh, but what profits! By looking at advertising and government propaganda, this situation becomes ominous. While societies levels of true awareness are being lowered, increasingly, in addition to the two areas of society mentioned above, most aspects of the business-political-medical complex, are increasingly using medication, subliminal messaging through simple advertising and the mass media, and so on. Mass media communication is more of an art than most people realize. This reminds me how I felt after a frightening experience within a so-called mental Health institution. At a time when I was in need of support and compassion; when I regained consciousness, after being heavily sedated with medication I did not request, I discarded in the trashcan any personal jewelry, and so on, that represented, for me, unique expressions of my Soul, the universal Soul and beyond. What people are being denied is a heritage that every single person alive has a natural right and access too under natural circumstances. These personal items I held in high regard. I also, totally out of character for me, found myself thinking like a policeman or military person. I had learned these personas earlier in my life, at all times derived from interaction with the scenario unfolding in front of me, but in a frame of mind which excluded so much of what was possible. However, after this horrifying experience they re-emerged. This was a direct confrontation with the collective shadow and superego contaminated by the shadow. I will use personal illustrations and examples throughout this work, some of it quite personal. However, in keeping with the message I am trying to get across, there is nothing to be ashamed about in life more than when a person tries to hide and masquerade what they truly are, especially to themselves. Later, I will further evaluate this experience, however, for the time being I will say this “regression”: was a direct result of the treatment I had received as well as the environment I had found myself in while having my psychic boundaries lowered due to the affects of un-requested medication. Repression, Regression and the Development of Sadism and Masochism: Enter the Addictive Personality Mitchell- 40 Without a democratic approach allowed for my psyche, during my stay at this institution, my thinking resulted in an exaggerated police state within. This was exacerbated by the so-called “support and compassion,” the “treatment” I had received from the collective psyche or mentality through the providers of “mental Health”, at the institution. The workers at the hospital have become, in a group sense, desensitized, or worse, to the needs of the “inmates” or visitors. Ironically and hypocritically this institution is a generic representation of the institutions most widely responsible today for enabling or creating and subsequently perpetuating this situation, affecting the most vulnerable people in society. The main factor involved is the forced creation of dependence in a very pathological way. Furthermore, when exacerbated by experiences such as the above described, it promotes a dependence that extends throughout most areas of their lives outside the institution, quite often leading to new forms of addiction. Here was an instance where I was experiencing a crisis situation; I had visited this institution looking for compassion and support. I needed validation of Me, not for who they thought I should be, but who I am. My frightened mind was simply given a heavy dose of the very type of “treatment which had created the need for me to go there in the first place. It is not surprising that subsequent to this visit and then during my subsequent involvement with this institution and because of the effect of labels that were subsequently attached to me, I developed a tendency to react with panic that affected me when involved with the people connected with this whole experience: people that I should have trusted because I looked upon them authority or nurturing figures. People I was conditioned to look upon as persons who could provide the support, validation and assistance I was lead to believe they would give me. It was also one of the worst encounters with the more subtle and thus deadly forms of bigotry I had ever encountered. This is a profound personal experience that validated and still does, everything that I have researched and continue to research with the intent of raising people’s consciousness. Although, in many cases at first glance it may appear people are consciously abusive, this may not always be the case. Most of this manipulation is unconsciously perpetrated. However as you arrive closer to the top of the power pyramid, the leaders of the various types of groups which exist in society, become more conscious of the potential abuse in relation to their actions. Anyone who has developed their minds and increased their awareness literally has power others may not. Those wounded people who have a need to have control over others to fulfill their own energetic requirements are usually not aware of their parasitic treatment of others. However, if they are in situations where they hold power over others, this power of position enables them to fulfill these needs. They are certainly aware of the pleasure they receive from having control over other people but they are usually quite unconscious of their deeper psychological complexes that precipitate the predatory behavior. If these type of people operate in an area of mental health, they are dealing with the most vulnerable victims or scapegoats in society; easy pickings. I am referring here primarily to the perpetrator. But they sometimes don’t realize the magnitude of their actions. However, the powerful are usually, by virtue of their awareness, more powerful. Thus the old adage: “power (can) corrupt and absolute power (can) corrupt absolutely can be very true. This demonstrates the need for the person attaining power to be thoroughly “white” him or herself. In other words responsibility increases with consciousness or the use of that consciousness especially when it is in situations where there is a vast imbalance in the distribution of power. How Society Aids and Abets these Dynamics: Most Groups are a Type of Cult Mitchell- 41 5 How Society Aids and Abets these Dynamics: Most Groups are a Type of Cult In the last chapter I was pointing out how vast power imbalances throughout society can create the potential for abuse and corruption, on all levels. As I mentioned earlier, “The Personal is Political” and power can corrupt if the person or persons with the power does not have a deeply aware knowledge of he or herself and is thus able to exercise responsibility in the use of that power. The lethal combination is increased egocentricity combined with a deadening of responsibility combined with cynicism as well as unconscious hatred. Some people even say the worst one is indifference, and if you can picture a person lying wounded in a city street with hundreds of people scurrying past, one can see it. You know we live in a do-eat-dog world, right? When one thinks of control and manipulation one might think of cults and the definition of cults. Most types of groups are a type of cult. All cults involve primarily one way control and manipulation within the group. From here on in, rather than use the word cult, I will usually use the word group. However, unconsciously, most groups, even ones that are supposed to be democratic operate on an unconscious level like cults. The power movement is downwards utilizing the domino effect. How many groups and institutions within society do we know of that operate or create these dynamics? Society is almost completely saturated with cult dynamics, with each group striving to control people, within the group, groups against groups, and so on; examples of corrupt power. Without knowledge, usually, those who point the finger at others as a habitual expression of their interaction with others’ are themselves usually guilty of the same thing. The only way people can counter this is by becoming self-aware of what is going on and in the true spirit of compassionate love, do their share in healing what they encounter, within themselves and without. This is only possible when a person thoroughly gets to know him or herself. So again, it is a lack of awareness, unconsciousness, which not only causes it, it perpetuates the viscous cycle. I have witnessed or personally experienced these dynamics time and again. It can be attributed primarily to psychological repression and the hypocrisy that ensues. The dictionary definition for this word is acting (repression). This is something most people do not realize they are doing almost every moment of their daily interactions with them self’s and others. There are, naturally, some people who are more aware of this hypocrisy than others and contribute energy geared towards rectifying the matter, and the number is growing. This has to be acknowledged. There are people who are able to break out of the mold: individuals and groups in Western cultures and in other parts of the World, traditions that honors body, mind, spirit and everything that comprises life. The courage and life expressed by one exemplary culture, the Tibetans, is expressed through the words of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He speaks of true warriorship, and how it embraces life, instead of hiding and covering our selves up in a type of cocoon like existence. He also talks about embracing a rising sun mentality as opposed to a How Society Aids and Abets these Dynamics: Most Groups are a Type of Cult Mitchell- 42 setting sun mentality. The former is optimistic and focuses on raising consciousness, the other on negativity and the lowering of consciousness.14 Recall that what I am referring to is repression followed by subsequent projection on to others. What develops from this is a usually, but not always, an unconscious need to control others. For example, many families who forcibly kidnap family members from cults and deprogram them, in many cases, are guilty of exactly the same thing as the cult they rescued the person from, especially when it is a case of keeping them in their family (cult). I know from personal experience a person usually truly learns what they live. A person who has been raised in a rigid, subtle or otherwise, cult-like family will bound (bound – Freudian pun intended) to be attracted to similar groups or organizations. They think it is a way to “escape” the influence of the family. Some people have been alienated to the point where they are basically empty and alienated people looking for meaning and will obviously be out there searching for something, usually activities and people that offer a familiar feel to them. The above can be considered an example of more than one cult vying for control over that person. The main difference, usually, is that the cult they are being “saved” from is usually overtly and verifiably (verifiable by “normal” standards) a coercive cult, or at least extremely unconventional, while the families cult-like influence of coercion is usually more subtle, perhaps unconscious, or at least within societies “acceptable” level of normalcy. Even in politically democratic places freedom can be more of an illusion rather than a reality. There is an exception for an elite portion of the population. These people have more power and a wider range of latitude in how they can use that power. Therefore they have a much greater amount of moral and ethical responsibility in how they use that power. Many people may hum and haw about this next statement but I will say it is a fact esoteric occult knowledge does give up power results in the form of consciousness (knowledge) which can be used for manipulation of ones environment, especially other people. It can also be used in the battle to liberate people. Traditionally, within groups and organizations, people are only made privy to higher levels of knowledge conditional on them being assimilated within the bounds and bonds of that group or organization. The reference to assimilation is very important; the benefit of a cultural mosaic as opposed to a melting should not be lost. Information will not be given to people unless they work for the benefit of the keepers of that knowledge. This, of course, makes the question of purpose behind the organization to be of paramount importance. Can you think of many organizations that are in existence to truly benefit humankind and the Earth? There are very few. Even most of the dominant religions and spiritual traditions seem to accept the condition of the world’s people; “The poor will always be with us”, and “There will always be the Indians and the Indian chiefs”. Of course, what this last statement overlooks is that within true traditional bands of Native American groups, the chief literally ruled and in most cases still does rule through the people, not over them. The former phrase is referring to poor in spirit. It wasn’t meant as a rationale for keeping people downtrodden. A good indication if a person is being manipulated, and drained emotionally, etc., is depression: the body-mind’s reaction to unhealthy living conditions, the giving up of libido to another person(s) or situations. To use an expression which everyone understands, metaphorically, certain situations and encounters with other people can result in a type of vampirism. Do you, for example, know of anyone who plays on your emotions, leaving you feeling drained afterwards, and more important, leaving you in a state in which they are able to get their own way with you? Read: manipulation. 14 Trungpa, Chogyam, “The Sacred Path of the Warrior,” Copyright 1984 by Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 3oo Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, www.shambala.com How Society Aids and Abets these Dynamics: Most Groups are a Type of Cult Mitchell- 43 As an example, one can look at the pressure that might be placed on a person to perform or have sexual contact or activity. This does not just happen between individuals or small groups of people. There is no element within the mass media and throughout society that is more highly suggestive, both subliminally and “consciously.” I am certainly not denouncing sex: it can be one of the most profound expressions of love, pleasure and health that can be demonstrated between people. However, it can also be one of the most destructively exploitive ways of controlling and hurting people. It can also be one of the main methods used to drain libido and life energy; energy that might otherwise be used towards the upward movement of libido and there become transformed into psychic energy used to raise a person’s consciousness. Certainly within an intimate setting, especially family, if you do not bow to the above manipulation (not necessarily including physical sex) people are referred to as “Selfish, “the black-sheep”, “outcast,” “outsider”, and so forth. Thank God for the black sheep and the outsiders. The accusers are usually the people attempting to exert illegitimate control, a classic pattern of parasitic projection. The psychological term, enmeshment and possibly co-dependence would appropriately apply here. Enmeshment is simply a polite term for what in fact is psychological possession; this is sexual in a very profound way. Take a look around. Especially consider how the “affliction”, depression, along with other forms of so-called mental illness is reaching epidemic proportions in today’s world. This would be a body-mind reaction to a person living in an unhealthy environment, possibly without being able to pinpoint the exact causes, thus preventing him or her from making appropriate changes. The automatic and usual blame for the depression is normally placed on brain chemistry, not the situation. However, in reality chemical imbalances in the brain are usually a result of exposure to long term unhealthy environments, the resulting internal psychic imbalance that results, culminating in a physical response in the neurophysiologic aspects of the brain and body itself. It usually begins in the mind before it actually manifests itself neurophysiologically. Naturally, this is not the case in 100% of instances of depression. Or is it? The important thing is to ask the question. Consider the group we refer to as society. I have met and encountered some people who are aware enough of these dynamics to react to them in some way. Sometimes, people even understand the chaotic shape of everything and simply give up. In the time I spent getting to know some homeless people, one thing I learned from them was that many of them looked at what they saw and gave up. Unfortunately, many of them become, primarily unconsciously, psychological parasites them selves. I am making a statement here, not assigning blame. However, on a conscious level, how criminal it is that almost all people I have spoken with have the audacity to say that most street people are mentally ill. In some cases they have been so brutalized that they do suffer in different psychological and physical ways. However, who would you classify as mentally ill? People who are able to recognize something very dangerous and thus try to avoid it, or extricate them selves from the situation, even if they are so victimized they have a very difficult time escaping from the dynamics sometimes, or people who not only blissfully and unconsciously help maintain situations of danger but also become perpetrators to some degree or other when they hold positions of authority and power over others? There are many major obstacles in place preventing necessary changes from being made sometimes. Some of them are so subtle overcoming them is next to impossible. But there is always a way! One of the biggest obstacles is the illusion of normalcy: we absolutely do not live in a “normal” (whatever that means) natural type of environment. And part of the reason for that is the everconstricting “official” understanding of what it means to be normal! In fact, as stated above, those who are sensitive enough to recognize and feel this unhealthy condition of society are treated as the sick persons. Those persons whose awareness is not sensitive enough are able to carry on How Society Aids and Abets these Dynamics: Most Groups are a Type of Cult Mitchell- 44 numbly. However, when something breaks down, they usually blame it on genetics, another person, or on some other materialistic or mechanical reason. On the other hand, there are those that are sensitive but they retreat into their egos and are able to unconsciously go about their business as if everything is absolutely normal. Hello George Orwell’s double speak. Outrageous? I don’t think so. Modern society, especially and ironically (criminally) modern medicine has declared war on the human soul. This is especially ironic because the Hippocratic Oath originally referred to a doctor healing the human soul; this pertained to psychic wholeness, and at that time the Soul of a person was specifically considered sacred. Today it has become the hypocritical oath; people’s bodies are sometimes living longer but some doctors are murdering Souls for profit. Therefore, although it may simply be an indication a person should make some appropriate change in their life, depression can be an indicator that coercion is taking place on conscious, unconscious or subliminal level, in a very subtle or not so subtle way. Just as people are at each other’s throats in society because of socially sanctioned competition minus the cooperation, combined with hypocrisy and an emphasis on differences with others, this dynamic also takes place at the more subtle levels as well. On the collective unconscious level there are many different elements: groups of forces, avowed spirits, energies and a lot of human psyches, most of them battling for control. This is a good reason why those persons who have not developed a mature level of consciousness run a great risk from delving into the spiritual esoteric or occult unknown Today this is happening with a lot of people, most of them as a form of escaping from something they are not consciously able to identify, although they can usually blame it on something. In this sense, there is safety in ignorance. Of course it is this very ignorance which allows powerful people on those levels and throughout society to exert coercive control There have been many “evil” people involved on these levels as well as “good” or “white” (read: light) people, even if they weren’t really aware of it. Hitler was aware of it, versus Martin Luther King Jr. who was aware of it on a different level. One thing is for certain, in a world turned negative like ours, many of the unconscious forces are indeed dark forces but the more “refined” of these negative nasties can and will present themselves as forces of good whenever possible. People rant and rave about “Holy war”. Possibly; but the most important war that has to be fought are in peoples psyches.They have to get acquainted with their own inner nasties they would prefer to shove onto other people; I’m referring here to the mostly unconscious or subconscious aspects of a person’s psyche. There is also a lot of resentment directed towards “forces of good” which try to challenge this. When people are operating primarily from their shadow infested Id or false ego on an individual and collective level, and this could be referred to as a false super-ego in psychoanalytical terms, this is, unfortunately quite natural on an energetic level. It is divorced from awareness. For example it can be directed towards people who are aware of and do not want to be enmeshed with the herd. They want to be independent and therefore interdependent. The “Star Wars” analogy, on the psychic level, is not out of place here. Some of these people attempt to be true to themselves are labeled odd, eccentric, mentally ill, anti-social, and so forth. When the labels sometimes have the negative affect that the perpetrators want them too, eventually the people do indeed become outcasts or anti-social. The mature people who refuse to be affected by the herd mentality are not necessarily adversely affected by these attempts to target them. Throughout the ages all esoteric schools, the ones with integrity anyway, have always stressed that individual psyches delving into these areas have to be “pure of heart,” in other words to acquire true self-knowledge, in order to enter safely. I know from my own experience this is true. I also know from my personal experiences there are relentless pressures from around me which attempt to turn me bitter, cynical and so forth, thus attempting to turn me into an agent of negativity. It is only with the most thorough fortitude and perseverance that one is able to overcome these “negative counterstrikes.” Awareness of what is happening is foremost in the line How Society Aids and Abets these Dynamics: Most Groups are a Type of Cult Mitchell- 45 of defense. Most of what I am trying to describe has to be experienced experientially, usually through the growth process of meditation, in order to be fully appreciated. As an aside, I once saw a documentary that proved that the great Canadian wolf of the north was not guilty of decimating the caribou heard as was once thought; many innocent wolves were shot en masse because of this misconception. The wolves lived primarily on field mice. The caribou they did take down were normally only the sick, wounded, and weak. That’s naturally proper and sensible for wolves in the wild. Now think of the statement in the Bible where reference is made to “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. Consider how society creates pathology among the people and definitely creates a population of wounded, disempowered and dependent people. The “wolves in sheep’s clothing” in society, the powerful people who are supposed to look after those weaker than themselves actually create disempowered, dependent and wounded people. Don’t we all love Atlantic Lotto and all of those VLT’s in the bars where people lose their mortgage payments, food money, and so forth? This is one way how the self – righteous people, most of whom do not gamble, but possibly hold shares in those companies that manufacture the gambling machines, can sadistically derive their energetic needs and monetary greed. In these cases they are able to self – righteously sneer at the people who endure humiliation, experience breakdowns, commit suicides (singularly and multiple), experience drug and alcohol addiction, etc. I have known a lot of drug pushers who have ruined a lot of lives but who don’t even use the deadly substances they sell to others people. As I have said, a good metaphor to use is vampirism. Life blood does not have to refer to that red substance that circulates throughout our bodies. Exposing Cult Dynamics Mitchell- 46 6 Exposing Cult Dynamics I wasn’t always as pure of heart as I try to be now. I’m not referring to morals or ethics. But these attributes naturally follow when a person looks inward in self-honesty What an individual encounters may not be that nice but awareness of it can allow the person to safeguard against unconsciously realizing an aspect of their inner shadow or a less than honorable psychic characteristic. As people begin to see the truth about their own psyches, compassion for others, ethics and the others civilized human traits naturally follow. Initially, the reason for my first ventures into these areas, especially the spiritual occult, was to help people who themselves were in the process of escaping from a Hollywood style Satanic cult. But later, in addition to finding attractive aspects related to spirituality, I had a personal need to satiate my scholarly and spiritual curiosity. As well, being a victim of abuse I tried to counteract the powerlessness I was experiencing in the midst of that abuse and my conscious world in general. I thus began to research the deeper layers of the Human psyche. One thing I do not do is take on a label when it comes to spirituality. Although if asked I would say I was raised a Christian and from my way of looking at things that is how I personally and primarily interpret my perspective. However, my perspective also includes practice and respect for other spiritual worldviews and the healthy aspects they have to offer. From my perspective, Taoism, as an example, is far more scientific than it is religious. Its way of viewing the world is absolutely logical in both a scientific and metaphysical/physical sense. I have an understanding that recognizes a natural evolution of awareness, of the spirit and psyche extending upwards and outwards, similar to Ken Wilber’s pyramid within a circle. I am an individual person yet consciously aware of being part of something greater; connected with other people yet extending upward by the pull of evolution. Therefore, fortunately, my interest today in what is commonly referred to as the occult is an overwhelming concern to attempt to do my part in helping to see into some of society’s, or rather, the Earth’s problems, and the small amount I can offer to heal my environment. We all have to begin with ourselves. Especially angry people, who are consumed by anger and revenge, run great risks of simply aiding the “dark” forces especially if they enter into the occult, and not necessarily the deep arcane occult, before they know themselves. The fact is, unconsciously, everyone partakes of the occult; they simply are not aware of it. This can be especially true if they are victims or perpetrators of manipulation. I am referring here primarily to the affects of repression and projection, the domino affect, and the cumulative affect on the collective unconscious level of the human psyche. I think of the legitimate outrage women have rightly expressed because of the way they have been treated throughout history. However, in my experiences with, for example, extremely angry women, these people aren’t simply angry, they are anger; I know from personal experience the term hate can actually be used. Naturally, this can and does apply to any and all types of people, men as well as women. However, I am a male speaking from a male perspective in this instance, Exposing Cult Dynamics Mitchell- 47 exactly similar to the way a woman will speak about her experiences of males from her perspective. If anyone gets angry reading any of this, I should mention that when people are accused of being abusive and they react to the question or accusation with anger, for example in the area of child protection, this is sometimes a good indication of guilt. I remember when attending a school of social work, I met many women who quite literally hated men and some of these same women were involved in witchcraft. When people like this allow themselves to be exposed to the unconscious or astral realms to that extent, they add to the substantial negative forces already there, like attracting like. They can become controlled, obsessed or otherwise adversely affected by them. I know that a lot of energies are geared towards revenge type activities directed towards the objects of their hate. Most of this is unconscious although their hate may not be. At the school I attended, men were not invited to these “activities,” on at least one occasion I am aware of personally. Without the balancing male energies, this would create an imbalance similar to the one they attack in the form of patriarchy. In fact, according to esoteric knowledge, when balancing of energies does not take place, the result is black magic. And that refers to going in either direction to an extreme: either far left or far right. This type of imbalance, far left or right can definitely be applied to politics as well: communism and fascism respectively. Then, it all boils down to the same dynamic, simply at opposite ends of a continuum. In fact, some occultists define one aspect of black magic as the draining of masculine energy as the purposes of this magic, whether in an act of “vampirism” or to be used for negative purposes. I am not referring to gender here. I am referring to masculine or yang energy, which creates consciousness to develop within the womb of the unconscious, of woman the vessel, so to speak, but in a psychic context. In relation to what was mentioned above, depression sets in when people lose this energy, loss of libido: they sink into the unconscious psyche unconsciously, as opposed to delving into the unconscious consciously and with purpose and knowledge. This occult practice, black magic, in today’s world is rampant. Almost all of it is perpetrated unconsciously and I could write a separate book on this issue alone. There has been a gigantic amount of evidence to prove the existence of the collective or astral level of the psyche. Modern medicine in tandem with the pharmaceutical conglomerates outlawed most of the psyche. Dominant cult-ure denies this reality. Especially, modern medical science denies this reality and people like myself are classified as superstitious or crazy for saying this, in the face of unimaginably huge amounts of historical and contemporary evidence. I guess thousands and thousands of years of human wisdom has almost been destroyed by a few years of modern science in the last few hundred years. Virtually everyone alive on Earth today is effected by and performs rituals. Naturally, there is a hierarchy in respect to the energy manipulated by the ritual. Any ritual is on a continuum from the absolutely mundane to the deep occult. Remember what I said earlier about Alchemy and the truth that what a person does and thinks, especially their attitude and in the form of physical manipulation of objects, has a simultaneous and parallel affect in their psyches. In common semantic usage this is usually referred to as magic. Anyone who has visited a church, or taken part in a coven knows this to be true. What is less common knowledge is that the way people are treated, the activities they take part in during their daily and nightly lives; even how families treat the various people within the family, all are forms of rituals and have psychic affects. As discussed in “The Messianic Legacy,” the purpose and affects of ritual is to create a state of mind particular or purposeful to a given situation. During ritual, most people, especially when done on a large scale, in fact go further into unconscious psychic territories, and when there are people in charge of these rituals in a type of top down movement, large or small, the capacity to Exposing Cult Dynamics Mitchell- 48 be controlled for the purposes of those who organize and direct the ritual increases. In this instance the Nuremburg rallies of the Third Reich is used as an example. 15 However this can apply to rock concerts, sports events and rallies, and of course, political events. Quite often fear and intimidation is used, and it can be very subtle in form. Nazi Germany simply carried the collective (unconscious) insanity of the Western World during WW11 to quasi conscious extremes. This can create an atmosphere conducive to manipulation by those in control of the proceedings. In almost every instance of this type of manipulation, what is activated is the familiar activity of scapegoating. The mindset and level of awareness a person or peoples attain determines the level at which they will be affected by this phenomena. In rituals, the mind becomes dissipated and unfocused, emotions are activated and information is taken in but it does not go through the process of critical analysis provided by the intellect. 16 Activation and manipulation of psychic energies can easily take place through the use of symbols such as flags, initiations, religious or spiritual symbolism in rituals, and so forth. This can be especially true using archaic symbols that resonate within the world’s collective psyche, and therefore individual psyches. But symbols can range from ones that are of purely personal significance through to the group (cult) significance, and further to the above mentioned worldwide collective of archaic humanity. When specific characteristics of groups or races of people are glorified in the performance of ritual, even such a simple thing as flag waving and the singing of national anthems, differences between people are exaggerated and what is shoved aside are the archetypical and universal human similarities and mutuality that all humankind share. It creates atmosphere’s that are conducive to individual and collective ego inflation: a form of neurosis or even psychosis. A flag promotes differences between people. The archetypal image of a human being standing with arms outstretched standing on the earth with the sun and moon above is an archetypal and universal symbol of all of humankind and the source of creation; this symbol unites people.17 In other words, especially in ritual that ignores unity, the purpose, both conscious and unconscious is to manipulate one’s environment and people; this is known as black low magic. High magic, on the other hand, refers to rituals or forms of meditation whose purpose is to uncover aspects of their own psyche: they are geared towards what Christ referred to as to “Know Thyself.” The purpose of high magic is to open up the psyche and to reach higher levels of consciousness in a spiritual sense and to learn to know the creator or source, or the closest thing that the human being is able to achieve in that area of aware consciousness Whether a person achieves the higher level of a saint or simply becomes more aware of them self on a higher level is not the point. The success of the individual doing this is irrelevant, the path and search is what is important. In society, and the World in general, this tribalism, affects virtually every group to a certain degree on a continuum, and leads to a profound bigotry or hate, that I have been discussing throughout this work. Tribalism operates from a position of fear and insecurity, where people or groups of people experience self glorification by focusing on differences that separate rather than unite, and cause repression and subsequent ego inflation in order to get the energy required to maintain themselves. This is regressive and depleting rather than constructive and empowering.18 In other words, because the person or people involved are not acting from a position of self knowledge or true searching of knowledge, they will usually look outside themselves. This is the essence of materialism in the pathological sense. It is the source of separation from self and others, the creation of difference and the deep rooted source of all levels 15 “The Messianic Legacy”, Pg.220, Michael Baigent, Pichard Leigh, Henry Lincoln 16 Ditto, Pg. 221 17 Ditto, Pg. 227 18 Ditto Exposing Cult Dynamics Mitchell- 49 of bigotry and persecution. Importantly, it is the denial of the higher psyche and spirit that allows these distortions to take place. A portion of the population with usually higher levels of awareness can be referred to as sensitives. Those person’s sensitive enough to recognize the reality described above, but don’t support the status quo, run the risk of being ostracized, classified as mentally – ill, put on medication and subdued in various ways; they contradict what the status quo wants the masses of people to believe. An example of a symptom of this control and hate was when, in the past, I was attempting to relate aspects of my experiences of abuse that only related to factual things that people had done or perpetrated against me. The indifference, denial and in fact further persecution that I had received caused me to think of what had happened to me with an image: I visualized my face being smooth where my mouth should have been. If the abuse happens to be caused by an abusive or dysfunctional family system, most people’s downfalls are when they try to extricate them self’s from the family system. The abuse may even occur with an attempt to get other family members to see the truth about the unhealthy dynamics of the family. In extension this can certainly include the larger human family. When people are able to see what is going on and the subsequent ability to put words and substance to it, the family will likely impede productive courses of action they try to take. This is true of the larger “families” as well: groups, cultures, nations, etc. In the family and extending outward, the opposition encountered is primarily because of an aura of Fear. I am talking here about the fear of the oppressor within them self(s). That is the very nature of the shadow and what is commonly known as the “devil.” However, we do have minds and voices of our own. As has been demonstrated throughout history, it is only through the perseverance of the oppressed, the persecuted person or people over time that the oppressors will come to some sort of conscientiously conscious awareness of how harmful, both to them self’s as well as to the person or people they are oppressing, that the persecution will stop. This is very important, because as I stated at the beginning of this book, the true fact is that because of our literal interconnectedness with other people, when a person or people hurt, persecute or oppress other people they are also doing the very same thing to themselves. The experiences of East India with Britain, the experiences of the blacks in the United States of America, the experiences of the people of South Africa and even the experiences of people of different lifestyles from the “norm” demonstrate this reality. This is true because it was only by virtue of this interconnectedness and mutuality that the persecutors were able to finally stop their oppression in the face of peaceful resistance. This is why Gandhi’s and King’s messages were so powerful. As mentioned elsewhere, it was King’s message that “we are all caught in a web of mutuality, ties in a single garment of destiny” that resonates within a person’s core self. This also why Gandhi was right when he said “If everyone keeps taking an eye for an eye, pretty soon the whole world will be blind.” It is time that the scapegoats and “sacrificial whipping boys and girls” known as “mentally ill” also become liberated from the inhuman type of persecution they receive so that the domino affect and cycle of violence can be broken. Those who are powerless and therefore controlled will sometimes try to induce others into the same trap. This can concretely be seen as the “domino effect,” operating primarily because of fear and the desire to survive, which I have experienced and been on the receiving end of countless times throughout my lifetime and continue too every day. Many times I got involved with people who had experienced similar abusive things as I had my self. Expecting compassion, I was amazed when they did the very same thing to me and to others that they had had happen to them. Today, especially with my knowledge of the affects of being sexually abused: physically, psychically and emotionally, I can understand these dynamics. Most people simply think of this as peer pressure or societal pressure but it goes much deeper and is more effectual than most people suspect. I do know that I have always appreciated being around strong people because it Exposing Cult Dynamics Mitchell- 50 is only strong, that is, empowered people who will not try to control others. The real definition of inner strength does not include a need to control others. True strength is difficult to find, especially, for example, in people who have been wounded themselves but not healed. But there is an important distinction to be made here. There are strong, powerful manipulators, but very few strong people who would care to control anyone but themselves. My earliest, totally mundane, ordinary experience of this type of manipulation I can recall was when I caught an intimate smoking with her friend. She talked me into having a smoke, and she and her friends actually fed them to me all that summer until I was hooked. She effectively made sure I wouldn’t tattle on her in that instance. She brought me down to the same level and in fact made me addicted to a habit I’ve been struggling with all my life. Sound familiar? There were a lot of dynamics involved here: “If I experience this, then so should you”. This is especially true of abuse people have suffered. At the more extreme end of the spectrum, are some groups, and there are many, which operate on a gang like basis, which in fact is very cult-like. Within these types of groups, you can see examples where victims think they are able to lessen their victimization by either becoming perpetrators, on behalf of themselves or on behalf of a more powerful perpetrator. You can witness this within virtually any type of coercive group. We can look at a simple schoolyard scenario where there is always victims who are picked on not just by the bullies but by most everyone else in one way or another. This can be extended to an abusive work environment. There are very extreme examples where prisoners in Hitler’s death camps became “kappos” in an attempt to extend their own lives and helped lead other victims to their deaths. Then there were the brainwashed people in China during the People’s Revolution who carried on the propaganda and torture to other people in order to initiate them the same way they were initiated or conditioned. It is the same dynamic all through these examples, simply on a continuum. This type of victim is best described as being a “kappo” because of the dynamics involved, however, I will use the better known term perpetrator or accessory. The main tool to prevent a victim from becoming a perpetrator, in addition to morals and ethics, is consciousness – something modern society has stifled dramatically. The main tool used to keep this domino effect in place is fear. The more I encounter and become aware, the one main thing I have had to overcome, while trying to maintain a human and compassionate sensitivity, has been fear. Our society, our world, is saturated in fear and anger, much of it on a subliminal level, literally. Fear mongering has become a national agenda for some countries; Echoes of Nazi Germany. It has been truly phenomenal the, for example, employment situations I have found myself in where fear is employed. In the family it starts early: “1...2...3....Okay, that’s it, that’s not how I like it. You’re grounded”. But this is a weapon used throughout society to maintain control. It is well known that religions have done this for centuries. So do governments. One place I’ve seen this dynamic has been in my experience of, and study and research of childhood sexual abuse. There are two levels of sexual abuse: one is both psychological/emotional and physical in nature, the other is purely psychological and emotional in nature. In looking at psychological/emotional sexual abuse, we see that anything that attacks in virtually any way, that person’s gender; anything which is used to hurt that person emotionally, psychologically, and so on, by virtue of that person’s gender; or any combination of the above used to control that person can be considered sexual abuse in the most profound sense. In addition, because of the highly invasive quality of psychological manipulation and control, even in the absence of factors related to gender or “sex,” all mental invasions are forms of rape, in every sense of the word. In saying this I am also thinking of the statements of victims who had been physically assaulted, later saying that they afterwards felt like their souls had been invaded, or “they were wounded in the core of their being”. Within the psychological realm or the physical, rape and Exposing Cult Dynamics Mitchell- 51 sexual abuse might be a result of a person’s gender, or it can be gender neutral. One of the things almost unbearable emotionally is the fact that in the absence of hard and fast physical evidence, or witnessed direct verbal coercion, attack, and so forth, our legal systems do not in any way prevent it. In fact, in many ways our legal system, especially in these days of political correctness, corporate profits, and psychological ignorance, the system promotes it. I maintain that psychological sexual abuse is widely used throughout society as a form of control, revenge, and so on. While thinking along these lines, it is important to consider that throughout history and at all times, in the absence of a psychological understanding of what happened, as an individual or as a group, the oppressed have almost always become the oppressors. Without this awareness, anger, hate, and other forms of unbridled emotions rule. When the mass mind is considered the magnitude of this becomes apparent. There could be a whole book written to illustrate this last statement. Carl Jung got a good handle on it with his book, “The Undiscovered Self”, and especially Eric Newman’s “Depth psychology, A New Ethic”. Therefore, without a conscious understanding of what took place some victims may become perpetrators. An element involved here is of a wounded and powerless person (as opposed to true power) the perpetrator, trying to control another person, while being primarily unconscious of the dynamics at play. This can be done either physically or just psychologically/emotionally, to steal libidinal energy, although there are a lot of emotions and psychological dynamics at play here. In fact, all criminals and perpetrators are psychologically damaged and unbalanced people. In appendix 1, at the back section of this book, there is a list of cult dynamics and 8 specific dynamics that are present within cults. Each and every one of them is found within society itself, especially on the unconscious levels that I have been discussing. It should send shivers down the spine of anyone who has eyes to see that within “normal” society all of these dynamics are present to some degree or other, and especially within most of the socially sanctioned institutions, especially the family in some cases. Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 52 7 Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Statistics indicate that more male victims of abuse become perpetrators than female victims of abuse. That is a bit of an illusion if we take psychological/emotional abuse women commit into consideration, sexual or otherwise. The male perpetrators tend to be more physical while females tend to be more psychological. According to statistics I have read, for example, I obtained some literature from a service for sexual assault victims, I learned that especially female perpetrators want their victims to feel the same pain they experienced. An important element to consider is that, in the absence of true healing anyone who is abused, especially sexually, is usually halted, emotionally, at the age level they were at when the abuse occurred. Culture has always promoted men to be more physical while being less emotionally mature, and they tend to act out in more overt, usually physical ways than females. Typically, a male will be physically aggressive where as a female will be more passive-aggressive. I maintain that, today, although men are still more physically violent, although female examples of physical violence is on the upswing, the amount of violence perpetrated by females, especially unconsciously, is vastly underrated. This reality, nor its magnitude, is apparently recognized or acknowledged by the majority of society, especially the dominant structures: law, medicine, and so on. As I just said, in the literature I’ve read about female perpetrators of abuse, they want their victims to feel the same pain they did. Today, more people, men and women both, have less stereotypical characteristic based on gender than in years past, although in support groups for people who have been abused, more women are actually counseled to “get angry” than are men. On the collective or mass unconscious level, the unrestrained anger generated becomes a revenge-seeking beast of its own, and this feminine quality of the collective has nothing to do with gender, because it certainly contains the powerful masculine elements of force as well. Both types of energy are contained in all people regardless of gender. And it is almost totally unconscious to most people. This also brings into play the power of a label and, especially, its unconscious affaects. Outside of the comparatively small number of cases where women actually become physically abusive, emotional and psychological abuse, that is, passive aggressive tendencies rule with the female perpetrator. On the unconscious level, these dynamics are not passive, quite the contrary; especially if people take into the above mentioned dynamics of “black magic.” The collective level of this anger is devastating. But it has become totally mingled with the collective unconscious in all its dynamics including toxic masculine energies, attempting to poison the naturally healthy and nurturing aspects of the collective psyche. A visible example of this is the way humankind has been raping and polluting the Earth, thus preventing Gaia from healing and recovering from these assaults. So, in a realistic way, naturally, we are not talking simply about female anger or male anger but about PEOPLE anger, especially the oppressed or wounded. Importantly, since we are of the earth men and women are all expressions of MAN in WOMAN, masculine force giving form Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 53 to the feminine vessel, and the feminine vessel giving form and expression to masculine focus of energy. Now, rather than speaking of men or women, the reference should simply be made of people committing violence against people, and this might be closer to the present truth. The key to remember is that most of this reversal, the projection and victimization are unconscious and committed not in physical ways but psychological and especially emotional ways. We are all aware of the term passive aggressive and its reference to emotional manipulation. This is simply one of the more obvious forms of this type of violence. Actually, it is a type of theft. A good example of this from my own experiences has been not being allowed to express or be angry or assertive, because I am male, in the midst of a vast and intimate amount of female anger. It would be useless to distinguish between unconscious male and female energies. The fact is, they are unconscious, and today, it is a situation of people hurting people, regardless of sex. Let’s just say, on a metaphysical level, people, not just women, are using primarily feminine forces, form, combined with masculine energies, force giving rise to manifestation and the form dictated by pathological manipulative forces, probably stolen or used in a Judo style type of move, for destructive or manipulative ends. I make a distinction between feminine and masculine forces because, metaphysically speaking, masculine forces tend to be pointed, focused and leads to consciousness and manifestation whereas feminine forces tend to be more pervasive, allencompassing and receptive, like the collective unconscious. Feminine energy is a vehicle, which gives form utilizing masculine force. Masculine energy provides the force necessary to make manifest the form. Feminine anger is given form by utilizing masculine energy. The very energy or force women think they hate. It is important to note that men and women both have feminine anger just like they both have and utilize masculine force. However, speaking from a male perspective, many women project this hate materially, literally, onto the physical representation: the human male. However, this dynamic also goes in the other direction: from the human male, to an unconscious hate of anything masculine and with the back - lash, anything feminine. Usually both aspects are primarily unconscious for women as well as for men. However, the end result can be a physical manifestation that results in physical or psychological acting out by both males and females. For women possessed by their animus, this conscious hate for men is nihilistic, just as a men possessed by their animas and subsequent hate for females becomes a nihilistic hate for his inner woman. Unconscious self hate then develops, is sent out and then back again, in a viscous circle. This is why, to use one example, affected women exhibit the malfunctioned aspects of their animus, poisoned by a wounded, sad, neglected and pissed off Soul that has become shadow infested. The same applies to a man’s anima. What has been repressed begins to rule them, and the collective. The result, on the collective level, is blind violence As an aside, half humorously and certainly only metaphorically, and definitely psychologically, perhaps this is what is meant symbolically behind the image of the "Whore of Babylon" in the Christian bible. In addition to a mishmash of chaotic information and mutilated souls, we have the malfunctioning muddied waters of the unconscious psyche. This "whore" attempts to overwhelm people. The results are depression, psychosis or neurosis, addictions of any sort, and so on. This "tricks" people out of their energy, the same way a prostitute tricks customers out of their money and energy. We see this all around us; all of the well known religious traditions have parallel stories and metaphors. We know none of these images can be taken literally, only symbolically, psychologically, metaphysically and spiritually. When we look at the human destruction that has resulted on level one literalism (as Wilbur calls it), because it is only at the lower levels of psychic development that this takes place, isn't that an indication it is about time to transcend our interpretations beyond the physical and place it in more realistic realms? If interpretations are made metaphorically, symbolically, psychologically and spiritually they make perfect sense. Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 54 Thinking along these lines, it makes perfect sense why it says in the Christian Bible that Christ was friends with prostitutes: you have to embrace all people and this can represent all aspects of our individual psyches. We can recognize that this is a direct reflection of a person’s ability to embrace all of them selves in a healthy, democratic and compassionate way. This must be why they are still considered great books by millions of people after hundreds of years. However, much of the appreciation keeping these books active in religions is also, I have no doubt, induced by some part of the unconscious higher psyche that understands their reality and validity. Dogmatism and orthodoxy is also a factor but the subsequent deadening and stagnation of a living meaning behind what they “teach”, when followed dogmatically is a major reason why many people are leaving these sorts of institutions. More seriously folks, following from this idea one can appreciate how destructive it is to take metaphysical symbology and apply it to human anatomy. Look what happened historically to women’s treatment in society because of the perceptions generated by various great spiritual books. Many of these great spiritual traditions, sometimes, have become stagnant and dogmatic as opposed to spiritually alive and ever changing; we have severed them from the roots that gave them birth. This great sin (sin, from everything I’ve read and learned simply means “missing the mark”) has come about by utilizing a literal and materialistic approach to the interpretation of these books. They were written by inspired people, open to human limitations in understanding the profound realities they perceived and then tried to describe. Accurate perceptions of these psychological and metaphysical realities cannot easily be described with words. Others will not be able to understand them without a lot of mental work, utilizing both sides of the brain: the ego and the soul, the left hemisphere of the brain as well as the right. Look what happens when ten different people are asked to describe a complex object or phenomenon. I doubt there will be ten exactly similar descriptions given. In fact they may all end up very far apart from each other, indicating the need to look for mutual elements rather than focusing on differences Differences vaporize when an individual is able to live fully in the present. Spiritual traditions become religions when the institutions themselves stop living in the present, focusing instead on the far historical aspects of the past from which they emerged, and use a literal interpretation divorced from the original teachings of the master and wise people that gave them birth. The spiritual miracles and truths attached to all historically famous holy people are a present living reality for everyone. Virtually every person alive today, is exactly as holy and complete as the most famous holy person who has ever lived. We simply have to wake up to that fact and recollect our selves. As a note, intuition is only possible when a person combines the past, memory, without obsession, into a pointed focus of the here and now. Getting back to the business of the wounded and hurt psyche, to operate consciously on the collective unconscious, masculine energies have to be used. This can only be accomplished if energies are not wasted. Look around society today. Virtually everything is geared to using up masculine energies. We are called “consumers” and we are, consuming more than we realize. But it requires an expenditure of energy to consume in our society, everything from sex to letting your life force spill out in front of the television after watching several hours of WWF wrestling. This results in a type of entropy. The result of this, now global mindset, adds to the lowered overall levels of consciousness, with the manipulative ability of the collective unconscious thereby increased. Whole libraries have been written to explain and describe this process and how to counter it. On the other hand, it is also safe to say that whole libraries have been destroyed leaving the knowledge in the hands of only a few from time to time. True compassionate love is ultimately the only way to combat cult mind control, and especially to promote the development of real consciousness, free from the influence of others. “They want Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 55 to feel and give love rather than hate and fear.”19 This quote is referring to men who have been abused by women, but obviously, it applies to everyone. Unfortunately, the only natural thing to do, therefore, is for people to go beyond the ego level of reality, because the world we live in usually promotes the exact opposite. We live in a world permeated by fear and hate. Obviously, the answer to this is to send out love, which will manifest in the unconscious. The sorry truth is, many of the people out there who think they are expressing love, in reality are being sentimental in a self-pitying egocentric manner. It’s a good thing Father and Mother Nature has demonstrated many times in the past it is quite capable of fixing the ills of the world, even though it may take some time. The nurture of Nature is naturally loving; something for the children Group members and the people within the groups are indoctrinated to fear change. When some people consciously attempt to escape or leave satanic cults, real satanic cults that operate on the unconscious levels not only Hollywood cults (openly satanic), the persons who try to escape are sometimes made to look insane. In the atmosphere of today’s society, this is easily accomplished because the sometimes extreme nature of the abuse and control they experience and relate to others seem beyond belief. Even people who complain of control and manipulation of the more subtle types are sometimes made to look paranoid. As an example, the psychiatric profession brands as paranoid any “patient” that recognizes patterns of abuse, some of which are unconscious and group or collectively perpetrated. Even if a person wants to take a pro-active role in their healing and wants, for example, to read their files; this also gets the paranoid brand. I laugh with an uncharacteristic dry and calm anger when I think of this last, very prevalent reality. As an individual trained in both the social work profession and one who has worked in the area of security, I find this appalling. Especially after I have seen the blatant misconceptions, dishonesty and other forms of incorrect entries in some of these files I am amazed. Isn’t it interesting that the very institutions that compile these files brands clients responsible enough to request to see them as paranoid. Considering the control and fear these people are already under, in reference to the clients, the fact that almost all so-called mental illness is initiated by trauma and abuse, especially experienced in childhood, it is safe to say that the use of fear and further intimidation to prevent these individuals from taking a pro-active part in their own healing is indeed a criminal act of coercion and intimidation; it is an act of terrorism. Consider the magnitude of what I am saying here. Anything found in society that inhibits change, in this sense can be considered harmful and promotional of negative unconsciousness and results in control by the mass mind. Mass mind is a much more primitive level of consciousness than individual thought. True individual thought is unhindered by the coercive influence of people around him/her whether consciously or unconsciously by a mass of souls attempting to emerge. When others hinder this healthy independence and the subsequent development of interdependence and there is a history of dysfunction to boot, affecting more and more psyches, the development of a dysfunctional collective over time becomes obvious. We are all one in God Everyone is affected. I recall my experiences in rallies and sports events and know that the emotional atmosphere of the environment can greatly affect a person. No need to elaborate what becomes obvious by looking at the effect political speeches have on people. As for sports events, all we have to do is take a look at the violence that can erupt at, for example, international soccer games. Look at the effect wresting entertainment has on people. Hockey games? For myself, I view much of what we classify as athletics today as being nothing more than gladiatorial pastimes after the fashion of corrupt ancient Rome, and serving much the same purpose. A friend and past minister, not too many years ago, of the church I attended used to fascinate me with the simple yet profound messages of his sermons. He once gave a sermon in which he drew parallels between corrupt, ancient Rome and modern day society. It demonstrated very clearly for me, how the twelve cardinal sins have in many respects, today, become the twelve cardinal virtues. We know what 19 “The Myth of Male Power”, Farrell Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 56 happened to Rome, although it is a beautiful city and country today. Ancient Rome crumbled, psychologically, spiritually and physically. The psychological imperialism that characterized that brutal time in history is magnified today on a world wide scale. One of the main questions related to all of the dynamics I am describing, one that I have attempted to explain, that keeps popping into my head as I write this: to whom or what does all of the recurring violence I’m talking about serve? What’s the purpose? In thinking about this I suggest keeping in mind two things, also in the form of questions: How does the psychological dynamics of sadism work, and metaphysically speaking, what benefits, energetically speaking, from evil or negative energy. More important, what does negative energy need to grow or at least hold its own? Where does it derive the energy it needs to exist? Metaphorically, it can be considered much like cancer; the sick living off the healthy, parasite fashion. I would suggest a person consider the psychological roles of scapegoats and the purposes they serve, whether in the family, schools and society, and of course the world, and see that, in reality, it is a form of sadism operating primarily on the unconscious level. I mean seriously folks we are not talking about goats here, now are we? Or are we? Obsession with entertainment, addictions, and other forms of escapism can be considered to be forms of coping mechanisms gone haywire. These are severely adversely affected by societal conditioning, at all levels and in all sectors. By the way, AA and some other 12 step programming can be a major form of this: and can also be considered an effectively coercive type of cult or group, for the hard-core members at least. They take into the group the same dynamics that put them there in the first place. The main difference is that these types of groups simply express concentrated levels of the unbalanced dynamics I am referring to. In any group, as the person becomes more unconscious, mind control becomes that much easier to maintain. It then becomes cyclically perpetuated. This pertains to most of the dynamics I have been talking about so far. As I said, except for a small percentage of the population, most of this is unconscious. The question one must ask: who or what benefits. This can then ignite the inspiration in people to seriously ask these questions themselves. It has been said that cults are increasing in number because of the increase of tendency for breakdowns in family structures. 20 However, I would say the breakdown in family structures is because of people, especially young people, rebelling against the conditioning and control they experience within families, preventing them from developing and emerging as self-individuating, full human beings. In extension from that, cult or group dynamics are learned, that is, indoctrinated, first in the family, the family being a product of society yet also producing society. The key element here is the sometimes unbridled and enormous amount of emotions that are involved. Rebelling against the emotional control of families, people are falling into cults or groups that utilize cult-like dynamics. These groups also manipulate emotionally just like many families do. It may be crude, for example like you might find in a street gang, or more refined, similar to what you might find in an executive boot camp in Japan for highly placed people within corporations. Maoist of Global society’s dynamics operate on this level, to some degree or other along a continuum. As with anything of this nature, emotions, if not refined into identifiable feelings, remain at a primarily primitive and therefore uncontrollable level. This is different to examples of self-control, where you find refined feelings that are identifiable to the individual and therefore open to individual tuning and direction. In other words, the energy can be contained and used as energy towards consciousness and creativity. Raw emotions are associated with the mass or primitive mind. Being primarily unconsciously directed, these can induce impassivity in an apparently conscious psyche because it sucks away the libinal energy that could otherwise be used for individuation and growth. Individuation can only be accomplished by becoming conscious enough to break away from the herd by not wasting and emotionally dissipating energy. 20 Clifton., “Releasing the Bonds,” Pg. XX11 Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 57 The dynamics of control are present throughout all levels of society and the world. Depending on where you are in the world, control may be overtly or covertly perpetrated On an unconscious level, the whole world is enveloped. There are breakthroughs here and there, though. Individuals and groups who have reached certain critical levels of awareness may be able to break the cycle, especially if a critical number of people become aware. Perhaps spreading awareness can then ignite: I’m thinking of the hundred-monkey syndrome. The regression in consciousness that has been sweeping humankind has caused humankind as a whole to regress to a psychological level where, psychoanalytically speaking, primarily the id and shadow expressed through the collective super ego has become unconsciously dominant, especially in relation to the shadow aspect. Acknowledging this regression, and understanding it in conjunction with the anger and frustration that has accumulated on the collective, we don’t have to wonder why violence is sweeping society and the world, especially among the youth. To have all that youthful energy geared towards potential expression for developing into a butterfly, physically and psychologically, only to have it inhibited, indeed in some cases prohibited because of the “training” they received in today’s society. Sometimes I feel like I am walking down the sidewalk backwards. A video portrayal of one of Pink Floyd’s videos that shows students coming out of the schools on conveyor belts provides the appropriate image. I’ve noticed stenciled on the side of our local school buses the word “stock.” I’m not sure what the word is referring to. It may simply be a model of the vehicle. But quite often when I see the little faces looking out through the windows, I automatically think of the word “livestock.” The psychic oppression and victimization of our youth represents the most criminal and unforgivable aspect of this state of affairs. A good book to read that touches on topics related to this is “Evolution’s End”, by Chilton Pierce. It illustrates just how early indoctrination of our youth into the machine begins. Authoritarian Leadership: What follows is a rather vivid example on the continuum of manipulation. However, the psychological dynamics in this case are simply magnified and less hidden than in some of the more traditional forms. You might say it more or less jumps out at ya. A “church” I encountered in a large Canadian city: This “church”, does not say prayers; it does “Treatments,” a term a member told me is taken from the science of hypnosis. This is also the term mental health practitioners use when they are “treating mental illness.” At the services there are definite leaders, although there is a great attempt to present the illusion of equality. This mirrors the illusion of equality throughout society. Most of the services are very repetitive: chants, treatments, etc. This can have a very hypnotic effect. One of the services through the week is almost completely comprised of the same chants, visualizations, etc. I remember looking at one member who is always there, and I know she has taken some of the courses offered because she takes part in the services. It was at the end of the service and everyone was doing the closing chant, in a circle holding hands. I looked at her and she was in a deep trance her eyes were extremely glassy and she almost looked in ecstasy. There’s no question, this type of circle can be considered a very intimate and pleasant experience; a group of people energetically connected. But this person was definitely in a trance, a state of severely lowered consciousness and parallel lowered ability for effective critical analysis. These services are such that an objective, critical mind can be altogether cut off, if you let it. I have meditated for many years, and have taken part in many occult ceremonies and rituals and what I witness at these “services” is precisely what I just described above. However, at these gatherings, only a handful of individuals create the rituals, a trademark of any cult. It’s pretty easy to draw your own conclusions from these facts. Ironically, because of the esoteric nature of many New Age groups, in some ways the participants are more aware than participants in the more traditional and dominant religions, of the actual dynamics going on. Unfortunately, the wounded nature and obsessive searching that characterize many of the people engaged with new age groups, and a lack of well grounded knowledge, leaves many of these people open to manipulation. In respect of the courses offered at this “church” they comprise of learning about the dynamics of treatments, mentioned above. As Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 58 member’s progress with the “courses” offered, which they pay big bucks for, they take a greater role in church dynamics, and thus, a greater role in the manipulation as well. Most of the manipulation is quite unconscious, except for certain ego aspects. In other words, these people take greater control of the church dynamics the further along the indoctrination process they go. From everything I've seen these courses and what they teach simply ways to indoctrinate members and as well instruct them how to also hypnotize and indoctrinate other people. You should hear the members speak about how important getting to the "church" is. Almost like people getting a fix. Note: When the head "reverend" walks up the isle every week, it is always precisely when the other church leader (I almost said High Priestess) is chanting "I Am, God I Am". I have witnessed some very interesting instances of control at this place: I’ve seen people act in impulsive ways, triggered. I have witnessed different people at different times stopping something they were doing only to act in impulsive ways, totally out of context. Each time I’ve seen this, a look of annoyance comes over their faces and a definite change in “vibes”, the atmosphere, is noticeable. Importantly, they are obviously unconscious of what took place. Each time I’ve noticed this has been when I am talking with a member. While we are talking I notice what I described above and it is always precisely when certain high ranking individual(s) in the church literally cross our path. If a person seriously considers what I am describing, hopefully they will be able to draw parallels between these dynamics and what I have been describing in this book so far. I’ve also had some interesting sessions at the “Men’s Group” at the church. Although there are supposed to be a large number of members, each time I’ve been there it has been the same core group of men. Each week, over and over they go on about how important the group is, again, almost like getting a fix. I’ve heard them talking about going on retreats, taking part in primal dance, learning about engrams: I presume they were talking about Ron Hubbard’s term engram, a major symbol in the occult repertoire. At these meetings, only one person gets to speak, without any interruptions. Most of it is absolutely of an unspiritual nature but is talk about finances, and very personal things, things that expose the individual in a very personal way. The really noticeable thing with this is that it is spoken in the same manner as a confession might be spoken. While there, I always felt highly pressured thinking about the need to say something. For one thing, in rating it a “friendly group”, it was far too rigid in structure. Most importantly, it was completely one-way communication, sort of like being on the hot seat. I noticed also that I was not the only one who seemed or appeared under pressure as they spoke. Again, almost like a forced confession. I read something similar to what I am describing in a book “The Pope’s Armada,” but it was not to that extreme. It was the exact opposite to what a person would expect from a supportive type of group like it was supposed to be. Speaking for myself, I remember speaking about my spiritual path and some of the abuse I had experienced back east. I even remember saying that if a woman had of experienced the same type of abuse from a man or men that I experienced from some of the women in my life it would have made the front pages of newspapers but that because I was a man no one had listened to what I had to say. It’s interesting that the over-all theme at the Church is that “We are all Gods”. In a metaphysical sense, I have no problem with this. However, the way people are indoctrinated in this church, is such a way that “Ego Inflation,” in a psychoanalytical sense, is promoted. I’m well researched on the fact this inflation can lead to, if not psychosis, at least a highly neurotic state if the individual is not aware of it. A good incentive for needy people, I also know that anyone in this state is highly open to suggestion, that is manipulation, and this pertains especially to levels of the psyche not usually in the conscious realm. However, the way it is superficially referred to in church suggests each person, being God, is completely free-willed and self-determining. From what I’ve seen this was not the case. The dynamics I’ve seen expresses what I would say leads to a herd mentality within the group, ego inflation outside, the exact opposite of free will. What makes this so insidious is that members often speak and act with the greatest sincerity. This is Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 59 because they have been manipulated and conditioned into the church dynamics in the same way they are conditioning others after them. This is also an example of the unconscious domino or trickle affect taking place. The following is an encounter with one of the members of this cult. I met a woman, let us call her Glayd, at a party for single people, held at the home of a member of this cult. One of the main conversations brought up during the evening was a discussion about, what these people referred to as, feme-nazis. I did not join in the conversation; this was the first time I had ever heard the term and I just wanted to listen and hear what these people had to say. Anyway, the woman I met there asked me to meet her at a local coffee shop. When I got there she had a friend with her. We were only there for a while however, during the time we were there she and her friend talked about her boss sexually harassing her. Interestingly, while the two were both sitting there, Glayd’s friend, let’s call her Mida, was defending her boss to Glayd. When Glayd left for a few minutes, I tried to speak to this person in a mediatory fashion, primarily taking Mida’s position. Her Mida became aggressive and defensive with me and agreed with everything that Glayd had been saying, completely contrary to the way she had been speaking with Glayd. I decided to leave the conversation alone and discontinued that line of talk. At one point I mentioned the difficulty I had meeting new people, being in a strange city with only one person I really knew in it, regardless of the effort I made. Glayd mentioned my “manner” that I have about me: at the time I thought she meant the way I interacted with other people in a civil sense. I know now what she was referring to was the same thing that caused other members of the “church” to treat me differently. I was not a meek little lamb who unconsciously and blissfully fell into the cult dynamics but instead exhibited a calm but aware hesitancy about getting too deeply involved. I did not tell her about the lengthy history of trauma and abuse I have suffered at the hands of other people although I did tell other church members, as indicated above. Although I left before getting too deeply involved in this cult, today, understanding the way people who have suffered abuse seem to go from one abusive relationship to another whether to groups or individuals, I can certainly understand what I will describe in the following paragraphs. Anyway, Glayd continued to attack my character in this way for the remainder of the coffee shop visit. Her Mida remained relatively quiet for the remainder of the time we were there. She was sort of like a watchdog and to be perfectly honest, even though I could probably handle myself if need be, there was a distinct possibility, given this person’s size and physical condition, not to mention the manner she had about her, I am not too sure I could have defended myself if she had of physically assaulted me. I am not joking. Later in the week Glayd invited me for a meal at her place. With a touch of cynicism, as it turned out, I ended up being the meal, and I don’t mean in a physically sexual way. She phoned me up on the day of the meal, and asked me to pick her up at a grocery store. After waiting and looking for her for half an hour or so, after several attempts at reaching her and finding her phone busy, I finally got through. Of note, several times during my attempts to reach her I tried my answering service to see if she had called. Finally, after trying my answering service I then tried Glayd again and she answered the phone. Later that night, when I got home I checked my answering service there was a message from Glayd saying she had left the grocery store and why. She must have actually placed the message there after I was talking to her. After my arrival at Glayd’s place, things started out all right but when I tried expressing myself, my opinion, she became very defensive and made me feel “bad.’ For example, while she was making tea. Using loose tea leaves, I asked her why she didn’t use a bodem. Then, when she said she left her bike outside all year I remarked, “What, you leave your bike out all winter”? In both instances I spoke with a smile on my face and certainly not in an offensive manner. At that point, leaned back and defensively said “You’re making feel uncomfortable.” I was stunned. She began going on about how stupid I was making her feel. Absolutely not true. When I became Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 60 meek, she began talking about her, apparently, considerable financial interests, etc. Several times while I was there she made on obvious show of demonstrating with phone calls her “power”; she called: her lawyer, etc. and several times she actually phoned her mother. After becoming meek, I ended up doing her dishes (she asked me to) before our meal and even shoveled her walkway for her after she asked me to; she lived in a condo, so it was shared by other residents of the building! She even asked me at one pint if I was the type of person to get angry around people. I told her I never get angry around people, and if I have to blow off steam I do it when no one is around. The fact is, I’ve become aware of people’s attempts to get me angry and I can see quite clearly when people do it to others. Interesting; the timing for her to ask this question: echoes of intimates, and even a person I was associating with at the time in respect of very personal details of my life. Synchronicity??????? Glayd explicitly said that because I had a vehicle and she didn’t (so much for her substantial financial interests) it would be worthwhile (for me) to associate with her. At one point she purposely stood very close to me, after she told me to take my sweater off. We ended up hugging and lightly kissing. I had even told her that I purposely told myself I had planned on not letting that happen. There’s a lot more I can say about the dynamics that took place. The really disturbing thing was her trying to suggest to me, several times, to go to a group meeting, being held by a woman I had briefly met at the “Party.” She was an ex-Rosicrucian member, and the meeting was some sort of metaphysical get-together regarding “a course in miracles” or something. I told Glayd I did not feel comfortable going to this person’s place for something like this, a person I had only met once and only briefly. I had met her at the party where I met Glayd, when I had wondered downstairs in the basement and she had been with Glayd in a group of people. Glayd had also introduced me to a friend of hers, Wayne. Glayd told me she got good vibes from this woman (Viole or something). Glayd said something had come up though, and she couldn’t go; yea, right. Important: Glayd didn’t want to know about me, and there was a lot I could have talked about. She wanted to know about the food supplements I used, my activities, especially Yoga and metaphysical interests, what I did in my spare time, in short, my lifestyle and life dynamics. She was also very curious how many friends I knew. As far as I, that is Me was concerned, she wasn’t interested or attacked me when I spoke, expressed myself, etc. Although I was polite and certainly non-threatening, what she was obviously attacking was any self confidence and individuality I was exhibiting After I had done the dishes, again, while we were sitting down, she got me to give her a neck massage. I realized that, by that time, every time I expressed my opinion, I actually apologized first. Actually, it was at this time that she said “I feel more comfortable around you now:” total subservience. Anyway, the main point of all of this is that while at Glayd’s place, she made me feel “bad” then meek and subservient. An important point to me made here is that this is exactly how I was made to feel during the last decade or so back East, around my intimates especially. This supports much of what I said about cult dynamics being learned within a family setting before anywhere else. In fact, related to the intimates back East, in the community I lived many people I knew treated me in a similar fashion subsequent to some traumatic experiences I had where I was made out to look like “the bad guy” even though I was the victim. Most of this was subsequent to taking on a case helping a young survivor of a Hollywood Satanic cult. Anyway, while at Glayd’s, and this is the disturbing part, I was conscious of the details of the entire encounter at her place. Later, I was able to review them minutely. Incredibly, I actually fell for some of her manipulations at the time. I even remember at one point while standing in her Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 61 hallway she stopped and started to stare at something. I followed her glance and there hanging on the door knob was the image of a naked man with a woman. She then nonchalantly looked at me and then sauntered into the front room by the fireplace. Although Glayd was a few years older than me (I think) she was physically very attractive. Now was that a manipulative move or what, especially given all of the other dynamics I detailed. After I had left, I realized, because of some of her mannerisms and actions, speech, etc. she demonstrated she was not fully cognizant of the dynamics which took place. One thing is for sure. If I was not as conscious as I am, I might not only have fallen for her attempts to manipulate me beyond what had taken place, I might have ended up getting involved in another cult. I also did not go again to the “church” since this encounter. Glayd also suggested “going to a movie this past Friday, the one where Harry Potter is training to be a sorcerer but I never called, nor did she”. Although Glayd told me she wasn’t too involved in the “church,” I noticed a piece of paper on her fridge with the “church’s” phone number on it, with mine directly below. Glayd told me she was planning on taking some “courses” offered at the centre, which teach/indoctrinate people into the dynamics of their teaching. These are referred to as “treatments,” a term derived from hypnosis. As people progress along with these courses, they become more involved in the “church” services and “church” dynamics. I know I mentioned this above however, I am writing this down very closely to the notes I made at the time I recorded them, except for some grammatical corrections and clarification. I see now why Glayd wanted to meet me at the grocery store: As I said above, I was her meal. Considering different levels of manipulation, “destructive cults use mind control techniques to keep members dependent on them and obedient.”21 Fear, shame, guilt, etc are widely used throughout society as a means of controlling “unorthodox behavior.” Especially, religion has been used in this method in order to protect the power hold those in the higher levels of these systems and society have over people. I’m not talking here about behaviors which infringe on other peoples space; which do not respect the rights and individual being of people. Obviously, these are not acceptable. I’m talking about people exerting illegitimate control on others thereby preventing certain ways of thinking, acting and perceiving reality which conflict with what the dominant cult-ure wants in order to keep the status quo in place. In fact, the behaviors that need to be addressed, violence for example, naturally flows from the above dynamics. It’s worth remembering that, similar to the mind body connection, there is a parallel relationship between our psyches and the environment, mental as well as physical. Violence is a symptom, not a cause of society’s chaos and rage. I’m referring to that state in which the few control the many as well as the dominant share of the Earth’s resources. In this sense economic factors play a major role. I’m not at all speaking in favor of anything remotely similar to communism. And certainly not any form of dictatorship. These forms of states (governments) are sometimes simply blatant forms of control in which the few control the many, and as well, they are leveling systems which prevent physical and psychological freedom for revolutionary ways of thinking and perceiving. I’m referring here to revolutionary ways of thinking and perceiving in the sense of Einstein, Galileo, Gandhi, M.L.King Jr., Betty Friedan and so on: emergent points of brilliant consciousness stemming from the stagnant orthodoxy of the collective mass mind, which is primarily unconscious. Only this time the revolutionary ideas have to affect, in fact transform, the collective human psyche, far beyond a purely materialistic basis, and perhaps psychological control, from 21 Ditto Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 62 which many of the past revolutionaries rose but then unconsciously perpetuated. The French Revolution is a perfect example. We have to move to a step higher: from technology up to psyche, the whole psyche, and a lot closer to the divinity to be found in all people. I will keep stressing the fact that a lot of this control is quite literally, sub-conscious and therefore unconscious on the part of the ordinary typical manipulator as well as manipulated. If a manipulator is truly able to perceive the dynamics on these levels, they are a most serious threat to freedom. If a manipulated person is sensitive enough to recognize these dynamics he or she is also the most easily controlled, by virtue of their sensitivity, especially through the use of medication. We have primarily an addictive, that is, earth bound (bound, tied up, get it?), regressive social mentality combined with a psychiatric/pharmaceutical war on mysticism: what it means to be human. As well, each year they include more and more of what it means to be human into their lists of pathology. There is no question that sometimes, sensitive people have succumbed to the disastrous condition of the collective unconscious, and medication is a necessary tool to be used in assisting a person in regaining their health. But without in-depth analysis, for example, depth psychology hopefully leading to a gestalt or cathartic affect, a person will not heal with medication alone. In addition, medication should only be used for a short length of time. It says this right in the DSM in respect of most psychotropic medications. This will be discussed later. A spiritual aspect is essential, but it must stem from the individual, not be imposed from without. Medications may enable the people to get by and “function usefully” within society but the underlying poison will fester. This is why you sometimes hear such statements as “people with schizophrenia only get worse”. These individuals are truly sensitive in every sense of the word and are most vulnerable. They also have the potential to develop highly evolved minds if they had proper guidance. Instead, that potential is destroyed. So-called “people with schizophrenia” only worsen if they stay on the medications and only if they are burdened with the labels that usually follow a lot of these people around. Flowing from research into how shamans are conditioned, by extrapolation parallels can be drawn with some of those persons who develop subliminal literacy. I'm sure an honest psychological evaluation of those abused people in our mental health systems would support this. Trauma and other severe forms of torture can develop such abilities by virtue of a person's need to retreat into their minds for safety and learn how to survive and then operate from that area. Shamans learn how to do this in consciousness. Under the usual circumstances, ”mentally ill” people remain coercively unconscious, confused and manipulated, the domino affect kicks into action and this usually benefits the manipulators. I remember one time taking part in a group that was organized and put on by a mental health institution. I remember hearing one person speak (he had been “diagnosed” as schizophrenic, although it was a group that was meant to improve self-esteem). He was speaking in a confused manner, when suddenly, with great clarity and certainty, he began speaking about how he had been swindled out his property and other things related to his estate by a high ranking person in the institution, who also happened to be a local business man and millionaire. The person in charge of the group quickly spoke to him and motioned with a hard look in his direction. He quickly froze and his speech and demeanor reverted back to its previous confusion and inattention. I know of the man he was referring to: his reputation for business honesty is not good. I remember a younger sibling of mine working for this person at one of his companies. She had been forced to quit because of the abuse she suffered at the workplace. Yet he held a respected and influential position at an institution that actually controlled people’s lives in the minutest of details. This is, in fact, similar to how primitive tribes or cultures have in the past conditioned these individuals to become shamans. The difference is that candidates for shamanism were identified by their abilities and were conditioned to be able to go into altered states of awareness consciously. The opposite of this is the development of unconsciously controlled people, usually conditioned to develop what is today known as disssociative identity disorder. Hollywood style Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 63 satanic cults obviously operate on this basis. We can place in this category any individuals receiving long-term severe forms of abuse and torture. People within this population have not usually developed enough conscious ability to creatively make use of their travels into the subconscious realms. People with dissociative identity disorder do not seem to be aware of the times they slip into the various personalities they have used to retreat into safety. Perhaps the most serious torture a mind can endure is being placed in a double bind, of the sort created when bigotry and stereotyping occur following from the projection of the shadow: blaming the victim. I should point out there is a powerful lobby out there promoting the idea of false memory syndrome as well as the unreality of a condition known as dissociative identity disorder, better known as multiple personality. It would be useful to search for these lobbies' hidden agendas. In fact, there is evidence out there supporting the belief these ideas originated from organized groups of perpetrators; perpetrators who may or may not be conscious of their actions. These people are the undiagnosed mentally wounded, taking their revenge out or sadistically getting their energies from the innocent. As I said earlier, similar dynamics occur when people attempt to escape from cults. Getting back to people with so-called mental illness, people suffering from mania and schizophrenia, for example, consider that their so-called crazy internal dialogue may not be strictly a result of their own individual psyche, in the sense that they are able to connect with the collective psyche that is contained within every individual psyche. From what I have researched, I once thought that the internal dialogue was stemming from deeply repressed material urging to be released. This material had not been allowed to emerge because of the control exerted by others in the form of the shadow contaminated super ego’s social conditioning, abuse and control generally. I still believe that, but once you get past, what Jung refers to as the personal unconscious, I believe it is actual communication between individual psyches, that it is still contained and available in each and every individual psyche. Think about it. All individual psyches contain within each and every one of them the whole of the human collective psyche. This is the collective super ego but also the universal human psyche, connected in spirit. This belief must have a solid enough basis because all religions (and cultures) at all times in history have had this belief, at least in their initial stages. In the same vein, I once thought that a lot of the imagery, and especially the “far-out” crazy perceptions I’ve researched that a person might encounter were a result of primordial infected archetypal images. However, that is a fallacy of Jung’s. As Wilber points out, Archetypes are from a higher level of awareness most people are too unconscious of to attain. In some cases infection may be a factor. Beyond a certain level, that is, beyond the strictly personal level of repressed material, these images might in fact point towards a larger reality but of a lower psychic level. In today’s world usually, even the psychically sensitive, are usually not able to get beyond the primordial lower level of the psyche, an instinctual level. This is because of control and manipulation For example, a person believing their family is going to sacrifice them may be having an archetypal and instinctual perception indicating the very real fact they are family or social scapegoat. These archetypes belong to the collective human psyche but come from beyond the purely lower level collective. Thus they are archetypal as well as instinctual. This is because they are spiritually intelligible enough to bring consciousness from the archetypal level down into the instinctual. If it was purely instinctual there would be no cognizance to the sacrificial element. There would only be a “fight or flight” reaction. I have seen the purely instinctual reaction by people who have been in these situations but were not knowledgeable enough or disciplined enough to react with anything besides a fight or flight reaction. I have seen this instinctual reaction when I worked with so-called mentally ill people. The sacrifice is more real than not in the sense that the persons’ Spirit, life direction, in short her or his attempts at self-evolving individuality, not egocentricity, and interdependence with the whole, may be sacrificed for the use of the family, group, or society. This helps to maintain the status quo and even, unconsciously, to Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 64 drain the emotional energy of such a person imprisoned. The “whipping Boy”, is a very good book that touches on these dynamics. In the modern world, we don’t burn witches or mystics any longer. We usually call them crazy and medicate them, then subject them to the most obscene forms of abuse by draining them, for lack of a better word, of their life energy and denying them the most basic idea of human selfworth, usually expressed very subtlety. Its no wonder these people can be so frightened without medication, sometimes. In times past, people with this sort of natural tendency would have been given proper respect or instruction. In traditional far Eastern cultures that recognize these realities, for example, guidance would be available as opposed to the brutal ways in which modern society treats them, and the way shamans used to be, and in some cases still are, created in primitive societies. Buddhism is a very good example of a tradition that honors this quest and assists in a gentle and natural manner. At this point I will make a very clear distinction between witches and mystics. Witches manipulate the environment on the lower level Earth plane. Mystics perform rituals and meditations to enlighten only their own psyches. Witches manipulate, mystics enlighten. There is a huge difference between the two. Getting back on the present subject, this is not to say people with extrasensory ability aren’t sometimes taken seriously. It depends on whom they work for. There are some very wonderful and life-giving people out there, lots (pun intended). But if they are apolitical and have bought into the materialistic mindset they may become entertainers, on the front. Unfortunately, there are others whose intentions are not so benevolent. If they are against the system, but hold a grudge they may become black occultists. If they believe in the system they may also become practitioners of black magic but in less obvious forms than the Hollywood Satanist exhibit. Nancy Regan, wife of former president Ronald Regan, past president of the U.S. had her “Astrologer” and word has it much of her significant influence over her husband used information derived from this source. The Central Intelligence Association and the National Security Association have also done huge amounts of research into this area. It is well known law enforcement agencies sometimes use sensitives to help solve crimes. It is well known that the former Soviet Union, Nazi Germany and even Maoist China delved heavily into the occult as well. Many sources I have encountered also say that the Nazis delved heavily into work on The Holy Grail, and I don’t think they were really concerned with “To Whom Does The Grail Serve”. The Holy Grail is nothing less than a conscious connection with the masculine and feminine energies in conscious union, allowing conscious movement on the collective unconscious, and perhaps beyond, usually by utilizing occult methods. This is what Christ experienced, as far as common sense (or should I say uncommon sense) and research can deduce. One of the material results of this type of activity on this level of the human psyche can be manipulation, projecting false information and fear mongering. It makes perfect sense there are aspects or levels of the collective unconscious that operate “consciously” on this level. The world literally was never the same after the Second World War. Many of these Nazis were taken under the wing of the U.S. Subsequent to WW11, in order to help combat the powers of the Soviet Union; and the same happened on the Soviet side. Naturally, all religions, all of them, work in occult ways, and because of the age and foundations of some of them, a lot of power is involved. The Muslim and Roman Catholic Church’s are, perhaps, the most powerful of all. Do the various religions and their churches empower or strip people of power? This is a question all people should ask themselves. Especially important is that a living spiritual tradition always urges its members to question and learn and to grow towards and into the source: that is how spiritual growth takes place. A note on the above. Prior to the U.S. entering into the Second World War to assist the allies, after Pearl Harbor, the Nazi movement was huge in the U.S. I remember seeing a picture of a Exposing the Psychological Dynamics of Ritual Abuse: Convert and Overt, Unconscious and Conscious Mitchell- 65 huge Nazi gathering in an inside arena, with the multitude of people, in Nazi uniform, giving the raised Nazi salute. The caption was asking the reader where in Germany the picture had been taken. In fact, the picture had been taken in Madison Square Gardens, and all of the people giving the Nazi salute were Americans. Believe it or not. Some speculations put forth the theory, and its a good one that the “Dweller on The Threshold,” that mind-boggling amount of fear and misinformation one must pass before one attains clear and untainted movement within the astral realm and higher is nothing less than “evil”: read: negative, fear-inducing group and mass energies These would be forces doing their best to discourage well-intentioned people/psyches from venturing into these areas. On the other hand, there is good evidence to suggest that the Dweller is also there to prevent any but the most pure of heart from entering into the mystical. Only a mystic can really say. However, not even taking into account the astral realm, there is a huge amount of control which goes on all around us, from the family right up to the level of national and international propaganda and the global mass media. Control of Environment Mitchell 66 8 Control of Environment Control of the environment and communication within the environment: this includes not only what people communicate with each other, but also how the group gets inside a person’s head and attempts to control internal dialogue. This first and foremost applies especially to family environments. You know, rules, spoken and unspoken. Naturally, it spreads outward from there into the larger systems, and from the larger systems back into the family, a two way cyclical action. Not only does the mass media downplay all of this (it wouldn’t be good for business and the CIA wouldn’t like it), it quite obviously, in some instances, encourages it. But in general, this is true for systems from family, up to the national level that stress behavior modification and simple control approaches to social and individual psychology, rather than catharsis and consciousness raising programs. This results in an emphasis on non-integrative psychology practice and social control. A possible exception to this would be the cognitive approach to an individual modifying their own behavior through therapeutic dialogue with a qualified person. Interestingly, medication therapy and a form of behavior modification using primarily one way communication between the supposed therapist and medicated person is the most dominant form of psychotherapeutic practice in the western world; certainly in North America, especially if you are poor. Psychologists and those professionals who clearly attempt at helping the client gain insights into him or herself, psychotherapist and client working together, are persons who are able to live empathetically and therefore with compassion. Most psychiatrists, at least those who do not live the Hippocratic Oath, primarily operate from a level that does not require any real genuine compassionate approach. True compassion requires a lot of dedicated and passionate hard work because this is an art. In our society, medication therapy is the main form of "therapy.” It's like a fast food joint, and the results are usually transforming the client into a zombie like automation, totally conditioned to accept in a docile manner the control exerted by others. It can be very abusive to those people who require compassion not control, in order to heal. Of course, medication therapy requires almost no professional effort, and its costs can usually be covered by some government agency. So the people pay and lose out either way. If a person becomes publicly known, although it doesn’t even have to be public in the usual sense of the word, to be a mental health client, the “mental health web” takes over and people consciously and unconsciously target those persons. This can be the case, for example, with a disempowering and debilitating and patronizing attitude. This can trigger the very behavior associated with the label. Obviously, a label has a conscious affect on people, but it is the unconscious dynamics that are more destructive because they are covert and unseen. People do not usually deal with things they do not see. People will treat people so labeled based on stereotypical and therefore inaccurate presumptions and assumptions. Further, both the conscious and unconscious dynamics have a hypnotic and inducing effect on people, primarily the one so labeled. It also has a hypnotic reinforcing affect on those who do the labeling. These are sadistic and masochistic dynamics in action; on a continuum. Control of Environment Mitchell 67 Hypocrisy and the bigot: and fingers do not have to be pointed because it includes just about everyone. People cannot really be blamed beyond a certain point. I mean, we are talking about the present human condition: very much what I would conceive of as a battle in heaven might be like. Who knows? How can people be blamed for things they do because of conditioning they had no control over? On the other hand, we are all responsible for ourselves, and that includes our psyches and the attitudes they produce; this has to include our whole psyche. So maybe we are at a crossroads in the history of humankind where, for our own survival, we do not have a choice to “know thy self” as Christ taught. Perhaps now it is our responsibility to do so. We see a small portion of the power of the psyche illustrated in Systems Theory: enmeshment for example. Common and professional knowledge knows that in cases of enmeshment or codependence, that one person has invasive influence over how the other person(s) thinks, feels, and acts. The interaction goes both ways, but the person in the dominant position, obviously, usually wins out. But if you look at it clearly you see that the word “enmeshment” is simply a modern psychological term substituted for what it is: psychological possession. Modern quantum physics has demonstrated the possibility of simultaneous and instant connection of psyches over time and distance and this further demonstrates the overlapping of psyches. However, we do not require modern physics to demonstrate this reality. It occurs on a much greater scale than most people realize, and involves just about all psyches within a ready proximity to each other. It can involve greater distances with psyches that have made a conscious relationship with the other. The way some very perceptive new thinkers see it, like the scientific philosopher, Ken Wilbur, it goes far, far beyond the ideas systems theory puts forth. Milieu control is prevalent through virtually all areas of society. I remember I was once speaking with a Taoist who practiced several systems derived from that overall system of viewing and being in the world. When I told him freedom, in my mind, was the most important thing I value, he slowly shook his head, almost sadly as if to say that was too bad. But he himself demonstrated a lot of mental freedom and obviously the approaches he used were based on the belief that freedom is attainable for those willing or able to put in the effort to achieve it, or are not prevented from doing this. This is only possible when a person overcomes the illusion of having separate psyches. I also know from my experiences with my family of origin that “milieu control” is very real. I believe it goes much farther than what most people even considered possible. The important thing here is that my family is not really any different from the standards society would consider normal. In defense of my family, I will say that everything I hold dear could not have developed if it were not for them. We were all fighters and survivors and we all did and do the best we can. “The contrived engineering of experiences to stage seemingly spontaneous and “supernatural” events…everyone manipulates everyone else for the higher purpose.”22 When I think of this item, I think of Jung’s idea of synchronicity. To the close-minded, it probably sounds incredulous to suggest that some people, by virtue of natural or occult abilities, are able to manipulate things on the astral plane with or without conscious involvement. However, true synchronicity is usually the result of a much larger, a universal and spiritual intelligence far greater than the individual psyche. Usually; I say this because adepts on the lower levels, black magicians, can also manipulate and create the illusion of natural synchronicity. Naturally, there are white magicians and adepts who are also aware on these levels, however, with a white magician they don’t so much manipulate and to prevent and neutralize manipulation they see taking place, usually by the simple method of not responding to attempts by others at manipulating. Any true white magician knows that to meddle in any way on the psychic levels can be dangerous because of unconscious aspects and involvement of ego. From my experiences: who I’ve spoken with, what I have studied and to an extent, what I have experienced, the primary way a white person fights against manipulation, for the good of everyone, is to increase communication and awareness of what is by whatever avenues available. 22 Clifton Control of Environment Mitchell 68 In respect of illusional synchronicity, a form of environmental control, this sort of thing is not only possible, it occurs frequently. If a person is looking for it, it can easily become a way of the other into misleading that person into false perceptions, or as a way of verifying preconceived ideas. I know through research I have done it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy or it can be a way for others on the collective level to mislead and control, through hypnotism or direct intervention on the inter-psychic realm of the collective unconscious. Simply the power of suggestion can have an enormous affect on an individual(s). Returning to the affects of labeling, if a person has been negatively labeled, this label, once the critical level of “unconscious” awareness is achieved, also becomes known on the collective unconscious. I have this type of dynamic referred to as “psychological resonance”. Thus the affects on the scapegoat are unconsciously perpetrated as well as consciously: people unconsciously try to fit or induce the person so labeled into performing the very actions identified with the label a victim may be trying to overcome. I am referring primarily to the effects and dynamics of hypocrisy. This has an ominous feeling when one considers the effect of the “mental Health Web”. On the collective, individuals, and there are many, become targeted, “consciously”, on the collective unconscious level. It doesn’t require much imagination to think of ways, especially with today’s technology that magnify these dynamics, thus providing a visual example of what I am talking about. The ability to record brain waves gives a concrete visual example of the reality of brain waves. The existence of radio waves provides parallel evidence of the reality of brain waves and in extension, how they might and can interpenetrate and therefore how one psyche can be interpenetrated by another. This also demonstrates how, the use of technology might allow any powerful or even not so powerful individual, to affect other people. Technology aside, staged or artificial synchronicity is a good example, especially through subliminal suggestion or hypnotism, of pure subliminal manipulation and control. The important thing to remember is that the unconscious collective is very conscious and intelligent on that level, regardless of the fact there are only a few who are conscious of this “consciousness”, if you know what I mean. I believe, first and foremost, that Jung’s concept of synchronicity has more than been proven. In short form it goes something like this: Someone or something showing up at such a moment as to validate something, primarily about oneself, or things happening at an opportune moment, both types occurring too frequently to be coincidence. This is a reflection of a person’s inner psyche. However, this phenomenon can be maliciously manufactured by the shadow. Synchronicity has been proven beyond reproach. These phenomena can occur naturally. On the other hand, a person, for example, might artificially produce “results” because they look for something to validate some of their thoughts or experiences; let us remember the quantum affect of the psyche. Even in these instances it should be remembered that each and every psyche is part of and contains within it all other psyches. That is the nature of the collective unconscious or subconscious. This is precisely why it is everyone’s responsibility to become aware of the inner contents of their psyche. Not only is the wave/particle paradox in operation here, he or she might screen out what doesn’t validate and zero in on what does. It can happen through occult methods, however, it can occur by use the power of suggestion operating on the unconscious level, usually by projection What is difficult to understand is the seeming paradox of the individual yet collective nature of psyche. While talking about the wave/particle paradox, this is the primary way labels can adversely affect people. Scientists have demonstrated beyond reproach that the observer directly affects what is being observed. For example, if a scientific observation is being made looking for waves at the sub atomic level that is what will be observed. If the observer is looking for particles that is what will be observed. This is a truism on all the material level of existence. In this way, stereotypes, better known as bigotry, can directly affect the target of that bigotry. Brain waves are just as material on a subatomic level as any other substance. As I said above, the recording of Control of Environment Mitchell 69 brain waves by material instruments would not be possible otherwise. Paradoxically, scientists have proven that both waves and particles cannot both be observed at the same time. That is why a positive perception of people especially in the medical and mental therapeutic relationship is so important. If the therapist is looking for pathology, that conscious intent increases the chances of finding it in the client because that is what they are looking for. It increases chances it will affect the client such that the observed person or “target” will manifest the symptoms the therapist is looking for. As I mentioned earlier in similar contexts, this is why consciousness raising and awareness is so important. Understanding this in this way, it becomes not only understandable but supreme common sense to understand why Christ, in fact just about all holy and spiritual people teach people to love their neighbors as them selves. If the left “eye offends you to pluck it out;” meaning to be aware of whatever aspect of your psyche is offensive, to you and others, and consciously choose to do or think otherwise. The importance is balance. This is true at all levels of human existence, from individual psychology through to politics and national agendas. Mixed activities of the types mentioned above may be especially apparent in areas where there has accumulated a lot of psychic energy and especially over time. For example, a historically Holy place; we can also include their not so Holy counterparts, and these don’t have to be in areas where there is or have been blatant “Satanic” worship taking place. In fact, it can be anywhere there is a lot of human activity, especially over time. Obviously, some of this energy can be “used” in an active manner by occult methods. It may be for good and to heal, or it may be used to mislead, entrap, or otherwise fool and control someone and produce sickness. This is profoundly important when one takes into account society's collective shadow. This has been totally discounted by science/medicine and the public in general. However, this shadow is real and operates on an intelligent level. Religious people have known about this collective shadow for a long time: they refer to it as the Devil. But there is nothing supernatural about it: use of this term is simply another way to disown and project onto others what we are all responsible for. Scientifically, it's perfectly natural. Advanced and civilized psychology, as opposed to the barbaric technique of one way directional control known as behavior modification, takes into account this knowledge. One way directional communication can be dangerous and used for control. Saturation of the mind with one way communication with television is an example. Any one way system of communication can adversely affect people, especially in a disempowering sense. This is also a reason why complete reliance on the “expert” can be disempowering Looking at the human psyche as a microcosm of the macrocosm is also a very important element of the human psyche to consider. Knowledge supported by thousands of years of belief and practice, that encountering other people, occurrences, etc. can be a reflection of you and your present state of mind, conscious and unconscious, individually and as part of the group. This is also how synchronicity operates. This knowledge has historically been well known in the Eastern lands by wise ones for a long time. I think the danger occurs when true coincidences or other manifestations of these dynamics occur often and consciously enough that a person's belief in their trustworthiness is established. Then he or she can easily succumb to false occurrences via manipulation, self-deception etc. The idea of self deception itself is important when one considers that a person’s psyche contains within it the whole of the human collective, as stated above. This is precisely what it means in the Bible when it states that “We are all our brothers keeper;” it does not mean we are in charge of that person to control them but rather, it means we are all responsible for others in the sense that they are literally, in a psychic sense, a part of us. In modern terminology we are meant to empower other people, not to control them. This is also another reason why bigotry is so dangerous: when we project stereotypes onto others and hurt them; we are also, literally, hurting ourselves. This can happen in most groups where there is an assimilation and indoctrination process established. Everything material is connected and affected on a sub-molecular level, including brain waves. As I said, if this were not so, then there would not be any way to instrumentally record brain waves Control of Environment Mitchell 70 This is very disturbing when one considers the effect a label will have on a person so labeled. In fact, societies labeling of people or preconceived ideas, and this includes people’s preconceived ideas about themselves, for the most part, seriously affect that individual’s ability to escape the behaviors identified by the label. Preconceptions, anger, repression and subsequent projection which is prevalent throughout all of human society, all seriously undermines societies conscious attempts to alleviate the ills of society. This is a major factor in the domino effect, where people consciously or unconsciously try to dominate and hurt those weaker than themselves. Are we beginning to see and able to determine how scapegoating originates and is perpetrated throughout society? Many people over the years have been saying what I’m saying, in various forms or other. The important thing to acknowledge is that we are not using goats like the ancient Hebrews used; we are using and destroying human beings. It is almost impossible not to recognize the reality of the psyche beyond a purely organic level, and ignoring these realities, by only focusing on the organic or material manifestation of the brain actually muti-lates and distorts the natural structure of consciousness itself. 23 It destroys the ability to develop true individuality beyond the clone-like level. We end up, in my words, becoming like the assimilated characters in the Star Trek series Deep Space Nine, that are controlled by the dominion, that hive like infestation who’s sole purpose was to capture and assimilate as many life forms throughout the galaxy as possible and turn them into unthinking robots, just like drones and worker bees in a hive (this is not meant to devalue the important contribution and beauty of nature). However, just like it is an insult to place humans on the same level as goats, the same also applies to the level or drones and worker bees. The main difference between the dominion and real bees is that even unthinking bees serve life by pollinating and causing fruit and flowers to bloom. They aid natures’ fertility. The type of domination I am referring too, and this applies to the shadow aspects of the human psyche is that it destroys nature and rapes people in the same way it rapes the physical Earth as well.24 Feminism basis its’ foundation on the reality of the collective unconscious. Jung and many other psychologists have demonstrated the collective’s existence in a scientific and objective manner. It is further backed up by modern physics, and thousands upon thousands of other people covering all times of humanities’ existence. Fantastically, is anyone seriously going to try to argue against thousands of years of common sense and testimonials? Ironically, some angry people consider the possibility only women are or have access to part of the collective unconscious, the “goddess”. I’ve read books where some authors claim that men do not have access to the goddess within! An amazing statement when one considers the vast bulk of a man’s psyche, about 9/10, is unconscious and the most important aspect of his psyche, his anima, is primarily feminine. However, either the feminine or its masculine counterpart is impossible without the complementary and simultaneous existence and balance of each. The collective is comprised of the feminine vessel that contains the masculine counterpartconsciousness, pointed focusing of energy. As described above, in a very real sense, all human brains are the same. It would not be an expression of common sense to say otherwise. The one possibility that be considered is that men and women’s brains may in some way be inverted to the other; considering the differences anima and animus demonstrate in men and women. Any difference between female and male brains, in this respect is greater when people take on personas based solely on their physical gender. The more balanced are the expressions of both masculine and feminine traits an individual lives and expresses, the healthier, both physically and mentally that individual will be. To review, the main point being made here is that a person’s attitude or thoughts can actually affect what they see on a psychic level, and how they affect the physical environment, including 23 “A Theory of Everything”, Ken Wilbur, Shambala Publications, inc. Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 Pg.49 24 Ditto Control of Environment Mitchell 71 other people. On the level of the collective unconscious, a person’s attitude can psychically affect another person or person’s thoughts and behaviors. Similar to the way a person will see a wave or a particle, depending on what the person is looking for: that is, when one person objectifies another. I can really see why women used to get so upset about being objectified. The fact is both men and women have always been objectified. Feminists were simply the first gender to point this out. In other words, a person’s attitude actually has an affect physically and psychically on the person being observed; creating both a reverse and inverse form of self-fulfilling prophecy, resulting from projection. Evolution, Regression and Devolution: Seeing In Reverse. Social Violence Mitchell- 72 9 Evolution, Regression and Devolution: Seeing In Reverse. Social Violence We have all witnessed or experienced mundane examples where observation and possible intimidation by “the boss” in the workplace can cause a person to make a mistake that might not otherwise have happened. This is because the person becomes self-conscious of being observed and especially because the “boss” is closely looking for mistakes and therefore by virtue of attitude, increasing the likelihood what is being looked for will develop. Ironically, the term “selfconscious” certainly has a double meaning doesn’t it? The more people are unconscious of their projections, the easier and more likely they will actually begin to see things in reverse, and this is perfectly logical. They are only able to see negative things emanating from others; a type of modern day participation mystique. I have personally witnessed this in individuals who blame other people for real acts and behaviors they are guilty of. They victimize others by artificially trying to set them up to take the fall for them. I personally have been victimized in this way. Farther on in this work I will give some rather dramatic illustrations of places where this happened. What causes this is that, sometimes, coercively repressed unconscious contents of the psyche (both individual and collective) will emerge forcefully. Some extreme examples is when the repression manifests itself metaphysically and then physiologically in the form of dyslexia, turrets, and so fourth. The condition referred to as turrets is a good example of someone whose true self has been stifled and prevented from actualizing. In these instances, sometimes the enforced entrapment of contents cannot be prevented from bursting forth, and it usually occurs in sensitive people. I remember when I was much younger there were physical expressions of turrets I used to exhibit. As I developed increased consciousness and became aware of other people’s psychic encroachment on my “space” the turrets disappeared. I remember telling someone one time I was glad I had not been told I had something with a label called turrets. I said this because I remember I had worked with a client who had turrets and had used that as an excuse for getting away with saying some pretty nasty things to people. It also, however, prevented him from overcoming that condition because he rationalized it away with a label in the same way the affect a label has on any “normal” person. I had no such label to rationalize with, nor a label with which it could be reinforced. In fact, the ridicule I received because of the physical manifestations gave me more than enough incentive to fight to overcome it, which I did. I have talked recently to people who have turrets who told me their doctors told them it was a permanent condition. Another example of the pathological death sentences the so-called healing profession sometimes, not necessarily with malice, hands out to the people they are supposed to heal. Turrets results from a forced denial of self, Soul, or whatever you wish to name it. The best word to use, in my experience, is Soul, because it encompasses those aspects of the psyche one has to develop, expose, make friends and then work with, the whole psyche Evolution, Regression and Devolution: Seeing In Reverse. Social Violence Mitchell- 73 Everything I have spoken about in the above chapters demonstrated examples of people seeing in reverse. That is the nature of hypocrisy and bigotry Turrets can be seen as a very real example of a mute - ilated repressed psyche attempting to burst forth. More and more people are becoming conditioned and coerced into this fragmented “frame” of mind. It is happening because as I pointed out earlier, in many respects, large segments of human psyches are actually in a devolutionary spiral, the reverse tree of life. The domino affect sets in creating the cycle. Without a balance with the upward growing tree, everything goes in reverse because most energy, literally, is focused downwards to lower levels of the psych and lower physical activities. As one eastern master described it, the lower natures of people usually cause them to waste most of their psychic energy through the sexual act. More highly evolved people, practice sexual activity in moderation and as an actual art and expression of true love They have a lot more energy to send upward into the brain enabling higher levels of consciousness and awareness to be attained. During sexual activity with the latter type of person, because of their natures there is more of a mutual exchange compared with the former types of sexual activity where the acts are more forms of lust, self gratification and thus draining of energy than anything else. A person who is sensitive enough, in tune and touch with their body will actually be able to feel the downward flow of energy in the body or the upward flow when that happens. As I learned sensitivity and sensitive control of my body through the practice of yoga and, in recent years, different forms of martial arts, this has actually given me the ability to feel and direct this energy. I can remember when I was a child I had the frequent feeling of energy sinking into my lower body to the extent that I would have to restlessly move my feet. It was precisely because of the invasive, unbalanced and violent nature of the dynamics in which I was living; both inside and outside the family. Constriction of the psyche because of environmental conditioning was the prime reason for the implementation and imposition of these dynamics. It was because of an enforced lower psychic level focus on a material or ego centered direction of energy. As I said earlier, there is no place for blame here, and my family was really not that much different than many other families. However, there is definitely room for evaluation. Today, if the downward flow of energy happens for whatever reason, I can readily redirect the energy flow. As a child this was not possible. I also recognize today, that what many imprisoned people on neuroleptic medications experience, in the need to restlessly and continuously move is caused precisely because of the constant downward flow and low of libido caused by those medications and the conditioning imposed on those individuals from without. Later in this work I relate some journal entries of a personal nature to illustrate the experiential nature of many of the dynamics I am discussing. There is one instance where I thought I had been placed on a neuroleptic medication. Although the actual medication was not to blame in that instance for the actual downward flow and loss of energy, I thought I had been placed on a neuroleptic. The result of this “belief” was a downward flow and loss of energy, similar to other times when I had been on that type of medication, and it was almost identical in affect to what I experienced as a child. In addition to being in the midst of a very traumatic ordeal, it demonstrated the power of the mind and the connection between mind and body. It demonstrated the affect the power of suggestion or a label, and therefore even a placebo can have on someone in a psycho-physiological sense. This is a dramatic expression of the very dynamics I have been speaking about throughout this work. Consider the impact this awareness, the psychic nature of hypocrisy, would have on the justice system especially in respect of testimony in the courts. It is no exaggeration that, today, not only accused people should have to take a polygraph test, so should the accusers, depending on the circumstances. Remember what happened in Medieval Europe during the inquisition: false accusations were made because of ignorance, fear, and sometimes, outright jealousy. All of this however, was a result of repression, hypocrisy and the subsequent bigotry that followed. The Evolution, Regression and Devolution: Seeing In Reverse. Social Violence Mitchell- 74 main difference is that, today, people are much less conscious, in some respects, than they were back then, including the false accusers, making the situation worse today rather than back then, mentally speaking. This is primarily because of the vast majority of people having lost contact with the earth, themselves and following from that, Heaven. The less strongly conscious a person is mentally the more easily that person can be manipulated: and then everyone points the finger at everyone else. This finger pointing to everyone who is not to blame: women against men, men against women, groups against other groups. I wonder: exactly what does “minority actually mean today? A certain level of social anarchy has been activated, primarily unconsciously, but as well consciously, for example among some young people, right up through to gang warfare and terrorism. This is a natural thing to happen under the circumstances. People’s captive Souls are finally fighting to break out, with primordial fight or flight levels of activity and energy. This is exacerbated today because everything is being reduced to the material and genetic level. It is to be found in all types of countries, communist, fascist, blatant dictatorships and apparent democracies, all of which are based on the materialistic mode, and all types of national governmental political styles in between. Virtually any manifestations of psychic occult or mystical ability, let alone so-called mentally ill people’s natural response to overload in a sick environment especially in the west, is actually, to use a well-known and valid expression, becoming turned into cases of blaming the victim, usually. There are still some countries and areas where the realities we are talking about are respected, primarily in the orient. In the majority of countries and areas, these people are ridiculed or medicated away and further repressed. Importantly, any form of addiction is a form of medication, with psychotropic drugs being the most harmful. To draw a parallel between the two, it is a fact that gamblers withdrawing from their addiction usually manifest the exact same withdrawal symptoms that someone coming off a hard type of drug addiction manifests. I would bet that shopaholics might have similar reactions. Look what happened during the Great Depression when thousands of people lost their material fortunes. However, medicated people become open to illness and manipulation, producing conditions worse than the infamous Victorian period in Europe when repression was the obsessive name of the game. This increases the size of the collective shadow, while more and more people are leaving themselves open to manipulation and control. The most disturbing thing about all of this is that most of these dynamics are taking place on an unconscious level. So naturally, no one takes responsibility for anything that happens, and so enters the finger pointing. The effect might be considered roughly analogous to the way a mass or group of people's emotions, actions and thoughts can operate on those in the group almost by hypnotism or reflex. If you have ever taken part in any kind of mass rally or entertainment event, you know the feeling of the effect I am referring to. Of course, in day to day activities the affects are subtler, leaving possible awareness only open to those who are more sensitive to what is. In respect of multiple personality, people who suffer from this condition are people who form these defenses against painful feelings. They violently retreat far into their own psyches. For hundreds of years it has been known that human beings have the capacity, in fact the reality of more than one different personality, some more conscious than others. A recognition by the ego and the lighting of the contents of the deeper layers of the psyche located in the right side of the brain would make this apparent to the individual, as has been more than proven by the various masters and adepts of both the Eastern and Western world. It has also been known for quite some time that the memory located in the deeper right side of the psyche also has a memory chain capacity far superior than the ego aspects of memory capacity. Obviously, this changes as more of the right side is consciously brought to light into the conscious realms. Nonetheless, the deeper layers of the psyche do not forget and react, even if Evolution, Regression and Devolution: Seeing In Reverse. Social Violence Mitchell- 75 the processes are unconscious, in an appropriate way, under natural circumstances. Pharmaceuticals and mental conditioning changes this. It poisons and handicaps the deeper layers. It changes it into the shadow. With a balanced and synchronized psyche, these two halves can work in harmony as a whole. Psychotropic medications, researched without bias have been demonstrated to have a very fragmenting affect on the psyche 25 Until the widespread introduction of pharmaceuticals since the end of the Second World War, psychologists and thousands upon thousands of other people over thousands of years have known of these realities. Obviously I am not referring to psychotropic medications but to the affects of unbalanced and fragmented psyches This only makes sense when we consider the vastness of the psyche, 9/10ths of which is usually unconscious. This is especially true when we consider the inner aspects of animus and anima; a woman’s inner man and a man’s inner woman. As I have said earlier, there are unconscious psychic processes that take place while one consciously operates in awareness. In other words, at the same time there is more than one “conscious” mental process taking place at any given time.26All of this exists on a continuum of different levels of awareness. Closer to the conscious levels of awareness, his can be caused from simple conscious suppression of one personality and substituting it with one more appropriate to the situation, through to an unconscious switching to a repressed personality which dominates consciousness unconsciously, that is able to actually take over the consciousness of a terribly wounded ego. However, in a healthy and balanced individual psyche, the unconscious processes do not so much take over as work in unison with the conscious position. People who have truly practiced mediation know this. For quite some time since I became truly able to mediate, there were times I personally was aware of actually thinking about and having two distinct trains of thought occurring at the same time. This was especially obvious when I was reading something. With meditation practice I learned how to have only one clear train of thought. Before control and discipline was learned, there were many times, while reading for example when I would have to reread something because of interference from a different train of thought. The same phenomenon also happened some times when I was speaking with someone, and thinking of something else, resulting in me having to ask the other person to repeat themselves. This is a perfect example of interference from the deeper layers of the psyche, and possibly from areas originating in that greater area of the psyche called the collective unconscious. Through the practice of “mindful meditation” interferences, although ultimately aspects of the individuals own psyche, upon careful observation can also be identified as abusive and perpetrator like invasions from other person’s psyches within the collective, and therefore also housed in fleshly vessels within the material environment. It is always important to remember these other psyches are contained within an individual’s greater psyche, separate from a person’s unique Soul or self. The important thing is that, only shadow contaminated psyches, with perpetrator developed characteristics have this tendency. It is this method that is used by the shadow driven mind controlling aspects of the “Satan” controlled unconscious. This is precisely the “enemy” that religions have fought against for centuries. The point is that the methods used in the past, repression and subsequent projection and further victimization with a parallel increase in the shadow obviously does not work. Only the conscious raising of a persons’ conscious position can counter this. The more unconscious people become, either through dissociation, conditioning, repression, medication, addictions, propaganda, advertising, one way communication, or any form of consciousness dampening activities, these invasions are then committed without people being at all aware of them, or their origination, usually. 