Wednesday, April 15, 2009

It Brings a Tear to Your Eye

On of the most valuable lessons I've learned as a magician, is that of perception. This is the lesson for which I am most grateful for and why I hold my mentor in such esteem. I began to learn this lesson even within my first group. I have another post on this topic coming, involving a painting but this video is just too much.

As humans, we look at each other and make instant judgements. His hair is too long. She's too fat. He has one eyebrow. She dresses funny. Her voice grates. He never looks at me when he speaks. She is cute. He is unnecessarily angry. She's annoyingly chipper. Kiss ass. They are all bad people.

These judgements are made instantaneously. Deep down we know we are often wrong about the person within that we judge from without. Or do we? We seem to do it anyway.

The same is true of situations. He reacted badly to that. She said WHAT? I can't believe he didn't speak up in that meeting. She cried for no reason. He lied without cause.  They are all bad people. 

These judgements are made with a little more thought. Or are they? Deep down we know we our judgements are often wrong. Or do we? We seem to keep making them. 

There is a thing that happens. That thing is. It IS. Everything we attach to it, is us. If it hurts us, it is us. If it makes us smile, it is us. If it destroys us, it is us. If it emboldens us, it is us. The event is the same. It is the meaning we attach to it. Our self-imposed meanings hurt us. We hurt ourselves. I know that. Or do I? I seem to make the same judgements. 

Please watch this video. Look even at the hard part where this women is being looked down upon for her looks and her stage in life. It embarrassed me the first time I saw it. Watch the whole thing. If it doesn't bring a tear to your eye, you may not be human. 

YouTube has turned off the embedding by request. So please click here. Then continue reading.

Now notice the comments. Imagine if this was a potential friend you turned your back on. Imagine if this was situation you saw as ugly and missed the beauty within. Just imagine what a life we'd live without self-imposed judgements, self-imposed meanings, self-imposed pain. It simply brings a tear to your eye.

Those who know the hard-edged Frater POS, may be shocked to learn I've watched that about ten times. It blows me away. Live the dream and maybe, just maybe, we'll learn to live in what IS. Without the judgements. Without, the self-imposed pain. 

9 comments:

Soror Gimel said...

I love that video. I think it speaks to us all in some way. It is a very sad song when you listen to words but it is somehow redeemed in this version :)

Now out to go live some dreams :)

Scott Stenwick said...

I guess I would have to say that my thoughts are mixed about the circumstances surrounding Susan Boyle. I'm obviously happy for her that she finally got a chance to show off her amazing voice to a mass audience, and while I normally consider reality TV completely worthless without it she likely would have simply remained the star of her church choir and received little recognition beyond that.

However, it's also rather depressing to think of all the less talented singers out there who are multi-millionaires by their 25th birthdays simply because they happen to be conventionally pretty and have access to the tons of studio equipment necessary to make their voices sound decent. One more reminder that style over substance is the modern world's tragic flaw.

Robert said...

Exactly my point! And how often do we do that to each other when Hollywood is not involved?

Scott Stenwick said...

And how often do we do that to each other when Hollywood is not involved?Hopefully less often than most, seeing as we magicians should be more aware that we create our own perceptions. Nonetheless, it's a good discipline to always stay mindful of our judging faculties so that they don't lead us astray.

Beyond working on ourselves, though, I'm wondering what we as magicians can do to change the system so that more people start to cultivate an awareness of these processes. How can we wake other people up, whether or not they have a natural interest in spiritual pursuits? Is there a way to do that with magick or social engineering of some sort? Is it even possible?

Unfortunately I don't have any easy answers, which is why I pose the question. I've been thinking about it for a number of years without reaching any solid conclusions.

Robert said...

Today, I had a conversation with a young lady that has a negative perception of herself. I asked her if she was treating herself like the world treated Susan Boyle. She said she doesn't see anything within her to make her stand out. I told that she didn't deny she was special and that was significant. She simply can not yet see it. It can be done, patiently, with compassion, one person at a time.

Mr. J. said...

That was beautiful, Brother. Thankyou.

Scott Stenwick said...

I guess I'm more wondering if there's a way to leverage our magical abilities in such a way that we can accomplish this goal faster and more efficiently than trying to work directly with every individual. I mean, we're magicians, right? We do the impossible all the time!

In my experience with many people you can tell them that they're more than they perceive themselves to be a million times and they'll still never get it. It's like what they need is a magical kick to the head that fundamentally alters their worldview. I just haven't figured out how to effectively conjure up such a thing yet. I take it that nobody else here has either.

Robert said...

Yes, we could. Had we had the foresight to be ready for such an extraordinary event, we'd cast magic then that allowed the outpouring to reflect inwardly on those so moved. Perhaps the best way to change the world is noticing what needs changed. Have outlines of rituals already prepared and launch them when the world reaches a point conducive to change.

Suecae Sounds said...

That was a fantastic performance.

With regards to the interesting question posed by Ananael. I don't think there is any easy answers, at least I don't see them myself. Earlier in my life I dedicated an extreme amount of time on political campaigning. A whole lot. In unison with that I studied political theory.

I so wanted to change the outer, that the inner got forgotten completely. I forgot who I was in the process. Later the pendulum had to swing back, and I am not involved any more to any greater degree. But I still think that we need to change society in ways.

Virtues such as kindness, mindfulness and evolving inner qualities is much more important for me today. By doing that, I hope that I can reflect this upon my surrounding in a better way.

I often say a prayer for the people who suffer from the hands of the vices of the world. I remember the rosicrucian motto: "To cure the sickly, and that Gratis." This sickness is not only mundane and obvious. But a deeper complex, I think.