Hey folks,
This is a bit random, but seems appropriate to discuss given the social climate of late. The end of 2016 was stressful, and folks in the States pretty much collectively lost their minds thanks to the election and the like. I mention this not to start a discussion on politics, but in order to segue into a much more important topic: Binaries. Specifically, Binaries in a Magical Context.
If you're reading this, you probably live in an area of the world that believes in set extremes: good versus evil, black versus white, etc. That's called "Binary Opposition", and its a rather misguided concept without a whole lot of real-world application.
And this is especially true when dealing with spirits, spirit work, religion, belief, psychology, and so on. Reality is not reflected by the simplicity that's suggested by such a reductionist concept. You would do well to forget the programming to this end, as thinking of that sort limits you and holds you back rather substantially. When you get into the mindset of thinking about binaries, everything you see gets reduced into one category or the other. If each thing you see is always good or bad, you're missing the other points, benefits, and opportunities found in the gray area.
On the purely magical front, duality of this kind often shows up in the idea that magic is either all in your head, or its all happening despite you. Very few models seem to incorporate the idea that BOTH could be happening. If a spirit is strong enough to change bits and pieces in your world, its powerful enough to futz with your mental state to some degree. And it working on your mental state usually makes the physical result that much stronger, as then you're not standing in the way of magical work done to benefit you.
But when you tell someone "yes, this spirit is going to change your mindset some", people tend to freak out. Its a bit like we're nervous about the concept that our headspace might not be our own (that's only ridiculous because our mind isn't really "ours" thanks to one practice: marketing). If you're going to entrust a spirit to do stuff & things in your life, might as well trust it to do the same inside your head. If that's a no-go, perhaps you shouldn't be working with entities outside of yourself as a start.
Realistically, the only Binary Opposition that actually helps you is considerations along the lines of "is this actually helpful to me?" If something is helpful, great! If its harmful, not so great - the next step, after determining that something is ultimately harmful to you is figuring out of that harmfulness is useful. If its useful, then you have one of these gray areas where you need to use critical thinking and determine, for yourself, what route is best.
For just about anything beyond that rather primary concern, it doesn't really matter if something is to be considered good, evil, or indifferent because that answer is different according to each being you talk to. To a dog, the mailman is potentially a threat, whereas you and I probably see him as the bringer of awesome stuff. If you're behind on bills, that person's kind of the emissary of the Devil.
See how perspective makes a difference? Knowing this, you can apply that to all areas of life. I can't think of anything, off the top of my head, that doesn't, in some way, change as a result of one's perspective.
In that way, sticking to one perception becomes a logic-driven prison. We incarcerate ourselves with these limitations, and so if you're not choosing what your limits are, someone else is.
Is allowing someone else to set your limits helpful to you, or is it harmful to you?
Just something to contemplate. Blessings,
Chris
This is a bit random, but seems appropriate to discuss given the social climate of late. The end of 2016 was stressful, and folks in the States pretty much collectively lost their minds thanks to the election and the like. I mention this not to start a discussion on politics, but in order to segue into a much more important topic: Binaries. Specifically, Binaries in a Magical Context.
If you're reading this, you probably live in an area of the world that believes in set extremes: good versus evil, black versus white, etc. That's called "Binary Opposition", and its a rather misguided concept without a whole lot of real-world application.
And this is especially true when dealing with spirits, spirit work, religion, belief, psychology, and so on. Reality is not reflected by the simplicity that's suggested by such a reductionist concept. You would do well to forget the programming to this end, as thinking of that sort limits you and holds you back rather substantially. When you get into the mindset of thinking about binaries, everything you see gets reduced into one category or the other. If each thing you see is always good or bad, you're missing the other points, benefits, and opportunities found in the gray area.
On the purely magical front, duality of this kind often shows up in the idea that magic is either all in your head, or its all happening despite you. Very few models seem to incorporate the idea that BOTH could be happening. If a spirit is strong enough to change bits and pieces in your world, its powerful enough to futz with your mental state to some degree. And it working on your mental state usually makes the physical result that much stronger, as then you're not standing in the way of magical work done to benefit you.
But when you tell someone "yes, this spirit is going to change your mindset some", people tend to freak out. Its a bit like we're nervous about the concept that our headspace might not be our own (that's only ridiculous because our mind isn't really "ours" thanks to one practice: marketing). If you're going to entrust a spirit to do stuff & things in your life, might as well trust it to do the same inside your head. If that's a no-go, perhaps you shouldn't be working with entities outside of yourself as a start.
Realistically, the only Binary Opposition that actually helps you is considerations along the lines of "is this actually helpful to me?" If something is helpful, great! If its harmful, not so great - the next step, after determining that something is ultimately harmful to you is figuring out of that harmfulness is useful. If its useful, then you have one of these gray areas where you need to use critical thinking and determine, for yourself, what route is best.
For just about anything beyond that rather primary concern, it doesn't really matter if something is to be considered good, evil, or indifferent because that answer is different according to each being you talk to. To a dog, the mailman is potentially a threat, whereas you and I probably see him as the bringer of awesome stuff. If you're behind on bills, that person's kind of the emissary of the Devil.
See how perspective makes a difference? Knowing this, you can apply that to all areas of life. I can't think of anything, off the top of my head, that doesn't, in some way, change as a result of one's perspective.
In that way, sticking to one perception becomes a logic-driven prison. We incarcerate ourselves with these limitations, and so if you're not choosing what your limits are, someone else is.
Is allowing someone else to set your limits helpful to you, or is it harmful to you?
Just something to contemplate. Blessings,
Chris