25 “Multiple Man: Exploration in Possession and Multiple Personality. Copyright 1997 by Adam Crabtree. Published by Sommerville House Publishing. 300 Younge St., Suite 5000, Toronto, Ontario, M4M 3N1 26 Ditto Evolution, Regression and Devolution: Seeing In Reverse. Social Violence Mitchell- 76 Dissociation identity disorder is usually caused by an individual experiencing extreme trauma resulting in a retreat of consciousness, forced repression of elements of the psyche that should be released. As I said, this is almost always caused by manipulation by others which prevents life giving aspects of an individuated psyche from manifesting. In all instances, the result is the emergence of or use of personalities under circumstances where the true personality is repressed: definitely an extreme form of violence. Group-minds are entities formed by groups of people wherever and whenever they gather for an event, purpose, or common reason. As demonstrated by Hitler’s Nuremburg rallies, they don’t have to be very conscious of the dynamics taking place. In fact they can be totally unconscious if the split has been violent and traumatic enough. I have read in places that described the development of these dynamics, and demonstrated, as an example, that was how first the SA and then the SS and Hitler youth were conditioned to become desensitized to the brutal activities they were programmed to carry out. As I mentioned above, a person can be very aware, if they want to, of how the psychic wave within a large gathering can affect that person’s thoughts, feelings and actions. As a little aside, I find it disgusting to think that the Hitler youth were conditioned to literally fight to the death. When the Canadians, Americans and Soviets showed up in Berlin there were only children left to fight for Hitler in any large numbers. Most of the adult SS actually ran, hid, escaped or worked in turn for the Soviets or the Americans in order to save their own skins. Many of them also took on disguises, some of them provided by the Americans and the Soviets, and were able to flee with millions of dollars raped from the concentration camp inmates and other victims of the largest Hollywood Satanic cult that ever existed, except for its contemporary counterpart, the Stalinist regime. It’s unfortunate for humankind that most of the physical aspects of the Nazis were destroyed in the Second World War but the unconscious dynamics have actually enveloped the world since that time period only a bare half century ago. Considering the shape of the collective, in all its darkest areas, this statement is not only eyeopening, it should be startling. Finally, “there are instances of individuals being possessed by fragments of their own psyches, as an entity emerges from the darkness of the unconscious to take possession of the waking self.”27 This not only refers to individual psyches, it also refers to the collective psyche. As we’ve been discussing, society and the collective mass mind actually create the various psychological states discussed so far throughout this paper. Even possession by “Satan” is a combination of possession by the individual shadow and other unconscious contents, combined or otherwise affected with or by the collective shadow. In these cases there are unconscious contents bursting to express themselves in a sickened and reversed, or at least primordial survival mode. How would a person fighting for their very survival act compared to someone who was quite safe and comfortable? Especially consider this if the survival mode is primarily unconscious. This latter type of possession could, for ex. happen from severe trauma, even in a family with a strict, perhaps violent religious or Victorian-like conditioned environment, in a fundamentalist sense. Repression and perversion of psychic reality in the most profound and destructive sense is the usual result. Obviously, any kind of destructive cult or group attempts to manipulate in this way. I don’t think it should be socially acceptable, but there are many cases where these groups and organizations are accepted, because people do not understand the magnitude (word play - remember Megan in the story of King Arthur; Megan, magnum/gun, magnitude) and affect they have on those persons involved. This is what produces and/or maintains the “devil.” It is a repressed, violently mute-lated part of the psyche bursting forth, all around us. All of material and most of psychic life on Earth, in one sense, can be considered woman because of their vessel like characteristics. This is absolutely 27 Ditto, Evolution, Regression and Devolution: Seeing In Reverse. Social Violence Mitchell- 77 not related to gender. They can also be considered manifestations of “woman” in the sense they are comprised of the roots of the psyche at the deepest level. When healthy, the Diva can nourish and be the handmaiden of wisdom and good living, the healthy, healing feminine elemental or natural force; The Madonna, the goddess. When unhealthy and ill, sick and wounded, these natural psychic forces become the Diva – ill: in modern English, the Devil. Considering the psyche is the most sensitive part of the human being, obviously, it only makes sense that for the psyche, individual and collective, when it is violated in this extreme way it could and in many cases does become the Devil. Psychic mutilations of this sort are actually types of sexual abuse in the most profound sense. Psychic rape is far more devastating to an individual than can be imagined. To a mature intelligence this is only common, or should I say uncommon, sense. Consider the uncanny facts, variously and previously unknown languages, foreign abilities, and so on, that can be exhibited by some people that are claimed to have been, in past historical accounts possessed by the Devil. This is not fantasy: there have been and are today many examples of this sort of occurrence. I ask people to think for themselves where and how these types of manifestations are reported to happen today with actually quite an alarming frequency. Especially, consider the groups and environments in which these dynamics manifest. What is happening is they are accessing (being taken possession of actually) by a raped and violently mutilated psyche, a part of the collective and primordial human psyche. Importantly, it is a possession that is perpetrated by the devil, satan, shadow or whatever name you wish to give it. “It” is a most appropriate term to actually name it. Originally located on Wilber’s left side of the graph it becomes the objectified, externalized and mute-lated aspects of psyche in a world where only the objectified reality of the psyche, located on the right side of Wilber’s graph, are given validity. Is there any wonder why many people complain about having an empty sense of life and purpose? The diva-ill or unhealthy aspects of the historically cumulative psyche in the present active and current waves of the World Soul have gone haywire. In its wounded and increasingly insane attempts at survival, it has been striking out blindly There is no other commonsense explanation when one gets away from the ridiculous superstitions and beliefs, including much of the current medical/pharmaceutical explanations and treatment of the psyche. In fact, the ridiculousness of the former is very similar to the latter perspective or belief. They both stem from superstitious, childish and immature, incomplete or biased platforms. Each one is at opposite ends of the same continuum; one very primitive, the other very narrow and incomplete. Importantly, when this condition is brought on by abuse and torture, psychological and physical, by other people or situations creating extreme forms of trauma, it leaves the individual open to intense psychic invasion due to the healthy ego having to retreat deep into the psyche for protection. As I said, a group mind is a psychic entity formed when a number of individuals come together and concentrate on a particular idea or task. It has a mental/ emotional life of its own and exerts a strong influence on its members. The family is a good example of how a group mind’s influence over a member is so strong that it controls the individual’s basic emotional life. The situation can rightly be called possession.28 I have seen instances of this. Personally, I remember being in a family get together when a wave of sadness and sorrow came over me. I immediately was able to trace it to the individual responsible. This person is very repressed and had suffered a severe head injury earlier in life. I remember consciously, within awareness, not reacting to the emotion, and redirecting it back to where it had come from, simply by focusing on the person it had come from. When I finally released it, I remember seeing this person’s eye’s bug out for a moment. Then any attempts on this person’s part to be jovial disappeared and instead became very quiet and low key; I will never forget it This type of thing, projection or transference, is more usual and happens more frequently than most people acknowledge. 28 “Multiple Man: Explanations In Possession and Multiple Personality”, Adam Crabtree, Pg. 99 Evolution, Regression and Devolution: Seeing In Reverse. Social Violence Mitchell- 78 I will also mention a humorously dry Freudian - slip type of experience I had one time. I remember going to celebrate a family member’s birthday on one occasion. Everyone was there. The card I gave her pictured a pack of wolves feasting on the carcass of a cow. One of the wolves was standing back from the rest of them taking a picture of the “family get- together.” That is what was written in the card. Being the scapegoat around my intimates for many years, looking at it today I realize it carried a very real psychological message for me at that time: I had been the cow. Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 79 10 Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective I experienced these dreams after getting the courage required for speaking up and disclosing childhood sexual abuse I experienced and receiving, at the time of disclosure, only abuse at the time from the intimates I had disclosed it to. It was a prime example of people reacting in a hypocritical and abusive way; people who had themselves been abused; either by individual’s, groups, or society: ultimately by the mutilated collective psyche. In this instance, their unconscious acting out was in making their victim feel the same pain they thought they had, or actually may have experienced. I make this qualification, because many of these emotions and feelings people access on the collective psyche, unconsciously. Individually, they may or may not have experienced them however, collectively everyone does. As I stated in my introduction, I have learned there is no place for blame when looking at these dynamics and experiences. Blame and judgment would defeat the purpose of the message I am presenting in this book. However, there is very much a place for evaluation. Like many people of this nature, the pain they caused was far worse than anything remotely similar to what they had experienced. The further abuse I received for trying to speak up about this was followed by nothing like anyone could have conceived, only the Devil could have; the collective unconscious shadow that is. Sound familiar women? Believe me I had experienced my own living hell living “Behind Closed doors” and “Life with Billy.” Only I didn’t resort to murder. Even if I have wanted to, as a man I wouldn’t have gotten away with it as the person who orchestrated the revengeful murder described in the book. I am referring to the infamous book: “Behind Closed Doors”. Ironically, although a young woman who had been severely abused by her father arranged the murder, of her father, she got a young male friend to commit it. He went to jail, she didn’t; echoes of the Homolka/Berbardo case. 1st Dream 1st Dream - I see a man standing in a stark, pure white room. He is a tall, powerful yet gentle looking young man, with long, flowing, black hair. He is dressed all in white. He is pulling his hair and crying and there is a sense of profound loss, for he is mourning the death of his mother. As I look at this scene I know the man is I, and I feel a profound sense of mourning and loss. I remember for a couple of months after having this dream that I was worried sick about Mom’s safety. At this time, I had not matured enough to interpret the meaning of the dream beyond a purely materialistic and literal level. 2nd Dream - shortly after the 1st Dream. In this Dream I am standing outside at night. I am looking up into the starry night sky and above me is the most brilliant full moon I have ever seen. I was happy because I knew that mother was alive, but I was sad as well because I knew that she had been forced to go into hydeing. Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 80 3rd Dream – I am standing on a field of what used to be a rich and beautiful rolling farmland. Now, the crops have been burned and there are various buildings scattered around in smoking ruins. The main homestead building is in the background: the damage done to it is minimal and there is only a small amount of smoke issuing forth from it. Scattered around the war-ravaged area are many people who have been massacred. But the figure, which captivates my attention, is that of a woman who is lying on the ground. She has been violated, and murdered along with everyone else. When I see her, my eyes widen in absolute outrage, and then I developed a sense of utter terror. I run toward the main building with the forest behind. I run around the building and notice there are a few lights on inside as I plunge into the darkening woods, fleeing from those who would commit such an outrage. At the time I had these dreams, I made literal, material based interpretations. I did not realize at the time that what the images in my dream primarily represented were the devastation and mutilation that my psych and especially my Soul was experiencing and for several years later had endured. Naturally, given everything I have said thus far in this work, there is also an exterior as well as collective dimension to this reality. However, as I have also learned, in order to be useful to the world around me I also have to begin by safe-guarding and nurturing the closest source of life to me that I can: me. The following section is from a man’s perspective.Men who have experienced exactly the same type of violence and abuse women and other groups of human beings have experienced. Therefore, in many respects it could be from anyone’s perspective. This can be understood in the sense that the powers that be, whether seen or unseen have pitted people against people, one against the other. There is an important double meaning to be gleamed here: pit as in fires from the pit of hell: I love a play on words; laughter really is the best medicine. As I’ve mentioned before, many people who have been abused, whether individual people or as a group, consciously or unconsciously, sometimes have an agenda of revenge rather than justice. Their victims are almost always innocent. This is changing today as we become more aware of the situation. In this particular section of the paper is documented abuse of men by women and the shadow, most of it quite unconscious, the hypocrisy anyway. It is in no way meant to condemn women, especially when one considers that absolutely no group of people, and we are talking about one half of the human population, have been more brutally oppressed throughout history. However, two wrongs do not make a right: it simply adds to the darkness within the world and people. Being a male and having experienced some very profound abuse at the hands of women, usually because of assumptions and preconceived ideas and manufactured attitudes about me, I feel I have a responsibility to speak up for myself and other men, on behalf of all people. I’m simply trying to do what the early feminists did. The difference is that I am not re-creating the division between people or trying to reverse the pendulum. I’m trying to place it back in the centre. You see, once the pendulum stops in the centre, then we can be finished with “The Pit and the Pendulum.” After all, we must speak up in order to protect life. In order to break the cycles of abuse we have to address all forms of abuse, not just certain areas where we see abuse take place. We have to address the reality that hypocrisy places blinders on people so that they only see it in certain areas. People who gave been abused also have a tendency, without awareness of what has psychologically happened, to become oppressors and commit the same abuses. Criminally, many formerly abused people actually consider an abused person speaking up about the abuse to the abuser as abuse, or hate mongering. I remember one abusive woman I spoke to about her abusive ways actually had the hypocritical audacity to interpret my speaking up about the abuse as not only abusive but an attempt to control her. She considered my attempts at protecting my self from her abuse as abuse. She thought she had a right to commit the very same things she condemned in others (men), simply because she had experienced it and been a victim. This is criminal revenge, not justice and the striving for equality. She seemed to be unconscious of her hypocritical purely Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 81 revenge oriented mind and the anger that blinded her to this reality. The anger that she is, not what she was feeling. In mental health terms, she was insane. During this section I point out similar acts of hypocritical examples of blaming the victim. We have to begin by protecting the closest source of life to us, and naturally it has to begin at home: ourselves. This is the true meaning behind the statement: charity has to begin at home. How else can we have the energy to protect other sources of life? To my mind the three very best examples history has produced in recent times show us how to accomplish this in as a non-violent way as possible. These examples were Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and today his Grace the Dali Lama. This last person is currently being welcomed around the world as one of the best protagonists for world peace. In a sense, the physical occupation of and destruction of the beauty of Tibet, in a weird way, has been a blessed thing because the rest of the world has been graced with the message of love and wisdom that the Dali Lama has to teach us following his exile. Had history been different he and his culture’s evolved message of life may not yet have gone beyond the borders of Tibet as it has today. What follows are a variety of paraphrases from the author, Farrell, who was the first male member of the National Advisory Council on The Status of Women, and other sources of information. Men become disempowered by the false macho type of strength and bravery they sometimes exhibit while a woman’s false presentation of weakness can actually place her in a position of strength in the sense of having the upper hand in relation to the man.29 This statement is very much ordinary common sense. When men put on a stiff-lipped macho type of persona, they are really displaying a weak and defensive type of facade. On the other hand, a man who is in touch with his inner feminine, within awareness and for what it is, can demonstrate acts of courage and strength far exceeding the false macho type of strength. The former type of strength usually reacts with anger and violence to difficult situations, not the latter description. The balanced individual demonstrates patience and perseverance. Many women today are not as powerless as they used to be. The supports and resources available to women who still need it today are very important but they have to be expanded to include all people who are abused, especially psychological and emotional abuse. By appearing weak and vulnerable, in some cases, women can readily resort to available resources that are denied the man. We have to be careful of overkill. I have been with women who are not weak but in public appear to be the subservient or under-confident one in the relationship. In private it becomes reversed, especially if the man in the relationship does not make an assertive stance, or get out, exactly the same as when the gender roles are reversed. I myself have been in these abusive relationships. If I demonstrated completely non-possessive, non-controlling, and definitely not intimidating behavior; in other words if I adopted a people-pleasing and conditioned shame based stance, my partner viewed this stance as weakness and the result was her resumption of abuse. Exactly what abused women experience with abusive men. A lot of macho types of behaviors are taught to be example of power, such as mindlessly throwing one’s life away in battle. That serves primarily the powerful and few elite at the top of society who normally put the wheels of war in motion. In fact, what is being said is that these types of “power” are really expressions of powerlessness, although Farrell also points out that most other groups within society, by looking at the very common sense nature of the dynamics involved this powerlessness would easily recognize these dynamics for what it really is. What he 29 Farrell, Warren, Ph.D., “The Myth of Male Power”, Copyright, 1993 by Warren Farrell, Ph.D., Simon & Schuster, Simon & Schuster Building, Rockefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020, Pg.29 Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 82 is saying is that what is really taking place is a form or sexism that is not recognized for what it really is. 30 When it comes to military involvement, although women are joining these ranks of “individual’s” more frequently today, the vast majority of combatants found in front line battle areas are still primarily men. I would add another dimension to this, however. Consider what I said about certain types of black magic being described as the sacrificing of masculine energy for the vampire – like black hole of real satanic sacrifice. In this case, the sacrifice can also be looked upon as being gender neutral in the sense that it is not necessarily so much actual men who are being sacrificed in this method like it has traditionally been, but masculine energy. Looking at it from this perspective actually places it in a more realistic light and in fact places a greater element of crisis into it. This is because as said earlier, today the violence taking over society has become more a question of people violence or generic violence, void of any material (gender) manifestation of bigotry. In that sense, this sexism that used to apply only to the gender male has been expanded to include all human beings. In respect of social violence, there is a huge multitude of women today who are sexist in the extreme. In a material sense, even though it affects all people, men are still being targeted for something that has become generic. This is simply an example of the huge “cancerous” growth in the shadow or satanic elements within the world. This, obviously, just not just refer to some women’s attitudes towards men; it refers to many different groups and peoples. I’ve spoken to many women, older and younger, who still view this, war, as a man’s duty, including their own son’s, and are outraged to even think that women should be taking part in a “man’s “ job. They were shocked when I suggested they might do the same. So much for equality, although I do realize this mentality stems from a long outdated need for survival. I remember one woman who I spoke to who was in the reserves. She was shocked and ridiculed the idea that she might ever go to war. To her it was just a job. This conversation took place during the Gulf war in 1990. She had told me she would protest if she was ordered overseas. She didn’t want to have anything to do with “glory.” I do know this might not be the usual case although it is an illustration I know I should mention. I had this conversation at a school where I experienced a lot of psychic sexual abuse, sexual hypocrisy: sexual harassment resulting from man hating and male bashing. On one level I can appreciate her feelings, although I hope it would change if she actually had to protect her home. I know there are a lot of valiant woman who do this, whether as police officers or soldiers. Regardless, it is the whole cult of war and violence that is savagely outdated and for the survival of the Earth is one way of life that has to change. People have been brainwashed by the machine, the beast or whatever one wishes to call it. People themselves are certainly not to blame. It stems from a primarily unconscious projection of repressed hate and revenge. As I’ve been asserting throughout: “We have seen the enemy and they is us.” I don’t want to scare anyone, but as I said, on the unconscious level what these dynamics actually becomes, really, is a sacrifice. I’m referring to war in any shape or form In relation to powerlessness as it does relate to the male gender, Farrell gives some real statistics that are irrefutable. As men’s age increases, their suicide rates, because of powerlessness, sexism and the pressure of being male that does not exist with the female gender, increases exponentially in relation to women’s. In early youth, the pressure on boys or young men makes their suicide rate reach six times as high as women’s. It actually becomes 25,000 % greater than females, and this is directly related to the double binds, sexism and other 30“The Myth of Male Power”, Farrell Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 83 pressures boys and young men find themselves in within today’s society. The suicide rate for men over 85 is 1, 350% greater than that for women in the same age bracket. 31 Powerlessness forces men quite often to take jobs that literally place them in danger. Jobs they are forced to take because of spending obligations, and that even in today’s world, a man’s wallet is the prime motivating factor that determines if he is able to find a partner. Another important thing he points out, rarely are men’s protection of women and people in general taken into consideration and acknowledged. However, everyone hears about those men that commit violence, resulting in unfair stereotyping and anti-male bashing. Realistically, in relation to these dynamics he compares the limited opportunities, the jobs they are forced to take and the resulting dehumanization and lowering of self worth, for most men, with the actual life of a slave. 32 I include these references only because for a man, there is no alternative, in many cases, if he wants a partner. Women have so many more services and government supported alternatives today. Male bashing has created within the male population one rather large segment of men who willingly accepts abuse from women, in much the same way that many women did and still do in some cases, in order to be accepted by their partner. I know that in my later life these dynamics were certainly a reality for me. The number of homeless men living on the street is 300% greater than all other groups of people living on the streets combined.33 Why? Today, society does far more to protect women than men, and those men that do not become wallets, or chose to become individuals, not machine-like as society tries to condition them, sometimes succumb to the many different pressures which can come to bear on them. As Farrell points out, men who choose not to sacrifice themselves to protect and provide only for women and children; that is, if they think about their own welfare also, in addition to other people, they are not accepted by society. This is most true for those men who have developed a strong type of individual independence, and also an empathic interdependence rather than a masochistic personality. I will qualify this by saying that, today, more women are joining the ranks of the homeless for similar reasons: the dynamics I have discussed so far in the above chapters. The reason I point this out is because in today’s world any person who refuses to be indoctrinated, that is, become part of the mindless machine, is rejected by the machine, Children, men and women The degree of bigotry and anti-male attitudes is reflected in the fact that at one time just about 100% of the homeless were men. Once the percentage of homeless women reached a certain point, about 15%, then political correctness popped into action. People began to actually take note and care, and the politically correct term became not bag ladies or bums but homeless people, even though about 75% of all homeless people are still men. 34 An example of male humiliation is when the male mid-life crisis is referred to as “playboy time,” whereas the female mid-life crisis is called maturing, finding herself and so forth. 35 This is a blatant and inexcusable double standard and verges on hate propaganda. In fact the “mid-life” crisis is not, under natural conditions, a crisis at all. In unnatural circumstances, both men and women are experiencing a socially conditioned frustration and prevention from experiencing a dynamic milestone in their lives. This time should be the point at which they jump to a higher level of maturity and wisdom. In this sense I am referring to a time when, psychologically, the whole individual is searching for a more profound reason for their existence beyond the purely physical and material levels; to attain higher levels of awareness and meaning in their life. In both cases however, with men and women, and this applies to almost all people during this time period, 31 Pg.32, Ditto 32 Pg. 35, Ditto 33 The Myth of Male Power”, Pg.?, Farrell 34 Ditto, Pg. 123-134 35 Ditto, Pg.123-134 Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 84 nature intended people to set aside the more worldly and material aspects of life to the extent that higher and more mature levels of the psyche, the whole psyche, could be attained and realized. This has, in many cases, been waylaid by the dynamics I have been discussing so far. Instead of dynamically and flexibly growing in awareness and wholeness what is happening, and has been for a long time, is that people become more rigid and inflexible, that is, close-mindedness sets in. This is not what nature intended. What is being described here is hypocrisy and bigotry, most of it unconscious and thus creating a subsequent psychological state that results in projection onto the targeted victims. Men simply get hit about twice as hard as women. Male technology freed women from “female biology as destiny.” The increased ability for women to enter into the “male domain” has succeeded because the restrictions of birthing and childbearing, day care and other traditional limitations, due to her physiology, were freed in the technological and political sense. At the same time, the past history of women’s brutal oppression created a movement whereby men were and still are in many cases being stereotyped as being responsible for past wrongs done to the female gender. This became especially true as more females entered into more areas of influence within government and other politically influential movements that wield a lot of power This was enabled not only by male technology but also by laws almost exclusively created by men. In other words, this has in many cases created examples where the people who have in the past have been brutally oppressed have today become the oppressors. During these days when all people are oppressed, the double oppression and pressure on men certainly adds weight to the circumstances that creates a situation where boy’s and men’s suicide rates are astronomically higher than women’s. Male technology does not have to refer to gender. It refers to a psychological attitude/attribute and psychic energy36. One of the more hypocritical aspects of these developments is that, although women have made these progresses and improvements in life circumstances, the past wrong’s done to them and the outdated stereotypes of men, in a generic sense, creates a situation where a man complaining about being abused by a woman makes him vulnerable to accusations of being a woman hater. 37 I have profoundly experienced being abused by women and when I spoke up these exact accusations had been leveled at me, as I will discuss later in this book. What if a man is really getting abused, complains, hopefully like any woman in a similar situation would do, and then gets blamed for hating women. Many men experience the very abuse: psychological, emotional and perhaps physical, that society, both women and men, has thundered against when perpetrated against other groups of people, especially women. I have personally been viciously attacked time and again for trying to speak out about the abuse I have suffered: “He simply hates women” has been the number one response, even though I have made every effort to treat all people with only respect and compassion. This has been especially true subsequent to recovering from the years of physical abuse and emotional abandonment and various other forms of physical and psycho-emotional trauma and abuse that I suffered as a child and adult. I know for a fact, if I was as harshly outspoken about the abuse and humiliation I experienced as I’ve heard some women and women’s groups do, I would not have gotten away with it the same way they have. In order to blamelessly understand the dynamics I am discussing, everything I’ve written so far has to be appreciated. When a person considers traditional conditioning, combined with emotional and psychological pain from rejection or ridicule, for example boys by girls while other boys are around or participating plus other forms of humiliation in other settings, perhaps unconsciously involving the dynamics I have discussed so far, the brutalization of men combined with technology is twisting 36 Ditto, Pg.123-134 37 Ditto, Pg.134 Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 85 the natural instinctual impulse for men to be protectors into examples where their rage and frustrations resulting from this turns them into “random access killers,” primarily through the application of technology.38 Echoes of columbine school shooting. This is the fault of society and our conditioning. Nonetheless, I know as a male and having studied and spoken to many women, this conditioning can be far more devastating on a boy than a girl in today’s world. This is primarily caused by the double bind that many boys and men find themselves in. They truly do have fewer options than girls and women in many respects. This is very adequately demonstrated in the book, “The Hazards of Being Male.” The pressure that this places on boys at an early age creates exponentially greater numbers of children who, because of the double bind they find themselves in and subsequent disempowerment are devastated as individuals. In a corresponding way this devastates their potential for full development as human beings. Boys are too embarrassed to speak to peers and are conditioned to be macho, the false masculinity. They certainly will find it difficult to find anyone to share this with among the population of girls who would only ridicule this. I am speaking about these realities from a position of statistics and generalizations. As noted in studies and demonstrated by the very real results and exceptions in the way of the actual dynamics prevalent within the male population, there are exceptions to this. However, they obviously are too few at this time to have much of an impact. These boys experience much more ridicule when they don’t perform to the point they reach a state or limit of such brutalization, the only alternative some of them see is to commit suicide or act out with some other forms of violent behavior. 39 I think of my own experience, the humiliation and anger I received from my intimates, other people, even humiliation from a woman old enough to be my mother who sexually abused me. This woman humiliated me when I was too frightened to react in the sexual way she wanted me to. She told her friends, who also laughed and humiliated me, with no sense of what they were doing. This occurred at the first ‘real” job I had ever had as a young teen. I was working as a busboy. One of the female staff, the assistant manager, held a party at her house. While there, most all of the female staff had already selected males they were going to try to have sexual activity with. It was remarkable. This particular incident I am referring to happened to me when I was fourteen years old. I remember after I left the vicinity where the fondling took place, frightened, I went looking for the young friend I had gone there with who was my own age. I found him on top of a bed having sex with a waitress from the restaurant. Interestingly, she was married; needless to say her husband wasn’t there. Only two years previously, I had experienced long term sexual abuse, for a period of two years, from a male customer on my paper route. I wasn’t in the mood to be sexually exploited again (although it did happen again, as will be spoken of later in this book). For the remainder of my time at that place of employment, I received only humiliation and ridicule from almost all of the female staff at the place. I was fired from that place because I had taken 25 cents from a charity box by the cashier’s desk. I told the cashier that I needed the money to get home, because of the weather. I told her I would replace it the next day. So, I was fired for this act, which I did not try to hide and did with full intentions on rectifying, yet the person who fired me, was the same person who had held a party at which took place acts of pedophilia, with her full knowledge and participation. I refer to this particular incident later in this work when I illustrate another important point. In many cases this abuse may have been revengeful types of activities on the parts of the perpetrators because of the abuse they suffered at the hands of other males. Whatever the reason, it almost ruined me as a human being. It is cyclical and therefore primarily unconscious. An example of a double bind, later in my life, was some of the abuse I suffered at the hands of other males because I was not ashamed to show my balanced awareness that included my feminine side as well as my masculine. For example, if I did not take part in ogling and making 38 Ditto, Pg., 166 39 Ditto Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 86 disparaging remarks about attractive women within sight and similar things, I was humiliated and abused, in some cases like a gay person is at times The point being made here is that boys and men’s socialization and conditions in life place them in a situation where their egos take a much greater beating, resulting in much greater frustration. As Farrell makes clear, there are many more services available for women then for men. I’m speaking here primarily in the area of abuse and need. Services for women, obviously, are extremely important but what’s being overlooked is that if effective preventative action is to be undertaken towards ending the cycles of violence boys and men’s needs have to be addressed the same as our attempts to help girl’s and women’s. Everything has to be in balance, otherwise it will not work. Society is not recognizing that many boys and men have taken huge strides in getting in touch with the feminine message and their feminine sides, and without a whole lot of support let alone active lobbying and propaganda, except of the bigoted kind. In most instances, rather than support, I have experienced situations where women were the abusive one, they simply demonstrated that they wanted a reversal of the status quo. Consider the example I gave earlier about the “Feme-Nazis.” I know there are a lot of Macho-Nazis out there also. To ignore what I am saying is pure suicide and continues the cycle. Society has to end its fragmentation and recognize that at the root level we are all the same regardless of intelligence, talents and so on. I Speaking from personal experience, I see the need for and have even counseled women in the need to get angry, like anyone has to when the safety or integrity of their person is being abused or threatened. However, anger has negative effects when it is not let go of once some sort of acceptance and action takes place. When a person’s anger hangs on too long they can become anger. When this happens anger is projected towards the target group, sometimes consciously and sometimes unconsciously, but usually using a combination of both. On the collective level of the unconscious, as well as the conscious level this can cause, literally, very serious psychological damage, if of awareness of the dynamics involved is not present. This is especially true when people are trapped in abusive situations. The only reason I survived these types of situations, where I was not able to get out, was because of my primarily self-learned discipline, with which I received almost no external help. I have been one of the lucky few. I have to add, that these situations affect almost everyone today, regardless of gender, color or creed. However, the pendulum has swung too far in many cases, as I have already stated elsewhere. Psychologically, consciously or unconsciously what develops are entrapments in the same sense that entrapment means in respect to what Police have been prohibited from doing. In that sense, entrapment is a manipulation into tricking people into behaving as the projections and attitudes directed towards them would have them behave. This is a real, deadly and widespread phenomenon. It is most dangerous because there are no forms of legal or community protection to prevent it. The result: explosive anger and violence. The victims usually pay doubly and sometimes take innocent victims along with them. In fact, as I have said, society promotes it in many ways. I mean, let’s get serious here and get way from superstition. Is this not a realistic and mundane, and most important, good psychological explanation of the “Whore of Babylon”? For God’s sake, can’t people become sensible enough to see that this is exactly the state of affairs the Bible is speaking about in Revelations? It makes perfect sense. This is the “wars and rumors of wars “ those pages speak about. Most importantly, individuals and groups right up to national and international levels are mirrored precisely in the dynamics within the whole of the human collective psyche. The last part in this paper looks at what Christ was really talking about and some writers of the New Testament, compared with parallel Native American Spirituality and wisdom. As will be seen, Christ, like any true spiritual healer should be, was a psychologist in every sense of the word. He looked at demons as being imbalances of the psyche within people. John’s vision of the whore was a vision describing the collective human psyche in a state of Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 87 chaotic imbalance and the resulting crash and catharsis that was required to heal it; whoever had the vision recorded in the New Testament was a prophet. As I’ve been saying, this life taking rather than life giving characteristic of the present world is the hallmark character of the outcome of labeling and scapegoating. This eventually manifests itself by people acting-out, trying to break away from the affects of being tricked out of their life force. We see people violently struggling for survival throughout society. We see this acting out in all of the violence around us. A very important point to be made is the importance of the collective unconscious, the psychic effects, and the sad fact most people then point the finger at everyone except themselves. This “conscious” blaming and labeling is not conscious in the sense that the individual is truly conscious of the reasons why they project and scapegoat. Remember, these dynamics are cyclical and domino-like. In such a situation, a person so affected, not knowing how to survive otherwise in turn does it to someone weaker, and so forth. Like a pack of raging wolves (in sheep’s clothing, usually, I might add). Many groups send this unconscious repression into the collective unconscious, and because of this open themselves and other’s to alienation, manipulation, and so fourth. I think it is important to acknowledge that society is 100% comprised of different types of groups. Most of them all have the same affect, consciously and at the subconscious level. Of course, there will always be the rare hermit and true loner but there are not enough people in this category to make an impact on the percentage given above. In respect of women in relation to men, a woman’s anger can blind her totally to positive changes or the many good things done by men. When a person or a portion of that group is still attacked when they are taking appropriate strides towards changing something about themselves, which in itself can create a life or group crisis, then in effect, the apparently oppressed are becoming the oppressors. This pattern has been a heavily recurring phenomenon throughout history, as mentioned above Consideration for the feelings and affects all of these dynamics have on men are not taken seriously or even seemed to be considered. This is not the case with women today: women’s feeling are important; but so are men’s40 I still walk into feminist bookstores, and other women’s “domains” (I have even seen this in a children’s aid lobby!) and see books, and pinup cartoons illustrating very demeaning cartoons or caricatures showing males in a very sexist and humiliating way. It’s in vogue. I even recently saw a female standup comedian on television. She told the audience that what she really felt like doing when was in bed having sex with her partner was to smash his face in, just because she felt like it and the audience roared with appreciation. Envision the reaction if the comedian had been a heterosexual male speaking in reference to his female partner Everyone loves a good viscous brawl in hockey and I’ve seen a lot of Moms outdo Dads in their enthusiasm to see their children make mincemeat of themselves. Sometimes it briefly makes me think of ancient Roman Coliseum scenes I’ve seen in movies. While at a pee Wee lacrosse game I remember once asking someone I knew, as she was cheering on two fighting children, if she would be cheering if it was her son fighting (his team was playing next). At first, filled with the collective atmosphere she gleefully said yes. She then quickly looked at me and more seriously and thoughtfully said, “No I wouldn’t be.” This is an example of collectively learned coliseum mentality. It was also a demonstration of how easily a person’s awareness can be raised: simply by asking the question Fortunately, for woman any threat or apparent threats directed their way usually will result in efforts by other people to alleviate the situation quickly, if she or they ask for assistance. The natural thing to do is to expand this mind set to include everyone in society. 40 Ditto, Pg. 168 Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 88 On a large scale, many women do not recognize the protection or assistance men will offer, and the intent is not usually seen unless action is required, putting themselves at risk to save a woman, or anyone for that matter. Blind rage causes them to see, in most cases, only the negative things about men or they fall back on complaints which are obsolete, simply to perpetuate the anger. Much of this impulse is unconscious; and becomes part of the repressed shadow, and the collective In the last twenty years feminism has made great strides in raising awareness about women’s issues. Let’s take their lead and everyone apply the rules of process and conduct found in their example and apply it in true and equal fashion to men, to everyone. Surely the time has come for this blind witch burning to come to an end. There is certainly no argument coming from me about the academic demonstration that history repeats it self only in different apparels. Unfortunately, those boys and men who have opened up their hearts, mouths and so on, as they have been urged to do leave themselves open to emotional attack by virtue of the cold and angry stereotypical views still directed to all men by some women. This does not reinforce in men the good qualities wise feminist propaganda has asked men to develop. With some people the propaganda has become obsolete and instead deeply ingrained hate. This is projected consciously and unconsciously, individually and on a collective level. The affect, when directed towards innocent men in general logically could have a reverse effect, increasing rather than decreasing the divisions between women and men. It is only with people who are constantly attacked, may feel unloved, unwanted or objectified, or a combination of all three, that those people sometimes respond with suicide. This also applies, and in fact cannot be separated from people who are so alienated they don’t love themselves. In some respects the dynamics cannot be separated from each other, as I have already demonstrated. It has also been demonstrated that love, especially in the case of people who have been conditioned only to think of other people to the neglect of them selves, that suicide appears to be an answer. In this case I am thinking of men who commit suicide to relieve their families of a burden so that their families can be rescued financially by their own deaths with the resulting insurance payments. This is not fantasy. 41 However, it is also an appalling example of how materialistic, alienated and conditioned people have become within the machine. I would also include that what is happening today is that man hate has reached such proportions that they indeed begin to hate themselves, or explode in frustration at “not being able to do anything right.” I have known men who for the most part have been as dedicated and liberated as possible around the house, taking equal responsibility for maintaining the house, are good providers (or only providers) and husbands, but receive absolutely no recognition of the good they do. In addition, their wives are in fact the ones who exhibit the very same characteristics, women, and now the vast public has been condemning in men. They then have the amazing arrogance of undermining important woman’s groups by hiding their abuse under the umbrella of these groups. As someone once said “when fighting monsters, one must be careful not to become a monster themselves” (I think it was Winston Churchill who said this). The single biggest solution to male suicide is making men feel needed as human beings not just as wallets and providers of sex. I would say this is in fact simply an objectification of men turning them into workhorses, thereby doing the very same thing woman pointed out men had been doing, by turning them into objects. Men, as a group, are under attack far more than any other group in North America. They are the only group not protected by the laws in this manner, unless they come under the umbrella of a protected group, not as men but as members of a minority group. 41 Ditto, Pg. 170 Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 89 In my own experience with some of the women in my life I have in fact experienced a reversal of the situation a lot of women used to experience. I've received the very same abuse, minus the physical for the most part but including the emotional and psychological, which women condemned men for. Some of these women act more like abusive men then they do human beings. I attribute most of this to repressed anger, and a shadow ruled by a wounded and hurting animus, which they find unable to acknowledge. Importantly, a good portion of a woman’s unconscious is actually masculine in nature, the animus of depth psychology. Naturally what woman represses, finding its way into both the individual and collective shadow, is going to be expressed in a somewhat masculine way. This would be a factor explaining why women are committing the same injustices against men they condemn in men. Many women say the physical act of being raped devastates self esteem, makes them feel guilt ridden, depressed, and so fourth. 42 It produces, in fact, many of the dynamic examples of an abused personality that has been severely brutalized and traumatized and the resulting masochistic types of self abuse directed towards themselves when they turn the subsequent dynamics inward. 43 With males, the objectification they experience, that has never been seriously recognized before, produces equally extreme or worse extremes of the same dynamics, with boys and men. This is so exacerbated because of the lack of recognition and acknowledgement to these realities. Then, they only see females getting the support denied them and this is compounded when those females receiving the support may in fact be the abusers. I have personally seen and experienced these dynamics. As I have indicated elsewhere, in many respects psychological abuse can be far more devastating than physical by virtue of the tendency that it goes unrecognized and usually for long periods of time compared to physical abuse. Taking into consideration the unconscious dynamics I have already described can people imagine the devastating affects I am referring to? I’ve not only spoken to men who feel like this, I’ve personally experienced abuse from females in my life which left me experiencing many of these emotions and feelings. In highly dysfunctional families where there are unstable personalities involved, and sometimes extremely enmeshed, we see the results in hospitals and on the streets where these people who have experienced psychological and emotional abuse, similar to what women had traditionally experienced, end up. However, there are no support systems in place to assist men abused by females. Society hardly acknowledges this. Approximately 12% of men claim to be abused by their wives or partners. What about boys who are sexually abused by older women, including mothers, but no one seems to take this seriously or even tries to address it. 44 Below is a web pages I found on the internet. It is an advertisement for a book that deals with the topic of women abusing men. Introduction This paper is an academic study of a subject that has not yet become part of mainstream conversation and public debate. This is because it's still considered a taboo subject in many ways. Men feel a real sense of shame at having been victims of this crime in addition to the distress caused by social indifference and apathy of our community in not 42 Ditto, Pg. 173 43 Ditto, Pg. 173 44 Ditto, Pg. 176 Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 90 condemning female violence. Many feminists on the other hand, help contribute to the problem by denying that the issue exists at all. This is an issue rife with misconceptions and misinformation causing difficulty for both men and women who see it (for different reasons) as an issue at risk of upsetting the current politically acceptable and carefully crafted gender stereotypes of male and female behavior. This paper provides a balanced perspective on this subject and attempts to shed light on an under-recognized and increasingly insidious social malady. Once you and I recognize and accept this issue as an important social problem, then we'll be able to begin the process of finding solutions, creating healthier families and encouraging more responsible parenting. Excerpt from Husband Battery: The Most Unreported Crime by Raymond Mills This is a brief excerpt of some of the findings and statistical trends that have emerged from social research in this area over the last few years. ...fortunately, there is a growing Men's Movement which is helping to bring about a more balanced approach to the whole issue of domestic violence. Also, a growing body of researchers are beginning to recognize trends on family violence that have, until recently, been neglected in the literature. The following statistical items are only a few of the research findings and trends being generated by their studies. · Between 1985 and 1992 the rate of minor assault by women against men increased substantially (Straus & Kantor, 1994). · Both Canadian and American wives, themselves, have reported being more likely to physically assault their husbands than were their husbands to assault them (Grandin & Lupri, 1995; Brinkerhoff & Lupri, 1988; Straus & Gelles, 1986). · Across Canada, 39.1 percent of women compared to 26.3 percent of the men physically abuse their partners (Sommer, 1994). · Between 1975 and 1992 the rate of severe violence committed by men against women decreased by 48 percent (Straus & Kantor, 1994). · Between 1975 and 1985 the rate of severe violence committed by women against men remained essentially the same. From 1985 to 1992 the rate of severe violence by women against men increased nearly one third (Straus & Kantor, 1994). · Of every 100 families, 2.0 experience severe husband-to-wife violence, but 4.6 experience severe wife-to-husband violence (Kantor & Straus, 1994). Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 91 Ordering a Complete Copy For those who wish to acquire a complete copy of this study on Husband Battery, copies are available from the address cited below. This paper deals with one of the most burning issues of our time, spousal violence against men. The paper reveals numerous facts and statistics on the subject with numerous comparisons made between the U.S and Canada. It also contains personal stories of many victimized and abused men. The women’s movement changed societal perceptions about wife abuse, but because of the inflated status of men as victimizers, a very vocal and active men’s movement is beginning to create a similar paradigm shift on husband abuse. It’s time for men to tell their side of the domestic violence story. It’s time for women to own their part of the dance of violence. It’s time to speak up about, Husband Battery: The Most Unreported Crime in North America. For copies of this paper, please write to the: Men’s Educational Support Assoc. (MESA) P.O. Box 4691, Stn.'C' Calgary, Alberta Canada, T2T 5P1 Cost: $15.00 Cdn Please include $2.50 for postage and handling. e-mail: mesa@lexicom.ab.ca Below are some other rather startling statistics: -Battered husbands are often a topic of jokes, and the idea of domestic violence directed towards the male is often dismissed with incredulity. Husbands suffering from domestic abuse have historically been ignored or ridiculed. -Researchers and others have tended not to pursue husband battering cases is because it was thought to be a rare occurrence, and the male figure is typically seen as the stronger, more self-reliant figure due to sex role. -In truth, an analysis of homicide rates (the most recent severe violent offences) showed that the number of murders by men (17.5% of total homicides) was about the same as the numbers of murders by women (16% of total homicides). Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 92 -A multidisciplinary health and development longitudinal study in 1972 was the first to obtain data on violent exchanges between cohabitating individuals as well as those who are dating who may or may not have gone to college. -Findings indicate that 19% of the women and 6% of the men reported they had performed an act of severe violence against their significant other and 37% of the women and 22% of the men had performed minor forms of violence, such as slapping or hitting.45 I have already and I will mention this further on, but I had been sexually abused by both men and women when I was a child. Even in counseling sessions while recovering from this abuse, although the sexual abuse perpetrated by the man was dealt with somewhat seriously (I felt like my story was not fully believed), the mentions I made about being sexually abused by older women were totally ignored. As I said, from my experience of speaking up about abuse and violence I experienced from women, I was presented as hating women when I spoke up. If these men are not listened to naturally an angry frustration is going to set in. Individually, some men have enough awareness to redirect this energy for creative purposes. Unconsciously it simply exacerbates the war of the sexes. We have to speak out about these issues because addressing them can only assist women in their fight against violence against women by men, men in their fight against violence by women, and people in their fight against violence by people. Today, many of the issues, which were once classified as women’s issues, have become human issues, people issues My first experiences of depression were when I became involved in a relatively long-term abusive relationship. This partner suffered from severe depression, and the depression it ignited in me, for a while, followed me into other experiences of abuse. When I’ve spoken up, my abusers accused me of hating women, exactly the way abusive men respond to accusations but today not to the same extent, to female victims. As noted, there are very few services available for abused men: the biggest institution that deals with men who have been abused is penitentiary.46 If the option of suicide attempt is made he will end up in a mental institution considered mentally ill, and taking on a label as a result. This is exactly what used to happen mostly to women. I remember one time, when I was living in a large Canadian City in the West during the time I was receiving counseling for childhood sexual abuse I had suffered as well as the abuse I experienced around my intimates. One night I just had to speak to someone. I was living in a strange city and no friends to speak of. Living alone, this night I decided to look for and found a “Men’s Crisis Line.” I made the phone call; however, without being impolite I made the conversation as short as possible. The person who answered the phone was a woman! Could you imagine the effect something like this might have on an abused woman phoning a woman’s crisis line wanting to speak to a woman but instead is received by a man voice? I can’t because I can’t see something like that happening to a woman today. We have to focus on both sexes needs in equal amounts. Similar to when Dr. Martin L. King said we have to become color blind in our crusade against injustice in the form of bigotry, today, we have to become gender blind and see that the violence in society permeates all of society and it involves PEOPLE , they are people issues. One points the finger at the other but everyone, men, women, groups; all are responsible for the dynamics involved. Individually and collectively, people repress it and do not see it in themselves. 45 open site-using the open site code 5.3, The Open Encyclopedia Project 46 Ditto, Pg. 176 Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 93 We have a great many elements in society today, in some cases increased by the use of technology, which allows this repression to take place, aiding and abetting to the mushrooming collective shadow, in a psychoanalytical sense. We see examples of the shadows power in the explosive, supposedly inexplicable violence, which is increasing throughout society. People are committing violence who themselves have been victims of abuse. It goes unacknowledged and therefore without supports to alleviate it. In addition, the collective projection on to other people also increases bigotry to the point where most groups, “minority” or otherwise, are guilty of committing the same abuses they have fought to have stopped from happening to them. A fascinating book, a book of “fiction”, that describes how an individual psyche contains aspects we are not usually aware of, is entitled “The Other,” written by Thomas Tyron. I read this book when I was in my teens. Tyron does not try to illustrate how an individual psyche contains with it the collective psyche. However, taking into consideration the dynamics I have been describing it is quite easy to extrapolate from the book and apply a similar understanding as my writings put forth. As I’ve already touched upon, I see connected with this a disturbing shift among the more angry women; they don’t want an equal relationship with men. They wish for and try to reverse the situation, as is prevalent among some opposing groups within society. I’ve personally experienced this in many instances and it almost always pertained to situations when I was the recipient of abusive anger and verbal attack, or sexual harassment. If I spoke up, or was triggered into experiencing a panic attack and its accompanying retreating behavior, I was blamed exactly the same way women were blamed by abusive male partners, as mentioned above. In the latter instance, he blames the woman’s victim reactions for his behavior, for his anger, which in fact caused her reaction. The same dynamics apply when a man experiences abuse from abusive female partners or associates. I can attest on behalf of women and men who have found themselves in these types of situations the sometimes horrible experience of feeling helpless within situations where you have been conditioned to feel helpless. In respect of abused women, the courts, because of the abusive environment many women had lived in, excuse many abused women who have committed serious acts of violence against an abusive male partner, relative or associate. I wonder how that defense would hold up for a man living in an environment similar to the above, with him as being the recipient of the abuse. It is a fact that a good portion of a man’s unconscious psyche is feminine, his anima and better known as his deep inner feminine, the “goddess” within. When woman attacks man unjustly, when she is possessed by her animus, part of what she is attacking is the very feminine dynamics champions of women’s liberation have been trying to raise awareness about. The dynamics that cause her to perpetrate this act of violence are the very masculine energies she condemns in men. Most of what has been referred to by the feminists as the oppressed inner woman, is part of everyone although a good portion of a woman’s unconscious psyche, her animus, is masculine. So for an abused man, it is the feminine deep within his psyche, which is scared, raped. Because most men are not in touch with their rich inner feminine, when it is wounded, its effects are more hidden and therefore more devastating in the long run. I suspect that more women should get in touch, on a conscious level with their masculine side so that its’ more negative aspects, when it becomes embedded in the shadow, does not cause her to commit the very same negative masculine behaviors women rightfully condemns in the exterior acting out actions of men. Modern industrialized society, you know, that product of the patriarchy that extremists condemn so strongly, has produced a situation where a woman’s life expectancy, on average, is twice that of a man’s.47 Although male power has contributed to female power,48 and I am also 47 Ditto, Pg.? 48 Ditto Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 94 referring to gender here, I would modify that to say male power helped create an environment conducive to the growth of female power in today’s society. It was most definitely masculine, leftbrain logic that created this environment.. That is, masculine, focused and concentrated energy that enabled this intellectual development to create the technology and also the laws required in bringing this about. Today, we have to move beyond the use of logic exclusively. We have to include the feminine, right hemisphere of the brain. The resulting unity of both sides in communion results in what has become known as intuition, to use a semantic understatement. However, this union with the right, deeper aspect of the psyche will necessarily include the cleansing of and bringing to light the wounded nature and devastation that has been done to it. Let us move beyond rather than condemn what has been, in the brutal and neutral ways of elemental nature, a necessary part of human evolution. Most especially, let us not be arrogant and naive enough to assign blame to the necessary, patriarchal, logical development within history to gender today. The traditional psychological characteristic of gender and gender roles simply do not apply to people today. It is masculine and feminine, not male and female dynamics that we are talking about. Blaming men for the state of the world is absolutely as ludicrous as blaming women for the fall of humankind in the Garden of Eden.This is just as idiotic as looking at women as the whores of Babylon in a literal sense; totally ridiculous. But in scientific terms of psychology, physics and common sense, it is absolutely understandable. Masculine energy, and in many cases men’s energy but including women to a lesser extent, because of stress and all the accompanying health issues, is not being replaced. I have seen many, many men who either cave in under these conditions, emotionally, psychologically or physically, or else adopt a macho or Hercules type of attitude. In most instances, exactly similar to women before them in past times, they co-opt themselves into the game and become “kappos” exactly like any gang member trying to survive within a brutal pecking order. In the midst of this environment no matter how hard the pain and persecution is repressed, it has to express it self in other ways stemming from the repressed shadow part of the personality. Men are not the only ones experiencing this process, they are the largest in the sense that it is getting to the point where all men are looked at in the same way; a shadow knee-jerk reaction. At the collective level of the shadow, the explosiveness of this repressed pain belonging to people of all different backgrounds, race, gender, and so on, can be seen exploding throughout society in the form of violence and anarchy. Because of society being unaware of or not acknowledging the real precipitators of this social reality the picture on the collective level is one of everything being in chaos, at least on the lower levels. Unconsciously and consciously, people organize into groups, which normally have a pecking order, some more violent and severe than others, and reacts to most other groups in an aggressive or defensive manner. Consciously, most people try to adopt a proper persona to adapt to their environment, at least in the group. Even in some groups, although it may provide a defense from outside hostile groups, the atmosphere can be filled with mistrust and back-stabbing. The individual and collectively repressed anger and pain, which permeates through the collective unconscious, at all levels, however, sometimes can not be held back. Once the oppressed begins to make progress in its fight against their persecution, they should be careful not to become the oppressor. Let’s not repeat history; let us change it. For their own health, women may have to come to see their negative masculine input into the nature of society. This added negative energy input, inside and outside the home, combined with propaganda promoting anger, has had the affect of causing more women to react by becoming possessed by their animus. This is literally, an animus infused with rage, and mostly unconscious of it. It doesn’t hurt just men wither (I decided to leave this Freudian slip/typo in, simply for affect). It adds to the overall, collective phenomena within society and indeed woman is hurting herself as well. Well = the deep unconscious, the “goddess” within. Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 95 Animus is pure masculine expression: when we picture a masculine caricature of Satan it is fairly accurate. But it is an image only to demonstrate the type of energy; the proverbial finger pointing at the moon. It has nothing to do with gender. Besides, there is also the feminine energetic visual expression usually present to contain it as well: leviathan, hecate, kali, medusa, and so on: usually vampire-like, “whore-like”. You might say it is a relative type of feminine dynamic expression whose receptivity (receptive, womb-like or vagina - like) has become aggressive. It has become a forceful rather than a peacefully and receptively interactive dynamic; sucking rather than moving in an alternately passive/active dynamic. Please see the humor when I refer to it as a psychological blow – job Harmonized dynamic balancing can be achieved within a whole person. Utilizing and balancing both masculine and feminine aspects of their psyche; in order to achieve this, the darker and more unbalanced dynamics need to be healed by acknowledging them. In the context of today’s society, we will note that although the energies which contribute to imbalance the collective psyche are provided by both genders, traditionally, females have had greater access to the collective unconscious. This is because of the inward focus of their psyche due to strict gender stereotyping; this inward focus was forced and also acted as a survival mechanism in the midst of past savage oppression in limiting people’s evolution. Women’s psyche also contains the inner masculine element, the animus, and this naturally gives women an advantage in consciously navigating within their unconscious realms, something men have to consciously strive for. I can only imagine what the barbaric actions of the medieval inquisition added to this. People, individual’s, were forced to retreat far into their psyches to shelter them from the cruel realities in the outer world. This, however, also gave those people the opportunity to learn to navigate within their psyches. Most people however, retreated into darkness, dissociated or became less conscious in their mental states. I would say it was during those centuries that “Satan” experienced a rapidly powerful growth spurt, in large part by the very people attempting to do away with it. They were the master projectors of self hate at that time, primarily religious personalities, of various denominations and religions, in addition to the civic, provincial and national governments that supported or colluded with them. I’ve had female witches and pagans tell me that satanists hate women. Even some of the satanists I’ve spoken with (in public places!) look at it this way, in addition to some of what I’ve studied about Satanism. Like any “religious”? group, satanists can make a literalist mistake and take what should be understood metaphorically, metaphysically and psychologically and spiritually, not literally. The fact is this masculine image of Satan does not apply to women hating. It refers to anti-woman: anti-living, men and women and all life on earth, not the gender female; most important, it refers to self-hate. It is self hate that is the core reality of Satanism; consider what I have discussed so far about sadism and masochism. The dynamics of Hecate, Leviathan, and Kali are identical energetic expressions, only in reverse. Similar to what I said immediately in the above, these energies do not hate the male gender either. Like the Satanic expression of unbalanced energies, the recipients of their energies are not determined by gender. Importantly, the latter feminine image cannot be separated from the above masculine image, period. God and the Madonna are marriage partners united in balance; Satan and Hecate are marriage partners united in imbalance, hate, subservience and fear. So, the image of Satan cannot realistically have any gender related images, except in its literalist, separated and segmented forms: the very thing we have to get away from. It is very similar to attempting to make an image or objectified idol of God. It all boils down to producing false idols. Materialism, in this case materially created idols, cannot realistically create a picture of that which is beyond a material conceptualization. The closest we can come to seeing its reality is with mental concepts. The higher states of the human mental capacity cannot be completely and adequately described. The best we can do in providing a view for those who do not experience these realities experientially are very similar to the attempts of various Saints, Sages, Holy people and profoundly creative artists throughout the ages to describe these higher realms through print, Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 96 theatre and other various forms of art. However, even then it is only one person’s interpretation through the filter of the human mind trying to conceptualize that which can only be known and understood through direct experience. It is also similar to the attempts that psychologists and psychiatrists try to make in describing the lower levels of the human mind. It cannot be materialized. It can only be realized. The more these destructive energies are consciously ignored, the more prevalent and potent they become, and then they naturally manifest expression in some way. Destructive energies cannot be ignored. The usual way is by victims performing induced self harm or inducing perpetrators to exercise psychological or physical forms of control over others, a form of violence that also affects their own selves as well, in addition to physical harm. These are forms of abusive invasions that were once primarily perpetrated physically by men, and psychologically by women, but today has become so psychological and mental they affect everyone. The longer these psychological dynamics are active in persons or groups and affecting them accordingly, the more extreme their expression become. This is because these types of unbalanced psychic activities cannot nourish the requirements of psychic satiation in a mature sense. Theft is not able to appease the mind, body and soul; the source of nourishment has to be found within an individuals own treasure house. So, the longer these forms of violence remain in place the more violent and extreme they become in their expressions. Anyone who is not aware of these dynamics has become possessed by them today to some degree or other. This is where Eastern knowledge, such as teachings of Yoga, the Tao, books such as “The Art of War” or “The I Ching,: The Book of Changes” and historical Western Wisdom, as found in Alchemy, the Cabala, and other profound disciplines, can really assist humankind to cleanse itself. To regain a balance that is still there to be used if wanted. The Bible and other spiritual masterpieces obviously are profoundly useful but only if they are interpreted in a nonliteralist fashion. Society, indeed the world, has in fact become possessed by an enraged shadow. Most people never had conscious connection with it’s dynamics in the first place, except for attempts by religion to express them. No intelligent, commonsense way was developed to heal the human psyche in this respect, either individual or collectively, except in scattered and isolated instances. The energy produced by these negative energies are now committing overkill and assisting in destroying the living ecosystem of Gaia, the living expression of the creative source that contains our existence on this planet with everything required for evolution. This includes both our “god”, who provides the energy necessary for the manifestation of the “goddess” in the first place. Wholeness of the vessel of life, that we all require for living and for life to exist, as much as the god to provide the energy, focus and consciousness required for creativity or any type of living manifestation. The dark aspect of the god and goddess, in men and women, has possessed society in certain measure, and this varies, obviously, from individual to individual and group to group. For many people, however, this psychological development within the human psyche places most men in a subservient, especially in a psychologically subliminal sense, in relation to women, and to society in general. The exception to this is the powerful men at the top of the power elite of society, including some women. Even there, it is the shadow that controls. Of course, ultimately, even those controllers are controlled by nature and the Creator. Getting back to the historical development of the present situation, the female gender had been forced into the recesses of her psyche a long time ago, and by the same causes of oppression that exist today: physical, and to a certain extent, emotional and psychological subservience. I think of it, humorously/cancerously, in terms of the Beatle’s song “Yellow Submarine.” People become workhorses, bodies, not humans. They provide the energy to Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 97 sustain the beast. How do they in turn obtain their energetic sustenance? These energies, which have to be understood if they are going to be healed, have so much potential if cleansed and redirected. Women, on a much larger scale than men, having learned to be comfortable in their psyches, not being afraid to explore their psychic potentials, have over time, on a psychologically dynamic level, to collectively dominate the collective with primarily female, or masculine, that is animus, energetic dominance. I believe I mentioned somewhere in this book already that one definition of black magic that I researched defined it as the draining of masculine energy, from both men and women, but especially the former because in a literalist and material world men and women are still identified with primarily by the physical representations of masculine and feminine: exactly the same way as children do at an early age. What I am describing is an example of historical accumulation of energetic patterns. The shadow aspect of the collective human psyche that has come to dominate most of the collective psychic environment is primarily an aggressive feminine, “black hole” type; feminine receptivity gone into overdrive, utilizing masculine energies to achieve this. This has been caused by thousands of years of women being brutally oppressed. Men also have been brutally oppressed by dying in multitudes on the battlefields of history, thus providing energy for the unbalanced shadow aspects of anima. What these dynamics represent are the mute-lated, devastated and now shadow controlled aspects of human inner psyches, what I could refer to as black anima and animus. Consider the possibility that after years and years the domination of negative energies has devastated and turned into “servants of the dark one” those aspects of many people’s psyches that have been more unconscious, more devastated by virtue of that unconsciousness, and therefore more imprisoned than the other energetic aspects of the collective. How would these masculine aspects act as servants for the feminine counterpart? By providing these vampire-like requirements of the feminine vessel in overlord garb that has not learned how to, or is too hatefully lazy to access energy from the limitless source of the creator. It is common sense to see why the myth of Count Dracula is one in which he quite often has an army of female vampires to service and provide his needs. Importantly, these material images are the inverse of psychological reality. In reality, just as with physical men and women there is a mixture of both energetic patterns. Mythical images try to simply provide somewhat clear cut rationalizations to these realities that in fact are beyond pure conceptualization by the human mind. As I said, some of the insights and true knowledge that can be attained through true meditation and contemplation are usually beyond the ability to clearly be put into words or concept or images. Most folklore, myth and other sorts of cosmologies describe not actual physical and literally believable tales but rather are intended to explain the various psychological realities human beings experience. Think what you will; I certainly don’t have any problem with it. I’ll tell you one thing. During the fourteen years I have seriously spent time and energy on this work there have been constant revisions as I obtain new information and knowledge that indicates revisions would be necessary. As a professor friend of mine once said, “I would be surprised if you never found something to edit every time you read it. Interestingly, this was 13 years after I had started to record my findings. Therapists who try to help heal people with dissociation identity disorder, in describing the personalities of Satan within the person suffering from that disorder, describe it as being the most frightened and most child-like, although in a most perverted child-like way, aspect of all the other demons encountered after the gradual peeling away of personalities before the core is reached. Satan has always been described as being the most cowardly compared to all of the lesser demons, the worker bees. This makes perfect sense: the fundamental core of evil and the elemental ingredient it gives off from which all of the other characteristics flow is fear. Let us always remember though: ultimately the energies cannot be separated. Without at all being superstitious, this represents the “Whore of Babylon” and the “Beast” of revelations. The energy Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 98 to provide the fuel for the maintenance of this “beast” is the violence and explosive energies that are being released on a vast scale throughout society and the world. Medicine, at the moment, is ignoring the true causes of illness and blaming it primarily on physical: genetic and chemical structures within individuals. In failing to properly deal with the pathological and destructive emergence of these powerful energies within the peoples in society adversely affected by energies they do not understand, mental imbalances are being created. Furthermore, most of the so-called therapies, at least in psychiatrists’ offices and institutions, simply, create, exacerbate and perpetuate them. Most of the time, the abuse caused because of over medication and further abuse, disconnects people even further from what is repressed causing and maintaining the destructive shadow, as mentioned above. I once read that most mental illnesses only get worse. All today’s treatment of the psychically sensitive does is actually increase this repression thus making the patient and society sicker not better. It propels me into a rather protective mood to think that much of this is a result of fiscal management, expediency and first on the list, profit. It’s much easier to sedate and place out of the way someone who may take compassion, time, effort and money to heal. The exceptions to this only apply to those people who are wealthy enough to afford more advanced and civilized methods of dealing with illness. This applies to those who are on “the most favored lists”, and those that have lobbied long enough and vocally enough to force the powers that be to address their issues and of course, those that can afford it; the poor lose out. They are victimized twice, as are many victims of this outbreak. Shadow is expressed as self-hate and self-abuse, among both men and women. A lot of the self-abuse is unconscious. An example where this spills over into the conscious realm is sadism and masochism and this is on the increase as an accepted way of expressing one’s self, for example, in the bedroom. However, most people are not even aware of when these dynamics are present. There are also a great many socially accepted ways, so-called “normal”, “fitting in” ways to express these dynamics. These are melting with the herd ways in which a person can express these dynamics but keep their true meaning hidden. I’ve known a lot of people who need to be in control of others, both male and female, and this dynamic is a good indicator that the shadow is in control. What we have to do is raise awareness of this collective state of affairs so the collective energies bursting forth can be reversed and used for creative purposes. Just as men have suffered in becoming machine-like in a strictly masculine sense, as I pointed out earlier, more women than ever before, possessed by their animus and the shadow, and of course a need to survive, are in many cases becoming as machine-like as many men. Ironically, this is happening at a time when some men and women are choosing to reject this machine mindset. As I mentioned before, the world seems to be separating into two distinct camps, those who are becoming more aware of what is and those who are retreating behind the old bulk-work, although in different apparels. As I said, we should be very careful not to confuse artificial masculinity as being truly masculine just as we have to be careful not to confuse artificial femininity with true femininity. Just as women used to be only half a person when she was only allowed to express and be her feminine side, the same, obviously, applies to men. I also pointed out that, although men have been urged to get in touch with their feminine sides, they are not often given recognition or support with this decision. As I also said, in acting the appropriate way, in certain circumstances, they are persecuted on suspicion they are gay, which in itself illustrates the persecution gays have to endure sometimes. Returning to the topic of male hating, sometimes, today, if a man makes a mistake resulting in other people or the environment being harmed, the circumstances that lead to this are not taken into account. He is publicly humiliated, branded and punished. The way he is treated sometimes Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 99 reminds me of the way women used to be treated, legally, psychologically and emotionally, during the middle ages and up to modern times. As an example, I remember a young person in the same area that I lived who had received a very nice sports car from his parents. It was a powerful car and while driving along a fast stretch in the city, being an inexperienced driver, he lost partial control of the vehicle resulting in the deaths of two young women, about his own age. Every negative possibility, including stereotypical aspects of being male, were magnified and focused on. In this city his life was ruined, and from all unbiased sources I obtained information from, he was a very nice, intelligent and responsible young person. Of interest, I wonder if the same commotion would have been made about this incident in the community if the pedestrians that were killed had of been male? I am simply asking the question. I wonder how the wise and courageous founder of the feminist movement, Betty Freidan, is feeling, on some level, to see how her vision of gender equality has become skewed, in some cases, and reversed in others. As I said above, usually, if a woman can prove extenuating circumstances, which lead to a criminal act, she is excused or much more leniently treated; usually she is given help and support in various forms. A typical example is the Bernardo/Homolka case. Even though I read in the news it was known that in High School, it had been Homolka who had instigated many incidents of unacceptable behavior, and had induced Bernardo to do the same, she was also a completely equal participant in the horrible torture and murder of two young school-girls. Yet she was bribed to testify against Bernardo and received much less punishment. He was even blamed for causing her behavior! Subsequent to the trial, I remember seeing a picture of her arm in arm with a fellow inmate in prison, who was also a murderer. They both had big smiles on their faces and the caption underneath said they were having some sort of celebration. Bernardo is in solitary confinement. Why the difference? This was a blatant and criminal act of a double standard. It illustrates the destructive nature of political correctness and exposes the very powerful (actually, people who think they are powerful) people who hold the reigns of political power and or influence who care nothing about equality or justice. An important question to ask is why it is that when men do not protect people, especially women, we condemn them, but when women do the same thing, they are actually protected in doing this by excuses and rationalizations being found for it. It simply demonstrates the double standard and the level of male hate that has developed within society. Men comprise the only visible group in society who is not protected from this.49 To get away from the insanity track, both sexes have to have the freedom to strike a balance between home and work; feminine and masculine within. At the moment, primarily women are supported in achieving this realization. A National Justice survey in the U.S. discovered that people in general consider it far worse for a man to murder his wife or partner than a woman to murder her husband or partner. In addition, a National Family Violence Survey’s nation wide sampling of households discovered that women actually admitted they were far more likely to use physical violence against their male partner than their male partners were of using violence against them. 50 I provided some other documentation above to support this. I cannot fathom how these facts are ignored except for the levels of unconsciousness that exists within society today. This is especially true in relation to the collective shadow. After the Montreal Massacre, a horrible and tragic event, to be sure, millions of dollars were spent on reeducating men in their attitudes about women and was used as an example, to the most extreme limit, of women hating. Yet a similar incident in the United States that occurred around the same time was almost totally ignored. In this incident, a woman murdered an 8 year old boy, claiming he was a rapist, burned down a male dormitory, in this case, Jewish, poisoned food at two fraternities, burned two boys in their basement, shot five elementary school boys, and even shot her own son. This was kept relatively quiet except for the local news in that area of the continent. Not one article noted that all of her victims were boys, not men, boys. There was 49 Ditto, Pg.211 50 Ditto, Pg.214 Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 100 certainly no program established, spending millions of dollars, to reeducate women in their attitudes toward men. 51 I remember mentioning this to a woman I was speaking with in a local sub shop. The first thing she pointed out to me that in the Montreal massacre, it had been a one time incident where the male perpetrator committed suicide after the rampage. In the latter incident, this woman pointed out to me that the woman perpetrator had not committed a single act but had actually acted in the manner of a serial killer. When men require assistance, there is usually none available, compared to what is available for women who experience similar traumatic events. Personally, I have found this at hospitals, in the general public and especially, with intimate women in my life. Men also get it twice as hard because most other men find them repulsive as well because he, at least unconsciously, threatens those men who think they are quite comfortable in their machine-macho-like roles. People are people. I’ve noticed in recent years an increase in the number of reported incidents where women commit some form of violence, physical or otherwise, but the public seems to take little notice of this new development. One incident that really opened my eyes was the murder of a lesbian woman who tried to leave her lover. The scorned woman murdered her female lover, cut her up into small pieces and hid the remains some where on her property. Except for a small article in the newspaper, there was hardly any mention of it. I never heard even one person discuss it. I mean, seriously folks, what is going on here. I’m not a lesbian, but I know from many experiences, abusive women that I have left, because of their abuse, really did a number on me, primarily in the way of character assassination. That is, blaming the victim. Importantly, I am not trying to paint all women like this, quite the opposite. What I am trying to illustrate is today, more people than ever before can and have to be looked upon as people, not men or women, black or white, people, in a political and judicial sense. Obviously, there will always be differences. The time has really come to unite the “god” with the “goddess.” Have people become so focused on male violence that not only do we excuse many women for acts of violence we also seem to have cut ourselves off emotionally from it, a form of psychic surgery. We not only do not act empathically to male victims as we do female, we ridicule them and treat them as the sick ones: “Come on act like a man”. Personally, I believe this is a subconscious hate that itself takes on the same caricature of Satan and Hecate, mentioned above. It is also conditioned self-hate. As I said, it ignores the fact that people, men and women, are more alike today than ever before in recorded history. Speaking from personal experience, if I had have swallowed without thought the humiliation, scorn and abuse I experienced perhaps I would have felt the same way. Remember, I’m speaking from a perspective of the abuse I suffered. It is a fact that many people, men and women suffer from self hate because of the way they have been abused and treated; conditioned, they experience self abuse, and abuse from other people as a result. Criminally, the number of children experiencing the same hate at a time when they should be enjoying the pageantry of blooming life is on the increase as well. Children are also being victimized my being indoctrinated to hate in the same manner by some parents and groups within society. This has to stop, and as more people raise their conscious levels more and more people will realize the reality of these conditions of life. Personally, when I’ve spoken up or tried to reach out for help against female violence I’ve experienced I was either ridiculed, treated like I was being paranoid and told I was sick or told that I hate Women. Within the general population, when men experience violence, it is considered to be generic violence; when women experience it, especially from men, it is considered antwomen: this is pure sexism. I have personally spoken with women who express these very sentiments, both what I experienced and resulting feelings I am describing. How is it that this distinction and focus on difference is even manufactured? It is because of a bigoted attitude that 51 Farrell, “The Myth of Male Power” Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 101 ignores violence against men and the causes, creates a double standard and perpetuates the unfair, exaggerated, and today, inaccurate perceptions of men as a group. Today, violence, in all its guises is fundamentally generic. Although there is more than sufficient evidence that men experience violence from women, and I am speaking about physical violence in this regard, legislation is only in place to protect women. Past abuse is even a defense within legislation that allows women to kill or murder: “battered woman syndrome.” It is one of 12 defenses available for women who murder people. 52 Regardless of the abuse men suffer there is no defense available for men who act in similar “selfdefensive” ways. I even remember overhearing two women talking in a coffee shop one time. I did not know these two people and I made sure I did not say or make any comment, but one of these women, very large and muscular, was talking to her friend about having to put her husband in place with a good kick or punch to the side of the head occasionally. The other woman just laughed. After they had left, as I was leaving, I asked someone nearby, who had been making a lot of knowing expressions like she had heard it before, if she knew those two women. She said they were regulars there at the coffee shop and that in fact her husband was about half of her size. This person said the other woman would at times “beat the shit out of him,” but because he was a man and she a woman no one even bothered to try to do anything about it. She said most people treated it like one big joke: the battered husband was actually laughed at, by both men and women! Society is emotionally blind to this reality; the reaction is quite often the opposite of an empathic and supportive one. If women or anyone else abuses a man, he is considered potentially dangerous, especially if he speaks out, as I did. This is creating an explosively dangerous situation because naturally without a lot of self-control he will strike out in self-defense, as many women have done, and as Nature intended. I would say it is time for men to march on behalf of themselves and take back the Day. The beautiful thing about it is that we can walk armin- arm with women doing it. Obviously we, men, have to do some consciousness-raising of our own. As I said, it is time to position the pendulum back in the center because now it is swinging too far in the opposite direction from where it came Considering that once a person is labeled and is stereotyped by most of the community, especially by those closest to them, the process can actually have an inducing effect upon that person so labeled. I've seen and experienced this in action myself and Robert Merton expressed it quite well in his development of "labeling Theory". The only protection from this is awareness of the dynamics taking place. I wonder, in addition to the effect of men experiencing abuse and not having it taken seriously, what effect does labeling and blaming have in contributing to male violence against women? Violence against women obviously has caused them to react in defense; are men less human than women? Whoever reads this question, you should be very careful about how you answer it because how you answer or react to it identifies you either as a perpetrator, a victim or a balanced, non-bigoted and justice oriented human being. If a person is blamed often enough for something they are innocent of, sometimes, sooner or later they might say: "If everyone thinks this, what the hell, I may as well do it". There is also an unconscious collective pressure on a person so labeled. I remember one individual saying to me that these types of unconscious sacrifices to the shadow were, as he referred to them a "harvest of the innocents". This person was not talking about men; he was talking about people, all people. In such cases, self-awareness and integrity are the main defenses a victim of this nature will have at their disposal. This is Human nature. Speaking on behalf of men, the only effective remedy against it is awareness of this reality so an individual can be conscious of her/his effort not to react emotionally to it and take appropriate action (I’ll leave in that Freudian slip because it is more than simply a grammatical error: it represent an attitude of wholeness, a unity of the male and female within myself). The same type of action women are encouraged to take by supporters 52 Ditto, Pg. 227 Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 102 of thier safety. The best solution to it is a cessation of the trigger: abuse. I will stress again that the very dynamics I am discussing here are dynamics used against all people by people, although the actual scenarios and forms are different depending on who is being victimized. People like Betty Freidan of the early feminist movement, Mr. King and the Dali Lama were and are right: consciousness raising is the number one thing that can be done to remedy not only this situation between the sexes but between all individuals and groups. Society actually dramatically promotes and assists us in living only in our egos. No wonder when the more sensitive, more highly developed minds go into this area to see the truth about themselves, truths which apply literally to everyone, they usually have psychological crisis to deal with because their awareness is treated like an aberration. Similar to the way abused women used to be treated as hysterical. In all times up to the 20th century, people of these sensitivities were respected and looked upon for knowledge by the whole community, with the exception of most of Europe soon after the inquisition started. Today, they are treated with contempt and ridicule, sometimes labeled mentally ill, and sometimes medicated to the point where they totally disconnect with their bodies. They become mere automations and are so treated. They are so drained and conditioned to induce many of them to become the incompetent members of society people expect them to be. But we can have a whole chapter discussing this portion of the population, the story of which begins in infancy. I even had a case manager, when I was actively practicing social work and counseling youth, tell me, that making a person aware was not necessarily the best thing to do because they may not be able to handle it. Ha! I was recommended to allow the very poison that was adversely affecting the person to remain untouched. Once again, the band aid approach. Of note: when I spoke to this person about a certain individual who was in need of counselling, I was speaking about a friend of mine the same age as me, not any youth I was working with. The most important question we can ask ourselves, which also calls for a whole chapter or book for that matter, is what kind of effect, especially unconscious, does everything we have been discussing have on our Children, with a focus on the anger. I have seen many examples of adults, male and female, exhibit a total lack of care for the effect of their behavior on the Children. I think if we look around at the dramatic changes in reference to the incidence of violence and the lack of respect exhibited, which flows from a lack of self-respect, among young people today, as applies with most categories of scapegoats as well, we see the effects. We condemn people for the very actions that are induced by an attitude that promotes it, especially unconsciously on the collective unconscious: blaming the victim. I thought I went through a tumultuous time growing up in the late 60’s and 70’s. But, today, I am amazed at what young people have to deal with, as mentioned above. They have available a huge amount of information but very little knowledge or understanding of what to do with it. To have to deal with a culture and their roots in shambles, in chaos. They have very little stability to hang onto. They have to substitute what has made cultures great to satisfying themselves with fast food and the latest mind-numbing form of entertainment, normally of a violent nature, to come along. Much of this entertainment is poisonous and promotes psychologically unhealthy lifestyles in a lot of young people. Then we condemn and persecute the children when they act out because of this unhealthy state. We have become a people conditioned and our anger, erupting all around us is an indication of the unconscious shadow bursting forth. Modern medicine and society’s main efforts are directed towards controlling behaviors instead of creating awareness, preventative and life giving. Our present methods actually make things far worse because we try to become more unconscious of the true causes. If you put a band-aid on a wound but don’t treat the wound, it may be covered up but soon it begins to infect further, in this case beyond the individual so wounded, and vice versa It is unfortunate that the women’s movement expected equal entry into the workforce to provide the necessary ingredients for “life fulfillment.” If this activity was so rewarding they Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 103 wouldn’t have to pay people to work. 53 What happened was that important consciousness raising in the early feminist movement was high-jacked, co-opted and de-railed by the very process that created a need for it in the first place. The very dynamics that were present giving rise to the dysfunctions remained in place. The only real change was that this development allowed woman to somewhat gain control within society and reverse or redirect the flow of violence to the targets of their revenge. On the upper levels of this system those who always had control stayed there. In this sense, the poisonous dynamics in place simply kept men and women at each others throats, except the upper hand for the time being, had been shifted to the women’s court. This dynamic reminds me of how powerful perpetrators are able to create situations where the oppressed are kept in a position where they are opposing each other instead of focusing their attentions on the real culprits; similar to the purpose and dynamics in the ancient Roman coliseums. Similar, also, to the ways the Western world use the same methods, tactics and dynamics in other parts of the world. In this case they use the manufacturing and selling of weaponry/arms, covert and not so covert political machinations to keep the oppressed nations, for example, various countries within Africa at each others throats while the main perpetrators continue to laugh for a little while longer. These are also the same dynamics that exist throughout all of the ghettos of the large cities in the United States of America, for now. The world knows these situations cannot last much longer. The various dangerous jobs and “professions” men quite often have to take in order to survive, where they are objectified and treated simply like bodies, is really no different than prostitution in the semantic and dictionary understanding of the term. 54 Psychologically, there is absolutely no difference between women who prostitute themselves sexually, putting themselves at risk than men who take on even more dangerous jobs. In both cases there is physical danger and in both cases the individuals involved, men and women are objectified and turned into bodies, not human beings. As with females, male prostitution is one of society’s saddest expressions of self-hate and oppression. Why is it that, today, women are not cross examined after making allegations against men the same way men are? 55 In fact, abusive Women are today, using this same legislative advantage to get away with their behavior. Consider the immensity of what is being said. A very dramatic fictional example illustrating how some people are automatically stereotyped and assumed guilty, is the story Stephen King created called “The Green Mile”. Try to imagine what it must feel like to truly have compassionate intentions towards others, a life-supporting need, as did the victimized character in the book, and being not only prevented from expressing this need but in fact being placed under suspicion or condemned simply by virtue of your sex or race. In addition, this victim was a healer in every sense of the word. He was victimized and condemned simply because of bigotry and illusional, false appearances. The main impact of the book, at least for me, was that the people, who executed him, when the time arrived, knew he was innocent! Farrell goes on to illustrate, further to what I touched on above, that once the power within government was redirected, in many ways it became a surrogate husband, provider and support organization that ignored the requirements of men, 56 unless, as stated above, they also fall within some other sub-category that just happens to include them, not as men, but a “worthy” group of people. This is most profoundly demonstrated in the double standard for men and women in legislation and boils down to a legal support for revenge rather than true justice and equality. 53 Ditto, Pg.232 54 Ditto 55 Ditto 56 Ditto, Pg.237 Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 104 When the statement is made that men do not want women talking and discussing violence and its dynamics or expressions in their relationship this is only true in relation to violent men. What is not mentioned or acknowledged by women and politically correct society is that the exact same dynamics applies to relationships and areas where the women are the perpetrators of violence.57 People are people. When men are victims, if they speak up, they may be attacked by their violent partner, parents, siblings, etc., emotionally, psychologically and perhaps physically, similar to women caught in parallel relationships. With many men being so aware of the new sexual politics going on, especially political correctness, many indeed do feel like they are walking on eggshells. I’ve heard many men say just that. When violent men abuse their female victims, the same dynamics are present. I remember speaking to a young woman, whom I met at a radical coffee shop in Calgary. She told me about a book she was writing. It was called “Rage”. We had a sociable enough conversation, she and I spoke in a pleasant and controlled enough way, but her explosive intensity underneath could not be mistaken. This is an example of the passionate energies loose on the collective unconscious, and not just emanating from women. It includes most groups and people. If that energy could be made conscious it could be used for loving and creative purposes. Metaphysically, love is defined simply as the force of attraction, unity. The force of hate is the action of separation: repulsion, fear, and bigotry. However, Nature has a way of cleaning house before starting new growth Many women, today, project their rage unconsciously and indiscriminately onto men, the innocent men as well as the guilty. It prevents the guilty men from healing and can have a regressively negative affect on the innocent. In some cases, only men who completely co-opt themselves into the one-sided view of the extremist woman are accepted. Although the apparent intentions behind most of it is honorable, initially at least, political correctness can be a poison by forcing people into talking and behaving in a hypocritical and self-wounding manner, something virtually no one deserves. In a sense, when men do this and do not recognize the male side of the story, they become “kappos”, in a very real sense. The dynamics here are similar to women who have, in the past especially, compromised themselves to survive or rise in the usually exclusively patriarchal power structure. Today, men have to do so in the more feminist political power structure; depending significantly on the geographical location. Considering what I have been saying, why is it considered politically incorrect to take into account how partner interactions contribute to inter-partner violence. It is ridiculous to consider this can be called “blaming the victim,” especially when the man might be the main victim: from emotional, physical or psychological abuse leading to the response of further violence.58 The same rules that apply to women have to also apply to men. As well, some women now use this very shelter in order to cover up their own abusive behavior directed towards their partner. This is similar to the way any abusive person can use this sort of manipulation. It is this very mindset which allows people to be abused. The perpetrator blames their rage, unjustifiably on the victim; this is simply a reversal. Considering all the dynamics I have been discussing so far, this reversal is not surprising. At this point I should say these specific types of dynamics, between genders, extend far beyond partner relationships. It extends well into the various areas throughout society, as mentioned above with the “kappo” example. In considering violence between men and women, interactional and communication patterns have to be examined. 59 When Men attempt to explain it as an interactional problem, or when the woman is the violent partner or relation, it is downplayed, ignored, reversed and so on. Look at 57 58 “What Causes Men’s Violence Against Women?”, Michele Harway and James Oneil, Sage Publications, Inc. 2455 Teller Rd. Thousand Oaks, California 91320, Copyright, Sage Publications, Inc 59 Ditto, Pg. 211 Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 105 what a book, “Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars” has to say. In effect, it excuses female abuse and ridicule of men. The book excuses one gender and blames the other. In many cases, today, the characteristics applied to gender are reduced, neutral/blended or reversed. In addition, in this book, the positive characteristics of women are exaggerated while the negative traits attributed to men are exaggerated. These latter dynamics ere exactly the type of things I experienced when I was attending a school of social work. While there, I appeared, not as a male who had been abused all of my life, and as well, up until shortly after that time had kept my bisexual nature hidden from most people. I was treated exactly in the stereotypical and brutal ways I have been describing throughout this chapter. Today, the above mentioned book is highly inaccurate in its description of gender; it is obsolete. Rational discussions about violence are not attempts to deflate women’s justifiable anger. 60 To say something like this today is most hypocritical, obsolete and also illustrates, among everything else I have described so far, that the rage and hate has gone too far. It is this very anger and rage, which prevents people from clearly seeing what is going on, consciously and on the collective level. I’m not talking about telepathy, clairvoyance, or anything that intense. I am talking about being well grounded, in common sense. The fact is, in many respects, we are living in an unconscious Matriarchy today, especially if one takes into account the collective unconscious. As the author Whitmore spoke about in the book, “Return of The Goddess”, during the open Matriarchies of 6 to 10 thousand years ago men were pushed to the periphery of society; they had second class status and were used for protective purposes and muscle power. They were also the usual selection for physical ritual blood sacrifices as was common practice during those times. This was because of their physical representation within the culture of masculine or yang energy. Over time, this gave rise to a separation and the rise of Patriarchies, because men were tired of their second class status, and being the main selection for sacrifice to “The Great Mother”. In much the same way women in the patriarchies were physically pushed to the periphery of society, in a tit-for-tat type of movement. In the West the unconscious movement is an attempt to return to the age of the matriarchies, only this time, although men are victimized more often then women by virtue of the abuse being perpetrated against men and it being ignored, the main sacrifice, as I have stated, is masculine energy. Witmore says now the time has come to unite the “god and “goddess”. This statement of his, for me, is one of the most important statements I have ever heard. The moon has ruled, the sun has ruled, now it is time for the marriage of Sun and Moon. If more people truly connected with others in an aggressive free manner, feeling the person, in a vibration sense, really seeing the person, their movements, what they really meant when they said something, whether verbally or otherwise, the road to healing would be that much shorter. The fact is, it is this anger and rage which prevents people from seeing clearly what is. On the collective level, this anger and rage accumulate to cause even more violence: against people, one against the other. This is not necessarily based on gender, ethnicity, or anything like that. In a very real sense it is indiscriminate. As we have been indoctrinated to believe, “we live in a dogeat- dog world”, just adds fuel to the fire. This is not and should not be the way to live; it is the reverse of true civilization. It is also against nature and contrary to what the laws of nature really are. A good example are cats. In the wild, when a cat takes down prey, it does it in as quick and efficient a manner as possible. It is just something the animal has to do in order to survive. On the other hand, look at domesticated house cats. In almost every case, whether with mice or any other creatures they kill, there is almost always an element of very sadistic torture involved. In some cases, after they kill the creature or torture it to death, they don’t even eat it. Why are house cats different than cats raised in the wild? An educated guess is this. Cats are very sensitive and as everyone knows they also have a sort of six-sense about them. They can grow quite attached 60 Ditto Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 106 to their owners or masters, and learn how to read them very well. I will suggest that the way domesticated cats learned to enjoy torturing their victims and then not even eating them: they learned this from the thousands of years they have spent time living with their human owners. In other words, they were taught how to be sadistic from the humans they have spent time with. It would be interesting to see the result of some research into this. Some women resent the term violent couples, saying it implies that violence is bi-directional, with both people being perpetrators. 61 This way of thinking is rather obscene in what it suggests when a person considers all of the evidence. The reality of the situation is that sometimes violence is perpetrated by a man, sometimes by a woman, and sometimes they are equal participants. As we have seen, women also react to male abuse with violence. As I said, the criminality of the situation as it now stands, however, is that there are 12 defenses for a woman to kill, let alone being excused for various types of partner abuse. I am and any one reading these realities should be outraged at this level and stance of supposed justice. What happens to a man who is severely abused and humiliated in relationships? A victim who sometimes reacts with violence, as abused women have. Keep in mind most men are still far under the level of women in their capacity and literacy with their emotions and ability at psychological manipulations and control. It is well known that women are able to emotionally manipulate, humiliate and emotionally abuse people far more than most men are capable of, by virtue of their inner psychic and emotional connections and literacy. As I pointed out earlier, most men still react by physical acting out, especially in response to the multitude of severe double binds they find themselves in. It is well known and I know from experience that emotional and psychological abuse, and I am not referring to sexual abuse here except of the psychological kinds, can have far more extreme and devastating affects on a person that physical violence. Yet statistics also prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that many women are also physically violent. So, not only can the violence be bi-directional; men can also be extreme victims of both types of abuse. Yet there is no defense for men under similar circumstance. In the first place, there are instances where both partners are equal participants. When one looks at the different types of violence a person can perpetrate, the term bi-directional is justifiable. This is especially true when one considers backlash because of overkill on innocent men, and the more subtle forms of emotional and psychological abuse. There is no excuse for violence and this can help towards explaining it. As a little aside, I remember one time speaking with a woman who worked in group homes for delinquent boys and girls. She told me that in the girl’s home, the knives had to be locked up because of the tendency for these girls to become violent with them. She also told me no such measure had to be taken in the home for delinquent boys where she also worked. Another important point is that there is a substantial amount of violence within lesbian (and gay) relationships. 62 How can man haters fool themselves so completely they are terrified to acknowledge these truths? Violence is a people problem, it is generic, and to say otherwise is pure bigotry that is no different in its dynamics than the bigotry that used to have two laws in existence: one for black people and one for white people. So, I find this statement, the question of bi-directional, interesting. I have spoken to and had plutonic relations with lesbian or bi-sexual women who say some lesbian relationships are very “smothering” and controlling. One bi-sexual woman I spoke too said she was in such a relationship. Her partner, a radical activist, approached me after a conference we attended at which she spoke about male controlling and possessive jealousy in relationships. This conference, had focused only on exaggerated negative male characteristics, and throughout the two hour conference I did not hear even one positive male trait mentioned, not even in suggestion of what could be done to remedy the fabricated scenarios they were speaking about; an example of indoctrination of indiscriminate male hating. There was not one negative element mentioned in respect to lesbian or gay relationships or the 61 “What Causes Male Violence Against Women?” 62 Ditto Viewing These Dynamics from an Abused Man’s Perspective Mitchell- 107 characters of women; as an aside, I know of one female professor who left this institution because of this double standard. These scenarios were unnaturally idealized and turned into utopian dreamlands, or hells depending on how you looked at it. Walt Disney would have been impressed. The whole conference was about as unbalanced and divorced from reality as one could imagine. Not long after the partner of my friend left the podium she confronted me. She wanted to know why I was associating with her girlfriend (”partner) in a tone and manner that left no doubt I was not to see her partner (chattel?) on a platonic basis. You see, her partner and I worked together at the school library and several times she had invited me for meals and social get-togethers. It was this woman who had spoken to me at great length about the smothering and controlling behavior of her partner. I should also mention that the friend of mine was a girl in her very early twenties. Her partner, who confronted me was much older than she was. WE all know how so-called feminists react to older men going out with young women. In fact, a student at the school told me at one time that today people are considered youth until they are 24. I will mention an incident of humiliation I was able to avoid. This was directly related to other experiences of extreme abuse that I was experiencing while attending this school where the graduation party was held. I had an accident that almost killed me. I was not able to attend a graduation “party” put on by the student body because I was in intensive care at a hospital. At this party I was supposed to accept an award that had been especially designed for me. It was called the PFM award. My initials are PFM. Is that what the letters on the award stood for? No. They stood for the words, “Pretty Fucking Macho.” Such hypocrisy. The main point here is that the very dynamics that have been justifiably been found unacceptable in men, affect all people, women included. The activist who had confronted me acted in exactly the same manner she had just finished accusing men of in her guest presentation. She appeared unaware of this. She seemed unconscious of her own hypocrisy. She was extremely sin (missing the mark)-cere in her own way. This provides a good example of a woman possessed by her animus and shadow, which she quite naturally is not aware of unless she takes the opportunity to do some serious self-reflection, occasionally How Society’s Institutions Help Perpetuate and Maintain These Dynamics. The Big Picture: Maintaining the Machine Mitchell- 108 11 How Society’s Institutions Help Perpetuate and Maintain These Dynamics. The Big Picture: Maintaining the Machine DIGNITY ‘Self - esteem, self - respect, and other necessary ingredients for psycho - dynamic nourishment; encompassing all of the above and so much more, perhaps the most important ingredient can be described as dignity. Today, it is dignity which society most ruthlessly destroys in its mad, materialistic, hypocritical and technological dash into oblivion. We have to fight against this. We have to reclaim our true self, free of the straight - jacket of the artificially created personas and behaviors we are conditioned to perform in service to the machine. We have to once again have the structural and organizational aspects of society to work for human beings rather than human beings working to maintain the beast.” 63 “Then I saw another beast that rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all of the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. It performs great signs even making fire come down from heaven to earth in sight of all; and by these signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived; and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead. So that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six.”64 I would say, anyone with any commonsense, free of superstitious baggage and a little understanding of the psychological processes I have been describing up to this point should be able to interpret this in the light of some understanding besides what they were “taught: in church… The number of the beast is 666. It does not refer to an individual. It refers to a person’s persona(s), both an “individual” and collective state of mind, the hypocritical actor who is not a whole human being. 666; I had been told that it was the atomic number for carbon. That was not the precise truth. However, an independent researcher, a physicist, did some searching and I was told there was a loose connection in physics as it was indirectly related to the atomic number for carbon. As a psychological interpretation in relation to the person who had this vision 2000 years ago, I would interpret it in the following way. Keep in mind that true psychic reality, such as a mystic might have, is beyond the material realm but including it, would be a reality that has no distinction between past, present and future. It would be beyond those manifest illusions; that is, it is the reality that a true mystic is able to attain. Therefore, as I see it, material = egoism, and the stamp of the beast is materialism. It is found on either a persons hand or forehead because the forehead represents where a person or rather, I should I say persona is located, the brain/psyche, 63 Paul F. Mitchell 64 New Revised Standard Version Bible, Revelations 13.11, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, Published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville Tennessee 37214 How Society’s Institutions Help Perpetuate and Maintain These Dynamics. The Big Picture: Maintaining the Machine Mitchell- 109 fragmented states of mind. It may be found on the hand because it is with the hand that we hold and manipulate material objects and also transfer money or use the keys of a computer, the usual method money is transferred in today’s world. Computers can also represent the epitome of the beast-like or machine-like characteristics much of society has take on. This other beast that appears as a lamb but speaks like a dragon is the lower level, primordial and reptilian aspects of the psyche that have taken over the human collective psyche in the form of the shadow. The whore of Babylon = the anarchy like affects of an archaic collective psyche in chaos = primordial dragon found primarily in the reptilian and limbic parts of the brain = beast, disconnected from heaven, a mutilation of the true human mind, psyche and spirit. The mindset we are discussing here is maintained, and today especially, exacerbated by an obsession with “entertainment”, addictions, and probably most destructive of all, by the subtle yet powerfully destructive influence of the psychologically manipulative and addictive nature of the mass media. Mass media, by the way, does not necessarily have to refer only to the electronic media. Although there are some powerful electronic media organizations used for propaganda purposes, there are also many wonderful truth seeking media organizations out there also. Instead, it can refer, literally, to the collective mass mind and the affects it has on individual psyches. Especially in relation to the electronic media, an attempt to possess “needed products” result in an obsession with conformity to artificially created perceptions of need and images. This produces a conformist requirement “to fit in”, whether it be dress style, the type of car one drives, etc. That is, “keeping up with the Jones”, regardless of whether or not it has any actual relation to a persons unique tastes, needs or true self, based on a whole psyche and existential reality of life: …”an image of the Beast that had been wounded by the sword yet lived…” Sense of self has become externalized. When I refer to “self”, I am referring to that quality of inner awareness that acknowledges the greater context of life, wholeness, with Heaven and Earth. As I said in my view of things, the beginning stages of meditative consciousness raising, in respect of self knowledge first recognizes what is referred to by psychoanalysts as the contents of ego and superego. This is what Eastern spiritual teachers call the lower level consciousness, in this case consciously and unconsciously disconnected from heaven and the whole of the human psyche. Regardless of the name, my meaning of heaven is meant to refer to that greater inner awareness connected to the outer. This transcends the false wounded ego, allowing for the development of true compassion, loving kindness, generosity and equanimity. Internal awareness has become substituted by, denied by virtue of, and in some cases destroyed by an overwhelming obsessive and compulsive need to achieve self-esteem based on the perceptions others have created for us. To review, an example of this is the destructive activity of people pleasing or political correctness. This has also, in many cases, created a tendency to satisfy our thirst for emotional needs satiation by artificial, externalized application of substances, “things”, and control of other people and nature. Usually, it is comprised of power and control over others and Earth, while leaving ourselves out of control. It might also include the ingestion/application of mind-altering substances, or the possession of material goods and status, that may all be totally divorced from any real type of human integrity or communion with others. These can all be looked upon as types of addictions to compensate for inner emptiness and can also prevent the attainment of higher levels of consciousness. I am not referring to material things required for comfortable and healthy existence but a mindset where “enough is never enough.” Although I am speaking generally about society based on a materialistic, right wing type of government, from what I can see the same also applies to materialistic “scientific” socialism or communism, minus the marketing but including the propaganda. The most important factors I am referring to is materialism, period. More sophisticated than the blatantly coercive form of force and propaganda utilized in Adolph Hitler’s Nazi Germany, or Stalinist Russia, the subtle but powerful influences of consumer marketing are combined with a virulent form of propaganda, How Society’s Institutions Help Perpetuate and Maintain These Dynamics. The Big Picture: Maintaining the Machine Mitchell- 110 most of it subliminal and non-verbal. With the multinationals and the global community this is truer today than ever before. This maintains, for example, and exacerbates many forms of violence and exploitation in general; exploitation especially of our most important human dimension, our Children. This is expressed through such "products" as, but not exhaustive to violent computer games and movies which glorify military imperialism, random violence, pornography, through to "paintballing" which offers simulations of battlefield confrontations. Children suffer more than any other group in society. Even ATDD, turrets, absent-mindedness, etc. in children, is a reflection of external control/psychic possession or interference of a Child's psychic integrity, usually by someone who is intimately connected with the child. The usual result is a psychic retreat on the part of the child. These are neurological and physiological expressions of children reacting and attempting to rebel against such control. Being unconscious of this, can you imagine how frightened the Child is who experiences these symptoms? Most important, the Child is then blamed for the symptoms of psychic control/interference/rape by acting out and being labeled mentally ill, antisocial, etc. As I stated earlier, this is the true and greatest crime of the human race: the attempted destruction or distortion of our Children. I say attempted, because Heaven and Earth will not let this situation continue indefinitely. In our “golden age of materialistic achievement”, and at the time of writing this segment of my work, the most recent example of the power of this destructive force was most explicitly expressed when the coalition forces, under the coercive control of the Unites States of America within the auspices of the U.N., massacred thousands of people in Iraq. This act was committed both by direct military destruction as well as by the longer-term effects resulting from destruction of that country’s life-supporting infrastructure. Most of the people in that country had been under coercive control of a madman and a fundamentalist religious base that sent children into combat and brutalized the women. However, two wrongs do not make a right, it simply adds to the wrong. The two regimes mentioned above are two examples of the same dynamics using different expressions, and being placed in different positions on a continuum. One of them is blatantly coercive the other more covertly coercive. Both countries are heavily controlled and distorted by far right-wing fundamentalist mindsets. One is the kettle the other is the pot and they both have the same color, or rather, lack of color to their hues. A nauseating aspect of this war I noticed was that many times it was said that, to many people, the coverage of this war was compared to the viewing of “a gigantic video game”, especially thanks to that instrument of “democracy”, CNN (serious tongue - in - cheek) and the ability of the Pentagon to provide an audience with live viewing pleasure by attaching cameras to the rockets and missiles that destroyed people and other targets. I remember watching footage of the attacks on the Iraqi people and witnessed people around the televisions sets actually cheering when a missile struck a vehicle or other target blowing people to smithereens. They were behaving absolutely no different than people watching a hockey game; a perfect example of machine - like insensitivity. The psychological brutality displayed was no different than the brutality displayed by the regime that was being “liberated.” The icing on the cake was the pageantry that the U.S. offered its’ “courageous heroes” home. This, while only months earlier thousands of homeless persons peacefully marched on Washington to protest their squalid living conditions in “the wealthiest nation on earth”. By the year 2005, the imperial forces of the U.S. have returned to the Middle East and occupied the country of Iraq, in addition to Afghanistan. Rather interesting isn’t it that the first area that was secured when Iraq was invaded for the second time, were the oil fields, the greatest wealth Iraq possessed. The reasons for the attack were bogus: there were no weapons of mass destruction found, the reason for the invasion in the first place. As for the invasion of Afghanistan, as horrible as the destruction of the World Trade Towers in New York City was, invading that country to capture the leader of the terrorists claimed to be responsible was also bogus. The fact is the destruction of the twin towers represents a world wide mindset, primarily unconscious, to How Society’s Institutions Help Perpetuate and Maintain These Dynamics. The Big Picture: Maintaining the Machine Mitchell- 111 the materialism destroying the world and humanity. Importantly, I certainly do not blame the Muslim people. There is no proof that the Muslims as a people were responsible, even if a few did take part in this act of terrorism. There is substantial evidence that the real reason for the destruction of the towers was for monetary gain and also to instill higher levels of fear in the American people. There are some very good documentaries discussing possible reasons for the destruction besides the Muslims. I would refer people to an excellent documentary called “Loose Change”, researched and produced by some extremely intelligent young people. I will say one good rationalization in the propaganda machine subsequently put forth by the forces invading Iraq was the physical emancipation of women. However, the people of that country will not be saved by simply exporting the very materialism that is destroying their own country. That will only put in place the very destructive dynamics I have been discussing so far. To follow this last statement up, I remember reading a magazine that has a North American wide readership. I remember reading an article that was written soon after the Iron Curtain of the former Soviet Union crumbled. In the article there were some photographs portrayed demonstrating the benefits of capitalism. Unbelievably, the photos showed the insides of a bar in Moscow. There were people smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and watching a woman on the stage performing a strip show: a very warped demonstration of liberation and the benefits of the “free market.” Subsequent to the liberation of those people’s, the main force in that country has become the mafia, a mafia that was never able to exist under the control of the Soviet dictatorship. What that dictatorship did was train people in the physical and psychological art of survival and once the walls crumbled and capitalism was introduced those survival abilities enabled the development one of the most lethal forms of mafia the world has ever seen. Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 112 Part 2 12 Exploring the Healing Relationship Consider what it means to be “wholesome”, looking at the many factors and influences, and the consequences resulting from the most ordinary interactions with others. To implement a realistic approach when working with people as a human service worker, one must utilize a professional but open-ended way of being with the client, having a realization or at least appreciation of mutuality in any approach to the healing relationship. Considering the at least partial, positive elements which comprise any psychological approach, certainly those generally accepted approaches which have demonstrated an acceptable level of efficacy, including the spiritual healing/growth path, it would be meaningless not to use all available avenues and attempt to bring together what is useful. In other words eclecticism, open-mindedness and mutuality recognizes that, even though each separate approach addresses only one segment of the whole psychological/existential issue, taken together they do and can go a long way towards working with the whole individual, provided a spiritual healing process is included. While working with a population of homeless people, and speaking in very general terms, the primary element present throughout as I worked during a field placement while going to a school of social work, was a sense of confused powerlessness in the sense that most of the individuals, although unique and all with their own stories, have very little influence over their environment, quite often including themselves. Although too many to list here, the processes which help induce and maintain powerlessness are characterized by breakdown in communication and interaction with one’s environment, often resulting in and even caused by learned conditioning; and then subsequently having it appear to be self-induced isolation. The most despicable aspect of all of this is that once the scapegoats have been forced into their self destructive behaviors, what is then provided is a concrete and visual excuse for the perpetrators, and we are or have all been perpetrators in this sense. We blame the victim, thus torturing him or her, usually until the individual actually ends up a blood sacrifice: suicide, sickness, total humiliation, etc. It is always societies most vulnerable who are victimized. I know from personal experience, that sometimes, the pressure of the very hypocrites who say they are trying to help them actually make them more dependent, disempowered and so labeled and treated to induce many of them to realize the nature of the labels and attitudes directed towards them. This greatly increases that person’s tendency to give up. Amazingly, because of past “war wounds” that I had experienced during the periods I endured traumatic abuse, I have actually been counseled by the important people in my life, sometimes even the perpetrators, to go on disability, accept “the way I am”, to only rely on them and the “expert, and so forth. In other words, to give up on myself and rely on the very perpetrators that brutalized me in the first place. This type of behavior not only reverses and ignores the source of abuse it absolutely ignores one of nature’s most fundamental laws: dynamic and constant change. It also ignores the natural ability for people to heal themselves in the right environment. As I have frequently been saying, there is no place for blame here, only evaluation. This happens to many people and almost no one, perpetrators or victims are really cognizant of the actual dynamics taking place. Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 113 As I said, not surprisingly, in my case, this “advice” was usually offered by the perpetrators. I have spoken to and witnessed many different people experiencing similar dynamics. In other words, the “care” of the individual is quite often in the hands of the very person or people responsible for victimizing in the first place. In virtually every case, the person giving me this advise (vice/clamp, get it) had presented their opinions because they “love” me, “care about my welfare”, and so forth. They were obviously unconscious of their responsibility in the perpetuation of my pain and the pain of other people like me. That’s exactly what a person in the sadistic role during sadism and masochism “lovemaking” says as the sadist administers torture to the masochist. Is that why they abused me? In fact, in each and every case, it had nothing to do with love: it was the domino effect within a sadistically dysfunctional society. I remind people that when one thinks of the term sadism, it does not have to refer to some sort of crude and bloody exhibition of violence. It can be and is expressed in the most subtle of forms. As usual, there is a continuum on which these dynamics can be presented. I do not deny these perpetrators were and are themselves wounded and only partial people, not whole human beings. Regardless, conditioned and addictive behavior has the direct effect of causing their victims to give up life energy; what the martial artists call chi, the yogis call Prana, the life force. So depression and other so-called mental illnesses naturally become side-effects or symptoms expressed by these people. I remember reading the heading of an article in a large Canadian city where I had spent a period of time living. The article was saying that most all of society’s neurotic or psychotic people were “undiagnosed,” and were, by virtue of being in positions of power and influence, dangerous, unlike most of those person’s that have been targeted and brutalized, the “diagnosed mentally ill.” I remember the heading of the article mentioned these people could be your boss, doctor, teacher, or other people in positions of authority and trust within the community. I mention this in another place in this work and say much the same thing. I am glad I didn’t read the whole article because I was already in the search to find this information, or understanding and therefore did it in my own way. In reference to the scapegoats within society, lose of energy or the life force a person has stolen from them prevents many of them to remain focused in consciousness and they fall instead further into the subconscious realms. These dynamics also apply to the people in positions of trust because they learn how to get their energetic requirements, not through conscious connection with higher levels of reality and the limitless source but by theft. For the “diagnosed,” artificial stimulation like antidepressants and other unnatural medications only produce a neurotic and over time a psychotic psyche. This atrophies those aspects of the whole neurophyisiological aspects of a person that could, under natural conditions, achieve a healthy balance and equilibrium. I will further elaborate and give good reasons how this has begun to happen later in this work. But of course, the very thieves who caused it will smile patronizingly at them, at the scapegoats, thinking they are being compassionate, and tell them they can get help; from the damage they cause! While doing a field placement at a homeless men’s residence, I became associated with a group of people who dramatically validate much of the above perspective and what I wrote about in part 1 of this work. This population was comprised primarily of homeless men. When I say homeless, I mean it in the sense that they are without the “normal” type of familial or friendship oriented support systems including physical shelter. They were forced to leave family and society, although possibly unconscious of why they resorted to this type of lifestyle. In some respects they were acting far more intelligently and rationally than many of the people throughout society who mechanically go on as if everything is totally natural. Many of these individuals were substance abusers, so-called mentally ill, or persons otherwise alienated from mainstream society. These were society’s unconscious and sometimes not so unconscious sacrifice to the shadow. I will repeat: alienation and addictions of any kind are a direct result of the pressure of the collective shadow, expressed through individuals and groups of people. Ultimately this is caused by the Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 114 unbroken umbilical connection to the coercive aspects of the matriarchal dictatorship within the shadow. These dynamics are energetic. They in no way have any relevance to gender. The shadow is contained within the lower levels of the psyche on the left side of the graph on page 28: the upper left interior- subjective individual and lower left inter-subjective or psychic collective. Unconsciously, people who are contaminated and/or controlled by the shadow, are focused on and, therefore when not in confusion because of ambushed attempts to enter into the left or subjective realms consciously, identify with the right side of the graph. In other words, because the left side of the graph is ignored they are ruled primarily by the dynamics located on the exteriorized right side of the graph although the actual psychic dynamics take place and are orchestrated on the left, unconsciously. The lower right exterior collective and the upper right exterior-individual represent materialistic externalized people. These are people who have lost the ability to obtain the life force that is only possible to obtain, in healthy life enhancing way, with conscious connection or at least appreciation, for the left. The result: theft from other people of the life force. Because a centering does not take place, the intuitive and feeling aspects of a centered individual cannot be used. Those four abilities, as a unit, represent what is available to people whose psyches have evolved and embraced the higher levels of the psyche because of a balance of all four quadrants. What I am describing is exactly similar to what Carl Jung and more advanced psychoanalysts after him tried to explain, beginning with the development of his ideas regarding the quaternity. Teachers and masters from the East have taught these realities for a long time. Without the stability of the number four representing a balanced square, the result is, to use a semantic word play, a triangle, similar to what people might think of when they think of the Bermuda Triangle. It sucks ships, people, down without a trace. It sucks away people’s ability to become individual’s. Although triangles are supposed to represent dynamic action, they can represent chaotic mayhem, when the process goes in reverse rather than forward. Healthy dynamic balance is only possible when the up-swept masculine triangle is in balance with the feminine, down-swept triangle. Thus the hexagram, more commonly referred to as the Jewish Star of David. When this balanced interplay of energies is not present, the results are the development of energetically starved hypocritical personas. These produce actors out of touch with their inner core, their Souls. In the Judaic-Christian Cabalistic Tree of Life, they become known as shells. Although I was not aware of the above dynamics at the time I was there, while at the men’s residence, I viewed my main purpose to be that of empowerment. A starting point was in attempting to increase levels of communication. In addition, opportunities were offered in which individuals could voluntarily accept offered services that might help assist in areas that may require growth or maintenance. Keeping the above in mind, the prime functions I performed while at my placement were twofold. In addition to developing human relationships with those who were willing to develop them with me, I attempted to develop a position for a resource person. The function of this position was to be aware of and have available information about different groups and/or individuals that would hopefully lead to a support or empowerment process. A resource person would be able to provide any basic types of support on a personal level, keeping in mind human limitations and what can reasonably be provided. This would have to include respect, understanding, and human interaction, communication. It might also involve crisis intervention and other more immediately required supports or assistance. An important element here is that of resource availability, so that an individual who might be interested will not have their control threatened and are free to utilize available services and assistance. This would necessarily be conditional upon the nature of situations and whether other person’s safety or legal imperatives are threatened by impending or currently happening events. Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 115 The short length of my field placement prevented me from developing the strong relationships necessary to work with many of the residents in a positive, long-term, and constructive way. This point illustrates the need that persons working in this area need to have a true, compassionate attitude, and so literally, love people in the real sense of the word. Of course, there are also many homeless people who choose to harmlessly, except perhaps to themselves, live the way they do and no one has a right, in any way, shape or form, to tell them that their lifestyle is somehow inferior or unbalanced, even if it is. It is only when people are in positions of trust and responsibility or when their behavior adversely affects other people do we have the right to respond in that manner. Therefore, the most I could do under these circumstances was to provide support and resources for those who desired to avail themselves of them. There seem to be two themes that constantly run throughout this analysis. In the most profound sense questions of power and especially communication seem to play most important roles. In other words, consciousness raising and growth of awareness is what is needed first and foremost, in conjunction with resources. Even though “mental illness” is caused by society and the various dynamics I have discussed, the recurring theme of “Blaming the Victim” is a constant tool used in harassing these people. Recently, while searching on the net for information related to these dynamics, especially unethical treatment by various institutions and people in their victimization of these scapegoats I came across an appalling article that actually recommended criminalizing these victims of society. The recommendations were actually being put fourth by the very institutions that are supposed to protect and heal society: the police and mental health. What follows is a partial excerpt from this article. What it says speaks for itself. NEWS FROM CANADA Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police calls for study on criminalization of mental illness Citing the link between inadequate funding of community mental health services and the increased involvement of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police passed a resolution on June 18, 2003 calling on the government to assess and monitor the ongoing impact of deinstitutionalization on Ontario policing services. The resolution calls for more research based on the groundbreaking study done in London, Ontario last year, which found that deinstitutionalization of mental health services has cost the London Police Service between $1.5 and $3.7 million. Saying that the policing costs ‘confirm the lack of community funding for an appropriate health service response to the needs of individuals with mental illness,’ the resolution calls for the association to address the ‘inappropriate downloading of service and associated costs with the Minister of Health and the Minister of Public Safety and Security.’ The full text of the resolution is available at the Association of Chiefs of Police website at www.oacp.on.ca. Criminalization of mental illness is also being examined at a national level by the Canadian National Committee for Police/Mental Health Liaison, which is comprised of police officers and mental health professionals. The second annual conference of the committee will be held in Saskatoon on October 26 and 27, 2003. For more information on the work of CNCPMHL, and the annual conference, visit www.pmhl.ca. Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 116 Let anyone who has their eyes open see for themselves the possibilities and ramifications of the above article. As shown above, anyone who wants to learn more about this particular article can look up the sources for themselves. What is really appalling is the suggestion of further victimizing people because of fiscal management. This is pure materialism in action. Much of what follows is to review ground I have already covered, this time in relation to a healing relationship and environment. I will speak of the whole situation however, without sweeping under the rug anything that people would rather not see. The main impact of the modern paradigm of technology, because of its isolationist and alienating character, is that it takes from individuals the ability to control, in a relative, dynamic, and balanced way, interaction with their environment. In many cases communication is not reciprocal but purely one-sided. Because of the division of labor and deskilling, communication is hampered in the sense that knowledge is limited. This is exacerbated when deskilling occurs in an atmosphere that is already hampered by its tendency to recognize as being valid only that technical knowledge which requires irrefutable, documented and quantifiable evidence to “prove” that something exists or is worthwhile saving. Without a sense of holistic interaction or belonging, society becomes afflicted by a “status quo” which runs through virtually all segments of our society. While at the men’s homeless residence this was quite obvious. This was a multi purpose organization that served all levels of society. It had a recreation area, day care, and so forth. The men’s residence was just one part of its operation. I was at this placement in 1991. Not long after I left this place the men’s residence was shut down and the people there were actually turned out into the streets. Although I have been gathering information and understanding for this work since 1991, today, the year 2005, the dynamics I have documented and spoken about so far appear to only have increased. The structure of the organization could be viewed as being a microcosm of society because of its hierarchical and segregated nature. In a very real sense the people who lived in the residence found themselves quite isolated, and ostracized, from the lawyers, doctors, and generally affluent and upper class people who were members of the rest of the organization. Ironically, the name of this organization reflected the original religious orientation of the place and promoted brotherly and sisterly love of one’s neighbor as oneself, without bias or segregation. Now there is hypocrisy and a slap in the face of the founders of the organization. Not only does it not serve young men who can’t afford to go there, it ran out of spiritual Charity. I guess that is why they kicked out the homeless and added more facilities for the wealthy people who could afford to go there. Within the staff and management sections, people acted in accordance to the status quo; that was the nature of their jobs as well as the status and natures of the ”customers” they mostly came into contact with. This state of affairs, in many places of employment, is rapidly becoming even more entrenched in the age of the computer and robot. There are isolated exceptions, flower buds, which will hopefully get enough sunlight to blossom into something which can spread. Unfortunately, with the implementation of “systems controls” and the ability of management to monitor efficiency and “productivity” by computer systems network monitoring, and so on, it was these realizations that were partially responsible for the understandings I came to see. In 1991, that gave me a new appreciation for the statement “The Personal is Political”. By the year 2006, this appreciation has only been strengthened except now I have a better understanding of the dynamics at play. Before I continue I would like to relate a story I had the good fortune to read. It communicates extremely well how human beings can learn to be compassionate, truly life giving, productive and prosperous. Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 117 A Story Once upon a time there was a little town nestled in the mountains. This town was very run down and shabby and all of its inhabitants were very poor with no ambition to be any more in life than they already were. One day the king called all of his subjects in this little town together and announced that he had intentionally switched one of the babies in the town at birth with his own royal child, however the king refused to reveal which child was indeed the royal child and the town would just have to figure it out for themselves. As a result of this announcement, the town’s people started to treat all of the children as if they were royalty, you see no one who lived in the town wanted to incur the wrath of the king because they had treated the royal child in any way other than that fitting to a prince or princess. Twenty years later the king returned to the same town only to find the once shabby run down town had turned into a much larger bustling metropolitan area with very proud hard working subjects. The king was very proud of how far the town had come in twenty years, so once again the king called together all of his royal subjects in the town together to congratulate them and to tell them who the actual prince or princess was who had lived among them for so many years. The town's people bustled with anticipation, speculation ran high, every parent was convinced it was his or her child that was indeed the true prince or princess. At last the king stood and started to speak, "my royal subjects, today I would like to congratulate each and every one of you for the excellent progress your town has made and I would also like to tell you why this wonderful transition has taken place." Twenty years ago I visited your town and told every one I had switched my royal child with one of the townspeople babies, well this story was not true. I wanted all of my royal subjects to learn the value of our children and the overwhelming benefits of training each and every one of our children as if they were princes or princesses. Look around; you see what your efforts to treat all of your children as royalty has reaped, be proud of yourselves for producing a generation of gentle, loving and responsible adults. A generation of people who have grown up with love and gentle nurturing making them happy, well adjusted adults with the skills and ability to create a healthy prosperous town and to create a cycle of parenting, conducive to the on-going success of both families and business for the future. This very wise king had indeed taught this town a very valuable lesson about the value of each and every child and the benefits we all enjoy when each child is given all the love and nurturing befitted that of royal children.”65 The following are simply some of the more technical and scientific illustrations I wish to give illustrating the deep complexity of the mind, and that it is comprised of so much more than what we usually take for granted. In focusing on certain aspects of the psyche as they relate to the shadow, I will speak about a term and terms that I researched in another book, as they relate to this topic. In reference to “the submergent unconscious,” there are aspects of the personal psyche that have been repressed and reversed over time, and by whatever conditioning I have already discussed. Once forced into 65 Reprinted with permission by Mr. David Lague, President of Canadians Against Child Abuse Society, “Child Abuse Prevention Guide” Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 118 the unconscious realms, the archaic unconscious, much of which is reptilian and lower level in nature, acts, responds, and reacts according to the pleasure principle, and acts accordingly on personal contents that have been repressed. 66 In considering what I have already said about these dynamics, it is becomes clear today they leave a powerful and clearly, an unconscious “great mother” aspect in predominance. This does not refer to gender, nor does it devalue the feminine energetic principle. It refers to an earlier level of evolutionary development. In this case, it refers to a devolution in consciousness. Enforced confinement in these areas of the psyche act on people unconsciously in much the same way rats responded to Skinner’s conditioning; it becomes that much clearer how society is controlled. This control is illustrated and maintained by the wide open scope of addictions found within a purely material based and oriented culture and society. Typhonic refers to archaic and unrefined, primordial, and if unconscious, totally uncivilized. This is the aspect of the psyche that needs to be uncovered, by individuals and thereby the collective super ego. The super ego is expressed through the actions and processes of society. This is “the system”, comprised of various institutions, and so on. It is not at all paradoxical to realize how this part of the ego called the super ego, which is in fact a collective aspect of all people’s egos, will unconsciously cause a lot or most of the repressing that a person’s psyche performs. That is why it is primarily unconscious but not repressed.67 Although Wilbur, in this instance, does not say it is part of the collective, most of his works, especially his graph representing a centered understanding and existence within the human psyche express this. It is also in agreement with depth psychology of psychoanalysis. Since the super ego has such a dramatic affect on all people’s psyches, unconsciously, the crisis I have been discussing becomes that much more apparent when we take into consideration the poisonous, alienated and vampire-like aspects of a shadow controlled ego. The super ego, today, still performs this repressing (in a big way), expressed on individual levels. Because of the condition of the collective unconscious interacting with individual egos and shadows, alienated psyches are in a state of anarchy in many cases. All of these dynamics affect people’s “conscious” thinking far more than is usually considered. This is most noticeable on the mundane level of consciousness with alienated egos throughout society in a relative state of anarchy and encouraged competition for control, especially over other individuals. This unbalanced state of the collective or universal human psyche, especially ego, demonstrates how the cycle of the beast is maintained. We also see how the power of the unbalanced human psyche and superego can be healed and turned towards constructive purposes: through awareness, consciousness raising, reconnection and literal soul searching. It is very important to consider the important role the false superego plays in society, today. We can see it around us. We can also try to see what kind of a role a healthy, balanced, naturally operating human collective psyche would accomplish. As I said previously, people’s conscious awareness at the present is in some cases far right wing and in some cases far left wing. What is required, and many are today striving for this in spite of the “norm”, is a type of centering, naturally beginning in the individual psyche, individually and subsequently collectively. Thwarting proper human development, society generally conditions people according to the dictates of the collective super ego. Extreme examples are when sensitives are forced to go on medication. They become energetically depleted. With their lowered levels of consciousness they become entrapped in their false egos, and this is substantially mirrored in the collective super ego. 66 Pg. 99, “Eye to Eye: The Quest For The New Paradigm”, Ken Wilber, Shambhala. 67 Ditto Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 119 In the case of anti-depressants, entrapment in the false ego combined with the pharmaceutically induced temporary increase in energy, can lead to ego-inflation, an “all out for yourself” type of attitude that tramples over other people if need be. These dynamics are void of actual connection to other people. It can lead to a deadening of true conscience. From what I have observed in other people and studied, long-term use of anti-depressants or other pharmaceutical products offering emotional and energy enhancing boosts or “cures”, usually leads to a need for stronger medication. As previously stated, it can also create an addictive personality if undisciplined, usually of an emotional nature, in addition to neurosis and psychosis. While using antidepressants, as an example, what develops is the body’s inability to manufacture serotonin due to the effects of serotonin re-uptake inhibiters. This atrophies the psycho-neurochemical processes necessary for healthy psychic functioning. Antidepressants are on of the most widely used and abused psychotropic medications on the market today. These types of medications actually cause people to become desensitized, to other people, inducing them to “voluntarily” become more unconscious. This desensitization makes them far less sensitive to the impact they have on other people. Even the unhealthy aspects of the environment seem “all right” to them. It enables and in fact promotes people to become less careful and aware of dangers and unhealthy conditions in their living space. It cuts off compassion and connection to other people; it creates neurosis and even psychosis; pure ego inflation. However, with sensitives, because of their, usually scattered, awareness of the unhealthy nature of the super ego without proper identification of what is actually unhealthy about it, they become entrapped in the super ego, especially if medicated with deadly neuroleptics. Most psychotropic medications smothers and dampens the actual life force that is pushing a person to reach upward to higher levels of aware existence. When combined with their sensitivity, this awareness within a mute-lated and controlled psyche can have a devastating impact on their psyche. Their heightened awareness allows them cognitive glimpses of the human psyche beyond themselves. There are longer-lasting repercussions because of the powerful vibrational and energetic dynamics involved in and between people. With people on neuroleptic medications, rather than saying these medications can causes fragmented psyches, it is better to say it causes shattered psyches. I know this from personal experience, and research I have done on the nature of mind. Although I did research a lot of psychology obtained from medical books, a lot of this research has been attained from meditation and study of quite a few of the Eastern masterpieces, most of them written thousands of years ago. The study of mythology and the psychology these metaphorical stories try to teach people have been an enormous resource. Consider the individuals so affected mentioned in the immediate above. Usually not being able to distinguish between their own individual self and their connection with the collective human psyche and its invasions from that part of the psyche, in many cases they take on aspects of the collective anger and guilt; the projected things people deny within themselves. Here is where an exaggerated and oppressive development of an inner police state might take place. These people usually have been abused, traumatized and conditioned to turn these dynamics inward. The unrecognized psychotics and sociopaths are the desensitized individuals who project these contents outwards and become perpetrators in service to the collective super ego – shadow, The sensitives who are medicated and controlled, remain in touch but not necessarily tune, with society’s collective guilt and, given the above, especially the scapegoating and labeling, assign ownership of other people’s projections to themselves, in a very real sense. The result is the individual’s unconscious anger and subsequent impressment by the shadow in its service. As outlined throughout this paper, these people tend to consciously carry the enforced projections of the collective psyche. This is what happened with Hitler when the German people, centered in Hitler, carried the world’s collective psychosis. In all seriousness, with today’s entrapped sensitives does this enforced psychic crucifixion combined with some very real mystical experiences they may be having contribute to feelings and thoughts of being Christ-like, or Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 120 otherwise appearing to be psychotic? Ironically, it would be quite acceptable to feel Buddha-like in most parts of the world where Buddhism is practiced. In the above context, this is devastating to many, especially when combined with the usual day-to-day interactions and treatment they receive from other people. Many recipients simply give up. Although these dynamics occur throughout society on different levels, disturbingly, when psychotropic medications are distributed on a mass scale, this is able to achieve for a short time, in the expanse of history, what historically any sort of traditional dictatorship has temporarily been able to achieve before the people rebel against the oppression. In today’s society, for the time being, everyone is supposed to pop a pill, buy their lottery tickets, and keep a smile on their face while they shop-till-they-drop (ah…those that can afford it). In the beginning of developing awareness a certain amount of filtering is required, inattention, by the conscious mind: “it prevents the self-system from being overwhelmed by its surroundings.”68 In some traditional societies that recognize the higher levels of the mind, people can find proper guidance to safely allow them to explore and reach higher levels of existence if they demonstrate a potential to reach them, instead of killing this natural curiosity. With double binds, and I am referring to environmental ones that are expressed and eventually manifest in psychological way, repression is a natural outcome.69 When people are placed in psychic double binds resulting from the above dynamics, the results are not very different from the results with people who have been sexually abused and who distorts, deletes and rationalizes the realities of the experience. By the way, I have come to see that the term “double bind” refers to an action performed, unconsciously by that aspect of the shadow we are not normally aware of. This can be referred to as “double speak”, the term George Orwell used to describe this phenomenon in his imaginable presentation of this psychological reality. Anyway, the severity of these dynamics, as described later in this work affects a greater depth of the psyche than is usually appreciated. Repression exists on a continuum from severe dissociation identity disorder to severe neurosis or psychosis. Among the latter group, those that are undiagnosed, are the people who are good enough actors to continue on the surface to operate within society and if they do not turn the dynamics inward and resort to societies psychically debilitating addictions, they project these dynamics outwards. These people become sadistic on a continuum, and their addictions, if they are intellectually talented enough, become addicted to the control and humiliation of other people. When combined with deep archaic structures within the collective, especially the repressed shadow aspect already discussed, we begin to see the effect. These are the symptoms that might ensue, from scapegoating, bigotry, and manipulation. This is especially true of that severe example of victimization, “schizophrenia”, that catch all category that claims everyone who is undergoing a deeply mysterious or potentially transformative mental process, that can’t neatly be fitted into any one category, and similar categories of collectively tortured psyches. The important point to be made is that certain dynamics cause people to edit their psyches70 in such a way that repression, projection and other malfunctioning aspects of the psyche develop. When this occurs with people who are in positions of trust and power over other people, especially vulnerable people, this is cause for alarm. This statement applies in many cases to mental health workers as it does clients. In respect to clients, a possible result of having control exerted from extra-personal sources and other types of conditioning that places the individual in double binds, can so affect the person psychically, they become conditioned to be their own worst jail guard. Imagine a situation where you are having such a difficult time deciding whether you should or shouldn’t do something, even the simplest task. Imagine a sense of panic as you 68 Ditto 69 Ditto, Pg.100 70 Ditto Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 121 become paralyzed and actually cannot even move. Then realize that placing people in double binds for long periods of time can actually condition people to act or react in ways approaching what was just described above. A rough analogy is the concept of a shame - based personality, and a perfect movie representation of similar dynamics would be “A Clock Work Orange.” In this movie a person’s socially created violent personality and mind is massacred by a severe form of behavior modification with all of its ramifications. He became a defenseless sitting duck within a severely violent society. As scary as this may sound, Charles Manson was partially right when he stood up in the court room and blamed society for creating him. He was only partially right because he refused to take any responsibility for his actions. In this sense he was just as just as guilty as the society he accused, in fact more so. Interestingly, I once spoke to a person diagnosed with schizophrenia who said, definitely tongue in cheek, that Charles Mansion was his mascot for just that reason. The difference was that this person demonstrated a well defined sense of responsibility. It was simply the dynamics that Manson expressed in the catalytic and developmental sense that he agreed with. “Schizophrenia”, for example, is one of the most abused diagnostic tools used to ensnare senitives. The number of horror stories I have heard and personally experienced, of doctors attempting to fit psychic processes they do not understand into some category they can classify as pathological thus indicating the need for medication, is criminally phenomenal. I have seen people’s minds and bodies destroyed, not from the potentially transformative cleansing process they were going through but from a roller coaster of different types of psychic and physiologically destructive neuroleptics they were placed on, and subsequent paralyzing double binds; exactly like Guiana pigs. The labels and subsequent ways in which they are treated by people’s attitudes towards them is horrendous. The devastatingly sad part is the hopelessness and destruction of self esteem, and the creation of fear. Is it any wonder they may display fear under these circumstances? This, all because of a paranoid and incorrect diagnosis made about them and then being told, as happens with startling frequency, they would need to be on these types of deadening medications for the rest of their lives’, being told their situation can only get worse. Most deadly, they are told only to rely on the experts: bang. In other words, they are sometimes destroyed by the very mental health system that is supposed to help them. Abstract:71 “ ‘Prominent psychiatrists are stating that schizophrenia is a brain disease like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or multiple sclerosis.’ These statements are disconfirmed by scientific facts: no neurologist can independently confirm the presence or absence of schizophrenia with laboratory tests because the large majority of people diagnosed with schizophrenia show no neuropath logical or biochemical abnormalities and a few people without any symptoms of schizophrenia have the same bio-physiological abnormalities. People with schizophrenia do not usually progressively deteriorate: most improve over time. Psychotherapy and milieu therapy, without medications, have led even the most severely disturbed individuals with schizophrenia to full recovery and beyond. Many people diagnosed with schizophrenia have recovered on their own without any treatment, something never accomplished by a person with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, or multiple sclerosis.” As with many other so - called mental illnesses, so called schizophrenia is one of the most terrifying aspects of psychiatry’s attack on mysticism and the human soul. What follows are some selected quotes further contained in this abstract that began with the above quote. What follows are some common statements that truly illustrate the misrepresentation about what is truly known about schizophrenia. 1) “Schizophrenia is not “a single disease. Schizophrenia is actually a cluster of diseases” (p. 267). Statements to the effect that schizophrenia is “a brain disease” (singular) are misleading.” 2)"Evidence for the brain disease hypothesis is weak. A few individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia show certain brain abnormalities, but the brain scans of most people diagnosed 71 “Unethical Psychiatrists misrepresent What id Known About Schizophrenia”, Al Siebert, Ph.D. http://www.antipsychiatry.org/siebert.http Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 122 with a schizophrenia fall within normal ranges (Weikert & Weinberger, 1998). The brains of the majority of individuals with schizophrenia are normal as far as researchers can tell at present" (p. 499). In addition, rarely do studies with positive findings control for the effects prolonged use of neuroleptic and other drugs." This last remark echoes my own feelings, personal experiences, and what I have researched and observed. Politically and economically, it fits in exactly with what I have been saying about abuses of power. 3) “The ‘brain disease’ hypothesis cannot accommodate solid evidence that many people completely recover from schizophrenia. Unlike Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia does not necessarily progress toward life-long debilitation. The belief that schizophrenic psychoses are essentially a progression toward dementia and death... is ... a tragic error. Nearly a third of schizophrenics recover for good.” 4) “No brain disease has ever been cured with psychotherapy or the passage of time. Many therapists have reported observing full recovery from schizophrenia with psychotherapy and/or milieu therapy. In the Soteria studies, young adults diagnosed as acutely schizophrenic were stabilized with no medication and non-professional helpers just as well and as quickly as a similar group sent to a psychiatric hospital (Mosher & Menn, 1978). Many individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia have recovered on their own without medications or psychotherapy.” 5) “Some people diagnosed with schizophrenia progress beyond recovery. A schizophrenic experience may in some cases have a beneficial effect on those diagnosed, leading to favorable changes in personality and psychological growth. For some, a schizophrenic episode appears to function as a breakthrough to a higher level of mental and emotional functioning…with many patients who receive intensive and prolonged psychotherapy, we reach levels of integration and self-fulfillment that are far superior to “those prevailing before the patient was psychotic.” 6) “If Andreasen’s speculations were true,” physiological, biological, genetic and traumatic, “many people with similar ‘genetic predispositions” would eventually develop schizophrenia from the multiple neurological trauma caused by chronic smoking and drinking, cumulative environmental toxins, viral infections, poor nutrition, an aging brain, decreased immune system efficiency, and early stages of such brain diseases as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Proponents of the “brain disease” hypothesis cannot explain why schizophrenias occur so consistently in physically healthy young adults, aged 16 to 25, but rarely in anyone over 40, regardless of any physiological stressor.” I will assert that by that time, over forty years of age, the usual expression of most people is totally conditioned. Masked neurotic or psychotic behavior, by that time has been conditioned and assimilated into the machine. I would suggest in this age group, ages 16 to 25, these young people are still in a highly psychically developmental stage of their lives. They are still relatively sensitive and the most sensitive people in this age group would succumb more easily than less sensitive people to society’s psychic double binds, chaos and other symptoms that I have been discussing. Once people are past the age of forty or mid-life, they have usually become conditioned enough to “the way things are” to not even bother trying to seriously question and search for the meaning of life, even though nature intended otherwise. If they do make a serious search, quite often they mature to higher levels of psychic integration. 7) “There is no “universal” recognition that schizophrenia is a brain disease. Like all other brain diseases... Medical specialties that deal with neuropathology and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis have nothing to say about the schizophrenias. Andreasen’s claim of almost “universal” recognition of schizophrenia as a brain disease is also belied by statements from many psychiatrists and psychologists, clinically experienced with the schizophrenias, who see no convincing evidence for the theory. Even the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (fourth edition) of the American Psychiatric Association (1994), states plainly: “No laboratory findings have been identified that are diagnostic of schizophrenia” (p. 280). This Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 123 statement highlights that the “brain disease” hypothesis stands or falls on simple criteria. A true brain disease must be identified and confirmed by laboratory tests. No blood chemistry, neurological, or brain scan test (or any other test) independently evaluated by a neurologist, biochemist, or pathologist who knows nothing about the patient’s clinical symptoms is able to reliably discriminate between a person experiencing a first episode of schizophrenia and someone who is not (Andreason, 1997). However, such a test might well identify someone who has been taking neuroleptic medications for many years.”72 Italics and bold letters are mine. This last statement sends shivers up my spine, because many times I’ve had a thought to myself, and written it down in places. If I had have taken the tests mental health staff several times tried to get me to take I have no doubt I would not have passed “the test”: I was “incarcerated” at a hospital for a short time for an assessment following long - term severe traumatic abuse before, and then during my stay there. While there, the extremely disorienting and debilitating medications they had given me at the time and their extreme side effects certainly made me feel insane at the time. Especially combined with the almost machine- like indifference and sometimes almost sadistic treatment I received. My “treatment” would have ensured I became unbalanced enough to have forced me into one of their pathological categories of mental illness. Interestingly, the most important files I requested after this incident were not even given to me until years after the incident: they contained many bogus statements, accusations, evaluations, etc. that I could easily have defended against if I had have been told of them at the time. But now, as I research the topic I find hard evidence for the illusion of a test for schizophrenia. “Schizophrenia” has been manufactured, like any machine, to control and destroy people’s lives, simply for profit and to enable some very sick people within society to try to force other people to carry their sickness. I get outraged thinking of the thousands of victims that fall prey to the beastly machine in this manner. I especially get calmly livid as I research and see there is no scientifically objective and verifiable test for schizophrenia. I imagine the same holds true for other so-called mental illnesses. As I said, possibly, after all of the trauma and abuse I had endured I might have failed their “test.” There was certainly an intelligent intuition working for me that lead me to refuse to take the test. Today, I have recovered absolutely and overcome all of the categories and labels that were forcibly placed on me, with the exception of a need to use puffers to prevent asthma attacks and an occasional mild tranquilizer because of the long lasting affects of trauma. After I disproved one label or diagnoses, they would readily find another, but eventually even that black bag of goodies ran dry. When their attacks on my character finally came to an end, and I pretty well had to live like a saint to do it, then I finally found some space to attempt to develop as a human being, as The Creator intended. Today my most passionate desire is to do what I can to prevent other people from enduring the brutal treatment I have endured. 8) “Treatments” for schizophrenia are often worse than the “disease”. Pichar stated that when people stop taking their medications ‘the consequences can be very severe’. What Pickar did not report however, is that withdrawal symptoms can be disabling and mimic psychosis (Cohen, 1997) and that long-term drug use may be quite harmful. Neuroleptic medications may cause profound brain dysfunction and frequently lead to irreversible...This is a solidly established fact in psychiatry.”73 9) “The real “tragedy of schizophrenia” may be that thousands of people diagnosed with “schizophrenia” are led to believe that they have a chronic, debilitating, progressive brain disease like the incurable diseases of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis. For many, this 72 “Unethical Psychiatrists misrepresent What is Known About Schizophrenia”, Al Siebert, Ph.D. http://www.antipsychiatry.org/siebert.http 73 “Unethical Psychiatrists misrepresent What id Known About Schizophrenia”, Al Siebert, Ph.D. http://www.antipsychiatry.org/siebert.http Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 124 amounts to hearing themselves sentenced to a slow, painful and early death. Yet no one ever dies of schizophrenia, even when it is untreated (Mendel, 1998). Is this erroneous and misleading information contributing to the high suicide rates of people diagnosed as schizophrenic?” The answer to this, when combined with these people being forced to carry the projections and guilt of the collective psyche, is yes. The other thing I will adamantly state is that the power of suggestion can be a powerful psychic tool or weapon. I will discuss this later, but for now I will say it is profoundly irresponsible to ask someone if they are going to consider committing suicide if there is not a substantiated reason to do so. I have spoken with various people who have used mental health services, and many times they have stated they never even remotely considered certain trains of thought until they were introduced to the idea by the therapist. This power of suggestion is recognized and restricted accordingly when interviewing children about whether or not they have been sexually abused. The same common sense rules of protocol should be applied in all psychotherapeutic interventions. So, in response to the above question of suicide, I would say definitely yes, combined with the psychic torture that accompanies the diagnosis, including the label attached to them, their high level of sensitivity in a polluted environment, etc.; all are factors. This next statement is perhaps the most important statement that can be made in respect of senitives: people diagnosed with that catch –all-net phrase "schizophrenia", and other "mental illnesses". 10) "A person diagnosed as having schizophrenia is expressing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors very disturbing to others and usually, but not necessarily, disturbing to the person expressing them."74 The reason this statement is so important is because this population of people, more than any other, are expressing, through their psychic flood, what has been collectively and individually repressed through oppression and conditioning within the machine. This population more than any other have the potential of bringing to light the shadow that has plagued, manipulated and poisoned humankind for hundreds of years. They are treated in a way similar to the way Christ was treated by the Romans. What he tried to teach humankind was politically dangerous to the Roman dictatorship and religious/political institutions of his homeland. Like Christ and his message of true psychic health, that population known as schizophrenics is perhaps the most potentially powerful political opposition the machine and those powerful people that control the machine has ever faced. As a little aside: many people do not realize that at the time of Christ's death, crucifixion was a method of death reserved for political opposition, for "enemies of the empire". Thieves were not put to death in this way, so it is a myth that thieves were crucified along with Christ. This was perhaps a later, religious installation into the story because in a spiritual and symbolic way this imagery makes perfect sense, and expresses the symbolic crucifixion that eventually leads to individuation and rebirth. The thieves represent the “Whore of Babylon”, in a psychic sense. In today’s political society, crucifixion, usually with the person becoming psychically imprisoned rather than initiated on the journey to psychic evolution, is not just symbolism, it is reality; in the Roman imperial empire sense. The above section on schizophrenia is simply another example of the many factors in the creation of a nihilistic society, seething in unconscious self-hate. This can only be overcome by awareness, consciousness-raising. In attempting to raise this awareness, “He no longer simply translates his self and world via ‘normal inattention’. This mistranslation results in both a symptom and a symbol, and the job of 74 “Unethical Psychiatrists misrepresent What id Known About Schizophrenia”, Al Siebert, Ph.D. http://www.antipsychiatry.org/siebert.http Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 125 the therapist is to help the individual retranslate”, the interpretation, and place “his symbolic symptoms back into their original forms by suggesting meanings for the symbolic symptoms.”75 As Wilber states, true psychotherapy has to involve the ability of the healer to help a person experiencing the confusion and undergoing the “mistranslations” by taking the symbolic symptoms and reinterpreting them back into their proper meaning as they pertain to the reality of the client’s psychic and experiential reality. Today, this needed therapy is required for our multiple personality and neurotic/psychotic collective, i.e. Society at the deeper levels. This means breaking down society’s collective denials and subsequent projections. In fact, what these symptom amount to is a devolutionary spiral back to the psychological level where participation mystique rules but awareness of this is hidden and affected by various forms of illusion. From a health perspective, the primordial, reptilian Id is contaminated by a pissed off and neglected shadow, in control of and also contaminating the collective super ego. On an individual basis, this therapy must begin with the identification of and, therefore refining of feelings associated with the symbol/symptoms. In this sense most of the repression caused both by conditioning and the unconscious contaminated super ego, the “mistranslations” that result in the distortion, repression and substitution for what is repressed, in one sense can be said to be a decision made by the individual not to remember, even if the decision is unconscious. In one sense this may be true however, what has to be taken into account are the coercive elements within the collective, both psychically and materially. In addition, this does recognize the inseparability of the individual and collective psyche. 76 When Wilber states that the super ego is frequently masochistic and severe, given the areas we have already covered, the results are not only masochistic but sadistic also. In my later exploration of these dynamics and imbalances of the psyche, we will see that even the sadistic elements can be referred to as being both sadistic and masochistic by virtue of the individual psyche containing within it the whole of the collective as well. 77 This is a perfect way of describing the development of the perfectionist police state within. Because the super ego is hidden in the unconscious, the usual ego awareness of a person cannot see it. I will add that consciousness raising of the shadow infected nature of the collective, and other types of consciousness raising, either in the forms of psychotherapy, meditation or a combination of both can bring dynamics to light on an individual and a collective level that would shock most people. In the absence of consciousness raising Wilber states unequivocally that the most violent expressions of this forced repression takes on its most pathological and violent forms on the ego level of human development78, both individual and collective. All we have to do is look at the violence, greed, bigotry and revenge tendencies prevalent throughout society to see the truth of these words. Also noted is that if addressing the halting of psychic development does not take place, then a movement to a higher level will not take place. Under natural conditions, movement to higher levels would take place.79 This illustrates the need to put back in balance these natural dynamics and conditions, through development of awareness. So we see, bigotry, with all of the various elements and nuances to the meaning of the word I have given so far is the #1 obstacle to these developments. Awareness of the true causes of bigotry and hypocrisy have been forcefully repressed. This control has to cease for evolution to continue. We have to move beyond control by the collective superego level. We have to develop, if not an actual awareness then at least develop a conscious acknowledgement and appreciation for its existence. This would have a 75 Ditto 76 Ditto 77 Ditto, 102 78 Pg. 102 79 . 103 Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 126 greater unconscious impact, for the better, on people’s conscious experience than one would at first imagine. Whether it is the modern medical or scientific establishment and subsequently the creation of society’s negative attitudes about the possibilities of higher levels of the psyche, the end result are defenses against transcendence to these higher levels of psychic functioning. 80 This is being enforced by the collective super ego contaminated by the enraged shadow. This will be alleviated and healed through therapeutic collective consciousness-raising, individual and collective. As we will see later, once a certain amount of consciousness raising is initiated, natural developments then begin to operate on their own. I once read a book that described people’s fear of psychic “liberation” and becoming true individuals (I cannot recall the name of this book). Let’s face it; it takes true courage to flow, in a civilized manner against the womb-like comfort of the herd of “normal” functioning of society, especially in today’s world. I read that book years before I even developed an interest let alone to begin active research and study of what I have described in this work. This simply reinforces the fact that true useful books of knowledge can be sources of information that can offer deeper insights with every re – visitation of the contents of whatever book it happens to be. Obviously, this is very true after additional information or knowledge has been gleamed through life experience. It is unfortunate that people associate and turn the practice of mediation into some sort of exotic and weird way of life. Some people even think it is some form of religion or only peculiar to certain religions. Meditation provides a natural evolutionary method to teach the mind (the mind is not to be equated with the real psyche) to reach higher levels of the psyche. Meditation only seems weird or exotic to the ego. This is natural when we consider it is the ego that creates illusions of reality that have no actual basis of fact within the true psyche. The whole psyche, including the real and true ego working in service of the whole psyche, not only would not experience meditation as weird and exotic, intuitively it is probably the usual factor impelling an individual to even practice meditation in the first place. 81 This is the new type of consciousness raising that is required. Initially, it obviously has to be an individual endeavor and journey. It would promote independence and interdependence. It would also necessarily involve society and the collective unconscious. The growing number of people, today, learning how to meditate, thankfully, is on the increase. This has to be encouraged. However, the further along the meditation path one goes, one has to guard against ego-inflation. The process of mediation, by its very dynamics will in turn impel the ego, perhaps grudgingly, to go one step further and put into more subtle and less rigid forms, that which it would rather think about conceptually and verbally.82 This happens naturally as more of the ground unconscious, the higher subtle realms, is unfolded. In other words, to unite the logical, quantitative aspects of the psyche expressed in the left hemisphere of the physical brain with the more creative and subtle aspects of the psyche that can be expressed through the civilized aspects that manifest through the right hemisphere. In today’s overcrowded and generally unbalanced psyche, this process would definitely be more difficult to go through than it was in years past. The fascinating thing to consider is what kind of transition or developments would this have on bigotry. I would suggest that in the absence of bigotry, that is, fragmentation and separation, many of the dynamics that keep these things in place would not be possible. Today there are so many ego diversions throughout society, primarily in the form of an addictive, that is, caught in the ego and maternal or womb-like cocoons 80 .Ditto, Pg.103 81 Ditto, Pg.105 82Ditto, Pg.106, Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 127 of obsessive society that, in its mad dash, leaves little room for development in the psychic realm; evolution. In fact, true meditation actually teaches the mind to “clean house” of the very dynamics stemming from bigotry.83 This is also the area of the psyche that the medical establishment, psychiatry and most areas of psychology, pathologize. It is now the main area that the various psychologies, especially those embraced by psychiatry have to recognize and promote if they hope to be healers of society. These would be similar to some of the methods used by the various living spiritual traditions. The psyche has an enormous impact upon the ways things manifest. They are influenced greatly by the thoughts within the psyche, conscious and unconscious. This naturally extends outward to include the collective. This is obvious on the most mundane and physically concrete levels. What is neglected and now has to be taken into account is the power for directing what is made manifest. Responsibility has to be taken for what people build and construct within society aside from what nature does on its own. We have to consider levels and the impact on conscious thought, far beyond what people usually acknowledge. Taking into account everything that has been discussed this far, I believe the urgency for society to do something about this becomes apparent. The Perennial Philosophy, that tradition from which all of the mystery and spiritual traditions, including traditions of the psyche, sprang from, clearly states that ultimately matter is created out of mind. This begins at the lower levels of the psyche, expressed for example by the minds ability to physically bend a spoon or affect what is being observed: a wave or a particle. This is not the case with psychic aspects of simply perceiving and measuring. 84 This is profound in light of what science and society promotes or condemns. Society promotes quantitative perception and the “crucifixion” of the imaginative, creative and higher levels of the psyche. It is imagination which is necessary for unleashing the full capacity of the psyche. When I use this term unleashing, I am not only referring to it in the sense of unleashing an explosion or bombardment in consciousness, but also in the sense of taking a leash off. Beyond the ego level, a lot more of the unconscious and collective psyche has a much more powerful impact on decision making than consciously understood by most people. Most people would think that their decisions made in consciousness ("I think I will do it this way", for ex.) is the first indication of these particular thoughts in their decision making process. But there is a mental/psychic process that takes place, a great part of which stems directly from the individual and collective unconscious. Being unaware of this the result is the illusion that their first conscious conceptualization of something is where the thought began. In fact it began a long time ago. This last sentence has more and greater truth to it than most people could imagine. However, Physics is only a beginning point for understanding transpersonal psychology. It is an extremely important beginning point, though, because it provides the concrete reality of physical manifestation. It provides the lowest but initially most grounded and stable area to work from; actually the roots closest to the surface into which a person must delve utilizing internal meditation with a conscious perception. Naturally, a purely intellectual, that is ego perspective, in the beginning stages is necessary. Then, after the mind has developed to a certain level, a Zenlike process could be used to break down this intellectual perspective. This filtered reality could be brought to a point of stillness so that clear understanding, without intellectual clutter, can shine through. Regardless of what worldview is considered when the psyche is taken into consideration the mystic’s worldview cannot be discredited. 85 How could it be discredited: it is far beyond what most people are able to achieve in consciousness today, let alone what modern medicine recognizes. In other words, intellectual pursuits can only be a starting point in beginning to understand reality, including psychological experience, the higher levels of which cannot be put 83 Ditto, Pg. 106 84 Ditto, Pg. 131 85 Ditto, Pg.131 Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 128 into words and categories. In fact, it is segregation and categorization that mutilates and distorts the reality of the psyche. In this sense, modern medicine, especially psychiatry, is extremely limited in attempting to heal society. It inhibits this goal generally because of its materialistic and quantitative approach. We must include but go beyond a traditional medical approach. In fact, most of our health facilities and institutionalized caregivers, especially in mental health, promote a very unhealthy dependence as opposed to liberation and empowerment. They seem to want their clients only to listen to what they have to say. There have been many times have I been lectured, in fact brow beaten and manipulated in some instances by mental health personnel to listen only to them and their advice. Most importantly, and very damning to the mental health professional, I have found myself forced into becoming mute in respect of my offering of input into my own healing process! This is most amazing. I mean, seriously folks, who would know more about an individual and can assist in healing than that person. Yet this is a regular practice. I’ll also tell you why. They want control of the person even if this desire is primarily unconscious. This may sound paranoid but it is not. It is a prime example of wounded and manipulated people attempting to control those weaker than themselves. This is the domino affect. Even if it is primarily unconscious, and who really knows how much of it is. In the present mental health system, the weaker and more isolated from outside supports the client is, the more they run the risk of maximizing the power of the mental health “net,” pun intended. That it, “it” in the sense of Wilber’s upper right hand quadrant of the same name, also parallels the idea of extreme left or right wing political orientations and extends throughout society, simply because of the label, the brand or tattoo that results from contact with the mental health structure, in most instances, this should be quite alarming to most people. Research, by a multitude of individuals, provide a substantial amount of evidence that once an individual transcends the purely personal contents of the conscious and unconscious psyche, because of the holographic nature of the human collective psyche, “a holographic Blur” is encountered by the individual experiencing the journey through to the higher realms or levels of the psyche. 86 This indicates the requirements that a person experiencing these stages have a strong ego, not a false and overly segregated and alienated ego, so that encounters with this blur which is necessary to traverse in order to go beyond the lower levels, does not engulf the individual. Today, traditional medicine treats these states of mind as “different,” pun intended, and as pathological aspects of mental illness. Depression, anxiety attacks, and so on are symptoms of abuse, not mental illness. People experiencing the more mystical aspects of psychic states of mind should be guided through these mind phases by experienced persons who understand the processes; teachers. Within the human psyche, holography is only possible utilizing the elements of memory, both collective and individual. This holography is accomplished by “mathematical transforms,” to create the substance necessary to actually become manifest; that comes into existence from the higher realms. This is obviously a necessary and natural development where the “material” aspects of the human psyche becomes and flows out of “no space no time frequencies.” 87 Although most of modern society has made “psychotic” this reality; it is in the higher realms where past, present and future are one. That is, it contains all potential and is before or prior to even the concepts of these three mundane manifestations. This is wonderfully described by the Judeo – Christian Cabala or Tree of Life. It explains how, as manifestation becomes more “substantial” and material as it takes on the lower level expressions of the psyche and material world that can be identified by physics. In other words, manifestation, even the dualities of masculine and feminine come out of pure potential. As the Cabala calls it, “no thing,” Kether, the 1st reality and source of all manifest creation including mind or consciousness is that from which all else emerges. 86 Ditto, Pg. 132 87 Ditto, Pg. 133 Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 129 Psychologists, do not deal with or acknowledge any reality of the psyche beyond the ego levels, usually, and as a result they do not adequately understand these aspects of the psyche in the upward movement towards the higher realms of evolution. These realms of the psyche are in fact areas where measurement and concepts of quantity become meaningless in attempting to understand these aspects of reality. This illustrates that, for example, modern psychiatry would necessarily reach a point where it would become obsolete, psychiatry as it is presently practiced, in explaining these psychological or experiential states of mind. It is well known that person’s traveling through these advanced psychological states of consciousness have to remain well grounded in order to prevent mental instability. Yoga, which is a practice designed to promote integration to and with higher realms of the psyche, similar to the Judeo-Christian cabalistic Tree of life and Western and Eastern alchemy, have recognized this truth for a long time. This demonstrates society’s need for healers who are indeed knowledgeable about the human psyche. That means the hard and real Earth, our foundations and everything that extends up towards “Heaven”, most of which can only be guided to by those persons who have traveled there themselves. When these realities are recognized for what they are, it becomes clear that there is a huge difference between consciousness at the lower levels of the psyche and material world and states of consciousness that transcend this lower level. In the first instance, the movement is downward toward lower levels of the psyche and confusion within the shadow contaminated super ego; in the second instance the movement is upward, far beyond the lower levels. 88 In this respect, today’s ideas of and consideration of mental health forces people who are expressing potential to reach the higher levels of psychic experience into arrested development. Then they are forced into a downward spiral back into the lower levels they have been trying to become liberated from, back into the shadow infested false ego levels. This is a crime against humanity and the human evolutionary potential that can be found within all people. This increases the need for consciousness while experiencing these states of mind. If a person becomes more unconscious instead of more conscious this cannot happen. This happens, for example, with people who are medicated, repressed, and mute-lated. When the libido is forced downward instead of guided upward the direction the psyche, it is forced downward towards the primitive, typhonic, oceanic and pre-temporal realm of consciousness. This happens when only the ego is taken into consideration. The movement towards the transtemporal can only take place in a state of consciousness. Although the goal is the upward movement of the psyche, one cannot lose the foundational contact and stability of the concrete “here-and-now” awareness to prevent getting lost in the trans-temporal realms. This is one of the purposes of ego, ego in service of the whole psyche, not the other way around. This recognizes and prevents ego-inflation. Ego inflation occurs when ungrounded people touch the higher realms of the unconscious psyche: collective and spiritual. In the state of ego inflation a person will take these higher realities to be aspects of their own individual egos. Staying in the “her-and –now”, what the psychologies refer to as reality testing, is very important. Ego inflation is also a concrete example of the idea of holarchy where parts, the foundations, of the lower levels are lost, forgotten or ignored. Then the super structure above it will crumble, in this case people’s psyches. A more concrete example is a large building. Above the foundation the structure may blaze upward to become like a huge cathedral or office towers. However, if a person begins to take out segments of the foundation that the mighty structure rests on and emerges from, eventually the whole structure will collapse. I think many people have read in the newspapers or seen on television where huge buildings have collapsed because the foundations or lower levels had not been strong enough to provide support to the rest of the structure and its accompanying weight. 88 Ditto Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 130 Therefore, although we have to emerge from the lower levels of the psyche as nature intended, we cannot devalue or do away with any of them. The lower levels of the psyche are necessary to support concretely the loftier heights that a human psyche is capable of attaining. What is fascinating is that a well grounded individual who has developed the ability to traverse the various levels of the psyche in consciousness would have access to the “storage bin of personal memory.” 89 This would necessarily include the collective human psyche by virtue of our psychic interdependence. Consider the immensity of this reality, understanding that at the deepest and most whole levels, the individual psyche is inextricably connected with the whole of the collective human psyche. Consider the collective historical psyche of humanity. It is a part of every individual psyche as well. This could account for everything from memories of past life experiences to a psychic ability to work with law enforcement personnel to solve crimes because of a person’s psychic ability to read and identify psychic residues that remain in place after the actual crime took place. This latter example is an instance where memory would be utilized but as well it would be an example of the concrete physical reality of brainwaves and the lower astral realities in the manifest realms. They are not to be identified with the physical structure of the brain itself; the physical brain is a container, filter and mechanism for expression. The physical reality of brainwaves also illustrates how one individual psyche can “materially” and psychically affect another individual psyche. As I asserted elsewhere, radio waves that are created and sent into space are in a very real sense indestructible. Brainwaves and thought-forms are no different, although, unlike brain waves moving in a forward motion similar to radio waves, thought-forms, because there is no forward momentum or continued energetic infusion would dissipate after time. In fact, what I am talking about is the indestructible reality of the individual and collective human psyche. Importantly, this is not meant to discount the possibility of individual past life experiences. I am simply not concerned with or even or even going to bother to explore these possibilities because they do not touch upon the purpose or thesis of this work. These potentials and realities reinforces the importance that an individual searching or extending into these areas of the psyche be as conscious as possible so as not to confuse their own memories with the collective memories or projections of others. This indicates the requirement of an absence of repression in an individual and would also help protect the individual from ego inflation. So at the deepest and highest levels, looking inward and in- depth in order to see outward at higher levels, the archetypal levels of the universal psyche, the personal is political and the political is personal, in the most profound sense imaginable. As all the great sages, saints and mystics have said throughout the ages, we carry the universe within ourselves. Personal consciousness can be a reflection of cosmic consciousness. This is true especially in the sense of our personal reality being reflected back to us through our environment, both psychic and material. As the mystical and mundane aspects of the Judeo/Christian tradition teach, we are all “made in God’s image”. This is both paradoxical, looking inward in order to see outward but also inclusive, hierarchical and circular. This is pyramidal yet global, similar to the particle/wave paradox. We don’t look for “God” outside of ourselves, we look within. Considering the above, it is important to always remember the differences between the transform of space time objects, lower levels of psychic manifestation, into space-time frequencies. Both can be observed by the human psyche and the movement beyond, not only space-time objects but also space-time frequencies. 90 This would indicate a link between the physical, or measurable and quantifiable, and the non-physical. The direction, then, is from the personal and then into the collective psyche, then, transpersonal psyche. At every stage, 89 Ditto, Pg.133 90 Ditto, Pg. 134 Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 131 however, the psychic state that evolved previously, the foundation, must be kept intact, in a constant state of expansion. Therefore, our senses, which operate primarily in quantitative mathematical terms and concepts, are used to describe the lower psychic levels. 91 As with the above paragraphs, this statement presupposes the ability of the mind to "tune in" with mental impressions of primordial and, higher up, archetypal structures. The latter structures are the psychic frequencies existing before they become space – time objects. Archetypal realities are universal realities of the human psyche at higher levels of awareness that Jung confused with the lower level, primordial or instinctual levels. Therefore, these frequencies have actual physical volume that could be picked up by a mind that operates by mathematical analysis within the space/time continuum or frequency realm, the collective human psyche at the lower levels. However, an upward process within consciousness is necessary in order to make any sense or rather, not to be engulfed in confusion when one encounters them. The lower level of the collective human psyche is also the hardest one to pass through so as to enter into the higher realms, especially given the chaotic nature of the human collective, as I discussed earlier. Although people can and do develop navigational abilities to traverse safely into the higher realms of the psyche, the tools and conscious awareness that knowledge of these realities of the psyche can provide would allow even more people to develop their true potential without the turmoil and confusion that most persons of these natural abilities encounter. These tools and knowledge would also provide would-be healers of the psyche to become true guides in assisting people to evolve to higher levels of human potentiality. A similar tool is a healthy and strong ego to provide people with a strong sense of the here and now and a solid grounding of personal identity. It is only when focus is placed on one orientation to the exclusion of other areas, other quadrants of Wilber’s graph, that imbalances and disorientation set in. An extremely important consideration is that within the reality of the lower levels of the psyche, there exists a holography of the collective human psyche that creates a very real ability to experience the reality of empathy and interpenetration of psyches. The reason why this is so important is because of the very real and direct connection of and impact of one psyche on another and the importance in considering the differences between compassion and bigotry or scapegoating. With this understanding we get a better idea the effects these opposite orientations have on people. 92 The interpersonal interaction could easily account for the ability of someone, a person attempting to help someone with compassion having creative and supportive life – enhancing results. Or the affects a perpetrator, or even a salesman, to psychically affect a weaker mind, especially a will weakened by conditioning geared toward that end, may have on another person. I will stress again, it is a person’s attitude, whether conscious, or unconscious, that will dramatically affect the way a person interacts with their environment, especially with other people. We are talking about an inner psyche that has a direct effect on the outer environment, without the person having to consciously psychically act or respond. This could be related to the phenomenon of synchronicity but especially the affects that hypocrisy and bigotry would have. The attitude a person adopts will have a significant affect as well. Archie bunker was conscious of his bigotry, but there are a lot of unconscious Archie Bunkers as well. Consider the revolutionary impact that will take place when the “old science” that tries to explain the psyche out of existence by pathologizing gives way to the “new science” that embraces these more real ways of looking at and “treating” the psyche. 93 Although this statement is primarily referring to shallow attempts to use the holographic paradigm on the lowest level, to 91 Ditto 92 Ditto, Pg. 135 93 Ditto Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 132 explain human integration, forgetting the higher levels of psyche and beyond, it also reflects the dominant belief in the medical establishment, or rather, the systemic establishment. I am referring to a focus only on the lower levels. I’m thinking about the dynamic outcome, the unconscious effect of this greater awareness on the individual and on the masses. This way of viewing the world and the psyche goes beyond the old mystery schools of thought that veiled in mystery more than they revealed or explained. This is explained by the historical necessity of doing this, both because of ignorance and also to safeguard these higher truths from unbalanced people. As I have adequately demonstrated, in fact the development of the black arts was only possible by these mystery schools being breached and losing their hold and control on entry of only “white” practitioners of the arts. However, since this breach has taken place, the only remedy is to blow the doors wide open because I can only imagine that at this crisis point in history most people, once they become aware of the true state of the world and the world psyche, will embrace healthy psychic dynamic living rather than look at the possibility of human extinction. In reference to the crisis I just mentioned in the above, I remember, once, speaking with an older woman who had majored in psychology in university. She actually ridiculed the idea of an unconscious psyche that had some kind of autonomy and said what she had learned in university was that the unconscious psyche did not even exist. This was in the year 2000! This does, however, fit in perfectly with a society that attempts to control the psyche by focusing exclusively on the ego, biology and genetics, rather than freeing and expanding the psyche. In considering the most important aspects of the psyche to be acknowledged and added to present realistic psychological theories of mind and consciousness, especially in a higher evolutionary sense, we have to transcend the purely mundane or lower holographic nature of the psyche. We have to include a hierarchical representation of the psyche and consciousness in order to transcend the severe limitations of the Newtonian, physical and material focus of the present sciences. 94 I realize that even the holographic explanations of the psyche attempts to do this, to transcend, as for example in homeopathy, but they are still of the lower levels and do not recognize the higher levels and potential. Recognizing the higher levels would admit a greater care not to mutilate and devastate those psyches that have potential for higher evolution. Wilber explicitly states that our focus on ego is very regressive and does account for the factors I have been discussing throughout.95 We have developed technological abilities far in advance of our level of civilization and human desires or our ability to control our machines and machine – like creations within the system of society. When it comes to people who do indeed bravely begin the search in the psyche, there are many cases where people confuse the purely primitive levels of the psyche with higher levels. I gave an earlier example of this. Primal dancing, drumming and the possible resulting trance, are not evolutionary unless they are used mainly as a beginning point for the adventure on the positive, that is, upward moving end. When this does not happen, those persons caught in those more primitive areas become easily manipulated and controlled by those persons who have traveled beyond that level or persons controlled by the shadow. People can be unconsciously manipulated by the shadow contaminated superego whose tools of manipulation are people who hold positions of power and “authority.” This is how cults operate. There are a substantial number of physicists, philosophers and scientists generally who do embrace this new way of thinking, and they all speak about the urgency to open up, develop and implement this more realistic world view.96 I would suggest the main reason these people are not given the proper voices and listened to the extent they should be is because our profit driven and competitive societal structures sense what might happen, even if this realization is primarily 94 Ditto, Pg. 135 95 Ditto 96 Ditto, Pg. 136 Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 133 acknowledged on the unconscious levels of the shadow on the collective psyche, and perhaps not so unconscious. In this case there is a realization that with a true appreciation for the realities that these people could communicate to the masses, people would recognize the destructive obsolescence that the purely material way of thinking really is. However, it truly is wonderful….. Since the main purpose of this paper is to illustrate the human psyche in relation to people’s interaction with others, the higher levels have to be, if not understood, they should at least be appreciated and acknowledged. But the mental interactions we have been referring to throughout, with a lot of focus on the collective unconscious, do take place primarily at the 1st level of the psyche because that is where most people have been stuck. There is a profound difference between stages of consciousness and structures of consciousness. Obviously the lower structures are necessary. It is when humans remain caught in the lower stages that troubles become apparent. In consciously attempting to move beyond the lower levels, an important understanding required is that as a person or people transcend or move beyond the lower levels, they actually transcend and leave behind older stages of development. However, they incorporate in the overall structure all structures of development. The lower level manifestations of structures are retained as foundations, even though the total structure transcends the lower in the sense of ability and awareness. An important distinction is that at the higher levels of psychic development, for example moral development, they don’t incorporate them as much as replace them with something greater. 97 For example, under natural circumstances, the morals of competitive and self – centered adolescents are replaced with a more mature recognition of people’s interdependence and mutuality at the higher levels. Notice that the lower level structures and necessities are on the horizontal axis or movement on the Earth plane. They are very different than the vertical movement into the more subtle realms, as exemplified by the development and maturity of morals. In fact, some very well-known and respected psychologists, for example, Eric Fromm, have demonstrated the very real connection between people caught in the anal/oral stage and sadism and masochism. It is a very early and infantile stage of development. When it remains so in adults, and especially the collective level, the implications become clearer. I mentioned earlier the possibility that if a critical level of consciousness was reached within the collective human psyche, the result would be similar to the “hundred monkey syndrome” where consciousness will spread from one psyche to another simply because of the sheer volume of psyches sharing the same consciousness. In these cases actual verbal or person to person communication in the physical sense is not necessary. This has been proven beyond reproach by various anthropologists and scientists of the mind who have studied this phenomenon. It has also been historically documented by the simultaneous inventions by great scientists and thinkers who, although they live in very different parts of the world, by virtue of their high levels of consciousness have connected on a psychic level to the extent they actually are able to share mutual contents of the psyches. I believe trends in various ages and cultures also share similar dynamics although in these instances there would be a greater combination of factors involved: psychic, physical, communicative and visual. 98 Consider the realities of the psyche I have discussed so far, especially interpersonal empathy. People cannot help but be optimistic as to the forward movement in the development of the psyche and therefore civilization. As I mentioned earlier, in spite of all the negativity we are exploring we always have to remember the light at the end of the tunnel. I think the important thing here, however, is that the collective level mirrors to large extent, an individuals’ own mental development. If the collective is in a regressive devolutionary spiral, most individuals will mirror that level of development. They see things in reverse, another way of explaining hypocrisy. However, changing this regression has to begin with individuals. So, in this sense, the individual, 97 Ditto, Pg. 242 98 Ditto, Pg. 247 Exploring the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 134 in an, initially, independent manner that will later mature and develop into an interdependent realization with other people, is of primary importance. “Democracy” has to go beyond “majority rules” to more of a sense of individual democracy, because only then can a true and empathic interdependence with other people develop. This would enable a person to promote his or her free development, not encumbered by the straight jacket of the herd mentality. As I am discussing these realities, try to feel with your whole being. If you are sitting in a chair, as you concentrate, also be aware of body and emotions or feelings that emerge as you are studying this material. An overall awareness of what is being said always communicates more that the simple intellectualization of words. In speaking about breaking away from the heard mentality, it is good to remember that detachment does not mean retreating from the world to escape its responsibilities. It refers to being in the world but not of it. One must not be immersed only in the material (matter, by itsel f= mother = uroboric = unconscious = materialism), but has to include the higher, masculine or heavenly, that is conscious or spiritual aspects also. This terminology absolutely in no way is in reference to gender. Most of society is unconsciously on the first level of consciousness. In meditation, it can be made conscious; it can be the starting point. As mentioned above all people who successfully meditate know that when one first encounters the unconscious psyche, at this initial level, the personal unconscious, the personal and collective shadow and the id will be encountered, and as we have seen, a lot more as well. Today, especially drug therapy leaves people caught in this stage. As I will state in other places, street drugs, especially of the psychodynamic types, will also lead people downward in consciousness, unless discipline has been learned to counter this affect. However, anyone who has learned the discipline would have no desire for these types of mind altering substances anyway. Most of them may be naturally produced, but I don’t think nature planned that people had to get stoned in order to assist with evolution. In any case, it usually has a reverse effect, literally. In reference to people who have an innate natural potential for achieving higher levels of consciousness, the psychically sensitive, with the application of psychotropic medications, become trapped in lower stages of development. This leaves the majority to regress rather than evolve. Fortunately, this is not 100% the cases. Some groups and people are able to escape the lower levels. Psychotherapy could assist with this consciousness raising. Perhaps it will become the new trend, as awareness if it’s healing power, efficacy and subsequent focus on wellness grows in people’s awareness and expands to reach a critical level of no return. Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 135 13 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Throughout this chapter there will be a focus on the dynamics of naturally functional psychological and spiritual healing because in a whole psyche the two cannot be separated except in an artificial and segregating way. True functionality does not just refer to the ability of a person to be useful as a cog within society’s systems, operating externally. I am referring to a whole sense and appreciation of psyche that provides a creative ability to emerge as a full and complete human being. The preceding statement I made applies in relation to the health of the psyche extending far beyond what we would normally think of as psychology and touches on what many would consider spirituality. Even what we would call the “secular” has to be included because a true living spirituality includes all of an individual’s and peoples living environment, at all levels which they are inextricably linked to and ignore at their own peril. Each religion or spiritual tradition looked at in the context of that particular perspective it is supposed to represent, makes each one of them as valid as the next. They all spring from the same source, therefore each one of them express a reality of that source of creation; but only one aspect of the whole truth. The solution is to include of them they which people find healthy and beneficial. Just as no one individual is able to practice (in practice) all religions, if one is able to perceive the universal truths and themes expressed in all of the traditions, the segregating effect of labels can be dropped. This requires intolerance against intolerance, freedom to express from the heart, to individuate. Then, it becomes clear we were all saying the same thing in the first place. Just in different ways. This natural requirement pervades all aspects and levels of a person’s existence. One of the first things to consider in the healing relationship is a necessary two way interchange between healer and client. Being aware of this while also creating proper dynamic boundaries, to safe guard both the healer and the client, can foster health and empowerment to access the vast power within a person’s own psyche and self, rather than create dependence and disempowerment. Western approaches of psychology work well in enabling people to free themselves from the bondage of their past, sometimes, primarily through the application of external intervention. They know very little about how the mind actually operates. Especially they know very little about how people can either perpetuate or heal their neurosis from within. The focus I am zeroing in on is how people can heal from within. Therefore, we also have to address how the main methods of mental health today utilize primarily one way, expert client communication and authority and control. This creates dependence and disempowerment. What is required is a two – way movement of mutual exchange without the elements of one way control being exerted by the healer or mental health practitioner. 99 In the Eastern cultures, healing from within is encouraged and the methods and opportunities are available on a wide scale. This evolutionary requirement and natural development is still a 99 “Awakening The Heart: East/West Approaches To Psychotherapy and The Healing Relationship”, John Welwood, Shambala Publications, Inc., 1920 13th Street, Boulder Colorado, Copyright 1983 by John Welwood, Pg. V11 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 136 strong living aspect of these cultures where Western materialism and literalism has not totally stagnated the process. There are provisions within these cultures to accommodate aspiring people who wish to awaken the heart and mind. Western methods of applying externally applied methods of control only perpetuate neurosis/psychosis within the client. Sometimes the domino effect clicks into place, movement of shadow begins, and the typical cyclical pattern commences. Health providers involved in the mental health and medical fields have a responsibly to exercise, consciously, proper compassionate intentions in his or her assistance with the clients in healing their psyches. Importantly, the client has to be the prime mover in healing themselves. Today, many would-be healers simply manipulate client’s psyches, a criminal invasion in itself, and one that usually does further harm to the clients as well as the person attempting to assist the client. Many of these health workers are usually wounded psychically themselves in certain aspects, without having healed from their own past wounds. Many healers themselves have a deeply submerged but effectively neurotic or psychotic state of mind. When one considers the interpenetration of psyches and the power differential involved in this sort of relationship, the effect on the client can be devastating. This will be further explored and referentially substantiated further on in part three of this book. Some would - be health workers know how to act, repress, and play the game, oblivious to their own dysfunction and how it can hurt others. The danger to the client seen from this perspective is only commonsense. Harm occurs with the combination of control over the other person and a would-be healer projecting aspects of their own sickness on the already overwhelmed clients. I am not referring to counter-transference here. I am referring to projection. Furthermore, counter-transference, the unconscious intake and then neutralization of the affects the clients dysfunctions have on the healer can only be accomplished by a therapist who is highly conscious of the process taking place. Simply ignoring the realities and needs of the psyche is all that is required in order to unconsciously repress one's true nature. The people who are better at hiding their wounded nature, to themselves and others will naturally result in the two above mentioned conditions developing: projection and control and harm of other people. However, with their ability to blend in with "normality" and hide their true psychological status, mental health workers, and they all do to some extent or other, have power they use over other people. The element of power is not usually thought of in this way, in relation to the usually less empowered client who is obviously in mental stress. This power differential is especially apparent with poor clients. This power differential between worker and client gives the mental health worker an unusually vast amount of opportunity to do either great good or great harm to the people they are presuming to help heal. This is why it is important to be aware of these dynamics and to develop guidelines of criteria that can provide us with indicators when a potentially detrimental situation might present itself to the client. A strict expert/client relationship is potentially dangerous for the client. Of paramount importance is an interdisciplinary committee of health providers and observers, and not just from the hospital if that is where the “ therapy” is taking place. At all times, people concerned strictly with the legal and ethical rights of a client should be involved in virtually all aspects of so called treatment. I am definitely not referring to the political patsies who pretend to work on behalf of the clients. These people's paycheck usually comes from political patronage that supports the hospital or they are directly controlled by the hospital or organization itself. Just as bad is farcical kangaroo committees comprised of the clients and the health workers themselves in which the mental health staff simply extend their control of the clients. In some cases the clients are in positions of being manipulated by the very people they are supposed to act as checks and balances to. I have personally seen these dynamics in action. In these instances, the very mental health staff they were supposed to be acting as the check and balance to on behalf of the clients controlled the process to a very large degree. In this instance it was a Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 137 client committee. Besides the clients themselves, the only other people present were the very mental health workers who controlled the other aspects of their lives. Further more, the proceedings took place in the very same area where the clients were treated. In addition to this, when I participated with the people in this committee for a while, I noticed and experienced intimidation to a very large degree. Most importantly, the mental health workers demonstrated many times where they would not hesitate to override, veto or halt the proceedings at their own whim if what was being discussed did not fit their agenda. As I said I have personally witnessed times when the hospital staff held complete power and control over these proceedings. Especially considering the fear virtually all clients would feel in attempting to speak out against the hospital staff. I remembered watching a staff member (not client) literally dry washing her hands in fear of the person in charge of an influential area of the hospital and was the real person who was in charge of the proceedings. She held a very significant amount of power within the institutional setting itself. The person doing the dry hand washing was the chairperson for one of these committees and as well, she was an employee who worked under the supervision of the person who was causing her to act in such a manner. I remember this person, the big shot, attempting to intimidate me after I received seething looks and other forms of attempted intimidation after this person learned I was not only a social worker but involved in and was knowledgeable about the occult as well. A person should ask why mental health staff will literally attack any client who is acquainted with the occult. Throughout my ordeals with these so-called professionals, I was treated adversely in many ways because of this involvement. When I worked in the helping profession with clients of mental health organizations in the community one thing I readily noted was the stigma and labeling/targeting of clients who were interested in the occult. In one setting, I witnessed clients actually being counseled or blatantly coerced into refraining from perusing such interests. In addition to being an infringement on their human rights and self integrity, why are they afraid and is this fear a fear of a deeper insight into themselves and others that a client may, even partially obtain? Of interest is the fact that soon after I witnessed these events, this big shot, who was more like an inquisitor rather than a compassionate health worker was taking over a psychiatric forensic unit. Now that would be a perfect captive audience to satiate all of the deepest repressed sadistic projective needs this person might have! The most powerful and unconsciously controlled perpetrators will usually work in those areas and with people who are most vulnerable; mental health clients. However, the clients are the very sensitives who are the most threat to the shadow controlled masses by virtue of their awareness and potential to reach higher levels of psychic evolution. It is good to keep in mind that most people are highly controlled by deeply repressed aspects of their psyche, and this amounts to occult control by the shadow. Obviously this includes mental health workers. In fact there have been documented accounts of people in these positions of power and responsibility (not contained in books that you would find at Coles Books stores!) who are knowingly controlled and are in worship of the shadow. Terrifyingly, many of the clients are aware of this, at least on some level. But it is precisely for this reason that many of them will not speak out. I did have one very intelligent person involved on the client committee say various things that indicated his awareness of this. Therefore, many of these clients go along with what they see or know to save their own skin: pure survival instincts. Of great significance here is this usual situation: who would believe the labeled, stereotyped and “pathologized” scapegoats referred to as clients anyway. I have read many documented accounts, and worked with people escaping from very real Hollywood satanic cults. I'm referring to the kinds that have real torture, sacrifice, and other forms of completely inhuman types of ritual. In the accounts that I researched, those people who escaped and tried to tell their stories, they were made out to be lunatics. This was relatively easy considering many or most of the cult members held prestigious and powerful positions within a wide area of influence within society. In fact, cults attempt to enroll members who hold exactly these types of credentials. When I was working with a survivor of one of these cults I was briefed on the very same things: about members usually holding positions of power throughout society. Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 138 Hollywood satanic cults are mirrors of true satanic cults that operate strictly from the astral or subconscious realms; that operate and re-victimize with one way control in the same manner. I have experienced and witnessed this intimation in action. These cults are throughout most of society. I am referring to the shadow I have been discussing throughout this book. In the mental health field, as an example, the usual attempt of the service worker to allow only an attitude of one-way input into the psychological health requirements of the client is what usually takes place. Without paranoia or exaggeration, one of the hallmarks of a satanic or shadow driven cult is that “authority” or control is only one-way: from the top downward. Control is exerted on those persons at any level beneath the controllers. It is like any sort of dictatorship. If people truly look at the power dynamics within society, they are no different in many cases than documented power dynamics within Hollywood satanic cults. However, as I also said previously in this book, there are always those who control the controller. Importantly, the dynamics are usually unconscious or subconscious, except for people who have learned, through discipline, to go into the higher realms of the psyche. When people of above mentioned unhealthy natures apply unhealthy methods of external controls on others, combined with they’re own mechanically repressed and concealed psyches, these mutually interfacing psychic dynamics become exponentially increased. By combining Eastern approaches to the psyche with the best and efficacious of Western therapeutic methods an effective healer utilizes both what nature provided to heal with in conjunction with what humankind has been able to improvise through the use of science and commonsense. Science can also be considered natural by virtue of the brains nature provided us with to be able to do these things. However, we have to take the whole of nature into consideration. We have to respect the health of life and an idemonstrate responsibility for the welfare of everything we have an affect on in the environment. This way we can remain within the realm of all nature, harmony, and aliveness. Let’s give the truly best compassionate care Western Psychology can offer by helping out the mental health providers. The thing is, it has to become recognized, based on a scientific and common sense based view that this crisis currently exists. Ignorance about the nature of true health has created a crisis in health care. This is exacerbated by an overwhelming focus on drug maintenance, a sterile healing environment, and the resulting healer burnout rate because of their ineffectual and/or neurotic/psychotic “efforts” and the cumulative effects of these factors. Mental health practitioners have the highest suicide rate of all professionals. 100 After what I’ve said, can a person wonder? It is nonsense not to acknowledge the possible connection between health workers unhealthy psyches and the fact they work in a profession that necessarily exposes them, day after day, year in and year out, to people with wounded psyches, in addition to their psychic natures and why they are drawn into this line of work in the first place. This latter factor will be explored in a later chapter. Furthermore, like any other group they will naturally develop a bigoted and defensive attitude, characterized by a “we vs. them” attitude. They also have a ready avenue to obtain a pathological “remedy” to provide the energetic needs given the situation. How are they “cleansed” of the infected psyches Jung was talking about and vice-versa. It is common sense to acknowledge such phenomena as mutually interactive projection or transference that necessarily takes place within any relationship between people let alone a client and mental health professional. This suicide applies to both physical and psychological suicide. Because of the shambles of the mental health of society, at a deep level people know when they are hurting other people, even if they do not appear to be conscious of this. This applies to all people. There are unhealthy health care providers who know at a deep level they are hurting their clients sometimes, rather than helping them. In extension they are also hurting themselves taking into consideration the 100 Ditto Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 139 real nature of the psyche I have already discussed. For people unable to focus on true life and health, this would be a logical way out, and an example of guilt finally taking its toll. It is well known that when guilty people are accused of a crime they are guilty of they are usually unable to hide their anger. How more angry can you get than killing yourself? Take note, this is at the opposite end of the continuum of the victims whose tortured and trapped souls sometimes resort to the same thing. However, the victims have psyches that are in contact with the collective psyche. Remember what I said earlier about many scapegoats taking on society’s collective guilt, both because of collective interaction and because of conditioning caused by labeling, stereotyping and bigotry. As a personal example, I remember one time, while enduring a substantial amount of trauma and abuse, I spent one night telling myself what a horrible human being I was. It was unbelievable. As an individual, I was a complete victim at that time. However, I had also been the constant receptor of several people’s, most of them in close relationship to me, projections of a very unhealthy and guilt ridden nature. Being an extremely sensitive individual, I had actually started to identify with the very traits they and others denied within themselves. This was an actual experiential awareness of these dynamics, and it was something I will never forget. Not only was it an example of “blaming the victim” it was also an example and internalization of this to the point where the victim blamed the victim. When people attempt to live and work in mental health environments with these dynamics present, most of this is enabled by major repression and regression of consciousness, causing the perpetuation of the cycle. In respect of mental health providers, the further they aid the “dispensers of ill health” the more dysfunctional they become. The cycle of ill health can be broken through awareness of this and acting on that awareness. Can people put their egos aside long enough to acknowledge this? We will see. Who purifies the health providers of the unhealthy projections they absorb from the clients? An analogous situation are clergy who receive a certain amount of projections from their “flock” and vice versa, especially in the areas of confession. I will say, however, the clergy have a greater awareness of the need for and opportunity to cleanse themselves than the mental health providers, and for obvious reasons usually do. But in mental health, who purifies them? How are they prevented from acting out in subtle or not so subtle ways, from projecting or acting out their baggage onto their clients? I’ve never met clergy who thought themselves next to God, except in obvious cults. I’ve met many doctors and professionals who acted as if they were. Regular therapy for the health worker is the only solution to this problem. Some clients are in a position of complete helplessness in respect of the power differential between the mental health workers and themselves. The lower down the social scale the less power they have. By recognizing this we can start working toward true healing, in any mental health relationship. Both the healer and the client can learn to see that both can “awaken the heart.” Any effective relationship in healing is a mutual journey. If the health practitioner places her or himself above the client, it cannot work. There has to be a 2-way flow. There has to be humility within the healing environment. Thinking with your heart, in the Eastern sense of the word, means with the whole psyche instead of only with the ego. This helps create an environment conducive to a mutual two – way flow of healing interaction. 101 In the above sense, thinking with the heart does not only mean letting others in but also expanding outward to enter into them in a mutual form of interaction. If the inward movement is out of balance and too strong the healer can become an emotional vampire or sadistic controller. By expanding outward and letting him or herself into the client as well as letting, not sucking, the client into them, they are actually giving a portion of themselves to the client. This can be a form of empowerment for the client. In some of the more profound examples of healing I have researched, spiritual healing for example, the actual dynamic involved is the giving of energy to 101 Ditto, Pg. v111 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 140 the client for just that purpose. 102 How many healers today could or actually would consciously give themselves this way to a client? I would suspect that in the days of Hippocrates this wouldn’t even have had to be considered a serious question of contemplation because it would have been a natural inclination and prerequisite of any healer dedicating their life to healing others. One time a friend of mine jogged my memory with a comment about 2-way movement within the psyche that I had mentioned before. He said, after he thought about it, it really had a dramatic effect on the way he interacted with others. It is obviously very important. The emphasis, naturally, is about mutuality. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Knew what he was talking about, because it occurs at all levels and areas of human interaction both within individuals, with others and with all that comprises a person’s living environment. In the mental health fields, we have to learn how to create this mutual interaction of healing in which both the client and the healer constantly awaken and learn more about themselves in a constant expansion of awareness. 103 This can also assist both the client and the healer in developing compassion both for their selves and for other people. At the moment, in the majority of publicly funded client/therapist relationships the exact opposite takes place. How can more people become aware of, learn, and pass on the healthy dynamics of a true healing relationship? If most of the people encountered in the health systems are very ego-based, and this is promoted in our society, that is precisely the barrier that has to be broken in order for true healing relationships to blossom. Not until the healer heals him or herself can they, in role as healer, pass on this needed ability to the client. Traditionally and naturally a healer should be a teacher and student as much as a technician. Not only should a client learn to see the healer within their own self, the healer has to learn to see the client within their self. We all contain the universal human and as such each and every single person presents reflective aspects of ourselves. In this sense we not only have to acknowledge the client’s resistances to open and be accepting of themselves more fully, to the world and their own psyche, the healer has to acknowledge their own resistances to the same process. 104 I recall personal experiences where, if I asked therapists about their credentials or tried to offer my own knowledge about my psyche, myself, they became defensive, their egos threatened by the thought of not being on top and in control of the exchange. Consciousness-raising can allow us to see that the most effective healing takes place when this mutual interaction takes place.105 This is well known in true healing traditions that recognize the connection of body, mind and soul. On an unconscious level, how healthy a healer is psychically, will affect clients. It is a far more important factor determining whether a client will be healed or the difficulty they are experiencing exacerbated than most people would suspect. The relationship is far more important than is usually appreciated. The vast numbers of unsuccessful healing relationships that occur are a result of primarily unconscious and perhaps not so unconscious ego anxiety and related dynamics. Instead of callously exacerbating the client’s pain and distress, the affect of sharing a client’s pain, in other words, true empathy,106 would obviously have the affect of connecting the healer with unhealed parts of him or herself. In addition, it would also be a way of achieving a better appreciation for the actual needs of the client. In reading the chapter on, “Psychiatry and the 102 Ditto 103 Ditto, Pg. 1X 104 Ditto 105 Ditto, Pg. X 106 Ditto Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 141 Sacred,”107 a thought occurred to me, stemming from my several experiences and the experiences of other people I have spoken with, while working with or visiting a mental health institution or facility. If a person makes any kind of comment about religion or spirituality, especially unorthodox, it is considered unacceptable and sometimes psychotic. This is absolutely incredible and criminal because the most important aspects of a clients search in life is primarily spiritual in nature and usually can only be described in spiritual or religious imagery and concepts. In addition, it is precisely problems of a spiritual nature than sometimes propels a client into a crisis or stressful situation where assistance may be sought after. Therefore, what I am describing is the general pathological and childish, although dangerous, viewpoint to what I like to refer to as control psychology, especially that sometimes barbaric school of thought and method developed by B.F. Skinner: behaviorism; that skinner of people who treated humans like rats, literally. As I said, when clients speak of spiritual concerns, it is usually looked at as an indicator of pathology. This is the most important quest of the human soul and spirit, and these observations are usually taken out of context. There is also a tendency to extend the diagnosis or psychosis to naturally include that entrapment term, “paranoia.” Paranoia is a label that attacks the integrity of the client and usually has its source in the healer or people who create that label. An outrageous and paranoid example, paranoid on the part of mental health, is if a responsible individual wishes to see their file, they are labeled as being paranoid! I was told by a psychologist this is looked upon as an indicator of paranoia, even though some responsible individuals do in fact recommend that their clients look at their files. In looking at files, I have found some blatant misinformation, misconceptions, things taken completely out of context, and things placed there that were not obtained from client therapist interaction but outside hearsay. Yet a client acting responsibly, perhaps demonstrating an expression of healthy intuition in wanting to view their files is considered paranoia. In addition, by reviewing their own files a client can take a proactive role in reviewing and following their own progress. How would you, reader, feel about these things if they happened to you? Don’t just think about it. Feel it; picture it, imagine it happening to you. Close your eyes, and picture a movie with you in it. View these things happening to you as I have just described in the above. What would your intuitive gut feelings say? What would you do, with the label of “patient” stamped on your head, really no different than a tattoo burned into your arm? Importantly, as I just said, a responsible person wishing to see their files will be able to review and monitor their own healing process in progress. I also know that a great many files contain gross errors of view because of the wounded natures of many of the mental health workers. These people sometimes literally project their wounded natures, and paranoia stemming from their threatened egos, onto the client by doctoring the files in ways that, although false, supports their “diagnosis”. They are probably primarily unconscious of these dynamics. I have witnessed this personally in quite dramatic fashions, both as a client and as a social worker. I was certainly instructed in the importance of looking at files from different sources: professional, friendly advice and sometimes intuitive observations that I was being treated quite differently than I should have been given the ways in which I had been presenting myself. In fact, I found many inaccuracies and blatant lies in files that produced a perception of the client, me, in this case, that was highly inaccurate. Most important, if a client is responsible and wishes to take a pro-active and common sense approach to their own healing, viewing their files and monitoring their own progress only makes sense. Speaking as a social worker, long before I became educated to the realities of the nature of some of these dynamics, I remember treating clients automatically as paranoid, disbelieved their stories and had not developed a true compassion for them simply because of the labels that had been placed on them as well as my own lack of self knowledge at the time. 107 “Awakening The Heart: East/West Approaches To Psychotherapy and The Healing Relationship”, John Welwood, Shambala Publications, Inc., 1920 13th Street, Boulder Colorado, Copyright 1983 by John Welwood, Chapter 2 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 142 Importantly, I had learned this way of viewing these people from the very front line workers who were supposed to be training me to help these people. So, the medical establishment has declared war on spirituality and mysticism, a commonsense attempt at connection with the world and the creator of the world. When clients speak in spiritual or religious ways, they are using imagery that is the only way some of these higher aspects of the psyche can be approached. These aspects of the psyche also represent the most important areas of the psych, the higher elements of growth and the most important reason for existing in the first place. Criminally, a client acting responsibly and then being prevented from using a psychological method to describe what really cannot be put into words, attempts that actually tries to liberate the psyche, is then pathologized. Spirituality has been the main purpose of human existence as deduced by most of human civilization since the dawn of humankind. Historically, humankind’s most important quest, a natural need and impulse, with the advent of modern medicine, has been turned into pathology as has so many other natural expressions of what it means to me human. In these respects the several examples listed above represents nothing less than control of human beings, forcing them to remain locked into the lowest levels of the psyche: the material realm of the ego. I remember when I was a young child watching a television cut. There was a large, close group of friends gathered in a living room having a get together. Everyone was talking, mingling with other people and having fun. Suddenly, a person clearly and audibly simply said the word, God. Everyone looked at him and there was total silence. Picture this in your mind and you will approach an understanding of the general view of society, although a blatant hypocrisy attempts to cover it up, especially the “official” one put forth by the powers that be. The people in the television cut were portraying people who were taken off guard. They reacted honestly, not having time to present an appropriate persona. Except in a very narrow and sometimes hypocritical way, provided through established churches that support dominant society and orthodoxy, thoughts about God, that is, a living, growing and evolving spirituality (psyche) was foreign to them. As mentioned earlier, modern medicine and especially psychiatry, has turned into pathology most actions, thoughts, and so fourth, that do not fit nicely into the machine. It is interesting: if a client in a mental health institution is considered sick because of an orientation of this type, what does that say about all the “bible thumpers’” and religious right, who preach hellfire, damnation, and war against anyone different from their viewpoints? These are people who actually have the power to lead countries into war and control billions of dollars and lives. I’ve actually seen froth at a preacher’s mouth as he ranted and raved on television about damnation and hellfire, and the need to make war against the agents of Satan. He was referring to other religions, many of whose members do not even like to kill pesky insects because they are a form of life created by God! Can you imagine if a client acted this way? He wouldn’t receive the millions of dollars sucked out of the population that some of these people do. He or she would be medicated or locked up. Although I do not place labels on myself when it comes to spirituality, having been raised a Christian, from everything I have learned and the way I view things, Christ taught true, nonsentimental love, connection, unity, and expansion; enlightenment; true psychology. You know, “Love they neighbor as yourself” Believe me; this statement is truer than most people realize. The millions of dollars sucked out of people, regardless of what that religion might be, is an insult to the true spirit. What about murdering people in other parts of the World in the name of God. Obviously this applies to people who are contaminated or controlled by the shadow of life, ah…or is that death. When it comes to free spiritual development, as I said earlier about sensitives who are psychically evolved or have the potential, it depends on whom you work for. Obviously, this Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 143 applies to all people. If it is within the established system of churches and the status quo, most people see “no problem”. If it is done in the spirit of freedom and more importantly, authentic individuality, it is frowned upon. No wonder there has been a proliferation of actual anti - religion cults. It is a natural rebellion against established institutions that, for the most part, dis-empower people, instead of empowering them. However, being conditioned by the very forces they try to break away from they usually end up doing the same thing only in different guises and sometimes more destructively. Attempting to break away from the herd and truly become individually conscious is a hard thing to accomplish. In the name of healing, people will recognize that the very domain that has been under attack represents the heritage that belongs to all of Humankind, actually bequeathed by the creator; to everyone not just the self “chosen”. When only those who are self-chosen, or those selected by the herd are in control of the condoned spiritual outlets, they become instruments of control. Yet, think of the example I gave earlier about clergy sometimes causing the very thing they are trying to prevent. In looking at their conscious intentions, they are innocent. But the unconscious “Beastly” cycle grinds on. Importantly it is the very members of these allowable communities, and most particular those in control of them, who perform in all the other functions and interactions of the society we are talking about and take along their baggage and need to control others with them. The message is that the people have to take back their power, individual and collective, which they have allowed to fall into the hands of a few. Most of us are simply unaware instruments used to maintain this state of affairs. We have to open our hearts to the realization that each and every one of us is our own and unique spiritual expression of the powers of Creation. As long as they help create and protect life, not take life away. We have to take off the blinders that have been placed on us. Current students of psychiatry and science have to re-unite many of the traditional and proven psychological realities into modern intelligible ways in order to regain the balance that has been lost. We have to expand the areas of “allowed” inquiry in order to admit into our cosmologies what is truly possible for humankind. 108 We have to include what the East has to offer us in respect of wisdom, and regain and utilize the wealth of Western wisdom, both in science and spiritual psychology. Much of what has been “banned” from mainstream medicine is because it threatens the way things have been, as well as profits. This is like a person only using one half of their brain power. They are then only partial people. Importantly, the Eastern cultures were living in their Golden eras producing spiritual and philosophical literary and architectural masterpieces when we in the West were literally still living in caves. This is a spiritual and political statement in the most profound sense because it will affect us at our deepest human level. This is because this realization will shatter the egos of people in cultures who look at many of the other cultures in the world as somehow backward of inferior. In fact, it was imperialism and invasions, physically and psychologically, that indeed did push many of these cultures into decline. We have to, if not reverse (we don’t want to repeat past mistakes), then at least balance and repair the shambles of the shamed and nihilistic trend of modern science and society. It will be difficult to repair the rest without healthy psyches available to assist the healing of society and empowering people, giving them the strength to recollect. Our mental health system can, if it chooses, become the instrument of producing a historical healing, producing an era of great healers, if they open their eyes. 108 Ditto, Pg. 6 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 144 One of the main features lacking in Human awareness within society is the dual nature of individuals. Many world famous and influential Psychologists and thinkers over time have warned humankind that we have to see, accept and integrate both the “divinity and the animal” within ourselves.109 Naturally, this necessarily includes all people. By ignoring these aspects of ourselves we create the neurotic or psychotic shell, the shadow that has taken over the systems controls of society. When I speak of shell I primarily refer to that part of the unconscious psyche that comprises the shadow and the id that has lost touch with the wider, deeper and greater qualities of the psyche and what it means to be human. With the above in mind, I will mention a reference that is made by Edward M. Podvoll110 in respect of diseases that mimic Psychotic disorders. These “diseases,” are really simply transitory states of mind that are unrecognizable. They don’t understand from a narrow scientific mode of thought and are so labeled, in this example, masked schizophrenia, latent schizophrenia, psychotic character, or schizophrenic personality.111 These are catch-all phrases that do nothing except very nicely (criminally) net certain mental process that resemble mystical experiences but have been pathologized by a narrow minded medical model that refuses to acknowledge that it’s mechanical, materialistic and quantitative model cannot explain them. These processes threaten the egos of those persons who do not recognize them in their small medical scope of reference. True psychosis, in the medical pathological sense, is the result of acute and or chronic imbalance. This is normally but not always induced from sources outside the individual so affected, psychological torture for example, and a prohibition against expressing or acknowledging all that it means to be human. Following from this, and especially the idea of a shell hardened personality, and here I am referring to the aspiring healers, Podvoll makes reference to the idea of becoming bound up with a psychotic experience. One of the most usual ways to become bound up in a psychotic experience is to try to hang on to a specific persona to describe one’s self. Usually, this would be a persona that one idealizes or one that has been forcibly conditioned into the person. 112 This produces a rigid mindset that stifles the flowing and spontaneous nature that a healthy psyche and individual should embody and express. Boom: Consider that, within society most people are conditioned to perform roles, and many people take their roles, and the power that comes with these roles, to represent who they are. It becomes elemental and obvious to see why we have developed a psychotic and schizophrenic society en mass. The Dali Lama makes a compassionate mention of this, only using different words, in his autobiography. We are talking about people who live these personas and roles, these falsehoods, as if as if they defined who they really are. Not: I am a young woman or man, but instead, I am a doctor or baker. For falsely powerful people this is especially true in roles that give them some kind of image, power and control over others. They fall apart when that role or the power associated with that role is threatened. I have personally witnessed this very dynamic when I have, in a very civilized manner, challenged people who hold this view simply by offering my own opinion. Within society, the other type of shell hardened person, the conditioned and victimized person, usually already has fallen apart, sometimes induced by those other, more powerful persons who maintain their shells by projecting onto and controlling other people. Within true psychotherapy, it is this type of challenge, done in an empathic and compassionate manner that can wake people up as to their true natures. The hypocritical projectionists and controllers, because of their harmful natures, sometimes require more of a shock to awaken them. I have personally spoken with and directly or indirectly challenged people 109 Ditto, Pg. 8 110 “Recovering Sanity: A Compassionate Approach To Understanding and Treating Psychosis”, Edward M. Podvoll, M.D., Shambala Publications, inc. Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston Massachusetts 02115, www.shambala.com, copyright 1990 by Edward Podvoll 111 Ditto, Pg. 147 112 Ditto, Pg. 151 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 145 who are in the habit of trying to control other people. This especially applies to people who refuse to treat others as equals and have demonstrated an almost sadistic pleasure from manipulating, humiliating or otherwise hurting those persons they believe to be below them. In every instance, since my calm, and sometimes more intelligent and knowledgeable approach to them left them no room to exert the control they would normally try to enforce, they would start fidgeting, blinking and squirming, and even sputter as their anger increased. In other words, they fell apart when their false personas were threatened. It further increased as I demonstrated absolutely no reaction to their direct or indirect threats. In every instance, one of the first physical gestures I would see them perform when challenged in this manner would be a defensive crossing of arms, thinning of lips, and other very obvious and demonstrable examples of defensive anger; that sure fire indication of guilt when exhibited by people who hold positions of power over others. The crime is that these people were in positions of power and entrusted to help wounded and hurt people! The truly appalling things about these examples, is that, usually, if the disempowered people under their control demonstrated the same types of behavior, they would quickly be “dealt with”, by whatever methods necessary. I remember one time when I was speaking to a rather nasty mental health worker. I refer to this person in another section of this book. I related to this person in the way I described above. I remember reading in my file later that during this interview I had been “presenting” to this person with a flat (no animation) demeanor, I was argumentive, and so fourth. In the first instance, I could only have been described as having a flat demeanor after I was threatened, humiliated and forced only to listen to her and other staff. It was before I was forced to become mute that I was described as being argumentive. Before the interview I had taken a weak tranquilizer at the emergency general hospital ward I had arrived from, because of a panic attack resulting from being severely abused by someone. I had presented myself in an absolutely calm, animated and intelligent fashion. It was the mental health worker, in fact, who presented all of the indicators that had been placed in my file. This person had projected her dynamics onto me, forced me into one of their categories of diagnosis and symptoms. Then I was called paranoid for wanting to see my file, the contents of which verified absolutely what I am saying right now and as well contained some outright bogus lies. This was pure projection on her part. Criminally, the treatment I had received from this person would indeed have caused these very symptoms in the usual type of individual that would have been sitting in my chair. However, I went into the interview knowing what to expect and had turned the tables substantially in comparison to what would usually have unfolded under those circumstances. The only accuracy in the file was that I had stopped trying to offer my opinion, and this was labeled as a symptom. Offering my opinion about my own self was labeled as argumentive. Sort of a catch 22 situation don’t you think? In this manner the “the-rapist” unconsciously (Psychotically?) shut herself off to her projections and subsequent hypocrisy and still wrote down into the files what she wanted to believe. Of note: while I was with this person, she briefly left the room to greet a young woman who was coming into the hospital under a lot of stress and verging on panic. Soon after this worker went out to greet this person, the young woman started screaming and had to be dragged away by security. She then entered back into the room we were in with a grim and severe look on her face. Keep in mind she took time to “comfort” this young woman requiring compassion and support while she was talking to me, someone who was, in a very civilized manner, challenging her usual way of throwing her weight around. She then took her frustrations out on this young woman just arriving at the hospital. Interesting that both my self and the young woman were there because of panic attacks. Mine was certainly a result of being the recipient of abuse and from my experiences, both professional and personal, I can bet the same was true for this young woman who needed someone to love her rather than make her scream in terror resulting in her being dragged away. It occurred to me that the young woman would have been a good synchronicity representing my raped and abused inner woman at the very same time. Compassion in action? My blood runs cold when I think of society’s victims being re-victimized and tortured like this. Anyway, I dealt with her superior in the same way I described above and he reacted accordingly: Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 146 a very defensive and fidgety reaction. Similar to the above, he calmed down and returned to displaying a patronizing demeanor when I stopped offering my opinion. I have seen clients and ordinary people treated this way so many times, and not just in hospitals. I don’t swear to often, but these types of *x/.5#m people are in charge of society. They are literally wolves in sheep’s clothing; and they are in charge of “helping” or directing the very people they are supposed to be healing and offering comfort or guidance. These are profound examples of blaming and re-victimizing the victim. Not only are they responsible either for disempowering them in the first place they are also responsible for attempting to ensure they stay there. They’re own perverted form of job creation and maintenance. It’s like asking a pedophile and rapist to baby sit my son or daughter. How do we deal with the above? To heal the earth, people, all of us, we have to spread awareness and take a stand against the fragmentation of society; fragmentation: this is easy to understand thanks to computers, chuckles. For the most part this is a result of the severely fragmenting affect of repression, specialization, and prescriptive rather than proscriptive, technology. Flowing from these dynamics, we end up with fragmented and weakened human psyches and subsequently, bodies. I’ve heard many employers refer to their employees as bodies rather than people. It’s easy to see why people’s immune systems have been compromised generally throughout society. We can try to heal this by providing an effective gestalt inducing therapy possibly utilizing an element of a meditative nature for practitioners in the mental health or medical services. This would be the first step in repairing the fragmentation which has taken place in society. Healer, heal thyself, obviously. Where else would you start? Many of these “professionals” would be quite startled, if not worse, to experience what their true psyches are really comprised of. By looking at the process of meditation in gaining self knowledge, if not necessarily the actual practice, if one is able to quiet the mind long enough to have an insight about oneself we have to remember, it is only a fragment of the total self. In meditation or therapy, we will see, initially, one must guard against incidents of increased fragmentation. This is because of the unknown areas of the psyche one may enter, some of it seeming quite chaotic. But this is necessary, this is the sea journey. That is why it is important to distinguish between consciousness and the contents of consciousness. As I learned in my own meditation experiences, the thoughts that flitter through ones mind are derived from a combination of the Devil on one shoulder and an Angel on the other. Is that why this image is so popular and everyone recognizes it? This is why looking at ones emotions, thought patterns, and so on have to be delved through and put in their proper perspective in order to help heal the whole person. Everything within the whole person has to be honored. As for the contents, they are valid only in their proper context, in their relationship with everything else. We are learning about the psyche; there’s a lot of stuff there. So a very important technique to learn is detachment, where emotions are transformed into refined feelings rather than being annihilated. I am definitely not talking about turning off one’s feelings, especially empathy; quite the opposite. What I’m referring to is not letting the feelings one encounters to rule or control them. This is the process of transforming one’s archaic emotions, whose energies can be pretty useful at times, into identifiable and refined feelings. This change is assisted with the understanding obtained from being directly connected with the higher aspects of the mind, physically represented by the neo-cortex. Synchronizing the whole mind and brain, a balance can be struck between the left, discriminating, egocentric, logical part of the brain in a flowing and balanced interaction with the right side. The right side contains the vast portion of the psyche most usually referred to, importantly, as our Soul, our core and connects us with the larger psychic of life. It connects directly to the world Soul and beyond. This contains and connects us to the collective historical psychic total of all expressions of cumulative mental energies throughout the ages. This Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 147 is as close to the creative source as is possible for the human psyche, accessed on the right side. It also contains most of what modern science and society pathologizes. The logical left side can be used to enlighten the depths of the right side. The subsequent ability to detach in the way mentioned above changes a person’s perception and connection with life. This awareness will allow a person to actually stand back and look at a picture of ones self without emotional reaction to fog the understanding. This will be conducive to a situation with more compassion than was possible before this transformation truly takes place, at least to some degree or other. Of utmost importance is the element of consciousness being present during what, at some other time, would perhaps result in mild disassociation, absent mindedness or repression. When we accept all our thoughts, feelings and other contents of mind, in whatever ways they manifest within us, is when we begin to become whole. In accepting ourselves in this manner, we also begin to see what a constant effort is required. 