The Universe and Personhood

(Book notes)

One of the principles of the Rasa Coaching Model is that ours is a relational Universe. Everything is in communion/communication with the whole, even if the apparent parts do not speak the same "language." Just like modern computers we need to find a way to interface with the component parts in an intelligible manner. This can open up some great possibilities.

The Universe becomes more accessible when we can personify its energy and intelligence. This personification or persona of the life-force is not entirely made up. It is archetypal and compatible with the idea of Sheldrake's morphic fields. This persona can also act with great autonomy.

A professional psychic friend of mine came to see one of her "guides" as an image of herself from the future.Whether or not such things like angels in Judeo-Christan tradition, Buddhas in the Vajrayana sense, or Spiritual Guides in the New Age view are "real" is a moot point. I now a couple of talented young  men, one who sees Fairies and the other gnomes and they have evidence in the form of practical guidance.

I am not suggesting such entities exist in objective reality so much as challenging narrow views of how consciousness expresses itself via the Intelligence of the Universe. These are a pragmatic devices which makes unconscious processes available for diverse workings within awareness. Without awareness, consciousness may become fragmented and diassociated and manifest as a expression of multiple personality disorder.

A recent positive example is the work of Mogana Rae, who took the popular idea of money as an energy, and teaches people how to personify that as a sexy "Money Honey" for the purpose of increasing prosperity in all forms. This is excellent Tantric working in light of the rasa view.

Jesus did something similar in personifying the Alaha (Unity) as Abba (Daddy). It can be argued that if our idea of G-d is something like an abstract energy, that we may lose something in terms of the intimacy of relationship inferred by the Greek term gnosis, or the Hebrew da'at.

In what Rabbi Aquiva called the holiest of scriptures; the Song of Songs, Solomon's relationship with Wisdom (Hokmah) is personified as a maiden in an erotic relationship with the hero. In both the Bhakti (devotion) and rasa view, the highest form of relationship with the divine presence is one that mirrors the relationship of husband and wife.

The Islamic and loosely "Christian" Poetsof the Fideli D'Amore and the troubadours of coded Courtly Love teachings also understood this practice of the chaste wooing the unattainable "lady." Dante is an exemplar here in holding the Image of Beatrice as a divine muse and heavenly guide.

In shamanistic teachings it may be found that a Shaman takes a "spirit wife" and should he desire to marry a mortal, he is obligated to inform her that she will be his second wife. In my own case when I desired to marry, I felt the need to ask permission of my own animus figure, as the small fold wedding band I wear on a chain around my neck belongs to her.

In view of the above we can see perhaps the original erotic teachings of Tantrika that are still alive In the Vajrayana Buddhist teachings of vajra (diamond) love and Wisdom Seal practice. It is not about intercourse as physical union is not possible with a mental/imaginal construct, but none the less can be quite sensual energetically as Julie Henderson teaches in her book The Inner Lover. Thus the idea of union in the Vijnyana Bhairava sutra is one of kisses, licks and caresses. Thus it has been said here is the Tantra of Niguma - sister/consort of Naropa - it was the woman's way of spiritual practice, an embodied relational practice opposed to the austere male practices taught by Naropa. 

In Jungian theory, this anima/animus figure is both "soul" and guide to the underworld or unconscious. Working with this figure  in integrating the contents of the unconscious was called soul making. From a practical viewpoint of human relationships, this soul work would allow the withdrawal of projections as found in romantic love and allow a couple to experience each other as equal wholes and not incomplete halves.

From a Christian view, I was at first astounded to encounter women who enjoyed a highly erotic relationship with Jesus. One on line friend wrote such amazing poetry it would be the envy of many Sufi poets, which by the way were comfortable in addressing Allah (Unity) as "she." For heterosexual male monks this was less easily embraced and the devotion to the Virgin Marry became a real resolution to the problem. Humans understand love most deeply in relationship to human bonding's and the erotic relationship is part of the familial relationship. Agape is certainly not void of the erotic element as it was the word of choice in translating the Song of Songs into Greek long before Jesus was born.

Should you chose to experiment with such a practice, please keep in mind that it is a powerful device, but a device not to be confused with literal objective reality. So many teachers have fallen and scandals raised and  followers abused by understanding these teachings on to literal a level. Unlike much of my "musings" here, there are subtleties and cautions which radically affect ones experience in this inner working and I must advise personal coaching/guidance on this material.