113 Discipline is necessary because otherwise there will be a tendency to become overwhelmed with a subsequent, partially conditioned, impulse to shut down or shut ourselves off to unfamiliar territory. This is why a true knowledge of the mind helps prepare one for the true nature of mind. It is really quite wonderful and fascinating. In this respect the apathy and mechanical blinders that have been placed on people have to be gently taken away, allowing a recycling and reconstruction to take place that is not overwhelming. In traditional cultures that have learned these realities of mind, the cultures themselves are structured to prepare and accommodate these aspects of human nature. This is especially true in relation to the higher realms of the mind. In fact, it is because of knowledge of the higher realms they do not become sidetracked by the fireworks and kaleidoscopic panorama and paranormal abilities of the lower levels of psyche, known as Maya. Traditional cultures’ types of “Psychotherapy” would consist in guiding people in such a way they are not captivated or sidetracked by these lower level contents. Instead, they are taught how to return to the true natures of themselves. 114 The exact opposite usually occurs, especially if you are poor, in mental health today, except in a very restricted and confined sense. We are a society modeled on blueprints of an inanimate technology, a machine, and conditioned by the herd mentality. I think I can see now why Christ has been portrayed as a rebel. He questioned to a radical degree; radical because it strikes at the familiar way of thinking and living, especially in a political, as well as religious sense. He was profoundly against and outspoken about the hypocrisy and empty form of people. We have come to see how these types of people gain from others what they are unable to find within themselves. Anyone has the potential to be exactly like the Pharisees Christ went against. I would say it is far worse in today's World: I think Jesus, not the Christ within him, would have found tackling today's world a little more difficult than it was at a time when everyone was deeply aware of forces greater than themselves 2000 years ago. In psychotherapy, we have to accept the above realities. Once this is done, it is possible to recognize the difference between thwarted “normal” psychological functioning and the symbols, imagery and other ways that a greater yearning for higher evolution of consciousness to manifest itself transpires. In other words, many of the “problems,” difficulties and other issues that bring people into psychotherapy might be ways the individual expresses the unsatisfied yearning for development of a higher nature. 115 In the first instance, double binds would be expressed by a type of immobilization of life movement and growth. In the second instance I would suggest that instead of immobilization what would be seen would be various forms and expressions of eccentric behaviors. Eccentricity is as unfamiliar to the ego as is the higher realms of the psyche. 113 ‘Awakening The Heart: East/West Approaches to Psychotherapy and the Healing Relationship”, Pgs. 9 - 10 114 Ditto, Pg. 10 115 Ditto, Pg. 11 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 148 Therefore it is easier to understand the parallel between eccentric behaviors and the more cosmic and subtle levels of consciousness and the psyche. . We all have to look at our blinders. Once we realize that healthy functioning on the material plane cannot be separated from an appreciation for the higher realms of reality, we can accept the development of true and healthy consciousness and psychological development. This awareness may not fit in with what we would usually consider “normal” or “well – adjusted.” 116 In fact, given everything I have discussed so far, what we consider “normal” functioning is not necessarily healthy living. In most cases, treatment of a psychiatric client is usually considered successful if his/her behavior is reconditioned to fit a cookie-cutter type of persona that will help maintain the machine, even, perhaps, as a scapegoat. Machines have no compassion about the welfare of people. This type of treatment is not dissimilar to the nagging monthly reminders and other needless mail we receive, junk mail, all because it is done by computerization. It is a type of junk mail. Many people feel the discrepancies between what they sense at a gut level to be false about how they have been conditioned to live in society and what true healthy living is really like. 117 Another major problem society has to heal, in this case to decrease, is the hypnotic effect so much of what we take to be culture and useful technology; it has to be re-evaluated. We are much less aware of our actions and especially our true motives/intent behind them than we think we are. This takes a lot of work. In a world dominated by fast food and quick fixes, you know, the drive-thru mentality, very few people even want to make the effort. In regards to mental health professionals, it is the responsibility of these people, I’m sure initially well-motivated, to not only set a healthy example but as well to expand their professional knowledge to an efficacious level. Most of them are failing in this miserably. Instead, the mental health worker can actually work to attain an actual wisdom of healing, the kind that could be passed on to the client, like a teacher passing wisdom on to a student. The teacher practicing the art of teaching has to have the hope that the student will surpass her or him in ability and knowledge. This is the sign of true love and nurturing. This is the true mark of a teacher; a teacher of life. Effective psychotherapy is only possible when teacher and student accurately interact in an empathic, living and connected way. When you teach, because that is what a therapist should be doing, you have to have intimate knowledge of that which you presume to educate and empower the student with. I’m referring to the actual experiences that a client would be going through. How else, without this proscriptive knowledge could the teacher presume to explain this? That is the trademark of Carl Jung’s teachings, and why he was a true master of healing of the whole psyche. Keeping in mind the idea and subsequent benefit of quieting the mind, a recurring theme is that we have to acknowledge in respect of the whole psyche, that most people learn to perform in conformity to many different sources of messages, most of them subliminal and subtle, others not so subtle. This creates a person who is “multiplied and scattered.” These people are dissociated from their true selves. They learn to live a lie demanded of them by others, and because of their egos they demand it of themselves. 118 This is why true psychotherapy does not involve solidifying the false, artificially created personas that are only useful for maintaining the machine. The development of true self knowledge involves the image of peeling back the many layers of an onion to find the true core of the individual underneath. 116 Ditto, Pgs. 11 - 12 117 Ditto 118 Ditto, Pg. 14 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 149 As it stands today, the individual and collective mutually interpenetrate each other, thus solidifying and exacerbating the schizophrenia of society and the individual. It is the undiagnosed neurotics and psychotics employed in the mental health field and other areas and positions of authority, trust and importance throughout society that pose the greatest threat because it is these very capable actors who hold the most powerful positions and therefore carry the most responsibility. The apparent dual nature of our psyches, masculine and feminine, light and dark, hot and cold, high and low, can be recognized to be conditions to create a dynamic tension out of which a new self can be born. 119 This alchemical integration has been the goal of the various Eastern and Western wisdom traditions for a long time. In depth psychology, the psychoanalytical result of this higher integration of self is called individuation. This is a necessary prerequisite if a person is going to become a whole human being. Looking at this in the form of imagery and geometry, the above statement is a perfect description, initially, and in a natural and healthy sense, of the upswept triangle representing spirit, consciousness, masculine energy; in other words, a trinity. But this trinity has to be grounded in Jung’s quaternity and refers to the inclusion of earth awareness, woman. It also includes the number 4 represented by the square, and expresses stability. I find it interesting that the trinity (3) and quaternity (4) comes to a total of 7, throughout human history a number having important spiritual significance and power. However, there is another number that can also be used to represent the unity of the lower realms with the higher in a more stable and more mutually dynamic, interacting way. Remember that the number 7 plays a large role in the psychological imagery of the Book of Revelations in the Christian New Testament. It represents breaking down the rigidities in the psyche, resulting in the lower energies re- connecting with the higher realms. This gives way to the new birth of something that emerges out of this integration that, under natural circumstances, would follow. A higher level is attained and this is represented by the number 8. This is visualized as a down swept triangle overlaid by a covering upswept triangle. Some people recognize this symbol as the hexagram, the Star of David and in other traditions simply called the six pointed star. In fact, there are traditions that represent the two triangles with an 8 rayed star, the eight directions. I have also read many accounts that refer to the Christ being represented by the number 8 or 888. This triplicity represents dynamic movement inherent in the constant uniting and mutual interaction of the higher with the lower. The number 7 represents “stable” earth energies combined with dynamic heavenly energies that eventually cause the lower earth energies to lose their stability and reunite into the higher integration. A good metaphor or image is a plow being pulled through the ground, breaking it up and preparing it for new growth. The number 8 is a much more powerful expression of total psychic energies, Spirit and Soul, without the squelching or dampening of the lower level primordial Earth energy. In this sense, the number 7 represents the old ethic where Earth was consciously pillaged, raped and controlled, initially meant as a way to civilize, in favor of the higher energies. Obviously this was a necessary illusion on the journey to higher integration and evolution and eventually backfired. What the number 8 represents is a unity of the Earth or lower level energies working with the solar energies; a unity or marriage of the “god” and “goddess”. True creative energy and power, without any separation of the two; in this sense we transcend duality and become whole. This is why the number 8 also represents infinity. As I stated in the immediate above, as comfort and stability is learned; as one becomes more comfortable with opening up to the contents of the lower psyche, a natural grounded stability with the Earth can be found. Not with the old sense of stagnation and lack of movement but rather, initially, giving rise to the ultimately “constructively destructive” dynamics represented by the 119 Ditto, Pg. 16 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 150 number 7, but in a natural dynamic and constant interaction of movement, eventually uniting Heaven with Earth represented by the number 8, infinity. This can also be conceptualized by utilizing the image of a pyramid within the circle model of hierarchy and upward movement, emerging from a solid and intact foundation, in an evolutionary sense. What modern psychiatry does is stamp out this necessary evolutionary and psychic struggle to rebirth into a higher realm altogether unless it’s in service to the machine. Some people, especially poor and isolated people who go to seek help because of mental difficulties of a psychologically spiritual nature, usually brought on by some sort of trauma or crisis in their life are especially re - traumatized. Almost all of them are classified into that catch - all net called schizophrenia or obsession-compulsion, bi-polar, borderline and so fourth. For example, anyone with any common sense can recognize that the condition known as bi – polar, is a condition artificially caused by conditioning, fragmentation and the subsequent prevention from being able to integrate those two aspects of the whole psyche. Bi – polar condition is an expression of that person’s attempt or struggle in trying to unite those two aspects of them selves, physically expressed in the left and right hemisphere of the brain, respectively. What this prevention results in is the actual murder of part of that person’s psyche and Soul. In fact, many of the drugs used, Lithium for example, actually destroy the person’s body as well. The natural outcome of this is further stagnation and fragmentation that leaves, most of these people far less alive and human than before they went to seek help. The self motivation for the Health Professional should be to a mutual interaction where the healer learns as much about him or herself as they do about the client.120 If a psychological healer approaches any healing relationships in a humble and mutual way, he or she can actually learn as much about them selves as they can assist the client in learning about their own true selves. This is much preferable than the professional learning vicariously about themselves through their clients; that is, by projecting, and hypocritically condemning in their clients what they repress within themselves. The present situation is a compounded one where some clients, usually the poor, are treated like criminals or at least sub-human, especially if they end up in an institution. This also happens to a lot of people who are scapegoats within their families and society, the “black sheep.” This can primarily be attributed to the labels that become attached to them, a form of Bigotry, and the ease with which they can be controlled because of all the factors discussed so far. This affects both those labeled and the labelers in a most unhealthy way. Most mental health professionals, ignorant about themselves adopt an expert persona and their treatment is usually nothing more than forms of control and a patronizing attitude that boosts their own egos, rather than attempting to understand what the psyche of the client is really trying to say. Usually, it is the core of a client’s psyche and existence trying to express itself. It is trying to expand consciousness, to understand. I wonder what the actual statistics might indicate. Is it a desire to help others, or an unconscious desire to control others that usually prompts a person to become a mental health worker or caregiver? I remember one time when I was working in an institution providing societal integration training for mentally challenged adults, primarily in the areas of employment. Another staff person I was working with looked at me and said working with these people made her feel powerful (at another person’s expense). It demonstrated an awareness that needs to be promoted. 120 Ditto, Pg. 19 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 151 As stated above, meditation or psychotherapy can be a way to open up to, to re – collect and finally still the chaos of the inner mind by reaching a higher level of awareness and integration. 121 If society begins to actually start to learn how to do this, eventually we can heal society and stop producing the traumatized scapegoats and fragmented personalities that is the usual occurrence today. Meditation allows one to accept and not reject or repress what arises; and then release whatever arises, accepting all as valid aspects of a an individual’s whole psyche. It is amazing when one considers the huge amount of accumulated human wisdom that is available to address these very aspects of psychotherapy, the evolution of the human psyche and soul. It is one thing to attempt to use a cohesive, organized and scientific approach in psychotherapy. However, as I mentioned earlier in this book it is a crime against a human civilization that struggled to gain this knowledge, to have it discarded by a few years (in comparison) of arrogant modern science. Similar to the appeal that has been made by homoeopathists to combine the best of what homeopathy has to offer with the best of what modern medicine has to offer, let us do the same thing in the healing of the mind. One of the most natural consequences of learning how to love oneself in this manner is the ability to love individuals outside of our material self. I have already pointed out this reality of the psyche. Each psyche mirrors and contains the whole of the human collective psyche. The ability to love others when one finally learns how to love themselves is simply a concrete expression of this. 122 In the context of the spiritual arts, this is no different than a person who has been on the path and learned from it. Someone who has learned the walk can teach a new student or client on the path. Intellectually trained people only know how to talk the talk; most of them have not learned how to walk the walk. The psychic power that humanity can unleash, as in taking off the leash, would dwarf the mechanical and technological achievements and abilities our ego’s have produced, in comparison. The hidden resources within the psyche are truly astounding and this has been demonstrated by many peoples and cultures over time. We just have to remember how to access them, by becoming aware of how these resources have been forcibly hidden. 123 In my varied experiences with the mental health system, both as professional as well as client, and from talking with and observing others, the exact opposite usually occurs. As a rather dry humorous aside, many times while offering my own opinions, I later read where I was described as “rationalizing” or arguing. In fact this is a perfect example of hypocrisy. I was speaking from an experiential, spiritual as well as rational and academically educated approach. The people who accused me of this were operating only from an intellectual (rational) approach contaminated by an immature and emotionally charged shadow: repression, projection and the subsequent hypocrisy. My own experiences have been ones of having extremely confining and constricting interpretations of what it means to be human placed on me. That one rather vicious mental health worker, effectively prevented me from expressing any knowledge about myself. This was true either in respect to my actual professional knowledge or conscious awareness about me. I briefly mentioned this confrontation above. She crossed her arms and called me arrogant when I tried to relate to her the reasons I had gone there looking for some compassionate support. Imagine: after years of meditation/Yoga, including various martial arts especially in the philosophical sense, obtaining two university degrees, and years of conscious searching in the areas of psychology and spirituality. Most important, I’ve talked to many, many people over the years from varied backgrounds, traditions and perspectives. In addition I’ve personally taken part in many of these tradition’s rituals and studied their philosophies. They cannot be learned unless they are studied and practiced. I have never practiced Satanism, however, given the dynamics I have described above, I was a receiver of those dynamics rather than administer and practitioner. I 121 Ditto , Pg. 22 - 23 122 Ditto, Pg. 23 123 Ditto Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 152 have spoken to some Hollywood Satanists, believe me, in areas that were quite public, but even these people are as materialistic as anyone else who fits into that classification and do not understand the real dynamics they pretend to. Besides, as I have already said, real and actual satanic dynamics are unconscious, as different religions and spiritual traditions have known for a long time, even though they like to keep the true nature of these realities hidden. In addition I have intellectually researched enough that I feel qualified to speak of these dynamics. Yet the above mentioned person called me arrogant and did not want me to give my two cents worth about me! They put a muzzle on me, just like a dog or other pet. This is a prime example of how people are mute-ilated, psychically and physically, by the beast in the machine. This was pure projection and rejection on her part; a need to control others. She also displayed many physiological and effected expressions of defensiveness virtually every time I tried to express my self. I also know why, now. I threatened this person’s flimsy ego in speaking about my experiences of the abuse with knowledgeable explanations in addition to real events. Having knowledge about these dynamics, my verbalizations were in fact exposing to herself her own lack of knowledge and ability to heal or control me beyond a certain point. I also tweaked her guilt for performing the very same types of invasions and psychic rape I had experienced from other people, especially the specific incident that had caused me to go there in the first place. Interestingly, this very same person had taken part in one of the most traumatic events of abuse I have ever suffered, several years earlier to the above conversation, when I had finally gotten the courage to speak up about the childhood sexual abuse I had suffered. This is quite substantially explicated in a later chapter. In essence this person demanded, along with another health worker, her “superior,” that I depend on them 100% and hold no opinion about myself or how to direct my own healing process. Whew! I was actually being counseled to narrow my perspective, and disempower myself with the exclusion not only of what I already knew but to also exclude a healthy and natural drive to explore the vastness of my life - giving psyche. I was literally told to try to think only from my ego, and only listen to the demands of their wounded and needy psyches, that cause them to think they need to have control over another person. To make them feel strong in attempting to hide they’re frightened insecurities. This was certainly not the first time I was counseled as such, simply the nastiest. The most destructive aspect of this was their attempt to create a dependency in me, rather than empowerment. As I said, this was a time when I had gone seeking help for a very severe panic attack that occurred precisely because of the abuse I had received from this system and other related parties (word play: parties = part = fragmentation). The “treatment” I received actually worsened my well-being. I was attacked and intimidated: that was the very reason I was there! I was given “treatment” that might have forced a reaction from me in such a way that would support their perception of what I was experiencing and why. As I stated above, fortunately for me, as difficult as the experience was I was prepared for it this time. Instead of compassionately assisting me in my time of crisis, my factual disclosures of abuse were turned into delusional hysterics, exactly similar to the way the majority of women used to be treated in similar abusive circumstances. Today, the dynamics of this abuse can not be attributed to gender when taking into consideration the scope and regularity of its prevalence throughout society. It can only be understood from a primarily psychological and spiritual stance in the manner I have been putting forth. It involves people. We have to let go of the separation that results when we segregate humanity based on biology, life styles, beliefs, culture, geographical location and especially differential power distributions. Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 153 I once met an intelligent, attractive young school teacher who had a rather debilitating experience with the mental health system herself. Although dramatically different in content from what I had experienced, the same theme was present, causing the question to pop up. Is the system providing for the client or is the client being used to help maintain the system, and people within the system, at the cost to the clients’ health. Remember, I pointed out a long time ago that in the outer world today, the human being works for the market, not the other way around. This is simply another institutional setting where this statement is demonstrated. Her therapist, a very good - looking and experienced worker, had a reputation for leaving his female clients in a state of crisis when he broke off therapeutic relationships. Prior to beginning therapy, this woman had attempted suicide and at this time she was in an extremely vulnerable state. My friend told me that in counseling, her the-rapist would initiate very private topics about her sexuality. She said that after repeated questioning she admitted to being sexually deprived. Eventually he initiated the idea of her being infatuated with him, although she had shown no signs of this in the sessions and had not breached the topic. His suggestions naturally got her thinking about this question and diverted her attention away from what really mattered. This type of leading and suggestive questioning led to admission of her physical attraction to him; after she thought about it as he asked her to do. This continued but now he began saying he would have to end the therapeutic relationship because of her infatuation with him. This woman said this went on for a while leaving her in a state of uncertainty and fear. Combined with the natural psychological phenomena of transference, this particular type of relationship would produce an inappropriate and unhealthy dependence of the client onto the therapists. This would significantly increase the pain she was feeling already in her life. After making her worry for a while, without any type of proper closure, he terminated her as his "patient". This woman said she went into crisis after this ordeal and has been obsessed with thinking about him ever since. Very important, as the woman was telling me about this she physically became nauseated by the memory. She said she still goes through a hellish time because of it. She said she had spoken with other women who had similar experiences with this "the-rapist", and for the same reasons. He had a reputation for having a huge ego. Is this why he would initiate into female clients an obsession with him? He was harming his clients in order to massage his own ego. It is also a subtle but very powerful example of the dynamics of sadism/masochism in action. This is all very similar to the other themes running through this book: manipulation and using of other people to fulfill the manipulator’s own ego (energetic) needs. What would have happened if this woman had have gone to speak to another therapist or employee in the same institution where the above mentioned therapist worked? I will give a personal illustration of how the buddy system works, sometimes, where one professional will cover up or defend another colleague, even at the expense of the well being of the client. A health professional’s first and greatest concern should be the client, according to the Hippocratic Oath and according to a commonsense interpretation of compassion. I remember one time a G.P. I was seeing tried to cover up a mistake he had made. He knew I had been involved in mental health, and knew my intimates. He tried to cover up his oversight by brushing it off. He was saying that the reason for my visit was different than what I was saying it had been. He was insinuating that it was my memory that was faulty. I did not argue with him, but the reason I had gone to see him was also the reason he had sent me for x-rays at a local hospital subsequent to the visit. This visit to the hospital would never have taken place except for the reason I had told him I had visited him in the first place, yet he denied it. He seemed to think I was unable to put these two logical factors into the proper perspective, and a very simplistic logical equation it was. He tried to dissipate any focus and concern for this oversight I might have. He gave me some free samples of medicine that I would otherwise have had to pay for out of my own pocket and he was quite aware that I had very limited financial resources. If I had have been a disabled person he was dealing with, I might have listened only to him, thought it was my own mistake in memory, Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 154 and have gone off happy with some free samples of medicine (antibiotics), never thinking about it again. Some time later, I remember seeing another doctor at the same clinic. I told this doctor, in a clear, friendly and detached manner, with irrefutable logic, what had taken place. The Doctor I was speaking with adamantly defended the doctor I was referring to, abruptly filled out a prescription for me, and rudely stormed off close to the front of me as she left the office. There was not one once of compassion with this doctor. There was absolutely nothing in her manner present that would make one think of the high standards of the Hippocratic Oath. This was a female doctor, and she happened to be defending a male Doctor. The fact is gender was in no way a factor in any of the dynamics I am describing and this is a perfect example how gender does not have to be a factor with many of the dynamics I have been discussing throughout this book. The bigotry in this case was not gender related but simply power related. It was simply a case of one doctor covering the unethical practices of another, at the expense of the client. It was a simple case of the medical system victimizing the clients. Remember the importance that anger plays in indicating guilt. In the first example, and the one I just related, how might a persons psychological frame of reference or state of mind be affected? How many clients of mental health are treated in this manner? These are the sorts of questions I would like to see people asking themselves. Whoever is reading these words, as I have said before, try to imagine yourself experiencing something like this. How do you feel deep within as you read this. What is moving inside, beyond but working with your intellect, your ego? I feel it is appropriate at this point to insert a thought of mine in the above context where the woman I refer to above speaks about the leading comments her therapist made to her. I am considering how vulnerable an individual is during therapeutic counseling and how the power differential places the client in a situation very open to the power of suggestion, especially when it involves leading comments. There were several times I experienced this, with a few different therapists, where blatantly suggestive comments were made. This is the worst: I believe, simply asking a client if they are or would be thinking about committing suicide might introduce that very thought to a client who had never even entertained the idea. The power of suggestion can be very powerful. Speaking for myself, I had never even remotely considered the idea until the question was asked to me, after I made contact with the mental health services. Combined with the past, and at the time, current, ongoing severe trauma I was experiencing this question had a dramatic affect on me. Subsequent to these suggestions, on one occasion I very briefly entertained the idea but in that short time I had done this I became totally nauseated by the thought very quickly. In the midst of all of this, the only thing that protected me was my dedication to protecting and nurturing life, which had almost been destroyed during the course of my long-term and traumatic odyssey. Even then, it was not until that question was asked of me that I had even entertained the idea. Think of this in relation to what I have been saying about the true nature of satanic cult dynamics. In relation to mental health, as an example, I remember a time when a very intelligent person I speaking with, a client of mental health services, told me that based on research he had done approximately 1/3 of all people with so-called schizophrenia ended up committing suicide, depending on where the statistics are obtained from. Also consider that, as I mentioned earlier, these sensitive types of people have access to and can actually carry much higher levels of energy than most other people because of their openness to and connection with the larger psyche and limitless energy source. The rest of the equation should provide some food for thought. Therefore, although mental health professionals say otherwise, from a professional perspective, I do not think it is an appropriate question to ask a client unless there are proper indicators present suggesting such a possibility exists. Even, and especially then, it is of the Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 155 utmost importance and responsibility that the health care provider involved make damn sure what they consider to be valid indicators are completely verified and proven before they dare ask this type of question to an individual undergoing dramatic and painful events or changes in their lives. These people are conditioned to look only toward these people as experts with all the answers. As I indicated above, most of the “experts” I have encountered, not all of them, actually have attempted to induce the very behaviors that would place me in one of their “pathological” categories. I remember speaking to a man, one time, a man who was well versed in the various psychologies and so – called mental illnesses. He said that although the suicide rate among people with so-called mental illnesses was quite high, he said the highest rate of suicide was among people labeled as having schizophrenia. I wonder how much the power of suggestion plays a role here, especially among those so labeled as having schizophrenia. The latter people, being among the most sensitive people to be found anywhere and usually the very ones in society who have been most brutalized and traumatized, are the most easily influenced by these irresponsible types of practice. The editor and contributor of the book, “Awakening The Heart”, whose knowledge I have combined with my own information in the commentary above and below, and someone I have found to be a valuable research tool, is an instructor of students of psychiatry and psychology. As mentioned above, he and his various contributors make a point of the need for the would-be healers to have undergone the same sort of experience they would presume to guide their own clients through. To be effective healers, they would, psychologically, have had to of risen above, to have transcended this experience so to speak. In-depth analysis should actually be part of their educational curriculum, and then on-going during practice, as a form of debriefing, naturally. How else can a true state of empathetically assisted healing within an atmosphere of mutuality and respect take place? It can’t. In order for someone to teach carpentry, they have to learn how to actually do carpentry. Intellectual knowledge of the process by itself is useless. According to contributor in Welwood’s book, robin Skinner, as the patient matures, it is hoped that the “transference” is dissipated, and while some regard and gratitude may remain, persistent dependency and acceptance of the analyst’s authority are taken correctly to indicate incomplete treatment. This is utter common sense, and usually a complete reversal of what usually takes place in the world of “mental Health”. Sometimes, I think of it as the Mental unhealth Web. True mental health involves a recollection of life’s horizontal elements and contents, the mundane world plane and the vertical upward movement that includes and encourages psychic evolution and connection with something larger than ourselves; not regression but expansion. The vertical axis today is systematically and officially being pathogised. Is this to create jobs, and most especially to increase profits? A perfectly necessary life drive for meaning, for “God”, is constantly being murdered by our “Age of enlightenment”, and I say enlightenment tongue in cheek. In this way, psychotherapy and its practitioners could learn a lot from the various traditions that honor and recognize the importance of the vertical movement “beyond the world”. Existing for thousands of years, some of these traditions provide vital psycho-physiological requirements. Efficacious mental - health requirements for people that embraces a life-enhancing sense of a vast and expanding psyche and universe of which they are a part of is necessary for healthy living. Both the vertical as well as the horizontal movements represent the idea of psychophysiological centering and are necessary for psychic balance. This can dynamically balance opposite but complementary psychic realities and requirements, comprising humankind’s whole make-up, physical and psychic; individual as well as collective. Society is cutting out a vast portion of the areas covered within Wilber’s’ diagrammatic representation of psychic realities. These are requirements for wholeness, both individual and collective, and how to achieve them. Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 156 Within the individual and collective, to split one half off from the other is to leave half a person. This applies to men and women and it also applies to heaven and earth, the higher and the lower psyche. This is mirrored in the dynamics of society and vice versa. It is unfortunate what has happened within the world because what this does is deny humankind and the world its birthright. This is expansion of unity, collectively and individually, in freedom, and thus in interdependence, by way of independence. 124 Unless a person is open to immediate experiences, with every way they have of perceiving, they cannot truly be alive in the real sense of the word. 125 These words speak of what the spirit of healing should be all about. It speaks of the two-way interaction that has to be present if the relationship is to be truly effective in a life enhancing way. Otherwise, it boils down to control: behaviorism and application of external control, depending on the therapist and organization. When some of the spiritual tools derived from Eastern spiritual practices are utilized in Western psychotherapeutic approaches, because they only deal with ego and ego aspects of “fitting in” they cause further regression and solidification of the neurosis and psychosis already prevalent throughout society. This is no different than many New Age groups and practices that try to utilize Eastern spiritual techniques to further their growth. Because they only deal with the mundane ego plane of existence, they are regressive rather than evolutionary. In psychotherapy, when medication isn’t used by itself, new age-like techniques are sometimes used mainly for adjustment of personality, the persona, rather than the true individual. 126 They create better actors not better human beings. These techniques simply become another form of a mind numbing drug. They actually prevent the concentration necessary to achieve higher levels of consciousness. Based on my research and what I have personally witnessed in people over long periods of time, medications such as anti-psychotics can prevent the ability of people to concentrate. Antidepressants can cause disconnection from other people or a higher sense of purpose, except perhaps in an ego-inflationary way. Sometimes both antipsychotic and anti-depressants are prescribed, one to counter the side affects of the other! Imagine the confusion and devastation of mind and body this does to a person. Based on my research, anti-psychotics have, especially, a very destructive affect on the body and mind. I have witnessed in other people I know well, how, over long periods of time ant-depressants can actually cause psychotic, borderline sociopath type personalities. This occurs because of their ego-inflationary affects, combined with severe disconnection from other people and the subsequent destruction and prevention of the development of empathy and compassion. Obviously, these affects prevent any ability at developing equanimity, balance of the whole psyche, especially the ability to allow for tolerance and the prevention of bigotry. Current mainstream psychological approaches simply are not capable of recognizing the dangers inherent in their present ways of practice. Very few of them do not offer anything remotely similar to transformation, rather the opposite. 127 Most mental health approaches completely ignore these aspects of growth in development and expansion of consciousness and the subconscious aspects of the psyche. In the few schools and approaches that are available for transformation, for the few individuals who are fortunate to access them, they found that they were actually gratified for the appearance of their neurosis or other problems they developed because they were propelled into a greater and deeper inquiry of the mind and life. 128 This type of healthy therapy is only available to a few. 124 Ditto, Pg. 29 125 Ditto, Pg. 30 126 Ditto, Pg. 35 127 Ditto, Pg. 36 128 Ditto, Pg. 39 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 157 Even the very few Jungian psychologists I have found locally, charge substantial amounts of money, leaving the vast majority of people at the mercy of the “free” mental health services available. Neurosis, can be seen as a natural (or unnatural depending on how you look at it) reaction to unhealthy conditioning and environment. What could be an opportunity for growth instead usually becomes a tortuous spiral of abuse. Today, these persons who cannot afford fairly worthwhile therapy are looked at as the problems, not the results of a problematic living environment. Nor are they appreciated for having the evolutionarily developed minds or potential that they have by being sensitive enough to develop awareness of or express symptoms of the reality of their unhealthy state of mind. True mediation is an example of a technique that could bring many people to the very roots of their problems by making one aware of just how confused and defensive the contents of most people’s minds really are. 129 Because of the lack of supports, encouragement and true guides available, only a few are able to actually withstand or have the strength and courage required to actually experience a transformation using this method. Most people, during meditation, instead of seeing the constant manufacture of defenses from experiencing life the mind has been conditioned to create will instead retreat and regress into a deeper mode of defense because of the blow that their egos usually experiences. In the West, where the false ego rules, successful treatment in mental health is said to have taken place when the false ego has been strengthened, thereby increasing alienation, expanding the influence of bigotry and scapegoating. Medication can be used to lower consciousness, and continued robotic usefulness to the herd is continued. Without going deeply to the source of psychic manifestations we only end up using the band-aid approach while the deeper wounds fester. I mentioned earlier one way that well motivated individuals would be able to navigate around these obstacles or begin to. Some forms of easily available psychotherapy, cognitive therapy for example, can begin to achieve this. As long as the therapist and particular cognitive method used does not cause further splits or utilize a behavior modification approach to the psyche by focusing exclusively on the ego, for example, some types of neuro-linguistic programming the word programming speaks volumes!). Healthy cognitive therapy can be used as a way of stabilizing the mind to an enough degree that meditation can then be used to go beyond the ego into the higher realms of the psyche. 130 However, as mentioned, the supports available may not be sufficient for an individual to obtain true growth. I have even seen people come out of reputable centers of meditation and the meditative lifestyle who had not been able to truly heal and liberate themselves, even though they have been quite involved and apparently dedicated. They were not able to escape the neurotic and ego centered way of life they were indoctrinated into. People I have known like this had actually increased their false ego orientation. In fact, the people I am referring to, in this case, had been business people before they entered, and from what I could see, that was why they had entered into these places: it was good for business. We see example of this sort of thing throughout society. They were very good actors. In places like this, even though there are masters and teachers to instruct the proper methods, because the classes do not involve deep one-on-one student-teacher relationships but instead are comprised of rather large groups, this is inevitable. True meditation does not just refer to learning how to calm the nervous system. True mediation involves the development of true self – knowledge. As mentioned above, a simple but profoundly effective way to initiate psychic growth is the simple practice of mindfulness, watching and following the thoughts, emotions, breath, and so on. The individual learns how to constantly and consciously let the thought or emotions and feelings come and then just let them go. This encourages fluidity and prevents obsession or compulsion, although at first, these dynamics become more hectic and frequent. Eventually a person learns how to consciously control and use their energies for constructive purposes when they no longer allow their energies to become dissipated and consumed by the ego and its constant 129 Ditto, Pg., 46-47 130 Ditto, Pg. 47 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 158 manufacture of contents. This eventually extends to include the usual affects of the super ego of the larger collective psyche. Eventually, we learn how to ride the horse: the energies associated with unbridled thoughts and the emotions associated with these thoughts become harnessed for constructive purposes. Importantly, we learn how to befriend them and turn their energy to life promoting use. When we do not end up getting caught up in them, we become comfortable with them. When we do not become attached to them, we can go beyond them. By gently letting them go, we may find our way to a source of greater sensitivity, stability, strength. We can be grounded and anchored in mundane reality yet fluidly adaptable. In addition, by remaining open to whatever enters the mind, then letting it go, what is happening, in effect, is that the person is learning how to become more tolerant of themselves and thereby, others. It is a way to begin combating bigotry, on a conscious level. In order to eventually positively affect the collective level it has to start somewhere. Given the growing numbers of people utilizing mental health services, those who would presume to heal us would be the obvious place to begin to really put this into practice. Utilizing true meditation, if a person actually has the courage and perseverance to delve through the negative and chaotic flood of emotions, and overcome the fear associated with them, what they eventually would find is a core of strength and wholesomeness the individual never thought that they had. 131 In meditation, the practice of being with parts of ourselves that we would rather not look at, builds confidence as one realizes that nothing inside is as bad as our avoidance or our rejection of it would be. However, once we have seen them, lovingly embraced them and learn not to be controlled by them, then we can more easily see and encourage our more positive traits and natural abilities. One special point should be made clear: in almost all cases, some sort of analysis or effective psychotherapy should be used before or in conjunction with serious meditation before it is pursued. This is because of the literally mind shattering points and glimpses of awareness and realization one may arrive at during the course of psychic expansion, if a person is truly dedicated in the search. This is especially important to note if the individual doesn’t have a dedicated instructor or guide. As I said, although there are many good psychologists out there, only a few are publicly funded and people usually end up with psychiatrists all of whom are usually “guided” in diagnosis and treatment by symposiums funded and hosted by the pharmaceutical companies. There are few psychiatrists available who are open-minded enough to go beyond the traditional medical model. This model tends only to look for or create, “pathology” rather than looking for well being and taking preventative measures against illness, as I fully described above. In respect to virtually every example of clients in group homes and other facilities operated for the “mentally ill”, psychiatrists almost always resort to some form of medication therapy and their “therapy” and/or counseling usually only consists of one way communication and control. There is a trickle down affect where people trained to work with this population also adopt similar methods. I described this above in my experiences of being trained to work with this population of people. In addition, there is not a whole lot of training or education, especially in reference to “knowing thyself” the further away from professional psychology and psychotherapy one moves. In fact, I remember speaking to one person who was working with this population of people in a group home. While working there, he was also taking courses at a drug-dependency clinic for some major addictions. He had also recently gotten out of jail after serving a sentence for severely physically abusing his wife. I’m not condemning this person. What I am evaluating is his unqualified status to work with this population of people. The main reason the memory of this individual case has stayed clearly in my mind was because he had at one time told me about a person with “schizophrenia” at the group home where he had worked. He told me that one night he had to “corner” this resident and lecture/counsel him on certain issues of lifestyle. Importantly, 131 Ditto, Pg. 51 Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 159 these issues had nothing to do with things that infringed on other people or their space. The individual telling me this said the biggest reason he gave him this lecture was because he was embarrassed for him because of how he presented himself. In other words, the resident was being counseled to adopt the lifestyle preferences of this counselor, who was a severe drug addict and also had a history of violence. I witnessed this anger in the several times that I interacted with and had conversations with him. To finish off with this reference: the main reason why this story bothered me had been the fact that this “schizophrenic” that he had “cornered” had also been a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. The reason this person got the job in the first place was because he was a member of a protected minority group and, even though he had a severe drug addiction, a violent history and related criminal record, none of which he had healed from or risen above, he got the job. Get my drift. Returning to ways to counter this cyclical pattern I am discussing, especially in the highly industrialized and technological societies where the false ego reigns, meditation by itself loosens the boundaries of the ego. Possible confusion from this process could be avoided by clearing up baggage and other emotional problems through the use of effective psychotherapy or guidance, providing a more solid foundation from which to work. Psychiatry as a general rule is counterproductive because of intolerance and the only real treatment offered is mind - numbing drug therapy. Depth psychology, on the other hand, tends to have a much more open-ended perspective to the potentialities of the psyche. Depth psychology views the psyche in a more natural, wholesome and healthy way as does transpersonal psychologies. It is very important to combine, when possible and applicable, traditional spiritual wisdom traditions when available, using common sense and following the traditional guidelines. Psychology, as opposed to psychiatry, tends to be friendlier and more open to in-depth analysis and tends to look for health and sanity within a client, depending on the psychologists and the approach used in practice. I think it is very important to note that psychologists cannot prescribe medications. This in itself promotes a greater effort for them to use effective psychodynamic counseling in their efforts to help their clients. The other, vastly important point to be noted can be demonstrated by looking at the second law of thermodynamics: entropy, the dissipation of energy. Entropy can only take place within closed systems. In a psychic sense, entropy can only take place where bigotry exists. This is caused by and further creates separation from others and intolerance generally, rigidity and constriction of the definition of what and how the psyche should be. Following from this is society’s or a person’s bigotry against her/himself. With people who hold positions of power and authority over others, this can result in bigotry, control and the ability to obtain their energetic requirements from others. The flip side, with the client or scapegoat, is the creation of a nihilistic tendency for self - destruction. However, this can, through different expressions, apply to both the therapist as well as the client. This next statement pertains almost exclusively to societies “undiagnosed” psychically wounded, including people on antidepressants. Almost all clients within the mental health net are so conditioned and controlled extremely few of them resort to violence, except perhaps to them selves, as they have been conditioned to do. This especially applies to the ones that are more destructively labeled as people with schizophrenia, and so forth. In fact however, it is well documented that many people who are on anti-depressants, and most of these people receive absolutely no counseling or efficacious therapy, do resort to violence, on a continuum, especially when their use is long-term. Consider what I said above. Rather ironic is it not that most people only exhibit fear towards those persons diagnosed with the various schizophrenias and similar forms of “pathology. I will elaborate further on these dynamics later in this work. In respect to the former, primarily the undiagnosed people who are unconscious enough to pretend to be “normal,” are the real threats within society. Look at the number of wounded people who take others along with them in acts of multiple suicides, where the perpetrators eventually Healing the Client and Healing the Healer is a Mutual affair Mitchell- 160 turn the gun on themselves. This is societies’ unconsciously conscious sacrifice to the shadow: “a Harvest of the innocents,” as one man called it. I find it interesting that this insightful person had a vast experience of the mental health system as a client under his belt, and from what he told me, it hadn’t been a good one Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 161 14 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing For the reasons indicated throughout chapter 13, the more open-ended and wholesome views, the ones focusing on health and sanity rather than pathology are the most likely ones to be of helpful assistance or a model for effective psychotherapy. In the most useful traditional, not necessarily the most widely used, forms of effective psychotherapy, there is recognition of different levels and functions, depending on the purpose of the client/therapist relationship. 132 Although most forms and practices simply focus on prescriptive or functional goals, to enable functioning in the world and serving the mechanical roles within society, true psychotherapy should help guide a client into a deeper relationship with themselves. Ultimately, the true and most noble purpose should be to assist the client to break away from or through the protective shell that creates and maintains the actual reality of alienation. This will create an atmosphere conducive to inter-psychic connection, and mutual interaction between the client and therapist, other people and the world. An important point here is that, if any mental health practitioner hopes to teach psychic health to a client, they have to experience this very process themselves, like any teacher. As stated above, in order to be affective with clients, a therapist, teacher or health professional has to be in touch with the real nature of well being. This has to begin with the well being as experienced from within. Then, they can teach, based on real experiential knowledge, the same understanding and insight to clients and quite simply, to other people, as a way of life. 133 Again, simply stated, to achieve this with a client they have to have experienced this process themselves in an experiential and cathartic/gestalt feeling sense. They have to put their egos aside enough long to allow the breath of fresh air that can enliven and awaken an enthusiasm that can transform themselves as well as their clients and the world in which they live. True health recognizes the requirement to balance and move dynamically and spontaneously between solid boundaries and sense of self identity with an ability to open to receive others, and reach out to others. This has to be spontaneous and flowing, backing up when need be and extending ones-self when the opportunity presents itself. 134 This allows healers to be able to be with the client one minute and then in the next to detach enough to realize there is more to the presenting situation than at first indicated. People employed in the mental -health field have to expand their awareness and realize, in most cases, the potential clients that come to them, do not automatically present to them the root of their problems or the causes of their symptoms. The various symptoms that usually bring clients in to see a psychotherapist are usually only outer experiences that manifest within the client from something deeper. This deeper causation is usually deep alienation from self and therefore from other people and the world. 135 Today, many 132 Ditto, Pg. 153 133 Ditto, Pg. 157 134 Ditto, Pg. 58 135 Ditto, Pg. 60 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 162 of the symptoms are treated as the problems, and the only therapy is to try to make the person more functional. This ignores and allows the real problem (s) to fester. Balance and peace, harmoniously interacting with the world, beyond egocentric involvement can create a sense of wholeness with self, other people and the world. This is the true meaning of rebirth. 136 If someone presumes to be capable of instructing others in the art of life, they must first learn this art themselves. This is an example of the way of thinking and types of awareness a healer would naturally develop in learning the true art of healing, by first learning to heal them selves. The only way to become a whole individual is to cut the umbilical cord from all of the various attachments one develops over the course of one’s, especially, early life. If the umbilical cord is not cut, stagnation sets in. Therein begins the development of alienation and frustration that will fester and only get worse when it continues for too long. True healing can reverse this reversal of life. People can be taught how to truly live rather than experiencing a living death. People can learn how to experience the pleasure of being in the world rather than trying to posses the world and the myriad things that can be found within the realms of greed, status, power over other people, and personal image 137 The true art of life is to never stop emerging and growing; to always continue expansion and inclusiveness. This true individuation is the only way an authentic interdependence and empathic connection with other people and the world can develop. By remaining dependent on various external sources, or personas and illusions used for identity, most people have a difficult time, if ever, in overcoming the alienation of self. This extends outward as much as it encompasses the person’s inner world. Extended stages or periods of narcissism are most certainly connected with a halted stage in separation from the umbilical level of connection with original dependencies, such as mother and father. The narcissistic stage is characterized by a struggle to attain independence, and is therefore identified with a very ego-centric stance. 138 Because this stage is characterized by the struggle for individuation, the deep psychic reality is that independence has not been achieved with resulting frustration of becoming trapped, literally. In this sense, the umbilical cord has not been cut. This is the nature of people who demonstrate forms of egoistic and therefore egoistic extensions of exteriorized aspects of themselves by forcing others to be receptacles of their projections. Examples of exteriorization and aggrandizement, dissociated aspects of individuals, represents pure fragmentation of self, especially in respect of the associated libidinal energy given up to these objects of their projections. The very giving up of this libidinal energy then induces the retrieval of that lost energy by the act of theft known as bigotry, scapegoating or sadism. These objects can be as much the local hero or city scapegoat right up to national flag waving at international events or politics. This is how the power of any powerful charismatic leader or individual operates: by using the energy of other people. Illegitimate retrieval of lost energy is how the cyclical or domino affect becomes activated. Transcendence of the egoistic state, on the other hand, is characterized by an ability to simply be in the world as it is rather than chasing the illusions of image, greed and power, especially power over other people. 139 It enables a person to remain whole and complete. One of the hallmarks of a repressed person is a reliance on intellectualization and maintaining the ego inflated state. Not only does objectifying themselves create this, they objectify others, thereby projecting energy onto the object of their objectification. This is why sadists must control and traumatize those individuals they objectify. They then steal and rip away a larger portion of the energy they originally invested in the “object”. A simple example of this is the quantum 136 Ditto, Pg. 61 137 Ditto, Pg. 61 138 Ditto, Pg. 62 139 Ditto, Pg. 63 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 163 physical reality that whatever is objectified and viewed, depending on what is being looked for, will change its characteristics to accommodate that objectification. Masochists achieve a similar goal in the way of a reverse procedure. They invest their energy into the object of their control, the sadist. They control the sadist by providing a need for the sadist to control them. In a sense, they introject with a form of co-dependent manipulation, but in an extremely pathological way and one that ultimately depletes them more so than the depletion that a sadist experiences. In either case, energy is not obtained from within, but from without them selves. Intellectualization is simply a more subtle and apparently more civilized way of achieving the same thing.140 A typical symtom of co-dependent manipulation is the emotionally charged atmosphere within a family that is enmeshed. Obviously, these “objects” may be ones of aggression or adoration. In both cases, the result is a loss of libido or life force, Prana, to the objects of projection. The above is also an example illustrating why a person is taught to forgive others. A person prevents the transgression from happening again. However, the real reason why forgiveness to others is important in the first place is because the conscious decision to forgive, releases the forgiver from the forgiven, along with whatever incident, situation, and resulting psychological entanglement existed. Of the greatest importance is that true forgiveness frees up blocked or projected energy; energy that, the very act of not forgiving, gives up to the un-forgiven. These dynamics are very similar to the sadism and masochistic relationship I just described above. However, the other person is also part of us in a whole psychic sense, and forgiving the other person also means to forgive a part of your self. This is seemingly paradoxical, but understanding is made possible by realizing our dual nature: united but individual. Loss of life force can be stopped; what was lost can be reclaimed. Overcoming the conditioned and repressed state, in a very real sense, is a return to a state of innocence, a child-like innocence. The return is not as an immature child un-separated from the world umbilical cord but re-connected, only this time with a mature sense of individuality and consciousness. This statement puts in technical terms the exact same message that is to be learned in the story of the “Prodigal Son.” Healing, is not the absence of symptoms, rather, it is the presence of wholeness. It is connection with the world and everything that comprises the universe within us and outside of us. This is the definition of well-being. 141 This is understood by the world’s wisdom traditions, both Eastern and Western. All of this, the definition of well-being, is and can only be “known” in full consciousness and necessarily involves a consciousness of the higher realms of existence. This would also be a demonstration of love in the true sense of the word. The highest attainment possible for a human being, said by historically well known wise individuals, is to base life upon a conscious understanding and connection with the “world,” both as a relative, as an individual and as absolute. 142 The term relative relates to connection with others; as an individual means to recognize our self identity and our containment of the universe within ourselves. To base it on the absolute refers to an understanding that the two prior ways mentioned are simply forms that, within the absolute, transcends and is prior to form. That is, the formless point and source of all that is manifest in the mundane world. Remember the paradox of reality. As many wise people who were truly able to individuate have said, Christ, for example, in order to find yourself, first you must lose yourself; in order to love yourself you must then find yourself again. You withdraw projections, from people and objects. You do not increase separation from the environment. Beginning from within, unity of an individual’s psyche, effects that individual’s well - being, which is displayed by self-acceptance. It is precisely this tolerance that can spill out into the environment; think of it as contagious love of the right sort. They unite inner and outer, Heaven and Earth. 140 Ditto, Pg. 65 141 Ditto 142 Ditto, Pg. 73 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 164 A true healing environment between a client and therapist exists when the therapist is able to still the mind enough that ego and its contents can be quieted. When the therapist stops trying to use technical judgments and make the client fit into his or her sterile model of diagnosis and “treatment” plan, mutual healing can take place. In this “empty” state, full empathy and connection can be established with the client. As soon as the therapist’s ego begins to judge his own progress on technique in what is taking place, and as well judging what is taking place with the client, the healing environment cannot take place. 143 It is this self - contradicting process of ego taking credit for that which results only from being in the moment that stifles true presence. The healing presence in the therapeutic relationship requires the therapist to constantly monitor themselves; instead of monitoring the client, rather than being with the client. During that moment of emptiness a state of ego - less - awareness can be present. We can do away with what I call psychological materialism, and a parallel that Trunga Rinpoche refers to as spiritual materialism. It can be done away with, the neurosis recognized. This neurosis is a type of subtle neurosis. It sometimes prevents recognition and creation of an open presence. This neurosis provides a base for the development and maintenance of separation, the false ego. In this sense it is the source of bigotry. Once we are able to see this subtle and sometimes not so subtle neurosis, and act upon it, true healing will begin. Being able to simply feel and experience things, instead of reacting to them, will teach people to develop greater tolerance and confidence in whatever life confronts us with. This especially relates to things people perceive as threats or nuisances. By not reacting but simply by “being,” is a sign of sanity and well – being. 144 This statement is certainly true as it relates to bigotry and the various forms of hypocrisy one encounters in oneself from moment to moment. I will say, personally, this reality and recognition of the truth inherent in it I have no problem accepting, and living in accordance with it. On the other hand, I have difficulty with accepting and not reacting in some way to injustices and attacks on innocent people. I have difficulty accepting what I know are types of servitude and dictatorship like dynamics I perceive and experience within society. This is true even when I know they are primarily unconscious on one level but very conscious on another level; they may all emerge from our shadow contaminated super ego, and even from darker realms. I cannot stand by while innocent people are brutally victimized and re-victimized and traumatized. I do have a difficult time not reacting with (controlled) anger when I witness these dynamics, although I have learned that discipline can be learned so that even a subdued anger does not have to result in acting on it. When a person reacts with anger the powerful emotions produced distorts and prevents effective and healthy ways of dealing with whatever one is confronting. Having said this, when emotions, for example, are avoided they tend to control a person, and this can obviously be projected onto other people. Emotions have to be embraced along with so many other life experiences and thoughts, completely and within consciousness, and then one is able to move beyond them without disowning them. Of note, once a person takes ownership for these dynamics, then, the energies can be refined, turned upward and the life force will then be available for living. The need to obtain those energies in the ways we have discussed will be done away with. Instead of becoming anger, one feels the emotions without reacting and eventually one learns how to “nip the anger in the bud” and redirect the energy to the mind, not to the adrenal system. I will give an example of how this process can operate, and how much work can be involved. A few hours before writing these last few lines, I was walking down a city street. I saw some children out with some day care workers. All of the children, about 20 or so, were connected from 143 Ditto, Pg. 76-77 144 Ditto, Pg. 79 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 165 one wrist to a central rope or harness. There was one person in the front of the control rope at the head of the column. She was pulling on it in such a way that she was leaning forward pulling her weight towards the front. As she was looking straight ahead pulling on the rope behind her she actually appeared out of breath and was straining at the harness. All of the toddlers were walking with their arms outstretched, being pulled along. They were all expressionless and seemed to be putting all of their effort at keeping up with the person in the front hauling them along. One person was at the rear of the column was yelling at them to keep in line and pace. One very small black child caught my attention. He had a somewhat strained look on his face, I would say he was about 3 or 4 years old, and was simply struggling to maintain the pace. There was no nurturing, no sense of play, no friendly banter and no sense of individuality. Over recent years I have noticed more often parents walking down the sidewalks with similar apparatuses attached to their children: a total lack of nurturing contact or anything verbal except orders to pay attention or a yank on the harness to pull them back in line. This is very similar to walking a pet. In respect of the above example, the only time I have seen images of this nature have been in movies portraying prisoners being lead somewhere, or slaves. In fact, the closest image I can relate it with is a time I saw a painting of black slaves being lead in a similar manner. The only difference was that instead of a person being harnessed at the front, it was a horse. The only thing that was missing in the street scene was that these 3 and 4 year olds didn’t have leg shackles. The above event was a perfect example of a time when I had to use discipline to refrain from being affected by emotions. It was not a case of me trying to contain my own hypocritical and judgmental behavior. Rather it was an example where I was witnessing a dehumanizing aspect of the way we are conditioning and treating our children. It was an example where I had to consciously become aware of the anger I felt, the feelings it brought up in me in respect of the ways I have been abused, sometimes quite brutally: sexually, emotionally and psychologically. The important lesson for me in this instance was not to identify with what I was witnessing and react emotionally but instead simply be able to perceive the dynamics taking place. Although I knew I had to refrain from reacting emotionally in a judgmental manner I also knew I had a duty to evaluate what I saw for what it was. There is a distinct difference between the two. Judgment is usually a reaction to emotions and projecting. Evaluation is more of a detached appreciation for what is. As I said, when emotions are avoided, they tend to control a person, and this can obviously be projected onto others. Emotions have to be embraced, along with so many other life experiences and thoughts, completely, and then one is able to move beyond them without disowning them. Of note, once a person takes ownership for these dynamics, then, the energies can be refined, turned upward and the life force will then be available for living. It has to be acknowledge that by lowering defenses to a realistic degree, by letting the world in, creates a certain sensitivity and aliveness that at first makes us vulnerable. 145 Over time and with discipline, especially the development of a detached ability to refine raw emotions into higher level feelings, this vulnerability is maintained. However, the vulnerability can be refined in such a way it does not result in victimization. Instead, it can simply be a vulnerability that refers to a dynamic openness or porous ness that prevents us from being blocked off to the world. My response in the scene described above, was the opposite of bigotry. The only difficulty I had was in not getting angry with the social and psychic dynamics that condition our children in this manner. It was a perfect example of what Mahatma Gandhi was teaching when he made the comment, “If everyone keeps taking an eye for an eye, pretty soon the whole world will be blind.” Once we become emotionally literate, in touch with our emotions and thoughts by achieving a comfortable rapport with them, they become life. Emotions do not need to have a type of hold over you because of their fight or flight tendency, lacking in foresight. They can become a “felt – sense,” a wealth of information. Refined into feelings one can and is able to use them in 145 Ditto, Pg. 81 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 166 conjunction with thought, intuition and sensation; the centering process that is portrayed in Wilber’s graph. The energy is redirected to the whole psyche, made conscious through the ego. In the context of the above example, by unfolding the affects of emotions, by refining them into what can be referred to as a “felt sense,” it was a demonstration of how a person can experience and look at the feeling and thoughts that flow from the associated event or image and understand what it means for the individual experiencing it.146 In this case, the above image made me think of the conditioning we all experience during the course of our lives that infringe on our birthright of liberty, freedom to be ourselves and to develop as fully as nature and the Creator intended. A felt sense is connecting an underlying emotion or feeling, forgotten or repressed within the body structure itself, usually connected with something, usually traumatic. The goal is to connect cognitively, in consciousness, with the thing connected to that emotion and experience it; to re-experience without fear. This will activate the felt sense and release the energy block that had been put in place when the incident or trauma or whatever occurred that was too painful to assimilate in consciousness, at that time. The discipline to develop emotional literacy to the point where one does not react emotionally to its conscious awareness can bring to light previously repressed material and memories. This can be achieved only by repeatedly exposing ones self to the emergence of them as they arise. As I pointed out much earlier, most forms of psychotherapy that do not rely on medications or behavior modification can open the door for the development of emotional literacy. Meditation is the only way to develop this to the point where an individual can move beyond the contents of mind and into the higher realms of psychic experience. 147 As mentioned earlier, a conscious, purposeful detachment or distancing may be necessary at first, until a certain comfort level is attained. The key, however, is to remain conscious with feeling, this having been retrieved and refined from the archaic/primitive and devolutionary movement that resulted in the dominance of that part of the mind represented by the physical reptilian and limbic brain structure, subsequent to repression either by the conscious ego or the super ego. Compare this with the evolutionary movement towards the higher archetypal energies and awareness of them. Thus we can start thinking with our higher mind, the neo-cortex, instead of having this potential ability of the brain, mind and larger psyche being high-jacked by the primitive reptilian, aided by the limbic section of the brain. It is important to experience any emotion fully. By learning how to stay with it in a detached manner it does not overwhelm the individual. Eventually a person learns the ability to simply "let it be" to the point where it almost feels like it is in front of you, with you looking calmly on. You might even be in the picture. There are definitely elements of the Zen process in all of this. This ability allows the person to become emotionally literate, not controlled by them, not the emotions or their sources. This frees up the higher abilities of the mind to expand awareness so that expansion becomes the vehicle for tolerance and the defeat of bigotry. The refined feelings are then more easily decipherable as to their deeper meaning than would be possible with emotions, especially the repressed hidden ghosts, lurking in the closet. A recurring point that has to be made is that the usual forms of psychotherapy, although able to untangle emotional problems and strengthen ego identity, 148 are not sufficient. We have to learn to go beyond this in order to open up to a greater aliveness. Obviously, this is because most types of psychotherapy focus on the individual in an ego sense. But the transpersonal elements, on both the vertical and horizontal planes of existence, in the “whole” sense, don’t have to be nor should they be ignored. This is what psychological approaches such as transpersonal psychology attempt to initiate. This is precisely one of the most important areas to inquire into for people going through these stages in order to reach higher levels of awareness. This most definitely has 146 Ditto, Pg. 82 147 Ditto, Pg. 83 148 Ditto, Pg. 84 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 167 to be an individual journey, but hopefully assisted with a good open-minded therapist, or spiritual guide who has experienced the very same process. This will assist the client to stay grounded in the reality of the here and now. Real mediation enables a person to explore emotions and associated feelings without getting caught up in them. In other words, it creates an ability to feel them in full sensitivity and aliveness without having the tendency to emotionally react or cut off the emotions completely off by analyzing and intellectualizing. 149 A person learns simply how to just let them be; let them flow on by. “Judge not least you be judged”, then we can learn to redirect their energy towards consciousness and creativity. I will say what I said above, however. This really only applies when they are concerned with a person’s threatened ego. When other people are being oppressed, evaluation is necessary in the name of health and justice. When a person allows the thoughts, emotions and feelings one experiences, for example in mediation, the discipline that prevents the ego and the images concerned with the ego from taking hold and judging is like blood being shed by the ego. 150 It can also be liked to a sort of crucifixion; in fact this is the true meaning behind the symbol of crucifixion. This is where the idea of balance between the tension of opposing tendencies and polar ends of a continuum are recognized and brought into a centered equilibrium. This equilibrium is a type of comfortable dynamic and alive balance within the center. The important point to be made here is that achievement of this state beyond the ego allows for an expansion and inclusion that creates conditions conducive to true compassion for others. We begin developing gentleness, beginning with the individual ( our self) and expanding outward. How? In respect of the inner police state of the collective and a great number of individual psyches, we can let go of that, become free. As history has demonstrated over and over if people do not support a dictatorship or unjust ruler, the dictator eventually finds it impossible to maintain that control. The eventual fall of any dictatorship throughout history proves this. The same dynamics apply to the psyche. One of the most important self-defeating aspects of the psyche that has to be overcome is the masochistic and stern opposing parts of the psyche that challenge the ability of the individual to accept and honor themselves exactly as they are. The ability to use gentleness with ones self during this time allows the essence of time to eventually run its course.151 Eventually, when the time of the torrential flood has slowed, progress beyond the lower psyche and its contents becomes a naturally progressive affair. Once a person begins to question the validity to the false ego reality, the process cannot be stopped. Initially, once the finger is taken out of the dyke holding back the water at first it is like a torrential flood; it later slows down and flowingly brings back the nourishment that had at one time been dammed up. At first it would be like any revolution (revelation) documented in history only this time it would be, not a physically violent one but instead a psychically and spiritually transformative one. This illustrates the need to go beyond ego, beyond repulsion and avoidance and learn to hold hands with and embrace our inner self, naturally extending outward. That’s how a person connects with the outer: by connecting and becoming friends with the inner psyche. In the book, Recovering Sanity: A compassionate approach to understanding and treating Psychosis, attention is made to understanding the reference to selves. This applies as much to a client as is does a "would-be" healer. The illusion of the transitory aspects of self that constantly manifest within an individual during interactions with his or her environment, internal and external, only cause problems, even disasters, to the true psyche and person when they are hung onto.152 This is when fragmentation and repression of aspects of self would normally set in. This is also a time of opportunity in recognizing these truths. 149 Ditto, Pg. 84-85 150 Ditto, Pg. 86 151 Ditto, Pg. 92 152 Ditto, Pg 160-161 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 168 In a sense, everyone is comprised of a multitude of selves, the purpose of them being to navigate if you will through the various situations one faces from moment to moment in everyday life. As with any roles one assumes, it is only when a person identifies themselves with that particular role that should only serve a momentary practical purpose, do problems arise. This is especially true if that role is challenged, usually by an outside agent or force. We can see the disastrous affect and havoc this can wreck with, for example actors of screen who attempt to hang onto their stage personas off screen as their life moves ahead without them. The fictitious lives they sometimes end up leading may cause them to fall apart when the addictions and mechanical fixes and crutches they use to support their illusions no longer work for them. Creating awareness of these realities, from what I have studied and subsequently the way I understand it, this is how Christ healed people, such as people who were crippled, allowing them to throw the crutches away and walk on their own. They were crippled in the psyche, not physically. One chapter in “Recovering Sanity” speaks about a development of conviction and certitude of opinions one makes, for example, “as in the dream state.”153 When I speak about this I’m not referring to night dreams but a person’s actual waking dreams. Supporting this is the belief among many spiritual traditions that life is in fact nothing more than a waking dream, Maya, the dance of illusion. In addition to what Podvoll says, what would add clarification is that night dream messages are only meant to be indicators for psychic balancing, during waking hours, to help rebalance imbalances in the psyche. If accurately interpreted, night dreams should be taken very seriously. An indication may suggest implementing a little less severity in one’s life and instead modifying it by instilling a greater amount of mercy or tolerance. A dream of being punished or harshly treated when unjustified may indicate such a compensatory rebalancing. This is also an example of how the tree of life, the Cabala, can be used as a guide for achieving wholeness and balance in one’s life. If these re-balancing mechanisms are prevented, serious imbalances and then illness can result. So let us learn how to properly interpret our dreams, both of the night variety as well as the daylight ones. In respect of our delusional waking world, negative situations one constantly finds one’s self in, and not good ones, or constantly running into difficulties with certain people may indicate a rebalancing that has to take place in the way we interact with others, by changing the way we interact with our selves. If one constantly runs into problems with, for example, policemen, gets in physical or verbal fights, or if a parent, either the mother or father, finds themselves resorting to frequent punishment with the children, perhaps it is they who have to reevaluate themselves and not the children. Especially this latter case, I have seen many times, and is of utmost importance. Children are truly born innocent, in respect of their egos anyway, and if problems arise, it could be a result of anything from invasive psychological incest committed by the parent(s) with the child through to simple hypocrisy (”don’t do as I do, do as I say”). Parents are the number one source of learning for the children and parents therefore hold the bulk of responsibility for problems that children develop. Paradoxically, children are also the main source of learning for the parents. In modern society, there is a tendency of people being extremely limited by the roles and labels that are placed on them or that they adopt. This effectively prevents any wholeness of person to develop. Men and women may now take on roles that were previously gender specific. However, today, as prescriptive technology displaces proscriptive technology and specialization displaces more empowered and whole ways of living and being, we end up today with more and more people who can only maintain these unnatural ways of living by utilizing the multitude of addictions and distractions society readily places at our disposal. So let’s do away with the roles, the personas and the make belief. I’m sure Disney Land can still make plenty of profits without us taking it home with us. 153 Ditto, Pg. 161 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 169 To develop awareness of ones bigotry, one begins by exploring habits of thought and expressions that have become unconscious simply because of their ingrained conditioning and accompanying familiarity. When Podvoll, speaks of the psychotic ability of being in two places at one time, he is referring to what he considers the unbalanced and psychotic type.154 I will add that people are forced to retreat from the here and now, individually and collectively. Unable to do this in a healthy manner we end up constantly obsessing about the past and worrying about the future. So, by this definition of psychosis (or neurosis), everyone is affected to some degree or other. As already indicated a simple process as following one’s breath and thoughts can be a very powerful way to begin the process of liberating the individual, the whole human being. Fear is the major element utilized by the shadow. Witness the proliferation of the various types of insurance policies available to people who attempt to attain unfailing insurance, whether it be monetary, materially and in extension emotionally. In a society saturated with fear this indicator simply expresses the profound paranoia that permeates society. The highly criminal element to this is that most of us project this paranoia onto our targeted scapegoats forcing them to carry and suffer under these burdens and in addition maintains the vicious cycle where everyone points the finger and is at war with everyone else. This is reinforced when the ego is trying to "fit in", indeed to survive, making them think, unfortunately, that the opinions of others, matters. It is at these times it can be said one is not being true to oneself. This is the cause of a psychotic effect because individuals cut themselves off from their true inner selves. Thus we end up with our “schizophrenic” or otherwise neurotic /psychotic society. Podvoll speaks about “reorientation;” 155 he provides us with an examples of how society is constantly preventing people en mass from living in a constantly and smoothly spontaneous way because they are constantly checking themselves, the inner policeman. Flowingly being and living from moment to moment is the only true reality, the eternal now. This inability to live in the eternal now will logically prevent what Podvoll refers to as “The waking zone.”156 This is called healthy detachment. When the mind continuously attempts to monitor and ascertain where one is, in this case referred to as “micro-operations,” this Podvoll says, is to ignore, what he refers to as a psychotic ability to experience an actual waking zone where past, present and future coalesce into a moment of the eternal now. It is not the waking Zone, that is, healthy detachment that Podvoll refers to as psychotic. It is the ability to allow past, present and future to coalesce into the eternal now that he refers to as psychotic. I would suggest this is not a psychotic ability per se. I assert that, in fact, what this describes can be an ability to transcend the materialistic and ego aspects of those three aspects of mind and ego. However, with true psychotics, these glimpses of the eternal now are usually chaotic and certainly not attained through meditation and mental discipline. In that sense, touching those higher realities in an undisciplined and ego-inflationary manner could in fact be referred to as psychotic. However, when done in a disciplined manner, it is not psychotic but transcendent. Therefore, to experience the past, present and future in the internal now within a waking zone, that is, from a position of detachment, in fact represents a moment of true sanity and health. As John Welwood makes clear, it is during moments of sanity that healers have to focus on with the client. They can then be nurtured in those areas. This also supports my assertion earlier in this work that the sensitives who usually end up being labeled schizophrenic or otherwise labeled mentally ill, in fact, have the greatest potential for achieving much higher states of psychic health than the average individual. In that sense, they could become the forefront impetus to a collective human transformation in consciousness. Therefore, what is referred to as a psychotic ability can, if disciplined, in fact develop into what Zen practitioners have been striving to attain for hundreds, indeed thousands of years. By actually being in the here and now the past and the future naturally become part of the present without obsession, without destroying our grounded ness in the here and now. That is the natural 154 Ditto, Pg. 161 155 Ditto, Pg. 161 156 Ditto Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 170 state of expansion that nature intended. It is only when one thinks about the past or the future to such an extent that it interferes in their concentration and experience of the present that it becomes a problem. That is the true meaning behind the term “letting be” or, half humorously, “being there” as portrayed by the movie character Chancey Gardner in the movie of the same name. In the movie they tried to make him appear crazy but mistaken for enlightened. In fact, it is that type of ability to “simply be’ that is a true characteristic of enlightenment. Anyone who has researched the personality characteristics of people who have been honored for being enlightened surely knows that most of them never even came close to blending in or being “normal” in the sense that most people consider the term. Let us not manufacture a death blow to a potential to actually experience a truly mystical and thus evolutionary experiential development in the psyche. In a true mystical state there is no separation between the past, present, and future. They are all one because these contents of the mind (ego) are in fact transcended; they become meaningless. I believe there are aspects of modern physics that also demonstrate this reality. Having said this however, I am realistic enough to also acknowledge that there are a relatively few number of people who have or even ever will experience a state like this. Maybe it is only reserved for a very few. Only God knows and we are not Gods, only made in God’s image. In attempting to reach the calm waters of the eternal now, I have heard it said that the way there is like traveling on “the razors edge”. Until one learns how to quiet the mind or find “the waking zone”, the dynamic Podvoll refers to, the mind is like “the whore of Babylon”, as the Bible would refer to it. To find the still waters is very much a Zen process. It indeed can be very tortuous and painful as if one is traveling along a razors edge, being tricked out of one’s energy by the whore of Babylon if one does not know how to protect it. Actually, the way to safeguard it is by not reacting emotionally but rather by learning how to refrain from responding, by maintaining a wakeful detachment. The pain is only the false ego attempting to grasp and possess that which is only an illusion. In this vein, one may simply look and see that the victories and attainments one achieves in life, all the possessions and money one acquires, are lost when one dies. Physical death is perhaps the most final, for this life anyway, loss of ego. Death of form is death of the ego. It is for this reason that physical death is the most intense fear the ego can experience. So, it is not until one stops trying to grasp and hang onto the impermanent products of the dance and play of mind and ego, that the razor sharpness of the blade ends its’ painful cutting and slashing. When this play ends and calmness arises, then one can appreciate the calm smile we quite often see portrayed on images of the Buddha, Christ, and other saints and holy people who have reached the other side of chaos, of Leviathan. Actually, many pictures I have seen of Carl Jung portray a similar image. In respect of trying to hang onto the illusions and personas our egos manufacture to define who we are, they lead to a form of madness. One of the most important ways to protect ourselves from insanity is to realize the impermanence and transitory natures of these illusions. 157 Of paramount importance, as I’ve said before and will continue to stress, this process is only possible with a powerful healthy ego in service of the whole psyche, solidly grounded in the here and now of the temporal, mundane world, in a practical sense. However, it has to be open to the soul and transpersonal aspects of the psyche, without grasping and becoming inflated. Mental speed can cause a psyche or person’s mind to become even more unbalanced than the ways I have been discussing so far.”158 This is in relation to grasping and holding on to that which cannot be grasped, a basic insecurity that is produced by ego. Related to this, consider the abuse of psychotropic medications, and other addictions of all types. While under these types of 157 Ditto, Pgs. 164, 165 158 Ditto, Pg. 167 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 171 restraints, the mind will naturally panic in a hidden manner, even and perhaps especially if subdued by pharmaceutical psychotropic medications. This will cause the vast amount of confusion and other destabilizing aspects of persons’ psyches that are oppressed. Everything possible must be done to help release the poisons (of the ego) instead of unnaturally keeping them in. This is the only way to get rid of humankind’s “Satan”, the beast in the machine. This is not imaginative or wishful thinking. True science of the mind, of all different types, free of the machine, certainly supports this common sense view, or should I say this uncommon sense view. Indirect reference is made to the fact that people who have allowed themselves to see and deal with this potential (for madness) found within us all, are the best qualified to compassionately assist people who are experiencing the tortures of madness. Podvoll focuses on the psychotic person’s aloneness but I disagree with this to a certain extent. Psychosis can be of a personal nature. However, it is also an expression and experience of a connection with, albeit, a chaotic and confused one, with today’s collective psyche. It is when the contents of the psyche cannot be disciplined and allowed to flow away, when they are not recognized for what they are that psychosis sets in. He mentions the potential for madness within all of us that has to be recognized, especially by aspiring healers. If indeed this is recognized by the healer, then a true sense and therefore reciprocal feeling of empathy can develop. Any client who is psychotic will definitely be able to sense a real empathic presence, especially when their heightened sensitivity and sharpness is taken into account, even if it is infected by fear and confusion. It is also very important to remember that a lot of neurosis and psychosis is quite often successfully hidden by people who have become adept at playing their roles and hiding their true selves: hide = Hyde as in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde A continuous mistake made is to discount the collective, universal human psyche and how some people are more psychically aware of it than others. This is especially true of people going through the throws of mystical experience, perhaps even mystical experience gone haywire. Being true to how you are meant to naturally express yourself, on the other hand, by being gentle with ones self, once this is learned, this tendency flows naturally outward to include others. Tolerance and acceptance creates a necessary reciprocal exchange of energy. There is no need for people pleasing when this stage is attained. Nor is there any need to control and manipulate. A person who does not live strictly from the ego does not tend to rigidly or bother attempt to meet the expectations of others that conflicts with who they are. Nor do they block off the flow to spontaneous and creative living in the moment by not being bogged down by this baggage and detail. A person finds what may be called a type of living space within the mind. If people are allowed to be who they are and be true to themselves, they tend to allow others to be who they are. In other words, tolerance towards others develops. 159 I mentioned above the difference between a person expressing bigotry or discovering it within themselves and dealing with it. I also mentioned that it is quite different from a person evaluating a situation where they witness someone being controlled, abused or stripped of liberty. The fact is, anyone who has developed freedom and tolerance within themselves would be betraying themselves if they ignored the oppression of others. We are our brothers and sisters keepers, not jail guards. When a person is able to quiet the demanding and greedy aspects of the psyche, there is a respectful and gentle appreciation for even the most minute details of life, in a living textural sense, not an intellectual and categorical sense. This develops from true tolerance because one doesn’t block out and repress. It also allows the individual to develop an ability to oppose 159 “Awakening The Heart: East/West Approaches To Psychotherapy and The Healing Relationship, Pg. 94 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 172 oppression. Not with more violence and aggression but with patience and communication. While a strong ego is important, this is only true when it is in service to the whole psyche. We need to be in a state of mindful awareness; aware of our body and the “Babel of sensations”160 concept, what I think of as “The tower of Babel:” the tower of Babel was reputed to be a collection place of conflicting and chaotically opposing views, practices and ways of being that were not able to exist in harmonious mutual existence. Most people in society are out of contact with their bodies; ungrounded. People suffering from obvious insanity, confused, are in even less touch. Abuse of medications almost ensures that these people, the client victims, will become almost zombie like because of misuse of the profit driven prescribing of psychotropic medications. In this sense, the pharmaceutical pill pushers are in fact no different than crack dealers and other street drug pushers. At least the street pushers aren’t pretending to help the people they sell the drugs to. Indeed the Pharisees are to be despised and pitied far more than the tax collectors. With the above in mind, being gentle with ones self allows a person to recognize negative emotions and thoughts rather than hiding them. 161 Instead of aggressively denying them and pushing them underground, they are brought to the surface and gently dealt with. It is nonacceptance and aggressiveness with oneself that helps cause repression, and the likelihood of projecting what is repressed outside of our selves, onto others. Awareness of ones feelings of anger and aggression enables a person to let them go when the reason for them is seen, because one has learned to let go. Gentleness allows room for breathing. Energy can then be used for constructive and creative use. With this attitude of tolerance and gentleness the negativity looses its negative affects and finds appropriate avenues of expression. 162 I have already been touching on the way people’s psyches can not only interpenetrate but in fact commit a type of rape, an uninvited invasion that weaker psyches find unable to fend off. Children are normally the first victims to suffer these types of invasions. I have witnessed many situations where this type of invasion takes place. Think of the number of children suffering from asthma and so called ATDD. In reference to mindfulness and controlling of thoughts, when a person becomes distracted or possessed by inner thoughts, breathing becomes affected in a smothering way.163 What the person experiencing this invasion does not recognize is that the aspect of his or her psyche that is literally sucking the energy (air) from them does not have to be an aspect of their own individual, personal psyche. It is their larger psyche, coming from the poisoned collective and other people, usually intimate people in close proximity. This is what causes the symptoms of asthma, attention deficit disorder, and so fourth. It can be caused by either apparently physical experiences or psychological ones. However, they affect both an individual’s psyche and physiology, and they all stem from the source of the invading soul(s)/psyche(s). Every individual psyche that experiences these invasions becomes imprinted with a real experiential memory; it is also imprinted in the memory of the deep body structure. Therefore, these experiences can also express themselves in obvious physical form, where the psychic dimension of the experience is effective in creating an imprint which can be called upon to alert or cause a person to take notice. This can be an example of true instinct and other factors related to memory and logic: intuition. Importantly, purely psychological invasions and trauma are usually 160 “Recovering Sanity: A Compassionate Approach to Understanding and Treating Psychosis, Podvoll, Pg. 168 161 “Awakening the Heart: East/West Approaches to Psychotherapy and The Healing Relationship, Welwood, Pg. 96 162 Ditto, Pg. 97 163 “Recovering Sanity: A Compassionate Approach to Understanding and Treating Psychosis”, Podvoll, Pg. 168 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 173 more severe, especially because they cannot be readily identified. Countless testimonials of police and firefighters, who say an intuitive unmistakable gut reaction caused them to react in an appropriate manner necessary for their well-being, cannot be ignored. People who have to survive on the street or in living environments that are not safe also develop such intuition. This is scientifically real in every sense of the word; sensitive to situations, people. They are alive, even if somewhat warped or twisted because of not having healed from past wounds properly. As we know, this can describe the symptoms of panic attacks that have been caused by physiological or psychic traumas. The real explanation of these symptoms is that when people suffer “attacks,” they are forms of instinctual intuition alerting them to invasions. It is because the situation triggers memories of the original trauma and the individual recognizes the same patterns and atmospheric vibrations. Even if they forget the actual memories of past invasions, the pattern of the “vibes” that pulls the trigger, put forth by the prospective invader match because there is a similar intention and feeling of affect or intent behind the incident and the human interaction that created the imprint on the other person’s memory in the first place. The brainwave patterns created by the perpetrator and sent out to be received by the potential victim match the brain wave patterns and affects the memory accordingly. Modern mental health tries to say that what in fact happens is a reaction to a similar event or situation because of something called “cognitive dissonance”, perhaps combined with an unintelligible mechanical bodily imprint or some other such foolishness. In other words, that the event that triggers the response it is not necessarily justified in alerting the person to danger. This is irresponsible and devalues a person’s ability to recognize these invasions or potential invasions for what they are. It totally devalues the power of a properly and naturally developed intuition in people. It pathologizes what has historically been referred to as female intuition. Therefore, even the word intuition, having become pathologized in today’s world has now been changed to the word, paranoia. In 2001, I even read an article that tried to blame panic attacks on genetics. It tried to say that people were genetically predisposed to this “illness”! As usual, modern mental health attempts to pathologize reactions and ways the human species has developed over a huge span of time for survival, protection and transformation. This allows patterns of abuse, whether societal, group or individual to be ignored, ending up with a situation of blaming the victim. This is criminal. I know from experience, study and talking to people that it is not based so much on memory but an actual psychic recognition, normally subconscious in most people, that an invasion is taking place. This cannot be ignored. I have witnessed children who have been “diagnosed” with ATDD, who are with very emotionally needy and enmeshed parents go nearly squirrelly while with the parent or other adult. The child is unconsciously fighting against this invasion. When the child leaves the immediate area where the parent or other adult is, usually after being scolded or otherwise chastised and go over to an adult or someone who demonstrates no such needy tendency, they might become totally calm, relaxed and focused, if they don’t fall asleep from exhaustion. These are examples of emotional suffocation, a type of theft that causes such things. I am referring to emotionally immature and needy parents who have suffered the same types of invasions and continue the cycle with their children. These wounded people living from their false and wounded personal psyches and egos tend to objectify their children as emotional providers for themselves. This will be changed once people learn to become acquainted with their own psyches. All of this demonstrates the effects of powerful interpenetration of psyches. It also accounts for peoples heightened levels of stress. Stress, especially chronic stress, depletes the body of badly needed oxygen, and this has been scientifically and medically documented. Oxygen deprivation has been proven to be a major cause of disease and various types of bacterial and virally based infections. Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 174 Focusing on your breath actually increases the power of concentration. 164 Consider the magnitude and importance of this statement when you consider what I have been saying throughout this paper about psychic invasions, of all sorts. Then consider the explosion of statistics of children with everything from so-called ATDD, asthma through to turrets Consider also, that cancers thrive in oxygen depleted body tissues; there have been an explosion in recent times of the incidence of child cancers. Not only are we, the parents, whether directly or indirectly, responsible for doing this to our children, criminally, the doctors, in cahoots with the pharmaceutical companies jump in, blame it on some sort of biological pathology and then pump very poisonous chemicals into our children. Ritalin, for example; it works because it is so powerful it short circuits the child’s central nervous system. Adults sell this drug on the streets for its “upper” or amphetamine like affects! You know, when you talk to people about the explosion in so-called mental illnesses today, many people say that in years past most of these people were hidden behind closed doors. They certainly cannot say that today about all of these later statistics. In addition, I’ve read and heard statistics in the public news media that the number of people on anti-depressants because of depression, etc has increased astronomically. It is no exaggeration the belief that introducing the art of body mind and spirit into our culture at an early age, as they do in China for example, would greatly reduce the incidence of both physiological as well as psychological disorders. By teaching our children how to do this, we could set in motion the beginning of a healthy cycle that would eventually become self-perpetuating. Do we have enough love for our children, ourselves and in extension for Heaven and Earth to do this? I think we will have to whether we like it or not. True love is not characterized by passions and sentiment. We can become possessed by these dynamics, like poisons. 165 We see extreme examples of these dynamics all through society: stalking, murder-suicides, and so forth. True love is not sentimental. It is based on respect and mutuality. This passion can also poison and suffocate a child if perpetrated by an emotionally needy adult on to a child or even on another, weaker adult. In reverse, if people can learn to recognize and not give in to this type of emotional thief, when they attempt their theft, it backfires on the thief. This happens when the intended victim does not respond to the emotional demand. This will result in the emotional thief experiencing an emotional rebound or after – shock to their attempted break and enter into the targeted victim's space. I have personally witnessed and experienced this, especially in hindsight after successfully withdrawing from enmeshed situations where the above indicated dynamics had become common place and expected. However, adults might be capable of developing this ability: children are too vulnerable and inexperienced to do so. In crude form, crude because it does not teach the people how to move beyond their own selfish ego needs, people are sometimes counseled to improve, leave, or otherwise deal with co - dependence, enmeshment, and so fourth. Usually in ways that increases the needy ego requirements. I have seen this many times in some 12 – step programs. Interestingly, I remember attending a presentation of a 12 – step program presented by the group’s members. I will never forget the woman sitting next to me ( she was a student also) turning to me and saying that the way members of this group spoke and acted made it sound like a cult. At that time I could not fully appreciate her accurate observations: today I certainly can. I will also add that I do not want to ignore the positive benefits some of these groups can offer. I simply want to make apparent to the reader that these types of groups can and many times do become a substitution and enabler to maintain and perpetuate the very dynamics that initiated and maintained the addictions that lead to the creation of these groups in the first place. I have spoken to many people, ex-members and professionals, who felt the same way. In many 164“Recovering Sanity”, Pg.168 165 “Recovering Sanity:, Pg. 174 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 175 instances, they certainly can become a substitute addiction for the one it replaces, even if it is psychically and physically less harmful; in many cases it is psychologically worse. We have to learn preventative medicine: Podvoll speaks of “mindfulness”.166 Our society, by virtue of a seemingly limitless number of distractions and addictions, attempts to prevent this and up until now has done this. When I use the feminist term consciousness raising this is the preventative medicine I am referring to, for a start. Although I personally have used a combination of various yogic and martial meditative techniques and been eclectic in my study of science and philosophy in my search to achieve this, ultimately to initiate a transformation in consciousness people will simply have to start asking the question: Why? Without becoming obsessed. Not asking the question leads to numbness; obsessing the question leads to mania. The main balancing feature we can use in this is unity in thought, action and spirit; within awareness and necessarily as individuals not as robots, zombies or clones. I remember a child, the closest thing to a daughter I ever had, used to look at me sometimes, with her intense intelligent look that she had about her. Simply out of the blue she would look at me and say "Why". Even at that age, her mother and I noticed she had similar interests as I have. I have thought about this many times and have actually come to a possible realization. I honestly believe she was subconsciously motivated by her soul to say this letter, Y, referring to its symbolic meaning. What it represents, and I see no other explanation than this, is that a Y represents a forking or separation: one to the left the other to the right, the ultimate meaning is separation. I also remember having a dream that described this understanding perfectly. In my dream I was walking with a woman, my anima, and at one point this woman and I parted our ways, she downhill to the left and me upwards to the right. I realize this today, many years after this dream: I realize it represented a separation of my self from my soul. I also remember that at the time I had that dream I very much had only been living in and from my ego. I can only hope that this young princess followed her heart and always continues to ask questions. In dealing with imbalances, Orientals have for centuries, during their successful treatment of patients, focused on the fact that any kind of repressions, splits or fragmentations of the mind result in forms of imbalances that manifest as insanity and physical dis-ease. These imbalances and resulting blockages of energy connecting body, mind and soul/spirit are what cause the confusion and manifestation of insanity. 167 People should not be surprised by this. This type of knowledge, geared towards health and preventative medicine does not fit in the medical – pharmaceutical business of focusing on pathology and providing artificially synthesized pharmaceuticals. These quite often create far more harmful side effects than the job it is supposed to do. A naturally derived product as simple as stabilized negative ions of oxygen have been demonstrably proven to be efficacious in healing a huge number of illnesses, physical and mental, with absolutely no side effects. Many environmentally created imbalances of the psyche can be successfully treated with a commonsense combination of oxygen, amino - acids and Ginkgo Biloba (the latter creates a greater amount of blood circulation, especially in the brain). These are all naturally occurring substances in nature, have no side effects if taken properly and either repair or prevent physical damage caused by the destructive environment created by the machine, giving a person a better equipped physical vessel to work from. In speaking about neurotransmitters, Podvoll speaks about the sometimes manic or psychic bombardment caused by administration of L - dope, a naturally occurring substance in the brain 166 Ditto, Pg. 176 167 “Recovering Sanity”, Pg. 178 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 176 which is sometimes deficient in people. Common sense says that with administration of this substance, without psychic preparation and knowledgeable guidance for the client, previously psychically starved or blocked people will experience a flood of previously repressed material, much of it of a primordial level. In natural meditation the release is very controlled and disciplined. L-dope, Like any hallucinogenic drug, when it is haphazardly taken or administered to a person who has been divorced from full psychic reality for most of their life, it only makes sense that a flood of psychic action will take place. In no way do these cases demonstrate the unreality or pathology of the psyche, individual or collective. All that is demonstrated is that the human psyche has been oppressed, repressed and conditioned like some caged animal ever since we became ashamed of ourselves and started to wear a fig leaf. When one consider the huge mass of humankind on this planet, it is not far fetched to consider that the massive collective psyche, especially that which has been brutally mute - lated for centuries, is finally starting to break through in torrential ways with some of the more psychically sensitive. The criminality of the situation is that the machine that runs society is torturing these potential front guides for collective transformation by scapegoating them, medicating them and turning them into zombies. We make them believe they are somehow handicapped when in fact they could very well be the saviors of humankind and the forerunners of human transformation. Psychotherapists who undergo psychotherapy themselves sometimes have some very enlightening experiences. Some have been known to have transformative changes in their professional viewpoint. They realize how much of the psyche they had been ignoring. They also begin to realize how much their attitude would have a very real impact on those persons they were counseling. 168 This is an example of a healer undergoing and experiencing the same process a client might experience. How many would-be healers have the courage to become humble enough to experience this? One thing is for sure: if a would-be healer experiences this process, and the ego pain involved, and heals from it, humility will naturally follow. They have to be sincere about their desire to become healers. This will happen because they will realize they are no different than their clients or other people, when it comes to the psyche in its entirety. That realization and acting upon that realization is what makes a truly great healer. Psychotherapy allowed one psychiatrist to see that much of the knowledge and information we seek, we in fact already have. All we have to do is to let go of the defenses and blocks that prevent us from accessing them from the higher states or realms of the psyche. The professional can also began to realize just how limiting and incomplete most forms of modern psychotherapy are today. Most importantly, he or she can realize that some of the higher realms and states of mind our present system tends to pathologize. This deadens and thwarts those persons sensitive enough to access and recognize these potentials.169 Much of what I write now is taken from ideas about centering utilizing the four quadrants, and everything that can be extrapolated from this approach. This groundwork provides the most stable base from which to operate. Especially important are the ideas of the all-quadrant approaches to psychotherapy. From what I am able to see, these ideas are quite compatible with the ideas put forth in “Awakening The Heart”, and certainly with almost all of the world’s wisdom traditions. It had been pointed out that men and women develop through gender neutral stages of psychic development, although there are differences in respect of emphasis on characteristics: men – left brained, justice, the whole context, vertical dimensions, evolutionary growth; women – right brained, horizontal relationships, care and connection.170 I would modify this statement to 168 “Awakening The Heart 169 “Awakening The Heart”, Pg. 106 170 The Eye of Spirit”, Ken Wilber, Pg. 189 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 177 say that this was true when strict gender stereotyping was in vogue. Today, these qualities can and are indeed to be found among both genders in mixtures that have nothing whatever to do with physical appearance, at least not to the extent it used to. Indeed, many of the healthy and nurturing aspects listed have become poisoned by the vast hate that has contaminated many areas. The pathology is the sadistic development where people who think they are being loving are really expressing hate, especially by virtue of ignoring their hypocrisies, and their resulting theft of psychic energies from others, especially children. This is important to realize when one is trying to understand others in a constructive and helpful way. Having made that qualification, the above statement of Wilbur's in respect of gender is useful common sense only to an extent. It is certainly not true like it was say, fifty or 100 years ago. This next statement is rather important, in respect of gender and especially in respect of the dynamics of femininity and masculinity. When only the lower level web of the human collective is taken into consideration in respect of “reality,” that is, the horizontal and holographic dimensions of the web of life it can become pathological because it tends to trap people into the lower levels of the psyche. It is a horizontal line, flatland touched with anarchy, it is incomplete. In this sense this feminine (only) and incomplete view of reality is just as unbalanced and incomplete as the masculine (only) or patriarchal viewpoint that only considers as valid the vertical sphere of the four quadrant approach to reality. 171 In other words, an exclusive focus on the matriarchal aspects of nature is just as pathological as an exclusive focus on the patriarchal aspects. A matriarchal or horizontal viewpoint has to be balanced with the masculine or patriarchal vertical plane, thus creating a dynamic that spirals towards a central balance, individually and socially. It is an unrealistically non-hierarchical view that some radical so-called anarchists and other radical groups hold, and is based only on communion in a manner that resembles a meltdown, a lowering of consciousness. The above exclusively holographic perspective actually produces situations and perceptions that see in reverse. This makes sense when one considers that materialism focuses on downward and outward psychic movement as opposed to outward and upward, represented by balance with the vertical plane of existence. It is regressive rather than evolutionary. Rather than appreciate the environment and living ecology, because of this exclusively ego viewpoint (unconscious of this viewpoint that ego is), it perceives only in a flatland and therefore non-evolutionary way. As a result, destruction of the environment predominates because it is exclusively materialistically, or matter = mother based perspective. Because of this, it becomes the devouring mother rather than the nurturing mother.. 172 In addition, because this viewpoint is in almost a total reversal of evolution, it is also nihilistic and almost completely results in a hypocritical character. This has nothing to do with gender, only energetic patterns. As many men hold these worldviews as do women Remember the example I gave earlier of an exclusively ego stance, forcing the rest of the psyche into the clutches of the shadow. The result is the unconscious control of the repressed psyche, showing up in anti-life expressions instead of nurturing and life giving. It is dominated by Kali and Satan, the dark wife and husband (even though they hate each other because that is their nature). The only good thing about this is because of their very natures sooner or later they will eat themselves out of house and home. The sad question is: how much of humanity and the earth will they take with them. Let’s remember, the Source of creation itself is limitless and untouchable. The only thing that suffers is the creation that the Source produced so that it could know itself. I hope this isn’t a reflection that the Source simply became disgusted with what was created. This immature ego is really controlled by a reversed feminine aspect of the Earth, while it, the reversed masculine (the ego) thinks it is in control. A true appreciation and connection with the nurturing Earth is only possible by union with the vertical higher levels of the psyche. 171 Ditto 172 Ditto Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 178 Personally, I have always had greater faith in human kind rather than the barbaric idea of survival of the fittest. I had always associated this only with the lower evolutionary creature However, maybe the Hindus are right. Only the Creator knows. “We need constantly to keep our eye on both the profound similarities as well as our intricate differences between men and women, and resist the urge to sink our discussion in an ideological fervor to promote one at the expense of the other.”173 Let us comprehend, appreciate and integrate the non-pathological aspects of feminine and masculine energies and characteristics into the whole character and nature of each individual’s psyche. Let men learn from women about the powerful benefits of close personal relations with people and the Earth. Let women learn from men how to detach in a manner that allows them to reach a higher and more universal awareness that transcends the Earth and its materialistic nature rather than lowering and further becoming enmeshed in matter. 174 Men can learn to connect more on the horizontal Earth plane while more women can learn to connect on and move upwards on the vertical Heavenly plane. Always remember, these comments I am making do not necessarily apply strictly to gender. For example, when I refer to more men reaching into earth, I am also referring to those women who are possessed by their animus. In a similar way when I say that more women should learn how to reach upward into “Heaven” I am also referring to many men who are possessed by their animas. So, rather than gender specifically, I am referring primarily to masculine and feminine energies and dynamics and the profound need at this time in history to balance these energies within individuals. Internally, more people will have a greater ability to unite the inner feminine and masculine within without misunderstanding what these energies are when they experience them. When these processes do not take place, men are not whole people, women are not whole people and Earth finds itself disconnected from Heaven. So let us make people whole and unite all of nature. I find these last comments fascinating. Until recent years I had been totally enmeshed with my intimates and most of the usual celebrations and holidays. It was not until I truly made a break with that enmeshment, that is, cut the maternal umbilical cord, of which I was totally expected to be part of and help maintain, that my mind became clear enough and balanced enough to express the true equanimity I had been striving for many years to obtain through the use of meditation, martial arts, Yoga, psychology, and esoteric studies. Although I had a profound desire for justice and the liberation of human beings it wasn’t until I made that separation into independence that I was able to utilize a mental capacity clear of the subconscious emotions I was had been struggling to control through use of the other disciplines. In fact, I had been struggling to extricate myself from the final remnants of a shame based personality and a character traumatized by scapegoating and the various forms of institutional abuse I described earlier. Many times in the past I have made the statement to myself and other’s that if a person is going to be a protector and nurturer of life they have to start with themselves, as I mentioned earlier in this book. This final cutting of the umbilical cord allowed me to have the equanimity to honestly begin the development of a truly empathic connection with other people completely free of the remnants of sentimentality and other baggage that had been still there to be removed. Although my intimates did not recognize it at the time, I expressed love and understanding to their opinions but was only able to receive exclamations about how selfish I was, how much I had hurt them and so forth. From my research into the topic it was a classic example validating just about everything I had read and learned on the topic. In keeping with much of the premise put forth in this book, it wasn’t until I actually experienced it that I transcended a purely intellectual understanding of it. I touched on the point earlier that the developmental processes and cognition of a clear cut progress into higher levels, of more integral structures and so forth are not always evident and 173 Ditto, Pg. 200 174 Ditto, Pg. 201 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 179 cognitively appreciated. What is important is appreciating and watching the process unfold rather than the contents. In fact, by watching for the “progress” and thereby judging how one is doing, ego and intolerance of ones self takes place. This is exactly what we are trying to overcome. 175 This statement powerfully points to the value of Wilber’s centering graph and illustrates the importance of balancing, without emotional rejection, anything one may encounter, especially conditioned responses, triggered by the individual and collective superego. This allows recognition of a person’s artificially created personas, and through this recognition, of their true individuated self. During this process, although there is no place for judgment there is definitely room for evaluation After everything I’ve discussed so far, how many people, I wonder, go through the multitude of stages that would transpire under natural conditions? I would think not too many. Most psychiatrists don’t develop beyond cognitive and egoistic levels (pre-conventional: what I wish is right). I think though as more people become acquainted with, for example Wilber’s research and books, and I know they are very popular, more people will pass on the knowledge he offers, and not just the scientists and philosophers who are already in the fields he discusses. In addition I would like people other than those who want to stay in positions of power with their “esoteric” knowledge to become familiar with this wisdom. Since the category of power “freaks” and controllers who think they are next to god obviously does not apply to all health professionals or people in these areas of work, the more people in the mental health professions and similar areas who become acquainted with this knowledge the better. The really important audience is the common person, the people, to become acquainted with what he and others like him have to say. In essence, there are various stages, structures and associated dynamics that an individual ideally evolves into, up to and through, and all of these are contained within the whole self system. The important thing is the effort made, not the progress. It is similar to the martial art known as Kudo, a type of archery, what is known as a moving meditation. The point of the exercise is not to hit the bull’s eye or even the target. The point is to meditatively concentrate and aim for the target. It is this concentrated effort that will naturally result in the target being reached eventually, providing there is no ego involvement beyond a consciously concentrated effort. I believe this also takes into account what Podvoll was referring to as the psyche being comprised of many different self’s, all working together as a unit. This is also similar in reference I made to the various personas people adopt to accommodate the various situations and needs people find themselves in from moment to moment during our waking hours interacting with other people and the environment. In these situations a meditative or aware effort could be made, after the fact so that interaction is not impeded, to see how the interaction took place. Personally, I developed this ability to a high degree by later reviewing the interaction in a detached manner. The only evaluations I made were in sociological, legal and psychological ways. During the interactions themselves I was totally spontaneous and tolerant. All of the above psychic development exists on a continuum of consciousness. As each stage is solidly recognized and transition into the next higher order level is begun, each successive attainment is only possible when the earlier levels have been realized, without obsession. It is to be acknowledged and recognized there may at times seem to be overlaying and interconnected processes taking place. As I said earlier, this is because as a person develops upward, although the structure and integration and organization will differ, it will always contain within it everything that preceded it. Here reference is being made to Wilber’s idea of holarchy and the necessity to keep intact the structures or foundation that preceded the higher structures that emerged from them; importantly with the lower levels working to the benefit of the higher evolutionary levels. As an example, a mature ego works in and to service of the whole psyche and not the other way around. An extremely important aspect to acknowledge is that people cannot truly connect with the larger world until a person’s mind and worldview expands in a similar fashion. 175 Ditto, Pg. 215 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 180 Research and study of the psyche in the whole sense, beyond the purely physical, points out that the self, as the balancing system of the psyche, that is, the center of the four quadrants, is necessary to consider when the whole psyche is taken into consideration. The spiritual connection, unifying all, runs through the various levels.176 If the process is done at ever increasing levels of consciousness it blossoms into a complete whole with aware consciousness permeating and putting into the proper context the whole psychic image. Unfortunately, this self or center of the individual is almost totally ignored in the mental health system. Obviously, this applies to workers perspective in mental health, the system or worldview that educates them, and the cyclical perpetuation of all dynamics involved. Therefore, during this process of centering (of gravity) a person attempts to achieve, in the traditional oriental martial arts, for example, a centering of focus and concentration. What's important is to hold dynamic tensions or balance, represented by the four quadrants, that sometimes recognizes conflicting messages, paradoxes of awareness, etc. Not only is this a process of waking up and bringing to light repressed or unconscious elements within the psyche, it is also a process of refinement. Archaic emotions are refined into identifiable feelings, and eventually one is able to transcend in the sense of compassionately appreciating the feelings without getting caught up in them. This is the way to develop true compassion towards others, without personal emotional and sentimental baggage to misconstrue the object of one's empathy. Psychically, this represents a movement from an emphasis on the archaic reptilian and limbic system control of the psyche, the primitive and emotional aspects to a predominance of control by the neo-cortex, with the more archaic parts of the brain under the direction of the higher levels. Using the concept of holarchy, this is a more centered aspect of the psyche; an evolutionary movement that allows the development of a balanced psyche with the self-system, the higher evolved self, in control. Evolving unity, both horizontally and vertically, is the exact opposite of what has been happening throughout society, thereby increasing separateness. This is an immature and narcissistic stage representing the lowest level of development, and causes bigotry. It is through recognition of the evolutionary process above described, that the mental health of society can to be transformed by developing this model for mental health. This is the goal, within awareness, to aim for. Society seems to be trapped in a confused state of narcissistic anarchy in its attempts to escape from the combined enmeshment with the fabric of the collective. The unfamiliarity of the ego with transcendence is no different from a small child attempting to differentiate his or her body from the environment that it at first thinks is an inseparable part of, in the sense of lacking in individuality. What I mean by this is that the various objects it experiences around it seem to be part of its integral self. In this way it projects parts of it psyche and psychic energy onto the various objects around him or her. This is called participation mystique and is quite descriptive of its early first couple of years before it can differentiate its own existence from the existence of its mother. That is, before the child begins to develop an ego identity and therefore separate identity from its mother.177 This is the very nature of unconscious hypocrisy and demonstrates the need for people to become aware of this enmeshment and the resulting ego aggressiveness, both of which people have become primarily unconscious of, especially on the mass level. Without a cultural context, utilizing semantics, language and words, to place it in a contextually conceptualized framework of understanding, consciousness cannot develop with the use of physical brain alone. With the recognition of the interpenetration of minds, it is this collective human psyche, stemming and growing from cultural semantics and meaning that consciousness 176 Ditto, Pg. 219 - 228 177 Ditto, Pg. 239 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 181 develops. 178 The discoveries of “wolf boys” who have been raised in the wild without any surrounding cultures or groups, as described in the book “Lord of the Flies,” showing how people could sink back into primitive levels of existence without the interaction of surrounding culture, before they reach mature levels of development in the first place, demonstrates this reality. In respect of culture and associated dynamics, I find it interesting that virtually all accounts and experiences of inter-subjective communication on the subliminal levels actually transcend language in the usual everyday sense. This would indicate a universal mode of communication that transcends the sometimes clumsy world of semantics on the physical plane. If one considers the affects of an alienating and nihilistic way of living, and study this in relation to what is being said in the above, it is possible to extrapolate and see that this is the reason for today’s growth in violence and loneliness of all types. In addition to bigotry this is the reason for the collective ostracism of people as described earlier in this book. This is communicated, for example, in the Bible and other great books of spiritual reality. In addition to rule by the shadow, the devolutionary effect of people living primarily in isolated egos, logically results in what might be termed the wolf - boy affect. This possibility is not that far fetched. It would also explain the affects of “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” The point that consciousness exists on a continuum has to be constantly made to emphasis its importance in development of the psyche. To look at one level or stage and say “there is consciousness” mutilates and distorts the contour of consciousness in the same way that the psyche can be fragmented by using a persona to describe who and what an individual is. 179On an individual basis, the brains holographic nature plays a role, but there is so much more going on as well. The wolf boy illustrates the inter-subjective nature of the psyche, and what happens when this is not nourished. However, combine the holographic with the holarchic nature of the psyche, the circle-like inter-subjective with the pyramid-like individual attainment, and consider what would happen with group entrainment to an escalating individuation of people. Imagine the complex and subtle interpenetration of all minds and the affect large scale individuation would have on humanity subsequent to that entrainment. This is simply another way of explaining the hundred – monkey syndrome. A mundane example displaying most aspects of these dynamics would be walking into a room and immediately noticing an atmosphere that is electric, heavy, or otherwise certainly “alive;” one that could be “cut with a knife” so to speak. If there are several or many people present in the room, the pyramidal aspect of holarchy may be demonstrated (the focusing of collective energies) by being able to rapidly zero in on the cause for the concentration or focusing. This might be two people debating or arguing, a person lecturing, and so fourth. The most important thing to recognize is the definite inter-subjective penetration of mental energies (brainwaves) where either reciprocal interplay or manipulation exists. This magnifies the importance of being aware of the differential distribution or concentration of power among the people. The power of a balanced psyche centered within all four quadrants of the psychic graph can be demonstrated when a centering has or has not taken place. 180 I am speaking in relation to the interpenetration of minds mentioned above, and the heightened ability to use the four abilities associated with a centered psyche: intuition, sensation, thinking and feeling. Whenever any of the quadrants are ignored, consciousness is also distorted and lowered. Imagine a blind person walking into the room, one who is not balanced and becomes simply confused. Then imagine another blind person who is balanced. The above ability to zero in on the dynamics mentioned, to recognize the interplay of energies taking place is most easily achieved by a balanced individual. It has to be recognized that the tension and zeroing in on the source can be achieved by most 178 Ditto, Pg. 273 179 Ditto, Pg. 274 180 Ditto, Pg. 274 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 182 people but on a primarily unconscious level. I have heard it said, that so – called blind people, have developed this ability to a high level. The natural centering of the human psyche is mirrored in the collective psychic history of humankind in some cases, including the deeply submerged primordial. In many cases, the uncentered and unbalanced aspects of the psyche are also reflected from the individual to the collective and back again. Obviously this is far more than the ordinary conscious psyche is usually capable of handling; both holographic and holarchic dynamics. Acknowledgement of this has to make an intelligent person humble enough to recognize the minute difference between themselves and others, while recognizing the natural tendency for there to be individuals around who will pioneer the ignition of further human evolution by virtue of their evolved brilliance. The healing ability this humble recognition can help manifest is expressed in a true, healing interplay of energies. It is a humbleness a true healer should attain to. Recognition of the difference between health and un-health can be paralleled with recognition between the difference between compassion and idiot compassion. Idiot compassion is a product of politically correct societies that fail to develop discrimination in the sense of evaluation, between what is healthy and what is not. Idiot compassion is the abdication of discriminating wisdom and the loss of moral fiber to voice the truth (wisdom) and is too often equated with spirituality. Trungpa Rinpoche, a very wise Buddhist Lama makes these distinctions. 181 This is certainly not to say that everyone is not worthy of respect in recognition of our vast similarities in comparison to our minute differences. What this is saying is that in looking at health, a purely ego and selfish standpoint has to be evaluated when taking into consideration the health of all of society. This refers first and foremost to our children. Anything that lowers the achievements of high standards within society or lowers the levels of “civilized” society in a health and psychic sense, and I am certainly not referring to religious bigotry or any kind of elitism, does not make sense. It is devolutionary, quite simply. It destroys the upward or vertical movements of humankind. This only makes sense and is the opposite of wisdom if ignored. This is perhaps the hardest lesson to learn in politically correct America, where idiot compassion, the abdication of discriminating wisdom and the loss of the moral fiber to voice it, is too often equated with “spirituality.” Ironically, this “idiot compassion” is expressed, usually, by people disempowering themselves and abdicating their power to the “experts” and specialists, something our prescriptive conditioning has induced in us. This is the result of lowered consciousness and less autonomy of individual psyches. It is a prime example where psychotherapy should be able to begin, if it remains true to the Hippocratic Oath, to address the problem of the herd mentality and truly heal society. Humankind can create a society of people where true individual autonomy becomes the “norm,” developed through awareness. Everyone’s awareness of ultimate mutuality can result in the development of interdependent psyches capable of evolving to their full realization of individual psychic potentiality, and in extension, of the collective psyche of humanity. When people are aware of the interpenetration of psyches, they also learn to differentiate their individual personal psychic by creation of healthy boundaries. When there is not an awareness of this interpenetration, unconscious enmeshment and encroachment takes place. There is a modern scientific understanding of “Multiple luminosities, as researched and explicated by Carl Jung, some of a lower nature and some of a higher nature. These fall within the realm of the usually unconscious psyche. These luminosities are contents that can be activated by symbols and symbolic ritual. This understanding has been the basis behind the various wisdom traditions, for example, Kundalini Yoga, alchemy and other ritualistic methods associated with the unfolding and bringing to light aspects of both the lower and higher realms of 181 Ditto, Pg. 277 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 183 the psyche. 182 Compared to the “low magical arts” that are practiced to manipulate, for whatever purpose, on the lower realms of the astral and material world, the “high magical arts” are used to activate these luminosities, especially of the higher realms. The high magical arts are used to unfold consciousness and connect with “God,” because they activate the higher archetypes of the universal human psyche This type of conscious development can lead to an understanding and connection with the Earth Soul and beyond into the higher realms. These contents are unconscious or subconscious for most people, manic or psychotic for others (sensitives) who do not receive proper guidance or are subdued and mutilated in the ways I have described. Under natural and healthy circumstances, what I am talking about represents united lower level collective awareness moving into the higher realms. This is identical with the individual and Universal Soul: the whole psyche. The main thing to be on guard for during this search is ego inflation, confusion, psychosis, depression, etc. This could happen as a person more or less sub-consciously or consciously sees or senses the necessarily panoramic view that presents itself with some level of conscious connection to the larger psyche. This indicates the need or requirement for a strong, healthy and true ego, in full consciousness. If it is “more watery” and less clear, the resulting effect could be the difficulties mentioned above. If coercion and forced mutilation takes place, these symptoms can also present them selves in exaggerated form. The world Soul, seen consciously, becomes “The light of nature.” In this case, Jung draws a connection between the world Soul and the archetypes. Jung equates the multiple luminosities, especially the Lumen Naturae, with archetypes that can be used to enlighten the unconscious realms. 183 When Jung refers to archetypes, what he is referring to are, usually, primordial or lower levels of the psyche. I prefer referring to archetypes as representing the higher level universal aspects of the psyche. When Jung uses the term here I believe he is misusing his usual meaning and instead, in this case, the archetype he is referring to is the “Sun”. This is the illuminating centre of consciousness, made possible by achieving a conscious centering of the body, mind and spirit; the balancing of libido energies, female and male, the Son and the Daughter. This provides what I call the fifth element symbolized by the center in the above quadrant; and is very ably described by achieving a centering balance within Jung’s quaternity and Wilber’s all – quadrant approach to the psyche. It is the fifth because it is born out of a balancing and centering of the four mentioned quadrants and areas of the psyche. This is pure logic because the illumination Jung is referring to, the Lumen Naturae, would only be possible by there being present higher levels of energies or archetypes to create the light. The quaternity, represented by the number four, is the result of the stabilizing force on the downward pointing (feminine) and the upward pointing (masculine) trinities, which, by virtue of their tri-dynamic natures are very active. In other words, since the trinity is usually associated with the upswept masculine trinity, this trinity has to be balanced with the stabilizing feminine trinity. Psychologically, this necessitates a conscious connection, the masculine upswept triangle with the reptilian and limbic aspects of the mind and: the more primitive nature of our psyches contained within the larger portion of the psyche known as the Soul, the down-swept triangle, in consciousness that is directed by the neocortex These are our roots, our present Earth orientation, body and mind. Because the higher level archetypes and energies create the light of awareness, as far as the physical brain is concerned it also includes the neocortex, complex neocortex and the other higher levels. In other words, balanced interconnection of the two trinities will produce a balanced and stable quaternity (4), out of which can emerge the fifth, the center. A development of this nature on a mass scale, would effectively deal with the problem of the psychotic shadow, individually and collectively by all of 182 “The Basic Writings of C.G.Jung, Edited and introduced by Violet de Laslo, copyright 1990 by Princeton University Press, First Princeton Bollingen Printing 1990. Pg. 62 183 Ditto, Pgs. 63 - 64 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 184 these elements coalescing into the fifth, the sun center. It would “deal” with the psychotic shadow because it would illuminate it, both to itself and to people, collectively and individually. A symbolic way to look at it is the image of the Sun being the center of the Solar system with the planets orbiting. Then take a parallel image of the human body with the heart representing the center of consciousness; various areas of the body are symbolic of various levels of consciousness and the psyche. The different planets represent different levels of the psyche, lower levels and higher archetypal levels. As an example, the planet Saturn represents the lower earth bound levels while Mercury and the Sun represent higher levels. The Sun represents the center while Mercury represents Hermes or Raphael, messengers of God, the communicating and connecting energies illuminated by the Sun center, and thereby connecting Earth with Heaven. The Eastern Chakra system and the Judeo-Christian Cabala/Tree of Life are good representations of these mind-body-spirit parallels. Getting back to psychotherapy and the healing process, I find it interesting that Podvoll mentions in his history of treating mental illnesses, especially psychosis,184 a profoundly compassionate and spiritually alive religious group dedicated to humanitarian work I have heard about before, The Society of Friends, better known as the “Quakers.” Their founder a few hundred years ago, George Fox, became involved with this population of people. He tried to initiate humane treatment of the insane in Western Europe at a time when admission to a hospital, for whatever reason, was usually a death sentence. He recognized that the heart of mental health illness was primarily a spiritual problem of confusion, in much the same way that Christ did two thousand years before and also the way native Amerindians or shamans also look at mental “illness”. He believed that only spiritually mature people, from a spiritual and psychological as well as medical perspective, could address the needs and heal people who were suffering from mental illness. Attempts such as these were short lived because of the vehement opposition of asylum psychiatrists. I’ve read about the huge profits these people made from these cages of human suffering and I can imagine this was one of the prime motivating factors behind this opposition. This also sounds similar to the connection between today’s pharmaceutical megalith and the medical establishment. In both cases it boiled down to profits, at other people’s expense. In constructing his own type of treatment based on true human compassion and science of the mind, Podvoll has done considerable research on the history of treating the mentally ill. He discovered that hospital files usually exaggerate a person’s condition. This negatively influences a person’s mental state, especially the resulting treatment given to the patients by those who have access to the files for purposes of treating the individuals. The treatment received and accompanying labels, attitudes and the mental energies these produce and project onto the individual so labeled can have a devastating affect. 185 The first time he saw a potential client for his new center,186 he recognized a confused but definite “divine anxiety” that the person was undergoing (my observation). The true compassion and care that Podvoll had when he first met this person was noticed by the individual that was in this state of psychosis. Because of the empathy he expressed in his evaluation of her, Karen, she immediately included and connected with him in the type of relationship that has to be established if a true healing is to take place. Importantly, by trying to relate with this person, Podvoll actually underwent and experienced some of the anxieties his patient was experiencing. Because of his discipline and knowledge of the mind he was able to handle the situations in a constructive, compassionate and healing way. This verifies the interconnection of psyches and also validates John Welwood’s assertions that only people who are intimately acquainted with the dynamics of 184 Recovering Sanity: A Compassionate approach to Understanding and Treating Psychosis”, Pg. 215 185 Ditto, Pg. 217 186 Ditto, Pg. 217 Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 185 the mind and healing process can truly work with and heal spiritually and mentally confused people. Instead of hiding behind a wall of egotistical superiority and ignorance that will normally result in unhealthy projection and further disorientation of the patient. It is unlikely that a client will recover from psychosis without the healer undergoing a mutually empathic cleansing and healing of their own imbalances.187 The healer has to become as much acquainted with the clients inner world as the client is expected to become acquainted and accepting of the healers, hopefully, grounded existence within the material world. 188 This demonstrates the ability to reach out to the client and allow them to enter into their “space” and to withdraw in a more detached way when necessary, as mentioned earlier. Podvoll’s initial treatment of this woman involved demystification of the micro-operations of the woman: the minutely detailed contents that were continuously expressed by the patient. The term “micro-operations” and its meaning I mention earlier in this section. A similar technique in respect of compassion, patience and discipline that has proven to be quite effective with aggressive mentally handicapped (physical) individuals has been referred to as “gentle teaching”. Seclusion, punishment, or other types of harsh treatments will only exacerbate the patient’s confusion. Nothing destroys and regresses the patient to a greater degree than isolation, restraint and brutal or sterile treatment, for example, being placed in a seclusion room. 189 However, in all situations Podvoll was able to catch glimpses of sanity with this woman, even during the worst of situations. This reflects Welwood’s informed teaching that potential healers of the mind look for a client’s sanity rather than focusing exclusively on their pathology. An extremely important point to be made is that in true healing practice, it has to be recognized that clients experience and express periods of sanity when the therapist is able to relax control of the interaction. That is, to consciously prevent or retract any judgmental and therefore attitudinal and aggressive energies from the client and the situation. 190 As I just mentioned above this mirrors my assertion at the beginning of this paper that true compassion recognizes and empathizes with the interpenetration of minds, and this is recognized by the recipient of the compassion, even if severely confused mentally. Sometimes during these moments Podvoll recognized that the client herself knew better than anyone else “what she needed to do to get well.”191 Of import is that at these moments of clarity, Podvoll says that her awareness and compassion included herself but extended beyond the false ego to include all people’s suffering in similar ways. This was a glimpse of a moment of potential psychic transformation beyond the illusion of the confines created by the small ego. This, because it included all people and expressed true compassion. This was a true glimpse of joining Heaven and Earth, the universal human. This person that Podvoll describes also illustrates what I said about these persons, sensitives, representing the potential leading evolutionary point of humankind. Another important observation of Podvoll’s was that any improper increases in medication while she was experiencing highly agitated moments only caused a greater fragmentation of the mind to a severe level, greatly exacerbating the situation. In addition to Podvoll’s own training in the community of the Buddhist technique of mindfulness sitting meditation as practiced in the Shambhala teachings, after visiting Native American healing environments he truly began to appreciate the wisdom of native healing circles and communities. These communities represent and express the health of the entire community and this added healthy energy has a definite positive effect on the person requiring healing. 187 Ditto, Pg. 218 188 Ditto 189 Ditto, Pg. 219 190 Ditto 191 Ditto Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 186 However, in his own development of a healing household, he also noted that the healing, growth and expansion of the psyche included virtually everyone involved in the healing environment. This helped provide a foundational blueprint to be used in his treatment of psychosis. 192 This was focused on the creation of a naturally balanced household193 as itself being a spiritual journey. I would add that in extension of this meaning the household being an actual household, it can and should also reflect a person’s inner household, in a Fueng Shui sense, although he does approach this understanding when he counsels that individuals treat their bodies and appearance with the utmost respect, reflecting health and well- being. Fueng Shui is the Japanese art of structuring and creating a healthy physical living environment as a reflection of and to positively affect their inner psyches. This is also similar to the alchemical example I gave at the beginning of this book where what a person does with their hands, for example, and especially if done with this conscious awareness and intent in mind can have a similar and parallel affect on the inner psyche. It is interesting and equally important to note that a client experiences fearlessness in a state of psychosis and can become extremely fearful when in a state of non-psychotic awareness. 194 This is important because it shows that during psychosis a person is connected with the collective and universal human psyche and its accompanying energy and scope. It is during phases of recovery, after true healing had already started to take place, that is, after integration and grounded orientation is started to be developed, the client would naturally be more fearful. It was precisely during these times that the client was back in her ego. Perhaps a more mature ego than she had experienced before Podvoll’s involvement but it was at a stage where the newness of this transformation had not yet solidified and taken root into a balanced and comfortable awareness. Obviously, this would happen with any person undergoing transformations of this scope. Even in traditional master/student relationships where one-on-one instruction might take place for years under very strict discipline this fear might be displayed. Even then, it would only be after the psyches experiencing them adapted to these dynamics would this fear dissipate. A wonderful term used to refer to the energy that caries the conscious awareness to enlighten the psyche is, “Windhorse.” It is a Tibetan term used to describe the directing of energy in a disciplined way to uplift and enlighten the individual or people upwards into the higher levels of evolution of the psyche. It is also said, for example, this energy could be used to heal depression. 195 This only makes sense because it refers to a renewal and refueling of libidal energy, the loss of which leads to depression. I pointed this out earlier in this work In Podvoll’s healing households, regular meetings were held. These included the clients and other “householders” (treatment staff), and involved the health of everyone involved. There was no segregation or separation between the clients and therapists. In this process there was a twoway, reciprocal exchange of information, knowledge, and energy that necessarily benefited the health of not just the clients but the healers as well. This was a natural expression of compassion, empathy and true interdependence, similar to a native healing community. This exchange of health also expanded to include the families of those therapists involved. Could this be a blueprint or model that could be used for healing society at large? It is a model that is certainly working within traditional native communities. Podvoll noted that there had to be a continuous self monitoring on the part of the healers to prevent them from shutting themselves off, in an egotistical and superior fashion, an expression of fear actually, from the wider community. Native communities can serve a useful example where this self discipline becomes second nature to the community in a natural form of community humility. Over time a model was 192 Ditto, Pg. 222 193 Ditto, Pg. 222 194 Ditto, Pg. 224 195 Ditto Enough Diagnosing: Let’s Look at the Nature of True Psychotherapeutic Healing Mitchell- 187 developed at the “Wind horse Project” for the disciplined development of a “therapeutic home.” As with the monitoring required by the household team, with the distractions of the “business” that comes with the administrative aspects of any type of hospital environment, constant monitoring had to be maintained to prevent the integrity of the healing process from being adversely effected. How to Recognize Survivors of Ritual Abuse in the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 188 Part 3 Healing from Ritual Abuse 15 How to Recognize Survivors of Ritual Abuse in the Healing Relationship As I read and interpret the material in the book on treating Satanic abuse survivors196 it focuses on Physical Hollywood styles and types of abuse, in other words, unhidden. I will make interpretations that take into consideration my knowledge of the reality of the deeper, more primordial, shadow contaminated super ego areas and levels of the psyche, their dynamics and the severe types of abuse that exist on the unconscious or subconscious levels. This most certainly involves sexual abuse: psychic invasions in a ritualistic and sadistic sense are sexual invasions and abuse of the most severe kind. Necessarily, I will also compare these dynamics with healthy psychic dynamics and what they are comprised of. Approximately 50% of psychiatric in – patients have been sexually abused. Naturally, within society on the unconscious levels this picture would be close to 100% because almost no one within society, or at least a miniscule number, are consciously aware of the psychic and subsequently physical traumatic events taking place. Many clients admitted to the dissociative disorders units have been sexually victimized by doctors or therapists. 197 In real life for most people, that is, at the deeper psychic levels, this figure would be astronomically higher, and would be totally gender neutral in respect to the victims. Even when patients who make this claim, that is later disproved in a material sense, on a psychic level I have no doubt these patients are telling the truth. It is a possibility that in real life there are more females who are psychically aware of these realities than are most of the male victims, because women in general seem to feel more comfortable within their deeper levels of psyche than many men; the only exception are men who are psychically sensitive. I think one reason why women are more comfortable or at least have a more natural access to intuitive abilities is because their inner psyche contains the masculine element known as the animus, the masculine and consciousness producing energy within a psyche. This would naturally give a greater innate ability to make conscious the inner depths, something men have to consciously cultivate under normal conditions. In a psychic sense, people who have the physical body of a woman, on the flip side within they can primarily be looked upon as being male. On the other hand, people who have the physical body of a male, although many would not like to admit it, female. In fact, this has been an esoteric truth in many of the mystery traditions for a long time. Regardless of gender or even the balance of masculine and feminine energies, these sensitive people, men and women, are more than likely people who the medical establishment 196 Colin A. Ross M.D.- Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principles of Treatment. University of Toronto Press, incorporated 1995 197 Ditto, Pg. 104 How to Recognize Survivors of Ritual Abuse in the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 189 have labeled mentally ill, possibly schizophrenic, and they would have learned that to say or acknowledge awareness or consciousness of their inner realities would only “get them into trouble” with the mental health staff. This would be an example of how perpetrators, operating on these levels of abuse force their victims to remain mute. This is a good reason why healers of the psyche, especially, have to begin to accept and openly acknowledge the realities of the psyche, or those dynamics that prevent them from doing so. Given the high levels of power and control these people have over their clients this is the responsible thing to do and only makes sense. Most of the psychiatric conditions found in the DSM-IV have been caused by the trauma of childhood (sexual) abuse. 198 In relation to the unacknowledged psychically wounded, even though Ross is referring to substantiated childhood trauma, in the material sense, the important thing to understand is that victims of severe childhood trauma can appear well adjusted in a casual encounter, for example, in the workplace, despite serious ongoing personal problems.199 I am referring to those actors and people who are able to play the game, to ignore their psyche, and instead get swallowed up in the greed of the false egos. I would say it is these survivors who are the most threat, to themselves and others. Many survivors, on the conscious and physical level, have victimized people because they want people, their victims, to feel the same pain they did, or because they feel threatened by anyone they feel may not be as wounded or weak as them selves. When you take into consideration the unconscious levels of the psyche where abuse takes place this is a red light, in the sense of alarm. On an initially unconscious level of decision making, consciously many people will choose careers, professions, and so on where they can victimize people. Importantly, they are not aware of it consciously. This is where one has to look for true “Satanic” or shadow driven ritual abuse. Most of our decision making processes are made on the unconscious levels of awareness. This is more than proven in true schools of psychological study. We are talking about sadism. So, where are people as described above likely to involve themselves in careers, professions, and other areas of societal involvement? Obviously they will choose areas where they will hold positions of power over people, usually over society’s most powerless and vulnerable people, or places where they hold authoritative positions. Common sense says where these areas are: law, law enforcement, teaching, the helping professions, especially medicine, and so on. I remember when I was working with someone I knew very well in a sheltered workshop for mentally challenged individuals. This person was a very insecure and emotional needy person, and I know that in her family life and life outside work she could have been termed an “emotional vampire.” This was a person who manipulated others for the purpose of gaining energy from them to compensate for that which she was not able to obtain from within.. I remember she looked at me one day and with a look of excited animation on her face she said to me: “Working with these people make me feel powerful.” I mentioned this earlier in this work. I even remember one time when I was in a large Canadian city in the western provinces. I saw a group of day care children being taken outside for a walk. Unbelievably, I will never forget when I saw that one of the people “escorting” the children was wearing a satanic symbol around the neck. Obviously this person was a member of a Hollywood, that is, consciously a member of a satanic cult. Yet this person, who purposely chose to worship Satan, was working with preschool toddlers! Obviously and what was more disturbing was that since he openly wore this symbol the people that hired him must have known this. The only other possibility was that the people who placed their children with this day care, perhaps even the people who operated it were all members of a satanic cult. I know there is such thing as freedom of religion and all that, but these cults, behind doors physically closed to the public, openly torture their children to 198 Ditto, Pg. 105 199 “Ditto How to Recognize Survivors of Ritual Abuse in the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 190 become fragmented, dissociated sadists just like them. This type of thing is extremely well documented. So what does this say about real sadism and Satanism that operates on unconscious levels? It makes things look very serious and scary indeed. One can consider a history of severe childhood sexual, emotional or physical abuse whenever there is a history of acting out. 200 I would say that when psychic abuse is taken into consideration, whether unconscious or subconscious, in addition to obviously demonstrable emotional abuse, this would explain the increasing incidences of conditions such as asthma, ADDT, Turrets, and other conditions that can be attributed to emotional and other forms of psychological childhood trauma, forced repression and fragmentation. This causes dissociation among our youth. Usually, though, the true causes are downplayed by the medical establishment and they usually attribute it to genetics or some other physical predisposition or cause. In the true study of psychology it becomes almost impossible to deny the emotional and psychic abuse that takes place on the levels that most people are only subconsciously aware of if at all. As I mentioned above, survivors who want their victims to feel the same pain they experienced are going to choose the most vulnerable people. Subsequent to proper research it becomes obvious that many of the parents in our society are victimizing their own children. They are seeking revenge on their own children for things done to them, usually by their parents before them. As an example of this cyclically and medically sustained abuse, Joseph Chilton Pearce, in his book, ‘Evolution’s End: Claiming the Potential of Our Intelligence” gives a very clear example. Among Afro Americans especially living in the ghettos of the United States of America, a lot of this child abuse, actual child hate, increased after WWII when the medical establishment took over most childbearing practices. Of special note is the importance the unconscious levels of awareness play in all of these dynamics. Before the medical establishment took over, the bonding, love and solidarity between Afro Americans was demonstrably stronger and more prevalent than in any other area of the American population.201 This can and will change as people become more aware of their own wounded natures on this level, especially those who wish to heal others. Then, people can be healed in the same way anyone who has been physically or emotionally/psychically abused is healed. This requires compassionate and conscious attention by those people offering support and a demonstration of knowledge in their healing practices. This can only be done by therapeutic consciousness-raising by people who are psychically conscious enough to have raised them selves beyond the level of their previously unconscious wounded natures. This can also be achieved by individuals who may not have experienced psychic abuse but are nonetheless conscious enough to have attained higher levels of awareness beyond the usual lower levels of the false ego. One of the most prevalent forms of acting out by people who have been unconsciously or consciously physically, emotionally and psychologically abused is any form of addiction and masochistic self abuse, allowing others to harm them, or sadistic predilection. In the case of the former it would be an expression of self hate and guilt turned inward; in the case of the last example it would be projected outward onto other people. In the case of either, it could be a physical, emotional or purely psychic type of expression. Parental abuse of their children begins early in a child’s development. To break the will of a child is to split the child’s self system.202 This is the period, usually during the “terrible two’s” when 200 Ditto 201 Joseph Chilton Pearce, “Evolution’s End: Claiming the Potential of Our Intelligence”, Copyright 1992, HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022 202 Ditto, Pg. 146 How to Recognize Survivors of Ritual Abuse in the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 191 a parent increasingly invades a child’s psyche: a form of psychic rape. They expect the child to be on the same level of conceptual understanding as them and consider the naturally inquisitive and apparently impulsive desire to learn as a behavioral problem. In fact, it is during this period of time that the adults, in their reverse mode of thinking, create the problem. This impulse, that is, to learn and especially to develop the psychic self system in such a way that a healthy development and thirst for growth can develop is a natural way for the child and later adult to look at the world. It is the first two or three years of a child’s life that are the very most critical in shaping them either to become machines or to become human beings. Punishing and directing anger and rage at a child during these years can so wound the individual they become handicapped by creating incompetence, lack of confidence and in fact create splits within the child. These splits prevent the integration of emotions, thoughts and actions: they think one thing and do another, and so forth. 203 This initiates into existence the devastating condition and subsequent situation of psychic double binds. This is a factorial, factory - like, example of how society, especially on the mass level, has developed into a “sociopath” society, literally. Although the imposing of negative verbal messages in a psyche begins in the womb, it is during the first couple of years of the child’s life, when the natural will of the child is destroyed that people begin to turn the child away from the path of becoming a true human being. Instead, we begin to turn them into “robots.” To train them to maintain the machine – like existence they are being indoctrinated into. Society later blames the child or adult when they “act out” when in fact it was early conditioning, especially breaking the child’s will that caused this potential in later life to be realized. Society’s sadistic ritual and practice of blaming the victim begins very early with most children. In respect of breaking a child’s will, creating splitting and conditioning the child to experience fear, I remember reading a science fiction book years ago that actually touches on this topic. In this story humans had traveled to another planet to settle. If I remember it was for mining purposes, in a sense to rape the planet of its wealth. The planet had a jungle – like environment populated by ultra deadly animals of all descriptions and types. The human settlers on this planet developed extremely effective weapons to protect themselves from the multitude of dangerous creatures. Towards the end of the novel these humans learned that in fact what caused these creatures to attack them was the fear they sent out in the form of thought waves, the fear they had brought to the planet. After they realized this they were able to contain their fear and finally control it. That is, when these humans learned how to be human again as nature intended the fears lessened and then finally stopped. So did the attacks by the planets creatures. This dynamic is no different than a dog attacking some one who is sending out thought waves of fear directed to the dog when they see it. This is so amazingly simple and obvious. It is well documented that a connection exists between the manifestation of physical problems and people who have experienced physical abuse and trauma, as children and as adults.204 This demonstrates a mind - body connection that transcends the purely physical. Therefore, it is simple to extrapolate and extend this to say that persons who experience psychic invasions will also demonstrate or express physical symptoms consistent with psychologically invasive experiences. If one scientifically and with common sense considers it, the evidence that people who have experienced physical abuse and the resulting exhibition of physical symptoms can usually be attributed to those experiences. This is especially true about people who express physical symptoms with no genetic or other biological explanations. I would suggest that if a person’s psychological experiences were truthfully explored there would be supporting evidence that psychological traumas and abuses would point towards factors 203 Ditto, Pg. 146 204 Colin A. Ross M.D., Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principle of Treatment, University of Toronto Press, Incorporated 1995, Pg. 106 How to Recognize Survivors of Ritual Abuse in the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 192 that might indicate an explanation for the physical symptoms. A very important factor here is the testimony and psychological explanations by the person experiencing the symptoms. Although the individual may not have the courage, due to past experiences or the ability to put into realistic words the exact causes, if these individuals are sensitive enough to have some conscious or quasi conscious awareness of psychological invasions, they should be listened to. This is not unlike the situation not that many years ago when individual’s who stepped forward to speak up about physical sexual abuse, be they children or adult men and women, were not believed. They were accused of lying or imagining the abuse, of being hysterical. Given the reality of higher realms of consciousness205 and the evidence that psychic invasions are a common event on an individual level, considering the collective inter - subjective realities of the psyche, it is totally irresponsible for the medical establishment and other related institutions to ignore these dynamics. As I have stated in other places, psychic invasions are a type of sexual abuse and forms of illegitimate control exerted over and perpetrated against people in the most profound sense. This is because it strikes at the very core of an individual’s existence, especially in a psychic/soul sense. Obvious examples: family enmeshment, co – dependent relationships, and so forth, are really types of psychic possession. The reality of psycho – somatic causation or cessation of symptoms, for example, the ability for placebos to have the same affect on people as those taking actual medications, in double – blind experiments, demonstrates the power of the mind that transcends the purely physical. As stated earlier, there is a direct connection between people who have experienced physical sexual abuse and those persons who exhibit most of the psychological symptoms listed in the medical DSM, especially the so – called schizophrenias, borderline personality, bi – polar disorder and depression. The psychological connection cannot be ignored. People such as the above mentioned are victimized twice as badly because the true causes of the abuse are ignored by orthodox medicine. Instead, what are looked for in “treatment” to alleviate these conditions are (subsequent) biological causal factors for the psychological imbalances. These people are treated with medication for a supposed biophysical origin of the condition, or a resulting, supposedly permanent, biological result from the abuse. In fact, there is substantial evidence to support evidence that psychotropic medication, especially neuroleptics, can mimic the diagnostic condition, especially during withdrawal from the medication. This especially applies to the conditions mentioned above.206 This also ignores the body, mind and spirit’s ability to heal itself. One thing id (I’ll leave in this Freudian slip) for sure. While on psychotropic medications people become much more susceptible to the power of suggestion. Neuroleptics, especially, lowers the average conscious awareness level of individuals on this type of drug. This turns people on this type of medication into malleable experimental playthings of those people or persons making the diagnosis and providing “Care and treatment.” This causes further trauma and victimization and fails to liberate the victim in a cathartic sense. As I said, in today’s usual medical approach no consideration, except minimal lip-service, is serious consideration taken into account for possible psychological or emotional trauma even when it is known that those experiences happened with the individual. In many cases, these experiences that are disclosed are later looked at as examples of their “sickness.” I know this from personal experience. This had continued until I was able to disprove one label after another, and I was forced to live almost like a saint in order to achieve this. Interestingly, many people who attempt to escape from Hollywood satanic cults are also railroaded in this manner. When acknowledged abuse took place, even then, the resulting 205 Ken Wilber, Joseph Chilton Pierce, Carl Jung, and on, and on……. 206 206 “Unethical Psychiatrists misrepresent What is Known About Schizophrenia”, Al Siebert, Ph.D. http://www.antipsychiatry.org/siebert.http How to Recognize Survivors of Ritual Abuse in the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 193 conditions are treated as being mental or psychological illnesses, hysterics, while the true causes get pushed aside after the fact of so-called “diagnosis”. After people have been traumatically victimized, during the medical treatment for the resulting conditions, the label or diagnosis made usually results in the attitude that impairment is permanent. This is disgraceful and criminal to say the least. In other places I have made mention to the fact that I can imagine the outrage that supporters and counselors in shelters of people who have been raped, sexually or otherwise physically abused would express if their clients were told that the symptoms would be permanent. This would be a blatant discounting of the violations that took place against the people they were working with in addition to the natural ability of the body and mind to heal itself. That would be like allowing their clients to be handed a death sentence, although it is a death sentence that medicine quite often gives these victims when they are treated only by orthodox, psychiatric practices. From my experiences in the helping professions, many of the support workers and counselors in these shelters are survivors themselves and I don’t think most of them look at themselves as schizophrenic, borderline, and so forth. I think they would be just a little upset if someone tried to tell them that. Since survivors of physical sexual abuse indicate a tendency not to respond to standard treatment for the disorder207 this indicates a much deeper psychological origin of the wound or power beyond the purely physical realms. It also illustrates, perhaps, an intuitive survival ability to guard themselves against many of these co-called healers. I know from my personal experiences, if I had have followed much of the “advice” they gave me, in fact commands backed up by threats in some cases, not only would I have been further entrenched in diagnosis, I would have given up any natural empowerment I had available to me. For a while I actually unquestionably listened to them and it wasn’t until a deeply entrenched intelligence within pushed me to rebel against the diagnosis and especially against many of the psychotic and possibly sociopathic people that were trying to keep me under their sadistic control that I truly began to heal. As I said earlier, I will be very blunt in much of what I say. Furthermore, I actually have voluminous records of documentation, and because of past professional training I am well qualified to accurately do this, which solidly supports these statements I am making. What these dynamics consistently indicates is the power of the mind to hinder or heal a person. Importantly, it consistently points to an inability or refusal of orthodox medicine to acknowledge the power of psychic influences on an individual. These dynamics can be either with the individual or the collective; the inner – psychic or inter – subjective levels. A purely intellectual focus on psychological intelligence and awareness cuts us off from the greater intelligence of the psyche, for example intuition and collective wisdom. A primarily intellectual or ego-material focus develops an alienated state of mind and places people in primitive defensive postures locked into the lower levels of the psyche. The more intellectually intelligent a person operating from lower, more primitive levels of existence is, the more dangerous, both to them selves, other people and the greater environment.208 Importantly, most forms of childhood trauma usually result in some form of memory loss.209 Obviously, that is a truism for most forms of severe trauma that includes physical as well as 207Colin A. Ross M.D., Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principle of Treatment, University of Toronto Press, Incorporated 1995, Pg. 107 208 Joseph Chilton Pearce, “Evolution’s End: Claiming the Potential of Our Intelligence”, Copyright 1992, HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022, Pg. 152 209 Colin A. Ross M.D., Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principle of Treatment, University of Toronto Press, Incorporated 1995, Pg. 107 How to Recognize Survivors of Ritual Abuse in the Healing Relationship Mitchell- 194 psychological/emotional abuse and manipulation. This is especially true when combined with other forms of externally applied forms of organized cult or group mind control: better known as (re)programming. Consider the more subtle forms of behavior modification that takes place from the family right up to levels of government. This includes propaganda, advertising, peer or community pressure, and so on. As mentioned above, the more subtle forms of mind control and behavior modifications take place primarily on the more subliminal and subtle levels of the psyche. This can cause further memory loss, a form of externally forced repression. This can result in a form of acting, denying aspects of an individual’s true psyche and self. The major causes of this are the repressing mechanisms of the group, or the collective super ego, especially administered by its primarily unconscious agents. As mentioned and in addition to the above, the super ego is primarily expressed through the avenues of propaganda, advertising, the entertainment industry, group pressure and other instruments of control exerted by the lower psychic levels of the mass mind. The control, ultimately, is usually wielded by those persons in control of the higher, elite levels of society, especially the financial purse strings. The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Mitchell- 195 16 The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse In many cases, people who were sexually abused as children, learn how to live and operate from emotional and age appropriate levels corresponding to when the abuse took place.210 I will also add that the more subtle forms of psychic invasion, which is a type of sexual abuse and more profoundly traumatic because it usually is hidden, also has similar affects on a person’s psychic and emotional development. Many victims of childhood sexual abuse respond to it cognitively and therefore consciously during review of the content of the actual abusive memory at an age appropriate emotional level and, respectively, in an age appropriate manner. I am referring to a personal review of the abuse during a much latter time, usually during counseling. I have found evidence for this in research, as mentioned in the above, and have personally experienced this, although I was able to do this from a detached perspective. This was a detachment I had learned through the practice of meditation. From my own experience during counseling as I explored the actual emotional dynamics by recalling the physical contents in awareness, of being sexually, physically and emotionally abused as a child, I remembered them and expressed them at an age appropriate emotional level when the abuse took place. In my case, I was able to view them from a detached perspective while feeling the actual emotions and biophysical actions as I expressed outwardly the abuse that had taken place. This also applied to my post-counseling review, and of other extremely traumatic forms of physical, psychological and emotional violence I experienced as a child and subsequently as an adult. Of note, the later violence I experienced as an adult was sometimes related to my childhood abuse as I interacted with the same people who were at least affiliated and perhaps even guilty of the earlier abuse, sometimes directly or sometimes only indirectly. It also involved me being the recipient of abusive violence from people I associated with who themselves had been victims of childhood trauma. These were examples of me being in some cases a masochistic participant and enabler for someone who tended to repress their memories and pain associated with their wounded natures and instead tended to express those dynamics by externalizing them in sadistic forms. This also involved and was related to the wounded psychological dynamics resulting from childhood trauma that led me into other areas and forms of violence. Violence directed inward to self, causing behavioral and situational expressions of an abused and shame-based personality that were masochistic and self destructive. This extended to attitudinal and subsequently consequential situations I found myself in. This most profoundly applied to the subsequent results of labeling, scapegoating and further victimization that was leveled towards me because of the acting out behaviors I expressed as a child while the sexual, emotional and physical abuse was taking place. This continued when I was a teenager and young adult, leading to later forms of emotional blaming the victim. The very worst and most criminal aspects of the later forms of abuse were related to my natural drive and incentive to heal when, because my methods were unorthodox by a wounded social perspective, were condemned by different expressions of perversion, humiliation and victimization. The areas most guilty of this were the very institutions supposedly responsible for assisting and healing people: the mental health and social work systems. Here, I am referring to the various ways and methods I used to awaken blocked 210 Ditto The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Mitchell- 196 memories and energies. This was usually through the use of various forms of meditation, sometimes of an “occult” nature. Earlier on I indicated the persecution people sometimes experience who utilize these methods for awakening them selves. A person is usually persecuted by areas of the medical and mental health system, and other people and groups within the community and society influenced by these perspectives. During my early years of meditation training and utilization of other forms of psychologically recollecting myself, I went through an experiential movement up the emotional ladder towards maturity. The fragmented aspects of my psyche that I recollected during this process involved the reclamation and reintegration of repressed memories and associated emotions that I had or had been snuffed out of me. This has usually been done by blatant forms of abuse perpetrated by those I trusted but also by the more subtle forms of abuse. This included mind control and conditioning perpetrated by the wounded super ego and shadow of society through its various instruments, both human and mechanical, along the avenues I described above. As a little aside, in all fairness, I remember one insightful psychiatrist I had at one time who actually supported this recollection, not necessarily my methods, by telling me I had to “pick up the pieces.” Interestingly, he was an immigrant from another part of the world outside of North America. “Repetition compulsion”, is a classic psychoanalytical concept. This compulsion is well known to be a symptom expressed by people who have experienced abusive situations and who go from one abusive situation to another situation that creates a similar feeling. Some knowledgeable people believe this is an unconscious attempt to master the situation. 211 I would add that what in fact this dynamic expresses, in addition, is more of a masochistic tendency that is primarily unconscious and learned. I know, speaking from my own experiences that these experiences cannot be overcome without a conscious re-experiencing of the dynamics. However, if they are not re-experienced in a conscious and knowledgeable way, they become repetitive and masochistically compulsive. This, in fact, is the basis behind any type of cathartic process consciously re-enacted or performed for the purpose of reconnecting with and rising above the formerly repressed emotional and contextual memories. That is the only way these dynamics can be overcome and a person healed: emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. The same also holds true for a cathartic healing from the psychic mutilation caused by society’s shadow contaminated super ego and subsequent shadow conditioning. I will repeat an important comment here. Although meditation is the most profoundly affective method an individual can use for this purpose, most people I have encountered want and require the support and guidance of other people during this process. There is a necessity that the guide, therapist or other form of support person or people be non-invasive and instead simply have a knowledgeable empathic presence that can provide a safe environment for guiding the individual being healed. When I say knowledgeable presence, I am referring to the support of a person(s) who are knowledgeable about the processes of the mind, especially the healing process. The required empathy can only be offered by an individual (s) who has gone through the healing process themselves or who have experientially explored the actual psychological process themselves during their own training as a healer or through life experience. This was discussed in the chapter 13. There is an element of addiction in the compulsion process.212 I won’t go into the relationship between terror and the releasing of endorphins because the process is primarily unconsciously motivated and involves a lot of neurological and brain chemical processes. My purpose in this work is not so much to deal with biological or material processes. A focus on biology, genetics and so forth is one of the main problems with our medical system when it applies to knowledge of and healing the psyche. I assert that the primary unconscious dynamic involved, with addictions 211 Ditto, Pg. 108 212 Colin A. Ross M.D., Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principle of Treatment, University of Toronto Press, Incorporated 1995, Pg. 108 The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Mitchell- 197 especially, is the mother-complex or Oedipal complex, a classic psychoanalytical term that is well known. It usually represents a developmental stage a person must pass through on the journey to maturity. Today, it represents a major obstacle because of a sabotaged emotional development that an abused or conditioned people experience. This can only be maintained when people are kept locked into the lower levels of the psyche, the materialistic world, specialization and dependence on the “expert.” This is separated from masculine consciousness producing libidinal or spiritual energy. This dynamic applies to both men and women. It can be put or kept in place in the absence of healthy female and male role models being available to teach young females or males balanced masculine and feminine dynamics. We should keep in mind that in the early stages of life, children and young people are very visual and literal. They identify with feminine and masculine energies by applying them to the physical expressions of these energies. The parents or other role models in their lives represent what in fact are psychological dynamics and energies. Usually, however, childhood trauma, dysfunctional parental relationships, and life long societal conditioning, as discussed, prevents or distorts this. In this state they have not matured past the emotional need to be connected to some form of emotional placebo that relieves them of the pain caused by the alienation from self. This subsequently extends outward to include, or should I say, exclude others. They have not, in these instances, released themselves by moving beyond the womb-like emotional satiation that is obtained from the early and lower levels of the psyche. They become entrapped in an artificially created and maintained uroboric213 state, a state characterized by an unconscious state of participation mystique and constant pull of opposites. They, both men and women, remain caught in a double bind, a type of mental prison. Psychologically, it is illustrated by a cyclically malfunctioned and frustrated attempt to emerge out of the double bind created by the opposing forces of apparent opposites. There is a pull to maturity and a push back into the womb. At this stage, there is also intertwined in all of this a narcissistic alienation from self and others. In the double bind, these opposites are, in reality, the same dynamics, on a continuum. People end up being continuously pulled and pushed from one extreme to another without being able to achieve some sort of dynamic balance. Under natural evolutionary circumstances, it can be illustrated in alchemical terms. This is represented by being in a flask that is heated over a forge. A simple illustration of a successful resolution to this process is to remain connected to our roots from which we emerged but to individuate enough to become our own unique person. In normal psychic developmental conditions this heating in the fires of the forge, represented by a salamander in some traditions, is the method nature intended for the psyche to develop to a higher level of being. It is identical to the form of Zen that uses a koan to neutralize the life denying aspect of the false ego. When addictions are used to cover up and keep a person unconscious, and unconscious of the psychic need to transcend this condition, what is artificially maintained is the very prison that is only supposed to be a temporary condition used by nature to frustrate the ego enough to induce it to let go of it’s immature hold on the psyche and allow movement upwards. When this condition is maintained, indeed in many cases forced on individuals, it creates an inner violence directed inwards toward the self in masochistic behavior or outwards towards others in an expression of sadism and violence. It can also explain, in addition to the proliferation in addictions throughout society, the epidemic like outbreaks of violence and anarchy occurring throughout society and the world. Addictions are a form of increasing rather than decreasing consciousness, resulting in an oceanic and womb-like satiation that prevents a desire and motivation to move beyond this state. Throughout society, this will actually strengthen and cause people to become more entrenched in their little false egos, disconnected or fragmented, dissociated from their larger psyche. Even a 213 Uroboric- A dynamic state that is circular, not evolutionary. It is represented by a lower level, reptilian aspects of the psyche. It is circular because of an inability or frustrated ability to emerge from this lower level psychic immaturity into a higher level of consciousness and integration. The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Mitchell- 198 primarily left brained, logical thinking person actually becomes less conscious in the way nature intended. The unnaturally and artificially forced or induced mother-complex, Oedipal complex is one of the primary dynamics responsible for the creation of and maintenance of an addictive and violent personality. It also provides a perfect atmosphere to manipulate people in the subtle ways utilized by the super ego and its instruments of power and control It is one of the primary causes of neurotic and psychotic behavior when it is long term, especially when they are not identified as such. I assert that the people usually identified as such are the psychically sensitive individuals throughout society who have demonstrated the greatest natural potential to move beyond these immature and, in the long term, subsequently unbalanced states of mind. In my own experiences I can verify Ross’s assertion that a terror element in reliving similar experiences causes a perverted form of pleasure. With me, this was experienced by performing sometimes quite dangerous daredevil acts, usually in the form of “showing off” in front of my peers, to try to bolster my mutilated self image. The mother-complex is one of the primary causes of addiction, in all its various guises, although the terror/endorphin factor is undoubtedly present also. I can verify this, since my tendency to perform my own daredevil acts and especially my various addictions did not leave me until I consciously, both psychologically and physically in the form of independence and individuation, broke away from (my mother) my earlier and lower level psychological dependence and womb – like existence. Importantly, I had to do this without actually repressing or denying the foundational roots from which I sprung (mother). Interestingly, in real life, this disentanglement, ending the psychological enmeshment from my biological mother in this way, also had a profound psychological affect of releasing her from the burden of having an adult child to take care of. I just realized, as I wrote this last statement, this is probably the origin of the semantic meaning behind the term, “Adult Children (of alcoholics, for example). An important element in these dynamics is that they create a shame based personality in which a person feels “bad” for the abuse that they experienced.214 This is a perfect example the affect scapegoating and blaming the victim can have on abused persons. This can have two dramatically, seemingly opposite affects. In the first instance, when turned inwards it can create a repressed, depressed, masochistic type of personality that seeks situations in which they are devalued, humiliated, and so forth. I touch on this dynamic above. An extreme quasi-conscious example of this is when people become sexually aroused when taking on a masochistic role in the bedroom. The seemingly opposite expression of these dynamics occurs when people repress them and project them outward in the form of hypocrisy, scapegoating and virtually any form of bigoted attitude toward other people. An extreme quasi-conscious expression of this is when a person acts out and acts as the sadist in sexual bedroom activity. On a subtle psychic level, the less obvious forms of masochistic/sadistic activity are also a form of psychic sexual activity or expression. Many myths, fables and folklore also produce imagery describing these (the more subtle aspects of the psyche, not just sadistic/masochistic expression) psychic dynamics in the form of sexuality and later, sensuality, when emotional levels has been identified consciously and refined into civilized feeling and expression. Ross explicitly points out that the more blatant forms of abuse can cause the victims to fall into double-binded, that is, trapped and/or disconnected, fragmented, and confused ways of thinking 214 Colin A. Ross M.D., Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principle of Treatment, University of Toronto Press, Incorporated 1995, Pg. 109 The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Mitchell- 199 that can be expressed in sexual ways.215 I have just spoken about sadism and masochism, although Ross makes mention of incest and other forms of sexual acting out. I will assert further that the prevalent subtle levels of psychic abuse, and therefore psychic sexual abuse, is the major cause of a lot of sexual deviance throughout society. Most forms of sexual deviance, either of the physical or more subtle psychic forms, can be referred to as types of sexual rape. I think the most despicable and deadly, especially in a psychic sense, is that of pedophilia. Understanding everything I have discussed so far, I think one of the main psychic dynamics responsible for causing the epidemic of pedophilia, wherever it is found, is that the perpetrators of these crimes have themselves been psychically abused and wounded, and it may have included actual physical abuse or not, obviously. What I would add is that the main symptom of this, psychologically, and especially emotionally, are persons caught in the mother, and for females I would add father complex in the way that it affects people who have not cut the umbilical cord. These are people who have been emotionally halted at an early age, are attracted to young victims because they are emotionally threatened by persons their own age and also identify with the emotional age of the children they victimize. Men, being conditioned to express themselves primarily physically and in physical ways will sometimes express this by physically abusing children. Female victims and subsequent perpetrators will express the identical dynamic of their wounded nature, primarily, by committing emotional and psychological abuse, usually in the form of incest with their own and other children. As a personal example, I grew up in an enmeshed, co-dependent family as I indicated above, even though it has to be admitted that this is considered normal in today’s world. In respect of the immediate psychological dynamics mentioned, I could have been characterized as having a primarily masochistic personality. As I mentioned, most of my shame based characteristics were turned inward resulting in various forms of direct and in-direct self abuse. I remember as a child actually doing things to myself that caused pain. If I had a loose tooth, I would antagonize it until the pain brought tears to my eyes. I would push my hands into my stomach until I felt pain to the point of nausea. If I needed to have a bowel movement I would hold it in until I could hardly function the pain was so great although this latter expression was also conditioned by having been sexually victimized by a male pedophile. I would pull the hair on my head until the pain was almost unbearable. I would force myself to go long periods of time until I could hardly swallow before I drank something to quench my thirst, although to be fair, I had been additionally conditioned in this particular example. When I was a child, because I wet the bed, the doctors told my mother not to give me any liquids after supper time and some nights I would lie in bed so thirsty I could hardly swallow. I mean, one of the body’s most important things to take in is water! Although I do it primarily for health reasons today, for years, almost as long as I remember as an adult I never go anywhere without a bottle of water. I wonder how much this early conditioning played a role. When I was introduced to smoking, at the same time I was being sexually abused by someone else, the person who gave them to me was someone who should have been looking out for my welfare. This person talked me into taking a smoke so that I could not then turn around and “tattle”. I remember for several years if I finished smoking a whole cigarette, I would become quite sick to my stomach. After a few years of this I was relieved when I could finally smoke a whole cigarette without becoming green with nausea. Anyway, other forms of self-destructive behavior was most poignantly expressed by substance abuse, daredevil antics and “fighting” with my peers, although many of the “scraps” were directed towards people I perceived as being bullies or abusive in some way. The masochistic element was present because quite often these bullies would end up put a beating on me, usually when I was drinking. When it came to sexual activities, in my early years I was attracted to young women a few years younger than myself. Without the knowledge of any of my peers or family I was fairly promiscuous in a bi-sexual way. On a personal level, because I will only speak on behalf of myself in this respect, I know many of the psychic dynamics associated with my history 215 Ditto The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Mitchell- 200 of experiencing sexual abuse, from both males and females produced this tendency. Today, I still consider myself bisexual, in a psychological sense and not in a physical sense. This psychological bisexuality has eradicated any homophobia in the sense that I can express very human and compassionate, some would even say feminine qualities equally to men and women. From my scholarly knowledge of history, I equate this with the true masculinity that men in ancient times were able to express, for example soldiers of historical antiquity. Interestingly, as a child, it was the ancient Greeks, Romans and other masculine examples from those time periods who were able to shed tears as easily as they could physically defend with ruthless precision and courage that I idealized and was awed by. As I grew older and began the journey to “know myself” in a psychological way I tended to study my attraction to women younger than me. As I became an adult and progressed towards my thirties and then forties I was consciously able to detach from and look at my visual (never actually physically) attraction to young women sometimes quite younger than myself, as I grew older, for example women in their twenties. I know this is a very common phenomenon and applies to both men and women and there is a natural element involved as well. That natural element, however, is of the lower level psychic levels of development, exactly as I described above. I also encountered many women much older than myself who were sexually attracted and actively interested in me. I remember when I was fourteen years old, two years after a two year stretch of being completely sexually violated in the extreme by a man on my paper route. I went to a party held for staff of a restaurant I worked at, held at the assistant manger’s home. I remember a woman who was close to forty who tried to sexually assault me. When I was too fearful to get an erection she laughed at me and for the remainder of the time I worked at that establishment all of the other, especially female staff humiliated and ridiculed me because of by physiological reaction to being assaulted by an adult again while I was still a child. I remember at the same party after this incident occurred I went looking for my friend and workmate I had gone to the party with. I found him in bed with a married woman about the same age as the woman who had sexually assaulted me. These dynamics were a physical, and thus also a psychological causation and incestuous expression adding to the mother-complex that kept me “tied to the apron strings.” Overly dominant mother figures and weak father figures add to the creation, increase or perpetuation of this dynamic. I would say overly dominant fathers and weak mothers have the reverse affect, although, as a male, I haven’t studied these dynamics in-depth to the same extent as the former. Similarly, I remember when I was a 16 year old I met a 32 year old woman at a party. I remember she came home to my parents place after the party. My parents were away for the weekend. We tried to have sex but I was not able to perform. After being ridiculed by her, after she spent the night, the next morning I actually went to a friends place to get a vehicle to drive her home. Speaking in relation to myself and my sexual activities and interests, eventually I began to see these dynamics for what they were: a psychological expression of me that had been emotionally halted at the age that I had been sexually abused. I also went through a period of time, age 12 to age 32, when I was addicted to pornography. I remember I spoke to a victim of sexual assault service therapist one time and remarked to her that this type of activity actually lead me to a type of unconsciousness that shielded me from the reality of my psychological dynamics and their wounded nature at that time. Before I speak further about sexual abuse, both physical, psychological and its dynamics, I would like to make some further comments about the nature of the psyche and especially the inter-penetration of psyches and the capacity for abuse and control. In his book, “Multiple Man: Explorations in Possession and Multiple Personality” by Adam Crabtree, explores the reality of The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Mitchell- 201 group mind possession.216 Crabtree says the (psychic sexual – my addition) affects and influence on a person’s psyche can range from family right up to national levels. Unless a person is very sensitive and consciously aware, most of the effects of these dynamics will be unconscious or if a person is more aware, subconscious and chaotic. Since most of a person’s thoughts, words and actions are primarily determined and unconsciously formulated before they reach the conscious domain of the ego, it is not difficult to imagine how these dynamics can actually dictate how a person speaks, acts, and feels. The more aware people are, they may become conscious of feelings of negativity, fear, and impulsiveness of various forms for which, although they are somewhat aware of them, can’t understand where they stem from. Higher levels of awareness lead to identification of, not with, these sources. One of the most deadly of these infections from the wounded and contaminated collective super ego and shadow is the feeling of being suicidal, homicidal, and so forth, Most of this can be attributed to hypocrisy, projection and the creation of scapegoats to carry these unconscious dynamics. Those people who have been conditioned to turn their shame based, wounded nature inwards will become the masochistic scapegoats. Some people who carry these same types of emotions are able to project them onto others, sometimes causing others to carry and act out the very emotions that they repress in themselves. At all times, psychologically speaking, the domino affect is in place; a form of contagiously toxic psychic dynamics. Of course, on the material level they can also be acted out. Those persons that are conditioned to project or act these dynamics outwards become the perpetrators, sadists and abusers and this applies on the subtle levels of the psyche as well. Paradoxically, because of each individual psyche contains within it the whole of the collective, there are also masochistic elements involved, just like there are sadistic elements involved with masochists. It is important to remember that most of these psychic and especially subtle psychic levels of victimization and re-victimization are unconscious and if we are going to break the cycle, blame cannot be constructively assigned, only evaluation. Returning to the issue of sexual abuse, especially pedophilia, we should remember that the interpenetration of minds and quantum reality is such that a person’s objective, whether conscious or unconscious attitude actually psychically affects the object or subject being observed. In considering the science of quantum physics, look for example at the wave/particle paradox, as it applies to physical objects. Since the human psyche can affect physical objects, obviously it makes perfect and complete sense that a person’s attitude will also affect other people, especially other people who have become objectified or stereotyped and scapegoated. Common sense says that if a human mind can affect objects in such a manner, it follows that one mind will also have an affect on other minds; minds that produce brain waves that are material enough to also affect objects (waves/particles). The recording of brainwaves by material instruments would not be possible if this were not the case. In relation to sexual abuse, especially with children, when a person objectifies and looks at someone in a sexual way or similar attitude, it becomes a type of sexual invasion or assault. It can even affect the individual being objectified and sexually invaded in this way to act in the objectified manner: promiscuity, sexual flirtatiousness, and so on. A parent’s attitude or modeling can have an even more powerful affect because of the emotional connection between them. The mass entertainment industry is almost completely saturated in these types of dynamics of objectification. It is literally criminal. Consider that there has even been in recent years, a proliferation of child beauty pageants, and so on. If one truly studies and looks at the mass communications industry, especially so-called entertainment, it can be seen that it is saturated 216 A dam Crabtree, “Multiple Man: Explorations in Possession and Multiple Personality”, Pg 274 Copyright 1997, by Adam Crabtree, Published by Sommerville House Publishing , a division of Sommerville House Books Limited, 3080 Yonge Street Suite 5000, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3N1, Website: www.sombooks.com, E-mail: sombooks@goodmedia.com, The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Mitchell- 202 with pedophilia types of communication. The use of imagery with direct and indirect and therefore subliminal insinuation towards this perversity has prospered, as usual to fill the pockets of the elite. Ross makes the comment that there are multigenerational satanic cults that survivors have escaped from and later gone to therapy for.217 In this context he is referring to survivors of blatant Hollywood style satanic cults. Considering the unconscious dynamics that take place within society, in the same context, I will say that real satanic cults or shadow driven societies have existed for hundreds of years. In the “Age of Reason”, especially with the advent of the industrial revolution this dynamic and the human situation has sky-rocketed and multiplied exponentially. As Pierce indicates, with the advent of modern medicine and especially since its solidification and societal saturation since the end of the Second World War, this way of life has become the “norm”. I remember talking to a young neo-Nazi, some years ago, and saying that what was considered unacceptable in Nazi Germany, by the rest of the world that was anti-Nazi in perspective, has become commonplace and considered acceptable in much of today’s society. This especially applies to societal and individual conditioning and control. Interestingly, I also remember telling this young individual that many youth attracted to the neo-Nazi movement today and think of them selves as such, would been considered as unfit for Hitler’s movement. I mentioned some of the historical ways in which the Nazis of that era dealt with undisciplined or “undesirable” people. I will never forget the gradual look of shock that appeared on this young man’s face as I described the realities of Hitler Germany at that time. I will also add that this conversation took place not long after he and his associates had surrounded me and severely intimidated me (a few hours before this conversation). I was working with these people in a rather isolated area outside of a large Canadian city. In one or two cases they came close to hurting me severely in a physical way. I worked with these people in an isolated rural area when I had “escaped” my home town to get away from unbearable conditions, which I will describe shortly. This reality that I had experienced is not unlike similar situations where youth try to escape from one cult like or abusive situation only to fall into another. Unconsciously related dynamics to the above, Ross says that with the development of dissociation identity disorder, three basic types of personalities dominate these types of victimized and traumatized individuals: a child personality, a persecutor personality, and a protector personality. I find these three classifications extremely interesting, primarily because they can belong to one of the two classifications or divisions I have identified and discussed: the individual who represses but turns their contents inward and the individual who represses but projects them outward. As I described in my own experiences, although I classified myself as the masochistic type, I can easily include within that class a sub-category resulting from being an abused child, the protector. In a psychological sense, I would say what my protective dynamics were doing, picking fights with the bullies, was an action I subconsciously performed, usually when I was drinking, a time when inhibitions are lowered and inner psychic contents burst forth, in order to protect my inner child. However, considering our individual yet collective existence within the human mental realm, not only was I protecting my own inner child, I was also protecting the collective human child. This was concretely expressed by my picking fights with real bullies who operated on the exterior collective level of society. On the other hand, the persecutor, obviously, can be classified and placed in the same group or category as the sadist: the two classifications are identical. One can make psychoanalytical comparisons in which there exists the category of god in the place of the protector, Christ in the place of the victimized child and Satan in the place of the 217 Colin A. Ross M.D., Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principle of Treatment, University of Toronto Press, Incorporated 1995, Pg. 110 The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Mitchell- 203 persecutor. 218 This is not that different from the psychoanalytical way in which I classified the same dynamics in the first part of this work. Whatever classifications one wishes to make, it is clear that an individual will assume a classification or identity specific to culture and upbringing. It is also important that many of these personalities are not consciously performed. In fact, most people are not even aware of any personas or personalities they perform because most people are so completely dissociated from who they really are in the first place. This only makes sense, given the dynamics we have discussed so far. I mention earlier the prerequisites and requirements that a person must complete if they are going to reintegrate their fragmented and mutilated psyches back into a complete whole and individuated self. How, if they wish to accomplish this they must “defeat Satan”, and redeem or save the child. This is no different than the fables and myths where the warrior knight defeats the dragon and rescues the princess. This is where the myth of the “Search for The Holy Grail” originates. This is exactly similar to the requirements that an individual or people have to reintegrate themselves and reclaim those aspects or things about themselves they do not like and have so repressed because their little false egos cannot handle the realities presented to them. The false egos that humankind en mass, indeed on a worldwide scale have developed, are weak and brittle shells, imitations, of what a true and strong ego in service to the whole psyche should be, as nature intended. As I have consistently said, obviously, there are always exceptions to the general way of things. Having viewed these developments up to this point, another factor can be introduced. It is somewhat paradoxical but then I have already indicated that what seems paradoxical on one level makes perfect sense on another. In most cases one individual holds all personas within their own psyche, and this applies to all individuals in existence. This is a natural way of looking at the psyche and also a natural way for the psyche to actually be. The individual psyche contains within it the whole of the human collective psyche. When a persecutor attacks or victimizes the scapegoat or the receptor of their own repressed and subsequently projected psychic contents, what in fact they are doing is attacking and persecuting aspects or parts of their own shamebased inner psyches as well: including their own child within. I indicated this above when I mentioned how I recognized a masochistic personality within my self. However, I projected the personalities of protector and “God” by picking on the bullies. However, I was acting sadistically to the inner aspects of my own psyche. That is the nature of masochism. Virtually everyone has these aspects or capabilities as part of their own psychic makeup. I am referring to individual psyches containing within it the whole of the collective human psyche. To think otherwise, to think they are special or “God-like” because of this awareness would be a direct example of ego inflation and what can truly be considered a psychotic development. Within society, most of these ego inflations are not recognized for what they are. A mundane, everyday example are those doctors or other powerful people who think they are the next best thing to God, similar to actors who take their stage personas and fame seriously and consider those illusions to represent who they really are. I believe this is also the prime factor that induced me to enter into the helping professions and specifically the field of social work (the protector personality and desire to protect my inner individual and collective child and the oppressed). I have had something else clarified for me, another important point that for years I had not accurately interpreted. As I said, even in the knowledge of having a self-destructive tendency as demonstrated in my participation in addictions and daredevil activities, I realize today that I very much exhibited the sadistic or persecutor personality. However, instead of directing it outward through projection and hypocrisy, I had directed it inward by persecuting my own wounded inner nature. This is the reason why many people who have been abused and brutalized resort to various forms of self abuse. This is very common among people who have disowned these parts of themselves. It is a major factor behind 218 Colin A. Ross M.D., Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principle of Treatment, University of Toronto Press, Incorporated 1995, Pg. 110 The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Mitchell- 204 all addictions and self-destructive behaviors. It explains what I said above about there existing within each group, sadist or masochist, a mixture of both personality types. Now I would also add the protector personality. In some cases the protector personalities appear to have an almost divine power associated with them and in fact at times demonstrate a definite ability for paranormal abilities, 219 a six sense, or whatever one wishes to call it. I would suggest it goes beyond the idea of intuition. There is substantial evidence of these powers being available within the higher realms of reality within the human psyche, both individual, collective and beyond. Especially within psyches that have been pushed to the limit, by trauma and other forms of intense psychic experiences. Now let us consider the double binds that many victims find themselves in during experiences of physical and thus psychological abuse. These binds or dynamics arise when an individual is being abused by a person or people they are dependent on. This occurs when the abuse is being committed by someone who is in a psychological and material position of responsibility as protector and nurturer. On a mass psychic level, this is apparently similar to the alchemical description I gave earlier of the individual trying to reconcile the two apparently opposite dynamics within themselves. However, they are very different dynamics. The alchemical image is one that occurs naturally during the course of natural psychic development. It is very similar to a symbolic and representational image of a person being heated in a test tube over a Bunsen burner during the process of integrating apparent opposites. I stated earlier this is necessary to reconcile, as an example, Satan with Christ in developing and individuating into a whole person (although there are elements of Satan that cannot be “recycled”). This is one of the main purposes of therapy in treating people with dissociation identity disorder. The difference with the alchemical process and the abusively and artificially produced double binds is that they mutilate the psyche rather simply frustrating it. The psyche becomes imprisoned, unnaturally conditioned and repress. Because of this extreme mutilation, as different from naturally produced frustration, therapy is usually required rather than nature’s usual ways of providing stimulus, leading it to a higher level of integration. Considering how I described this when I first discussed this alchemical image, it simply supports even further and indicates the scope and magnitude of society’s crisis and the challenges they have confronting them. This is because most people have been imprisoned in this state, artificially, by society’s artificial mechanical state of being. This also magnifies the importance, indeed the necessity that areas of the mental health establishment throughout society, those who would attempt to heal people in a psychological sense, learn to recognize and begin to address these pressing issues. Proper integration is only possible when this recognition takes place. Integration is sometimes threatened because of the treadmill like compulsion, exacerbated by the pleasure principle and other unbalanced elements being present, when the act of abuse is taking place, either receiving it or giving it. I am referring to the triad of personalities mentioned above. Most of the pleasure elements, in a psychological sense, are masochistic. To review, paradoxically, even the sadistic elements can be considered masochistic because the individual is being sadistic to a collective expression of themselves. Similarly, a masochistic person is being sadistic to an inner expression of themselves. These dynamics can certainly be applied to the addictions that are rampant throughout society. On the one hand, the addiction, of whatever nature, provides certain elements of the pleasure principle. Unfortunately the very nature of those addictions will cause further fragmentation associated with those dynamics. 219 Colin A. Ross M.D., Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principle of Treatment, University of Toronto Press, Incorporated 1995, Pg. 110 The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Mitchell- 205 Ross is referring to identified victims of abuse, when he says that the dynamics of repetition compulsion can follow an individual into many areas of the person’s life, right into adulthood. 220 Obviously, this can be applied to a larger scope embracing society and people in general. Something that has to be addressed in therapy are dynamics that the victim uses to rationalize, as a survival mechanism, in believing some aspects of the abuse make them important in some way, or special compared to other people. Ross refers to the case example of a father, who repeatedly rapes his daughter; a father who the victim is emotionally and physically dependent on, and the psychological and physical way in which she rationalizes the abuse to somehow try to normalize and excuse it so that she can live with it. Speaking from my own experiences, the fact that an important intimate quite often made me feel “special”, and before that another important intimate, simply allowed them and me also, to rationalize and “make it okay”, when it was not okay, the fact that I was “whipping boy”. We all suffered, but eventually, everyone took their repressed frustrations out on me, in a domino sort of way, with me at the time, at the bottom of the totem pole. Ironically, this increased as I grew older instead of the other way around. Because of this conditioning, since the time I was a child I had taken on the persona of the protector to rationalize all of this. As an example, I remember one time, when I was about 8 years old my family had gone camping for the week. I remember I tied a rope around my chest and shoulders in the same pattern that the 18th century Soldiers wore a white crossed leather apparatus as part of their uniform, and I cut a stick to allow me to pretend I was holding a spear. I realize today this also symbolized me being tied up and in a double bind. I was always daydreaming, and at these times I was the family protector, standing guard duty. Similarly, I remember, during the same time period, many times, I would stand at the busy corner intersection where I lived during rush hour traffic. This was in 1964 and I would stand there for an hour or so saluting every military personal that drove by, about every second or third vehicle. This persona was adopted to protect me, but I projected it to include my family as I had been conditioned to do. It has been said there is no difference between cases of dissociation identity disorder where ritual abuse has been established and cases of dissociation identity disorder where there has been no ritual abuse established.221 I would suggest this statement is only possible to make using a type of psychological materialism. This only takes into account material or concrete example of ritual abuse, ignoring the unconscious dynamics that take place throughout society that I have been discussing. A point has been made that on certain important Calendar dates many people exhibit increased anxiety. It was discovered that these dates coincide with solstices and significant dates within the calendar of secret societies. He also mentions that within certain victims there is a programmed suicide date implanted.222 Keep in mind, secret societies operate not only on the conscious level of the material world they also and primarily operate on the unconscious levels as well. I will repeat that I have explored, consciously, especially during periods of deep meditation and contemplation, many of the dynamics of the various esoteric schools of thought. Subsequent to many years of abuse, there were many factors that lead me to an intuitive need to study many of the secret societies. By that time, my already substantial intellectual and practical exploration of the various esoteric traditions allowed me to better understand exactly what the purpose and mandate of some of the various secret societies were all about. Without elaborating, one very wise person whose work I studied, and who I refer to later in this work, is the medicine mad Chokecherry Gall Eagle. He made a very clear statement to the effect that virtually every aspect of the so- called esoteric or mystical areas of human life and existence are the heritage of all human beings. The crime is that they have been made secret to be used for and by a few. 220 Colin A. Ross M.D., Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principle of Treatment, University of Toronto Press, Incorporated 1995, Pg. 112 221 Ditto, Pg. 113 222 Ditto, Pg. 114 The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Mitchell- 206 This is not only a crime, it is the danger and enemy which all people must fight and rebel against. I say this for a very important reason. At one time, many years ago, groups that teach people how to reach the higher realms of the psyche were closely guarded so that only “white” or well intentioned people could gain entry. Since those times, they have become infiltrated by many people with negative energies. In addition, many of these secret societies were used for revolutionary and covert reasons. Consider that society tries to prevent people from learning, on a conscious level and on a mass scale, the apparently mystical heritage of all human beings, these higher realms of existence. If this knowledge and conscious awareness of it was available on a world wide mass scale, this very enlightenment itself would do away with the reptilian lower levels expressed by greed and violence. Ross states that one of the important programmed suicide dates is a person’s 33 birthday, which is a date that is supposed to represent the marriage of the “Beast and Satan” of Revelations. In making this next statement, I am thinking of the affect of and interconnection of all psyches on the human collective level. In what I say next, it is very important to keep in mind everything I have talked about so far in this paper. I’m referring especially to the interconnection of psyches and the fact each individual psyche contains within it the whole of the collective psyche. I will also say that I have had an intimate connection with individuals associated with secret societies. I remember at that age in my life, 33, on one occasion I had a fleeting thought of suicidal ideation. Consciously, the idea nauseates me. Subsequently, very shortly after that, on July 25, 1991, I almost killed myself. This was from exhaustion, intoxication, and dehydration as I cycled for many miles on the hottest day of that summer, while consuming alcohol instead of water. Recall what I said earlier about my experience as a child when I was not allowed to drink water after supper time until the next morning. For years, I have been in the habit of always having a bottle of water with me and I drink copious amounts of water on a daily basis. In addition to that I have been cycling all my life and can therefore call myself an experienced cyclist, if not the greatest mechanic! This type of behavior, even given the nature of my addictive personality, was totally out of character for me. When the ambulance arrived I had actually stopped breathing. The only reason the ambulance had even arrived in time to save my life was because a woman with a cell phone saw me go down on the rural road I was traveling on. I later heard the doctors were amazed that I had even lived. I was told that under the circumstances, I should have died. Subsequent to this experience, even though I never wavered in my fight to live and live in an evolutionary way, many times I felt I would be better off dead because of the series of horrendously traumatic events and circumstances that occurred to me. The main reason I recall this experience is because a close relative had been a member in high standing of a secret society. Like some similar societies, this particular society, operates publicly and ostensibly on a conscious level as a charity organization and fraternity. Considering the psychic dynamics I have discussed so far, I wonder what the unconsciously driven agenda is throughout society. I know from research I have done, this particular secret society is more steeped in controversy than any other secret society. I will leave this topic at this point, although I will unambiguously state that when I somehow and seemingly miraculously survived this experience; when I didn’t die, that heralded in the most traumatic period of persecution, and abuse that I have ever suffered. Because of this persecution and abuse, there were many times I had felt that I had died. My psychological health and character had certainly been attacked and assassinated ruthlessly. In the next section I will relate some more personal experiences related to what I am discussing. During this period of my life, the only thing that kept me alive had been a promise I had made to “the source” to protect life in any form and expression I found it. Since I am the closest source of life I can protect, obviously this protection begins with me. I suggest people should explore and bring to light as many esoteric areas found within society as possible. As I said earlier in this introduction, thank the Creator that there exists within the world such people who are individual and courageous enough, even rebellious ( in a liberation sense) as the King’s, the Galileo’s and the Einstein’s. The Psychic Dynamics of Childhood Sexual Abuse Mitchell- 207 There is a history of many different secret societies that have operated within all societies of the world for hundreds of years, many of them in conjunction with many of the established religions and governments of the world in which they originated. What therefore develops is a particular cosmology of psychological imagery associated with the culture or belief system from which people within cultures operate. As I stated at various places throughout this work, whenever these long established psychic creations, these thought forms and ways of looking at the world exist for a long time they become deeply entrenched or embedded deep in the unconscious depths of individuals, groups and cultures that live and exist within these systems. In fact, it has been more than documented that these thought forms do not even require human vessels in which to contain them. The appearance of the Lady of Fatima is one such example, perhaps the Bermuda triangle is another. That is why, as I have said earlier, that over a period of time places can actually take on a holy or unholy vibratory and affective character and why seemingly miraculous things, either good or bad, can take place within the bounds of these areas. In respect of the human psyche, the collective contains within it and in extension, individuals, images, feelings and emotions associated with these thought forms. This of course, is taking into consideration the fact that each individual psyche contains within it the whole of the collective human psyche, with the collective acting as a mirror of each aspect of that psyche. When it comes to individual memories associated with ritual abuse, that is, long-term abuse and trauma, the contents of those memories vary considerably according to the specific context, cult or culture they have been affected by or within. If the ritual abuse has been perpetrated primarily unconsciously, the content within the individual recovering lost memories, the conscious recollecting will use imagery specific to the culture or group within which the abuse took place. They may also be modified by any individual. Individual thought forms from different psyches can intermingle with and modify an individual’s viewpoint. As mentioned above, thought forms can develop within a well defined group atmosphere that has been created for a specific purpose. For example, it may have been comprised solely of scholars and academics whose sole purposes were intellectual and academic pursuits. Regardless of the group and its purpose, a very important element to be identified is that virtually all spiritual or cultural world views stem from the same ground source. However, some have become distorted because of fragmentation stemming from all of the causes and reasons I have been discussing. As the Perennial Philosophy makes clear, as do other pioneering psychologies and knowledgeable people of the psyche and mind, virtually the whole of the human collective psyche contains certain common elements. If they stem from the higher levels or realms of the human psyche, they will be archetypal in nature reflecting very real common energies and imageries associated with them and the collective, and therefore individual human psyches. As the archetypes are filtered down into human consciousness and awareness, they might take on specific imagery associated with developed cosmologies, personal and collective. Some however remain the same, in their core, regardless of the cosmology associated. Examples of this type of phenomenon are mandalas. The basic structure is the same, although the contents of the mandalas will vary with the associated cosmology, whether individual or collective. Symbols that do not vary are those symbols that are of a geometrical energy pattern such as squares, triangles, and so forth. It is the geometric shape and the mathematical associations of these shapes that actually determine the associated energies, not necessarily the contents that are placed within. As with so many other things in life, it is the process that is important, not the contents within that process. This latter statement is a universal statement of truth as it applies to the human psych. The General Principles and of Survivor Therapy Mitchell- 208 17 The General Principles and of Survivor Therapy As I am discussing this material I suggest the reader remember about the methods and process of healing that Edward Podvoll spoke of, mentioned in the earlier chapter on the healing relationship. One of the first things that have to be considered is whether or not a therapeutic intervention is destructive and simply increases the psychic invasions and elements of mind control that brought the individual into counseling in the first place. I mentioned earlier that many people are coercively taken from cults or perceived cults only to be coercively forced back into their cult of origin, or otherwise discredited if they choose against or speak out against this. This is a classic maneuver of destructive cults. One such example, and usually used in conjunction with a branch of the same cult, is the existence and use of “therapeutic” establishments that use destructive and regressive production of dependence and disempowerment. 223 I illustrate to a substantial level those dynamics in my introduction and overviews of social dynamics in the earlier sections. Although I would refer to it as institutional pathology, Ross simply refers to it as the prevalence of “destructive therapeutic interventions.” A bonus point can be given to Ross because he makes it clear that as little difference as possible should be present in the way ritual abuse dissociation identity cases are handled and non- ritual abuse cases are handled. It is important because this condition can develop from both conscious and unconscious dynamics of ritual abuse. Since the abuse operates from and with the same dynamics, obviously, the dynamics required for healing also have to operate from the same premise and perspective, that is, conscious and unconscious. These general dynamics have to be consciously adhered to so that therapist’s individual idiosyncrasies and ego convolutions do not interfere in the process. This is where the therapist has to be very knowledgeable about their own selves. The general guidelines Ross outlines are specific to the treatment of dissociation identity disorder. However as I have adequately demonstrated, most people within society operate in a very real sense from a psychoanalytical state of dissociation identity with corresponding characteristics. These milder forms of dissociation are referred to as neurosis and undiagnosed psychosis. One of the first requirements is that therapists have a well balanced psychic integrity that demonstrates that a strong enough self-boundary exists so that psychic enmeshment will not take place. It has to be permeable enough so that an empathic connection can be made with the client and a trusting relationship can be established without which a healing environment would not otherwise be possible. This can only be accomplished with a therapist well versed in self knowledge so that the below listed dangers are guarded against. Without listing the exact principles that Ross lists, what they comprise of are physical and in extension psychological limits and boundaries of interaction that subsequently prevents or limit enmeshment or transference/counter transference (projection), and especially dependence. These guidelines protect the therapist, but especially the client who has experienced enough violations of their psychic and physical integrity already. In this sense, many clients have already been conditioned to voluntarily open themselves up to further violations of their integral selves. In respect to the need for therapists to know themselves at least 1% of therapists who treat people with dissociation identity disorder have undiagnosed symptoms of dissociation identity 223 Colin A. Ross M.D., Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principle of Treatment, University of Toronto Press, Incorporated 1995, Pg. 216 The General Principles and of Survivor Therapy Mitchell- 209 disorder themselves. Statistics indicate as many as 50% have been sexually abused.224 This supports my assertion that many professionals who are not aware of their own wounded natures will seek careers in those professions in which they have power over the most vulnerable population of people within society so they can become perpetrators themselves, unconsciously. Everything I am saying here may be very difficult for many people to digest, especially some mental health professionals, whom these comments are meant for, as much as the general population. On the other hand, I know there are many who have had to use the services of these people, who I know will agree with what I am saying. As John Welwood states in his book “Awakening The Heart,” although many therapists complain about their clients resistance to “treatment”, it is equally important for the therapist to recognize their own resistances to “treatment.” For the record, as I have been doing I will usually refrain from using the word, treatment, whenever possible, except in quotation marks. For me, and I would imagine many other people, it leaves a very bad taste in the mouth and a possible naught (as in evil or wicked) in the stomach. As I have been doing, I will use the more healthy focused word, healing, whenever possible. As a somewhat cynical aside, I don’t know how the term sounds in German, but I have know doubt that when Dr. Mengale at Auschwitz spoke to his fellow practitioners and helpers, I would imagine he quite possibly used the word “treatment” to discuss the experiments he did on camp inmates. In many cases, this is the same way modern pharmaceutical and other “treatments” are used on the inmates of many of our mental health institutions, literally, as experimental guinea pigs. I recall one of my experiences soon after a devastating experience at one of these places. During a group session at this institution the actual topic of German, psychological experiments on the Jews was brought up. At that time I couldn’t appreciate the significance of that group conversation; today I can. In the healing process, if the therapist does not have strong boundaries in place, it can be depleting or rather difficult on the therapist. It also creates a certain amount of dependency on the part of the client. This is the very sort of dynamic that therapy is supposed to work towards dispelling and doing away with. Furthermore, as dependency increases, a primarily unconscious activation of the more resentful, sadistic aspects of the client toward the object of his or her dependency on the therapist also increases.225 This could be positive in the sense that, if consciously aware of these dynamics, they might be identified and addressed. However, the likelihood is that within a more structured process of uncovering these dynamics they can be dealt with in a more controlled and gradual way, without the formation of dependence. The former example, because of its haphazard and uncontrolled appearance of these dynamics does more to damage the healing process, usually, than helping it. I suppose some radical types of therapy do call for high impact situations in order to provide a cathartic type of affect. However, rare is the therapist who can handle these types of therapy and unless an open awareness of the process is present it might not work. 224 Colin A. Ross M.D., Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principle of Treatment, University of Toronto Press, Incorporated 1995, Pg. 123 225 Ditto, Pg. 122 The Enemy Within the Healing Camp: When the Psychotherapists are Cultists, Whether Consciously or Unconsciously Mitchell- 210 18 The Enemy Within the Healing Camp: When the Psychotherapists are Cultists, Whether Consciously or Unconsciously Whenever a strong dependence is created between the clients and “healers,” this becomes a type of “Destructive Psychotherapy Cult.”226 I reviewed these dynamics above and through this work. Ross and other responsible and ethical researchers and psychotherapists validate the realities I am putting forth, in addition to my own substantial research. In addition, it is by virtue of my own very personal experiences that I am further able to substantiate what I am saying. People who have visited a jungle with all of its textures, tastes, smells and feelings and sounds are much better at describing it than someone who has only seen it in a book or video. In most research however, what is not acknowledged to the same degree are the unconscious dynamics that lead these types of practitioners into areas where they have unconscious sadistic control over people. As I keep hammering home, these are dynamics that are conscious on an unconscious level within the shadow contaminated super ego. Even protest or expressing resentfulness and resistance to “treatment” on the part of a client is looked on as a sign of illness and dysfunction. Even a responsible client’s wish to see his or her files is labeled paranoid. This in itself is criminally irresponsible and disempowering. These are examples of control and coercion that can only be interpreted as cult control. Although primarily unconscious, I am referring to the pact between the mental health professionals and the pharmaceutical megalith, extending outward. It might be of interest that I remember speaking to one very intelligent and sensitive individual who had contact with the mental health institution in the same geographical area as me. I remember he rather tongue in cheek referred to the unconscious dynamics taking place as the “continuum” on one occasion when he was speaking to someone else. He was referring to unconscious dynamics. I didn’t believe what he was talking about then. Many years later I do. The mental health “experts” involved in this type of cult have even, in some cases tried to say it is Satanic cultists that were trying to induce the victims to break away from the true people responsible for cult activities. Rather than instinctual survival and intuitive reasons for inducing the client in these instances of trying to break free from the enforced dependencies, the mental health “experts” tried to blame it on cults227 Now there is a prime example of the sometimes very paranoid or simply criminally coercive, controlling and hypocritical way these “professionals” try to entrap and further victimize their clients. This is a very criminal example of blaming the victim, very similar to when an abusive person blames their victim for the abuse. I know from personal experience the word “entrapment” has entered into my mind many times over the last several years. In the next section I will describe in detail how many people involved in the mental health areas, social work, intimates and other connections treated me in ways that might have induced the behaviors associated with the labels they were trying to place on me; 226 Ditto, Pg. 123 227 Ditto The Enemy Within the Healing Camp: When the Psychotherapists are Cultists, Whether Consciously or Unconsciously Mitchell- 211 consciousness was the only defense I had The worst was when I was presented as being ill when I tried to speak up about very real and concrete examples of abuse. Of importance, this was only possible after a label had been placed on me. These dynamics also involved me working with a survivor of a Satanic Cult prior to all of the other developments. In all cases, there was a direct link between all the parties involved. In almost all cases people within government were involved. It also substantiated everything I had been briefed by therapists and other people working on the case might happen when I was working against the satanic cult on behalf of the survivor. It also substantiates everything I have researched about satanic cults. In a personal sense, the worst example of this was a male intimate, who had an extremely violent history, assaulting virtually everyone in the family physically at one time or another. This even included an important intimate holding an infant holding; an infant. This occurred while he was practicing social work. On a personal level, he tried to project his sadistic history of assault on to me during all of the persecution I endured. Because of his position within society, the family and the image of success he portrayed in comparison to me, it had worked. As I said above, what I am describing and discussing is sadistic projection onto innocent victims. I will not give the details that I have in my journals in most cases, for example, I will not mentioned this person again. What I will provide is a succinct chronological unfolding of more important events, with some events being detailed more than others. Before I start giving my own real life personal example, I will finish speaking about the immediate above topic. As I have written earlier in this work, even anti-psychotic medications socalled mentally ill people, or rather, victims, are placed on, can induce the very symptoms of the labels and diagnosis that are placed on them. These dynamics do, criminally, occur within medical and other institutions within society. I also know that being on any psycho-tropic medication and especially anti-psychotics puts the “subjects” into a state of mind very susceptible to the power of suggestion, labels and the influence of the collective unconscious. Ross does support this assertion, in a less detailed way than I do, by speaking of the arsenal of different techniques, physical, pharmaceutical and psychological that mental health practitioners use to achieve mind and physical control over their “clients.”228 Also mentioned is the fact that this is in a hierarchy of control, from the top down (or should I say from the bottom up), in exercise of control. Looking at a purely counseling environment, without the invasive use of medications, there is an incident related to the above I will mention. I remember as an adult when I briefly mentioned some of my experiences of being sexually exploited by older females to a therapist at a service for sexual assault victims. She totally ignored them. When I was relating the incident of the male who assaulted me for a period of two years, she barely seemed to believe me. She seemed more interested in trying to assess whether or not I was dangerous. It was most amazing; I wonder how conscious of these dynamics this person had been? I will say, I found the five sessions I had with this person very informative. However, I found them extremely difficult. I know I would not have benefited from them if I had not been as conscious as I had been, with the ability to detach from the proceedings in a conscious way and later being able to review them. 228 Ditto, Pg. 124 A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 212 19 A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience I will present the following section more in the form of the journal entries I took them from instead of the more formal way I have tried to present the earlier material. Most of it is of purely historical nature, without a lot of technical information to complicate things. Most of it speaks for itself. It is important for the reader to remember that a good portion of the dynamics that take place in what I describe must have been unconscious. I will leave it up to the reader to “believe it or “ naught” .” I experienced a very great amount of hypocritical and abusive treatment at the Maritime School of Social Work, when I studied there and obtained my Bachelors of Social Work. Of note, while I was still at the school I remember dating a bi-sexual woman a couple of times whom I did volunteer work with at the library. During that time she told me about the smothering relationship she wanted to get out of. After one conference at the school where this person’s partner was a guest speaker, after viciously attacking all forms of male heterosexuality and men that were not gay or bi-sexual, this person accosted me verbally and threateningly told me to stay way from her girl friend. I note this because it was a blatant example of hypocrisy and hate. July 25, 1991 – (March 25, 2006 - I mentioned earlier that I had been b-sexual at one time. Now that I have developed a psychological understanding of the way my abusive upbringing and severe experiences of sexual abuse had affected me, I realize now, that is a past part of my life. It occurred as I was trying to unravel the severe effects of the abuse I have encountered over the years. Especially the two years of sexual abuse I suffered at the hands of a male homosexual, and the two experiences of sexual abuse at the hands of older women, including one that was old enough to be my mother. This is a personal statement. In no way do I judge of even evaluate other people. As long as a person’s lifestyle does not infringe on the liberties of other people, no one has the right to express anything except tolerance, as described above. As I described earlier, in my graduating year, I suffer the bicycle accident that I described above, that resulted in absolutely no structural or long lasting damage. After the accident, I was under the complete control of intimates. By this point in time, an important intimate, as an elderly person, had been so intimidated and psychologically brutalized that he had become a mute person within his own family. All of the other members of the family literally hate men. After his death, at his home while he was with his wife (his car fell on him) I had replaced and been the recipient of that hate. A drinking episode that caused the above mentioned accident was triggered by an older intimate’s abusive “treatment” of me and some unfounded accusations. I take on a position of house supervisor at a place where the previous male supervisor had quit because of severe workplace abuse. The woman who got me the position was connected indirectly to the school of social work and related organizations and groups. This person was a member of a group that some people consider a type of cult. This group is a 12 step program for people who have or had partners who are alcoholic or been affected by people who have a drinking problem. I absolutely do not judge the value of the overall 12- - step groups and programs, only some sub-groups within them. The members in this group belittle, humiliate and otherwise abuse people, usually male, who have a drinking problem. Ironically, most of the unmarried members of this group had a boyfriend in AA. In front of me and other people, they A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 213 refer to their boyfriends and other members in AA as “sick puppies”. They made no attempts to shield me or their boyfriends from this line of talk. I stopped going to AA because of the complete self defacement and masochistic humiliation members constantly place themselves through. At the time of writing this, I have been alcohol free for 15 years. I have also been free of illicit drug use for quite some time. After learning how to control panic attacks caused from the abuse, learned through meditation and martial arts, I develop severe asthma. I learned how to control this through the above mentioned techniques, puffers and the occasional mild tranquilizer. I took on the position of supervisor while still physically quite weak from my accident. While experiencing profound abuse at this place, from a woman who said I had been hired because of sexist hiring practices, I experienced nausea and other physical symptoms associated with the abuse. The way the ringleaders performed this abuse was like something out of a novel and fit a classic and quite observable pattern. While experiencing this treatment I had to tell the woman who had been instrumental in getting me the position (mentioned above), who was on the board of directors of this organization that, I was not interested in her romantically. I had been forced to tell her this because of her increasingly blatant passes and attempts to get me involved in a relationship. After I told her I was not interested, all support from her and the head office evaporated. The person in charge of the organization was also very good friends with one of the most abusive ringleaders. In addition, abusive treatment increased from both the abusive staff and head office when I discovered a possible cover-up may have taken place when someone who had locked horns with the abusive ringleaders was hurt on the job. I was forced to resign after the director of the organization threatened me and told me not to breath a word of it because “we may have a lawsuit on our hands.” The woman who got me this position also had contact with the main female abuser in my circle of intimates. 1991-92 I get a job working in an organization working with youth. I take on a case working with a survivor of a Satanic cult. I am told that I might be forced to be involved in an accident, I might be followed, could have my phone tapped, and so forth. This briefing I received was from a female psychotherapist who was working with the survivors of the cult in therapy. Her name was Faith Banks. While working with this youth I was also involved with quite a few other people, all of whom are members of closely allied or related types of services and groups. It was some of the people involved with this Satanic case who were the people who initially introduced me to my first interests in the occult. While working with the survivor of this cult, on one occasion I was swarmed while walking on the sidewalk, alone. I end up in court. Even though I was swarmed and had only struck out and made contact on one occasion, with minimum force, to stop the assault, I was convicted. In court I never wavered in my testimony regardless of the convoluted ways in which I was being questioned. The people who had swarmed me were contradicting themselves, making outrageous claims that didn’t even happen, that the police could have testified against. The police weren’t even called to the stand. My relative later told me she had been sitting outside of the courtroom with the policeman who had arrived on the scene. He had told her that there had not been any indication that the individual I was being accused of assaulting had even been hit, let alone viciously assaulted as they had claimed. According to their testimony I had brutally and repeatedly struck this person. Knowing my own strength, anyone with any common sense would have known that if I had have struck this individual in the manner they had described she would have been covered in marks and bruises. The policeman told my relative there absolutely no marks at all. How could there be: as I said I struck this individual one time and one time only, with an open and cupped hand that would have absorbed most of the impact and left even less of a mark than a slap, only to stop her assault on me, while I was surrounded by the gang she was with. My relative never told me about this conversation until well after court case and conversation took place. I was found guilty. A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 214 A few years after the swarming I had received a pardon for the common assault charge. Many years later I personally had a criminal record check performed when I applied for a job, I found out the conviction was still on my records, even though it should have been removed. I later found out that only in the city where the swarming had taken place, where the Satanic Cult operated from, and where the survivor I had been working with lived at the time of the swarming, had it not been taken off my file. Although the organization that got me involved with this Satanic cult case fired me after I was swarmed and convicted, the main organization taking care of the survivors of the cult kept me working with the youth. At one point I was asked, in front of various staff and other people present to describe what happened during the swarming. After I told these people about this incident, in the community and especially social work and the “helping” professions generally, I was totally ostracized. Once this organization had trained someone to work with the survivor I was working with, I was let go after a trumped up slur on my character in which the question of my honesty was manufactured. Partial Letter to the Parole Board November 15, 2005 My name is Paul Frederick Mitchell. I was born on February 18, 1958. I’m writing this letter in order to have papers proving I received a pardon for a minor offense which I was convicted of on October 19, 1993, Sec. 266-B. See attached Certificate of Adult Criminal Convictions. I discovered that the Law Courts I had attended at the time received notification of my Pardon. On the other hand, when I applied for a records check at the police department, for a job I was applying for, the attached form is what I received. For nine years I have been ostracized by people after I told them I didn’t have a criminal record but gave them the go ahead to do a criminal records check. Obviously, the conviction would have showed up in their check. For nine years I have been unable to work in the career of my choice, social work. More importantly, (the city I am living in) being a small town, after being turned down by one prospective employer after another: well this type of information spreads fast. The calls I made to 911 that resulted in having wanted abusers put behind bars as well as the calls I made to child protection services that, combined with similar calls from other people I did not know, resulted in children being taken out of abusive environments; these types of good Samaritan actions appear to be ignored. However, I don’t want to use up your time with these details. I’m simply requesting to have papers proving that the pardon I received is sent to me so that I can present them to the police Department. The Police told me that as soon as I obtain this information they will clean their files of my past convictions. I trust this is sufficient information. If not, I can be reached at …… With Respect, Paul F. Mitchell Telling these potential employers I didn’t have a record, telling them to go ahead with the check, adequately explains why eventually I couldn’t even get a job except for manual labor in this city. As I said earlier in this work, I have two degrees and have never stopped researching and studying my main areas of scientific, spiritual, philosophical and historical areas of interest. I was later able to find out that after these things transpired, all traces of the cult member(s) I had been working with had “disappeared” from this area. 1991 From the time of this “conviction, beginning with my family, I begin to hear that I am being looked upon as a potentially dangerous woman hater. Almost 100% of the abuse I received was from women. A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 215 While I was working with the Satanic Cult survivor, I was introduced to different esoteric schools and ways of thinking I had never been interested in before. As a person with a strong educational, intellectual and spiritual drive, combined with what I wanted to find out about cults so as to uncover them and work to help people, I developed and in a scholarly way become familiar with a lot of them in a practical sense. My family, friends, and people who knew me began to treat me like a freak or cultist. People in my family referred to my association with people in Earth religion, and other forms of esoterica, as being Satanic. I never associated with any Satanists and the only time I ever spoke to anyone with those interests was when I encountered them in public with lots of people around. The only questions I ever asked these people, was why they were interested in practicing what they did and also whether they found it rewarding or not My father is killed when his car falls on him. I am given three battlefield trophies (firearms) that my father had collected on the battlefield at the Normandy Invasion, when he was fighting the Nazis, all the way to Germany, in the Second World War. Although my other two brothers and I were each supposed to be given one of these guns, I am given all three. Constant insinuations are made to me about my cult involvement and my hating women whenever I spoke out about abusive treatment. Constant references are made about my “brain injury”, memory impairment, etc. One person even starts to talk to me about how people with schizophrenia don’t even know when they have it (He had a high paying job in the government). I know he was referring to my studies in the occult that I was researching in order to uncover cults and also because he was by this time him self in a very abusive marriage and treated (and continues to do so to this day) horribly. The only reason I was even experiencing absent mindedness was because of the constant onslaught of abuse in institutions, family, at work, and the ostracism I was experiencing in the community. This even occurred in many personal relationships I was able to develop. I was only able to find relationships with abusive partners by this time because of character assassination and the way I was portrayed in the community. The most abusive partner, and this included physical abuse while we had sex, had been a security guard at the local psychiatric institution. This particular individual told me she had suffered structural brain damage at one time. Apparently, this had not prevented her from getting a security job at the hospital. She had obtained that position through a person she had been going out with at one time, who worked at the hospital. I met this person through a member of my family. Because of my involvement with, primarily women involved in learning about Wicca, and my learning to connect with my body, mind and spirit, I get the courage to speak up about the childhood sexual abuse I had suffered at the hands of the male on my paper route. What had completely eluded my memory during these years was the sexual abuse I experienced from the woman in her forties when I was fourteen years old, as well as the 32 year old woman when I was 16 years old. The 32 year old I met through friend’s of a family member. When I spoke out about the abuse I had experienced as a child to my intimates, I received only abuse, everything from indifference to direct and indirect insinuations I was a gay pedophile. During this time I had a breakdown associated with street drugs due to the constant abuse, being told I had brain damage, was a member of a Satanic cult, hated women, as well as the gay pedophile insinuations. In addition, in the community I was ostracized and humiliated. I reconnect with a friend of my families about possible work. I take on a job I am not qualified for and “piss” off the owners. A person to overseer me is brought on the job. This person was extremely abusive, and created situations where I may have been injured on the job. I am persecuted because of my intellectual and spiritual interests, totally humiliated. Knowing about the accident I had there is much talk about my “head injury”. There is blatant dishonesty on the part of the abusive person working over me who made no attempts to cover her dishonest accusations made about me to the owners when it was just the two of us present. When I pointed out the blatant nature of her lies and other forms of abuse, she would simply laugh in my face, A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 216 literally. During one discussion I had with the owner, he once said to me, ”Do you think you’re the only person she’s abused?” I realize now, that was precisely why he had hired her. I am forced to resign. (Of note, during this time I am seeing a mental health person for depression I am experiencing after I get involved in an extremely abusive personal relationship. I met this person because of an introduction by someone in the same organization I was working in on behalf of the Satanic cult survivor.) One day I leave an appointment card by the phone at the workplace; it had disappeared when I went to retrieve it. After the abuse reached such a level I had to resign, the owner gives me a long lecture on the availability of disability support in the community and how a mental illness does not have to prevent a person from living a “normal” life. I am talked into getting involved with a brain injury association. The only reason I am even absent minded is because of the constant abuse I had been under. The head of the organization welcomes me with open arms, tells me I can even get work with them, and do other types of volunteer work. I give her some documentation about the abuses I have received from work and intimates. This person had been a local politician in the same party that the owner of the above business I had been forced to resign from strongly supported. After this person read the documentation I had given her to read, all enthusiasm as to the promises of work disappeared but she still wanted me to stay involved. One of the members and representatives of the organization badgered and harassed me to stay involved as a brain injured member but I resisted against that. Finally, the person in charge of that group told me that if I had wanted work in the community in the helping professions, I should not have gotten involved with the occult. It was blatant religious persecution for an interest that was primarily an intellectual and scholarly pursuit, and one that I developed primarily because of the very people in that area of work and career. It was they who had introduced me to those topics, and then later condemned me for it! In respect of work, she even suggested at one point I should contact someone she knew who might provide me with work. It was the same person I had worked for who had given me the case involving the satanic cult! Incidentally, he worked at the local mental health institution and the employment he provided for people there was one put on by the hospital. I had spoken to some mental health clients who did work at that job and I heard horror stories about how he treated them. I remember one time running into him at a location of one of these hospital sponsored sites. It happened to be right next door to the place where I lived in a building that was owned by my family! I remember on that occasion I ran into him he was leaving that place in a bit of a rage after speaking with some of the clients who worked at that operation. I spoke to him and he rudely pretended he didn’t even remember when I had worked for him at the time he gave me the case involving the Satanic cult. He actually looked at me after I said hello to him and said “do I know you?” He was a psychiatrist at the local psychiatric concentration camp. I end up in counseling with a psychiatrist who is recommended to me by a person I was in the abusive relationship with, who I met through the organization I had been working in with the survivor of the Satanic cult. What follows is some rather detailed documentation of my experiences with this “professional”. I will give this person and other people I speak about aliases. All I am trying to do here is get a message across, not burn people like I have been burned. Dr. Sooty While seeing Dr. Sooty I was in a very unhealthy relationship, with a very controlling partner, angry animus. Before I became involved in this relationship I had spent a year working long hours, working with, primarily schizophrenics in a group home location. I remember on one occasion I worked many hours over a two week period of time. That was a long time ago, but if I recall correctly I believe it was 163 hours, at casual rate pay ($6.00 something, in the early 1990’s), with no overtime. This was when I was working for a community support organization, the one connected with the survivor of the satanic cult. There were situations in this environment which were quite stressful for me but under all conditions I was able to remain level headed and A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 217 rational. During this time (1 year) I remained drug and alcohol free, with absolutely no desire to use, at no time did I experience depression, anxiety attacks, etc. It was not until I allowed myself to be dragged into this relationship I did not want to be in, recommended to me by a person who worked for this organization, as mentioned above, and slowly allowed myself to make a greater and greater commitment to this unwanted relationship that I began to experience anxiety attacks and depression. Around the time I began to experience these things, a girlfriend of my partner in this relationship reintroduced me to drugs, grass. Under these circumstances, I resumed using grass on a regular basis. It was under these circumstances I began seeing Dr. Sooty, a friend of my partner’s psychiatrist. My G.P., who is also the G.P. of a relative, Dr. Done, had also placed me on the anti-depressant Prozac. Shortly after starting to see Dr. Sooty I broke off the unhealthy relationship I was in. However, I continued using grass. I finally reached the point where I had a very bad trip on magic mushrooms one night. The son of a person I had taken social work at the school with, mentioned above, showed me how to grow magic mushrooms. He was also heavily involved with what today I can only call a cult, although they called themselves a coven. It had nothing to do with life giving Earth religion. A favorite computer game of his was road rage, and sometimes he spoke about the need to cull the earth’s population. After this crash, Dr. Sooty placed me on the anti-psychotic pharmaceutical, Orap. While on this drug I only very occasionally used grass. After a time the effects of the illicit drugs wore off and I found myself, while on the Orap, beginning to experience major depression on a more frequent basis. During this time I found my ability to stand up for my self evaporate. I became apathetic and any zest for life dwindled. In this frame of mind, “by my own choice,” I allowed myself to go back into the same relationship with angry animus which had been very difficult to get out of several months before. Although I realize today there was a greater attraction to this woman than I realized at the time, I will say that the main reason I resumed this relationship at that time was loneliness. Today, I realize she was a victim as much as me. In this instance I will not think of her as angry animus because I realize that if things had have been different this person and I would have been a perfect couple. Under the circumstances of our lives, this person, in different ways and in a lesser extreme experienced very similar traumas and conditionings that I experienced. Eventually Dr. Sooty placed me on the anti-depressant Trazadone. It had an apparently positive effect on me, and in fact I eventually was able to get out of the unhealthy relationship, again, which was more controlling than before. Unfortunately, during this time I was using grass, but that is all. I repeat, Dr. Sooty was a friend of the psychiatrist that my past girl friend, angry animus had been seeing. I have to repeat this because I feel it might be important. After breaking off the relationship with angry animus, during one session, Dr, Sooty asked me if I missed angry animus. I remember telling him that I didn’t miss angry animus but I did miss her mother because of the very good conversations we used to have. She had been involved in the WWII and had worked in the same building as Lord Mountbatten. Although I hadn’t even mentioned this, Dr, Sooty asked me: “and what about young sprout?” and when I thought about it I said, “Yes, and young sprout also.” Why did Sooty ask these leading questions? I certainly had not brought them up or even mentioned anything related to angry animus after I broke off the relationship for the second time. I remember speaking to angry animus’s mother on the phone, after the two of us had split up. I remember Mrs. Nazi Hunter made a comment that absolutely amazed me. She said: “angry animus is worried that you might try and get in contact with young sprout”. Mrs. Nazi Hunter told me this in such a way that it was meant as a friendly warning and there was absolutely no intimidation in her voice. Of note, there were many times angry animus pressured me into having sex in places and at times her daughter could have been exposed to the activity. On one occasion young sprout even exposed her self to me and when I told angry animus there was almost no response. A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 218 Anyway, in considering Dr. Sooty, my question is this: was there any communication and breach of confidentiality between Dr. Sooty and his friend and colleague, Dr. Chin? If there was then both angry animus and my self were victims of professional misconduct and breach of confidentially. I am only asking the question. However, by the end of this personal documentation, if everything is taken into context, the whole picture, I think the answer becomes pretty obvious. These two psychiatrists both come from the same cultural community and it might be possible they had contact within their community. This is only conjecture; however, combine that with the fact they were in the same career. This was a profession in which everyone seems to know everyone else. Also consider how I was recommended to this psychiatrist, Dr. Sooty. Having worked in the security field for a few years, for a short time in the helping profession and having studied social and personal psychology for well over ten years, I am only asking this possibility in the same way an investigator might ask it. I am not being paranoid: I am simply asking a legitimate question that is quite plausible under the circumstances mentioned above. With my above mentioned qualifications and having spoken with and read about police investigations that started out with flimsier leads than this, that eventually resulted in the finding of more concrete proof over time, I do feel my concern that a breech of confidentiality may have taken place; and what else. Eventually, when I expressed a desire to get off the drug Trazadone, Dr. Sooty suggested that I should go on another drug, Risperidol, which he said was an anti-depressant. I later found out that it was an anti-psychotic. Dr. Sooty actually lied to me, in that this drug is not an antidepressant but an anti-psychotic only, and has no anti-depressant properties. Dr. Sooty was reacting to times I would have sessions during which I would express enthusiasm about insights I was gleaming about my behaviors (projections, etc.). He felt it was inappropriate to be too happy, that is, to become enthusiastic about what I was learning about myself, on my own. Dr. Sooty did not give me any support whatsoever when I was able to see things for myself. As long as I looked to him for advice and insight I received a very calm and patronizing type of support; but no support when I did things on my own. I remember during one session, I had gleamed what I considered lots of self-insight. At the session I was in very good spirits, and enthusiastically related what I had come to see about myself. He met almost all of what I related with a flat expression, gave no support to what I had told him. He finished off the visit by telling me a story, where he said he is able to spot a schizophrenic when he sees one. I remember as I left his office that day I went to shake his hand. He would usually initiate a handshake but that day it was me, and he expressionlessly and apparently grudgingly offered his in return. His hands were very cold. One time Dr. Sooty suggested that I should go on the drug Lithium. I reacted with panic because I have heard some pretty bad stories about the dangers of this drug, and in fact I know one woman who has lost the use of her thyroid gland because of this drug. Dr. Sooty was not very happy when I refused to go on this drug but said he would not press me to go on it because he did not want to lose me as a patient. The best interest of his client didn’t even enter into the picture. With the drug Respiridol, when I at first refused, Dr. Sooty reacted with outright anger and told me to find myself another Dr., if I did not take his advice. He certainly reacted with more anger than anything I had even remotely approached while describing my experiences. Around this time I had started a new job (the abusive job mentioned above) and was responsible for doing a lot of things I was not competent to do and therefore was under a lot of stress. Having come off the Trazadone, sometimes things were very difficult to deal with, especially under all of the circumstance I have been relating, including what I was experiencing at the job. I remember that Dr. Sooty, in response to my refusal to go on the drug Rispiridol, confidently told me to give him a call when I reached a point that I needed to speak to him: "give me a call when you change your mind" or something to that effect. It was the exact opposite of positive encouragement. He said this to me quite emphatically and certainty. He made me feel I would not be able to do without this drug. Given my nature and how easily the affect the power of A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 219 suggestion used to have on me, as it relates to certain things from the past, and until quite recently, still did, and the abusive pressure I was under, eventually I told him I would go on the medication. While on this drug I once again experienced apathy and submissiveness of character. I once told Dr. Sooty, while on Orap, in response to this feeling, as being "Dead", in the sense that I had absolutely no drive or zest for life. While on this drug, however, I put up with the abuse I could hardly tolerate what was going on but simply stuck with it. But eventually, I began to isolate myself, and resumed drug use. Two work related incidents that took place changed this however. I attended a function organized by the employees. While at this function I was not having a good time because of being totally ostracized, and in response to a nasty remark aimed directly at me, quietly got up and left. The next day I ran into Dr. Sooty. Unbelievably he lived a few doors down from the minister of our church, who I had gone to see in order to retrieve some books I had loaned him. By accident I had gone to the wrong house, Dr. Sooty’s, and told him of the above incident. I told him how I had acted appropriately by quietly leaving the (above) situation, and how the next morning, experiencing depression, I had gone to the coast to walk on the beech and do other activities to get myself out of the depression. I felt good because I had handled the situation properly and had dealt with the depression not by using drugs but by doing a healthy activity. Dr. Sooty’s response was that I could safely increase my dosage of Respiridol without experiencing too many side effects. I was stunned by Dr. Sooty’s statement. All increasing my dosage of medication would do is enable me to remain in unhealthy situations I did not and should not be in, not to mention the side effects. I never went back to see Dr. Sooty after this encounter and I went off the drug Rispiridol. While seeing Dr. Sooty, he was never able to pinpoint anything. He said "your not this, or that, but somewhere in between.” He was trying very hard to fit me into a diagnosis but was unable to. Over the time I had been seeing him, He had me on two anti-psychotics, an anti-depressant, and wanted to put me on the drug lithium. As I mentioned, he reacted more angrily during times when I would not take his advice than I ever did during sessions, even though at times I was speaking about traumatic events that happened and were happening in my life. He refused to acknowledge insights I made on my own and misled me with false information as a way to induce me to follow his advice. He used intimidation, lies and threats. After one session I remember asking Dr. Sooty to look at the notes he was taking. I only glanced at them but I noticed that a lot of what was written down was taken out of context. As an ex., I remember speaking of how I would sometimes get angry or frustrated at a relative, because of her overly critical, opinionated and demeaning behavior directed towards me. I had also said that I love and respect her and will always remember what she has done for me and other members of my family. All I saw when I glanced at Dr. Sooty’s notes, in respect of my discussion about my this relative, was that I was angry at my relative It is important to note that Dr. Sooty was well aware of my involvement and study of various spiritual traditions, including Earth Religion, of which he strongly disagreed with my involvement. On one occasion, after telling Dr. Sooty about my intellectual interests as a student of religions, I brought into the next session several books on some of the Earth religions, the Judea-Christian Kabala, etc. Dr. Sooty kept these books for a few weeks before I received them back from him. Importantly, I remember going in to see Dr. Chin with angry animus to discuss a letter I had written to angry animus about the abuse in our relationship. The topic of my religious interests had been raised and I also discussed those with her as well. Not very long after all of these incident I have just related occurred, with increasing accusations, having my past continuously thrown in my face, about everything from childhood to before I had quit drinking, but including the time I was swarmed and how much I hate women, I finally, I had a major beak-down while on the drugs that my social worker friend’s son had taught me how to produce. A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 220 While in the Psychiatric concentration camp for assessment, (A terrifying ordeal) I had a bad trip on magic mushrooms, resulting in my going to a relative’s place, to tell her I was leaving town because I didn't want to be the “family sacrifice”. I was still fairly stoned and under this influence I told her I was very aware that the family was going to sacrifice me, in response to my real life situation of being the family scapegoat. Relative 1 immediately phoned relative 2 and (apparently) relative 3. They took me first to the City General Hospital, where I was relatively lucid by that time and made it clear to the Dr. I was speaking with, I was aware that what I had told relative 1, "I'm the family sacrifice… I had a computer chip implanted,” etc., had been drug induced. We then went to the Psychiatric concentration camp. Once there relative 2, relative 1, and the doctor, with me in the same room, spoke about me as if I was not even present. I could not remember relative 3 being present. Much later she told me she had been present. If she had been present, and with my vivid recollection of the image that I can recall, with her not being in the picture, at first I believed I blocked that memory when she told me this because I could not believe relative 3 would take part in such a charade. Today, I believe she was not telling me the truth. While speaking with the admitting doctor, I remember mutely shaking my head "no" while, mostly relative 2, said the most outrageous things, although relative 1 was supporting much of what she said. I remember at one point when the doctor left the room, relative 1 looked at me and said "he's good", about the doctor. I just stared in mute shock. Relative 2 was going on telling the doctor about my involvement in satanic cults, how I hated women, and so on. When the doctor came back, I was told they had considered what the City General Hospital had said, and I believe something about Dr. Sooty’s files were also mentioned - but they shouldn’t have even seen them!? Although Sooty does work at the hospital, but most especially based on what relative 1 and relative 2 had said; based of those things, they said I would be certified if I did not voluntarily sign myself in. During the assessment, the staff at the hospital said they had access to Dr. Sooty’s files on me as his patient. How did they obtain these files? I did not sign a release for these files to be accessed by the hospital staff. The only thing I signed was a form they said stated that I had signed myself in voluntarily. I did not read this form and I was not asked to read the form nor did anyone go over it with me. Realistically, was the form I signed a release form for these files? Even while I was still going through the admission process they said they had access to these files of Dr. Sooty’s, who, as I said, worked at the hospital. In the admission files, that I did not receive until after I had gone to the hospital because of a panic attack almost 6 years later, when I had an encounter with Oop and Dr. infantile, there is no mention of me signing myself in voluntarily. What is stated in these files is that I was certified. Did they trick me into signing a release form for these files? At the time of this admission to the hospital for assessment, I was terrified and completely under the control of my intimates. I won’t assume anything, but it would be interesting to see what a real and authentic investigation would uncover as to what actually happened. Perhaps the most humiliating aspect of this assessment was when I was having a physical performed on me, soon after my admittance. Towards the end of the examination, the Doctor pulled the waistband on the front of my underwear out, looked down at my genitals, then let the waistband slap back onto my stomach. He then looked up at me with absolutely no expression on his face and offered no explanation. The whole examination was done in silence. This Dr. was absolutely cold and at no time spoke to me except to direct me what to do during the examination. I could never write about this experience until now. In fact, even now, years later, if I am using the bathroom and let the waistband slap back to my stomach, I remember this experience and actually feel nauseated for a brief time. A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 221 As I just said, when I got a copy of my files back in 1998 (I had to pay $25) there was no record of anything related to admittance. The records they gave me at that time only started from the time of my first session with Dr. Tasmanian as an outpatient. Further, at that time, I was asked to give permission for the Hospital to have contact with my intimates to discuss my welfare. Like a fool I gave them permission. Then, I was seen, once and only once, by a Dr. Ilsa, who happened to be an extremely attractive blond haired German with an accent. I made it very clear to this doctor that I was fully lucid by this time, even though I had to struggle with this and felt a little zombie – like because of the un-requested medication they gave me upon admission. I clearly told Dr. Ilsa at the time, I realized what I had been saying at while at relative 1’s house, at the City General Hospital, and to a lesser extent at the psychiatric concentration camp had been drug induced. I believe I said something about these drug induced exaggerations being based on real life circumstances. Actually, as stated above, by the time I arrived at the Psychiatric concentration camp I was in a relative state of shock. Nonetheless, after that one doctor saw me, I was on the spot labeled schizophrenic. Some time later, during my 10 day assessment, while asking permission to go outside, I was told that it was my decision because I was there voluntarily. What a sick joke Later, after my incarceration had come to an end, relative 2 was claiming I had been suicidala fantastic lie and directly counter to the facts. If I was trying to escape the fate of being the sacrifice within my circle of intimates I was obviously very concerned with preserving my life. Although I was not specifically told this I will assume that this was also used as a reason for my admittance and so-called diagnosis. In support of this assumption, in my files from the hospital the Dr. I saw there, and after, makes a specific mention of the fact that I am not suicidal or homicidal!!, although the way it is worded makes it sound like that possibility was believed at the time I was admitted. I would never kill myself because that would make me a murderer! Oh I wish I had never taken on that case! Also in my file, I found these comments quite amazing: "’Denies any psychotic sxs, however one night he thought about selling all his things and moving to Vancouver'". So I wanted to get away, from a city where I have experienced one trauma after another. Anyone who can read the writing on the wall can see it was the only sensible thing for me to do, Given the history I have related, and as a middle aged adult, how does that make me psychotic? It's also interesting that Dr. Tasmania makes the observation that my "insight is poor.” I strongly disagree with that statement. Throughout this ordeal, only my abuser’s viewpoint has been accepted. As I said, this troubles me immensely, not just for me but also for other people involved in abusive family situations and experiences they may encounter with places like the psychiatric concentration camp. Dr. Tasmania also makes the "observation" that" he doesn't want to go back to his old job.....because' he makes judgments about me'" I told Dr. Tasmania that an old employer, that I started working with after the last abusive job mentioned above, is obsessive - compulsive and have documented elsewhere some outrageous examples of his perceptions. I did at first try to get some work with him but his bizarre conversations, as well as humiliating me in front of strangers by asking me questions about my mental health, talking about being able to calculate math faster than a computer and also that he can travel in different dimensions made me realize being around him is the last thing I should do. I could go on but the whole point of this exercise for me is to point out that throughout the major part of my files I'm portrayed as potentially suicidal or dangerous to others, an utter reversal of the truth. What's even more of a sick joke is that relative 2’s "testimony" played the largest role in this charade. Relative 2: Relative 2 had a major head injury when she was in her late teens. She had been hit by a train while up in Montreal. She had two skull fractures, one of them pressing on the brain. Now that's a brain injury! I, on the other hand, fell from my bicycle. I was wearing a helmet and there was no physical damage. My injury was comprised mainly of fluid and swelling in the brain area and alcohol intoxication. A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 222 When I briefly lived upstairs at relative 2’s place, there had been a time where she confronted and threatened me with a pair of scissors. I know for a fact she used to carry around a bottle containing an assortment of uppers, downers, and god knows what else, this during the years she worked for a Laboratory, selling pharmaceuticals. After she was finished working for them she spent many months in a state of severe depression. As it is she has been on the anti-depressant drug Prozac and other anti-depressants for about twenty (20) years. I know for a fact she refuses to go out with men her age because she demands a submissive type of male. Her biggest complaint for any male her own age she has gone out with is that "he's terrible in bed". While I was living there, the young immature , though very pleasant young man she had living there with her, and he was quite a few years younger than her, told me he was moving out West to get away from relative 2. Tragically, he was killed on the road while traveling from the airport to Edmonton. I remember at the funeral an intimate totally embarrassed the boy’s family by draping herself over his coffin for a good half hour or so, in front of a full church. People were shocked by the behavior; and he had been trying to get away from her! It was soon after this she threatened me with the scissors. I moved out of her apartment two days later. For several years now she has had young hockey players from out of town staying at her place. I remember I was at her place one day to do some work for her and she was sitting in a chair depressed and crying because two of them had left, because it was the end of the season. I have never seen her shed a tear for anyone in the family, and I never even saw her shed a tear at an important intimate’s funeral. When I was in the hospital, I asked that my books on Wicca be removed from my house, about 20 in all. I asked this request after I had been there for a few days and had begun to feel like I had been hypnotized (see below). When I got home after ten days, relative 2 and apparently relative 1 also, had taken about 130 of my books. They must have been in frenzy when they did this because some of these included psychology (one on child psychology), history, etc. It also included my house copy of the yellow pages. As well, they had removed personal items from around my apartment which I never recovered. Most important they took my personal diary! I felt I had been raped, again! When I said again, I was referring to the childhood sexual exploitation I had suffered as well as the psychological/emotional trauma I experienced. There were several appalling and dehumanizing things I saw while at the psychiatric concentration camp. One thing which stays with me however: I remember when a nurse was trying to take blood from me, a daily occurrence. She was having difficulty inserting the needle in the vein. Several times she missed the right spot. Each time it was very painful. In all the countless times I have given blood or given blood samples over the years I have never experienced any pain. At one point I actually made an exclamation of pain. The nurse just looked at me severely and never said a word. I don't know what to make of this, but upon entry into the camp and for several days after, I was given sedatives and other medications. I did not know what these other meds were and I did not request any of them. During the first few mornings when I woke up in the hospital, my eyes were so caked in sleep and other gook I could hardly open my eyes. My sinuses were so clogged up I could hardly breathe, and my head and body felt like a freight train hard driven over it. I believe it was on my second morning there went I went to use the bathroom. As I was using the toilet paper I was shocked to find lubrication down there. I know this sensation because I have experienced the same sensations during bisexual experiences. Maybe it was present because of my temperature being taken? I don't know; at night I was passed out because of, at first, unrequested sedation. But I do know this: I was so terrified I didn't dream of saying anything, and who would have believed me anyway? Another extremely disturbing thing was that when I “came to” in the psychiatric concentration camp for the first time after being admitted and heavily sedated. I removed a lot of personal A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 223 jewelry and other items that were important to me in a soul or spiritual sense. I also found myself thinking like a policeman and in ways and expressing mannerisms totally unlike me. I also had developed, seemingly overnight a tendency to look at just about every situation or event, things, and people in ways that were somehow symbolic or important with a double meaning. In other words, paranoid and in addition I was searching for a hidden meaning or relationship in everything I encountered. Never had I ever thought that way. Was this a result of being so heavily sedated and the resulting lowered psychic boundaries that I was psychically affected by other tortured psyches around me? I actually felt like I had been hypnotized, later, when I was able to get my balance and bearings back. It took me quite some time to even shed this tendency and fortunately, because I was so conscious of this new addition to my personality almost overnight, it never really affected the way I interacted with my environment. The point is, in all the times I had indulged in substance abuse and regardless of whatever happed to me, it was not until I was coercively incarcerated, in addition to whatever else they might have done to me while I was heavily sedated, and as well treated like some sort of animal, that I ever even remotely acted or thought in this manner. Although I do have more to document in respect to my experiences with these types of situations and people, I will say now that this was only one sort of thing I had to overcome that was induced by the very people that are supposed to assist people in healing. After everything I have written in this work, are people beginning to realize just how deadly rather than life giving and healing much of what we take for normal really is? It was the traumatic abuse and treatment by hospital staff, intimates and society that had done this to me. As I described earlier in this work, by some miraculous chance, I have been able to overcome many things that victims everywhere have never been able to withstand. I am not being arrogant here, only realistic. I overcame one label after another, one diagnosis after another, until the only thing left that I could be labeled with was a person suffering from Asthma. Through discipline learned first in yoga, various forms of meditation then the martial arts I overcame ‘Schizophrenia”, “depression”, panic attacks, alleged “suicidal-homicidal” potentials, constant character assassination, constant abuse and trauma, and so on. The one thing I learned of most value is that when a person does not allow themselves into being triggered by the pathological projections of others, it bounces back to the source from which the attacks originally come from. What about all the people, especially the children of the Earth, who do not have the ability to withstand these sadistic kinds of things? Below are some short excerpts (taken from my journal) that followed some of this shadow induced torture and horror that I had to overcome in order to heal. Rather than receive support I literally had the few people I associated with (almost 100% of everyone I had as friends had began to ostracize me, and I also began to isolate myself) and every institution or group I encountered worked against me because of labeling, the rumors and lies that had been manufactured, and the constant suggestions I had various mental illnesses, personality disorders, was told I hated people, was anti-social, and so on. The cult experience: ‘Since my last entry I have been experiencing a cacophony of emotions and at times, mental confusion. I feel pulled in different directions with respect to my direction and focus. On the one hand, I do realize I have to limit my focus to myself and the need to recreate myself. That is, I have to develop strong boundaries to where I end and others begin,…’ ‘Being around and especially now under the direct control of my intimates, this is not easy for me. As soon as I allow my emotions to have the least bit of leeway, I find myself emotionally identifying with others and their problems. I have been given plenty of opportunities to learn to stop this. By experiencing others' tendency to not always give me the emotional and psychological acceptance of me that I expect, I have been given the opportunity to actually see my immature tendency to expect this reaction from others for what it is. ( – at this point I am actually beginning to blame myself for the trauma I have experienced; a perfect example of A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 224 pathological ‘I am experiencing a lot of what I perceive to be double-bind/mixed messages. For example, on the one hand I am being instructed by a variety of people with different types of messages, directly and through insinuation, to listen to myself and my desires, needs etc. while on the other hand to ignore them, to not be selfish, and so on. I'm not being very clear, and there are so many examples I should have but can't clarify things well enough to describe and therefore to explain them.’ It was eight years ago that I wrote that last entry. What I have written in the preceding gives people some example of what I have learned, overcome and the reason I am writing this work. Consider the pathology that runs throughout society and the world, where the truly unbalanced and deadly call the meek and victimized people of the Earth the sick ones and criminals. This is what has caused me to reach for the truth and attempt to do my small share in trying to stand up for those who have been brutalized, stripped and dehumanized. God damn the poison of the Earth and might God through the people save it. What follows is an example of what I experienced five years later after having spent two years out west working and having a variety of experiences. I related some of the following in an earlier section of this work. Although I originally went out west to get away from this poison, I came back because of the health of relative 1. When I came back, up until the present time, January 21, 2006, what I experienced was worse than what I already described. The difference was that, indeed, I had with certainty become stronger, more dedicated to the truth and more determined to get rid of and dispel these poisons, from myself to start with and then to let whoever has eyes to see and ears to hear. 5 years later Yesterday I had a very severe panic/anxiety attack. I went to the City General hospital. They gave me Clonazepam, telling me it was similar to Ativan, without the dopey effect. I related much of my ordeal with intimates since coming back East. While I was lying in a bed, in the emergency ward waiting for the Clonazapam to take affect, I remember overhearing the Dr. who was attending to me, speaking to someone at the psychiatric concentration camp. I remember hearing him say”…he hates his ‘intimates…” If I could hear him say this, I’m sure everyone in the string of beds in the open emergency ward could hear this as well. I couldn’t believe he even said it, and so loud even I could hear him. My bed was farther away from the nurse’s station, where he was using the phone, than most of the other beds, all of which were occupied. I went from the City General hospital to the psychiatric concentration camp. While there, I spoke to Oop. Very soon after the interview with Oop started she brushed off any suggestion I was schizophrenic. I related the abuse as well as the physiological symptoms which resulted. I also mentioned that I was somewhat disassociating but remaining conscious of it as I’ve learned to do because of my centering practice in meditation, detaching from but following my thoughts and emotions. In fact, I think it would be much more accurate for me to use the word emotionally detaching, and as well I was becoming somewhat absent minded. That is more accurate rather than use the term dissociation. I definitely do not experience any symptoms of MPD, what is today called dissociation identity crisis or something like that. Importantly, the detachment and absent mindedness I experienced, only related to the actual memories and abusive things I was trying to remove myself from. Sept.17, 2003 I met today with, first Oop, then she and Dr. infantile. While I was with Oop, I found her easy to speak with unless I disagreed with her or expressed my opinion about how I felt. For example, she told me I looked quite good since she saw me last (and going on Clonazepam), that I looked much better. I told her I felt calmer but physically I was still somewhat anxious although it was masked because of the mental disconnection with my physiological symptoms. My mind was trying to say one thing, my body another because of the medication. At this point she crossed her arms and told me, because I expressed my opinion about how I felt, as opposed to how I appeared that I was arrogant. In other words, and she and Dr. infantile both A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 225 agreed to this, I should only listen to what they say, not to what I thought and felt. She also, with her arms folded, looked at my portfolio I had with me and asked me what that was. I simply told her it was some work I was doing in conjunction with someone else. She firmed her look and didn’t ask me anything more about this. What business of hers was this? She definitely appeared defensive and nervous as she asked me this. If I disagreed with either Oop, or Dr. infantile, alone or when I was with both of them, they became defensive. When I attempted to take an active, as opposed to passive role, in speaking with Dr. infantile, he started blinking his eyes nervously and became somewhat fidgety. When I switched to only passive reception of what he had to say to me, his nervousness ceased and he became much more pleasant. Today when I was speaking with Oop, before I saw Dr. infantile, I asked her if I was coming across as calm and lucid. She agreed. Oop Had the Admissions file in front of her that I was not given back in 98 when I requested my files at the hospital. She mentioned that in the file I had been certified because, among other things, an employer had phoned the hospital and told them I had a loaded gun at home, in addition to a 3 piece antique gun collection which had been given to me by relative 1. The name of the employer was not mentioned. I have never had in my possession, except hunting with my father, an operational gun, loaded or otherwise, at home or anywhere else. Most importantly, as I state elsewhere in this document, I was told, at the time I went in for assessment, the form I had signed was a voluntary admission form. I was definitely told that my admission had been voluntary. Anyway, Oop finally left the room, and after obviously conversing with Dr. infantile for a while, they both returned. Oop pointed out to me that Clonazepam was not an anti-psychotic. She showed me the pharmaceutical write up and sure enough, although the drug was listed very close to the word anti-psychotic it was not referring to that particular drug. I suppose that in itself is a good example of how I respond to the power of suggestion, especially while under the influence of medication. This demonstrates quite readily the very plausible assumption that I would respond just as readily to a placebo as I would to actual medication and demonstrates very well the power of a person’s mind to either heal or hinder an individual. It also demonstrates very well the healing affect meditation and martial arts can and has had on me, because of the way these arts teach people how to discipline their minds. It is also a very powerful indication of what I have had to overcome because of the brutalization and unfair, and incorrect labels that have been placed on me over the years. The fact is, at the time I am placing these journal excerpts in place, it has been 8 months since I have required any medication (for panic attacks), except for the occasional .5 mgs of clonazapam. It is unbelievable what I have overcome since the above entry was first written. In fact, I have almost two hundred pages of extremely damning documentation. What I have provided here are only some of the highlights Of note: while I was with this person, she briefly left the room to greet a young woman who was coming into the hospital under a lot of stress and verging on panic. Soon after this worker went out to greet this person, the young woman started screaming and had to be dragged away by security. She then entered back into the room we were in with a grim and severe look on her face. Keep in mind she took time to “comfort” this young woman requiring compassion and support while she was talking to me, someone who was, in a very civilized manner, challenging her usual way of throwing her weight around. She then took her frustrations out on this young woman just arriving at the hospital. Interesting that both my self and the young woman were there because of panic attacks. Mine was certainly a result of being the recipient of abuse and from my experiences, both professional and personal, I can bet the same was true for this young woman who needed someone to love her rather than make her scream in terror and being dragged away. It occurred to me that the young woman would have been a good synchronicity representing my raped and abused inner woman at the very same time. Compassion in action? My blood runs cold when I think of society’s victims being re-victimized and tortured like this. A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 226 During much of the subsequent conversation with Oops and Dr. infantile, Oops had her arms crossed defensively. Anyway, they said I was presenting many of the symptoms I presented 5 years ago, disregarding the very real emotional and psychological shocks I related to them which I had received from my intimates, in addition to the other demeaning comments and behaviors. One of the most extreme examples of this abuse was last winter when I was going to my relative 3’s place to do some painting at their house. I was driving my truck and supplies to her place, with relative 3 as a passenger. We were just approaching her driveway when, during our conversation I told relative 3 how good of a price I was charging her for the paint job I was going to do for her. As soon as I said this relative 3 screamed at me at the top of her lungs. It startled me so badly that I lost control of the truck and plowed into a snow bank at the entrance to her driveway. Relative 3 scurried out of my truck and rushed into her house. After I backed out of the snow bank and parked properly in her driveway, I numbly and as I now know, in shock, started taking my supplies into her house. When I entered the front door relative 3 was casually sitting at the top of her landing, just inside the entry way to the house. I looked at relative 3 and asked her why she had screamed at me like that. She calmly looked at me and said, “Oh, but I didn’t scream near as loudly as you did”. Relative 3 then casually got up and walked away. I related to Oop this experience as an example of what I have had to endure with my intimates. She totally ignored this, and instead implied that the only thing wrong was my mental health status. This in itself is a very damning example of the treatment I have received from staff at the psychiatric concentration camp. Oop and Dr. infantile then went on to say Dr. Ocean (the last Dr. I had seen in the outpatient clinic 4 or 5 years ago) said he didn’t think I was schizophrenic. However, they left it up in the air. As I said, 2 days ago when I was in a very agitated state, Oops had said with a nonchalant wave of her hands that I was obviously not schizophrenic. Today, although I presented myself very calmly and rationally in comparison to then, her attitude changed. I can only attribute this to the fact I did not passively “listen to the expert” but rather expressed my own professional and experiential opinions. The two of them recommended that I come in for crisis counseling. At first I rejected this and Oops, with a firm and very disagreeable look on her face looked at the doctor and said she would report that I had refused treatment. My stomach flip-flopped and I quickly changed my mind. While I was leaving them the two of them said I should trust and listen to the experts, implying that my own thinking would not be accurate. Soon after that, when Oops was giving me the card with the appointment on it she pointedly said I didn’t remember her but she had been one of the people I had dealt with in 98 upon admission I requested copies of the Admission forms from 98 which I hadn’t received before, (Nov. 22, 2005 – the files that contained the bogus allegations of me having a loaded gun and threatening to use, for example) as well as copies of the notes written over the last 2 days. Oops said I was being paranoid for requesting this. I told her it was a responsible thing for me to do as I want to be as informed as possible, as I had been taught at the school for social work and in my security work. Oops said I couldn’t have them today. I checked with the records dept. and they said I would receive a call in a few days when they were ready. I won’t even bother going over them in this work, but it is appalling the number of outright lies, mistakes and unprofessional slop that some of those files and documents contain. I feel it is also important for me to say, that when I went to the hospital for this second visit, when I was in a waiting room, Oops walked in to ask me to talk with her in an office, before I met with Dr. infantile. When she entered the room, I was waiting there along with one other individual. When she walked in and saw there were two people there, she rudely said, “Hmmph, there’s two A Brief Chronology of Combating a Cult: a Personal Experience Mitchell- 227 of you in here”, with a very distasteful look on her face. The other person just numbly looked at her. During this talk, she was extremely rude and intimidating to me, saying many of the things and acting in the ways I have related above. It was also during this talk that we heard someone being brought into the ward. She briefly left the room we were in and went to see who was coming in. A few moments after she left, I heard a young woman start to scream, saw security guards soon run by the open door, and heard the previously quiet person who was being admitted being dragged away, literally. It was absolutely appalling. A moment later Oops returned to the room with a grim and completely ugly look on her face. She offered no explanation. This was in September 17, 2003. Believe it or naught. Problems Inherent in the Client Being Regarded as Different and other professional points of interest Mitchell- 228 20 Problems Inherent in the Client Being Regarded as Different and other professional points of interest Ross makes a special emphasis on not treating the client as special in the sense of being treated as “different.” I would further state how very important this is. Every human being is unique and fundamentally a separate entity, an individual, and respect for that individuality is important for creating a sense of self worth, dignity and a sense of personal boundary. There is especially a need for many people who are in the process of recollecting them selves; to see their individual selves as falling within a common element of mutuality. I remember when, especially, intimate people in my life and community, made a special point of treating me as being “different.” At these times they specifically verbalized these sentiments. I had a difficult time trying to deal with the affects of those suggestions and projections. I was a person struggling to shake off the fabricated burden of feeling like damaged goods. The attempt to make me feel different combined with the messages, both verbal and nonverbal, about what it was that made me different, a maneuver that represented a dynamic where the power of suggestion was utilized to have the appropriate impact on me, was amazingly difficult to counteract. As I became conscious of the dynamics taking place this also included the reasons for their attempts to project these things on me. In fact, it was the latter realization that allowed me to depersonalize and detach from these dynamics with a heightened conscious awareness. Although emotionally trying due to the close emotional bonds present within the family and community, enough detachment was possible so that I was able to stand back and see them for what they were. It was all of these latter dynamics in fact that gave me the strength to actually leave the province of my birth and go out to the western province of Alberta for a two year period, from the years 2000 -2002, working to sustain myself physically, and psychically developing my masculinity, to a more mature level. I also took the time to attempt to address the abuse and associated dynamics I had experienced over the course of my life. This was with someone I had hoped would have been able to provide a neutral yet professional viewpoint and provide input of support in what I was working on overcoming and recovering from. It was not until I became strong enough in a masculine energetic sense that these projections and abusive practices lost their ability to have the desired affect of the projectionists. These desired affects, whether consciously or unconsciously motivated and perpetrated, as I describe throughout this work, was to attempt to induce within me and through those dynamics my subsequent actions, an exhibition of the behaviors associated with the labels being forced on me. I had developed the ability to actually see pure examples of hypocrisy and the resulting bigotry and in a scholarly way understand them. I was able to understand them not with blame but with an academic and feeling toned appreciation for the dynamics taking place. It also had a political affect on me that transcends and goes beyond the usual idea of how people usually think of politics. Obviously, these dynamics can and usually do have a devastating affect on people and this is rampant throughout society in the form of any type of actual physical, emotional or psychological abuse, especially demonstrated through the various types of hypocrisy and resulting bigotry. Within society, considering that most people are alienated and out of touch with their true selves and therefore connections with other human beings, the affects of bigotry become that much more effective. Problems Inherent in the Client Being Regarded as Different and other professional points of interest Mitchell- 229 Within the therapeutic relationship the crisis that brings the individual in for counseling makes it important to dispel these feelings of being “different,” especially in the negative ways that the abused client has usually been conditioned to adopt. In dealing with the dynamics of being treated different or special, if these guidelines are not adhered to, the end result will always be the same: reinforcement of the very dynamics and conditioning, the abuse that was perpetrated against the client in the first place. In speaking about abuse, Ross is considering physical (sexual) abuse and therefore emotional and psychological abuse as well. He is focusing on how being conditioned by the perpetrator to feel “special” is a type of abusive mind control that attempts to bend the victims mind to look at the abuse as somehow acceptable or right. In this case Ross is using the example of an incestuous Father abusing his daughter (or son). There is an attempt to induce the victim to think that the treatment makes them special, with praise and other brainwashing attempts, to make the victim to think they will somehow be a better person because of the abuse. This will create within the client, on the conscious level, a deep reversal of the conscious dynamics the victim is experiencing. Ross also used an example where a therapist tried to get the client to rationalize that the abuse would make them stronger. 229 This is precisely how hardcore, blatant Hollywood Satanic style cults operate. It literally creates people who are drastically split between their conscious perspectives and the subsequent deeper layer that will indeed become beastly and Satanic in nature by virtue of the cruelty being imposed on the victim. My viewpoint and reasoning is somewhat expanded and more inclusive. The conditioning I am referring to, on a mass scale, uses identical dynamics but not to the same physical extreme or degree. The subtle insinuations, comments, treatment by other people, and so fourth are usually perpetrated in a less conscious way. Usually it is of a longer duration and affects the victim in a more gradual way, depending on their sensitivity. Rather than create a drastically split off psyche, causing severe dissociation, in the forms I am describing, the affects will be less severe in a psychic sense: depression, addictions, obsession/ compulsion, so- called “schizophrenia””, neurosis, psychosis and so forth. Both types of abuse are characterized by an enforced double bind. The deeply split individual will be able to, apparently and only sometimes, easily operate and function on a daily basis. The more subtle types of abuse and conditioning that affects most people within society will actually have a more debilitating affect in the functioning of the individual because the splits are not as deep. In these cases there is more of a psychic connection closer to the level of conscious awareness. Being closer to the level of conscious awareness there will be a greater tendency for conscious confusion. The split is not as violent and unbelievably traumatic as the dynamics that create actual dissociation identity disorder, at least not in the way we understand dissociation identity disorder. From the way I see things, viewing these dynamics on a continuum, neurosis, psychosis and so forth are the exact same dynamics as those exhibited by dissociation identity disorder, simply not as obviously extreme. I can develop the above assertion by using the condition known as depression as an illustration. Medications, especially ant-depressants for example, can actually drive the divisions and splits I am referring to even deeper. This is precisely why I asserted earlier in this work that long term use of these pharmaceuticals can actually induce not only severe neurosis but psychosis also. The artificially produced feeling of euphoria caused by serotonin reuptake inhibitors, for example, allow individuals to repress even further those aspects of themselves or their environments they could not otherwise accept or cannot handle. Not quite to the same extent as obvious dissociation perhaps? Maybe the split is even worse. In an extreme or obvious example of dissociation, the dynamics are closer to the surface and therefore more easily 229 Colin A. Ross M.D., Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principle of Treatment, University of Toronto Press, Incorporated 1995, Pg. 121 Problems Inherent in the Client Being Regarded as Different and other professional points of interest Mitchell- 230 observable. In the other instance, they are more hidden and further away from the surface where they cannot be dealt with. In this sense, the less obvious forms of dissociation, the undiagnosed psychotics, are more dangerous, both to the individuals experiencing the condition and especially to potential victims. Considering the huge number of people within the population using anti-depressants it becomes more apparent and understandable how this creates, on the individual and because of the numbers, on the collective level as well, people who are lacking an empathic connection and compassion with themselves and other people. People, in fact, who exhibit Satanic or shadow poisoned tendencies. I have witnessed and seen these developments in people who have been on antidepressants for long periods of time. In the DSM describing the manufacturer’s information on these various pharmaceuticals, most of the indications for their use are for short periods of time. Antidepressants are one of those most widely abused psychotropic medications on the market. I have known people who have been on antidepressants for 20 years or longer and do exhibit signs of psychosis and in some cases behaviors belonging to a sociopath. I have even heard of antidepressants being used to help a man maintain sexual potency with an abusive partner. In fact, this is a demonstration of what I just spoke of in the preceding paragraph. I have demonstrated the dynamics of both perpetrator’s and victims unfortunate circumstances and feel for them both. However, I am looking out for the safety of people: remember the differences I explained between blaming and evaluation, something similar to the differences between idiot compassion and true compassion. As I said, I find it ironic and very hypocritical when one reads the medication profiles of these drugs, most of them are indicated for short periods of time or only as long as necessary. Yet, it is common practice for doctors to tell their clients that, especially the antipsychotic “therapy” will be permanent. Considering what I have already presented in this work so far, in most instances, doctors usually try to present their clients with a death sentence of permanency. In review and in more concise terms, herein lies the importance of what I am describing. Blatant types of physical, and thus emotional and psychological abuse create people who suffer from hardcore dissociation identity disorders. The more subtle and widespread types of abuse I am describing create larger segments of the populace who suffer, literally, from psychosis and sociopath imbalances that, for the most, part go unnoticed and unacknowledged. This is why I was able to see headlines in a large Canadian newspaper, of an article indicating there are many people within society who are usually considered balanced, intelligent and authoritarian: doctors, teachers, lawyers, and so forth, who might also be people suffering from undiagnosed psychosis. I only wish I had of read more than the headlines. However, I suppose if I had have read that article I might not have been impelled to find these things out on my own. As I say, let us not rely on the expert and be led like sheep or cattle; let us show our own initiative and find things out for our selves. In light of the above statements, the latter type of abuse and more widespread consequences will create one segment of victims who either turn their resulting negativity inward towards them selves, or the greater likelihood that the victim will disown and project them outwards. Psychologically, the latter is usually in the form of bigotry, scapegoating or outright forms of sadistic and masochistic practices. I once read where the Dali Lama referred to modern society as being characterized as being highly neurotic. I would suggest that today, widespread psychosis is becoming the norm. Supporting this assertion, again picture what I said early in this work about hundreds of people being able to walk around a wounded person lying bleeding, on a sidewalk in a large North American city. In this vein, I also remember (I may have alluded to or mentioned it earlier Problems Inherent in the Client Being Regarded as Different and other professional points of interest Mitchell- 231 because I have mentioned it to people often enough) where a person was threatening to jump off a bridge during rush hour traffic; I saw the picture in a newspaper (I imagine the reporter who caught this picture was pleased with the bonus he or she got!). People stopped their vehicles and actually encouraged the person to jump. They applauded when the person jumped to their death. This is a perfect example of the psychosis I am referring to; road rage is another example. Around the same time I remember working with some people in a heath facility and club in a large Canadian city. I remember one day when, the day before this conversation took place, not far from where we worked someone had jumped to their death from a busy street overpass. The young individual I was speaking with, who was extremely attractive, intelligent, came from money, and apparently had only the limitless sky to look forward to, expressed nothing but pitiless ridicule and contempt for the other young person who had jumped to their death the day before. There was an absolute lack of empathy or compassion and you know what? I don’t blame this individual. This individual is a victim also, only the self hate and blame is projected outwards just like the individuals in the above story I read about in the newspaper. The description of this individual is just like any other person who has not yet been forced into a crisis where they will have to seriously look at and question things, as everyone must do eventually. No blame, only evaluation is possible given the dynamics I am speaking about. Gandhi’s quote at the beginning of this work, “If everyone keeps taking an eye for an eye, pretty soon the whole world will be blind” says it all. I will make one other point of interest. During the recollection of one’s self, Ross uses exorcism as an example to demonstrate how greater divisions and splits within an individual could be created. In the case of exorcism, a type of occult ceremonial high magic, rituals are used to create dissociated splits within people’s psyches. Similar to the theme running throughout this whole commentary, this is an example of an outside coercive manipulator, with the best of intentions, using power to cause repression and splits within an individual. This is true even if it is an apparently voluntary ritual, and in many cases it is not. I remember I spoke, on two different occasions to two men of the cloth about having exorcisms performed on me. This was during the times before I learned how to consciously understand and control my psychological processes, and understand the psychological processes and motivations of people around me. It was subsequent to and during the time I was having a multitude of severely abusive experiences. It was subsequent to the times I was heavily involved in spiritual, deep arcane occult practice, primarily of the ceremonial kind, better known in occult circles as high magic. I also took part in many arcane rituals involving low magic. In a few instances I foolishly participated and took on roles that were assigned to me that I did not understand, with people I didn’t really know, in rituals that were created and directed by a few individuals. In at least one instance, I now know, I took on the role of a sacrificial victim. Sacrifice seems to be the story of my life (serious tongue in cheek). Anyway, in both instances when I requested an exorcism, they refused. One of these persons, without explaining to me why, said that exorcism could cause more problems than they would solve in the long term. The other person seemed more uncertain, even unbelieving (of my experiences); to the extent that I wondered how he was able to get in the pulpit and practice a religion that believes in the forces of The Prince of Darkness, that could be countered by the saving Power of Christ, The Madonna and the Creator, and then express disbelieve to someone expressing similar sentiments as himself. In the first instance I now realize the individual was expressing wisdom; in the second instance it was blatant hypocrisy. However, understanding what I know now, I can see and realize that if I had have been allowed to have that exorcism performed, the integration I have achieved might not then have been possible. The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 232 21 Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists In this last chapter I use spiritual imagery of two well known spiritual traditions: Christianity and Native American Spirituality. This is because it is primarily spiritual or religious imagery that best reflects the higher workings, emergence and realities of the higher realms of the psyche. In many cases, I will necessarily be reviewing many of the dynamics and processes mentioned earlier. However, using spiritual imagery I will place the dynamics in a higher level of meaning and understanding. In this sense, although of the Earth, using images, awareness and understanding, the dynamics mentioned earlier can be uplifted from the Earth, into Heaven. In other words, out of the mud and silt, similar to the way a lotus flower emerges out of the mud and silt that gave them birth. In this section I focus primarily on the Christian perspective in a psychological sense and use a comparison with 1st. Nations Spirituality simply to illustrate that the various living spiritual traditions have much more in common than most people would admit. Considering everything I have discussed so far, it also represents a greater realism of the whole nature of the psyche. “The Kingdom Within: The Inner Meanings of Jesus sayings”230 and the very insightful author of this book, John Sanford, has expressed very logically and with heart, a common sense explanation of the deeper understanding of Jesus the Christ and spirituality of the psyche. When I read this book the second time, several years after the first time, I felt a vast amazement at the magnitude of what was being denied and done to humankind. Especially after deep reflection, I easily combined the main message of John Sanford with what I, countless other people and many seemingly different traditions have been trying to express for a long, long time. Sanford combines professional common sense with a great insight into the Christian perspective. He is a Jungian analyst and Episcopal priest and author of a variety of other books. As well, I have used 1st Nations Earth Spirituality to demonstrate the compatibility and vast similarities between the two spiritual traditions; indeed the fact that understanding the message and living truth of 1st Nation’s Spirituality can assist us to unite inner with outer, Heaven and Earth and the potential Christ consciousness that can result. A foundation on rocks, not sand is provided for those who wish to find their roots in the earth from whose solid foothold they are able to rise into Heaven. It is a reflection of everything I have been saying throughout this book. Only now, we focus primarily on very positive messages although, as I said, comments and reviews from previous statements will be mentioned. The Native American medicine man, Chokecherry Gall Eagle, in the book, "Beyond The Lodge of The Sun: The Inner Mysteries of the Native American Way"231, provided some very powerful words and insights into Native American Spirituality in such a way that I was able to agree with and also draw many parallels between what he and Sanford said and what I have experienced in learning what I consider to be my own living spirituality. 230 .The Kingdom Within: The Inner Meaning of Jesus. Sayings., John A. Sanford, Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 10 East 53 Street, New York, NY 10022, 231 "Beyond The Lodge of The Sun: The Inner Mysteries of Native American Way", Chokecherry Gall Eagle, Element Books, Inc. 1997, PO Box 830, Rockport, Ma 01966 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 233 Survival is more than simply staying alive. If we walk in Spirit and wholeness with dignity, integrity, and recognition of our connection with all of life, the higher an eternal part of ourselves known as Soul will be uplifted in the songs of the Spirit. 232 Understanding this, we can see that the Soul is like a deep well. When we are disconnected from it and do not use it, we will separate, and fragment, and it will go dry.233 When it goes dry or stagnates, it goes into hyde-ing. This happens when we “consciously” cut ourselves off from it. Spiritually, the whole psyche suffers and if it does not die it at least takes on the appearance of death. We have to open up to the contents of the Soul, the vastly greater part of our psyche, in consciousness so that a greater aliveness is attained, as nature intended. One has to look inward, and therefore into the nature of Earth, in order to get past the ego and then the oceanic abyss, to emerge into higher levels of consciousness. Considering my own experiences I would not suggest this is an easy task. It can and usually is one of the most difficult things a person can do within their lifetime here on earth. That is why a strong healthy ego in service of the whole psyche, not in service of itself is required. Having said this I must say a strong ego is also necessary in order to stay grounded in the reality of the here and now so that one does not get lost in psychosis, ego inflation and other types of illusion. I will now repeat three dreams that I had within a short period of time soon after I had begun the journey in uncovering what had been covered, hidden and repressed within myself. When I presented these dreams in chapter ten I did not interpret them. This time I will offer some of my own impressions of what they were trying to tell me. Throughout this last chapter I will present other dreams and possible interpretations for them. They will not necessarily be presented in chronological order. Rather, they will be given at times I feel them appropriate in the context of my commentary. Lack of chronology will also reflect the reality that progress upwards sometimes seems to overlap and be a part of other stages. What this really demonstrates is the fact that in order to move upward we have to emerge from solid foundations because everything that occurs in life does not always appear in black and white terms. There are many different shades, colors and contrasts along the way. 1st Dream I see a man standing in a stark, pure white room. He is a tall, powerful yet gentle looking young man, with long flowing black hair. He is dressed all in white. He is pulling his hair and crying and there is a sense of profound loss, for he is mourning the death of his mother. As I look at this scene I know the man is me, and I feel a profound sense of mourning and loss as well.(I remember for a couple of months after having this dream that I was worried sick about my real mother’s safety. During that period of time I made the egoistic mistake of interpreting the dream literally.) 2nd Dream- shortly after the 1st Dream In this Dream I am standing outside at night. I am looking up into the starry night sky and above me is the most brilliant full moon I have ever seen. I was happy because I knew that mother was alive, but I was sad as well because I knew that she had been forced to go into hiding. 3rd Dream I am standing on a field of what used to be rich and beautiful, rolling farmland. Now, the crops have been burned and there are various buildings scattered around in smoking ruins. The main homestead building is in the background: the damage done to it is minimal and there is only a small amount of smoke issuing forth from it. Scattered around the war-ravaged area are many people who have been massacred. But the figure which captivates my attention is that of a woman who is lying on the ground. She has been violated, and murdered along with everyone else. When I see her my eyes widen in absolute outrage, and then I develop a sense of sheer 232 Ditto 233 The Kingdom Within: The Inner Meaning of Jesus. Sayings., John A. Sanford, Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 10 East 53 Street, New York, NY 10022, Pg. 8 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 234 terror. I run towards the main building with the forest behind. I run around the building and notice there are a few lights on inside as I plunge into the darkening woods, fleeing from those who would commit such an outrage. What these dreams describe were the attempted destruction and murder of my Soul. The first two dreams are self explanatory. The last dream is the most important because it described an inner reality of what happened to my Soul in the material world. The outrage is the anger and outrage that is exploding throughout society on an unconscious level within individuals and the collective human psyche. The few remaining lights on in the main homestead represented a part of my psyche or Soul and a healthy grounded ego that could not be extinguished. Fleeing into the woods was in reference to the psychic retreat in defense of the destruction that had taken place to my psyche and Soul. It was a retreat into a scared and subservient, less conscious attitude that almost extinguished my thirst for searching my Soul, my world and my living spirituality. Obviously there are many dynamics that could be explored here however these are the most important ones. Having described these dreams I will now describe a very profound dream that I had before I had the above dreams. This dream was actually a prelude to the journey that was indicated by the above dreams. It also described the difficulties I had to overcome in order to heal the above described destruction. In this dream a white hand appears holding and presenting me with an image of an event. I am witnessing an event that is taking place in what appears to be a medieval dungeon. There is a rack, and on the rack there is a man spread eagled and held down by manacles and chains. There are two people dressed in medieval clothing torturing the man. One of the torturers is using a torture device, a set of large pincers, and applying it to the man’s genitals and attempting to rip them off the man. The man being tortured is twisting his head in agony. Suddenly, the white hand brings the image closer so that I can see more detail. It is then that I recognize the man in the picture undergoing almost unbearable agony: I recognize the image of the man and recognize him as myself. The man’s face is the same as my face in the material world. Suddenly, I feel absolutely nauseated and sick to my stomach. At this point I find myself lying awake in the real world, lying in my bed on my back, sick to my stomach that passed as I oriented myself in the “conscious” world. This was the first dream I had had that immediately preceded my journey to consciousness. It also represented the torture that our Souls undergo in today’s world of repression, the shadow and life in the machine. Most importantly, it also represented the torture and opposition I would endure during my odyssey in the real world in searching for consciousness. That is why the image being tortured is a man and why the figures in the dream are attempting to rip of the man’s genitals: the genitals represent yang energy, masculine energy that is required for consciousness; for raising an individual’s consciousness and psyche to a higher levels of awareness. The genderless figures doing the torturing represent aspects of the shadow, Satan and Kali, the masculine and feminine aspects of the dark couple. I will say that although genderless, for some reason there seemed to be more of an aspect of masculinity than femininity in the figures. The feminine was definitely represented by the vampirelike aspects of the draining of yang or libido energy (the ripping away of my genitals). The masculine represented the masculine aggression and coercion I encountered during my years of struggle. This is precisely what I described earlier about the definition of black magic: the stealing and use of masculine or yang energy for ultimately destructive and vampire like purposes; the destruction of life. It is interesting that according to the Hindu way of looking at the cycles of life, we are presently just at the end of what is known as the Kali Yuga stage of the cycle of life. This is not very different from either the Christian or Native spiritual traditions. Kali can represent destruction; Christians speak of the “destruction of the world,” preparing for the second coming of Christ, and Native Spirituality speaks of world changes. The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 235 However, this represents very well my description of black magic and the fact that it is primarily feminine in that it sucks life away, like a black hole, while using the masculine energy it steals to accomplish this. I will stress throughout this chapter as I have in prior chapters: it is of paramount importance to refrain from applying gender to these dynamics. I have met just as many men as I have women who display these types of dynamics, even if they are not aware of them. I have also met people who are very aware of them and the roles they play. Fortunately nature and the Spirit in all things have a way of rebalancing things within the world. The beautiful thing about it is that in the end, everyone is redeemed. That is the reason we are here in the first place. It absolutely has nothing to do with gender. I’m sure people can also interpret and see other dynamics related to what I spoke about in the preceding chapters and will be able to find many other things to say in interpretation of this dream(s). When Natives speak of the “Fire Teachings”, what they are referring to are the sacred teachings that belong to everyone. They are meant to create light, consciousness and by creating this consciousness thereby connect us to the wider, deeper and higher realities of the whole psyche.234 This inner Light is the Light at the end of the tunnel, after the abyss has been crossed, so that clear and untainted Light is visible. As Sanford says about the Christ, this is how the Christ potential, in fact reality, is finally found within each and every person. It is what Jung referred to as individuation, a recollection and integration on a higher level than previously existed. It is a description of psychic integration that can be attained by immersing oneself in the Judeo-Christian Cabala. It also is a model for the eradication of separation and bigotry. People around the world simply use different ways of seeing and then attempting to describe that which is not possible to adequately be put into words. I will mention a dream I had several years ago that demonstrated what happens when a person goes into these living areas of the well of life, eventually to immerge into the higher realms known as Heaven. This dream occurred at a time when I was heavily immersed in the study of the Judeo-Christian Cabala. It was also subsequent to the above dreams. In this dream I was at the base of a tree and had begun a journey upward in a spiral that took me higher up the seemingly never ending height of the tree. As I continued my upward journey I seemed to be on an energy path the color of bright red while the color of the tree was green intermingled with other colors. I remember the journey increased in speed as I got higher. I remember at one point at a great height I felt a sense of anxiety that left as I reached a certain height. The thick, deep, red color become lighter as I went higher and corresponded with the increase in speed. In the sense that Natives speak about the “Fire Teachings” and Christian parallels I have read about, I consider the red color to represent both the fires of hell or purgatory and Earthly manifestation and the increase in brighter and lighter hues as the upward expression of the higher realms, the fires from heaven. Can one really be separated from the other? The tree itself, in addition to the Judeo-Christian Tree of Life, represented the upward movement away from the lower levels of the psyche and earth plane into the higher realms but including the lower; “in the world but not of it,” rooted into the Earth but extending upwards into Heaven. This is why the color green is present. Green represents fertility, in the sense of the chlorophyll that is manufactured by the presence of sunlight. It also represents the life of the creator on this planet. It also represents being solidly grounded in the Earth, of the here and now. A wonderful living image that expresses this is the Green Man of Pagan traditions. Of importance is the increase in speed as I went higher. For me it represents an escape from the gravity of the earth plane. It also represents the escape from materialism and the ego. In this sense the red 234 "Beyond The Lodge of The Sun: The Inner Mysteries of Native American Way", Chokecherry Gall Eagle, Element Books, Inc. 1997, PO Box 830, Rockport, Ma 01966, Pg. 9 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 236 color also represented blood shed by the ego (Welwood makes such a description in his book) and also blood shed by a mute-lated Soul. This is a paradox on one level but more understandable on a higher. In respect to the anxiety, I have read in Welwood’s book what might be a possible parallel: divine anxiety. How would someone feel in the material world if they were climbing a tree of great height or the sheer face of a mountain for the first time, seemingly leaving the stability of the lower levels of the flat Earth behind? What I have just described in the above dream also indicated for me the need for a strong ego, one that can only be obtained through consciousness, in order to make such a journey. Many people think that meditation simply results in a feeling of peace and bliss. In fact, what that represents is an unconscious regression back into the womb from which one emerges. It is what Wilber refers to as the pre-trans fallacy. It would be a movement downward in a participation mystique sense, similar to what newly emerged babies and very primitive people used to experience. Instead, through hard work and the conscious movement upwards through the sometimes difficult contents of consciousness, escape from the womb eventually should happen. It is only possible by a conscious cutting of the material umbilical cord that keeps us in the lower levels of ego consciousness. At first there can be great anxiety because of what a person encounters as one travels through the contents of the psyche, both individual and collective. In meditation, I would suggest that when people feel bliss and a satisfied peaceful paradise sort of feeling at first, especially if they experience it within a group, they had better radically question what they are really experiencing. I will state that this premature “bliss” would be an illusion presented by the lower astral realms including the shadow. In that sense it would not create liberation but ego inflation and dependence on the group. It would also represent further sinking into a womblike submergence and regression rather than emergence into the higher realms. In the appendix at the end of the book this sort of thing is mentioned in relation to cults and I indirectly mention this sort of thing throughout this book. This is especially true in relation to the experience that was described earlier on the section on cults and group dynamics in chapters 6 and 7. It would be an expression of a return to the maternal womb, the dynamic expression of any addiction, instead of an upward movement toward the “father” in heaven, the masculine energies of consciousness. Real meditation and the uncovering of unconscious dynamics that have to precede any movement into higher realms of consciousness are usually anything but blissful. In order to experience the journey to wholeness we need structure within ourselves. This discipline cannot be imposed from without but has to be developed and practiced by the individual from within. Without discipline and structure we project and look for it outside ourselves. Understanding this reality, for a Christian or anyone, recognizes the personal nature and relationship to be found with the Christ within. Other traditions will use different terms and semantics to describe the same thing. In this sense, understanding the reality of the inner psyche, in a whole sense, can be considered the most important “religious fact of our time.” 235 Christ represents the bringing to light that which has become darkened. Regardless of semantics or the terms used, this reality is true of any spiritual tradition encouraging inward awareness and outward and upward connection. Individual and collective recollection is an example of how Jesus was able to take a few loaves of bread, representing the contents of an individual psyche and Soul and use spiritual food to enlighten, transform and unite individuals with the greater universal world Soul and source of creation. Through transmission of spirit to the gathering of people, he provided enough spiritual light to feed everyone gathered, as described in the Bible’s gospel story. He re-united them with the spiritual source of creation form which energetic sustenance is endless. What Jesus did was break down the segregating affect of the ego, individual and collective. He transformed individual segregated egos and connected them into one: he turned a few loaves of bread into many. He was a master psychologist and spiritual healer, he was an adept. He demonstrated his ability to 235 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 9-10 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 237 provide effective group counseling on a mass scale. He provided a grounded ability for people to begin the journey of consciousness into higher levels of psychic reality. A purely materialistic world view has negated New Testament experience. Today, with a more widespread knowledge of the whole psyche, if people want to look, this negation can be changed and Christianity can again become a living spiritual reality. What I am talking about is archetypal in nature and is common to all humanity, not just people who claim to be Christians. This living reality is why Jesus expresses himself in metaphors and parables as recorded in the Gospels. They are not historical, because the realities they describe are beyond time. They are drawn from the well of time itself. 236 I believe what Jesus did was to demonstrate and try to teach the universal structures and realities common to all human beings initially operating from the lower, collective level of the psyche. However, he also tried to connect people to the higher archetypal realities of the psyche, connected by spirit. When we look at the Christian message in this way, it is very clear that indeed, this method of understanding and living life would provide a wealth of living energy, creativity, and of health. For a long time Native Americans have recognized that taking part in any kind of ritual or ritualistic type of activity has an affect on the individual and the environment. A proper understanding of Albert Einstein in his study of mass, energy, light, time and other dynamics associated with the universe, can only produce a sense of religiousness.237 Einstein and later physicists discovered there is no such thing as a casual observer. As modern physics has demonstrated, the above is true because our minds, both conscious and unconscious, affect what is being observed. However, physics only provides mathematical glimpses on a material level. We have to connect with the higher realms beyond ego; we have to escape the gravity of the Earth. Our minds affect both the lower material plane as well as the heavenly plane of existence. Most people are not aware of it but the two are connected in a profound way. I would suggest that once the speed of light is passed a person approaches this other, heavenly reality. When I refer to the speed of light in this way, I am implying that the idea of speed is only compatible with a materialistic or ego worldview. This is a view that has not escaped the gravity of the lower levels of the psyche. The idea of speed can only be associated with mass, matter, materialism. Getting beyond materialism frees the psyche to move into the higher realms of light. Beyond the speed of light, the light itself has itself escaped from the gravity of the earth and then there is only pure spirit, consciousness. This is also a way to describe the natural tendency within a psyche; a desire to expand and to grow, to reconnect with the source of creation. A human psyche, immersed in the material world, has a natural desire and tendency to want to escape it, to grow and expand. In this way, through humankind, and through nature, the creative source can know itself. As one progresses along the road of Native Fire Teachings, balance is attained if perseverance is maintained. I have also heard it said, this is the nature and purpose of the Native Sun Dance. As one becomes stronger by attaining this balance, one discovers spiritual abilities. Here, the reference is not to lower level “magical” abilities but spiritual abilities for healing. Parallels can also be drawn between the Fire Teachings and the bread of life that Jesus divided amongst the many. Jesus whole life was one long ceremony. This is very similar to the beginning of this book where I say that a person who is able to express true compassion demonstrates this through all aspects of his or her life. In a sense, the mystic practices transcending the petty limitations imposed from people surrounding their “whole” life around their egos. Regardless of the spiritual, seemingly magical abilities mentioned here, the important message is that all people have this spiritual potential, and is truly what Christ taught. Paradoxically, if you do it for the 236 Ditto, Pg. 11 237 Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 11 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 238 special effects and power, chances are you will not attain it. In fact that is why Gall Eagle says that a true mystic practices the art of dying: he is referring to death of the false ego. 238 I will now relate a dream I had that was very much related to the Red Road of the Fire Teachings, especially as it relates to developing a person’s true masculinity. It also points towards the alchemical necessity of overcoming and rising above a person’s lower natures. It refers to the “heat” one can encounter during one’s transition and transformation on the journey through the fires of “purgatory.” From my perspective, purgatory is really another way of referring to liberation from materialism and the gravity of the Earth, the lower levels of the psyche. In this dream I find myself standing inside a room, looking at what appears to be “the horned god”, Satan, of various myths and folk - lore. This creature was standing looking at a very intense looking, muscular and regal male figure dressed in red. He appeared to have great authority and the horned god was looking towards this authority figure with a definite air of subservience. Next, I found myself in the main chapter room of the Fraternity House that I had become a member of when I was in University. In the chapter room were a great number of men. These men were dressed only in loin cloths and were all dancing in unison to a deep drum beat and other mythological and rhythmic sounds. In the room there was a slight glow of gold and a definite and deep presence of heat. The air was shimmering with the affect of the heat, the drum, the rhythm and the deep sounds emanating from deep within the chests and throats of the men. In my dream I felt the heat on my face and body. I actually felt a tingle of energy as it spiraled up and down my spine and embraced me in a sense of power unlike anything I had ever experienced. I now know that in addition to representing the fires of purgatory, this dream also represented the Red Road that leads to true strength and courage. This is a physical, psychological and emotional strength that can only be achieved with great effort, perseverance and courage. As with several other examples of my dreams, it also represented for me the road to true masculinity. I remember reading a book that Ken Wilber wrote entitled “Grace and Grit.” It was a personal biography and in it he described the death of his wife in real life. It was an amazing account of his life, especially his wife’s. He describes how, when his wife died at a relatively early age, through the practice and use of meditation his wife was actually able to physically die and make the transition in full consciousness. This is also the way masters are trained in the eastern traditions so that they can also make the transition (transformation) into the higher realms beyond physical death. If this is accomplished in consciousness it is said that one can escape from the karmic wheel of life. After the “great escape” a Soul then chooses whether or not to return to the material Earth plane, and if they do, it is usually for purposes of educating and teaching humankind. These Souls in their fleshly bodies are known as Avatars, bodhisattvas, and so fourth. The point here is that the transition I am referring to, requires the perseverance and courage to go along the Red Road of purgatory, to deal with the “heat” generated by the fears of the ego, and to make this transition or journey in consciousness, rather than fleeing back into illusion and the womb-like cocoon of unconsciousness. Anyway, the special affects and magic, mentioned above are usually sought after by people practicing what is known as “low magic.” It is usually practiced with the purpose of manipulating people and things on the material plane, sometimes for egoistic purposes. These are the dynamics I have described earlier in this book. However, I should clarify that there are some practitioners of low magic that are white and use their abilities to heal others; how white depends on how conscious of and to what degree they have conquered their false egos. High magic, on the other hand, is usually meant to enlighten an individual’s psyche and Soul, to connect them to 238 Ditto, Pg. 9 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 239 the higher realms. Because of people’s interdependent nature’s, high magic is also meant to enlighten the greater human collective environment. It is also interesting to note that there are some various Western mystical traditions I have been involved with that represents the Christ center not as yellow but red, as in the above Native American description of the Red Road. It is similar to my dream description in relation to that context. Perhaps a parallel can be drawn between the red road and Christ’s fight with Satan. After all, most of Satan’s enticements and temptatations of Christ involved temptations of the ego. That dream I had simply represents potential within my psyche. I would never make the assumption that I have attained the potential. I am simply not concerned enough with the thought to even consider the idea. Being free of the false ego represents the liberation from material things and the need to manipulate on the Earth plane. It represents the genuine desire and search for the higher realms. It represents a passing of the speed of light. In referring to ego, remember, you will receive back, people, what you send out, usually threefold. It points out how the contradictions and hypocrisy, and most especially, bigotry and all other forms of oppression truly are sins against the Creator, because they are off the mark. In these instances, the Creator’s name is being dishonored. Creator and creation represent life, not bigotry, greed, hate and murder. It shows the way how all people, once they start to become more conscious, how they may assist the rest of humanity to heal. Our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers, with an emphasis on our children, we all will be healed. This is how we begin to heal human beings on the Earth. It is also important to recognize the truth that what in fact is being described is beyond gender. Although Christ exhibited higher powers, of prophecy and the ability to read other people and knew what they thought, it is also a perfect example of using the full powers of the psyche. He was an adept at non-verbal communication, intuition and other psychic or spiritual abilities. However, he was after all a human being. He demonstrated that anyone born on this Earth, of woman, can grow holy. 239 Jesus wasn’t born that way; he had to grow through the various stages of development like anyone else. Dreams and parables both draw from the images of the storehouse of the human Soul, similar to what Jung referred to as the “multiple luminosities.” In this sense, if looked upon symbolically and non-conceptually they can actually awaken consciousness. I am referring to archetypal images that have an activating affect on the deep inner psyche when exposed to them, whether we are conscious of it or not. 240 As I said, this is how some alchemical and other wisdom traditions and schools operate, including Kundalini Yoga. This also how the images on the 22 major arcane cards in a tarot deck operate on the psychic level. In this sense, to reinforce the above, Christ’s message, and the way he expresses it, when taken and used in the proper context is just alive and timeless today as it was 2000 years ago. This is true of the symbols of all living spiritual traditions. This commonsense interpretation of Christ is in direct contradiction with what is happening today throughout the world, and what is being taught, exactly as was happening in his time, and not just with Christianity. Fortunately, as I also mentioned this trend is beginning to change in a few areas within society and the healing community. I should note that intense practice of Hatha Yoga requires discipline because of the lower level bodily energies it can awaken. Kundalini Yoga, the yogic path that combines 8 different branches, including love, right action, and other forms of spiritual integrity should be followed to safeguard people. Many people have this knowledge reversed. They think that practicing Kundalini Yoga poses the danger, but it is only when intense Hatha Yoga is practiced without the spiritual and ethical safeguards of the eight branched paths of Kundalini Yoga that this is true. I have practiced modified techniques related to this practice that balance the divine Heavenly 239 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 9 240 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 12 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 240 energies with the lower Earth energies by focusing on the heart center, expanding upward and downward and outward to equal degrees. Kundalini Yoga is perhaps one of the least safe to practice, in respect of the lower energies that can be released because it is a very powerful practice when performed and practiced with intense perseverance. Kundalini Yoga as practiced in the West does not focus enough on the heavenly energies or the heart center. On the other hand, in the Western world this applies to most energetic disciplines in the way they are practiced, with some major exceptions. While on the topic of dreams I will describe one of the most profound dreams I have ever had. In this dream I find myself in the entrance to a coliseum or sports arena. I am accompanied by a beautiful young woman about the same age as myself. As we are ascending the stairs up into the arena suddenly the woman disappeared. Instead there is a dark attractive young man also about my own age. I look at him and ask him, “Rob?” He simply nods his head in agreement with the name, maintaining an intense look about him. Suddenly I find myself standing in the middle of the arena. I am standing there observing a group of men struggling to hold down the woman who had been with me entering the arena. Finally, with a lot of effort they are able to hold her still. In no way do they harm or otherwise control her. They are content simply to hold her. When they finally have her held down suddenly her eyes become wide with outrage (?) and a pencil appears at her throat, materialized out of thin air. The pencil penetrates her larynx, her Adams apple and disappears. Suddenly, a fountain of blood issues forth in great amounts. The blood heads in my direction. I run, jump over the boards of the arena and hide from the blood in fear. For some reason I overcome my fear, stand up and walk right into the blood until I am absolutely consumed. As I am consumed and completely covered in this blood, I allow it to happen. Suddenly the blood turns to brilliant multicolored lights and in amazement I find myself wide awake in real life, in bed. It was the most amazing dream I ever had. In interpreting this dream I am aware that there are a lot of seemingly paradoxical dynamics at play. Entering the arena with the woman represents my anima, my inner woman and my soul. The arena represents the earth plane and what it has become today taking into consideration many of the dynamics I have described throughout this book. The arena represents the superficial, egoistic materialism that permeates most of the Earth and its people. This has become part of the repressed soul that became the shadow and what we call the Devil: the sick aspects of the contaminated world and what had also permeated my life. When the woman disappeared that represented the moving away from conscious awareness of my soul that I described in the earlier dream where she went into hiding. This was the seeming disconnection from the deeper aspects of the psyche that I experienced during the course of my life when living only from my ego and later when I attempted to fight against this destruction and emerge beyond a strictly ego orientation. When the dark man, Rob, appeared that represented what some traditions refer to as “The Green Man,” the deep masculine, living Earth and Heavenly parts of the psyche. It was the real masculine part of me that had been repressed and mute-ilated by living within “the machine.” Since contaminated by the shadow it can also be looked upon as the inner adversary or Satan, as Sanford refers to it. This is a part of every individual’s psyche and of course expressed on the collective. On a conscious level of awareness in my real life that part of me was totally unconscious. The deeper part of my soul that was indestructible, both the masculine and feminine parts, had become contaminated and in one sense might have represented a part of me that had become contaminated by the shadow but was still alive in me at a deeper level. In once sense he acted as an inner guide because it was not comprised of complete “evil.” Nothing is absolutely and totally comprised of one or the other, either good or bad. It also represented that part of me that lead (pun intended) me into one situation after another that challenged my false ego. In that sense it was a part of my primordial psyche, an instinctual and The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 241 survival part of me that could not be killed although it was infected by the collective; no different than anyone else. This was the “inner adversary”: Welwood, Wilber and other profound spiritual psychological philosophers of the mind describe; the necessity of frustrating the ego in order for an individual to transcend it. In this sense it also represented the work of overcoming the various complexes associated with existence on the lower levels. The main one to overcome is the mother complex as Psychoanalysis refers to it. The “Iliad” is a story that that mythically describes the journey in overcoming this complex; the cutting of the umbilical cord. To the average ego this all appears paradoxical. At the higher realms it is not (double meaning: Celtic Knot = it had to be unraveled, especially the naught as in evil or wicked). Because the Green Man had become repressed and confined along with other aspects of my Soul, he had taken on a dual nature. When I find myself in the arena and look at my soul being restrained by men, this represented the masculine shadow aspects of my psyche and of the world or collective psyche. These forces are primarily controlled by the negative aspects of the vampire like feminine energies on the collective. This absolutely has nothing to do with gender: it is purely psychological and metaphysical. Now here is where the paradox comes in. The men also represent the masculine parts of my self that psychologically, are striving to subdue the wild horses of the lower levels of the primordial psyche. As just mentioned it also represented the necessary challenges and frustrations the false ego has to undergo if they wish to become liberated from it. The aspect of my psyche that was doing the witnessing was in fact my ego, my real ego. Both the false ego and the emotional wild horses of the primordial psyche prevent expression and full realization on the world plane but they also represent the required masculine aspects of my psyche needed to go through the “sea voyage” or oceanic abyss. The wild horses represent a part of the abyss itself. On the one hand the wide eyed expression of outrage on the woman is justified because of the mute-lation that had taken place to her Soul level on a material level. On another level, this represents the awakening of the Soul to consciousness: eyes wide open with awareness of the psychotic and vampire like shell she has become to some degree. It is difficult in this instance to separate my individual Soul from the world Soul. Actually, can the two be separated given what I have described throughout this book? After she is subdued, the pencil that appeared at her Adams apple represented the early stages of what is known in some traditions as “the dark night of the Soul.” In alchemy this is the initial stage of psychic growth characterized by materialism of Earth and the material substance lead: ego. Her Adams apple represented expression and communication of the deepest recesses of the psyche. It represents both what has been unnaturally repressed and also the natural but primordial lower level aspects of the psyche. This repression began when human beings started to wear fig leaves, so to speak. That is why, initially, my false ego tried to make me run and Hyde from the revelations that the dark sea journey can reveal. When I stood up and decided to walk into the fountain of blood that was my inner guide, I will call it intuition, impelling me to face the blood, the darkness. It was also a combination of what Sanford refers to as the inner adversary, and I would add an inner guide. The challenges and frustrations resulted in the fountain of blood. The whole psyche was in operation. Hyde - this was a Freudian slip in my typing however, it makes a good pun: because it is a shadow infected aspect of the ego and psyche. I have also read accounts that say one of the predominant features of evil, or Satan is fear. This makes perfect sense because all aspects of fear are expressions of the false ego that result in any kind of separation, bigotry and so fourth. I have also heard where the inner adversary is described in the profound story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I would add: the substance that Dr. Jekyll drank to become Hyde was a material substance = materialism = the shadow aspects of the psyche. Thank God I was conscious enough not to become Hyde. I guess I was comparatively fortunate. In a very real sense the spiral dance up the tree, the struggle and blood in the arena and so fourth can be equated with the type of struggle described in the Bible as Jacobs struggle with St Michael on the ladder. It is always a struggle to escape the gravity of the Earth, its illusions and entrapments that try and prevent individuals from their upward journey. The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 242 The blood is what John Welwood describes as blood shed by the ego but can also, paradoxically be described as life blood of the mutilated Soul, that which the ego, both individual and collective, has repressed. When I have become totally consumed by it, consumed by the fires of purgatory, when I have traveled what the Native tradition refers to as “the Red Road,” then light appears in its multihued and brilliant manifestations that I became conscious of when the light at the end of the tunnel is reached. This is when the abyss has been crossed, when the fires of purgatory have ended. Ultimately, when the Devil has been defeated; defeated and brought to light, not actually murdered. The goal is to bring to light, cleanse and heal that which has been repressed and poisoned. As I have said before, there are aspects of Satan/Kali and the shadow that can not be recycled and healed. They have to be done away with. However, this is not a question of murder. One way of looking at ego, domination and the separation that exists between people and their life source, from a Native spiritual traditional perspective is the electric light bulb. It does not provide warmth like the light of consciousness does. It can symbolize humankind against nature because it is not natural. Obviously electric light bulbs are not bad per se, only the attitudes they put forth. 241 This is only to describe a metaphor in order to draw on imagery to explain on a deeper level. A whole person develops the ability to function within the world regardless of what roles or functions they have to perform. Introverts find it difficult to operate in public functions while extraverts find it very difficult to go within and be with them selves. Balanced people can function in both worlds. In speaking of these dynamics I am primarily concerned about how extraverts, people who operate strictly from their egos actually become very handicapped when life does not unfold as their artificial personas would like. The above is demonstrated with when many real life actors experience confusion and breakdown when their false stage personas are taken to actually represent, to themselves, who they are. When they can no longer be maintained, they can enter into crisis. As I also described earlier, the dictionary term for repression is acting. The latter part of this is made in reference to the inner realms and provides glimpses of my understanding of the Holy Grail. This would be a conscious, that is, mature ego level, connection and realization of the unconscious collective and higher realms of the human psyche on a Soul level and in communication with other Souls. I also know that once people arrive at this area of development the light can never be turned off ever again. Similarly, once health care providers, psychologists, in fact once people in general begin to catch a glimpse of these realities I believe that light, once ignited to a certain degree, will never go out. People who are visual, statistical, and sensational are interested in facts. People who have a well developed intuition are interested in the history of a given situation. Thinking types will attempt to rationalize and focus on a positive end result. Feeling types will try to evaluate or look at the quality of a situation. Only a centered approach using all four quadrants will be able to use all four functions. 242 This is the centered position I like to refer to as the fifth position or element that emerges out of the four balanced positions. As mentioned above, the solid platform from which one can emerge is the quaternity that Carl Jung spoke about and in extension the graph that Wilber developed in his presentation of the full scope of human psychic capacity; the solid stability of the number four and beyond. It involves all aspects of a person’s life. It unites all aspects of a person’s psyche, the environment, and logically and necessarily all people and all life, extending vertically into heaven. Within Native and of course other traditions, a centered position generates “light,” as in a sun center. People who operate from a centered position do not harm themselves or others. Morals 241 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 12 242 Ditto, Pg. 18 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 243 and ethics are a natural outcome of a centered position. The only way to be able to commit wrong acts is to operate from an unbalanced position; to be removed from the light within. In this sense, as throughout, the main word that I equate light with is spirit and consciousness. Native’s refer is this as “Great Spirit,” that is found in all things, if one looks. 243 This is also reminiscent of the message Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was trying to get across in his fight and crusade for human civil liberties. It is also a recipe for spiritual liberation and a true healing of the psyche. In speaking about light, some Native wise people are able to equate the Judeo-Christian Biblical recognition that it was not until the Creator said, “Let there be Light” that the rest of creation followed. In both the Native traditions and other progressive traditions of life, light was to be equated with consciousness. All of the physical aspects of creation followed the conscious intent to create. Since we are made in the Creator’s image, according to virtually every living spiritual tradition that has ever existed, what this represents is the enormous creative potential within each and every psyche if we simply open our eyes to this reality. 244 In a practical sense, this can be illustrated by a person’s decision to create something. They may decide to write a book, make a cake, to build something out of wood and so fourth. Usually, they go through various stages of preparations that gradually manifest the creation on the material level. A carpenter thinks of a project, draws blueprints, gathers the materials, manipulates the materials and puts them together. The result is the finished product. In some of the mystery traditions, the Judeo-Christian Cabala, for example, creation goes through various stages of manifestation, taking on the materially substantial levels of reality at each successive level. Considering the wisdom saying, “as above so below,” these two parallels can show a glimpse of how the mind works and therefore creation also. As I mentioned very early in this book, creation occurred so that the creator could see itself through the mirror of creation. In this sense humankind indeed is made in God’s image. Humankind is simply the highest manifest level of this desire of the source of Creation to see itself. It certainly does not make us God’s. The key during ego development or even during recollection of the entire or whole psyche is to recognize what portion or quadrant an individual tends to develop in. Since the (false) ego takes the path of least resistance, by understanding what quadrant the ego tends to overly rely on will provide a sense of where a person has to focus on regaining balance of the whole psyche. 245 In other words, if a person is an extravert and tends to rely on outer image the obvious place to start to regain a balance is to become more acquainted with their interior psyche. In this case, this is especially true because this is where people begin to identify with their personas, and hypocritical ways of acting become second nature. As more and more people begin to see the light of these types of living messages these segregated personas will naturally of themselves become transparent. Once this happens on a large enough scale and with a great enough multitude of individuals I cannot imagine that the fires of evolution will ever again be able to be squelched. Many psychologists, spiritual masters and other masters and adepts in the wisdom traditions recognize that what the ego has repressed and replaced with personas will issue forth in some way from the unconscious. This is usually in such a way that will induce or propel the individual into taking a closer look at the nature of who they are. 246 The main cause of this psychological state of mind is primarily caused by people’s repression, either by conditioning/indoctrination medication, intimidation or other types of forces of coercion, however subtle. Perspectives become externalized. Everything becomes an object of the ego and separated. Fear, and that nasty by-product of fear, anger, starts to rule, cult-like, turning humanity into a state of anarchy and gang warfare, consciously and unconsciously. Individuals tend to act out or otherwise create some form of crisis or problems that can open peoples eyes to what has been ignored. Modern medicine views symptoms as being the problem, and miss the underlying cause. 243 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 13 244 Ditto 245 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 19 246 Ditto The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 244 I know from personal experience how difficult it can be to accept and embrace this inferior side because it can be so harshly cruel at times. As hard as it was sometimes, the struggle to become whole, once a glimpse of reality was seen, it was impossible to reverse when I saw the truth. I will qualify that by saying what also became apparent was the importance, nay the necessity to distinguish between “idiot compassion” and true compassion. To dwell in darkness or sin, is to be out of touch with the harmoniously flowing whole, to be out of touch with the spirit. 247 In most instances, when I refer to spirit I am referring primarily to light, to consciousness. In referring to idiot compassion, I am speaking about a person masochistically people pleasing, that can result from a shame-based personality. We can only get in touch with and have a personal relationship with what most people refer to as “God” by becoming whole once again, by recollecting ourselves. As I pointed out earlier, the original meaning of the term sin, with the first Christians, meant to miss the mark. Obviously, it’s pretty difficult to see in the darkness. Naturally, you will miss the mark; you need a light so you can see what you are selecting. Throughout history, and modern times it has been demonstrated that those persons who have achieved a state of wholeness, who have individuated, will be able to “generate light,” naturally. That is the purpose of life and living in harmony and will naturally produce self replicating cycles of harmony. This is also the definition of a person who has developed true compassion. By developing compassion for him or herself by accepting their whole self, they will naturally extend that compassion to include others. We know this can be done. After we have given our heads a good shake and loosen things up, we can search for, and find that. Once the illuminating center of consciousness has been attained, what many traditions refer to as the sun center or rising sun, spiritual illumination, will naturally be present. 248 Jesus, along with many other individuated persons from other spiritual traditions, exhibited and expressed a whole personality. On the surface level, people only developed in the feminine areas will be weak rather than receptive, oversensitive and emotionally dependent, on the surface. Overly developed masculinity will be aggressive and rigid, on the surface. 249 A person who is overly feminine on the surface will be an emotional sponge and manipulator on the unconscious level. They can be downright malicious. We see this within people regardless of gender. People who are overdeveloped in the masculine side on the surface will be emotionally weak on the unconscious levels. They can be emotionally manipulated easily even though they think otherwise consciously. In addition these character types of people become very dependent and this is because of their emotional immaturity. They can also be manipulators and perpetrators on the physical level because of their weak development in the emotional areas. Overly developed feminine people express and become perpetrators on the unconscious and therefore primarily covert levels of awareness. Overly developed masculinity will express it self as physical aggressiveness. In a sense, obviously, the less obvious perpetrators are more dangerous because they are not as easily seen committing their crimes. These are just two examples describing the dual understandings that many wisdom traditions have in respect of psychic imbalances. These types of realities of the psyches can naturally be understood by recognition of our dual natures. The conscious level or ego almost always expresses its opposite on the other level of the psyche. Thank God for the various wisdom traditions, both East and West, and also psychological healing traditions of liberation recognizing these realities and the dual nature of people. We are fortunate both the Eastern world and Western has turned this understanding into a science of wisdom that has evolved over thousands of years. 247 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 14 248 Ditto, Pg. 25 249 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 21 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 245 Native traditions have recognized the “Journey to the Lodge of the Sun” for a long time. They also recognize it does not make us as gods but do give as our ability to create and also produce illumination beyond ourselves. In fact, in their seeds for development from where they came, all spiritual traditions realized this at one point in their early history. 250 Most important is the understanding that what this centered position can enable us to accomplish is a realization of our higher natures, if one so wishes. My purpose, although I have necessarily spoken at great lengths about those higher realities, is simply to illustrate our interdependent natures for the purpose of healing the world’s hypocrisy and sources of bigotry. We can transform any dysfunctional aspects of our natures into a more balanced area of operation. Bigotry and intolerance is not overcome by ignoring it. Mr. King and Mahatma Gandhi knew what they were talking about; two wrongs do not make a right. This why they are true authentic, living, spiritual realities today as is the Christ, and any other living historical examples of wholeness. It is a sad commentary, however, that virtually every liberator of oppression and servitude throughout all of history has either been murdered, put in jail, or whose achievements have been subsequently historically reversed or perverted thus making a mockery of the sacrifices for humanity that they made. As I said above, with some individuals there is within them an urge, an inner guide or intuition that pushes them forward. As soon as a glimpse of the higher realities beyond the illusion of the world of “Maya,” is seen, the light cannot be extinguished. As I described in my dream of my spiral climb up the tree of life, as a person rises higher up the tree and the deep red becomes lighter and the speed increases proportionately, there is a natural, an earthly, heavenly and especially a spiritual nature that prevents the urge from being be reversed. A whole person, with a strong ego in service of the whole psyche, will necessarily and naturally escape the historical conditioning of the herd mentality. This is the very definition of individuation in a psychological and spiritual sense. 251 So, how do we counter the increase of unconsciousness within society and the world? How do we counter the huge structures in place that create and maintain the nihilistic merry-go-round that leads to nowhere? Obviously, it has to be communication; especially with our own inner psyches. In this context I remember when I was a young teenager I actually had a dream where I was sitting on a horse on a merry-round. The merry-go-round was also bathed in dazzling lights. I realize today that dream had three important messages for me. The horses represented the wild horses of the undisciplined emotional and primordial psyche and the merry-go-round represented the treadmill and circles we go in until we learn how to get off it. The dazzling lights represented the illusional world that can dazzle and blind people to the reality of life and the psyche, the illusional world of glamour and image. This reality is also represented by the Eastern wheel of karmic life. Once a soul learns the lessons of ego and the illusions it creates then an individual is able to get off the karmic merry-go-round. There is one truth that permeates all levels of existence that each level displays in images appropriate to that level. Each level expresses a different aspect of truth on that particular level, but the same truth or reality permeates all levels regardless of how it is expressed. Native traditions, as do many of the wisdom traditions, philosophical and true psychological traditions, recognize this truth. 252 These are important spiritual and psychological understandings and provides us with blueprints or maps that can serve to help us navigate where we are going. People who would presume to know the psyche well enough to believe they can heal other people may begin to realize this truth. 250 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 28 251 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 23 252 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 35 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 246 The journey through darkness in seeking spiritual illumination, in the Native traditions is known as the “black road.” Many spiritual traditions refer to this journey as the dark night of the Soul. I find it interesting that most of our conscious decision making processes take place unconsciously, because Native wisdom teaching says the mystic or spiritual healer does not choose the path but rather that the path chooses the mystic or healer. 253 In addition to speaking about the natural urge to make the search for the higher realms, this, again, demonstrates the need for would-be healers, especially of the psyche, to first heal them selves. This is the journey of traveling through the darkness of the psyche in order to enlighten it. Similar to what ends up bringing people into therapy, it does not appear to be a voluntary decision. Healers of the psyche should become aware of this. In the above context I will now relate a dream that I had between the ages of 10 and 12 years, before I had the merry-go-round dream. At the time I had this dream I had a job delivering newspapers. It was also during this time period that I was experiencing a prolonged experience of being sexually abused by a male customer on my paper route, old enough to be my father or even grandfather at that time. Later on I experienced two other incidents of sexual exploitation. One time when I was 14 years of age with a woman old enough to be my mother, and another time when I was 16 years of age, with a woman that was 32 years of age. I feel this is important say these things in relation to the context of this dream. In this dream I am standing by the box that the bundles of papers are placed in for the paper boys or girls to pick up. It is night time and there is no one else around except for a young woman who seemed to be a few years older than me, my Soul, inner woman, or anima. She expressed an aura of powerful self assurance and determination. I know that she was being raped and sexually abused just like I had been in the mundane world. For a while I accompanied her around as she was making her deliveries. I was curious why she was delivering at night and with an expression that showed she didn’t like doing what she was doing. She simply said “This is the only time I can do it…someone has to.” Then, I just stood there and watched as she left on her way to finish with her deliveries. Today, this last part of the dream shows me how in many respects I consciously retreated from what had been happening, and for the next several years had happened to me. On another level, she was the only one capable of doing this, not my small little ego. Even to this day I find it difficult to interpret this dream however I do know that part of it had to do with the above description of what Native’s call “The Black Road.” There were aspects of my psyche that I had to bring to a conscious level, various personas and actors that we use that tend to shut out our real selves. I believe it had to do with the obvious psychic retreat I had made during these painful years. I was acting out in various self harmful ways such as acting extremely macho and doing daredevil antics, drinking and doing substance abuse, scraping with some other boys my own age, but usually boys who were older and much larger. It was also primarily with individuals who were bullies and in a very many cases they were, and not just to me. Importantly, they were not always bullies simply in a physical sense but also in a psychological sense of ridiculing other people or simply “pushing their weight around.” I also had a few minor brushes with the law. In addition to trying to tell me to wake up, I also believe the dream was a message of the black road that had been laid out ahead of me. It was also an indication that we are all connected and in communication on some levels of our souls. That is why she was delivering newspapers. For some reason, in that sense I believe the woman was an expression of the mutelated world soul that was delivering some messages to people, the world, to wake up. Therefore, from my perspective, there were personal elements involved in this dream but I also believe the dream had archetypal elements in it that virtually everyone alive today have access to; judge for your self. This is only my opinion; your opinion is just as important, especially in relation to yourself. 253 Ditto The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 247 I always enjoyed being alone and it is not an exaggeration to say that even with a lot of other people I usually felt very much alone. Given the nature of what I had experienced as a child I suppose psychologically this can be readily explained. However, I believe this feeling is no different than the alienation and separation from selves that other people feel. Today, I also recognize that this dream was telling me to become aware of my feeling of spiritual alienation and to bridge that separation. Can spiritual and psychological alienation be separated from each other? No, they cannot. These are the main significances of this dream that I find important in relation to myself. This leads up to the next dream I will relate, that I had many years after the above one, when I was in my twenties. In this dream I am standing outside of a house on the back deck looking in. There is a big party going on inside and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The drapes are wide open and the only thing separating me from the people inside is the sliding glass doors. Everyone is dressed in a multitude of bright and various colors. Then I notice a woman looking out of the glass doors at me. She is looking at me in a very friendly way and almost seems to be inviting me inside. For some reason the young woman, who is about the same age as me, seems to be someone I should know. I think, given the above, I don’t really have to say anything in explanation except to say this was an expression of my anima, my inner woman; my soul. She was trying to tell me that I was blocking out the vast portion of my true self, my whole self, my deeper psyche and she was inviting me in. In a very real sense, our inner kingdom is not only what many off us consciously search for, it is also something that is searching for us. In Christian terms, this is the nature of the kingdom of God and why, if we connect with that inner kingdom we find a treasure that God values as much as those people who find it do. It is also why many people who have chosen spiritual paths say that God chose them and not the other way around. 254 This is the path choosing us, whether we consciously realize it or not. This is the road and nature of individuating into wholeness. The following is a dream I had on February 12, 2006. I began writing this book in 1991. I was born in 1958 and the dreams I have recorded during this commentary have spanned my whole life. In light of the above comment of the Kingdom, our inner reality, I find this dream very interesting and will place it here. I will not try to interpret it to any great length because it is self explanatory. I also think it is one of the most optimistic and significant dreams I have had for a long time, perhaps the most ever. I had a short dream last night. I was looking at a King dressed in royal finery. He had a beard and rather rough looking appearance. He looked like he just been on a journey through hell, literally. From the direction of the right moving to the left, someone passed him a chalice full slop to eat. He disgustingly threw it aside. As he did this, I knew that he had just spent the vast portion of his life eating and barely staying alive on this slop. At the same time I knew that as he threw it aside his intention was also that his subjects should not have to eat such slop any longer either. I will only say that in this dream, the king is my masculine, spiritual consciousness. My “subjects” are simply those inner parts of my whole psyche that comprise a whole individual, especially my Soul. I refuse to eat that slop on a conscious level any longer, and in that sense I have developed enough respect for my deeper self, not only as it relates to my individual self but as well to my greater connection with other people, that I will do what I am able to stop them from having to eat such slop any longer either. 254 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 27 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 248 The early church, the members, recognized the vast importance of our inner realities and the importance our Souls, both anima and animus play in illuminating spiritual and psychological reality. The Kingdom of God is not some sort of outer reality but a living inner reality that, once found, becomes a treasure that we can use to extend ourselves out into the world and to take the world into ourselves. 255 This is sometimes something enmeshment with the heard, family, codependent relationships; any form of Oedipal addiction or dependence will not allow to happen. A separation from self can prevent or frustrate this. So do, for that matter, the powers that be. The powers that be can be interpreted as the expression, the powers that bee, as in bumble bee. This has a considerable esoteric symbolism attached to it and therefore a deep psychological message. It has more than one level of meaning. The bee has carried significant religious and mystical weight for a long time, as expressed through ancient right up to contemporary artistic expression. From the perspective of awakening consciousness, the light within, some of the glimpses of reality that individuals have can “sting” like a bee because of their shock to the ego. However, the bee also carries pollen from one flower to another helping with the ability for flowers to bloom into beautiful expressions of life. In considering the mystical side of life that I have been describing, consider that Jesus described the Kingdom as a mystery and this was something that is initiated knowledge. It cannot be obtained through the intellect alone. It has to be gained through the personal subjective experience. Dreams and parables are ways of using metaphor to describe inner spiritual or psychological realities. 256 American Native traditions know of the spiritual importance of the Dream Quest and Australian Aborigines are highly evolved in their abilities of living consciously within the Dream Time. There are many traditions that still retain many of the original forms of these initiations; just as many of them have turned them into meaningless shells of what their true purposes used to be. However, in recent years there has been a resurgence in conscious understanding of the power of ritual and thus, I believe, there is also a remerging of the spirit guiding us back toward true purpose and ability to experience these initiations in the full power they are meant to convey. This awareness Jesus taught, has and is known by various names, symbols, and so on, varying from culture to culture. As the Perennial Philosophy teaches, all the world’s different spiritual traditions stem from the same ground source; this is also referred to as the “ Sophia Perrenis”. As every attained or enlightened person has known, famous or not, this inner awakening can have a shattering effect on the ego, and has to be gradually integrated, woven, into a conscious, and consciously balanced psyche. All the traditions I have studied or looked at, in some way, will associate the final integration of this awareness and living power with the sun. But we need the moon, representing the feminine, receptive, but ultimately reflective part of ourselves. This is not the illuminated; in most cases it is the opposite of the way which we perceive ourselves to be. However, by accepting and nurturing this, ultimately, feminine side to ourselves, means to yield and let be illuminated, the inner world by the sunlight. The Creator made us in the same image as itself so that the source of life could know itself: We are reflections of that source not the source itself. As the fires of spiritual awareness and psychological wholeness becomes a gradually fulfilled reality; as the glimpses and frequent visits to the areas of spiritual and psychological illumination becomes second nature, the body mind and spirit becomes transformed onto a living expression of spiritual and divine reality. 257 As our lives begin to be a living expression of spiritual reality, I believe we become closer to the purpose the creator had for creation in the first place: for the creator to see and know itself through our eyes. That makes us divine vessels, not divinity itself. 255 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 28 256 Ditto, Pg. 29 257 “The Lodge Beyond The Sun” The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 249 I believe this is a very powerful description of the reality of uncontaminated synchronicity, an example of the reflective power of the life that we create for ourselves, our reality, a reflection for the creator to see in a similar fashion. It is reflective, but it usually Earthbound. It can be a source of guiding light, however, by providing us with a point to use as a compass to gain our true directional bearings. Importantly, although not God, the Earth and humanity is made in the Creator’s image. As above so below; as below so above. This integration, awareness of the lack of it, is exactly how our mental health practitioners, clergy, in fact every type of teacher can actually help reverse the unhealthy current trend and instead promote acceptance and understanding; they can truly become saviors of society. People can begin to understand this is the way for people the world over to begin to overcome tribalism, separation, alienation and ultimately warfare and bloodshed. Indeed it would ultimately lead to the end of what the Bible refers to as “pestilence”, both of the material and seemingly immaterial worlds. I believe Mr. King, Gandhi, the Dali Lama, in fact all promoters of peace and unity, and this includes all healthy, living spiritual traditions, knew and know this in some way. As illumination of our inner natures increases, something that began as a small glow of light turns into a mighty brilliance of mighty power, very similar to the growth of a tree. 258 This is why the image of a tree, as taught in the Tree of Life wisdom traditions has had a huge influence on me. The dream I described early in this chapter is an example of the powerful affect this powerful living image and tradition has had on me. Some Christians recognize that Jesus, in their Western perspectives, provided a historical example of how a person could achieve a personal relationship with this divinity that is found within each and every human being alive. 259 As I said, virtually all healthy and living spiritual traditions know this truth. I consider myself fortunate to have been raised in a progressive and thus spiritually evolving spiritual tradition. Progressive spiritual leaders recognize the psychological, spiritual and metaphysical truth that the “Kingdom of God” is within us, outside us, and all around us and within other people. Perfect = wholeness = brought to completion = individuation, and the ability to obtain clear light/vision. Some people refer to it as the Universal Christ within all people. Psychologists refer to it as the archetypal reality and structure of the universal human psyche. 260 People can become tolerant enough, and curious enough to look at other traditions, thereby looking and seeing similar messages that emerge from the these traditions and different perspectives. This novel and comparison capability could spark the mind and spirit into action. We do not have to be constantly “converting” to the different traditions that offer these alternative yet similar perspectives, from one environment to another that offers a feeling of familiarity. Instead, by studying the comparison of spiritual traditions, what I find happens is that one can become very accepting and appreciative of the other traditions. Yet the ultimate outcome can be a better understanding, appreciation and strengthening of the tradition an individual is born into because of the familiarity of knowledge. I base this on what I have experienced and learned and from many other people I have read and heard about. All that is really important is that people become tolerant enough of themselves to simply question, question and question; question = quest. The solid gut rock, the solid foundation of the Earth, is composed of stone. Different spiritual traditions, not just Christian, recognize the solid foundation that Christ provided, along with other enlightened people from other traditions, being compared with the cornerstone of the church. In this case, the solid foundation being referred to is consciousness and our spiritual perceptions using consciousness. It is consciousness that provides the ability to define who we are and how 258 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 30 259 Ditto, Pg. 32 260 Ditto, Pg. 33-34 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 250 we define the world. 261 The beauty is the inclusive awareness that can result; the natural beauty of the whole. The greater that consciousness, the more subtle will be our understanding of our place within existence, beyond the ego. As said above, recognizing the Kingdom as existing everywhere will provide us with the ability to unite everything into a higher order of integration. Different personal realities within wholeness can and usually do take on an empathic character and perspective if truly sought for; its Nature’s Way. However it is only possible through the development of awareness of the reality of the psyche. The true individuality of the psyche seems to be a paradox by it being contained in and of the collective in one indivisible whole yet also contained in its entirety within each individual. This recognizes that the personalities a person takes on are purely practical and functional; they do not define who that individual really is. As I was growing up I had glimpses, but it was when I actively starting searching and looking into my own psyche a recurring thought and in fact feeling was that I could imagine being separate yet connected and aware with the whole collective. This, while at the same time retaining my own individuality. I remember I had mentioned this to different people over the years who shared with me some of the similar interests. In being able to imagine being part of the whole collective while retaining my own individuality I recognized the importance of asking and never accepting anything “without a grain of salt.” It wasn’t until many years later that I became aware that if this reality of awareness came to pass that it would require a great deal of effort and I would have to overcome a lot of challenges for this reality to come to fruition. The hardest challenge was to overcome a false ego in service of itself, while repairing and strengthening a true and strong ego in service of the whole psyche, including all people that were reflected through my psyche. This produces an individual flowingly connected to all of life, to be found emanating from the environment around and within us. This type of awareness produces a knowing that feels the affiliation and relationship with life, especially other people. It is a feeling that can be described as light. It can be referred to as light because it refers to the light of consciousness. As mentioned earlier, morals and ethics naturally follow once a certain amount of self – knowledge is attained. Externally imposed rules, moralities and ways of living cannot take root within the individual when forced from outside our selves. These things can only be obtained through self confrontation. As the repressed and forgotten aspects of our selves are brought to light, it becomes apparent that existence in the repressed state is why the rules and law were made in the first place.262 This inner confrontation does not just include a confrontation with an individual’s own personal psyche. Because of the nature of the collective psyche being also contained within every individual, the inner confrontation also includes integrating into the whole psyche the collective as well, inner and outer. Obviously, in the outer realms, until a critical level of awareness is reached, the laws are still required. This does not have to be a permanent feature of societies. Given the nature of the dynamics I described leading up to this chapter I would hope that people can appreciate the immensity of what I am suggesting. If so, then the statement that the law is required for the person(s) within us makes perfect sense. Paradoxical on the lower levels but understandable on the higher levels. Through self = knowledge, when a person begins to know these inner aspects of themselves, the very nature of the spiritual urge that impelled a person to search will also, naturally, result in the internal discipline created by the same energies that induced the self – searching in the first place. This is true spirituality in a living sense. Instead, today’s world has been forced into a reverse mode of evolution when looking at it this way. Note the criminality; actual crimes against humankind and especially against the Creator, of having this heritage denied us in today’s world. Society and Its dominant structures create lowered levels of consciousness within people generally. Then, it gradually and sadistically punishes the wounded people that have been harmed in this way. This results in the devastation 261 “The Lodge Beyond The Sun”, Pg. 54 262 262 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 70 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 251 of Souls. These are our psychic centers; the harm done to them results in causing them to act out in harmful ways, whether to themselves or to others. This is a good example of blaming the victim, but so much more, especially the double meaning I gave earlier: mores, nightmares, Morgan, Mordred, Satan and Kali. This is for whom the law is required. The huge factor in all of this realization is that absolutely no individual, group or even nation or religion can be blamed for virtually any of this. This is 100% true in all cases with the possible exception of Hollywood Satanists who operate on a conscious level. These are the challenges facing humankind. Even countries, institutions and groups that we identify as perpetrators on the mundane plane, are ultimately victims themselves. Considering that most individuals only emerge into the higher levels of maturity after overcoming some sort of challenge or crisis, it only makes sense the same applies to humankind also. As above so below, as below so above. What is offered by a realistic look at spiritual messages and a new way of looking at the psyche is a possibility that the harm I have described can and will be reversed. People will learn to grow into the Creator the way nature intended. At the moment, in the psychological sense I have been putting forth throughout this commentary, society becomes ruled by an unconscious satanic cult, sacrificing its victims. In respect of dynamics there are very few differences when we compare scapegoating within society and other forms of control that characterizes true satanic cults and Hollywood style satanic cults. The main difference between these two types of cults being that the former is committed primarily “consciously” on the unconscious level, while the latter is done with conscious intent on the conscious level. One is metaphysical and in a warped way spiritual, while the other is purely literally or materially based. Within consciousness and by way of consciousness raising this can all be healed. The tendency of society, including many of the very groups geared towards promoting and teaching about Jesus and other enlightened people, have in most cases actually promoted the very opposite of what Jesus was teaching. Unfortunately, this is true, notwithstanding the consciously good intentions of the many people and groups responsible. In fact, considering the almost unanimous intentions of good and holy reasons why people either become clergy or psychotherapists, at least as far as their consciousness allows, it is commonsense that as a new awareness develops true health will naturally follow. Importantly, most of these dynamics being unconscious, it is difficult or impossible in most cases to assign blame. That would be counter productive. Consciousness-raising will naturally counteract nihilism and instead create a greater sense of living. I've heard of one very intuitive author refer to this as "radical aliveness", as coined by the author of the book “The Black Butterfly.”. The Pharisees that Christ butted horns with is the best metaphor in the Bible that urge people to look inward, clear their own temple and create a solid foundation on which they can develop sound self – knowledge. 263 For me, the prodigal son is perhaps one of the most important parables I have encountered. Speaking on a personal level, regardless of the psychological reasons for it, as I mentioned above, at one time I experienced a lot of “acting out: substance abuse and self harm anger, lack of self respect, impulsiveness and the appearance of making a lot of mistakes in my life while trying hard to appear other than what I was: hypocrisy. I can now say today with a certainty that I could not have developed what I consider my desire for the light within without first experiencing these darker and wounded aspects of my own psyche. The Prodigal Son Parable recognizes that the two, apparently opposite brothers, are in fact too opposing aspects of the same individual. One of them stayed with the outer law and did what other people expected of him; he was a people pleaser. He maintained the herd mentality and did not develop as an individual. The other brother went against the herd and confronted his less than admirable traits and was able to overcome or rather, to civilize them. He became a whole person. His father respected and welcomed him back (father = consciousness) into his household and this was primarily because of what he had overcome in himself. He took the high road of 263 Ditto, Pg. 36 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 252 challenges and growth. His brother took the low road of least resistance. Psychological and spiritual growth is only possible by overcoming the challenges, not by caving in to them. An example of what the prodigal son had achieved is that he had developed a kind of humbleness while his brother expressed bitterness when the father welcomed home the prodigal son (shadow response). From these two ways of being, humbleness and hypocritical selfrighteousness/ hypocrisy, many other traits and personality characteristics can be applied to the appropriate individual character. 264 This is all very spiritual and just as psychological. I am not sure why I decided to ask this next question except some part of me connects it with the prodigal son parable. In looking at all spiritual traditions, as I said, virtually all of them stem from a mutual ground source. When I consider the apparent animosity between the Muslim, Christian and Jewish spiritual traditions, I find it very interesting that they all stem from the same religious roots: Judaism. It is also a fact, that within the Koran, Jesus and most of the Old Testament prophets and holy people are recognized as saints and prophets: enlightened people. In considering the Parable of the prodigal son and the nature of all bigotry and hypocrisy, is one of these spiritual traditions any worse than the other? More important, is one any better than the other? I have not studied the Muslim spiritual tradition like I have some of the others. I am simply asking a question. The recurring theme during the spiritual quest is that paradoxically, as higher levels of individuality develop a stronger connection with the rest of life develops. In this sense, the more one moves counter to the heard in respect of awareness, dissolving unhealthy enmeshment, the greater a natural sense of empathic connection and compassion develops; because it is not forced. True freedom and self respect generates respect for other individuals. Although it is necessarily an individual choice, we have to live within the world, but not necessarily of the world, because that is materialism and unconsciousness. I guess that is why people like Jesus, even in the face of persecution, in fact paradoxically even because of it, increased his connection to others, the world. He united The Creator in Heaven with The Creator manifest in Earth. It was the frustrations of his ego, impelled by his inner love that made him persevere and become whole. This is also a description of the crucifixion in an alchemical sense, and subsequent individuation. This development will allow persons to look at other people as reflections of himself or herself, especially the universal Self, our undeniable mutuality; true universal humanity. This type of awareness would truly eradicate bigotry. Jesus looked at mental illness as being a result of not being connected to Creator but rather to the kingdom of Satan; a state of egotistical fragmentation and imbalance. 265 In realistic terms, this is simply describing people who are disconnected from their whole psyche, especially their Souls. The misconception created by a literal interpretation of this story is absolutely no different than the description given above in the psychological and spiritual explanation about the Pharisees. This is identical to what I and the various reference sources in this paper have been saying from the start. Diabolical possessions are extreme expressions of an unbalanced psyche that are simply extreme examples of unconscious possession by the shadow contaminated individual and collective psyche. Neurotic or psychotic behavior and even hypocrisy and other forms of bigotry (neurosis) are the less obvious forms of an unbalanced psyche. Alienation from the inner psyche causes the “Devil” to make a nasty appearance. And Like “God” gender cannot be applied to the character or personality in either case. Both masculine and feminine energies are always active in some way or other but unbalanced, although one of them may dominate. When evolution goes in reverse, only by using a combination of intuition and logic can we decide which one predominates. 264 Ditto 265 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 39 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 253 Possession is only possible when a person becomes very repressed, dissociated, unconscious, and therefore unbalanced. If a person really thinks about it, obvious possession is not that different in appearance than some forms of dissociative identity disorder in the more extreme forms. Possession, of any form, is an expression of an individual loss of consciousness and the subsequent control by unconscious contents of the psyche. Although it is definitely internal, parallel sources could possibly be identified outside in other individuals or groups representing a reflective or synchronistic aspect of that person’s psyche. This has already been explored. This state of mind we are referring to, fragmentation, is usually a result of outside and inside coercion, apparently paradoxical, subtle and not so subtle. We all know this, on one level of awareness, but many are possessed by an unacknowledged dark side, expanding the unhealthy cycle. We then disrespect and harm other “prodigal” sons or daughters. Many of us have not found the crisis or need to make the transition from sleep to wakefulness. But the fact is the Creator is everything, Yin and Yang, good and bad. But Satan, that shadow within, can only become that, and get angry, nasty and cause havoc, in the various ways I have been describing, when that inner self is ignored. That inner self wants to see the light even though it may not be aware of it: very paradoxical. We can change Satan from the bringer of darkness back into Lucifer, the bringer of light as the Creator originally intended. What this means, in fact, is that when we deny the inner Light, the Creator, God, Christ, Buddha, Great Spirit, Allah or whatever we wish to call it, we instead turn Holy reality into Holy terror and the Devil. This is a very startling, indeed striking comment if honestly considered. In Matt. 22:14, it says, “For many are called, but few are chosen,” to enter the Kingdom. Only those who choose to gain self – knowledge can access the Kingdom of God. 266 We are our own individuals, not the chattel of someone else, and the only way to demonstrate that and make it fact is through the development of self knowledge. Self knowledge changes how we perceive the outer world and necessarily our inner. Increased levels of consciousness that reach into the higher realms of timelessness necessarily changes an individual’s perception of all the other levels of existence. This especially relates to the timelessness of spiritual reality. Even Einstein recognized and developed some understanding of this relationship between time and space. When a person actually is able to understanding that Einstein explored, a feeling of “religiousness” would have to follow.267 The nature of timelessness is why Christ’s methods of teaching and the living ceremony that his life represented expresses this same timeless quality of its spiritual nature. Native American spiritual traditions also recognize and strive to live in the spiritual realities this type of understanding represents. This is an appropriate time to contrast what is being said here with what happens when a literal interpretation of the Bible or any Holy book is taken as the final word. I mentioned earlier about the extreme harm and persecution that has been perpetrated against people throughout history because of a literal interpretation of the Bible. For example, woman: I am referring to woman not only in respect to gender but in respect of the deep inner psyche, collective and individual, naturally connected with the full power and aliveness of the environment, Mother Earth with an upward movement into Father Heaven. But woman has been persecuted, in men and women because of misogynist’s literal viewpoint. This was either used to support this sexism or cause it. As mentioned in the above, once the materialism of these types of dynamics becomes apparent, even fleetingly, a person will find it impossible to turn away from it. Their deep inner psyches would not allow that to happen, their inner guides. Healing the Earth is not a single individual human being’s job. Since we are all connected, if people like my self and countless other people can imagine and catch glimpses of these higher realities and truths, I can only 266 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 45 267 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 55 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 254 surmise this is because on the collective level the inner psyche has had enough; half humorously maybe the Devil is getting tired if eating itself up. In addressing sexism, as an example, the belief women should be subservient to their husbands cannot be explained on a material level. Common sense interpretation would tell us that what this is saying is that within the psyche we have to recognize the ocean of the Great Mother. Especially, we have to visit the sea monsters and the abyss. These can only be subdued or tamed by increasing consciousness, the masculine dynamic, and transforming this primitive Earth bound but important life giving sources of sustenance, to be re-directed towards creativity, growth, and unity. That is what is meant by the male being the head of the household. Of note, it was not until gender stereotyping set in that this became a physical lifestyle for people. This is another example of how the material world emanates from the psyche, Creator, as expressed in the Judeo-Christian Cabala. Woman, not the gender female, can only be given form/manifestation through growth in consciousness, the God. What the God impregnates the Goddess with is His consciousness, sometimes represented as a phallic symbol. She is the vessel that contains and expresses it. But she has to be “subservient” to her husband and the father of her child, the diamond heart, our centre, in this mystical marriage, and he totally faithful in providing consciousness and the ability to apply the new creative abilities for practical use.268 The figure 8 is a nice way of looking at and understanding this flowing interchange conceptually. As is well known, the symbol eight also represents infinity. As I will continuously say, what I am saying is not to be taken in a materially (gender) literal sense, only psychic. First in line for creation using this rationale is the manifestation of personal, individual identity. A person or collective is stagnant or dead without a dynamically reciprocal and interdependent relationship with the other but this is only possible through the initial development of true independence. There is a double meaning of importance when I use the word “other”: that other aspect of our deep psyche that has been repressed. Further, when one considers the relationship between mind and body, this can also be applied to the relationship in the collective, external world: Wilber’s right half of the earlier diagram. As with the necessity for a healthy self-respect for the whole psyche on an individual basis, this need, and its affect, also applies to the collective; both internal and external. Are we are beginning to see the natural and only effective remedy that can heal the devil and turn it back into “The Green Man,’ and the devouring mother back into the Madonna? The Green Man is the symbolic representation of healthy green growth and naturally occurring life giving power and energy that I referred to earlier in describing my dream of the struggle in the arena. This is the masculine aspect of the Earth and its energy. It represents creative reciprocity and interaction between humans and the Earth, after the disconnection aspects have been recollected and transformed, civilized. All of these things concerning consciousness and perception are or were in the Bible and other great books of spirituality. They have been misunderstood, edited or de-emphasized for centuries. In the Bible, very little is made of the fact that Jesus was almost constantly going off alone in natural areas to pray and commune. This is so akin to the Vision Quest fasting and a spiritual need to look inward that can only be achieved in a solitary way; the connections should be plain. Living or being “alone” is necessary, especially at times, and perhaps for extended period of time, depending on the levels of self – knowledge one wishes to attain. I find it rather disturbing that, especially mental health “experts,” usually make a special note when one of their clients lives alone. I have also gotten the same sort of impressions from many other types of people. People conditioned to be part of the enmeshed herd or mass will obviously pressure other people to do the same. Remember the real life example I gave much earlier of the person in the “Church” 268 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 118-170 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 255 that I became acquainted with who was unconsciously using the same methods to condition new members that she had been conditioned by. Some of these impressions received from other people are not necessarily based on verbal communication but other types of non-verbal communication: expressions, “vibes,” and especially the way a person is actually treated or acts. I dare any mental health expert to call something like this type of awareness “psychotic” or “paranoid.” The first time I became acquainted with the idea of non-verbal communication on these levels was when I read a book on how to succeed in business; it had been written by a highly successful person who had made millions of dollars in the “real” world of selling and marketing because he had learned how to nonverbally read other people and in turn nonverbally manipulate others, as well as verbally. So, becoming comfortable with your self as an unconditioned individual, acknowledges the requirement that a person has to develop this ability, self – knowledge and comfort with self, and not get caught in the treadmill and self disrespectful habit of people pleasing and other forms of actions that eventually could result in hypocrisy. The latter gives birth to the shadow within and control by the shadow within the individual and within society. If an individual develops true self respect it is then and only then that true compassion and interdependence with others can become manifest. Jesus taught how we can grow more enlightened and spiritually aware, ourselves. We still have to do it. He showed us how. Jesus life was one long ceremony. The acts he performed embody meaning. He caused the lame to walk. Whether he did this literally and physically is beside the point. In a psychological sense he helped people to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Demonstrating the power of the mind to either hinder the whole person or let it bloom. Jesus taught people how to psychologically become whole again and in extension to regain psychological/physiological health. To say he rose from the dead is a true fact, psychologically and spiritually. Whether he did it physically is beside the point for the purpose of this work. This “rebirth” also demonstrates the eternal nature and power of spiritual reality over the material plane of existence.269 So we need individual and collective respect for the psyche. Mutual healing can then be applied by an individual’s respect for various parts of their own psyche and in extension respect for the various expressions and parts of the collective. These parts are individual entities, beings, in their own right, Souls; worthy of the same respect we would expect ourselves. Remember Wilber’s theory of holons. In this case I am speaking of personal autonomy, in an ever increasing spiral moving upwards on a continuum of conscious awareness, starting with the individual and then growing: groups, races of people, and so fourth. All have to be respected and upheld. This is what Christ was trying to say. It is the way the first Christians thought from everything I have studied and as well my understanding of psychology. I would suggest this has to be true of the root of all living spiritual traditions. This way of thinking would free the individual and society from the beast, the wounded mass mind, the herd, and so from the machine. Living for the future instead of the here and now leaves a person caught in a psychological state where they loose touch with reality. This is similar to earlier chapters where I said the same thing in different ways. To worry or focus on the past or future leaves a person lost in the present. The practice of centering can give a person the ability to do this. A balanced perspective can be attained by focusing on present awareness using past experiences for learning, the ability to imagine and create possibilities for the future, thus expanding a person’s awareness enormously. Remember Podvoll’s description of psychosis; how many people do you know who dwell on the past, worry about the future and find it impossible to live in the present? I think the important point to be made here is that the prime motivating dynamic that drives this illusion is the element of fear, one of the main characteristics of shadow and the Devil. As Podvoll teaches in his treatment of the psychically unbalanced, living in the here and now, free of the false ego, will naturally lead 269 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, pg. 58 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 256 to raised levels of consciousness. Jesus’ teachings, if followed in a realistic way can lead a person to the light of consciousness that the Fire Teaching attempt to arrive at. 270 Many people reject the Kingdom of individuation because of the responsibilities that go hand in hand with a rise in consciousness. 271 What has to be added in light of this statement, obviously, is the manipulation present wherever there are collections and concentrations of people/psyches. In a city, for example, with a greater collection of people one can imagine how much more difficult it would be to escape from the dynamics I am discussing; conscious people have to be responsible. I mentioned this quite earlier about the nature of manipulators. On the other hand, for those pure of heart it is that very struggle that impels the person or individual forward. Somewhat of a paradox, and one that I will not try to answer to any great extent. The important thing is to remember the increase in responsibility with increased consciousness. In addition to being able to discipline one’s own psyche develops a parallel increase in the ability to manipulate others. Anyone who has traveled and practiced the Wiccan or Earth spirituality path successfully for any length of time understands this reality. In reference to the above, the common sense supporting what is being described is like the symbolic finger pointing to the moon. The instructions to be found in a common sense approach to the psyche then leads to and becomes the mercurial and reflective moon, woman(not the gender), in the sense that the finger pointing the direction and the journey has always been at its end. The repressed aspects of our psyches have always been there. We are simply not fully awake yet. Why? Why do so many people fear the responsibilities heightened levels of aware consciousness bring? Because a realization and appreciation for the power and realities of the inner psyche destroys the illusional securities offered by immersion in the herd and the false ego. 272 We have been conditioned to instant gratification in respect of most things that we do or want: fast food, pills, and so fourth. Ironically, it is the resulting speed of everything and the havoc it wrecks, that spiritual consciousness can heal. One gets rid of the old wineskins and makes new ones. The very speed of everything and accompanying chaos is a major factor preventing this growth in consciousness, and this is only a stage, and an illusionary stage at that. It is circular but at this point not wholesome. It is a cyclical aspect of the beast or machine; a double bind. It is known as the binding to the wheel of life in Eastern wisdom traditions, and it is the wheel of life that Eastern wisdom tries to teach people to free themselves from. If one looks at the “Book of Revelations” in a psychological sense I think a better understanding of what I am saying will be clearer. That book describes psychic reality on an individual as well as collective level superbly. Although necessarily an individual journey, perhaps an actual campaign, similar to the impetus that sparks any movements of liberation, can initiate mass awareness of these realities and in the ways I have been discussing. To “spread the word” in the sense discussed in this paper, will actually wake up the people. I can’t imagine intelligent and alive, or struggling to be alive, people ignoring this message, not being interested, in becoming aware of what they have been denied: nothing less than the Kingdom of God, as Jesus and other enlightened people taught. The path to enlightenment involves going against nature, our lower natures. As I have said above, it always requires work and effort. The easiest way or way of least resistance never achieves anything. 273 As I said, importantly, the meaning of this statement is that one must go against our lower natures: our primitive and now wounded natures. It is not a rationale to devastate and abuse the environment, including people, quite the opposite. This is only possible by, perhaps at first, struggling with but eventually befriending and accepting into our whole way of being these shadows and mute-ilated aspects of ourselves, taming them by bringing them to light. 270 Ditto, Pg. 60 271 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 45 272 Ditto 273 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 45 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 257 As I said, this is similar to Jacob on the ladder with Michael. I think a caress will be much more productive than continued repression and mutilation of our soul(s). As noted, once a person accepts responsibility for becoming conscious, anxiety might be experienced. This can sometimes be interpreted as examples of divine anxiety. As I described, as one goes higher up the psychological ladder to lighter levels and is not held back by the gravity of the Earth as had been the previous case, a feeling of “butterflies in the stomach” would be quite natural. It is new territory to the ego. Criminally, in society, divine anxiety is looked upon as mental illness. In fact it is society’s very practices that create and/or perpetuate unhealthy states of mind and existence, and ultimately denying us the messages of countless enlightened people. Society can actually keep people stuck in areas of divine anxiety. These practices exacerbate and give no support to those people who are attempting to become individuals. This is similar to the example mentioned earlier in this paper: the minister who had good intentions but whose actions caused and perpetuated the very condition he was attempting to heal. There is no question that the new solidly grounded individual created by an increased consciousness is the only way the person can handle this new awareness. In this sense the old person must die and the old ego fortress be replaced with an awareness of the whole psyche. 274 I would add that the collective must undergo a parallel transformation in order to heal and truly reach the very goal that has been the conscious goal of humankind throughout human existence in some form or other, but they have been sinning, missing the mark. Instead, a conscious connection with the whole psyche creates an ability to spontaneously behave as their self, not impulsively, but as the moment requires. Higher levels of consciousness gives an individual the ability, for example, to flowingly speak, rather than laboriously planning what to say. It is real, not falsely acted like our personas. It flows from the heart. 275 Role modeling becomes a very important factor for this development. Although entering the Kingdom of Heaven, wholeness, seems like a form of violence to the ego at the time of entering, ultimately this will result in a creativity and flexibility that was never available before. The violence referred to above, is in reference to the assault on the old rigid ways of the egoistic personas and illusions that our egos have created. 276 This violence can be countered by love. The meaning I intend the concept of love to reflect is love in the metaphysical sense of unity, attraction, and mutuality. Detached and balanced, without a sentimental attitude, thus preventing the unrefined and infected primitive passions to rule impulsively and unconsciously. These passions can be disciplined by disciplining the ego. In fact, this type of attitude makes it much easier to go through the fire-like sparks and flames of increasing consciousness. These can strike like lightening with the “ eureka” or peak experience, during glimpses of clear and unimpeded sight. A truly sincere spiritual way of being has much larger and more frequent instances of these experiences. It should now be easier to see why so many spiritual traditions refer to experiences of this aliveness as the “Fire Walk”, and Christian literature speaks of “Violence” in the same manner. I believe it was Abraham Maslow who referred to these experiences as “Peak Experiences”. For those who attain at least some level of continuous spiritual awareness and way of life, the flames and sparks gradually become a flowing and gentle light as one learns to balance and lessen the shocks these cause the ego. To become centered is to learn how to rest within the outer chaos that characterizes the struggles to reach the center. Until this center is reached, the flow is more like a tornado or flood amongst the storms one encounters once the search has begun. The inner core of solid foundation or concentrated focus gives and is given to one at the center. Concentration is required to get there and it is concentration that comes naturally once the center has been 274 Ditto, Pg. 47 275 Ditto 276 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 48 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 258 achieved. It allows one to stand inside, detached, and watch the chaos outside. It gives one a glimpse of the timelessness that contrasts with the obsession with time, quantity and ego on the outside. It provides a centering from where one is able to be in the world but not of it. This is a stance between the manifest and the ethereal realms. 277 This is the whole of the psyche, individuated but in commune with the collective and beyond. This would include the natural Earth, with the earth’s natural healing abilities being completely available. This goal will be achieved by increasing the healing of wounded psyches/human beings, using all of the psychological knowledge we have at our disposal. We can use traditional modern medicine, alternative medicine, through to other forms of “folk medicine” and wisdom, both Eastern and Western. The most important element to be included is spirituality; this is fundamentally necessary. It is only with people who have discovered themselves in some sort of crisis because their small egos and unbalanced viewpoints are unable to provide any fulfilling sense of wholeness and living reality that life can grow from that a true search is begun. 278 Speaking as a male, the classical conditioning of teaching men to “Keep a stiff upper lip”, to be machine-like, especially in regard to the repression of emotions, with the added pressure of stereotyping further handicapping them, has been devastating. As I’ve already pointed out, these dynamics apply on a vastly increased level, today, to all people, although most would consciously think otherwise. What I am speaking about is a way of liberating people from an oppressive, repressive and regressive way of life. Both the primarily Christian and Native ways I make reference to here both prescribe distinct yet compatible spiritual ways of living that produces a healthy dynamic psyche producing a parallel affect on the health of the body and in extension the Earth and Heaven, in a similar manner. People can only come to their inner worlds of the psyche, whether in therapy, in solitary or guided spiritual search, if they remain to a fulfilling end. They can then enjoy the creative source of life that can only be achieved within the center of wholeness mentioned above. 279 Much of this involves recognition of our dual natures: masculine and feminine, Yang and Yin, strong yet vulnerable, and so fourth. A continued feeling and powerful awareness of this integration will lead to a vastly increased scope of perception and true spiritual reflection. This is highly personalized and experiential and teaches the body and mind to accept the inner fire, spirit. The same process can produce the ignition of the inner fire and, at least for a time, maintain it, until you reach the awareness level where clear perception of wholeness and oneness with everything is experienced, necessarily united with a powerful individuality. These paradoxes have already been explored. True subjective reality can be found within the ethereal realms, beyond the lower level astral. This makes transparent the objective, and isolated stance of the ego and the illusional materialism of the egoistic world. This is the true self; that connects with all things in the universe. 280 In review, understanding this dual nature recognizes the vertical axis of the centering process mentioned earlier. Combined with the horizontal axis, needed for navigation and functioning within the material world this produces the quaternity, the four directions of our inner psyches and the world. The core in the center produces the fifth element that is born out of a centering of the four. It requires a flexible balance, an ability to dance, with the masculine and feminine energies found within us. The spiral Dance that Starhawk refers to in her book, “The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Mother”, describes significant initial stages of this journey of the mystic. We’ve seen what happens to society when the dual and spiritual nature of humankind is denied people. To turn away from the centered source of the true self leaves one in a semi – 277 “The Lodge Beyond The Sun”, Pg. 61 278 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 49 279 Ditto, Pg. 51 280 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 62 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 259 unconscious state that can only lead to illness, unhappiness and stagnation. The search for the center necessarily produces a stronger healthy ego and individual that can withstand the greater energy only to be found by and within the attainment of true consciousness. 281 This is symbolically portrayed in the Christian Bible as the need to use new wineskins for the new wine, not the old used and worn wineskins. Only those persons who are quite comfortable in the inner psyches can handle the vastly increased awareness, especially connection on the collective unconscious level and beyond. It is pretty easy to see why people’s visions, revelations, and so fourth, as described in the Bible and other holy books, quite often describe encountering a choir of angels. This would be a very pronounced and acute awareness of the collective. Perhaps today no different than being on an old fashioned party line on the phone, except with an unbelievably large number of people in communication (and not all in agreement with each other!). On the collective unconscious level there is so much more, including all of nature; The Holy Grail.; the “Sofia Perrennis”. Because of the “violence” done to the ego, “blood of the ego,” shed during the search for the center, this violence can be like a storm in a person’s life. It is the centering process itself that creates the ability to withstand this storm. 282 That was what Jesus was good at calming, storms, of the mind. Being an enlightened person he would have been the best psychotherapist for miles. And note he was not in agreement with the official social way of thinking or doing things. He truly was a rebel and knew that people had to be allowed to grow to the point of mature selfknowledge. If this is prevented, it can cause people’s natural evolutionary potential to be stifled, attacked and otherwise prohibited by the powers that be. A balanced body and mind creates a fertile crescent from where true spiritual growth can take place. The various symbolic tools and rituals, as mentioned above, create and represent symbolic and parallel changes that occur within the psyche. The Lord’s Prayer, whose universal power is acknowledged among wise Native American people, is simply a way of focusing on and attracting the masculine spiritual energies that provide the energy necessary for consciousness. This energy is in the ethereal realm, beyond the lower astral and material realms of psyche. It is not to be accessed on the lower realms for higher spiritual purposes although it permeates and is part of everything. It can only be accessed by escaping the gravity of the Earth and then obtained from the higher realms of spirit. 283 This can only be achieved by centering body, mind and spirit, inward to see outward; embracing the inward, upward and subsequently the oute world. The difficulty in finding this realm can be visualized by the image of the sea journey, the crossing over the waters of the unconscious, to a higher stage in the process. The reason wise people are said to be able to calm storms and turbulent seas, is because this is a metaphor for the ability of consciousness, the spirit or what some people refer to as God or Great Spirit, to calm the stormy waters of the unconscious as one passes over and through them. This journey is the deepest fear of the ego. 284 A wise person who has calmed the waters of their own psyche can act as a guide to others on the journey, to tame the waters of Leviathan, Tiamet, and the Hag. A person who has calmed these waters can actually have a transference and transformative affect on the person they are guiding. This demonstrates the interconnectedness of psyches. Eastern and Western masters have known and demonstrated this truth for thousands of years. In the above sense the word of God can be thought of as the result of re - integrating the whole psyche, similar to when the Garden of Eden existed. The main difference between a new integrated awareness and back then is that in the Garden of Eden, there was no selfconsciousness or personal identity; no conscious separation from one’s environment. There were no personal boundaries. This is known by students of human and individual psychological 281 Pg. 53 282 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 54 283 “The Lodge Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 62 284 Ditto, Pg. 54-55 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 260 evolution as participation mystique; there was no need for the fig leaf. In this state, there is a primitive level of enmeshment present. When a person encounters the Kingdom, a paradisiacal state is once again achieved but this time in consciousness, as an individual. Think of the pyramid on the circle. A person would be in communication with other people, representing the circle but in self-awareness representing the pyramid, the individuated self. Think of it. Besides, the whole reason humankind was created was so the source of creation could know itself. Anyway, that is why the Bible urges one to build their house on rock, not sand; a good solid foundation of self-knowledge grounded in the here – and - now, and everything that subsequently transpires due to this search. As I said above, it is the solid foundation of consciousness and insight that creates a strong foot hold on which the “Kingdom” can be founded and built. 285 What is being stressed here is the requirement of freedom, to be as nature intended. This has to be based on that person’s uniqueness yet as well her or his unbreakable connection with all. An emphasis could be placed on the paradox of being unique, and only by awareness of that uniqueness can we truly connect with all, our brothers and sisters; all relations. Native traditions express their relationship with all living creatures and forces of nature in this way. It is this consciousness that protects and shields us from the chaos and storm-like activities of “hell”. 286 I think the most important development required is the true and widespread evolution of tolerance and respect for individuality and differences. The offshoot is that the storm of consciousness can then be more easily tolerated and balanced because of this development. This is circular in the holistic sense, with two way movement. This will allow a person to begin to see the absurdity of separation based on culture, skin color, and especially religion or spiritual tradition. We used to call the Native Peoples “heathen”: and either massacred them or controlled them, like cattle. However, most of us have been conditioned to believe, including the attempt to condition the Native People in the same way, that these two powerful spiritual traditions were diametrically opposite from each other. But the similarities, and in many cases identical meanings using different symbolism and semantics, are amazingly vast. This is universally true for all healthy, living spiritual traditions. All we have to do is cut through the stagnant dogma and orthodoxy that keeps us truly like penned sheep, not free in the most important sense of the word. This transformation has to begin by doing away with intolerance of ourselves. Let us look at the possible source of creation. Native spirituality, Christians, Muslims, all spiritual traditions that recognize the source of all light, consciousness, that gave rise to creation, the feminine vessel, refer to the creative source as “Father.” On Earth, the lowest emanation and manifestation of this source becomes known as “The Holy Spirit.” None of this in any way has any reflection or makes reference to gender. This only refers to the concentrated point of masculine energy that gave rise to consciousness in the form of manifestation, woman. Many physicists refer to the initial point and beginnings of creation as “The Big Bang.” Placing rigid and repressing Victorian “morals” aside, this can humorously be thought of as “Thy Big Bang.” It can be used as a metaphor for the “sexual” act that gave birth to creation. Remember the importance of Paradox. Creation is a reflection of the source, the Creator. Although it is woman, the physical vessel that gives birth to human beings here on Earth, creation or woman, the manifest vessel, was given birth by the concentrated point of masculine energy from Heaven. Even on Earth, it is the concentrated energy (Prana) and effort (energetic force) that impregnates woman (or female animals of other species). On Earth, it is a dual or mutual effort although there are filtered similarities from Heaven. The main difference is that in Heaven, the concentrated masculine energy, energetically speaking, came out the one void that is beyond duality, in concentrated form. I find it interesting that according to those scientists who study the origins of life on Earth, the first living organisms were asexual. In this sense, an image that symbolically fits this description is the Taoist Yang and Yin symbol. It contains both opposites in 285 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 56 286 Ditto, Pg. 57 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 261 dynamic harmony, and this itself came out of the undifferentiated void or one source. In fact, according to the tree of life cosmology, the first creative emanation was Kether and it contained within it all potential in concentrated form, beyond masculine or feminine form or energy. From Kether emanated Chokma, masculine energy, and this gave rise to Bina, feminine manifestation. From these two emanations was born all of the rest of the emanations, culminating in the lowest and densest level that we know as earth and the physical universe, a “Myriad” of things. Nothing I am saying is original except that I am bringing various perspectives together. The important thing in saying all of this is that people should simply ask more questions and do their own inquiries into nature. That is the important thing: to ask the question and, as an individual not as a person programmed to digest orders and information. This is, to be centered and in balance with Heaven and Earth. We all come from the same ground source. Focusing on consciousness and individuality, it is important to recognize the main thing that prevents the development of individuality and consciousness is segregated immersion in the various groups, of whatever nature, that comprise society. Once we emerge beyond the group or herd, then, our true identity can be developed and we can be identified as an individual. This, instead of an identity created by the ego, and therefore created by an objectification of who we really are. 287 In this sense, when Jesus speaks of coming to bring to the earth not peace, but a sword,288 this makes reference to exactly what I am speaking of in the above in respect of violence. In my perspective, Earth is in reference to our materialistic, ego objectifications of our selves. The sword, in this instance, has at least two meanings that are relevant: 1) it symbolizes the chaos or violence that can occur with a developing psyche during the growth of individuality and autonomy, the classic “George and the Dragon” fight, and 2) the discriminating sword of consciousness. It is also, in conjunction with this latter sense, a symbol of air, or fire, depending on the perspective, which refers to communication, (vibration) and the energy of the fires of consciousness, and not simply mouth to mouth. I am including here body language, vibrations at the molecular level creating certain “atmospheres”, and so fourth. All types of communication. The sword of Jesus does not refer to physical violence. I mentioned this several pages back in reference to the way people who live or try to be individuals, who are trying to find themselves. This violence is a prerequisite and necessary struggle for the realization of individuation and wholeness. One of the initial groups that one has to break away from is the family one is born into. Cutting of the umbilical cord is the most important cord to be cut in order to become an individual. For example, this is what Christ meant when he said that he came to set a person against their parents and siblings, and in - laws. 289 This does not refer to disowning them. As Wilber demonstrates in his Holon Theory, to disown or forget our origins or foundations, the structure that is subsequently constructed will crumble. Something I have heard very few other people talk about is that the cutting of the umbilical cord also frees the other family members from your involvement with enmeshment. In the case of the mother and the father, it frees them from one level of dependence on them by their adult children, thus freeing up some of their energy for their own development. In fact, especially for parents, that time in their lives should be one of maturing fully and fully becoming them selves, in an individuated sense. In another sense, by removing oneself from the enmeshed or family system in this way, removal of this “cog” in the system might disrupt the system enough that other members will be motivated to change and mature their own viewpoint and direction in life. In Taoism this is known as “action through no action”. A similar example is when a person’s response to aggression is neutrality or avoidance: the energy rebounds back from where it came from: action through no 287 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 58 288 Ditto 289 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 62 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 262 action. This is an example of the necessary psychic (ego) chaos that the discriminating sword of consciousness can bring. Too much love can become an evil, smothering, and controlling. What many people consider love is sometimes simply enforcement by the herd and the giving up of individual autonomy. It can become downright vampire like, to the point where people actually do it without even thinking. Some people’s actual way of being is maintained in this way. In all seriousness, if you are a very sensitive person, see if you ever notice when you are around someone who actually takes your breath away. If you are sensitive and develop this ability, this sensitivity can develop to take in a larger area of your surroundings with the subsequent ability to actually learn to zero in on what or who is causing it. This is not fiction. Nor am I the first person to suggest this sort of thing. I made reference to this sort of thing in reference to children and why they may develop asthma. These things are instinctively perpetrated by people who have not learned how to obtain their own energetic requirements from the limitless source. Using the discriminating sword of consciousness in an inner psychic sense refers to dealing with the clamor of noises and thoughts that clutter a person’s mind. It is also very much related to the collective level, and the necessity of quieting that as well. It is only possible by cutting the umbilical cord and using this sword that evolution upward and outward can take place. I cannot stress enough the paradoxical fact that, in order to become truly empathically related with other people and the home we call earth, we have to become complete individuals. The term “I am that I am”, recognizes the realization of true autonomy found in individuation and transcendence beyond the false ego and collective super ego. It is a declaration that can only be made from a centered position. 290 This can only be accomplished within consciousness. Destroying bigotry can only be accomplished by breaking away from group tribal consciousness and the false ego. True individuality and ultimately true connections with other people can then be empathically established. The “call” to the Kingdom of individuality has to come before anything else. 291 The emergence of a truly strong, healthy ego, an individuated personality, with a concrete sense of identity is the state of mind which then transcends the petty and competitive aspects of ego, freeing us from the source of that childish nonsense called bigotry. The actual experience of transcendence, whether temporary or permanent, is only possible by the strength of this real self identity, based on consciousness. Keeping in mind all people, being children of God, are all holy, each as holy as the most holy person who ever lived. Virtually every human life is as precious as the next. Within the Kingdom, to become actual children of God, is to become directly connected to the fiery and then archetypal reality of the higher realms of consciousness. 292 As I mentioned earlier, a healthy person who has developed and evolved their mind touches an inner sense of conscience that is far more honest, compassionate, empathically sensitive and humble than previous states. This state of mind is the exact opposite of the internal police state I mentioned earlier in this paper, and far more law abiding. Think of it: when a person is coerced by forces outside him or herself, resistance will naturally arise. Especially, the more unjustifiable it is. On the other hand, when a person wants to act according to an awakened consciousness and conscience, naturally this will be reinforced. This would be combined with a more ethical, moral, and true loving awareness inherent in wholeness. In searching for the kingdom, the one power that is contained throughout all of creation can present many “different colors and hues.” In its manifestations, it can be quite chaotic while 290 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 65 291 Ditto, Pg. 62 - 64 292 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 65 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 263 sorting through them to find the calm waters of the center. 293 At all times it is necessary for a person to remain grounded and focused to prevent any sort of ego inflation. Psychologists focus primarily on developing the false ego. What they have to begin to do and the same applies equally to religious leaders, is to stem the ego inflation that is a marked characteristic of hypocrisy and bigotry, bigotry that also causes these same people to melt in the herd. As Christ taught, in order to become connected to others in a true sense we have to temporarily divorce ourselves from them before we can take on the burden of expanding and including them into the greater psyche. This mirrors exactly the beginning stages of true meditative practice, alchemy and other traditional paths. When a person develops into these areas to a certain extent, one can learn what helps or hinders progress within this expanding flow of life. 294 I have certainly demonstrated the various ways that flow can be interrupted in today’s world, although the vast majority of people are ignorant of the amount of interruption, psychological interference that takes place. When we arrive at the center of consciousness and are able to view the contents of the psyche in a conscious but not detached way, the contents can distract us from the more important process taking place. 295 This is because of an ego-based and shame-based personality, the police state. This is our machine - like inventory created by the ego and modeled after our quantity obsessed, society like surface mind. Podvoll made reference to this constant monitoring that has to be conquered in order to find clear spaces. Obviously, this is also a recognizable part of the meditative process. By uniting consciousness with the contents of the psyche, we have to be careful not to become dazzled by them. True integration does not mean melting into a previous state of enmeshment unconsciously. It means integrating on a higher level. 296 Wilber stresses how easy it is to regress into enmeshment when he mentions how many people mistake “consciousness” with the herd or group as transcendence. Real integration and transcendence involves conscious integration on a higher level that is most easily distinguished by the ability to remain detached from the contents of consciousness. In the world but not of it. In the above mentioned, one is manipulated by the herd, not detached. The latter is true integration at a higher level. On this higher level, one is no longer “bedazzled” by contents. Importantly, although detached, there is full conscious empathy present. This is because one learns not to be adversely affected by the heard and therefore not fearfully defensive. There is total acceptance and it is here that the eradication of bigotry can most fully be accomplished within ones self and therefore towards other people. This does not mean that we accept bigotry we encounter outside of our selves, quite the opposite. However, beginning with our selves is the first step in healing it outside of ourselves. . What the medicine men or women, saints, sages and various masters world - wide who have attained enlightenment have all described teach people ways to enter the “Kingdom” of individuality. I will mention a perfect example of the absence of bigotry. It has been said that people who have attained spiritual enlightenment, when teaching or talking to people, including the masses, they were able to communicate to people regardless of the languages these people spoke in on the material plane. 297 This demonstrates a total absence of differences between people on the higher levels. Although this only makes reference to language, considering the importance that language and semantics play in creating our cultural perspectives and world views, it also demonstrates that the eradication of semantic differences would also do away with most of the causes of bigotry wherever it may be found. Political correctness is a perfect example of this. Further, the universal language of the psyche is beyond words and more like a subtle feeling or knowing. As just mentioned, in this sense, it makes perfect sense that so many people 293 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 66 294 Ditto, Pg. 67 295 Ditto 296 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 66 297 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 67 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 264 complain of the intolerant and bigoted displays promoted by political correctness, especially when it comes to speech. Political correctness, in most cases, is a perfect example of doing the very thing that its purpose is supposed to eradicate. Political correctness is an extreme form of bigotry stemming from biased perspectives and semantics. This is very childish. The freedom that can be experienced by being free of bigotry within oneself is recognition that the unconscious becomes a great weight, a burden, only when a person is unacquainted and not integrated with it. That is why a repressed person dissociated from the unconscious experiences it darkly, negatively, and in a bigoted manner. 298 Looking at the above example a centered position, integrated with what was forcefully repressed and unconscious, can provide the source of true freedom. Consider the powerful impact that would occur within humanity if a critical level of aware connectedness between enough people occurred on an individual level. This would be nothing less than a transformation of human consciousness up to a higher level of evolution. In trying to get people to consider these possibilities, I also recognize the fact that the more people who seriously consider these possibilities increases the likelihood it could actually happen, with a sort of quantum leap affect. A transformation or even widespread awareness of these realities at the higher levels could actually induce people to question the insanity of holding bigoted attitudes or allowing bigoted attitudes towards others, in whatever form they presented themselves. This is very much related to everything I have written about throughout this book. It is also everything, Jesus, as just one example, was most concerned with in his day. This is pure psychology and something everyone is capable of becoming aware of, on the highest levels. In fact, there are thousands of people who are aware, and I would imagine on the same high levels that we once considered reserved only for holy people. If you are one of the few who choose to truly search, you have to be totally curious and totally open at all times. I will also refer to the dream where I described my spiral ascent up the tree. The speed increased as I became less burdened by the pull of the gravity of the earth, the material realm, materialism and ego: bigotry. With the above in mind, it would be easy to see that as higher levels of awareness are attained, and what the Native traditions refer to as “Grand Powers,” as connectedness with people increases on a conscious level, the importance of balance would be increased. On these higher levels one would be uplifted. However, by also being grounded in the Earth and conscious on the collective levels, awareness of the difference between fallen natures of psyches and aspects of your own uplifted awareness would increase the need to know and feel the sources of bigotry within yourself. In fact, as awareness rises higher, the recognition of contrasts increases. That is, areas of internal bigotry and their sources would become more important, including those reflective sources outside your self. It is at these times one has to be very aware of the synchronistic reality that everything is contained within the psyche. At this higher level of awareness, one would also be able to spot the Synchronistic tricks of the psyche, internal and thus external, that tries to fool awareness and ones direction. I spoke about these instances early in this book with less elaboration of the details of their reality. Therefore, it appears rather paradoxical that one perceives these synchronistic tricks as being manifest within other people. This is a description of manifest realization or understanding of the complete Tao, Dark and Light, contained within the single whole. It is also a realization in awareness of the one “God,” better interpreted as a monotheistic realization of the wholeness of life. This realization is a product of individuation, as metaphorically described in the parable of the Prodigal Son. At the higher levels of awareness, ritual is no longer a necessary tool to transform the psyche used to open up awareness to the higher realms. At this point, all that is required is the ability to “just let it be,” to accept the multitude of different vibrations that permeate and manifest within the 298 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 68 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 265 environment. This is an example of how transformation of the world can begin; it has to begin within the individual person. It is said that “bad medicine” or feelings of bigotry stem from fear, and fear stems from ego. 299 This is a validation of the statement I just made in the above. I have heard it said that one of the first emanations of evil is fear. This is the emanation of an ego, in this sense more than likely the collective super ego contaminated by the shadow. In keeping with what I said above, as awareness of the sources of bigotry and ego separation increases, so does fear. I realize today that in addition to this being real fear emanated by real egos outside one’s self, it is in fact also fear within one’s self. You begin to realize that these fearful “darkies” one tunes in with are also part of one’s whole psyche. This supports precisely what I have been speaking about throughout this work. This is about people repressing aspects of themselves they seemingly cannot and therefore do not accept. Subsequently, this is the source of all bigotry. I truly believe that once awareness becomes complete on the collective levels, the peace “In heaven” will reign supreme. This is very spiritual however, it is profoundly psychological and very real. There is nothing supernatural about this unless one breaks the word, supernatural, into two words: super nature: conscious awareness at both the lower and higher realms. Therefore, to concisely summarize the above, it is a failure to see the Pharisaic mask that we wear that creates the inner contradictions,300 resulting in fear and bigotry. By recognizing these masks as we raise our selves up in awareness we help to transform the world. This inner contradiction is what can lead to dissociation, turrets syndrome, and other forms of mental fragmentation and retreat. Notice: in the age of the machine, along with everything I have been saying throughout this paper, we see that society and the powers that be are not only preventing the people from entering the Kingdom, in fact people are being forced into the hands of Satan, the collective and personal shadow. This is stagnating and annihilating. 301 I will repeat, the unconscious rage throughout the collective is beginning to break through in such a way that it cannot be stopped. Combined with this is the increasing number of people who are consciously becoming aware of this on a meditative and as well an intellectual level. Considering the nature of the history of human kind, it has usually required some sort of crisis to propel humankind into a quantum leap, so to speak, up to another level of civilization. Sanford spoke about people who are ready to enter the Kingdom of God are usually those person’s who are in a state of crisis in their lives. Just as individual psychic development is mirrored in the collective human psychic development, I believe this is now occurring today on a collective psychic level as well. More people are becoming aware of these realities, in contrast to those who are not. As this division increases, the decisive split in awareness, especially in reference to those persons actually becoming aware of the realities in tension with those who are not aware of them on a conscious level, the likelihood that an actual transformation in consciousness, born from the confrontation of tensions, will occur. In the story of Jesus and the Pharisees, it was Jesus seeing through these masks that most angered them. This is a perfect description of what I said above about the fear of the ego that develops when it wants to disown and dissociate from aspects of itself. The Pharisees, presented as the epitome of hypocrisy, is very important because they were supposed to be the healers of the spiritually and therefore, psychologically wounded and needy. It was a classic case of the statement “Healer, heal Thyself”. Compare that with another point I have been attempting to 299 Ditto, Pg. 80-81 300 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 70. 301 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 70 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 266 make throughout this paper. Evolution is mostly in reverse, for most of society. This dramatically affects the ways in which people think and act. Wearing a mask is the greatest of sins, missing the mark, because it is this very hypocrisy that destroys the wholeness of the psyche and therefore balanced mental health. 302 The one main psychological trait that spirit can be identified with is consciousness. While learning to recognize these truths in the search for the higher awareness, since spiritual language is both symbolic and factual at the same time, using the symbolic in ritual has the same affect as what I described very early on in respect about spiritual alchemy. Importantly, symbolic reality and therefore ritual ceremony directed towards healing the psyche and Soul cannot be born of the ego. It can only be born of the whole psyche. 303 Ritual and ceremony that stem only from the brain or ego aspects of the psyche are not geared towards transformation but only manipulation by the ego. In ceremony, a state of participation mystique can occur, however, the key is to do this within consciousness, in awareness; Individual yet whole, the circle and the pyramid. This is why being solidly grounded and conscious is so important. This is how one learns to be in the world but not of it. Of special note, if a ritual draws a person into a trance, especially in a group ritual, it is of paramount importance to be aware of the difference between sinking to a lower level of consciousness that is regressive rather than transformative and thus transcendent. Therefore, the purpose behind the ritual or group, achieved through use of a high level of consciousness is of great importance. There is no place for the use of mind altering substances, especially for the average person, and especially within a group. For anyone living within a highly populated area like a city or town, but especially within a group, use of these substances leads to a regressive group enmeshment. A person would have to be a great way from any other person or people for the group or mass mind not to affect them. Even within a purely natural environment, even if healthy, it still leads to a sort of environmental enmeshment, a participation mystique. All reputable guides, masters and teachers of the psyche know this fact. In fact, I remember one time speaking to a Native American Sun Dancer. In our conversations he made awareness of this fact quite clear to me. I will never forget that he told me this during a time was using grass on a regular basis. Interestingly, he brought this topic up out of the blue; I did not raise the topic. He was a real medicine man; he intuitively knew I was using this mind altering substance and knew it would interfere with, as he knew, my sincere quest on the path.There is almost never any place or role for mind altering substances. It was the wisdom he displayed as he spoke to me about this and other things that assisted me during a very important stage of my own growth. This person spoke with heart, in the sense that he spoke from a mature, centered position, with expanded awareness of the realities of his world. The “Kingdom of God” can only be experienced by taking into account what is in the heart of the well centered individual, free of the false masks we present to the world. 304 Therefore, when I refer to heart I intend it to refer to the whole psyche, especially the 9/10ths of the psyche most of us have ignored in the past. But heart also refers to consciousness, in the Eastern sense. With this increasing aliveness, it becomes easier to detect what is not healthy. The new ethic of the Kingdom is possible to attain if one becomes aware of what Natives refer to as “bad” medicine,” mentioned above. Natives refer to it as outside influences of people “messing with your awareness.” 305 As I said above, this is true. However, by recognizing the outside reflects aspects of our inner psyches, we can learn to neutralize the aspects of this 302 Ditto 303 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun, Pg. 99 304 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 74 305 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun, Pg. 99 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 267 meddling through the discipline of mindfulness. For example, one begins to actually neutralize those meddling persons outside of ourselves by not reacting, and therefore not reacting to those aspects within us that are reflected on the outside. Remember the example I gave very early in this book where a person giving a lecture had someone in the audience try to start an argument. By not arguing, not getting caught in the aggression, she neutralized it; she used the discriminating sword of consciousness. These are both example of the power of the psyche and mind and how spiritual transformations of humankind indeed do have to begin with individuals. With this understanding, combine it with what I said about the collective spirit. This results in transformations that can only take place as a result of balancing the tensions between two apparently opposing dynamics. On the individual level, awareness increases this collective awareness, and will launch or initiate the transformation I am talking about. This is based on ancient understanding that is achieved in the native and other naturally evolved wisdom traditions and ways of life. More importantly, it supports the whole premise I have been using to support my thesis in reference to the unconscious shadow. I truly believe learning in a manner where true spiritual understanding is respected, might assist in the healing of society. This will eventually take place, but naturally, utilizing an inclusive and compassionate approach, At all times during an increase in awareness, and the ability to use these spiritual “Grand Powers,” tricks and attempts by the ego, and in extension the super ego and thus aspects of our selves reflected through other people, have to be constantly guarded against. This requires psychic strength, courage and especially humility. All of this requires consciousness, awareness. 306 I will use an example, in an individual psychic sense that everyone will recognize: the story, Star Wars, don’t laugh. Up until one point in his training as a Jedi Priest, Darth Vader was working for the life giving aspect of the (one) force. I did not see or read this episode that explained why he switched to the dark side, although one person who did see it briefly told me his ego was hurt by a woman. Darth Vader’s reaction to this: he switched to the dark side,. This is a perfect metaphor for the anti-woman or life aspects I spoke about much earlier in respect of the nature of Satan and the psychological reality of the psyche, especially as it relates to anger. As an individual’s awareness increases, awareness of and being affected by the negative aspects of the psyche around us increases. By not becoming angry or reacting to this energy, one does not “become monsters while fighting monsters,” as Winston Churchill said it quite nicely. Darth Vader did; I am talking about his fight against the dark side and being repeatedly exposed to negative energies, not the fact he was insulted by a woman! Remember when Darth was fighting his son, Luke Skywalker. At one point in the movie scene Luke slipped and was on the edge of a structure barely hanging on with his hands (very symbolic). Darth tried to get Luke to express as much hate for him (Darth Vader) as possible. What Darth was trying to do was to couch his son into giving in to the dark side in the same way Darth had while combating the dark side early in his life. Each was a reflective aspect of the other: In a spiritual sense, Darth represented the old dying personality (the old wineskin, the old “goat”) and Luke represented the newly emerging integrated individual. To support this symbolic psychological interpretation, at the end of that episode, after Darth Vader had died a physical death, remember when there was a scene showing a pure white image of Darth waving to Luke. On the collective level this was symbolic of the perfection of the souls, regardless if it learned the lessons it was supposed to learn in their fleshly incarnation. On an individual level it was also a symbolic representation of the alchemical individuation process. As I said earlier about art: art is not fiction. It emanates from the psyche and is a creative way of describing those realities of the psyche in ways that can be intellectually and intelligibly understood. In considering the cyclical nature of “bad medicine,” this dynamic goes in more than one direction. One sometimes creates the false ego-self to attain (material) wealth, and immersion in (material) wealth maintains the false ego, each perpetuating the other. 306 Ditto, Pg. 127 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 268 Eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was evil (although evolutionarily necessary), because it created awareness of the “difference” between the two where evil and good were categorized as a result of raised awareness of the two apparent opposites. When energy is used, primarily in a psychic sense, to go against the negative energy, using the same type of energy, it strengthens the negative energy (Darth and Luke). This is why wise people discriminate between evil acts and the person who performs the act. The person is not evil or negative, only the energy behind the acts. Importantly, all considerations of right and wrong are born of ego, separation. In connection with the above, when people are told to “offer the other cheek” when someone strikes them, this is not a prescription for ignoring what has been done to them and allowing them to actually hit the other cheek. That is masochism. What is being said is not to react with the same type of energy that the person who hit you expressed. It most definitely does not mean to allow them to do it again. In this context, when negativity is allowed to grow and increase its prevalence and affect on people by not being aware of the above dynamics, then, “wrong acts” become a sin against the creator and the spirit in all things. 307 The immature egos’ development in understanding of the knowledge or information contained within the Tree of Knowledge, is scientifically seen as the linear habit of deduction, classification, and separation; the original source of bigotry? Before eating the fruit and becoming “aware” of right and wrong, only the flowing Holy Spirit in all things could be perceived, and it was good, exactly as stated in the Biblical story of Genesis. 308 It wasn’t necessary for the fig leaf until some sort of classification or separation from the absolute whole took place. As soon as people began to classify right from wrong it created splits within people, leading to the creation of bigotry, and thus increased levels of negativity. As soon as classifications such as this were made, in the example of evil, the very classification itself produced a psychic environment to increase the power of negative energy. Remaining neutral or accepting in a tolerant way, not the energetic act or energy but accepting the person, not only strips negativity of energy (or reclaims it) it also allows people to see the same realities within themselves in a tolerant way. This provides a basis from where one can transform these realities into creative avenues. Although children are at an emergent level of development, they are spontaneous and the concept or reality of evil does not exist for them. If allowed to grow naturally, without classifications of this nature, it only makes sense they will develop in healthy ways that are beneficial to life and themselves, and therefore others, not harmful. It is not until they are conditioned to make these classifications, that is, until ego and separation is initiated that masks or personas are required. It is this very attitude, innocence and spontaneity, that adults must cultivate in order to regain this lost paradise, only this time as conscious adults.309 So, for starters, to break the will of a child can be viewed, in this context, as the first inroads by the “adversary” in killing and mute-ilating children’s sacred and whole selves, their whole psyches, including their souls. The Earth shattering thing is that in fact their inner Kingdom’s are being shattered: the very gift of the Creator! This is being done by the “wolves in sheep’s clothing” we read about in the Bible. It is these wolves in sheep’s clothing, on the collective level, and thereby through the individual, that we encounter the beast of revelations. Back then they didn’t know about machines like we do today. In the Book of Revelations, John’s vision utilized images he understood and could interpret. The vision didn’t refer to a machine – like existence; that would have been meaningless to the dreamer at that time. It described an environment, psychic and material, controlled by a beast. In fact, it is still an accurate vision because we have come to be ruled by the beast; by our lower, reptilian, limbic parts of our psyches. Our shadow and super ego contaminated ids; our primitive beastly natures pretty well run the show today. But we’ve become adept at projecting it elsewhere by using others as scapegoats. As I said, the paradoxical problem is that the beast eventually starts chewing on 307 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 127 308 Ditto 309 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 79 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 269 itself for nourishment. In fact, it is quite apparent this has already started to happen. All we have to do is look at world society and the environment; we know that can’t continue on forever. Once we confront these aspects of our selves, accept and civilize them, the law that was necessary for this unseen shadow in the first place, will no longer be necessary. 310 This awareness can also be interpreted as repentance. The Greek meaning of the word, repent, means to turn about. In other words, to reverse and civilize what has become uncivilized. Once we take off the mask, accept what our egocentricity induced paranoia classifies as “wrong” or “good,” we can bring the darkness to light. We can transform what we classify as “evil” from the inner adversary to become a partner in life, and a very energetic one at that. 311 When self-righteous hypocrites, through the various avenues and organizations mentioned earlier attack, through projection onto other people who present some of the aspects they repress in themselves, they quite literally are in fact attacking themselves, as well as victimizing others for relief of their own ego consciousness. Thus, Hyde not only attacks others ruthlessly, but himself as well. In a spiritual, psychological and practical sense, and this I mentioned several times throughout this work, the more this inner “adversary” is kept in the dark, the more we create oppositions, unconsciously, to force us to recognize and embrace what we deny within ourselves and others. 312 Think how this statement, made by a member of the clergy and a psychotherapist, pertains to the symptoms of turrets and “schizophrenia” and other people who have become self-abusive. This also represents and mirrors very well the dream and interpretation of my dream that took place in the arena. In a great many ways, I also identify that arena with the coliseums that existed in the ancient corrupt Roman Empire. Therefore, ignorance of our own devils does not do away with this negative energy, nor can it be medicated away. When this happens, all we do is ignore reality and find these devils in other people, outside of ourselves. 313 By transforming what appears to be ugly because it has been shut up in a dark, airless jail, it becomes a boundless source of creativity and spontaneous enjoyment and appreciation for life. Here I am referring to the frog in the fairy tale that is turned into a useful part of the person’s psychological make up once the ugly aspects it presents to us are accepted as being a part of our whole self. Once enlightened, or simply by becoming aware of it; once it is uncovered through acceptance, enlightening it, inner strength and knowledge become manifest. In a sense, the Original Sin, in wanting to separate things, was done by the Creator, then humankind, who is made in Creator’s image. Reflections upon reflections, waves of life, culminating in conscious spiritual awareness; awareness of unity as well as individuality: Wilber’s pyramid on the circle. This is evolution. A lot of the masters, adepts, and teachers have taught for hundreds of years that when we deny and shut out aspects of our selves in the manner I have been discussing, what we are doing are shutting out aspects of what is created in God’s image. In this sense “….we find ourselves also dealing with God.” 314 Recognizing this is recognizing the spirit, the creator in all things. The lower and the higher are all one. This illusion of separation is simply the different emanations and densities of creation. 315 Therefore, the recollection of the integral self, the withdrawal of 310 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 80 311 Ditto, Pg. 82 312 Ditto, Pg. 83 313 Ditto, Pg. 84 314 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 78 315 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 150 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 270 projections and the stopping of hypocrisy is the most important job we as human beings have to do in entering into and living harmoniously within the Kingdom of the Creator. This way, we give up the bondage in which we have wrapped our selves in favor of the Kingdom. 316 The only way people can be healed from the trauma perpetrated against them, is not in institutions, whether of religious, medical or societal, but rather in peaceful environments that encourage the recollection of the image of the creator, through the “joining of Heaven and Earth.”317 In this case Heaven refers to awareness and attention to the spiritual dimensions of life; the Earth principle is the sacredness of all the elements and the preciousness of the human body and everything manifest in the world. Heaven and earth can be joined by the human activities of ritual, attention to detail, and compassionate relationship. To my mind, this refers to sanctifying and being in the here and now of all activities. Virtually everything we do, say, and think has a deeper meaning when looked at not only as an individual but in connection with other people and all life on earth. The attention to detail refers to a radical aliveness, of awareness of the poetry in motion that the ritualization of even the simplest and apparently most trivial of actions and thoughts can have on both an individual and collective basis. A compassionate appreciation for relationships, especially with one’s body, extending outward, translates into a removal of the fig leaf and learning to respect all aspects of what it means to be alive on earth; to be human. It means to bring to light, out of the mire and mud. It means to civilize the primordial in all its power and glory. It means to refine with the shining sword of light the divinity that is meant to emerge from the species of animal called humankind, that was created in the image of the source of creation itself. To join Heaven and earth refers to a connection to wholeness. To appreciate the diversity that is found within humankind and all life is to appreciate the potential for all life forms, with an obvious emphasis on human beings, to become in turn creators. Not as gods but as God intended, through nature, not in spite of nature, all nature. Wherever and whenever purposeful ceremony, ritual, thought and action take place towards healing the individual psyche, this has a cumulative transformative ripple affect on the whole of the human collective psyche and therefore on all of Heaven and Earth. 318 The best local (for me) examples of this interplay of energies in an interdependent and transformative manner I can think of are native healing circles. However, this does not have to take place in a traditional native circle; all humans are already living within the circle of life. In the healing professions I truly believe it should involve a combination of individual and group therapy. This literally concretizes during the healing process an appreciation for both our individuality as well as our interdependence with others. Having an appreciation for the concept of joining Heaven and earth as I described above, then using it in any healing relationship may open up people to the environment outside of themselves. This can create spaces whereby they can let go of a preoccupation with the labels others place on them, such as some so – called mental illnesses. These spaces, that Podvoll speaks about allows people who are otherwise preoccupied to find enough liberation of mind that they can gain the energies required not only for creative purposes but for further exploration and movement into the higher realms of the psyche. Finding these open spaces are the healing purposes of ceremony within Native healing circles. They are geared towards opening up awareness and access to the higher realms of the psyche. In Native healing circles, these ceremonies allow a person to leave the preoccupation with, illness for example, in order to access these energies. These energies are shared within an interdependent circle of relations, guided by the wise ones of the group. Importantly, being aware of the interdependent nature and energies of the circle, these energies are mutually reciprocal 316 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 89 317 “Recovering Sanity”, Pg. 212 318 “Recovering Sanity”, Pg. 212 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 271 and therefore experienced within the whole group within the healing circle.319 Mindfulness and to attention to the dynamic process can greatly empower the healing process and invest the people involved with the mental and physical energy necessary for the work required. It opens up and reinforces the power of spirit. Spirit in this sense refers to highly focused psychic energy that goes beyond emotional, sensational and even intuitional elements. It represents a crystallization of a person or people’s center: this is where true intelligence and universal spirit is to be found. Using the process of mindfulness, during any intimate group experience or within any healing or spiritual environment for that matter, any judgments, that is, hypocritical condemnations, will rebound on the perpetrators, the hypocrites. Hypocrisy is different from evaluation because evaluation allows for the recognition of negative or unbalanced energies without judging or condemning the individual. 320 By not judging or condemning what you find within yourself will naturally prevent a person from projecting onto other people. This is different from the way we create and condemn scapegoats in society, like the Nazis did to the Jews and other groups, although it can be acknowledged that the Nazis carried the projections of the world madness on themselves, in an ever increasing spiral. This is how it spreads and grows; bigotry in every sense of the word. This is the main reason, with quite beautiful reasoning, that Jesus urges us to love our enemies. Regardless if one considers others to truly be reflections of ourselves or not, scapegoating and its affects is a psychological fact. Even if one does not accept that we contain within ourselves the whole of the human collective and therefore all psyches, in the case of hypocrisy, they are literally mirrored psychological aspects of ourselves because we make them so, by projecting! Christ doesn’t mean to say that we should let people walk all over us, quite the opposite. He’s talking about a person becoming an autonomous person and having control of their own lives by becoming tolerant with our selves and extending this outwards. As stated earlier, let us not become monsters when fighting both real and imaginary monsters. In the above sense, this openness or breathing space can be found when awareness is enabled, when the flow of negativity of thoughts is slowed down enough that a moment of nowness takes place. Then it becomes possible to find sanity. This applies to both healer and client. In other words, this would take the focus off pathology and instead look for health. It is these areas of sanity that should be nurtured. As is apparent everyone is composed of both negative and positive qualities, both insanity and sanity. Especially in the psychological healing profession, this recognition will enable a person to set their imbalances (mental) aside; discrimination without judgment. This is also of even greater importance within a spiritual community and how they relate to people outside that community. Focus can then be placed on what is healthy. Evaluation also recognizes when people’s imbalances cause harm to others. A person evaluates and communicates when others are being harmed, spiritually and thus psychically; obviously, this includes the physical as well. This can occur in medical practice, living situations, religious communities, and places of employment or socialization; anywhere that people congregate. However, I am focusing primarily on medical and spiritual communities. To not speak up and try to communicate these things is not only irresponsible; silence creates an atmosphere of collusion and creates unwitting accomplices. Judgment or hatred blinds a person or people to other human beings. This is also why Christ said, first and foremost, that you should love “God” with your whole self: God is the whole psyche, and therefore one learns to love themselves and other people. The second most important teaching of Christ is to love your neighbor as your self, for the same reasons. 321 Having said all of 319 Recovering Sanity”, Pg. 212 320 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 90 321 Ditto, Pg. 94 The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 272 this, I will again say that there are aspects of negative, even evil parts of the psyche that are perhaps beyond salvage, such as hate. However, by bringing everything to light, the unsalvageable can be done away with because the healthy and beneficial will be liberated and raised. Focus can be placed on what is healthy. Psychologically, this commandment makes perfect sense: it is telling people to learn to love others by first learning to love themselves. Once the categories of good and bad are let go of, we can focus on what is healthy. Religion can learn an important lesson from this. Medicine that tends to focus on pathology rather than health can equally learn an important lesson. 322 In other words, we have to increase the focus on preventative medicine, the good, rather than pathology; focusing on spirit, body, and mind. I find it profoundly important that when people become “naked” in the sense of not covering up their true selves and natures, as Noah did after the flood, this nakedness embarrasses others. The flood was a flood of awareness. The reason for this is so important because this exposure exposes the hypocrites and hatred other people have within them selves. 323 Noah was advocating a return to the Garden of Eden, within consciousness; the transition to a higher level while retaining the foundations. The response of his son showed a conditioned fear that prevented his son at that time to see his father in a real light. Instead he was using a fig leave to hide in the sense of not recognizing the whole psychic reality of humankind. This is also why Christ angered the Pharisees. It also explains why, in today’s society, when people speak up about oppression, of any sort, some people, the perpetrators or accessories, become angry. As I said earlier in this book and I am certainly not alone in saying this, when people become angry, whether over direct or indirect accusations or even simply by being exposed to that possibility or similar circumstances it is possibly exposing their “guilt” or collusion in creating or condoning oppression. The repeated admonition of Christ, to be perfect just like God, is a constant teaching and instruction of his. It is telling people to reconnect and recollect their whole psyche. 324 Yang has to be balanced with Yin, left with right, up with down, Heaven with Earth. The two together create a complementary state of dynamic movement and oscillating balance; not stagnant and dead-like but totally alive. It has nothing to do with perfectionism. In a parallel way, this is why a circle is considered a geometric and symbolic example of perfection. When Christ says to “be cunning as serpents and harmless as doves”, he is referring to the energy and creative power that being whole will bring. The combination of serpents and doves is a perfect description of someone who has awakened their ability to connect with awakened Earth, including the civilized primal, and Cosmic energy. This is their Kundalini, the Chi of Oriental martial arts; most spiritual and cultural groups have their own semantics to describe the same thing. Since this is only possible through self-acceptance of all aspects of oneself, with aware consciousness, this will naturally transform into respect and love for others, in a mutually reinforcing and increasingly energetic way, because it is inclusive not exclusive. In referring to the biblical parable of the crafty steward and the woman who was a sinner, 325 from my perspective, the masculine aspect , the “crafty steward” refers to the left, logical, spiritual and thus consciousness producing side of the brain out of which this aspect of the psyche is manifested. The feminine aspect refers to the deeper, perhaps more hidden aspects of the psyche, the Soul. In this case, Christ is using the word “sinner” to indicate aspects of the psych; 322 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 151 323 “Beyond The Lodge of The Sun”, Pg. 151 324 “The Kingdom Within”, Pg. 95 325 Ditto The Universe: Wholeness Produces Superb Psychologists Mitchell- 273 Christ spoke in metaphors to describe the psyche. The patriarchal characteristics of Roman society at that time literalized this psychic reality. It does not mean he agreed with the popular use and semantic meaning of the term; quite the opposite. He is saying to accept and combine both aspects of the psyche to make it whole. Importantly, the characters in the bible refer to masculine and feminine aspects of the psyche, the whole person. The nature of Jesus’ parables and basic way of teaching and speaking was to use mundane, physical examples to teach psychological and spiritual reality, and so much more, in the same way that children can only learn psychological reality by using physical representations. He used real life situations and aspects to describe various levels of reality, from the physical up through the various levels of awareness, spirit: consciousness. Christ’s method of teaching was consciously understood differently for different people. For example, his close disciples obviously would be able to attain a greater insight into his teachings than the masses would. But everyone who truly listened and understood would at least at some level be affected by the truth he taught. Conclusion Mitchell- 274 Conclusion I will close with some of what I consider some rather original thinking of my own. What I have tried to do in this book is attempt to create a clear and concise psychological picture of how society, both the individuals within the collective as well as the collective human psyche appear in today’s world and the overall state of mind that exists. As I said at the beginning of this paper, I have not really said anything original. What I have done is to bring together many seemingly opposing views and perspectives and present an overall contextual picture. I have presented one that does not fragment and segregate aspects of psychological reality, in an attempt to expose the main sources of all bigotry that exist in this collective state of mind. Instead, I have greatly expanded on the conceptual capabilities of the human psyche. Of necessity, when looking at psychological and psychic realities, one of the first things to be done away with is that prime source of bigotry and persecution: superstition and one of its main by-products, fear and paranoia. In saying this I will also say there are two kinds of superstition. The first type attempts to take psychological reality, disown aspects of that reality, and project them elsewhere in the form of the Creator, the Devil, and so forth. In the process, these psychic realities are disowned and placed outside of the individual. The second type of superstition is one that fragments, stunts and reduces psychological reality to the false ego levels. It “shrinks” the psyche, like modern psychiatry does, and mechanizes people into controllable objects, to be used by the machine-like system that has come to dominate world society. The first type of superstition projects outside of the human psyche those aspects that appear to be anything beyond the capacities of the ego level of existence, and for the most part makes some realities of psychological capabilities appear magical or not of this world; of course, this type also disowns aspects of the psyche it, or rather, the ego does not like. The second type of superstition uses fragmented (Newtonian) scientific logic and reduction to devalue and reduce the human mind to a level of machine-like creatures who only operate on the level of the pleasure and stimulus and response principle, as developed by the concepts that B.F. Skinner initiated by using rats to push levers to get food: stimulus controlled machines. Both types of superstition discount and reduce the full capabilities of the human psyche, both individual and collective. What I have done, is present a psychological world view that places back into the hands of humanity a psychological reality that is an inheritance bequeathed by the creator of this universe. As I have been demonstrating throughout this work, the world wide repercussions of this collective repression and shrinking of psychological boundaries and realities has reached catastrophic levels, environmentally and psychologically. True Western psychology has placed into conceptual views the knowledge of repression, its causes and the consequences. The most important understanding of repression that true psychologies of the mind recognize is that much of it is caused by higher order levels of psychic operation, namely logic and the ability to conceptualize, left brained thinking; the false ego when separated from and in opposition to the greater psyche. By loosing touch with our foundations, the lower levels of psychic reality, the subsequent crumbling and fragmentation has been the cause of this world wide catastrophe. This repression has forced the lower, all encompassing and more powerful aspects of the human psyche underground, so to speak, where it has taken on a life of its own in the form of the Conclusion Mitchell- 275 shadow. This shadow, representing the wounded, mutilated and rage-filled aspect of the collective human psyche has taken over the systems controls of the world, to be manipulated by a few elite. This can only be healed by reuniting the split off lower levels with the small ego worldview that had dared to turn the powers of life into a psychotic shell. Western psychology, in respect of therapy has known this and developed the technology to heal this state of mind on a mass scale. What humankind has to do is take back the night and day by taking the systems controls of society out of the hands of the shadow, especially in relation to modern medicine. We have to place it back into the hands of individuals. We have to untie and unite ageless human wisdom as demonstrated in some alternative forms of medicine and psychology with the best of what modern medicine has to offer. We are talking about human empowerment. Let us take a new look at psychology and utilize true Western psychologies as was the case until the ego/superego/shadow and behavior therapy, dictated and controlled by drug therapy, ruled by the medical/pharmaceutical megalith took over. This can also be interpreted as expressions of lilith, leviathan and Kali, Satan et al temporarily turning the clock backwards. Flowing from the above in spiritual and psychological terms we can add to and expand upon all of this. As an individual’s consciousness becomes conscious on the collective level, what is encountered is the anger of the collective shadow, in extreme concentrations known as Satan or the Devil. Before I continue I would like to relate a dream I had several years ago while I was doing a lot of ritual work in Kundalini Yoga and the ceremonial arts related to the Judeo-Christian Cabala. I was doing a lot of meditating directly on the chakra centers and of course paying attention to most of the other various forms of Yoga. If I recall I believe there are 8: Kundalini Yoga is comprised of all of the various Yoga traditions all formed into one whole. After all, that is the nature of Yoga and it is the nature of the Cabala, the Tree of Life. This is also a developmental process described beautifully by Wilber’s systematic approach and development of his holarchical world view. In this dream I am sitting in a chair, meditating. For the very first time ever during my mediation sessions, during this particular session I was able to absolutely refrain from grasping onto virtually any thoughts, feelings or other mental and physical sensations that might have otherwise interrupted the clean room and breathing space I had found. Suddenly I became enveloped with a deep color of red, then orange, yellow, green mixed with yellow, then green mixed with blue, then blue, indigo and then I became bathed in the most brilliant clear and clean light I had ever experienced. What I had experienced was a travel process up the chakra system of the body, the various energy sectors of the body. As the movement up the body energetic system progressed, I experienced thoughts and emotions associated with each of the centers. During the whole process I experienced complete detachment from what I was experiencing. In fact I really cannot adequately put into words what I was feeling. When I reached the level of clear light I then felt, first, the front of my forehead. It seemed to bubble and boil, it grew outward and the front and top part of my head seemed to expand. I felt my eyebrows then the rest of my face change in the sense of growing older; to become much older than I actually was in real life. After this happened then I felt my whole body seem to bubble and boil then actually change its molecular structure into something I cannot describe. Then I just sat. There is no way I can actually describe what happened nor will I attempt to interpret it. At the end of the dream when I was simply sitting the only thought that I had was that I couldn’t tell anyone. For a long time after that when ever I told people aspects of that particular dream I always ended by saying I couldn’t tell them the ending, because to me it was a secret I Conclusion Mitchell- 276 wasn’t allowed to reveal, almost in a conspiratorial sense of keeping a secret. I realize today the real meaning of the thought that I couldn’t tell anyone was simply the fact that what I had experienced was simply beyond words to describe. In other words, soon after I had the dream, as with other dreams I have had at different times, at first I interpreted it in a material sense. I realize today it had nothing to do with keeping a secret, quite the opposite. Having said this I think it appropriate to return to obstacles a person will encounter on the road to healing and becoming whole. One of the first things a person encounters is fear, anger, jealousy, the shadow or Devil. In reference to anger, to the individual consciousness that encounters this, its collective concentration can be seen and seems to issue forth from individual psyches, but not from others. Individual psyches/souls can be angry, neutral, or supportive, usually unconsciously emanating these energies on the collective psyche. The only reason an individual can even sense and experience these dynamics is because we also contain these aspects of the collective psyche within our selves. Obviously, the psyches/souls that express anger or hate, usually souls at the immature levels of development, are those psyches/souls caught in the shadow or Devil’s net. People who “sell their souls to the devil” do not usually do this consciously on the temporal plane. It usually begins at a soul level; usually at an immature soul level of development. Those individual psyches/souls one encounters that are either neutral or supportive of the individual consciousness that touches them are developed and mature enough to recognize the natural communion of souls/psyches within individuality. These psyches/souls are not threatened with this conscious communion, with true love, free of aggression. The spiritual and metaphysical definition of love is unity. Even very few of these psyches/mature souls are conscious of this love on a material, egoist, and therefore, relatively speaking, superficial level. However, this reality expresses itself in other ways that are recognizable on the material level: primarily in an individual’s level of health. I find it very disturbing that in medieval times, people who were very healthy were sometimes persecuted for “having a pact with the devil.” Obviously, the persecutors were the ones that were guilty of this, were jealous and hypocritical in the extreme. The healthy people had a “pact” with the Creator and wholesome living. I’m not referring to physical “beauty” in the usual sense of the word I am referring to psychical and psychological health. Homeopathy, for example, recognizes the importance of a balanced interaction and interconnection of body, psyche/mind/soul, all connected by spirit. Thus the expression: mind, body and soul; which is a close analogy. Immature or mutilated and terrorized psyches are threatened by this communion or love of souls/psyches. Usually they are fighting to remain in a state of separation, and this is hate, hate that is maintained by the fear and control exerted by the shadow: Satan. These types of souls/psyches express themselves on the material level of existence with violence. This violence is expressed on a continuum: simple irritability, to bigotry: us vs. them, through to psychological/emotional and physical forms of violence. The extreme forms take the manifest form of obvious sadism. In the less extreme forms this is sadism and masochism of self; and the outer is a mirror of the inner and the inner is a reflection of the outer. In the more material and literal forms it becomes sadism and masochism physically expressed between discreet and separate human beings. Importantly, the more powerfully controlled by the shadow, the more violently that person will react. This might be in defense of or service to the shadow. Or reaction may be in its attempt to release itself or escape from the shadow, fighting to escape the death of Soul: this would result in the type of blind violence we see exploding around us with young people. Mutilated souls or psyches will be more wildly blind in a struggling kind of way. Look at world social reality today. Conclusion Mitchell- 277 The mature souls fighting against this control will be more conscious of this on a soul/psyche and ego level and will express less violence and will assert their love on the material plane in a more civilized manner. Paradoxically, the shadow controlled psyches/souls will feel and interpret God and nature’s natural tendency of “goodness” and pull of unity and communion as “Evil”. On a material/egoist level, shadow controlled or contaminated individuals, and therefore, souls, sometimes feel threatened by “good”, unconsciously and is usually expressed in the form of hypocrisy and bigotry within society. They will victimize people of differing levels of purity of spirit, are threatened by good or pure souls/psyches, only paying attention to the superficial material outer layer. In society, this materialism creates examples and cases of “blaming the victim”, creating scapegoats. It is the source of all bigotry. On the other hand, oppressed souls striving for Creator - given natural communion of souls, and therefore people, recognizes separateness as true evil. However, this is only common sense. True evil feels true good as evil just as true good souls and individuals striving for the light within consciousness feels and recognizes the shadow for what it is. It is only within consciousness darkness can become enlightened or overcome. On the lower levels of material consciousness this reality appears to be paradoxical. On a soul level, especially with the more mature levels, this becomes completely “logical”. Paradox only appears or exists on levels of relative unconsciousness, and this applies to immature, perhaps mutilated and therefore relatively unconscious psyche or soul levels. When mutilated, this continuum varies significantly, depending on how mutilated and subsequently shadow controlled the soul or psyche has become. That is, how controlled by “Satan” or the “Devil”, as most people think of it. Pure evil is known as Satan. The shadow is an expression of the collective psyche that is Satan-controlled or contaminated. However, I will qualify this by reminding the reader of my dream in the arena and the dark figure of Rob that I encountered. As I said then, although dark, paradoxically he also seemed to be the impetus that kept pushing me forward regardless of the frustrations he caused me. This is an example of the opposing position mentioned earlier. As a succinct explanation I would refer a person to the symbol of the Tao. In the dark half there is a small core of white at its center, as with the white side there is a small core of black at its center. Nothing is comprised, absolutely, of all good or all bad. In Christian terminology, Lucifer was at one time the Creator’s chosen representative on earth, fell, and became known as Satan. From a supremely psychological understanding and perspective, this is how Lucifer fell into narcissistic love and became contaminated. He never fell in love with himself, ego did: ego = id controlled ego, and a person’s id, by itself, is separated from the Creator because of its lower, primitive nature, especially its material nature. In other words, as Lucifer became immersed in the material plane, as he became unconscious in matter/mother, perhaps the first example of the Oedipal complex, and lost conscious connection from father = consciousness, ego or superego apparently took over, with shadow in control. The only way ego can become whole or rather, Holy is by reconnecting with consciousness, by becoming aware of it self. Paradoxically, this wholeness indeed requires the id. It is in this sense that true individuation is only possible by uniting the lower with the higher, Heaven with Earth. As Wilber illustrates with his idea of holarchy, if the lower levels are forgotten or discarded, that is, disconnected from the higher, the whole thing crumbles; and it is the lower that takes over. This is an example of Wilber’s pre-trans – trans fallacy. The lower thinks it is the higher when it is really the lower. Wholeness, or Holy, requires a psychological unity between the masculine and the feminine in consciousness, not unconscious enmeshment. So, ego, the false ego, and therefore shadow and the false superego can indeed become equated, in fact did become equated with Satan or the Devil. Whoever developed the first tarot Conclusion Mitchell- 278 cards intuitively recognized this. For example, in one tarot deck, the Rider/Waite deck, perhaps one of the most famous and well known decks in popular use, the card known as the Devil, #15, has an image of Satan with two human beings, a man and a woman chained to the throne that he is seated on. This dramatically illustrates how a person or people can become chained to the “Devil” by becoming materialistic and only ego centered. Materialism is the very definition of ungodliness because people became immersed in the darkness of the material world (womb), separated from the higher spiritual realms. If the shadow aspects of the psyche can be reunited with the personal and superego aspects of the collective into a higher personal and superego aspect of both, it is a factual statement that everyone contains the Christ within him or herself. In a very real sense Christ and Satan are siblings. However, Christ is the more mature of the two, because he connects both the lower nature of Earth with the higher realms of Heaven, and the result is the expression of the Christ through the individual man or woman. Therefore an individual has to clean up Satan’s act within them selves before they connect the two together and unite with the Christ center. The only reason I use the word “He” to denote the Christ is because of the predominance of the presence of masculine consciousness. It has nothing to do with gender. That is why it is necessary, just as it had been for Jesus, to unite with and help clean up the act of his sibling, Satan, using a very large garbage can, and the two unite to become the Christ. That is how Christ had to overcome Satan. This was only possible because of the great love that Jesus embodied. Unlike two young eaglets in nature, where one of them necessarily or normally literally fights to the death during a struggle with each other, in a spiritual sense, when Christ defeated Satan, what he really did was to unite with him/her in love. By combining the low, Satan/darkness, with the high in Christ/light, healing separation with love, the result was wholeness. What Jesus did, in fact, was to restore Lucifer to his former glory as the emissary of the Creator. What can be referred to a Christ. Both of these aspects were within him and he was only able to do it on his own; in the desert. To qualify this truth, as I did above, within Satan, there are certain qualities that are not redeemable. However, by shedding light on the darker aspects, the healthy can be returned to a place of creative and divine productivity and strength. The unredeemable can be done away with. This is called evolution and the civilizing of man in God’s image. So it is a very true spiritual statement to say a person cannot truly see the light until they have been through the darkness, “The Dark Night of The Soul”, crossing the great abyss, leviathan. People have to get to the end of the tunnel before they can enter into the light. Similar to two thousand years ago, some people are more gifted than others. Some are gifted enough to understand and see the deeper and higher levels such that they become disciples. Other people can still learn the message at different levels of understanding. That is why Christ had intimate communications and communion with his disciples and had the Gospels and The Lord’s Prayer for most of the others, the masses. Different levels for different people. However, virtually everyone has the potential to achieve perfect light. What people have to change is the way Western psychology has pathologized those aspects of the human psyche it does not understand. They have committed (certified) this mutilation of the human psyche through the use of diagnosis and the results are huge profits for materialism and profits for an elite few who control a shadow saturated human collective. I remember writing down one time a thought that had occurred to me. If Christ was to appear in the world today, they, society – especially the medical – pharmaceutical megalith - would lock him or her up, whether literally or through stigmatizing. Notice the similarity between this word, stigmatizing and stigmata – it speaks volumes. They would label the person as mentally ill until he or her; whatever fleshly vessel appeared manifesting the Christ, began spreading the Christ message to everyone. This would be an example, although an extreme one, of how modern Conclusion Mitchell- 279 medicine has declared war on mysticism; what has historically been one of humankind’s most important goals since the beginning of civilization. A true manifestation of the second coming of Christ, for example, would only be able to be made manifest by a true demonstration of mysticism and true mystical powers. However, I do not believe the second coming has anything to do with the Christ manifesting from within an individual. I believe the second coming refers to a collective manifestation through a transformation in consciousness, to a much higher and conscious level. What I just mentioned about people being locked up refers to the initial manifestations of this raised consciousness that would necessarily have to begin within individuals before it exploded in a quantum jump to include the whole collective. In fact, I have a very strong feeling this is and has already been happening for quite awhile. If Christ appeared in the world today, this incarnation of “God” would manifest what the Eastern Chakra system refers to as the subtle realms and beyond. At first, this would be beyond most people’s ability to understand, if the attempt to put it into words was made. The writings of enlightened Saints and Sages throughout history have already demonstrated this very clearly. Transpersonal psychology makes some attempt to make allowances for these potentials and recognize them in people. Ken Wilber has done the most thorough job at intellectually presenting that which cannot adequately be put into words better than virtually anyone I have ever studied or spoken with. As I described in the above on the shadow, the lower levels, obviously, would make some attempt to prevent the development in people towards the direction of these higher realms. In addition to aiding the shadow, prevention of the manifestation of these higher realms in people, by pathologizing transcendence, also creates an environment conducive to the pathologically created market for profits and other forms of materialism and hate in its most destructive form. Anyway, as I wrote elsewhere, instead of promoting the Hippocratic Oath and the healing of souls and their vessels, what this subsequently promotes is the hypocritical oath and the mutilation and attempted murder of souls and their vessels for profit. It also creates an atmosphere that creates intolerance and bigotry. One time, while working with immigrants from other parts of the world, I met an Egyptian who was on the sacred path. His approach to spirituality was eclectic and unorthodox. It was appalling the things he told me about the way he had been treated because of his mystical pursuits since coming to Canada, in this case, Halifax Nova Scotia. I also spoke to some people who worked in a facility where he was able to obtain inexpensive living accommodations. I truly was amazed at the disrespect that these people showed towards this man. Interestingly, the only person I communicated with who spoke very highly of this individual and his spiritual pursuits, was a member of a Christian denomination that is rather unorthodox and treated by most mainstream denominations with derision. Even though this Egyptian’s spiritual pursuits and the way in which he sought them differed dramatically from his own he respected and was able to intelligently, from a spiritual perspective, see their mutuality. In relation to the above, I believe this is a good place to mention a friendship I had developed some years ago. I remember a man I used to associate with who had been studying to join in the priesthood but who had to leave because of physical medical problems. He had a disease that drastically affected his ability to walk and he had to withdraw from an interdenominational school of theology, which I attended for a short time, and the idea of becoming a Priest, because of pain and difficulty he had in trying to walk. Nonetheless, on one occasion we had a very profound discussion on religion. Of course, we had many discussions on Christianity and the Christian message. This conversation was in reference to the ethics, morals, and practical aspects of proselytizing one’s chosen religion. I remember him telling me one time about a documentary he had seen. He suggested I watch it. It was about some natives, in another part of the world who, when the missionary's arrived and taught them their interpretation of the Christian message, whole heartily embraced Christ's message. Conclusion Mitchell- 280 The sad fact of this however, as this devout Roman Catholic directed me to see for myself, was that in the area of the world these people lived, although quite beautiful even though it was only one interpretation of Christianity, the Christian message did not spiritually accommodate them in a life enhancing, practical sense. In this instance, neighboring tribes attacked them. They were learning to literally “turn the other cheek” and when they were attacked, they were massacred them down to the last person. The priests who had taught them this taught a literal interpretation of the Bible. Of note, the neighboring tribes that attacked the village were in the habit of performing human torture and sacrifice. First they would torture people in the most extreme forms while trying to keep them on the edge of life as long as possible so that they could endure as much as possible. Then, they usually burned them at the stake. The priests and other few people who had converted this tribe came from the same country of origin as the attacking tribe. The tribe that attacked these, peace loving group of people, were the Spanish conquistadors. This devout Christian lectured me about proselytizing. Even though he was a devout Roman Catholic, he realized that you don’t force anything like spirituality on people. In the part of the world and culture these people had lived in, this message, although spiritually true and beautiful if correctly interpreted, did not serve them in the way it was meant to. I have also met people from other spiritual traditions who felt the same way about proselytizing. Usually, it all boils down to intolerance and bigotry. Speaking as a Christian; a Christian who recognizes and honors whatever healthy and life enhancing spiritual path one chooses, if Christ appeared today in an individual, I don’t think he or she would be very impressed with what has been happening in today’s world. However, in manifesting the Christ, I don’t think Christ would manifest anger. That would be food for the Devil. I think instead, Christ would even things out by balancing them. In other words, I think Christ would make the devil accountable for the damage done to humankind. How would this evening out or making the “Devil” accountable be possible? I actually think there is one movie I have seen that, in a spiritual and psychological sense, explains how this is possible. I would also like to relate a story that someone I grew up with in the same place I was born and lived told me, only several months ago. This man is a few years older than my self and I know him primarily because of the friendship I had with his younger brothers. This man told me that for quite a few years he wholeheartedly attended first Sunday school and then church. This stopped when something happened that changed his life. One night many high ranking people within the government and associated people were having a party. The liquor was flowing heavily and at one point a young teenager staggered, drunk, in front of the house where the party was being held, on his way home. There were some drunken partiers on the front porch. They saw this young person staggering by. They went out and met this young person and were soon joined by several others from inside the house when they saw what was going on. These adults beat this young person so badly he ended up at the emergency ward at the local hospital. What they then did was pay the parents of this boy a substantial amount of money to keep it quiet; so much for parental protection. They were never able to keep it quiet; they were only able to buy the parents so that they would not prosecute on the boy’s behalf. In any event, as it so happened, almost all of these politicians, government people and business people attended the same church as this young person did, and the person who was telling me of this experience. He never went to that or any other church ever again although he maintained the high standards of an upstanding citizen who lived by all of the ethics and morals that our community churches are supposed to teach us. This story contains within it many of the elements I have been describing throughout this work. I will talk about this movie, but now I will lead up to it by again speaking about a book I once read, many years ago. I can’t recall the Author or the name of the book, although I have mentioned it before in this work. The author was a psychologist and lecturer who spoke about the Conclusion Mitchell- 281 various stages and levels of psychological growth. I’m thinking of the reference she made about emotions and how to redirect or subdue their negative effects. She mentioned a lecture she was giving on one occasion. In the audience, someone stood up and was reacting with anger to something she was saying. She was able to subdue this person’s anger by not allowing herself to become embroiled in it with either debate or argument, similar to the effect remaining neutral can have in similar situations. This is even demonstrable at the molecular level where the only particles that can enter into the nucleus of an atom is a neutron. In this case, she did the same thing. I believe this is why Buddhist art quite often portrays a laughing Buddha. In the context of Christianity and Christ’s message, the way to make the devil or shadow accountable, would be by deflecting back to the source of anger and hate, the negative energy it sends out. In other words, by responding to anger and hate with laughter and love, the person or source sending out the negative energy cannot feed off the healthy positive energy of other people. It necessarily has to bounce back from where it came from if there is no receptacle to contain and increase it. Positive energy can only be stolen when the target or victim exchanges it for the negative energy that is retained when a negative response is elicited; like attracts like. After Christ “defeated Satan”, (Jesus was beyond the point of going into temples and trashing the tables of people who had set up shop in God’s house) he responded to hate with love. What happened then? It bounced back to them. That’s why the Pharisees got so angry, and why the Romans were so terrified of the power of his message they crucified him, in the same method that was only reserved for enemies of the state. In the “Book of Revelations”, the writer(s) speak about the same dynamics in response to the second coming of Christ. The vivid image the effect of this deflection has on those people stamped with the “mark of the Beast”, is “the gnashing of teeth”. This vividly describes an image of people receiving back the negative energy they attempt to send out to other people. They usually do not feel or are not aware of what these energies feel like because much of this projection is unconscious. However, if there is no food for the “Devil”, it ends up feeding on itself. These dynamics are powerfully described in the movie “The Firth Element”. In this movie, using violence to try to destroy an approaching menace to the Earth only made it stronger. To preserve the Earth, a “fifth element” was sent to Earth by highly advanced extra-terrestrials and lovers of peace that wanted to save the earth. Their involvement dated far back into the Earth’s history. The fifth element was a creature that took on a female human form, whose DNA structure, according to the scientists in the story, was perfect. In other words, this being was neither Good nor evil. She contained all potential within her structure. This perfection represented perfect unity and therefore, perfect love, however, because of her integration with the culture and history of the earth in a short period of time, she learned, was conditioned to express anger and to use this anger to fight against hate in a short length of time. What is interesting is that in the movie as she grew and became acquainted with life on Earth she went through a process of experiencing the same thoughts and emotions in a vastly speeded up progressive process that mirrored a movement up the chakra system. A movement of growth beginning at the lower levels of psychic growth up through to the highest levels but was beginning to regress in the same way I have been describing in this book. Of utmost importance, it was while she was in a state of complete neutrality (she was unconscious because of the merciless onslaught of the evil that was trying to kill the Earth, while both the Earthlings and the invaders were trying to murder her, the most advanced creature on Earth) that, combined with the other four elements that make up, in metaphysical terms, the complete spectrum necessary for life, the approaching menace to Earth was defeated. Conclusion Mitchell- 282 Therefore, this evil was not defeated by her hate, nor was it defeated by her love of the sentimental kind. It was only possible while she was in a state of complete neutrality, receptivity, when she was unconscious. What was required was the love of a man who had become very cynical. He had been, in the past, a deadly effective military person. However, ultimately he was a protector. In a sense, the unfolding dynamics represented unity and transformation of the dark man. From my perspective it represented Rob of the dream I described above; a Rob who had cleaned up his act. He provided the necessary (masculine) impetus or energy necessary to actually finish the destruction of evil. Combined with the four and then fifth element, once he was able to express his love for this person, that she had ignited in him, their combined love was able to destroy the oncoming menace. Importantly, her unconscious state also mirrors the unconscious, mute-lated and verbally mute energies on the collective level today that are beginning to manifest throughout the world and society. Paradoxically, her neutral state also represented the tamed lower levels of the psyche; she is also a metaphor for the perfection of life, of wholeness, the perfect circle. It required actively loving and living masculine energy combined with receptive and nurturing feminine energy to ignite the antidote to evil. In a psychological sense, not biological, the two of them together comprise a whole. Remember, this has nothing to do with gender. In reference to gender stereotyping, when this psychological reality is taken and applied literally with discrete human beings, we end up with less than a half of a whole human being, Before the above development took place, the nuclear bombs that had been fired on the approaching menace had only made it stronger. But this love, a true example of perfection, the menace could not withstand and was destroyed. It sent out only the power of love, connected by the energies of Heaven and Earth. The fact that in the movie she expressed Soul and he expressed Heaven – could just easily have been the other way around in a gender sense. In this movie he represented the mute-lated and somewhat mute, raped and contorted aspects of Heaven on Earth. She represented the mute-lated and raped and contorted aspects of the Earth Soul. I suppose for the purpose of a movie audience who are more visual (material), in an evolutionary sense, a literal presentation of gender was necessary to get the point across, similar to he same requirement for young children learning the nature of masculine and feminine energies they have to balance within themselves. In other words, the high unified with the low; the low, Earth bound energies unified, tamed and contained within the high, in unity, in love. Both characters in the movie could have represented a whole psyche in the end. In different forms and using different imagery, the same dynamics are described in the movies “Star Wars” and the book, “Lord of the Rings”. I had the good fortune of speaking and learning from a psychologist, a Dr. Paul Freeman, whose cognitive behavioral approach in his practice of psychotherapy developed the same type of dynamics in his approach to assisting a person in healing their psyche. By assisting a person to develop this ability to counteract negativity, a person would then have a balanced and healthy enough psyche to stand firmly on. This could then be used to transcend the purely materialistic and shadow contaminated lower levels of the psyche, individually and collectively. In simple terms, a person does not allow other people to “Push their buttons”. Pushing buttons is what happens in co-dependent or addictive relationships, as an example. That is also how nuclear weapons are detonated (a key is turned actually). All of the above dynamics describe the method, in terms a human can understand, based on a commonsense, spiritual and scientific approach, of how I would visualize a second coming of Christ as making the “Devil” accountable. Within an individual, this is how a person would defeat the shadow or “Satan” within. Not by actually defeating with violence, and causing further repression and negativity, but rather, by entering the kingdom that occurs when the ego is shocked to awakening by bringing to light the repressed shadow; to replace the darkness with light. Think of what it is like when you spend a long time in a dark or dimly lit place, and then walk outside into a brightly lit day. At first people are blinded by the light and have to shield their eyes. Conclusion Mitchell- 283 By accepting the shadow within love, counteracting its negativity by shedding light on it, and then using its usually lower level libidinal energy for constructive instead of destructive purposes, a person becomes whole: perfect in the sense of unity, love. The world cannot he healed or made safe with the use of nuclear weapons, jet fighters or the infantry and navy. However, a nuclear love bomb might work. Appendix Mitchell- 284 Appendix Of Note: Every one of the dynamics listed and described below are present throughout society, especially considering the usually unconscious dynamics most people do not think about. The cult we have just finished studying in this book is the cult of materialism. Social Psychology and Social Dynamics Studies have shown that today’s cults use a stronger form of control than those of 50 years ago. The advent of new psychological experiments in the 60,s and 70,s have produced the modern methods of mind control which are far more sophisticated than the BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES and THOUGHT REFORM developed by the Chinese. To understand mind control you need a basic understanding of BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES. “What is “Behavior modification” Simply described, it is "reward or punishment for actions" association. It was used on you as a child whenever you were being commended or otherwise for your behavior. Taking away a privilege is usually a sure-fire method to persuading a child to change its behavior when that child is old enough to under-stand the process. Praising a child for doing good is another method of changing behavior, especially in the child who is anxious to please. The rod of education applied to the seat of learning is another method of bringing about a desired behavior change. When behavior modification techniques such as these are applied in a loving, caring and consistent way, the child changes their behavior without holding feelings of resentment. However, if these techniques are perverted in any way, damage is done to the child's psyche, their emotions. e.g. the abused child syndrome. Cults use a sophisticated and perverted form of behavior modification which damages an individual’s emotions. COGNITIVE DISSONANCE Leon Festinger is a psychologist who studied groups that predicted the end of the world. He found that most members became stronger than ever when the prophecy failed. His investigation revealed that members had to find a way to cope psychologically with the failure. They needed to maintain order and meaning in their life. They needed to think they were acting according to their self-image and values. Festinger described this contradiction which they had to overcome as what has become known as the "COGNITIVE DISSONANCE THEORY." The three components he described are: “CONTROL OF BEHAVIOR,CONTROL OF THOUGHTS”,CONTROL OF EMOTIONS” Each component has a powerful effect on the other two: CHANGE ONE AND THE OTHERS WILL TEND TO FOLLOW. When all three change the individual undergoes a complete change. Festinger summarized the basic principle: "If you change a person's behavior, his thoughts and feelings will change to minimize the dissonance." When there is a conflict between thoughts, feelings or behavior, then those in conflict will change to minimize the contradiction. This is because a person can only tolerate a certain amount of discrepancy between these components which make up his identity. In cults this dissonance is created to exploit and control them. Steven Hassan, author of Combating Cult Mind Control, added a fourth component to Festinger's:- "CONTROL OF INFORMATION" By controlling the information one receives you can Appendix Mitchell- 285 control and restrict the individual's ability to think for himself. You limit what he is able to think about. BEHAVIOUR CONTROL - The control of an individual's physical reality. This can include control of where he lives, what he eats, his clothing, sleep, job, rituals etc. This is why most cults have a stringent schedule for members. There is always something to do in destructive cults. Each cult has its own distinctive set of behaviors that bind it together. This control is so powerful that the cult member will actually participate in their own punishment and come to believe he actually deserves it! No one can command a person's thoughts but IF YOU CAN CONTROL BEHAVIOUR THEN HEARTS AND MINDS WILL FOLLOW. THOUGHT CONTROL - The control of an individual's thought processes. The indoctrination of members so thoroughly that they will manipulate their own thought processes. The ideology is internalized as "the truth". Incoming information is filtered through the beliefs which also regulate how this information is thought about. The cult has its own language which further regulates how a person thinks. This puts a great barrier between cult members and outsiders. Another form of control is "thought stopping" techniques. This can take many forms: chanting, meditating, singing, humming, tongues (some even pay money to learn it), concentrated praying, etc. The use of these techniques short-circuits the persons' ability to test reality. The person can only think positive thoughts about the group. If there is a problem the member assumes responsibility and works harder. EMOTIONAL CONTROL - The control of the individual’s emotional life. This manipulates a person's range of feelings. Guilt and fear are used to keep control. Cult members cannot see the control by guilt and like other abuse victims are conditioned to blame themselves when things are wrong, even grateful when a leader points out their transgressions. Fear is used to manipulate two ways. The first is to create an outside enemy (we vs them) who is persecuting you. The second is the fear of punishment by the leaders if you are not "good enough." Being "good enough" is following the ideology perfectly. The most powerful emotional control is phobia indoctrination. This can give the person a panic reaction at the very thought of leaving the group. It is almost impossible to conceive that there is any life outside the group. There is no physical gun held to their heads but the psychological gun is just as if not more powerful. INFORMATION CONTROL - The control of the individual’s information sources. Deny a person the information needed to make a sound judgment and he will be incapable of doing so. People are trapped in cults because they are denied both the access to the critical information they need to assess their situation. The psychological chains on their minds are just as powerful as if they were locked away physically from society. So strong is this psychological process they also lack the properly functioning internal mechanism to process any critical information placed in front of them. THE EIGHT MARKS OF MIND CONTROL TOTALISM - ALL OR NOTHING - Mind Control is a PROCESS of eradicating former beliefs and instituting new beliefs in their place through the use of COERCIVE persuasion. It is a PROCESS which is designed to break a person's independence and individuality and replace it with the ideology clone. The Chinese called this process "thought reform" which was poorly translated into English as "brain-washing". BRAIN-WASHING - Brain-washing is now considered to be a different process to thought reform or mind control. In brain-washing the victim knows who the enemy is. An example is American Patty Hearst who was kidnapped by a terrorist group. Through physical abuse she finally became a member of the group and took part in terrorist activities and bank robberies. Appendix Mitchell- 286 THOUGHT CONTROL - Thought control is more subtle. The victim doesn't know who is the enemy because the enemy seems like their best friend who only has their best interests at heart. Cults practice a more refined form of thought control than that used by the Chinese. Leading psychologist, Dr Margaret Singer, said cults do it better than the Chinese because it is easier to get people to do what you want through manipulating them with guilt and anxiety. During this process the prospective recruit is re-educated and will abandon the precepts he has learnt from life for the "truth" or "enlightenment" offered by the group. In some cults this is done over a long period of time. Other cults can bring about this change within 48 hours. Whichever way the process takes place the results are the same. The individual has undergone a total change in personality and is often unrecognizable by their family. (Paul Mitchell – unless it is being done by the family) The process of thought control has been documented by Robert J Clifton who researched what happened to the American prisoners of the Communist Chinese. He labeled the steps which have become the standard by which to judge whether a group is using "brainwashing" or "thought reform" on it's recruits. Robert J Clifton's research showed that "These criteria consist of eight psychological themes which are predominant within the social field of the thought reform milieu. Each has a totalistic quality; each depends upon an equally absolute philosophical assumption; and each mobilizes certain individual emotional tendencies, mostly of a polarizing nature. Psychological theme, philosophical rationale, and polarized individual tendencies are interdependent; they require, rather than directly cause, each other. In combination they create an atmosphere which may temporarily energize or exhilarate, but which at the same time poses the gravest of human threats." (Thought Reform & the Psychology of Totalism p 420) The eight marks noted by Clifton are: 1. MILIEU CONTROL - Control of the Environment and Communication The control of human communication is the most basic feature of the thought reform environment. This is the control of what the individual sees, hears, reads, writes, experiences and expresses. It goes even further than that, and controls the individual’s communication with himself - his own thoughts. Everything other than their beliefs is excluded. The organization appears to be omniscient. They seem to know everything that is going on. Reality is their exclusive possession. In this environment the individual is deprived of the combination of external information and internal reflection required to test reality and to maintain a measure of identity separate from his environment. The individual can feel victimized by his controllers and feel the hostility of suffocation - the resentful awareness that his striving toward new information, independent judgment and self-expression are being thwarted. 2. MYSTICAL MANIPULATION - The Mystique of the Organization This seeks to provoke specific patterns of behavior and emotion in such a way that these will appear to have arisen spontaneously from within the environment. For the manipulated person this assumes a nearmystical quality. This is not just a power trip by the manipulators. They have a sense of "higher purpose" and see themselves as being the "keepers of the truth." By becoming the instruments of their own mystique, they create a mystical aura around the manipulating institution - the Party, the Government, the Organization, etc. They are the chosen agents to carry out this mystical imperative. The pursuit of this mystical imperative supersedes all considerations of decency of immediate human welfare. The end justifies the means. You can lie, deceive or whatever to those outside the organization. Association with the "outside" is only to benefit their own cause in some way. Some cults like Moonies and Hare Krishna's call their deception "heavenly deception" or "transcendental trickery". Members believe in the ideology to such a degree that they rationalize Appendix Mitchell- 287 these deceptions. Members are kept in a frenzy of cult related activities. There is little time or energy to think about their lifestyle. "The psychology of the pawn" - This person feels unable to escape from forces he sees more powerful than himself. His way of dealing with this is to adapt to them. He learns how to anticipate problems with the organization and to manipulate events to avoid incriminating himself. This is the person who has been in the organization long enough, knows something is wrong, is on the verge of leaving then suddenly becomes very loyal. They sell out to the organization and will turn in friends who may have confided in them. 3. DEMAND FOR PURITY - Everything is black & white Pure and impure is defined by the ideology of the organization. Only those ideas, feelings and actions consistent with the ideology and policy are good. The individual conscience is not reliable. The philosophical assumption is that absolute purity is attainable and that anything done in the name of this purity is moral. By defining and manipulating the criteria of purity and conducting an all-out war on impurity (dissension especially) the organization creates a narrow world of guilt and shame. This is perpetuated by an ethos of continuous reform, the demand that one strive permanently and painfully for something which not only does not exist but is alien to the human condition. Under these conditions the individual expects humiliation, ostracism and punishment because of his inability to live up to the criteria and lives in a constant state of guilt and shame. Since the organization is the ultimate judge of good and evil, this guilt and shame is used to manipulate and control members. The organization becomes an authority without limit in the eyes of members and their power is nowhere more evident that in their capacity to "forgive". All impurities are seen to originate from "outside" (the world). Therefore, one of the best ways to relieve himself of the burden of guilt is to denounce these with great hostility. The more guilty he feels, the greater his hatred, the more hostile is his denouncement. Organizationally this eventually leads to purges of heretics, mass hatred and religious holy wars. The group will point to the mistakes of all other belief systems while promoting their own purity. This gives the impression that their organization is perfect, clean and pure as a people or group. 4. CULT OF CONFESSION - Reporting to leadership This is closely related to the demand for purity. Confession is carried beyond the ordinary religious, legal and therapeutic expressions to the point of becoming a cult in itself. In totalist hands, confession becomes a means of exploiting, rather than offering solace for these vulnerabilities. Totalist confession is an act of self-surrender, the expression of the merging of the individual and environment. There is a dissolution of self, talents and money. Conformity. The cult of confession has effects quite the reverse of its ideal of total exposure; rather than eliminating personal secrets, it increases and intensifies them. The individual becomes caught up in continuous conflict over which secrets to preserve and which to surrender, over ways to reveal ways lesser secrets can be revealed and ways to protect more important ones. The cult of confession makes it virtually impossible to attain reasonable balance between worth and humility. 5. SACRED SCIENCE - Absolute "Truth" Their "truth" is the absolute truth. It is sacred - beyond questioning. There is a reverence demanded for the leadership. They have ALL the answers. Only to them is given the revelation of "truth". The ultimate moral vision becomes the ultimate science and the person who dares to criticize it, or even think criticism, is immoral, irreverent and "unscientific". The assumption here is not so much that man can be God, but rather that man's IDEAS can be God. This gives sense of security to the member. They are confident they can get the answer to the most difficult problem or question. Appendix Mitchell- 288 6. LOADING THE LANGUAGE - Thought terminating clichés Everything is compressed into brief, highly reductive, definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed. There are "good" terms which represent the group’s ideology and "evil" terms to represent everything outside which is to be rejected. Totalist language is intensely divisive, allencompassing jargon, unmercifully judging. To those outside the group this language is tedious - the language of non-thought. This effectively isolates members from outside world. The only people who understand you are other members. Other members can tell if you are really one of them by how you talk. This narrowness of the language is constricting. The individual is linguistically deprived because language is central to the human experience and his capacities for thinking and feeling are immensely restricted. While initially this loaded language can give a sense of security to the new believer, uneasiness develops over time. This uneasiness may result in a withdrawal into the system and he preaches even harder to hide his problem and demonstrate his loyalty. It may also produce an inner division and the individual will publicly give the right performance while privately have his own thoughts. Either way, his imagination becomes increasingly disassociated from his actual life experiences and may even tend to atrophy from disuse. The ideological myth merges with their "truth" and the resulting deduction can be so overpowering and coercive that it simply replaces reality. Consequently past events can be altered, rewritten or even ignored to make them consistent with the current reality. This alteration is especially lethal when the distortions are imposed on the individual's memory. They demand character and identity of a person be reshaped to fit their clone of mentality. The individual must fit the rigid contours of the doctrinal mould instead of developing their own potential and personality. The underlying assumption is that the doctrine - including its mythological elements - is ultimately more valid, true and real than is any aspect of actual human character or human experience. The individual under such pressure is propelled into an intense conflict with his own sense of integrity, a struggle which takes place in relation to polarized feelings of sincerity and insincerity. Absolute sincerity is demanded by the group yet this must be put to one side when changes take place the individual has to deny the original belief ever existed. Personal feelings are suppressed and members must appear to be contented and enthusiastic at all times. Some cults believe that all illness is a result of lack of faith and evidence of sin in your life. These things have to be prayed away and medical attention is ignored as a "sign of faith." 8. DISPENSING OF EXISTENCE - Who is worthy to live They have the right to decide who is worthy of life and who isn't. They also decide which history books are accurate and which are not. Those in the organization are worthy of life; those outside worthy of death. The outsiders can be permitted to live if they change and become an insider. Members live in fear of being pronounced "dead". They have a fear of annihilation or extinction. The emotional conflict is one of "being vs. nothingness". Existence comes to depend upon creed (I believe, therefore I am), upon mission (I obey, therefore I am) and beyond these, upon a sense of total merger with the organization. Should he stray from the "truth" his right to exist may be withdrawn and he is pronounced "dead". The more clearly these eight points are obvious, the greater the resemblance to ideological totalism. The more an organization utilizes such totalist devices to change individuals, the greater its resemblance to thought reform. Remember A group does not have to be religious to be cultic in behavior. High demand groups can be commercial, political and psychological. Appendix Mitchell- 289 Be aware, especially if you are a bright, intelligent and idealistic person. The most likely person to be caught up in this type of behavioral system is the one who says "I won't get caught. It will never happen to me. I am too intelligent for that sort of thing. " Written by Jan Groenveld Internet Address: pv101663@mailbox.uq.oz.au Fidonet Address : 3 :640/316 (c) Cult Awareness & Information Centre, PO Box 2444, Mansfield 4122, Australia, Glossary of Terms Mitchell- 290 Awareness – When I use the word awareness, I will usually use it interchangeably with consciousness. However, when I use the term in conjunction with the word consciousness, I am using it in such a way that the person who is “aware” has some sort of conscious conceptualization of that which is brought into consciousness. When I refer to that which is beyond conceptualization, then the terms can be used interchangeably because they are referring to that which cannot be conceptualized. Throughout my text I will make it clear what I am referring to and avoid confusion. Bigotry – Any kind of fragmented or separated frame of mind that creates divisions between people and their environment. It manifests itself materially between people and between people and their environment. Collective – When I use the word collective I am referring to the whole of the collective human psyche. Most of the collective psyche is only perceived on a collective level by a few people in the lower realms of the psyche. Therefore, usually I will make reference to the collective in the sense of the lower levels or mass mind. In other instances, when I am referring the all levels, including the higher and lower levels I will make that intention clear. Consciousness raising – This is meant as purposeful increases in awareness in providing people with details and factors related to the issues of oppression and hypocrisy. Conditioning - Any type of activity or psychic interaction, usually of a one way direction, that conditions people to act in ways that may be counter to their true selves. It results not in how nature and the individual would act and be but as other people would. Cult/Cult – like group – This refers to any group that exercises top down control over people, whether consciously or unconsciously, with the domino or pecking order effect resulting within the group, and utilize many or most of the dynamics listed in the appendix. Disempowerment – Disempowerment refers to anything that detracts from the ability of a person or people to operate from the full power of an integrated psychic and intellectual potential, and the reverse therefore refers to disempowerment in a political, material and practical sense. Earth – When I use the word Earth, I will usually use the term in the sense of the whole of the environment, including all life forms. In some cases I will use it in the context of the small or false ego, separated from the higher realms of the psyche, referred to as Heaven. Usually, I will be quite clear on the context on how I am using the word. Ego – When I refer to ego I will be referring to that aspect of consciousness that is divorced from the greater psyche of the human being. It is what can be referred to as the false ego. When I refer to a healthy ego, that is, an ego in connection and therefore in service to the whole psyche as a conscious director, I will usually make that distinction. Environment – In most cases when I use this word I am referring to everything that comprises the whole of the natural environment on earth, including all human beings and all life on the Earth. In some cases I will use it in another context, for example the psychic environment. In these instances like this I will indicate the difference. Existence – This refers to the individual and collective humanities conscious existence during life. Obviously, it includes much more than we are aware of, however, for the usual purposes that it is used in this work it refers to conscious levels of existence and the potentials for growth and evolution that a person or people contain within themselves. Glossary of Terms Mitchell- 291 Fragmented – When I use the word fragmented I will usually be referring to the fragmented human psyche. In some cases I will be referring to individual psyches, at other times the collective psyche. Extending out from the psyche it can include the structures of society and in these instances I will indicate the intention behind my meaning. Group – Refers to a group of people who have united for a common cause. It may be a consciously organized group or it may take on the characteristics of a group primarily on unconscious levels. Usually it is for defensive purposes however, it may also be for constructive Grounded – Consciously connected with the here – and – now of conscious reality, of the ego reality, not the false or conditioned ego. This means to be grounded in the sense of being rooted in our environment connected with others. Although many would think otherwise, perceptions from an isolated, fragmented and separated ego from other people and the wider environment is not grounded: it only presents the illusion of the here – and - now. True groundedness consciously embraces wider realities beyond our own isolated egos. However, this groundedness has to remain free of ego – inflation which is the sign or neurosis or psychosis, as defined in psychoanalytical literature. Hate – I use the word hate in the sense of separation, division, and so forth. I am using the metaphysical definition and it refers to anything that does not unite. Heaven – Heaven refers to the higher realms of the human psyche, beyond a strictly ego and “Earthbound” level. It most definitely does not refer to some starry place in space. Horizontal Psychic Plane – This refers to all expressions of the lower levels of the collective material plane of existence on Earth. It is expansive in the outward sense. It is holographic and inclusive but it is not necessarily evolutionary. It embraces the psychic and thus living aspects and also the material environment on the lower levels of the psyche. It can aid in evolution only if centered and in balance with the vertical and upward dimensions of reality. Otherwise, it can result in lowered levels of consciousness, regression and devolution. Independence – This refers to the ability for individuals to mature in a psychic and also a physical sense, and become who they are meant to be; in other words to individuate into whole persons, true to their own inner natures. This necessarily requires an inner integration of the whole of their inner selves. It is not until a true independence is achieved that a person will not fight against or rebel against the infringement by other people’s opinions, propaganda and conditioning. When independence has not been achieved at a time when nature intended, the result is rebellion in the form of unconscious and conscious anarchy and acting out. A person’s centre is a Soul or Self that is unique and separate from all other Souls or Selves. This can only be achieved by a conscious recognition and subsequent awareness of other psyches; for example other opinions, attitudes and so forth that do not belong to the individual. When there is confusion with other people’s opinions and an individual’s true nature, the result is codependence, enmeshment and so on. These terms and the realities of these psychic conditions are well known by true mental health practitioners, social workers, and so forth. Independence also requires that a person be able to distinguish between conditioning, propaganda and what their own intuitive feelings, thoughts, opinions, views, and so on are. Integration – Refers to a conscious recollection of all aspects of the psyche that one is capable of, especially that which has been repressed or forgotten. It also includes integration with one’s body and in extension the environment. As with the idea of wholeness, it is from this stable grounding that one can further integrate, consciously, with the higher, spiritual aspects of the psyche and reality. Glossary of Terms Mitchell- 292 Interdependence – A conscious awareness that all psyches are contained within all other psyches. Each individual psyche contains within it the whole of the human collective psyche, including discreet individual psyches. This is a reality that has been taught and profoundly understood in the wisdom traditions for thousands of years. Although most people will not have an actual psychic awareness of this, what people need for psychic health is at least an intellectual awareness of this reality. When people deny psychic realities within themselves, for example they refuse to accept undesirable traits, inner dualities, and so forth, the subsequent repression results in an actual type of psychic bigotry that affects other psyches in addition to their own. This eventually manifests itself as outwardly expressed hypocrisy and bigotry. Instinctual – Psychic awareness and reactions that do not go beyond the lower level aspects of the psyche: the lower reptilian and limbic. They are instinctual because they are not refined by the cognizance of the neocortical and higher levels of psychic functioning. Therefore, they can be characterized by fight or flight tendencies but are not refined with cognitive discipline. Left – hand path – This refers to psychological state of mind that goes against life and nature Love – When I use the word love I am referring to the metaphysical understanding of love as referring to unity. Love other people as yourself. Materialism – When I use the word materialism I will be referring to a worldview that is divorced from the greater aspects of the world environment and a mindset that operates from a fragmented egotistical perspective. In that sense, it also represents a fragmented worldview, both psychically and environmentally. Mind – For my purposes, mind refers to those aspects of psychic awareness created by the ego. They can be thoughts and intellectual concepts, feelings, attitudes and so forth that are of the true ego, connected with the larger whole. The mind creates concepts in order to maneuver in the material world; ultimately the material world is illusional. However, it is important to realize that, although ultimately illusional, a healthy mind grounded in the here and now of the material world is necessary to stay grounded and in fact to come to any sort of sane realization of reality. This is in contrast to the whole of the psyche in that the larger realities of the psyche go far beyond an understanding that can be intellectualized. It can only be realized. Mind might also refer to products of the false ego. In most cases I will make the distinction. Mystics – Mystic use their higher levels of consciousness to create greater levels of consciousness and to enlighten their own psyches. They enlighten themselves to connect with the Creator. They respect and honor both the healthy aspects of the feminine, Earthly aspects of reality and the masculine, higher levels of Heavenly reality. Nature – When I refer to nature, I am referring to all of nature. This goes far beyond the material world. Most people think of nature as the Earthly level of existence and life. I intend it also to refer to the greater psychic realities beyond physical manifestation that might even be beyond the ability to conceptualize. In other words, I am uniting both the horizontal Earthly plane of existence or nature with the vertical or Heavenly plane of existence and nature. For my purposes of inclusiveness, nature refers to all of reality, including that from which nature emerged. This definition of nature is also the very same as my definition of psyche or psychic reality, as separate from mind. Mind is primarily a creation, and a necessary one, of ego, even healthy egos. For my purposes, I can use psyche, reality, nature and existence interchangeably, and they all refer to unitary reality. Glossary of Terms Mitchell- 293 Participation mystique – A state of mind where an individual is not able to distinguish between their own thoughts, feelings, and so forth; in short, they do not have s strong individual sense of personal identity that creates healthy boundaries between them and their environment. A strong personal identity, better known as individuation in psychoanalytical terms, is a necessary pre-condition for the development and realization of true empathy and connection with the larger environment, especially other people. I am referring to the requirement of true independence being a necessity for the development of true interdependence. In the state of participation mystique, people not only take responsibility and possession of other people’s psychic contents, they also tend to place psychic contents they repress and disown onto others in the form of projection and therefore psychic possession of others. Wiccans, Patriarchs and Mystics – Wiccans, magicians and sorcerers use their higher levels of consciousness to manipulate the environment. They tend to primarily focus on and honor the feminine, lower levels of reality. They honor and use masculine energies to manipulate on the lower levels. For this reason, although there are white practitioners who use “low magic” and knowledge to heal, low magicians also use it for other, more ego related purposes. A love spell, for example, may seem harmless enough. However, if one thinks about it, energies related to ego are using energies to manipulate and attract someone in this method, rather than attracting someone through the act of empathy and love. This represents manipulation and control for the purpose of ego satiation. Ultimately there is an imbalance as strictly patriarchal practitioners are unbalanced in their energetic focus. Witch or Wiccan refers to people who practice Wicca and does not refer to gender. Whether a low magician is a white practitioner on the right hand path or the left depends on how well they “know” themselves. Most people don’t realize it, but clergy in the patriarchal spiritual traditions are magicians also. However, they are usually referred to as type of ceremonial magician because they utilize rituals to manipulate the higher energies within the psyche. However, in practice, the lower energies are also utilized. Ceremonial or high magicians can either liberate people or control them. In essence a true ceremonial magician is a mystic whose goal is to unite and transcend the duality of the two energies so as to achieve as high a unity with the creative source as possible. In all cases, high or low, the people in control of the rituals that manipulate these energies place them in higher levels of power and sometimes consciousness. This makes these people responsible for how these energies are used. This is also why the question of balancing energies is so important. The “Wiccan Read” states, that which you send out returns threefold. I know one thing: if a person recognizes a manipulator or perpetrator, and deals with him or her appropriately, manipulative or negative energy will bounce back from where it came. Balance can only be achieved when there is an equal respect and honor for both feminine and masculine energies. Patriarchs worship the god and, “consciously”, primarily tend to honor and focus on “god” in the higher realms. Sometimes, the result is the rape and exploitation of the goddess and woman. Mystics honor and worship the Creator, and they achieve this by combining and equally honoring both the masculine and the feminine. Mystics usually achieve this by going beyond ideas of masculine and feminine and look at and honor the whole of energetic reality. A practitioner of the living Tao is an example of a mystic who practices the art of living in this manner. I will only use a capital letter to indicate what represents the whole of reality. When I say Creator I am referring to balanced masculine and feminine energies. Usually, I will simply say Creator or the Source in reference to the god and goddess in unity, in marriage. Psyche – This refers to the whole of the human psyche and all of its potential. It refers to the ego and what is commonly referred to as the Soul and also includes the higher realms of the psyche that transcends our Earthbound existence. In this sense, psyche also includes a spiritual dimension to the meaning in which I use it. For my purposes, I can use psyche, reality, nature and existence interchangeably, and they all refer to unitary reality. Reality – Reality refers to everything that comprises creation, with a focus on psychic reality. It is only out of the psyche that everything else emanates: from the mind or psyche of the creator Glossary of Terms Mitchell- 294 down into manifestation of the material world, including the human psyche. In this sense I also intend the idea that the human psyche is made in the creator’s image, even if the human psyche can only be a reflection of the creator, not the creator itself. For my purposes, I can use psyche, reality, nature and existence interchangeably, and they all refer to unitary reality. Reptilian level of psyche – This is in reference to the most primordial section of the triune humane brain. It precedes even the emotional, mammalian, limbic part of the brain. It is part of the whole psyche. However, it is a part or aspect of the psyche that has to be in connection with the more evolved neocortical section of the brain in order to be civilized. It is only in and through the neo-cortex that the highest levels of the human psyche are located. This integration creates the ability to develop characteristics such as empathy, conscience and a higher intelligence that uses intellectual abilities and the higher intuition. Intuition is a combination of both the more primordial and all encompassing parts of the psyche or Soul, combined with and “enlightened” by the more focused and conscious aspects of logic, intellect and consciousness. Ritual abuse – Refers to conscious or unconscious purposeful torture and abuse of a person or people, in fact their psyches for energetic gain. Right – Hand path – This is a psychic state of mind that nurtures life and nature. Scapegoats – people targeted to carry the psychological projections of the psychic contents and realities of other people’s psyches. Spiritual – When I refer to spiritual, I am referring primarily to masculine energy and result of consciousness. It is consciousness and awareness that connects all living creatures and humans into one larger whole. In this sense, we are all created in spirit (first there was the word or the thought, ie consciousness). It is the light of consciousness or spirit that connects all things, literally. Without the light of spirit, there would be nothing, the void. There would certainly be no appreciation for the beauty of life. The “void” precedes spirit. To even attempt to try to intellectualize reality beyond spirit can only result in delusion, albeit wise delusion. Unconscious – The context in which I use this word will usually be in reference to psychic contents below the usual threshold of conscious awareness. Although it can refer to the highest levels of the psyche, in most cases I will be using to term to denote contents of the human psyche in the deeper levels of the both an individual and the collective human mind. In all cases, the subtle variations in meaning will depend upon the context in which I am speaking. Uroboric- A dynamic state that is circular, not evolutionary; it is emotional and psychic immaturity. It is represented by a lower level, reptilian aspects of the psyche. It is circular because of an inability or frustrated ability to emerge from this lower level psychic immaturity into a higher level of consciousness and integration. It is primarily unconscious or subconscious. Vertical Plane of Existence – This represents the upward, more spiritual levels of the psyche. These levels can only be achieved by ever increasing levels of inclusive integration characterized by integrating and including but transcending earlier levels of awareness. It includes the more spiritual and thus conscious levels of psyche and for this reason tends to transcend ego and the illusions created by ego. Wholeness – In using this word I am referring to a person who is consciously connected with their mind, body and environment, including other people. From this stable point spirit can also be included in the definition. It is only from this integrated state that a person can emerge consciously into the higher realms of the psyche. Although wholeness necessarily includes all of Glossary of Terms Mitchell- 295 the psyche, as defined in this Glossary, without a solid grounding within them selves and the Earth, a conscious appreciation for the whole of the psyche cannot otherwise be made aware. Bibliography Mitchell- 296 Bibliography Babcock, Winifred, “Jung-Hesse-Harold: A Spiritual Psychology”, Copyright 1983 by The Harold Institute, Dodd, Mead & Company, 79 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016 Baigent, Michael, Leigh, Richard, and Lincoln, Henry, “The Messianic Legacy”, Copyright 1986 by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln, Published by Transworld Publishers Ltd Blakney, R.B., “The Way of Life: Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching: A New Translation”, copyright 1955 by Raymond Blakney, Published by The New American Library, 1963 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019 Boetie, Etienne de la, “The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude”, Introduction by Murray N. Rothbard, Copyright 1975 by Murray N. Rothbard, This edition published in Canada by Black Rose Books, 3924 Street, Urbain, Montreal 131, Quebec, Published in the U. S. A. by Free Life Editions, 41 Union Square, New York, N. Y. 10003 BorySenko, Jan, PhD., “Fire In The Soul: A New Psychology of Spiritual Optimism”, copyright by Jan BorySenko, Warner Books, Inc., 1271 Avenue of The Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020 Brownmiller, Susan, “Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape”, Copyright 1975 by Susan Brownmiller, A Bantam Book, Published by arrangement with Simon and Schuster Cambell, Joseph, “The Hero With A Thousand Faces”, copyright by Bollingen Foundation Inc., New York, N.Y., 1949, Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey Capra, Fritjof, “The Turning Point: Science, Society, and The Rising Culture, Copyright by Fritjof Capra, 1982, A Bantam Book, Published by arrangement with Simon & Schuster, A division of Gulf & Western Corporation, 1230 Avenue of The Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020 Chia, Mantak & Maneewan, “Awaken Healing Light of the Tao”, Copyright 1993 by Mantak and Maneewan Chia, First Published in 1993 by Healing Tao Books, P.O. Box 1194, Huntington, NY 11743 Chokecherry Gall Eagle "Beyond The Lodge of The Sun: The Inner Mysteries of the Native American Way", Element Books, Inc. 1997, PO Box 830, Rockport, Ma 01966 Cicero, Chic & Sandra Tabatha, “The Golden Dawn Journal: Book 1, Divination”, Copyright 1994 by Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero, Llewellyn Publications, A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. P.O. Box 64383, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383 Cicero, Chic & Sandra Tabatha, “The Golden Dawn Journal: Book II, Qabalah: Theory and Magic”, Copyright 1994 by Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero, Llewellyn Publications, A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. P.O. Box 64383, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383 Cleary, Thomas, Translated, “The Art of War: Sun Tzu”, copyright 1988 by Thomas Cleary, Shambhala Dragon Editions, Shambhala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston Massachusetts 02115, www.shambhala.com Bibliography Mitchell- 297 Cleary, Thomas, Translated, “The Taoist I Ching”, copyright 1986 by Thomas Cleary, Shambhala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston Massachusetts 02115, www.shambhala.com Cox, Harvey, ”The Feast of Fools”, copyright 1969 by Harvey Cox, Perennial Library, Harper & Row, Publishers, New York, N.Y. 10022 Crabtree, Adam, “Multiple Man: Explorations in Possession and Multiple Personality”, Copyright 1977 by Adam Crabtree, Published by Somerville House Publishing, a division of Somerville House Books Limited, 3080 Yonge Street, Suite 5000, Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3N1, with assistance of the Ontario Arts Council, the Ontario Development Corporation, and the Department of Communication. www.sombooks.com D’Souza, Dinesh, “The End of Racism”, copyright 1995 by Dinesh D’Souza, The Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc., 1230 Avenue of The Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020 Eberhard, M.D., and Kronhausen, M. D., “Pornography and The Law: The Psychology of Erotic Realism and Hard Core Pornography”, Copyright 1959, 1964 by Eberhard Kronhausen, Ballintine Books, Inc. 101 Fifth Avenue, New York 3, N.Y. Edinger , Edward F., “Anatomy of the Psyche: Alchemical Symbolism in Psychotherapy”, Copyright 1995 by Edward F. Edinger, Open Court Publishing Company, La Salle, Illinois 61301 Eiselen, Frederick Carl, Lewis, Edwin, Downey, David G., “The Abingdon Bible Commentary”, Copyright, 1920, The Abingdon Press Inc., New York, Nashville Elgin, Suzette Haden, “The Last Word on The Gentle Art of Self – Defense”, Copyright 1987, Published by Prentiss Hall Press, A division of Simon & Shuster, Inc., Gulf + Western Building, One Gulf + Western Plaza, New York Farrell, Warren, Ph.D., “The Myth of Male Power”, Copyright, 1993 by Warren Farrell, Ph.D., Simon & Schuster, Simon & Schuster Building, Rochefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 Friedan, Betty, Quinlen, Anna, “The Feminine Mystique”, copyright 1997, 91, 74, 63. W.W.Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10110, www.wwnorton.com Fromm, Erich, “The Art of Loving: An Inquiry into the Nature of Love”, Copyright 1956 by Erich Fromm, Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. New York and Evanston Fromm, Eric, “The Forgotten Language: An Introduction to the Understanding of Dreams, Fairy Tales and Myths”, copyright 1951 by Eric Fromm, Published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston of Canada, Inc. Fromm, Erich, “The Sane Society”, Copyright 1955 by Erich Fromm, A Fawcett Premier Book, Fawcett Publications, Inc., Greenwich, Conn., Published by Fawcett World Library, 76 West 44th Street, New York, N.Y. 10036 Griffin, David Ray, “Spirituality and Society”, State University of New York Press, State University, New York, 1988 Bibliography Mitchell- 298 Goldberg, Herb, “The New Male: From Macho to Sensitive But Still All Male”, copyright by Herb Goldberg, 1979, Published by the New American Library, Inc. 1637 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019 Groenveld, Jan, “Social Psychology and Social Dynamics”, Internet Address: pv101663@mailbox.uq.oz.au Fidonet Address : 3 :640/316 (c) Cult Awareness & Information Centre, PO Box 2444, Mansfield 4122, Australia, Haeffner, “The Dictionary of Alchemy: From Maria Prophetissa to Isaac Newton, Copyright 1991 by Mark Haeffner, The Aquarian Press, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 77 – 85 Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB Harpur, Tom, “The Pagan Christ: Recovering the Lost Sight, copyright 2004 by Tom Harpur, published by Thomas Allen Publishers, a division of Thomas Allen & Son Limited, 145 Front Street East, Suite 209, Toronto, Ontario m5A 1E3 Canada Harvey, Graham, and Hardman, Charlotte, “Pagan Pathways: A Guide to the Ancient Earth Traditions”, Copyright 1996 by Charlotte Hardman and Graham Harvey, An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB Harway, Michele, O’Neil, James M.: foreword by Joseph R. Biden, “What Causes Men’s Violence Against Women”, Published by Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California Hillman, James, “The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling”, copyright by James Hillman, 1996, Warner Books, Inc., 1271 Avenue of The Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020 http://warnerbooks,com Holy Bible, NRSV, copyright 1989, by the division of Christian Educators, Published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, Tennessee 37214 Holmes, Beth, “The Whipping Boy”, copyright by Beth Holmes, 1978, Jove Publications, Inc. 757 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017 Iyengar, B.K.S., Light on PranaYama, Copyright 1981 by B.K.S. Iyengar, The Aquarian Press, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 77 – 85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB, Printed in Great Britain by Woolnough Bookbinding Limited, Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire Judith, Anodea, “Wheels of Life: A User’s Guide to the Chakra System,” Copyright by Anodea Judith, 1987, published by Llewellyn Publications, a division of Chester-Kent, Inc., P.O. Box 64383, St. Paul MN 55264-0383, U.S.A. Jung, C. G., “Aspects of The Feminine”, from the Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volumes 6, 7, 9i, ii, 10, 17, Bollingen Series xx, Copyright 1982 by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey Jung, C. G., “Dreams”, Copyright 1974 by Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, Jung, C.G., “Four Archetypes: Mother/Rebirth/Spirit/Trickster”, Translated by R. F.C. Hull, Copyright 1959, 1969 by Bollingen Foundation, Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, N. J. Bibliography Mitchell- 299 Jung, C.G., “Psyche and Symbol: A Selection from the Writings of C. G. Jung, ”, Copyright 1958 by Bollingen Foundation, Inc., later assigned to the Bollingen Press, First Published by Doubleday, Inc. Translated by R. F. C. Hull, Selected and Introduced by Violet s. de Lazlo, Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 Jung, M.D., Carl Gustav, “Psychology & Religion”, Based on the Terry Lectures delivered at Yale University Copyright by Yale University Press, Inc., New Haven and London Jung, C. G., “The Basic Writings of C. G. Jung”, Translated by R. F. C. Hull, Selected and Introduced by Violet S. de Lazlo, Copyright 1990 by Princeton University Press, Jung, C. G., “The Undiscovered Self”, Copyright 1957, 1958 by C. G. Jung, Published by Little Brown and Company, 34 Beacon Street, Boston Massachusetts, 02106, Published as a Mentor Book, The New American Library, Inc., 1301 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10019, in Canada, The New American Library of Canada Limited, 295 King Street East, Toronto 2, Ontario Klitzman, M.D., Robert, “In a House of Dreams and Glass: Becoming a Psychiatrist”, Copyright 1995 by Robert Klitzman, M.D., Published by Ballintine Books, http://www.randomhouse.com Lederer, Laura, “Take Back The Night: Women on Pornography” with an afterword by Adrienne Rich, Copyright1980 by Laura Lederer, Copyright 1982 by Bantam Books, William Morrow & Company, Inc., 105 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016 Littleton, C. Scott, “Mythology: The Illustrated Anthology of World Myth and Storytelling”, Created, edited and designed by Duncan Bird Publishers, 6th Floor, Castle House, 75 – 76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QH, Copyright by Duncan Bird Publishers 2002 Meadows, Kenneth, “Where Eagles Fly: A Shamanic Way To Personal Fulfillment”, copyright by Kenneth Meadows, 1995, 1998, Element Books Limited, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8BP, Published in the U.S.A. in 1998 by Element Books, Inc., 160 North Washington Street, Boston, MA 02114 Mackinnon, D.M., Vidler, A.R., Williams, H.A., Bezza, J.R., “Objections to Christian Belief”, Penguin Book Ltd., Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England, First Published by Constable 1963, Published in Pelican Books 1965. Mandelbaum, W. Adam, “The Psychic Battlefield: A History of the Military-Occult Complex”, Copyright2000 by The Reference Works and W. Adam Mandelbaum, Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Miller, Ron & Kenney, Jim, “Fireball and The Lotus: Emerging Spirituality from Ancient Roots”, copyright 1987 by Ron Miller & Jim Kenney, Bear & Company, P.O. Drawer 2860, Sante Fe, NM 87504 Moss, Richard, “The Black Butterfly: An Invitation to Radical Aliveness”, copyright 1986 by Richard Moss, Cellestia Arts, P.O. Box 73277, Berkley California 94707 Neumann, Erich, “Depth Psychology: A New Ethic” Bibliography Mitchell- 300 Neumann, Erich, “The History and Origins of Consciousness”, Bollingen Series XL11, with a Foreword By C. G. Jung, Translated from the German by R. F. C. Hull, copyright 1954 by Bollingen Foundation Inc., New York, N. Y., Published by Princeton University Press, N. J. Odajnyk, V. Walter, “Gathering The Light: A Psychology of Meditation”, copyright 1993 by V. Walter Odajnyk, Shambhala Publications, Inc. Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston Massachusetts 02115 www.shambhala.com Parsons, Arthur, M.D., Parsons Patricia, B.N., M.S., “Hippocrates Now!: Is Your Doctor Ethical?”, Copyright Patricia Houlihan Parsons and Arthur H. Parsons, 1995, University Of Toronto Press, Toronto, Buffalo, London Pearce Joseph Chilton, “Evolution’s End: Claiming the Potential of Our Intelligence”, Copyright 1992, HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022 Perkins, John, “The Forbidden Self: Symbolic Incest and The Journey Within”, copyright 1993 by John Perkins, Shambhala Publications, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston Massachusetts 02115 www.shambhala.com Pike, Diane Kennedy, “Life as a Waking Dream”, Copyright 1997 by Diane Kennedy Pike, Riverhead Books, Published by The Berkley Publishing Group, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Pirsig, Robert M., “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”, copyright 1974 by Robert M. Pirsig, William Morror and Company, Inc. Podvoll, Edward M., “Recovering Sanity: A Compassionate Approach to Understanding and Treating Psychosis”, copyright 1990 by Edward M. Podvoll, Shambhala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 3000 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston Massachusetts 02115, www.shambhala.com Quinn, Jr., William W, “The Only Tradition”, copyright 1997 State University of New York, Published by State University Press, Albany, Suny series in Western esoteric traditions. Radha, Swami Sivananda, “Kundalini Yoga For The West, Copyright 1978 by Swami Sivananda Radha, Shambhala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 Regardie, Israel, “Garden of Pomegranates, A”, Copyright 1970 by Llewellyn Publications, Published by Llewellyn Publications, A Division of Chester-Kent, Inc., P.O. Box 64383, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383, U.S.A. Regardie, Israel, “Middle Pillar, The”, Copyright 1970 by Llewellyn Publications, Copyright 1938 by Israel Regardie, Published by Llewellyn Publications, A Division of Chester-Kent, Inc., P.O. Box 64383, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383, U.S.A. Robertson, Roland, “Sociology of Religion”, Copyright by Roland Robertson 1969, Penguin Books Ltd. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England, Made and Printed in Great Britain by Richard Clay (The Chaucer Press) Ltd., Bungay, Suffolk Ross, Colin A. M.D., Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principle of Treatment, Copyright 1995 by Colin A. Ross, University of Toronto Press, Incorporated 1995 Bibliography Mitchell- 301 Russell, Peter, “Waking Up In Time: Finding Inner Peace in Times of Accelerating Change”, copyright 1992 by Peter Russell, Origin Press, Inc., 1122 Grant Avenue, Suite C, Novato, CA 94945, 415 – 598 – 7400 Sanford, John A., “Kingdom Within, The”, Copyright 1987 by John A. Sanford, Published by Harper & Row Publishers, San Francisco, originally published in 1970 by J.B. Lippincott Company, SantoPietro, Nancy, “Feng Shui: Harmony by Design”, copyright 1996 by Nancy SantoPietro, A Perigee Book, Published by The Berkley Publishing Group, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016 Sargant, William, “The Mind Possessed: From Ecstasy to Exorcism”, Copyright William Sargant 1973, First Printed in Great Britain by William Heinemann Ltd., Printed in Great Britain by Sharp, Daryl, “C. G. Jung Lexicon: A Primer of Terms & Concepts”, Studies in Jungian psychology by Jungian analysts, Copyright 1991 by Daryl Sharp, Inner City Books, Box 1271, Station Q, Toronto, Canada M4T 2P4, Telephone (416-924-1814 Simms, George, Foreword by Conway, William Cardinal, “Christ Within Me”, Copyright by Christian Journals Limited, First published January 1975 by Christian Journals Limited, 2 Bristow Park, Belfast BT9 6TH Starhawk, “The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Mother”, Copyright 1979, 1989, 1999 by Miriam Simos, Published by HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 10 East 53rd. Street, New York, N.Y. 10022 Stolk, Mary Van, “The Battered Child in Canada”, Copyright by Mary Van Stolk, Third Printing 1972, The Canadian Publishers, McClelland and Stewart Limited, 25 Hollinger Road, Toronto, 374 Sun Bear and Wabun Wind, “Black Dawn/Bright Day”, copyright by Sun Bear and Wabun Wind, 1990, Bear Tribe Publishing, P.O. Box 9167, Spokane, WA 99209 – 9117 The Dalai Lama, “The Power of Compassion,” copyright by His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama 1995, Published by Thorsens 1995, An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB, 1160 Battery Street, San Francisco, California 94111- 1213 Trungpa, Chogyam, “The Sacred Path of the Warrior,” Copyright 1984 by Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 3oo Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, www.shambala.com Trungpa, Chogyam, “Journey Without a Goal: The Tantric Wisdom of The Buddha”, copyright 1981 by Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala Publications, Inc. Horticultural Hall, Massachusetts Avenue, Boston Massachusetts 02115, www.shambhala.com Tuckman, Barbara W., “A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century”, copyright by Barbara Tuckman, 1978, Ballantine Books, A division of Random House Turner, Francis J., “Social Work Treatment: Interlocking Theoretical Approaches”, copyright 1986 by The Free Press, A division of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 866 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022 Bibliography Mitchell- 302 Welwood, John “Awakening The Heart: East/West Approaches To Psychotherapy and The Healing Relationship”, Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1920 13th Street, Boulder Colorado, Copyright 1983 by John Welwood Wilmshurst, W.L., “The Meaning of Masonry”, Copyright 1980 by Crown Publishers, Inc., Published by Gramercy Books, distributed by Random House Value Publishing, Inc. 40 Engelhard Avenue, Avenel, New Jersey 07001 Wilber, Ken “Eye To Eye: The Quest For The New Paradigm”, Ken Wilber, Shambhala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 3oo Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, www.shambala.com Wilber, Ken, Edited, “Quantum Questions: Mystical Writings of the World’s Great Physicists”, Copyright 1984 by Ken Wilber, Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1920 13th Street, Boulder Colorado 80302, distributed by Random House Wilber, Ken, “A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science, and Spirituality”, Copyright 2000 by Ken Wilber, Shambhala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, www.shambhala.com Wilhelm, Richard, With a Foreword by C. G. Jung, “The Secret of The Golden Flower: A Chinese Book of Life”, and part of the Chinese meditation text, “The Book of Consciousness and Life”, with a Foreword by Salome Wilhelm, Kegan Paul, Trench & Trubner, tenth impression 1957, Printed in Great Britain by Compton Printing Ltd., London and Aylesbury, Translated from German by Gary F. Baynes Weininger, Ben & Menkin, Eval, ”Aging is a Lifelong Affair”, foreword by Eric Fromm, copyright 1978 by Ben Weininger & Eval Menkin, Ross – Erikson, Inc. Publishers, 629 State St., Suite 207, Santa Barbara, California 3 Index Mitchell- 303 ., 27 .therapists: and clients, 203 Aborigines: Australian, 25 absolute, 33, 88, 177, 291, 307, 308, 309; and relative, 177 abuse, 22, 45, 55, 56, 86, 120, 165, 170, 179, 185, 206, 208, 210, 217, 224, 225, 226, 241, 306; (ed), counseled to give up, 121; (ers) getting support to re-victimize their victims, 98; 12% of males are abused by females, 98; 12% of men report being physically assaulted by women, 108; and violence, cycles of, 94; books on, 87; childhood sexual, 10; cycles of, 88; dynamics of, 165; emotional, 207; emotional and psychological, 98; experiential memory, 187; factual disclosures, 165; females want their victims to feel the same pain they experienced, 94; for trying to speak up, 87; from a man's perspective, 88; from women< sometimes willingly accepted, 91; institutional, 194; it is cyclical, 94; men are turned into paranoid hysterics like women used to be, 108; most psychological types go unacknowledged, 98; of children, 208; of socalled mentally ill, 109; one gender excused the other condemned, 112; only the Devil could conceive of it, 87; partner, 114; patterns maintained by those who are supposed to heal and protect, 188; patterns of, 62; physical symptoms of, 209; potential, 45; potential for, 46; psychological, 18; psychological and emotional, 93; received from a person whose advances I rejected, 234; relationship, 8; results of, 13; ritual, 14, 16, 18; Satanic, 205; sexual, 48; sexual, expressions of stunted emotional growth, 220; substance, 274; true sources ignored, 121; turned into delusional hysterics, 165; unconsciously perpetrated, 16; men, 99; victim of, 52 abused, 39, 186, 216, 305; treated as hysterical, 109 abusers, 221 abuses, 210 abusive: and dysfunctional, 55; double standard. Don't become monsters when fighting monsters, 97; entrapment, 95; females can abuse as males do, 98; invasions, 103; women, 111 academic institutional abuse, 233 accessory, 57 accountability, 27 accusers, 48 acting out, 208; causes of, 95 activity, human, 3, 10 actors, 123; of screen, 182 actualizing: prevented from, 80 Adam and Eve, 43 adaptive, 32, 40 addiction, 208 addictions, 7, 51, 60, 63, 84, 117, 122; a form of medication, 82; and 12-step programs, 189; and mechanical fixes, 182; and social control, 126; creation of, 12 addictive, 39; personality, 38, 40 ADDT, 207 adept, 35 adepts, 76 admission: to hospital based on testimony of the abusers, 242 adoration: ?, 176 adult Children, 217 adulthood, 32, 42 advertising, 84 Advisory Council on the Status of Women: first male member, 89 after admittance: I begin to act in ways totally contrary to character, almost as if I was hypnotized, 245 aggrandizement, 175 aggression, 176; physical, 59 alchemical, 203 alchemy, 54, 103, 139, 199; spiritual, 26; uniting mind with body, 26 alienated, 23 alienating, 37 alienation, 27, 38, 39, 47, 122; and other side affects, 122; from self, 20; increased in psychotherapy, 170; results of, 97 alive, 187 aliveness: greater, 180 alpha, 30 anarchists, 192 anarchy, 21, 101; flatland, 192 anatomically, 35 anger, 9, 58, 64, 78; an angry person can become anger, 94; and animus, 101; blind, 96; blind hypocrisy and revenge-seeking, 89; collective, 59; erupting, 110; indication of guilt, 53; unrestrained, 59 angry: animus, 97; women. Double standard, 99 anima, 78 animas, 193 animus, 79, 104, 193, 205 anonymous claims of bogus dangerousness, 247 ant-depressants: psychosis and sociopathic tendencies, 173 anti-depressants, 169; and entrapment in false ego, 127 anti-psychotics, 169 anxiety attacks, 138 arcane, 52 archaic: brain, 180; emotion, 158 archetypal, 3, 35, 54, 227; combined with instinctual, 71; primordial and infected, 71; structures, 141 archetypes, 199; and higher energies, 200 art, 13, 44 Art of War, The, 103 ashamed: no need, 44 assimilation, 47, 78 asthma, 207; and so-called ATDD, 187 astral: realities, 140 ATTD, 118 attitude, 27, 141, 191 attitude, affects environment, 79 authoritarian, 37; leadership, 65 authoritarian leadership, 11 authority: positions of, 49 authority figures, 45 autonomous, 39 aware: integration, 5 aware consciousness, 55 awareness, 12, 25, 45, 54, 196, 199, 206; and ability, 143; balanced, 203; beyond the material levels, 92; conscious level of, 211; constant expansion, 151; Index Mitchell- 304 deeply, 46; divorced from, 50; earth, 161; expand, 180; higher levels, 141, 180, 208; in humanity lacking, 155; lack of, 46; mindful, 186; natural evolution of, 52; of anger and aggression, 187; only defense, 108; process in developing, 129; self defense, 50; that must be promoted, 163; that transcends, 193; true, 44 Babel: tower of, 186 Babel of sensations, 186 backlash, 27; because of overkill, 114 balance, 5, 20, 32, 34, 40, 77, 79, 193; alive and dynamic, 181; and living environments, 203; and peace, 175; mirrored in health and worldviews, 5; of feminine and masculine within, 106; to regain if still wanted, 103 balanced, 33, 40 balancing energies, 53 beast, 59; herd, machine-like mentality, 22; how cycle is maintained, 127; in the machine, 165; the, 104 behavior: neurotic and psychotic, 217; predatory, 45 behavior modification, 74 behaviorism: illegitimate control, 169 behaviors, 17, 20 Bernardo/Homolka, 106 biased: tunnel vision, 91 Bible, 197 biblical revelations: psychologically, not that far fetched, 95 bigotry, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, 18, 27, 30, 39, 45, 55, 71, 77, 78, 82, 92, 112, 150, 170, 176, 183, 196, 197; # 1 obstacle to evolution of humanity, 135; and hypocrisy, 81; between genders, 114; combating, 171; defeat of, 180; prevention of, 169; reinforcement of, 28; source of, 177; traditional views, 27 bigots, 75; way of operation, 23 bi-polar, 162 black: arts, 142 blame, 6, 16; assigning, 49; no place for, only evaluation, 121 blaming the victim, 6, 71, 82, 123, 158, 188, 246; and inducing labels, 110 blood: sacrifice, 23 bogus allegations of loaded firearms, given battle field trophies that I should not have received, and so fourth., 236 bogus manufacture of diagnosis, 243 book: burning, 42 Book of Changes, The I Ching, 103 boundaries, 146 brain, 196, 200; holographic, 197; injury association; forced into association, railroaded into area of disability, escape, 237; left hemisphere, 20; left hemisphere and domination, 20; limbic, 180; limbic, reptilian, 20; reptilian, 20; right hemisphere, 20, 21; wave patterns, 188; waves, 78; waves have substance, 77; waves, physical reality of, 140 brainstorming, 23 breakdown: forced by all surrounding circumstances, 238 brutalized, 49 Buddha, 17 Buddhist: Lama, 198 bullies, 57 Cabal, 103; Judeo-Christian Tree of Life, 200; Tree of Life, 182 cancer, 35, 36 cancerous, 90 capitalism: examples of benefits?, 119 caregivers: unhealthy dependence promoted, 137 catastrophe, environmental, 3 catharsis, 70, 211, 215 centered, 181 centering, 7, 38, 127, 179, 192, 194, 196, 197, 198, 200; balance, 19; graph, 31; quadrants, 31; when it does not take place, 122 Central Intelligence Association: and National Security Association, 72 chakra: system, 200 change: inhibited, 63; initiating, 13 change, inhibited, 63 changes: obstacles to, 49 chanting, 65 chaos, 32 chaotic, 25 character assassination, 236 charity: begins at home, 89 chemical, 36 child, 196; abused, 222; and will, 209; protection, 53 childhood, 32, 42; abuse and acting out, 207; sexual abuse , I speak up, receive no support, insinuations I am abusive, 237; sexual abuse and trauma, 206; trauma, 207, 214; trauma and abuse, 62 children, 179, 192, 198; born innocent, in respect of egos, 182; dehumanization of, 179; experiencing abuse and self-hate, 108; exploitation of, 118; main source of learning for parents, 182; objectifying to provide emotional needs, 188; parents evaluating themselves, 182; recipients of anger, rage,..., 209; something for, 62; victimization by parents, 208; we have to think about them, 109; we induce then condemn them, 110 Christ, 17, 43, 55, 61, 72, 75, 159, 177, 182; and his message of true psychic health, 133; and the Pharisees, 159; represented by 888, 162; shamans and mental illness, 201 Christian, 17, 52; New Testament, 161 circular: dynamics, 34 civiilized, 16 civilization, 28; reverse of true, 113 civilized, 23, 42 civilizing God, 42 clergy, 43; and cleansing of projections, 151 client: (s) pain and distress, 152; (s) treated like criminals, 163; (s), adversely affected, 167; (s), farcical kangaroo committees, 148; and fearlessness, 203; and therapist, 177; committees, controlled by mental health staff, 148; danger to, 147; empowerment, 151; expressions of responsibility, pathologizing of, 231; fear of mental health staff, 148; files, gross errors, 153; healer sharing their pain, 152; potentially detrimental situation, 148; victims, 186 client programming, 232 clients: legal and ethical rights, 148; power differential, 206; who would believe stigmatized and labeled people?, 149 clone-like, 78 co-dependence, 36, 48, 189 co-dependent relationships, 210 coercion, 5, 62, 199; into subservience, 68 cognition, 194 cognitive, 194 colective: multiple personality, neurotic/psychotic, 134 collective, 3, 10, 12, 31, 37, 50, 196; awareness, 199; coercive elements within, 134; competitiveness, 6; dysfunctional, 63; energies bursting forth, 105; human child, 222; human psyche, 196; human psyche, chaotic, 141; human psyche, common elements, 227; insanity, 54; material, 23; ostracism Index Mitchell- 305 of people, 197; poisoned, 187; psyche, 19, 199; transformation,, 191; unconscious, 27 collective psyche, 2, 44 collective suicide, 3 collective wisdom, 212 collusion: blind eye, 16 Columbus, 13 comfort: material, 26 communication, 38, 40, 44, 74, 88; and patience, 186; empowering or disempowering, 77; increase levels of, 123; inter-partner patterns, 112; one way, 66, 74, 84; one way, not reciprocal, 124 communion: with others, 117 communion with others, 43 communism, 69 community, 43; global, 118; humility, 204 compassion, 5, 29, 44, 52, 74, 117, 151, 159, 181, 196, 201, 202, 204, 208; (ate), attitude, 123; (ately( appreciating feelings, 196; a story, 125; and idiot compassion, 198; and respect, tried to treat all people, 93; bigotry, and scapegoating, differences between, 141; idiot, 198; living reality, 29; not genuine, 74 compassionate, 57, 61, 157 competence, 39 competition, 34; encouraged for control over others, 127; socially sanctioned, 49 competitive, 2, 5 compliance, 37 compulsion, 34 computer, 26, 33 computerization, 160 concentration, 196; prevention of, 169 condemn, 16 conditioned, 45, 191; blindness, 107; fear, 209; frustration of psychic development, 92; refusal to and consequences, 91; responses, 194; to fear change, 62; to feel helpless, 100; to put up with abuse, because of professional misguidance, 241 conditioning, 6, 11, 28, 75, 84, 179, 183; and mind control, 215; extrapolating from how shamans are created, 70; family and environmental, 81; pharmaceutical, 83; primitive, 198; sexism, 93; social;, 71; societal, 63; to go from one abusive situation to another, 67; to make me feel bad, 67; within the machine, 97 confessions, 42 confidence: developing, 178; lack of, 209 confidentiality: possible breach of, 239 conformity, 28, 38, 117 confusion, 199 connect: in aggressive free manner, 113 connection, 154 conscience, 10; deadening of, 127 conscious, 2, 27, 45, 52, 58, 208; (ly) acknowledge real causes, 5; (ly) affect, 14; (ly) aware, 9; (ly) concentrated, 195; (lY) made aware of, 9; (ly) performed, 10; (ly), maintained, 11; (ness) raising, 77; achievement of, 14; activity, 10; and unconscious working simultaneously, 83; attention, 208; attitude, 142; awakening of, 10; awareness, 203; connection with roots, 25; conscientiously aware of the harm, 56; mandates, 8; placed outside of, 14; realm and Sadism and masochism, 105; repression, 28; that cults operate from, 9; thought; taking responsibility for, 136; with feeling, 180; worldviews, 5 conscious, awareness, 3 conscious, interaction, 2 conscious, manipulation, 8 consciously: not able to identify, 50 consciousness, 8, 12, 22, 33, 34, 44, 45, 48, 53, 136, 139, 142, 159, 161, 180, 196, 197, 198, 200, 206; a devolution in, 126; advanced sates of, 138; collective human transformation, 184; continuum, 195; critical level, 64, 144; dampening, 84; defense against power of suggestion, attitude and labeling, 232; domination by unconscious forces, 83; ego, true, 199; ever increasing levels, 5, 195; healthy, 160; higher evolution of, 160; higher levels, 13, 81; higher levels of, 55; higher levels, what prevent them, 117; higher realms of, 210; illusion of first thought, 137; increased, 80; innate potential, 145; lower level, 117; lower levels, 62; lowered, 198; lowering of, 192; mass level, 59; mature level, 50; of something greater, 52; personal can be reflection of cosmic, 140; point of, 23; primitive level of, 63; producing, 216; raising, 2, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 45, 105, 123, 145, 152; raising high-jacked, in feminist movement, 110; raising, for all victims of violence, 108; raising, people violence, 96; realistic psychological theories, 142; repression, regression and cyclical perpetuation, 150; stages and structures, 143; Sun center, 200; transformation of, 190; trapped in false superego, 127; trying to expand, 163; upward process, 141 consciousness raising, 3, 190 consciousness, emergent points of brilliance, 69 consequences: unforeseen, 36 constructive, 23, 26, 38, 39 constructively: destructively..., 162 consume, 18 consumer: approach to living, 20; marketing, 118 consumerism: artificial quality of human existence, 38; quality of human existence suffers, 38 consumers, 13 continuum, 36 control, 7, 35, 37; and hate, symptom of, 55; and manipulation, 71; and one way communication, 172; battling for, 50; coercive, by powerful people, 50; dynamics of, 64; exter5nally applied, 147; illegitimate, 48, 73, 163, 210; instruments of, 155; milieu, 75; not letting emotions rule, 158; of environment, 74; of human beings, 154; of people, 36; of population, 43; of sensitives (are able to perceive dynamics taking place, 70; one way, 77, 147, 149; over others, 41, 45; overtly or covertly perpetrated, 64; population, 8, 12; rebelling against, 64, 118; social, 74 controlled conditions: developed under, 36 controlled environment, unforeseen consequences, 3 controlling, 18 cooperation, 34, 38; minus, 49 coping, 36; ability, 40 coping mechanisms, 63; short term, 36; unbalanced, 37 core: of a person's existence trying to express, 163 corruption, 46 counseling, 18 counselor, 16 courage, 24 courageous, 20 covert, 42; and unseen, 74; misinformation and manipulation, 76; political economic operations, 110 create: ability to, 26; and protect life, 155 created: artificial perception of needs, 117 Created: in God's image, 140 creation, 38, 193; of dependence and addictions, 44; of nihilistic tendency for self-destruction, 173; unique powers of creation, 155 Creation, 138; source of, 41 Index Mitchell- 306 creative, 38; ability to emerge, 146; and loving purposes, 111; artists, 102; energy and power, 162; life giving, 42 creative source, 159 creativity, 64 creator, 55 Creator, 23, 193; (s), image, 17; control all, 104; the source, eternity, etc., 42; to develop as nature intended, 179 creators, 29 creator's image, 3 creed, 23 crimes: against humanity, 18 criminal, 16, 49, 65; mental health workers, 157 crisis, 3, 44; all societal levels, 33 crucifixion: of the imagination, 136; symbol of, 181 crumbling, 5, 63 cult, 6, 47; (s), 151; (s) attempts to create destructive dependence, 69; (s) rituals, 65; (s), anti-religion, 154; (s), destructive, 85; (s), groups, 11; (s), Hollywood Satanic, 149; (s), Hollywood style, 71; (s), how they operate, 143; (s), people trying to escape from, 71; (s), real Satanic, 149; (s), Satanic, 9; (s), Satanic, real ones, 62; (s), use fear, shame, guilt and so forth, 69; a trade mark of, 65; connections in all injustices I suffered, 235; control, 65; control of dynamics, 65; courses(indoctrination), 65; definition of, 46; dynamics, 46, 58; exposing the individual, 66; forced confession, 66; from one to another, 222; Hollywood Satanic style, 52; like groups, 13; members hold positions of power in community, 149; of war and violence, 90; (s), attempts to confuse the recruit, 67; personal account of trying to be recruited, 66; personal experience of, 65; programming, mind control, 212; while working with satanic cult survivor, I am; swarmed, intimidated, slurs on my honesty, and so fourth, 234 Cult: after going against cult, I am made to look like a cultist, woman hater and potentially dangerous person. Total frame and reversal of truth, 236; like connections with psychiatric association, 237 cult - ture, 40 cult mind control, 62 cults, 7, 27; (s), coercive, 47; (s), multigenerational Satanic, 221; Hollywood Satanic, 42; they don't want to know about you. They want to know ways to control you, 68 cult-ture: dominant, 53 cultural: context, 196; cosmology of symbolism, 227 cultural mosaic, 47 culture, 16, 17, 39, 59, 197; (s) Eastern, 72; and roots in shambles, 110 cultures, 18, 35; traditional, 159; traditional, psychotherapy, 159 cycle: vicious, 32 cyclical, 46, 74; imbalances, 27 cynical: and bitter, attempts to turn, 50 cynicism, 46 Dali Lama, His Grace, 89, 109, 156 dangerous: jobs, forced to take, 91 debilitating: affects of making the client feel different, 250 defensiveness, 101 democracies: apparent, 82 democracy: individual, 144 democratic, 44, 61; ?, 47; illusion of, 46 demystification, 202 denial, 55 dependence, 39, 40, 75, 146; forced creation of, 44; on the expert, 216 dependency, 8; attempts to create, 165; indicates incomplete treatment, 168 dependent, 39, 40, 175 depression, 8, 48, 49, 53, 60, 138, 199; and other socalled mental illness, 121 deprogramming, 47 depth psychology, 11 desensitized, 44 deskilling, 124 destruction: of environment, 192 destructive, 37; obsolescence of materialism, 143 detach, 193 detachment, 144, 158, 180, 184, 195; learned through meditation, 214 detechment: wakeful, 184 de-tribalization, 27 deva, 85 development, human, 3 developmental: process, 194 developmental interruption, frustration, 3 devil, 43, 56 Devil, 42; Diva-ill, 85; historically unhealthy aspects of psyche, 86; possessed by, 85; the real one, 77 devolutionary, 197, 198; spiral, 81 devolutionary spiral, 144 diagnosis, 34; falsification of files to support, 153; sterile model of, 177 dichotomizes, 34 diconnected: from body, 36 dictatorship, 42, 69; what causes it to fall, 181 difference: creation of, 39 differences, 49; focusing on, 61; magnification of, 27 differential: power and conflict, 33 dignity, 5, 116 discipline, 83, 178, 180, 202; and awareness, 95 disconnected, 32; people and earth, 193 disconnection from people and higher sense of purpose, 169 disease: (s), new, 12 diseases, 35 disempowerment, 2, 37, 146 dissociated: personalities; child, persecutor and protector, 222 dissociation, 25, 84 dissociation identity disorder, 105, 222, 225, 229; to neurosis or psychosis, 129 dissociation identity disorder and Satan, 105 dissociative: disorder, 205 dissociative identity disorder, 71, 83 divine: anxiety, 201 divinity, 69 division: of labor, 124 division of labor, 38 divisions, 18 divisions of labor, 37 dogmatic, 61 dogmatism, 61 dominate: those weaker, 78 domination, 20 domino affect, 4, 7, 10, 41, 46, 56, 78, 137, 147, 221; activated, 176 double: bind, 216; meaning, 15; standard for those in need of support, 94; standard in justice system, 100 double bind: related to abuse, 224 double binds, 129, 160; frustration leading to growth, 224; examples of, 94 double speak, 129 double standards, 107 Index Mitchell- 307 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 20, 151 Dracula: inverse of psychological reality, 104 dream, 22, 23; time, 25 Dream: (s), 87 dreams, 87; properly interpret, 182; waking, 182 drug: maintenance, 150 drugs: street, dangers of, 145 DSM: constricting what it means to be human, 70 dualities: of masculine a, feminine, 138 duality: wave/particle, 30 Dweller on the Threshold, 73 dynamic: and constant change, 121; personal boundaries, 174; processes, 36; tensions, 196 dynamics: of femininity and masculinity, 192; servitude and dictatorship-like, 178; unhealthy, 16 dynamics, group, 4 dysfuctional, 16 dysfunction, 19, 27 dysfunctional, 32 dyslexia, 12, 80 Earth, 19, 32, 48; acting out, 36; horizontal plane, 37; Mother, 25; orientation, 200; plane, 143; Soul, 199; stability, 162; stress, 36 Earth, today, 4 Earth's, 35 Eastern: culture, 155 eccentricity, 160 economic, 37 ecosystem: living goddess, Gaia, 103 efficiency, 38 ego, 2, 28, 32, 35, 36, 62, 142, 169, 180, 194, 196, 198, 203; (centric), beyond, 175; (istic), 194; (istic) state, transcendence of, 176; (s), 17; (s) frightened insecurities, 165; (s), false, 170; (s), isolated, 197; (s), professionals, 163; (tistical) superiority, 201; aggressiveness, 196; and death, 184; and material realms, imprisoned, 154; anxiety and related dynamics, 152; beyond, 181; blood being shed by, 181; centered, 81, 170; centric, 175; confines of small..., 202; contents of, 117; diversions, 136; false, 43, 177; false ego and pain, 184; false, extension beyond, 202; free from false, 22; greed of false, 206; healthy, 43; healthy, balanced serving whole psyche, 24; identity, 196; illusions and personas,...., 185; immature, 11, 193; in service of whole, 185; in service of whole psyche, 139; inflated state, 176; inflation, 54, 55, 127, 139, 140, 199; inflation, guarding against, 136; inflation, psychoanalysis, 66; inflationary, 169, 184; intellectual, 137; less awareness, 177; mature, 18, 195; mechanically hardened and empty, 156; need for strong healthy, 138; needy requirements, increased, 189; perspective, 6; question the false ego, 181; releasing the poisons, 185; serving lower levels, 20; super, 43; transcending, 184; transcends false wounded, 117; true, working in service of the whole psyche, 135; unbalanced growth of, 28; viewpoint, 192; war-like, 21 egocentricity, 46 egos, 28, 35, 36; only living in, 109; threatened, 153 egos, males take a greater beating, 94 egotistical, 28; and superior fashion, 204 Einstein, 4 electric: chair, 22 element: fifth, 31, 200 elemental partnerships, 102 elements, 16 elite, 47 emancipation, 4 emotion, 180; (al) stunting, 59; (al), literacy, 114; immature, 39 emotional: age appropriateness to when the abuse took place, 214; drain, 48; literacy, 179, 180; poisons, 189; rebound, 189; suffocation, 188; theft, 60; vampire, 207 emotional atmosphere, 63 emotions, 3; (s), free of, 194; and thoughts, unbridled, 171; archaic, 196; explore associated feelings, 181; negative, to recognize, 186; raw, 64; refined into feelings, 64; refining of, 179; unbridled, 64; unfolding affects of, 179; when avoided, 178 emotions, unbridled, 58 empathic, 157; cleansing and healing of imbalances, 201; co9nnection, 194; living and connected way, 160; presence, 29 empathy, 5, 22, 30, 144, 152, 158, 196, 201, 204; and compassion, prevention of, 169; knowledgeable, 215 empower, 15, 78 empower or strip people of power?, 73 empowered, 39 empowering: and constructive, 55 empowerment, 38, 123 emptiness: sense of, 39 enemy: ones that you can or cannot see, 21 energetic: and vibration affects between people, 128; aspects create imprisonment on collective level, 104; black hole, 104; dynamic balancing, 101; dynamics of negativity increase when ignored, 103; dynamics, literalist interpretation, 104; needs, 41; patterns, 193; patterns, historical accumulation, 104; sustenance, 104; theft, 103 energetic needs, 2 energetically connected, 65 energies, 50; archetypal, 180; attitudinal and aggressive, 202; balance of masculine and feminine, 206; balanced interplay of, 122; collective, 197; negative, 103; dynamic Heavenly, 162; Have to be acknowledged to be balanced, 102; intersubjective interpenetration of, 197; learned to be consciously used for constructive purposes, 171; lower, 161; male and female, 200; masculine and feminine, 9, 193; masculine and feminine dynamics, 193; negative, accumulated, 104; refined, 178 energy, 11, 28, 33; block, heal, 180; blockages of, 190; constructive and creative use, 187; dampening affect of Earth, 162; depleting, 55; directing, 81; disciplined direction, 203; downward flow, 81; drain, 11; draining, 9; draining of, 81; feminine, 60; from limitless source, 104; giving up libido, 175; healthy, 203; libidinal, 58, 203; manipulation, 54; masculine and concentrated, 100; needs, 36; negative, 63; obtained from without, 176; patterns, geometrical, 228; pointed force, 43; projecting, 176; psychic, 48; reclaiming, 176; redirected to whole psyche, 179; redirected towards consciousness, 181; requirements, stealing, 173; sacrificed masculine not being replaced, 90; using and stealing libido, 176; wasting, 64 energy, pointed focus, 43 enlighten, 199 enlightenment, 154 enmeshed, 98, 193 enmeshment, 42, 48, 75, 189, 196; with the herd, 50 entertainment, 63, 110; obsession with, 117 entertainment industry: and affects of sexual objectification, 221 entities, 23 entrapment, 80 Index Mitchell- 308 entropy, 62, 173; and bigotry, 173 environment, 2, 3, 25, 27, 29, 32, 36, 38, 39, 40; alienation, fear, competition, 21; blaming the victim, 170; communion with, 38; destruction affects people physically, 35; heal my, 52; healthy, relative control over, 39; hospital, 204; individual, 181; interaction with, 124; living, 20, 146; living ecology, 192; manipulation of, 47; people's, 11; prescriptive, 38; reciprocal interaction with, 39; reciprocity, 37; response to imbalance, 82; unbalanced, 36 environmental: sensitivities, 35 environments: (s), family, 74 epidemics: of addictions, violence and anarchy, 217 equality: the illusion of, 65 equality and justice?, 106 equanimity, 117, 169, 194 equilibrium, 32 escapisms, 63 esoteric: schools, 50; schools, infiltrated by negativity, 226; studies, 194; traditions, 21; truth, 206 eternity, 42 ethical, 35 ethics, 22, 52 evaluate, 16 evaluation, 81, 87, 194; as opposed to judgment, 179; not judgment, 181 evil, 63, 73 evil, fear, 287 evolution, 3, 6, 28, 33, 38, 42, 136, 162, 198; expansion, 43; higher integration, 30; higher realms of, 138; human, 26, 100; of psyche and Soul, 163 evolution, ever expanding, 4 evolution, impetus, 3 evolutionary, 3, 13, 20, 38, 43, 180, 195, 196; development, earlier level, 126; expansive, 21; higher sense, 142; lower creatures., 193; potential, 139; sabotaged, 28 evolve, 3 evolving, 29, 33, 199; unity, 196 exclusionist, 44 existence, 29; astral and collective level, 53; higher realms, 177; levels of, 33 existential, 16; issues of living, 120; reality, true needs, 117 expansion, 154 experience, 16; (s), personal, 16; breakdowns, 51 expert: so-called, 39 exploitation, 19 exploited, 20 extrasensory: ability, 72 false accusers, 82 false memory syndrome, 71 false witness, bearing, 12 families, 16, 35, 42; who kidnap, 47 family, 55, 86; demonstrations of extreme paranoia, 244; emotionally enmeshed, 176; enmeshment, 210; indoctrination into cult dynamics, 64; sysfunctional systems, 34 Farrell: author, 91 fascism and communism, 53 fear, 2, 10, 54, 55, 56, 62, 112, 183, 203, 204; and subservience, 102; and thought waves, 209; core of evil, 105; egotistical, 34; how it is used, 11; inducing, 73; installation into people, 119; mongering, 57, 72; overcome, 171; without, 180 feeling, 198; valued, 39 feelings, 196; refined, 158 felt sense, 179 felt-sense, 179 female: biology as destiny, 92; gender, historically forced in to deep psyche, 104; perpetrators, 59; perspective, 53; victims of abuse, 59 feminine, 16, 43, 78, 192, 200; down swept triangle, 122; energetic principle, 126; energetic visual expression, 101; reversed aspect, 193; vessel, 60, 79 femininity: artificial, 106 fertility, 78 files: accessed without permission, forced to sign unknown or bogus releases, blatantly lied to, 242; bogus lies, anonymous accusations, and so fourth, 249 flatland, 192 focus, 196 folklore, 104 force: natural, 85 forced: acceptance of, 249 forces: attraction of dark, 52; dark, 50; groups of, 49; negative, 53; of good, 50 foundation, 30 foundations, 30 Fox: George, 201 fragmentation, 4; choosing sides, 106 fragmented, 23, 43 free market, 28 freedom, 75; developed, 186; individual, 5; prevention of, 69; threat to, 70 Freidan, Betty, 106, 109 Freudian, 16; slips, 15 frustration, 22 frustration, growth, 3 Fueng Shui, 203 fundamentalist: biblical, 41 Gaia, 60 Galileo, 4, 13, 20 Gandhi, 56, 69, 179 gang: and social pecking order, 101; members and Kappos, 101; warfare, 82 gangs, 27 gangs, very cult-like, 57 Garden of Eden, 100 gender, 7, 16, 79, 192; conditioned how to act out, 114; neutral, 205; strict stereotyping, 192; transcends, 43 generosity, 117 genetic, 12, 82, 207 genetics: and biology, 142; blaming it on, 48, 105 gentleness, 181 geometry, 161 gestalt, 70 ghettos: American, 110 gladiatorial pastimes, 63 God, 42, 43; all in one, 63 Goddess, 43 government: right wing, 118 gratification, immediate, 39 greed, 20, 175 greenhouse affect, 35 grounded, 3, 43; rooted, 5 grounding, 32 group, 37; (s), new age, 65; (s), new age, some are regressive, 169; (s), send unconscious repression into the collective unconscious, 95; atmosphere, 227; coercive type, 63; entrainment, 197; gets inside a person's head, subliminally, how, 74; in-group back stabbing, 101; mind, 86; minds, 84; society, 49 groups, 4, 18, 42, 45, 46, 47, 48, 67, 78; (s), minority, 82; minority, 27; social, 35 groups, in group domino affect, 4 growth, 32; developmental, 39 Index Mitchell- 309 growth, developmental. See guilt, 9, 42; and anger, 150; finally taking its toll, 150; indicating, 167; indications of, 157; turned inward, 208 habitual, 46 harmful, 17 harming others, 25 hate, 53, 55, 58, 112; deeply ingrained, 97; double standard allow objects of hate to be targeted, 110; expressing when they think they are loving, 192; male hate by women, 88; mongering, 88; repressed rage, 111; reversal, 110 heal, 23, 74, 77; depression, 203; the Earth?, 158 healer, 18, 191; (s) and sincerity, 191; (s) learning about them selves vicariously through client, 163; (s) of the psyche, become knowledgeable, 139; (s), dynamically with the client, 174; (s), would-be, undergo same experience as clients, 168; affective, 149; and client, mutual interchange between, 146; and their resistances, 152; burnout, 150; heal thyself, 136, 158, 171; teacher, student and technician, 152 healing, 16, 28, 46, 49, 60, 155, 208; ability, 198; and intimate knowledge, 201; art of, 175; band aid approach, 170; client pro-activeness sabotaged, 153; environment and humility, 151; environment, obstacles to, 177; environments, native healing, 202; mutual, 177; mutual interaction, 151, 152; mutual journey, 151; mutuality and respect, 168; native community, 204; of society, 155; positive perception necessary, 77; presence, 177; proactive, 62; process, integrity of, 204; profession, so-called, 80; relationship, 29, 120, 146, 152; relationship and the environment, 124; road to, 113; self perpetuating, 189; society, 204; sterile environment, 150; the healer, 152; the mind, 164; true, 151, 201, 203; true environment, 177; true traditions, 152; two way flow, 151; wisdom of, 160 Healing: and wholeness, 177 healing, individual and collective psyches, healing from possession, 103 health, 2, 5, 20, 48, 203; and sanity, focusing on, 174; community, 203; crisis, recognition of, 149; existential, 7; life enhancing, 20; mental, 10; mental, improper use of medication, 202; metal, 17; optimal, 5; professional looking out for colleagues at client's expense, 166; professionals, 194; providers and observers, 148; providers and unhealthy dynamics, 151; true, 174; workers psychically wounded, 147; workers, regular therapy for, 151 healthy, 6, 33, 34, 37, 52, 61, 83; apparently, 14; detachment, waking zone, 183; dynamic balance, 122; dynamic living, 142; independence, 63; therapy, 170 heart, 22, 200; awaken, 151; pure of, 50 Heaven, 38; and Earth, 177; battle in, 75; Father, 25 herd: breaking away from, 154; masses, 105; mentality, 159 heritage, 44 Hermes, 200 hexagram, 122, 162 hierarchical, 29 high: priest, priestess, 65 higher levels: represented by # 8, 161 higher realms, 4; creatively described, 102 higher Realms: reconnecting with, 161 Hindus, 193 Hippocratic Oath, 49, 74, 199 Hippocratic Oath?, 167 historical, 3; development of present, 104; truism, 20 history, 26, 53, 56 Hitler, 50, 57; (s) Nuremburg rallies, 84 holarchy, 35, 37, 38, 139, 195, 196, 197 holistic, 6, 37; and beyond, 29, 30; interaction, when it is hampered by status quo, 124 holographic, 192, 198 holography, 29 holons: wholeness, 30 Holy: war, 50 Holy Grail, 72 homeless: people, 118, 120; people, especially men, 91 homeopathy, 2, 164 honesty, 16; forthright, 17 horizontal: Earth plane, 193 horizontal earth plane, 3 hospital: inmates, 44; staff, 44 human: (ities) dysfunctions, 17; accumulated wisdom, 163; activity, 34, 45; and God Hating, 43; behavior, 27; being, 17; beings, 34; civilization, crime against, 163; constricted meanings, 164; developing relationships, 123; development, 26, 28; education, 18; experience, 104; family, 55; immature development, 27; integrity, divorced from, 117; interdependence, 7; liberation, 42, 194; limitations, 61; nature, 159; psyche, deeper level, 52; potentiality, 141; progress, 38; psyche, 159; psyche in relation to interaction, 143; psyche, glimpses beyond, 128; psyches, lots of, 50; qualities of, 156; relatedness, 40; requirements, 18; spirit, 18; transformation, forerunners, 191; universal, 202; weakened psyches and bodies, 158 human psyche, 4 humanity, 33, 193, 197; archaic, 54; crime against, 139; historical, 42; market driven, 5 humankind, 2, 3, 17, 20, 23, 26, 34; (s) birthright, 168; (s) heritage, 155; benefit of, 48; leading evolutionary..., 202; vertical movement, 198 humans: caught in lower stages, 143 humble, 15 humiliating and unprofessional treatment, 243 humiliation, 51; and further victimization, 215 humility, 191 hundred monkey syndrome, 144 hundred-monkey syndrome, 197 hypnosis, 65 hypnotic: affect, 65 hypocrisies, 192 hypocrisy, 2, 9, 11, 12, 38, 44, 75, 82, 92, 144, 159; and bigotry, affects of, 142; and labeling indices labeled behaviors, 120; and personas, 116; bigotry, 178; parental, 182; prejudice, 23; type of acting, 46 hypocritical: character, 192; projectionists, 157 id, 64, 145 idols, false, 102 ignorance, 50 ill - health, 28 illicit: allegations, 12 mental, 201 illusion, 47; dance of, 182; of possession, 184 illusions, 182; and transitory nature, 185; for identity, 175 image: God's, 184; personal, 175 imagery, 17, 160; religious, 17; spiritual and religious, 15 imagination, 136 imaginative, 39 imbalance, 35, 45; brain chemicals, 48; casualties, 5; chronic and acute, 156; counseling to let the poison remain, 109; psychic, 39 imbalances, 35, 46; successful treatment, 190 Index Mitchell- 310 immature, 196 imperialism, 155 imprison, 33 incest, 218 incompetence, 209 inctinctual, 20 independence, 32, 43, 194; and interdependence, 135; need for, 32; struggle to attain, 175 indifference, 46, 55 individual, 37, 50, 52, 70, 161, 197; (s) who are objectified, 176; balanced, 198; direction, 64; enlightened, 203; interior subjective, 122; journey, 180; liberating, 183; past life experiences, 140; people, 23; psyches, 38; psyches, abdication of autonomy, 198; thought, 63 Individual, 20 individual(s), 28 individualism: false, 28, 33 individuality, 40, 78; authentic, 154; lacking in, 196 individuality, harm of, 25 individuals, 18, 34, 48; dual nature, 155 individuate, 177 individuated, 194 individuation, 13, 38, 161, 175; escalating levels of, 197 indoctrination, 65, 78; into male hating, 114 induced disorientation, possible symptoms, 245 infinity: # 8, 162; Heaven and Earth, 162 information, 18, 26, 32; but little grounding in knowledge, 110; information within, 47 initiation, 32 injustice: (s) and attacks on innocent people, 178 inner: awareness, 117; awareness connected to outer, 117; child, 223; feminine, 89; nasties, 50; police state, 128, 181; self, 181; strength, true definition of, 56; world, 175 inner psychic realities, 2 innocence: return to, 176 inquisition, 82, 102, 109 inquisitorial, 6 insane: humane treatment of, 201; made to look like, 62 insecurity, 55 instability, 32 instant gratification, 110 instinct: and intuition, 187 instinctive, 23 instinctual, 22, 72; levels, 141 institution, 44 institutional: muting and pathologizing the victim, 247 institutions, 16, 18, 22, 46; accountability, 27; creations of labels, 45; generic representation of, 44; unethical treatment, 123 integrated, 5, 6 integration, 3, 6, 29, 161, 195, 203; alchemical, 161; conscious, 32; of animal and divine, 155; of the psyche, 224; prevention of, 209 integrative, 6 integrity, 50 intellect, 2, 10, 20, 54 intellectual, 194; clutter, 137; development, 100 intellectualization, 176 intelligence: instinctual, 22; planetary, 20 intent, 43 interact: with self and other people, 182 interaction, 44; with others, 46 interactive, 12 interconnected, 28, 30 interconnectedness, 56 interconnection, 7; and empathy, 175 interdependence, 5, 19, 29, 32, 38, 39, 63, 204; and other forms of mutual interaction, 18; by way of independence, 169; empathic, 91 interdependent, 5, 23, 28, 37, 38; relationships, 36 interdisciplinary: committee, 148 interference, 83 interpenetrate: individual and collective, 161 interpersonal: awareness, 32; interaction, 141 intimidation, 54; because I reported possible workplace abuse and cover-up, 234; by, 80; use of, 62 intolerance, 14; on self, 194 intuition, 21, 33, 100, 179, 188, 198, 212; deep intelligence, 17; female, 12; pathologizing of, 188 intuitive: abilities, 205 intuitive: survival ability, 212 invasive, 75 Iraq, 118; and Afghanistan, 119; physical emancipation of women, 119 isolation, 38 isolationist, 37 jealousy, 82 Jewish: holocaust, 24; Star of David, 122 journal: personal, 16 journey: sea, Leviathan, 158 Judeo-Christian Cabala, 138 judge, 16 judgment, 194; reserve, 17 Jung: Carl, 199 Jung, Carl, 16, 31 Jung, Carl, Undiscovered Self, 58 Jung, Carl.: true master of the whole psyche, 161 justice, 20, 181, 194; double standard and ignoring the facts, 106; or revenge, 88; surveys indicate if a man and a woman commit the same wrong act, men are condemned more than women, 107; systems, 57; unbalanced cross-examinations, 111; women can act in self defense but not women?, 108 Kali, 193 kappos, 57, 112 Kether, 138 King, Steven: "Green Mile", 22 King, Steven,, 111 knowledge, 18, 26, 46, 53, 77, 203, 208; and occult, 27; and tools, 141; esoteric, 53; higher levels made privy to, 47; inner, 33; limited, 124; occult, 47; public, 12; true, 159; used to liberate people, 47; well grounded, 65 knwoledge: destroyed, 62 Kudo, 195 label, 74, 78, 138; (s), 99; (s) and bigotry, 163; (s), conscious and unconscious affects, 75; power of, 59 labeling, 38, 95, 150; and stereotyping; making the victim look dangerous, 108 labels, 76 law, 59 layered meaning, 15 leading: questions, 166 leading comments: dangers of, 167 leading questions, criminal insinuations, character assassination, made to look potentially dangerous, 239 learning, 18, 39 legal, 195 legalized murder, 108 legislation: double standard, 111 legitimate: outrage, 53 liberate, 8 liberation: empowerment, 137 libert: civil, loss of, 12 liberty, 179 Index Mitchell- 311 libido: energies, balancing of, 200; forced downward, 139; life energy, 48; loss of, 53, 81; transformation of energy use, 48 library: of Alexandria, 42 life: anti-life, Satanism, 102; appreciation for, 186; art of, 175; blood, 51; connection with, 159; energy and theft, 121; energy, giving up, 121; everyday, 182; experience, 135; force, 178; force, loss of forces people into unconscious, 121; force, Prana, Chi, etc, 121; giving, 22; giving psyche, 165; growth of, 28; protector and nurturer, 194; reversal of, 175; source of life poisoned, 24; web of, 159 light, 28 like attracting like, 53 limbic, 196 linear, 39 link: between physical and non-material, 140 literal, 61 literalist: mistake, 102 Lithium, 162 living: death, 175; in the present, 61 logic, 200 love, 2, 23, 43, 48, 62, 89, 177, 194; (ing) kindness, 117; and compassion, 46; compassion, empathy, 24; definition of, 112; need for real type, 97; nonsentimental, 154; oneself, expanding…., 164; true, 81, 189; true and nurturing, 160 Lumen Naturae, 199 lust, 81 machine: and machine like creations, ability to control, 143; like indifference, 122; like insensitivity, 118; living in, 39; maintaining, 161 machine - like, 20 macho, 89 Madonna, 43 magic, 54; black, 9, 53, 59, 72, 104; black, sacrificing of masculine energy, 90; high, 10; high, creates unity, 55; low, 10; black, 72 magical: arts, 199 magician: (s), black, 76 majority, 34 male: (s), blaming male victims of speaking up about abuse from females, 93; (s), recipient of sexual harassment, etc., 99; (s), victimized same way as women, in reverse, 99; anti male attitudes, 91; bashing, 53, 91, 96; bashing, double standard, 96; crisis lines with female support?, 99; disempowerment, 93; domain, increased ability for women to enter, 92; egos take a greater beating, 94; energy not being replaced, 101; exaggeration of negative characteristics, 114; haters, terrified to acknowledge truth about violence, 114; hating, 106; humiliation, 92; perpetrators, 59; perspective, 53; power created female power, 100; suicide, 97; suicide rates far higher than women, 92; technology, 92; technology freed..., 92; victims of abuse, 59; victims of abuse, lack of defense, 114 males: explosive frustration at their abuse being ignored, 93; (s) who have been abused, 98 man: in woman, 60 mandalas, 228 mania, 190 manic, 199 manifestation, 33, 43, 60; physical, 137 manipulate, 35, 199; (d) and manipulator, 70; emotionally, 64 manipulated, 82 manipulation, 2, 13, 35, 36, 42, 43, 46, 48, 56, 77, 82, 197; co-dependent, 176; continuum of, 65; emotional, 60; indicators of, 48; one-way control, 46; perpetrators of, 52 Maoist: China, 72 market, 35 marriage: of God and Goddess, 162 martial arts, 81, 194, 196 Martin Luther King Jr., 50, 56, 69, 109 masculine, 16, 43, 79, 192, 200; and feminine energy dynamics, not gender, 100; consciousness, 79; consciousness, heavenly, 22; energies, consumers of, 62; energy, 161; energy, draining of, 104; energy, sacrifice of, 113; force, 60; logic created laws to free people, 100; or Yang energy, 53; upswept triangle, 122 masculinity: artificial, 106; false encouraged, 93 masochism: and sadism are both a bit of each on different levels, 134 masochist: (s), 176 masochistic, 181; scapegoats, 220; self abuse, 208 masochists, 41 mass: (s), hypnotic affect, 82; energies, 73; level, 196; media, 44, 48; media and propaganda, 73; mind, 11, 63, 212; of humankind, 191; political events, 54; rallies, 11; repression, 12; rock concerts, 54; schizophrenia, 34; sports rallies, 54 masses, 34, 55 masters, 16 material: beyond material conceptualization, 102; or astral world, 199; world, grounded existence, 202 materialism, 2, 3, 21, 28, 35, 38, 192; and false idols, 102; cause of a multitude of problems, 27; pathological, 55; transformation from, 69; un-needed products, 20 materialistic, 5, 19, 34, 35, 49, 82; and quantitative, 137; interpretation, 61; mindset, 72; right wing, 117; worldview, 5 mathematical, 38 matriarchal, 192 matter, 193 mature: reconnection, 176 Maya, 159, 182 mechanical, 37, 49 mechanization, 38 media: electronic, 28 medical: and pharmaceutical megalith, 39; establishment, dominant belief, 142; model, narrow and mechanical, 156; only elite can afford health assistance, 105; pharmaceutical business, 190; pharmaceutical megalith, 43; political and business complex, 44 medication, 8, 12, 44, 55, 70, 82, 84; (s) and behavior modification, 74; and herd conditioning, 170; artificial stimulation and perpetuation of ill health, 121; helps people to become functional cogs in the machine, 70; misuse of, 105; psychotropic, 13; psychotropic drugs achieve what would be the envy of dictators, 129; psychotropic, harm from, 211; therapy, 74 medications: abuse of, 186; psychotropic, 145; psychotropic, addictions and abuse, 185; some can prevent concentration and/or cause dissociation (neurosis/psychosis), 169; treated like guinea pig, forced disorientation, 239 medicine, 59, 105; controlling instead of curing, 110; failure to acknowledge the powers of the psyche, 212; homeopathic, 39; modern, 34, 53; modern, what is recognized, 137; preventative, 189; profit driven, 20; technology of, 27 meditation, 83, 135, 144, 180, 181, 194; and psychotherapy, 163, 171; can cause regression and Index Mitchell- 312 retreat, 170; loosens the bounds of the ego, 172; mindful, 84; moving, 195; true, 170, 171; with a conscious perception, 137 meditation true courage, 171 meditative: consciousness raising, 117; techniques, 190 melting pot, 47 memories: individual and collective, 87 memory, 83 men, 193; (s), double bind, 93; (s), homeless residence, 122; attempting to get in touch with feminine sides, 106; branded the way most women used to be, 106; co-opting into self-hate, 112; deep feminine deep within raped, 100; dehumanization of, 91; forced to take most dangerous jobs, 111; not protected under the law, 97; objectification of, 97; one way to be disempowered, 89; positive changes ignored, 96; possessed by anima and machine, 106; violent, 111; women's unfasir treatment of past used as excuse for male stereotyping, 92 mental: health, 44; discipline, 184; health, 21, 44, 45, 174; health and manipulation, 137; health net, 137; health of society, 196; health practitioners and suicide, 150; health professional, 137; health professionals, 160; health professionals, most ignorant about them selves, 163; health system, 164; health system could restore society to health, if....., 155; health system, deficient, 195; health web, 76; health workers, 147; documented cases of shadow worship, 148; health, files usually exaggerate a person's condition, 201; health, responsibility, 147; health, workers who are unqualified, 172; health's attack on mysticism, 148; health's attack on spirituality and mysticism, 153; illness, so-called, 8, 162, 189; illnesses, so-called, 210; instability, prevention of, 138; interaction, 38; invasions are a form of rape, 57; health, 39; speed, 185; symptoms are not the problem, 174 mental health, 39 mental illness: epidemic proportions of so-called, 48; manufactured allegations of brain injury after constant onslaught of abuse, 236; so-called, 35, 48 mentality, 34, 44; herd, 66; military, 28; straightjacket of herd, 144; the machine, 90 mentally ill: so-called, 49, 55, 82, 206; so-called, can have greatest potential, 184 Mercury, 200 Messianic Legacy, 54 metaphors, 61 microcosm as the macrocosm, 77 micro-operations, 183 mid-life crisis: so-called, 92 mind, 33, 136, 146; (s) and confusion, 170; (s), interpenetration, 197; (s), interpenetration of, 196, 202; and body, destructive affect, 169; and environment, parallel relationship, 69; and panic, 185; body and spirit, 47; closed mindedness, 92; control, 63, 84; frame of, 44; frightened, 45; higher aspects, 158; impelled to deeper inquiry, 170; manufacture of defenses from experiencing life, 170; mass, 85; potential for evolutionary development, 170; quieting, 161; science of, 201; stabilizing, 170; technical and scientific explaining complexity, 126; transitory states, 156 mindfulness, 189 mindset, 35 minorities: visible, 27 miracles, 61 modernity, 35 Montreal massacre, and a serial killer most people are not aware of that was kept quiet., 107 moon: walking on, 13 moral, 35; development, 143 morals, 22, 52 mosern medicine, 17 mother: devouring, 101, 192; nurturing, 192 mother-complex: Oedipal complex, 216 multinational, 118 multiple luminosities, 199 murder, 22 mutilated, 18; traditions, 21 mutilating, 44 mutual, 23; exchange, 147 mutuality, 29, 39, 54, 61, 120, 199; recognition of, 24 mystery: traditions, 206 mystic: saints and sages, 140 mystical, 17, 73, 82; experiences pathologised, 156; instruction, 72 mysticism, 12, 17; medical/pharmaceutical war on, 70; psychiatry's attack on, 130 mystics, 72 myth: and cosmologies, 104 mythological: expressions of anti-life, 102 mythologies, 32 myths: fables and folklore, 218 narcissism, 39; extended, 175 narcissistic, 34, 196; anarchy, 196; destructively, 35; isolation, 5 nationality, 23 nations, 18, 35 Native American Groups, 48 Native Americans, 33 natural, 33, 34, 36; abilities encourage, 171; ability for body and mind to heal itself, 211; ability to heal, 121; and healthy, 199; evolutionary, 20; flow, 36; healing substances, 190; in energetic terms, 50; psychic evolution, 21; right to, 44; setting, 36; state of expansion, 184 natural conditions, 4 nature, 26, 34, 36, 42; (s) reaction, 36; (s), aware of, 208; (s), true, 157; Buddha, 43; contrary to, 113; fallen, 23; harmony and aliveness, 149; harmony with, 21; light of, 199; lower and higher, 199; of mind, 16; of well being, 174; true, 11, 25 nature, true, 28 Nazi: Germany, 72, 118; neo, 222 Nazi Germany, 54 Nazis, 21, 73; femme, and macho, 94; satanic cult, 24 negative: energies, 27; energies, darkness, 23; masculine overlord, 104 negativity, 34; agent of, 50 neocortex, 200 neo-cortex, 158, 180, 196 neuroleptic, 130 neurophysiological, 48 neurosis, 60, 169, 177; healing from within, 146; nature's reaction..., 170 neurosis and psychosis, 54 neurotic, 19; psychotic shell, of society, 156 neurotransmitters, 190 New Ethic, 319 new science, 142 Newman, Eric, A New Ethic, 58 Newtonian, 33, 142 nihilistic, 34, 35, 60, 192, 197 nonverbal intelligence, 144 normalcy, 47; illusion of, 49 numbly, 49 Nuremburg, 27 objective, 33; and inter, 19 obsessed, 53 Index Mitchell- 313 obsession, 34; without, 195 obsessive compulsive, 39 obsolete: books on gender stereotyping, 112 occult, 4, 8, 10, 27, 42, 43, 52, 72, 76, 82; control by the shadow, 148; deep, 54; everyone takes part, 52; meditation, 215; repertoire, 66 omega, 30 ominous, 44 oppressed, 60, 191; become oppressors in turn, 99; become the oppressors, 57; becoming oppressors, 92; becoming oppressors, historically cyclical, 96; careful not to become the oppressor, 101 oppressed or persecuted, perseverance of, 56 oppression, 10, 186; allows one to oppose..., 186 order: pecking, 41 organizations: purpose behind, 47 orient, 82 Orwell, George, Double Speak, 49 ostracism: and character assassination, forced into menial labor, abusive relationships, and so fourth, 236 outcast: outsider, black sheep, etc, 48 ozone layer, 35 Pandora's Box, 22 panic, 45; attacks, 36, 187; attacks and retreating behavior, 99 paradox, 29, 30, 32, 37, 76; (s), 196; wave, particle, 76 paradoxiacal: apparently, 176 paranoia, 41; entrapment term, 153; so-called, 188 paranoid, 12; it is not, 137; make to look, 62 paranormal, 17 parasite, 63 parasitic, 45, 48 pardon: did not go through proper channels in city where I had fought against cult activities by working with cult survivor, 235 participation mystique, 80, 196 passive: in mental ability, 28; receptors of information, 28 passive aggressive, 59 path: left-hand, 21, 22; mystery, 21 path and search, 55 pathological, 18, 43, 44, 105, 156, 176, 192; and most violent expressions of repression on the ego level, 134; artificially produced, 19; conditioning to induce the victim to blame themselves, 246; forced (entrapped) into diagnosis, 167; manipulative forces, 60; projections of others, 245; remedy, 150; socalled, 19, 130, 132 pathology, 7; creating, 172; focus on, 190; how society creates, 51; manufactures, 154; of the machine, 154 path-right-hand, 21 patience, 202 patient: confusion exacerbated, 202; disorientation, 201 patriarchal, 192 patriarchy, 53; necessary part of evolution, 100; what really gave rise to it, 113 peace, 2 Pearce, Joseph Chilton, Evolution's End: Claiming the Potential of our Intelligence, 208 pedophilia, 7, 39, 218, 221 peer pressure, 56 pendulum, 27 people, 36, 37, 39, 41, 42; (s) mutuality and interdependence, 143; (s) suffering, 202; (s), psyches crumble, 139; abused. In the mental health system. Lacking honest evaluation, 70; against people, 113; and environment, 195; and manipulation on lower levels of psyche, 143; anger, 60; angry, 52, 78; angry can become the energy anger, consumed by, 53; apathy and mechanical blinders, 159; are hurt then oppress or harm others, 56; are people, simple, 107; attacking themselves, anima and animus, 100; conditioned, 110; conditioned to perform roles, 156; control and the power of suggestion, 66; disempowering them, 154; dissociated from their lives, 161; empowering, 155; exaggeration of differences between, 54; violence, 90; Holy, 61, 102; imprisoned on neuroleptics, 81; in positions of trust, 123; machine like, 105; majority of, 34; materialistic-externalized people, 122; mechanization of, 37; most vulnerable, 44; needy, 66; objectification of, 79; objectified, 20; not given recognition for the good they do, only the negative, 106; pleasers, 39; pleasing, 117; power differential, 197; psychically wounded, 9; psychological oppression and victimization of, 65; realistic approach when working with, 120; repressed pain,, 101; rule through not over, 48; segregated and ostracized, 125; self-righteous, 51; sensitive, 10; spiritually mature, 201; street, 18, 49; stripped of self-control, 124; strong, 56; systemizing of, 37; take back the power, 155; the, 195; unbalanced, 58, 142; unconscious acting, 46; understanding, 165; vulnerable, 208; who call for a new worldview, 143; who hold positions of power, 143; who hurt other people hurt themselves, 150; whole and complete, 176; world, 48; wounded, 45; wounded and mutilated, 137; wounded but not healed, 56; wounded, disempowered and dependent, 51; young, 9, 64, 82, 110 people"pleasing and consequences, 97 perceptions: distorted, 11 Perennial Philosophy, 136, 227 perpetrate, 16 perpetrated, 42; unconsciously, 45 perpetration: conscious of, 36 perpetrator, 25, 45, 58, 188; also harms self, 25; satiation of sadistic needs, 166 perpetrators, 49, 59, 87; and mental health clients, 148; blaming the victim, 120; feel threatened and seek revenge on innocent victims, 206; in many cases in charge of helping victims, 121; in service of collective shadow/superego, 128; organized groups, 71; powerful and unconsciously controlled, 148; silencing their victims, 206; the undiagnosed mentally ill, 71; themselves are wounded people, 121; using scapegoats, keeping people at each other's throats, 110 perpetuators: forms of job creation, 158 persecution, 55, 101; because of interest in occult areas, professional paranoia, 241; of gays, 106 person: crafts, 37; open to immediate experience, 169; whole, 43; why forgive, 176 person, whole, 37 persona, 28, 169, 197; expert, 163; macho, 89 personal, 44; dream, 13, 22, 23, 87, 190, 257, 258, 261, 263, 268, 269, 270, 297; dreams, 256; identity, 141 personal is political, 6, 125 personality: protector, 223; shame based, 194, 217; shell hardened, 156 personas, 28, 44, 79, 161, 175, 183, 194, 195; and illusions, 223; hypocritical, 123 perspective, 52 Pharisees, 186 pharmaceutical: companies, 36; companies and funding, 171; pill pushers, 186 pharmaceuticals: control, 20 philosophers, 194 philosphers, 16 Index Mitchell- 314 philosphical, 25 physical, 49; memory, 187 physics, 33, 137, 138; modern, 184 physiological, 2 Pierce, Chilton, Evolution's End, 65 Pink Floyd, 64 pleasure, 48 Podvoll: Edward M, 202; Edward M, compassion, 201 Podvoll, Edward M, 200, 203 Podvoll, Edward M., 156, 182, 183, 185, 189, 190, 195 poetic: expression, 13 police: gut reaction, 36; or military, 44; state within, 44 politcal: (ly) correct, 198 political, 6, 37; correctness, 57, 69, 106, 111, 117; correctness, and hypocrisy, 112; correctness, used to cover up perpetrators behaviors, 112; extreme left or right, 138; is personal, 41, 46, 140; personal is, 37 polygraph tests, 12; both the accused and the accuser should have to take them, 82 population, 47 positive: feedback, 38 possessed: by animus and shadow, 115 possession, 85; affects breathing, 187; by an individual psyche, 86; by animus, 60; by dark aspects of the god and goddess, 103; by unconscious dynamics, 103; group mind, 220; my group mind, 86; psychic, 8; rather than acceptance of, 43 potential, 6; before manifestation, 138 potential, human, 3 power, 2, 25, 37, 45, 46, 47; a lot of it, 73; absolute, 45; abuses of, 131; analysis, 90; and bigotry, 167; and communication, 123; and control, instruments of, 217; and responsibility, 206; and technology, 26; brute, 25; corrupt and anarchy like, 46; corruption of, 45; differential, 147; differentials, 167; differentials between client and worker, 151; dynamics within society, 149; elite of society, 103; esoteric knowledge, 194; false, 51; imbalance, 45; misuse of, 94; misused, 25, 92; of concentration and breath, 188; of suggestion, 81, 248; of the mind, 26, 210; of unbalanced psyche, 127; over clients, 147; over other people, 175; over others, 45; over others and perpetrators, 207; psychic and physical, 26; pyramid, 45; subtle, 25; to create, 26; true, 58; undiagnosed in position of authority, 121 power, misuse of, 2 powerful, 45; actors in positions of trust, 161; and control over others, 156 powerless: compensating for, 25; expression of, 25 powerlessness, 52, 90; confused sense of, 120; dynamics inducing sense of, 120; male gender, 91 prescriptive, 6; culture, 39; goals, 174; technologies, 38 preventing victims from becoming perpetrators, 57 primitive, 26, 64; defense postures, 212; reptilian, 180; so-called, 25 primordial, 4, 11, 22, 42; images, 141 process: dynamic, 32, 33; thinking, 43 processes: overlapping and interconnected, 195 Prodigal Son, 176 production, 37 productive, 23 productivity, 38 professional: coercion, intimidation, 241; cruelty, intimidation, 244; dehumanizing of clients, 249; disempowerment to client, 240; effort, 74; irresponsibility, 188; misconduct, 166, 168, 238; misconduct, displays of professional instability, 240; misconduct, leading questions, and so fourth, 238; misconduct, professional placing himself before client, 240; misconduct, psychic brutalization of patient, forced disorientation, 242; misconduct, trying to fit me into a non-existent diagnosis, leading questions, attempts to implant ways of thinking because of leading comments, suggestions, 241; paranoia, 153; paranoia, intimidation of client, 247 profit, 49, 105; driven, 19 profits, 44; corporate, 57 progress, 26 projecting, 156, 187 projection, 48, 78, 147, 175; (s), withdrawing, 177; and control, 165; and hypocrisy, 220; and unhealthy ignorance, 201; control and harm over other people, 147; mutually interactive, 150; objectification, 176; objects of, 176; of repressed and revenge, 90; on occult levels, 76; psychological, 42 projections, 150 propaganda, 84, 118; emotional, 18; government, 44; various forms, 11 proscriptive, 6 prostitution: real nature of, 111 protection: through evaluation, 87 psyche, 2, 9, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 27, 29, 30, 34, 38, 44, 52, 117, 136, 138, 142, 158, 191, 196; (ically), inter, 38; (s) collective and individual, 150; (s) overlapping of, 42; (s) sharing the same consciousness, 144; (s) with potential to reach higher levels, 142; (s), becoming acquainted with, 188; (s), collective. Women traditionally have greater access, 102; (S), compassion in healing, 147; (s), connected over time and distance, 75; (s), dual nature, 161; (s), illusion of separation, 75; (s), inner, 104, 203; (s), inner anarchy, 28; (s), interdependent, 199; (s), interpenetration of, 11; (s), manipulating clients, 147; (s), mechanically repressed and concealed, 149; (s), medications cause psychosis over time, 121; (s), overlapping of, 75; (s), parallel affects, 54; (s), powerful interpenetration of, 188; (s), retreat provides (obscene) opportunity to learn to navigate within, 102; (s), wounded, 150; 2-way movement, 151; ability to manipulate, 20; alienated and anarchy like, 127; also see reality, 21; and health, 146; and masculine energy, 205; and psychic energy, 196; and shadow, 193; and symbols of conscious levels, 200; and would-be healers, 141; archetypal levels, 140; as it relates to shadow, 126; atrophy of healthy functioning, 128; attempts by society to control, 142; balance of, 169; balanced, 196, 197; balanced and synchronized, 83; beyond lower, 181; breaking down rigidities, 161; cannot devalue or do away with lower levels, 139; centered, 196; centering, 193; client, 163; collective, 23, 28, 29, 43, 69, 71, 140, 144, 185; collective and individual, muti-lated, 104; collective and the domino affect, 95; collective at lower levels, 141; collective expressions of imbalance, 102; collective inter-subjective realities, 210; collective projection, 99; collective resonance with, 54; collective unconscious, 127; complementary realities, 168; confusion between individual and collective invasions, 128; confusion of individual and collective memories, 140; constriction of, 81; continuum, 197; deep psyche, ignorance of which cause hypocrisy and self-hate, 100; deeper layers of, 83; deeper levels, 205; deeply submerged primordial, 198; disconnected, 36; early shaping of, 209; Eastern approaches, 149; emergence, 18; enforced confinement in, 126; environmentally created imbalances, 190; externalized and objectified, 85; filter of the human mind, 17; focus on Index Mitchell- 315 lower levels, 142; forward movement, 144; fragmented, 81; freeing and expanding, 142; growth, 203; healers of, 206; healing, initially by identifying feelings and symptoms/ symbols, 134; healthy, 156; healthy and balanced, 127; healthy aspects become atrophied, 121; hierarchical, 142; high, 55; higher aspects can only be described with spiritual imagery, 153; higher levels, 19, 20, 136; higher levels beyond conceptualization, 102; higher levels of, 135; higher realms, 17, 26, 149, 170, 191; higher realms cannot be conceptualized only realized, 103; historical collective of humanity, 140; historical development, 29; holarchic, 197; holographic nature of collective, 138; holography and elements of memory, 138; horizontal plane, 5; human collective, 5; human collective, disconnected from, 25; imposing of negativity, 209; in addition to ego, 43; individual, 23, 29, 50; individual and collective, 32, 140, 164, 181, 223; individual in relation to collective, 23; individual mirrored in collective and back, cycles, 198; individual mirrored in the collective and via versa, 99; individual mirrored in the collective and visa-versa, 95; individual's, 193; infection, 150; inner, 43, 141; integration of higher levels, 139; inter mutilation, 19; interference in a perpetrator like and invasive manner, 84; interpenetration and ramifications, 147; interpenetration of, 220; inter-subjective, 197; isolated and in the dark, 43; journey through higher, 138; larger, 187, 199; levels, 31; lower levels, 18, 136, 192, 199; lower realms, 26; many different selves, 195; micro-operations, 202; mirror, 30; mirrors of development, 144; most of it outlawed, 53; mundane, holographic level, 142; murder of psyche and Soul, 162; mute-lation of and spirit, 117; mutilated, 24, 81; muti-lated, 85; muti-lated collective, 87; mystical and evolutionary, 184; official approach to, 43; opening up to lower levels, to go beyond, 162; pathologization of, 138; personal, 126; playing the game, 206; pleasure principle, 126; potentialities, 172; power of, 75, 146; psychological denial of, 138; psychotropic medications can causes fragmentation, 83; quieting, 186; realities and needs, 147; realities ignored by mental health, 169; reality of, 19, 78; repression and perversion, 85; reptilian, lower level, 126; segregation and categorization, 137; self-defeating aspects, 181; shadow controlled, 24; shadow, vampire aspects of, 127; sources of knowledge of, 128; storage bin of collective memory, 140; submerged contents, 13; teaching the mind to reach higher levels, 135; the search, 143; transcendence of personal contents, 138; transpersonal, 140; trans-temporal, 139; true state of world changes requirements, 142; turning trauma inward, 128; typhonic, uncivilized, 126; unbalanced, 36, 185; unconscious, 43, 199; unconscious and collective, 137; unconscious aspects of, 43; unconscious collective. Depression example of interpenetration, 98; unconscious, Great mother aspect, 126; unfolding of higher subtle realms, 136; unity, 177; universal, 32, 203; universal aspects, 200; universal human, 199; upward movement, 139; validation, 19; vertical plane, 5; whole, 21, 43, 75, 80, 92, 146, 151, 195, 199; worldview, 137 psyche and evolution, 203 psyche, also see reality, 19 psyche, sabotage, 3 psyches, 38, 61; disconnected, 39; experience of empathy and interdependence, 141; internal war, 50; repressed, 32; unconscious, 104; verification of interconnection, 201 psyches, disempowered, 2 psychiatric: DSM-1V, 206; in-house patients and sexual abuse, 205; practices, orthodox, 211 psychiatrist, 74 psychiatrists, 194; and medication therapy, 172; asylums and profits, 201 psychiatry, 17; and intolerance, 172; and the Scared, 152; current students of, 155; extremely limited, 137; limitations of, 138; modern, 162 psychic: ability, 140; ability to affect other minds, 141; abuse, 207; awareness of shadow contaminated people, 122; awareness treated like an aberration, 109; balancing, indicators for, 182; collective, intersubjective, 122; conditioning, 126; conditioning and control, A Clockwork Orange, the movie, 130; connection, 144, 174; crumbling, 32; deep reality, 175; development, 13, 29, 195; gender neutral stages, 192; development of humanity can only be achieved by consciousness raising, 135; development without turmoil, 141; development, defenses against, 135; development, higher levels, 143; development, lower levels, 61; discipline, 159; torture, 71; dynamics and collective domination, 104; dynamics, mutually interfacing, 149; editing, 129; encroachment, 80; energies, activation and manipulation of, 54; energies, theft of, 192; energy, accumulation, 77; enforced crucifixion, 128; entrapment, 77; environment, 20; evolution coercively arrested, 139; expansion, 141, 168, 171; experience, higher realms, 180; experiences, 17; flood, 191; flooding of collective repressions, 133; fluidity, 171; fragmentation, 13, 29, 190, 207; fragmentation, extreme example, 13; frequencies, 141; growth, mindfulness, 171; harm of, 25; healer, a mutual learning experience, 163; historical total, 159; image, 195; imbalance, 19; imbalances create demons, 95; integration, 163; integrity, child's, 118; integrity, harm of, 25; interdependence, 140; invasion, 86, 187, 214; invasions, 205, 210; invasions, being alerted to, 187; invasive disempowerment, 39; level it is like Star Wars, 50; levels, deeper levels, 205; liberation, fear of, 135; lower levels, 141; make-up, 23; mental process, 137; movement, 192; mute-lation, 164; possession, 210; possession, external control, 118; potential, 7, 20, 26; potential transformation, 202; potentiality, 199; potentials, 191; power, 164; power, disconnection from, 20; processes doctors do not understand, 130; rape, 13, 85, 165, 187, 208; reality, 19, 191; recognition of invasions, 188; recollection, 22, 168; retention of lower structures, 143; retreat, 34, 70, 118; retreat and inward focus, 102; retreat into safety, 71; retreat usually creates unconsciousness, 102; retreats, 11; revolution, 181; roles; are not specific to gender today, 183; sexual abuse, 210; splits, 209; struggle to rebirth, 162; total energies, 162; transformation, 170, 202; truth, reality, 20; uncertainty principle, 33; vertical movement, 168; violence, mutilation, 19; wave, 84; well being, 22; wholeness, 22, 168 psychic dynamics, 205 psychic fragmentation, 5 psychic reality, 3 psychic reality, fragmented, 3 psychic stages: transitional, 32 psychic, awareness, 25 psychically: aware, 8; sensitive, 145, 205; wounded, unacknowledged, 206 Index Mitchell- 316 psycho: dynamic counseling, 172; physiological requirements, 168 psycho physiological, 37 psychoanalysis, 39 psychoanalytical, 50 psychological, 16, 25, 38, 49, 195; acting out, 60; and emotional abuse, 89; and emotional abuse worse than physical, 114; and spiritual healing, 146; approach to healing, 120; brutality, displays of, 118; connections, 210; damage, a reason for, 95; death sentence of permanency, 80; deeper complexes, 45; development, 29, 160; difficulties of a spiritual nature, 162; entrapment, 95; experience, 137; functioning thwarted, 160; ignorance, 57; imbalances, 211; incest, 182; institutions, 18; mainstream approaches, 169; manipulation and control, 114; materialism, 177; or experiential states of mind, 138; or physical traumas, 187; possession, 48, 75; projection, 11; proven realities, 155; realities, 104; recollection, 215; response to unhealthy environments, 48; sexual abuse, 85; subservience, 104; torture, 156 psychological: true schools of, 207 Psychological: development places men in subservient position, 103 psychological abuse, 59 psychological reality, 3 psychological;, 201 psychologically: manipulative and addictive nature of, 117 psychologists, 9, 16; Jungian, 170; well known and respected, 144 psychology, 17, 194; advanced and civilized, 77; and psychiatry, instructor of, 168; depth, 41, 70, 161, 172; freeing, 146; individual and social, 74; looking for health and sanity, 172; metaphysics and common sense, 100; modern, 19; transpersonal, 137, 180; true, 16 psychology, advanced and civilized, 77 psychology, true, 12 psychosis, 13, 30, 60, 169, 199, 201, 203; and neurosis, causes of, 127; and neurosis, perpetuated, 147; and neurosis, personas people believe identify them, 156; and neurosis, undiagnosed, 121; and sociopaths, the unrecognized, 128; treatment of, 203; true, 156 psychosis, neurosis, 66 psychotherapist: must be experientially acquainted with the process, 174 psychotherapists: undergoing psychotherapy, 191 psychotherapy, 180, 191, 199, 200; and effective guidance, 172; destructive, 231; effective, 174; effective model, 174; experiencial knowledge, 174; so-called, 105; true, 157, 161, 174 psychotic, 8, 17, 19, 20, 185, 199; ability..., 183; disorder, diseases that mimic, 156; experience, bound up, 156; shadow, 200; shell, 24; so-called, 183 psychotics, 184; and neurotics, undiagnosed, 161 punishment, 202 purposeful, 54 pyramid: within a circle, 52; within a circle, hierarchy and movement upward, 162 quadrant: all, 200 quadrants, 192, 195, 196, 198; centering, 19, 191 Quakers: Society of Friends, 201 qualitative, 19 quantified, 18 quantitative, 19, 36, 38; perception, 136 quantum: jump, 33 quantum jumps, 3 quantum psychics, 75 quaternity, 122, 161, 200 question: always ask, 73 questions, 64 rage: and anger, preventing people from seeing clearly, 113 rape, 17, 98; resulting feelings, 102 Raphael, 200 reactions: monitoring, 13 reality, 2, 18; apparent paradox, 177; existential, empty sense of, 85; filtered, 137; larger, 29; our, 29; quantum, 221; quantum physical, 176; testing, 139; vertical levels, 37 realm: astral, 73; astral and manipulation, 76 realms: astral, 53 re-balancing: mechanisms, 182 rebirth: meaning of, 175 reciprocal, 7, 38, 39, 197, 203; dynamics, 32; interaction, 36, 38 reciprocal interaction, 2 reciprocity, 5, 32, 33 reductionism, 6 reductionist, 33, 34, 36, 39 regression, 6, 11, 35, 64, 169; symptom of, 6 regressive, 18; rather than evolutionary, 192 re-integration of psyches, 223 rejection: by the machine, what causes it, 91 relations: close with people and Earth, 193; physiological, emotional and psychological, 15 relationship, 33, 42; (s), developing, 123; natural, 32; therapeutic, 77; two-way interaction, 169 relationship(s), client/therapist, publicly funded, 152 relationships, 38, 39 religion, 23; (s), all work in occult ways, 73 religion, spirituality, considered psychotic, 152 religions, 65; dominant, 48 religious: persecution, 238 religious tight, 154 reorientation, 183 repetition compulsion, 215, 224 repressed, 34, 82, 191; and conditioned, overcoming, 176; and reversed over time, 126; bring to light, 180; coercively, will re-emerge, 80; has to express, 101; hidden ghosts, 180; limited awareness results in isms, as in elitism, 35; sadistic projective needs, 148; shadow, aiding it, 96 repressing, 44 repression, 36, 39, 41, 42, 55, 78, 82, 84, 190; and fragmentation, 182; and projection, 47; and resulting double standard, 99; cause by diagnosis, 19; cause of, 187; exists on a continuum, 129; forced, 207; medically maintained, 105; psychological, 46 reptilian, 20, 196 repulsion, 112 reputation: ruined in city where I fought against the cult, 236 research, 37 resource: availability, 123; person, 123 respect, 18, 28, 198; lack of, 109 responsibility, 4, 7, 27, 45, 47; deadening of, 46; for enlightening darkness, 23; for unconscious aspects of psyche, 27; for welfare of environment, 149; to do so, 75; to exercise, 46; we all are, 75 responsible: clients, 153 re-tribalization, 27 Revelations: Book of, 161 revenge, 53; dangers of, 52 reverse: counter sun wise, 22; seeing, 192; seeing in, 80, 144; seeing things, 11 Index Mitchell- 317 reversed: true intentions, 111 reversing, 18 revolution: revelation, 181 revolutionary, 69 ridicule, 82, 93 Ritalin, 189 ritual, 12; abuse, 227; torture, sacrifice, 149 ritual abuse, 229 rituals, 10, 54; all have psychic affects, 54; that ignore unity, 55 roles, 182; and labels limiting people, 183 Rome: ancient, real purpose behind coliseums, 110; corrupt, ancient, parallels between then and now, 63 roots, 32, 61 Ross, Colin A., M.D., 206 Sacred, 49 sacrifices, 42; blood, unconscious, 120; family and social, 71 sacrificial: whipping boys or girls, 56 sacrificial torture, 13 sadism, 36, 41, 42, 176, 207; a clear example, 248; animals learn it from their masters, 113 Sadism, 63 sadism and masochism, 6, 11, 144; continuum on which it can be displayed, 121; subtle but powerful example, 166 sadism and masochism in the bedroom, 218 sadist, 11 sadistic: and ritualistic, 205; controller, 151; development, 192; pleasure from controlling, humiliating, etc., 157 sadistic predilection, 208 sadists: how they operate, 129 saint, 55 sanity, 202; and true health, 184; and well being, 178 Satan, 84, 193; (ists), misplaced female hate, 102; and animus, 101; and Hecate, 107; and the Beast, marriage of, 226; experienced rapid growth spurt, 102; frightened and child-like, 105; the beast in the machine, 185 Satanic: dictatorship, 149; elements, 90; real dynamics unconscious, 164; ritual abuse, 206 Satanic cults: escapees railroaded, 211 Satanism, 207 Saturn, 200 scapegoat: creation of, 42; family, 86; or client, 173 scapegoating, 38, 54, 78, 95, 170, 176, 194; and blaming the victim, 218; and other forms of bigotry, symptoms of, 129; harm of, 38 scapegoats, 11, 23, 41, 45, 63, 110, 120, 121; and collective guilt, 150; and social paranoia, 183; and traumatized and fragmented people, ways to stop, 163; criminalizing them!, 123; unconsciously targeted because of label, 76; victimization of, 123; within families and society, 163 schizophrenia, 34; co-called, 129; co-called, can lead to higher states of psychic development, 131; highest suicide rate, why?, 167; manufactured to control sensitives, 132; so-called, 11; so-called, psychological murder, 70; startling abstract about the truth, 130 scholarly, 52 science, 36; (s), present focus, 142; and common sense, 149; medicine, 77; modern, 54 modern, 163 scientific, 33; approach, 33; documentation, 33; model, 33, 39 scientifically, 35 scientists, 194 seclusion, 202 Second World War, 73 segregated, 34 segregating, 38 segregation: no..., 203 self, 39, 196; (s), multitude of, 182; abuse, 105, 219; alienation from, 175; alienation of, 175; awareness, 46; balancing system of the psyche, 195; becoming tolerant of self and other people, 171; being gentle with, 186; chosen, 155; contradicting, 177; control, 41; control not threatened, 123; deception, 77; destructive behaviors, 120; discipline, 204; esteem, 117; externalized, 117; forced denial of, 80; fragmentation and dissociation, 175; fulfilling prophecy, 76, 79; glorification, 55; gratification, 81; hate, 208; hate prostitution example, 111; hate, ,people are conditioned, 97; hate, individual and collective, 60; hate, masters of projection, 102; healing, 211; honesty, 52; identity, 38, 177; illusion of transitory aspects, 181; inner, 29; integral, 22; knowledge, 8, 41, 55, 117, 161; monitoring, 204; respect, lack of, 109; sense of, 39; sense of has become externalized, 117; sufficiency, 34; sufficient, 29; system, 196; system, splitting of, 208; true, 45, 171; true self stifled, 80; wholeness, 175 self image, 38 self knowledge, meditation, 158 self"acceptance, 177 self_ knowledge, 52 self-hate, 107 selfish, 198; so-called, 48, 194 semantic, 27, 54 semantics, 196 sensation, 198 senses: quantitative, mathematical, 141 sensitive: (s), 202; psychologically, 36 sensitives, 55, 80, 83, 105, 184; clients, greatest threat to the shadow, 148; control and energy depletion when forced on medication, 127; psychically, 191; scattered awareness of unhealthy environment, 128 sensitivity: and aliveness, 179 sensuality, 7 sentimentality: and other baggage, 194 separateness, 196 separating: fiction from nonfiction, 18 separation, 4, 112, 177 serotonin: re-uptake inhibiters, 128 servitude, 37 severe workplace abuse, 233, 237 sexism, 90; against men, 108 sexual, 13; abuse, 39, 205, 221, 269; abuse, childhood, 57, 87; abuse, personal examples, 94; abuse, psychic, 218; abuse, psychological, 57; act, 81; abuse, 94; exploitation, 8, 68; hypocrisy and psychic sexual abuse, 90; invasions, 205; politics, 111 sexual abuse: psychic, 39; victims who repress and distort, 129 sexuality, 7, 48; mutual exchange, 81; used to control and exploit, 48 shadow, 9, 11, 16, 56, 64, 82, 84, 90, 103, 145, 154, 183, 197; and rape, 78; and super ego, 13; aspect of collective, 104; at the collective level, 101; collective, 77, 107; collective pressure, 122; domination and control of society, 22; expressions of, 105; indicators of being in control, 105; individiual and collective, 98; individual and collective, 36; infested, 50; knee jerk reaction, 101; lower levels, 122; maintained by medication, 105; movement of, 147; mushrooming, 99; possessed by, 101; possesses the world and individuals, 103; repression, projection and hypocrisy, 164; ritual Index Mitchell- 318 abuse, 206; sacrifice to, 122; unconscious sacrifices, 109; unconsciously conscious sacrifices to, 173; uncut umbilical chord, 122 Shadow, 83 simultaneous development, 144 sin, 61 six sense, 36 Skinner, B.F., 20, 152 slave: like attributes, 91 social: (lY) accepted forms of Sadism and Masochism, 105; anarchy, 82; and cultural, 37; control, Skinner's conditioning, 126; fragmentation, 34; paranoia, 183 social structure: artificially sustained, 37 socially: sanctioned institutions, 58 societal: fragmentation, 158; pressure, 56 societies: primitive, 72; secret, 225 society, 7, 16, 18, 32, 34, 36, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 51, 196; (s) structural dysfunctions, 34; (s), undiagnosed psychically wounded, 173; actions and processes of, 127; addictions and distractions, 183; addictive, 12; and modern science, shamed and nihilistic, 155; and patient, 105; and schizophrenic, 156; attempts to heal, 137; blaming the victim, 209; blind to the reality of violence, 108; breaking down collective denials, 134; collective and unconscious participation mystique, 134; creation of self-hate and nihilism, 134; development of internal police state, 134; development of sociopathic..., 209; dysfunctional, 34; elite keep people at each other's throats, 110; far left or right wing, 127; fragmented, 37; gender double-standard, 93; heal, 199; healing, 163; health of all, 198; hypnotic affect, 160; machine, like, 91; market driven, 5, 13; microcosm of, 125; modern, 37, 49; modern creation of psychosis, 138; most vulnerable are victimized, 120; obstacles to achievement, 198; rage and chaos, 69; re-victimizing the victims, 157; role of false superego, 127; sadistically dysfunctional, 121; schizophrenia, 183; schizophrenia of, 161; today, 43; unbalance, angry, 34; unconscious levels, 205; unconsciously on 1st level of consciousness, 144; ungrounded, 186; unjust, 178; urgency to do something, 136 society's structural dysfunctions, 34 sociological, 195 sociopath personalities, 169 sociopathic, 20 Socrates, 20 Soul, 43, 153, 162; (s), 38; (s) murder of, 42; (s), held captive, 82; (s), wounded, 57; (s), wounded and mutilated, 43; and Earth Soul, 22; body, mind and spirit, 152; feminine vessel, 43; human, 49; repressed, 6; searching and reconnection, 127; unique expression of, 44; war on, 49; world, 159 Soul, universal, 44 soul:, 22 Souls, 123 source, 55, 177 Soviet Union, 73 space: satellites, 26 space/time frequency realm, 141 specialization, 183; fragmenting affect, 158 spectrum: continuum, etc., 17 spiral, 27 spirit, 40, 52, 55, 153, 161, 162; body and mind, 200; collective, 24; Great, 43; insult to, 154; of healing, 169; poor in, 48 spirits, 49 spiritual, 7, 17, 33; and conscious, 144; and mystery traditions, 136; and political statement, 155; arts, 164; books, 61; charity, ran out of, 125; condoned outlets, 155; connection, 195; curiosity, 52; development, 4; esoteric and occult unknown, 50; free development, 154; guide, 180; healing, 151; healing growth path, 120; higher realms, 139; hypocrisy, 154; intelligence, 76; journey, 203; living tradition, 73; living traditions, 136; occult, 52; psychology, 155; reality, 197; Saints, 16; search, 17, 27; significance and power, #7, 161; sustenance, 38; tools, 169; traditions, 48; traditions become religions when..., 61; wisdom traditions, 172; worldviews, 52 spirituality, 52, 146, 198; alive, 61; humankind's historically most important purpose, 153; in clients, considered pathological, 152; label, 52; native, 33 spiritually: compassionate and alive, 201 spontaneous, 195 stability: lack of, 26; number four, 122; square, 161 stagnant, 61 stagnation, 175 Stalinist Russia, 118 Star: 8 rayed, 162 Star of David, 162 status, 175 status quo, 154 stereotypes, 78 stereotyping, 150 stress, 34; depletes body of oxygen…, 188; reasons for heightened levels, 188; tolerance, 40 subatomic, 33 subdued, 55 subjective: and inter, 19, 20; inter, 19, 197 subliminal, 49, 197; control and anarchy, 21; messages, 161; messaging, 44; propaganda, 118; suggestion, 76 subservience, 35 substance abuse, 219 suffering: also see Buddha, 18 suicidal: or homicidal, 220 suicide, 51; and the power of suggestion, 133; causes of, 97; programmed dates, 225; programming; a possible personal, example, 226; psychological and physical, 150; rates, compared between genders, 91 Sun, 200; center, 200 super ego, 11, 16, 64; and shadow, 19; repressing agents, 212 superego, 43, 117; aspects that need to be uncovered, 126; causes most repression, 127; condition of, 134; false, 50; freedom from, 171; frequently masochistic and severe, 134; neuroleptic entrapment, 128; shadow contaminated, 139, 178, 205; shadow contaminated and tools of manipulation, 143; shadow controlled, 6 super-ego: shadow controlled, 21 Superego: contaminated by shadow, 44 superstition, 21 superstitious, 53 support, 44 survival, 4, 5, 28, 34; blind insane attempts at, 86; mechanism, rationalization, 225; mechanisms, 36; of the fittest, 193 survival of the fittest, 3 survivor, 24 survivors, 75; sexual and other types of abuse, 211; treating, 16 sustenance, 38 swarmed: unfairly found guilty after swarming, in face of overwhelming evidence to contrary, subsequent ostracism, attached labels, humiliation, and so fourth, 235 Index Mitchell- 319 swastika: East Indian, 21; Nazi, 21 symbol: (s) and ritual, 199; motorcycle, 22 symbolic, 21, 35, 38 symbolism, 28 symbology: metaphysical, 61 symbols, 10; group significance, 54; personal significance, 54; unitary, 55 symbols, 160 symbols, archaic, 54 symptom, 38 symptoms, 5, 37 synchronicity, 75, 77, 141; artificial, 76 synchronizing: the whole mind, 158 system: (s) control, computerization and the robot, 125; earth's, brink of collapse, 35; justice, 82 Tao, 103 Taoist, 75 teacher: true, 15 teaching: gentle, 202 technological, 19, 28; abilities beyond our civilized level, 142; achievements could be dwarfed by a whole psyche, 164; development, 25 technologies, 37 technology, 3, 26, 36, 37, 39; affects of, 99; how it is used, 27; modern paradigm of, 124; Newtonian, 35; prescriptive, 37, 39, 183; prescriptive rather than proscriptive, 158; proscritive and prescriptive, 37; science of, 26 technology, destructive use of, 3 technology, unconsciously misused, 3 terror: element and pleasure, 217 terrorism, 82 The Beast: from Revelations, 116 The Holy Grail, 223 theft: of the life force, 122 theory: systems, 75 therapeutic: consciousness raising, 135; consciousness-raising, 208; cults, 231; dialogue, 74; home, 204 therapist: and client working together, 74; empathic connection with client, 177; open-minded, 180 therapists: and doctors as perpetrators, 205; psychological, 105; undiagnosed dysfunctions, 230 therapy: cognitive, 170; creation of dependence, 166; destructive or therapeutic, 229; drug, 145; gestalt, 158; meditative, 158 thinking, 198 Third Reich, Nuremburg rallies, 54 thought: forms, 227 thoughts, 3 Tibetan, 203 Tibetans, 47 tolerance, 177, 180, 187; and mercy in one's life, 182; developing, 178; true, 186 tolerant, 195 torture, 70 Torture, 86 tradition, 26; positive aspects of, 32 traditions, 32 trance: deep, 65 transcendence, 196 transcendent, 184 transference, 147, 150, 166; counter, 147 transformation: schools and approaches, 170 trauma, 13, 36, 62, 70, 180, 210; extreme, 84, 85 traumatic, 16 treatment, 44, 45; barbaric, 22; brutal and sterile..., 202; co-called, 165; forms of control, 163; inhuman, 56; mental health, 8; so-called, 148 treatment (s), 16 treatments, 65 tree of life, 81 Tree of Life, 138; shells, 123 triangle: down swept, 162; ex. Bermuda, 122; upswept, 161 tribal: consciousness, 23; mentality, 23 Tribal: creates fragmentation, bigotry, 23 tribalism, 10, 55 trigger, 74; abuse, 109 triggers, 36 trinities, 200; balanced interconnection, 200 trinity, 161 Trungpa Rinpoche, 177 truth, 27; larger, 29 turrets, 80, 118, 207 turrets, 12 umbilical: cord, 194; cord, cutting away from attachments, 175; level of original dependencies, 175 unbalance: physiological reaction to, 36 unbalanced, 19, 36, 63; coercively, 36; lifestyles, 36 unconscious, 1, 4, 15, 16, 19, 27, 32, 41, 43, 46, 47, 58, 198; (ly) affect, 14; (ly) perpetrated, 14; (ly), motivated, 6; (ly), society does what destructive cults do, 9; abuse and trauma, 205; actors, 173; affect, what kind?, 109; affects, 142; and addictions, 217; archaic, 126; Archie Bunkers, 142; beastly cycle, 155; becoming more so, 35; but not repressed, 127; coercion, 49; collective, 35, 49, 72, 143; collective, affects of attitudes, 79; collective, powerful energies let loose, 111; conditioning and mental health, 8; consciously on that level, 35; control, 70; control of repressed psyche, 193; cults that operate from, 9; decision making, 206; deep well of, 101; desire to control people, 163; development, 7; dynamics, 4, 10, 82; dynamics, control by, 220; elements, 196; enlightening of, 53; expression of, 7; forces, 50; ground unconscious, 136; habits of thought, 183; hatred, 7; higher levels, 61; hypocrisy, 196; level of society, 10; levels, are conscious, 76; maintained consciously on that level, 28; manipulation, 8; matriarchy, 113; need to control, 137; need to control others, 47; no excuse for harm, 27; occult practice, 53; on one level, conscious on another, 178; or subconscious levels, 205; parasites, 49; people who have been abuse become perpetrators, 88; perpetrators unconscious of roles, 121; personal, 145; projections, 80; psyche, 28; psyche, activation of, 54; psyche, first encounters, 144; psychic sabotage, 21; realms, 35; refusal to heal, 134; revenge, 89; rule by the shadow, 6; sacrifice, 18; sacrifices, 8; servitude, 28; sexual abuse, 14; shadow busting forth, 110; submergent, 126; victimization, 60; voluntary, 128; womb of, 53; worldwide reaction to exploitation of materialism, 119 Unconscious: collective, 84 unconscious human behavior, 3 unconscious perpetration, 36 unconscious, results, 4 unconsciously, 52; perpetrated, 8 unconsciously, originates, 3 unconsciously, perpetrated, 6 unconsciousness, 3, 22, 27, 46; discipline is needed to counter, 145 unconventional, 47 ungrounded, 19 unhealthy, 36, 86; dynamics remain in place, 110; healing relationships, 152; labeled and labelers affected, 163; living conditions, 48 Index Mitchell- 320 unhealthy< environments, long-term, 48 unite: the god and goddess, 113 unity, 154; in thought, action and spirit, 190 universal, 3, 38 universe: within ourselves, 177; within us, 140 unstable: personalities, 98 validation, 19, 38, 39, 44 vampire: emotional, 151; like requirements, 104; like, black hole (for energy_, 90 vampirism, 48, 51 vertical: Heavenly plane, 193; movement, 143 vertical Heavenly plane, 3 vessel: physical, 20 vibrations, 21, 187 vicariously, 16 victim: (s), being re-victimized, 105; (s), doubly so, 95; affects of labeling, 76; blaming, 107; blaming the, 89; creating spits between the conscious and what should be conscious but become repressed, 251 victimized, 49 victims, 52; and tortured Souls, 150; re-traumatized, 162; sacrificial, 8; sexual assault, 59 Victorian era, 82 Victorian Era, 39 violence, 3, 11, 27, 60, 84, 197; accumulated anger and frustration, 64; and society, 105; between genders, same dynamics, 111; bi-directional, 114; blind, 60, 86; causes of, 69; epidemics of, 12; general exploitation, 118; in sports, children conditioned, 96; in-group, 27; people issues, 98; rational discussion about, 113; social, 2, 12; struggling for survival, 95; supposedly inexplicable, 99; to self and others, 4; today is primarily generic, 108; underrated, 59; what does it serve?, 63 violent: couples, 114 voluntary: behavior modification subjects, 28; use of services, 123 vulnerability: as opposed to victimization, 179 war, 42, 90; of the sexes, 98; Satanic sacrifice, 91 warriorship, 47 waves: electromagnetic, 26 web of life, 33 Welwood: John, 201 Welwood, John, 184 Western: psychology, 149; therapeutic approaches, 169; therapeutic methods, 149 whipping boy, 72, 225 white, 45 whole, 2; and empowered living, 183; human, 12; individual, searching for, 92; people and nature, 193; person, 28, 158; psyche, 163; self, 9; self system, 195; to become, 159; what should be, 44 whole"psyche, true needs, 117 whole, story, 18 wholeness, 30; achieving, 182; connection with Heaven and Earth, 117; of person, 40; of the vessel of life, 103 wholesome: what it means to be, 120 whore of Babylon, 100 Whore of Babylon, 60, 105, 184 why: to ask the question, 17 Wilber: Ken, 194, 200 Wilber, Ken, 52, 75, 127, 134, 137, 142, 192; all quadrant graph, 168; archetypal images, 71; graph, 179 Wilber, Ken, all quadrant graph, 141 Wilber, Ken, Holarchy, 5 Windhorse, 203 wisdom, 26, 54, 89, 155, 194, 198; accumulated, 26; teaching, 103; traditions, 199; traditions of the world, 177 wisdom teachings, 7 wisdom traditions, 3 wise ones, 77 witch burnings, 12 witchcraft, 53 witches, 72 Witmore: "Return of the goddess, 113 witness, 46 witnessing, 179 wolf: (s) in sheep's clothing, 51, 95, 158; (s), in sheep's clothing, 197; boys, 197; Canadian, 50 woman, 22, 43, 161; anima, 22; is hurting herself, 101; possessed by animus, 101 Woman: earth power, 23 women, 53, 193; anima, 22; negative (anger) input into society, 101; possessed by animus and shadow, 106; some are not as powerless as they pretend, 89; violent, 111; who have been abused, 88 women (some) are not as powerless as they pretend, 89 world, 19, 35, 43; being in it, rather than possessing it, 175; natural, 33; Soul, 24, 199; technologically developed, 26; turned negative, 50; view, 25, 30; view, integral, 19; view, lack of, 34; view, objective, 19; view, unconsciously fragmented, 2; views, 2, 21; Western, 20 World: ancient, 27; peace, 89 world, modern, 27 worldview, 195; (s), 193; mystic's, 137 worldviews, 5; cultural and spiritual, 227 worldwide collective, 54 would-be healers: repress and play the game, 147 wound: (s), covering them up only allows them to fester and spread, 110 yoga, 22, 81 Yoga, 103, 138, 194 young: people, documentary, Loose Change, 119 youth: (full) energy, 64; boys experience more ridicule than girls, 93; crisis, 32, 34; dissociation among, 207; SA, SS, Hitler, 84; suicide rates, 91 Zen, 180, 184; like process, 137 zombie, 74; (s), robots and clones, 190; like, 186

Paul F. Mitchell

The Recovery Canada - The Wellness Network Writing Collections are provided as a service to the users of this site to enable them to share their journey. Prior to reading or posting your writing, please read our disclaimer, copyright notice and privacy statement. Use of any part of the Recovery Canada - The Wellness Network website constitutes acceptance of the terms and conditions of each of the above mentioned documents. All Rights Reserved.