Category Archives: Mastery

The way of effortless effort.

Intuition, Life Purpose, Mastery, Unlimited Mind

Arrogance – Transcending the Ego – Finding the True Higher Self

The fear of being arrogant is one of the greatest hindrances to spiritual development. This perception prevents us from acknowledging our strengths and accomplishments. Without full acknowledgment, it is impossible to fully understand these strengths and abilities. Acknowledgment is awareness and honesty. Just as limitations need to be seen in order to be transcended, strengths need to be noticed in order to further evolve them.

The development of skill, power and ability will take us through the full gamut of emotions. When we fail we feel humbled, when we achieve we feel proud. This is emotional scenery. They have nothing to do with the achievement of real mastery. If we are to reach the goal of mastery, then pride, humility, arrogance and joy must become second to the main journey. We enjoy, we grieve, we rage and love, but we do not allow any of these to sway us from the path.

Arrogance is a strange one indeed. The path of spirituality is inextricably linked to that of self-mastery. Mastery is simply the ability to control our mind, body and consciousness. This control becomes a precision instrument for connecting and communicating with more expansive and subtle levels of reality. However we may choose to define spirituality, there is most definitely the opportunity to communicate with more than the “physical” when we develop the abilities to do so.

The fear of arrogance almost implies that we cannot acknowledge a difference between ourselves and others. The irony is that it is our perception of difference that started us on this journey in the first place. As we develop a little skill we believe that we must remain humble and so we repress the parts of us that would acknowledge these skills. This repression is a conscious and direct shutting down of our awareness. For anyone who has ever felt that they have practiced much and yet felt limited somehow, this may have some significance.

The other controlling element of arrogance is the fear that if we are perceived as such by others, that we will be thought of badly. This belief stops us from straying too far from the group consciousness. There is only so much development that can occur and be integrated while we allow ourselves to be controlled by this fear. Whole integration is the only way to complete and thus real mastery.

We need to let go of trying to control how others perceive us. We need to let go of trying to control how our own mind perceives us. How long can we struggle with these before we notice that the main journey has been on hold? These illusions are like carrots held in front of the donkey so that it keeps on plowing that field.

The truth is that as we develop in ability and awareness we will notice vast and massive differences between ourselves and others. This is no time to give into fear. These differences are what we set out on the journey for in the first place! We wanted to become something different, we wanted to evolve and grow! Of course the ego will begin to preen itself and say “Look at me, look at what I’ve done!” That’s just the ego doing it’s thing. It’s no big deal. In fact it is ridiculous to limit our skills, abilities and self-mastery because we fear that our ego is enjoying it too much. We let the ego do it’s thing and we continue on our way. This is just another aspect of inner strength.

Hindrances to the journey come in many shapes and sizes. Beating down arrogance may not seem like a bad thing, because we’re told that arrogance is bad and humility is good. These rules don’t apply to inner mastery however. Inner mastery is not about playing a game of illusions with society. Inner mastery is about creating inner control. Real control is not repression, it is not denial, it is not about being played by our fears. Real control is the ability to reach out and grab our destination regardless of the hindrances that may appear. It is in this light that we must look at arrogance.

The purest humility exists when we allow all aspects of life and this includes our inner self, mind and consciousness, to just be. Out of this landscape we find the element or stream of consciousness that is congruent with our highest goals or intentions. Then we simply jump on board. At this structure we will find that those aspects that we thought needed controlling and repressing actually don’t hinder us at all. In fact, the only time they hinder us is when we get off the boat and start brawling with them. The moment we step into our own direction all these other elements become scenery. Sure, they may hawk their wares to us from the shore, but they only hold power over us the moment we decide to buy.

.

Enlightenment, Life Purpose, Mastery, Unlimited Mind

Judgment – Discernment, Wisdom and Insight

Judgment is a tool for growth and evolution. It is the aspect of our consciousness that decides our priorities. By definition everything else becomes less of a priority. This is by the way where the famous line, “judge not lest thee be judged,” fits in. As soon as we judge one thing as better than another, then we automatically judge the elements of ourselves that are not aligned with the “better” aspects as being lacking – and vice versa. But that’s the price of conscious evolution really. Each direction, choice and action is a weighing of priorities, values and meaning. We can’t have one without the other. The famous line rather than being a moral statement is more of an explanation of universal law.

More important than debating whether judgment is morally sound or not is to understand it’s meaning and value. The fact of the matter is that without judgment none of us would exist here and now in this form anyhow. First off, without judgment our lungs wouldn’t be able to breath because they couldn’t perceive the difference between the feeling of air and no air. Without judgment we would walk smack bang into pain and danger because we could define it as an experience that was detrimental to life.

Essentially, growth is about realizing what direction has real meaning and value and then going for it. The main factor that gets us there is judgment. Judgment is what takes in the over view, looks at the cards we’ve got, knows what to hold, knows what to fold and knows what to keep back from the game for a later day. Judgment is what recognizes opportunity and sends the message to jump to it. Without judgment, well all those opportunities would just float on by. There is no argument about it. The greatest ally of conscious growth, evolution and personal development is good judgment.

Now the “lest thee be judged” part is another story. This part is a reminder to look at the reasons why we seek growth, evolution and development.

Why do we do what we do?

Past the intellectual reasons we come to feeling. If we consciously seek something other than what we have right now, then it is because the mind is not at peace with what is right now. “Better must be there, not here,” – this is the perception that we have created.

This is the “be judged” element. If over “there” is better, then over “here” is by implication just not good enough. Sound familiar? It’s the story that begins every journey of personal development. Buddha walked out of his palace because it just didn’t cut it, Mohammed went looking for his mountain, Moses thought his people deserved a better deal, even Jesus had a few complaints. By all accounts these guys could have judgment like an avalanche at times, but they got results, there’s little arguing with that.

The peace that seekers realize over the course of their journey comes as they gain a deeper understanding of their purpose. They begin to see that what they truly seek is lacking within themselves at deeper levels.

How do they realize this lack?

Judgment.

The more intense the drive is to create a better tomorrow, the more intense the agitation today. The trick however to maintaining direction is not necessarily to cut back on the drive, but to make peace with the agitation and intensity. This is the balance point of weaving growth within inner peace.

.

Life Purpose, Mastery, Unlimited Mind

No – Staying True to Your Path

Spirituality and personal development suffers the same fate as trends such as fashion, perhaps more so. One of the current trends is that to be spiritual we must surrender to everything. “Say yes to the universe!” so it has been said. There is no specific direction within this, since all directions become valid when we say yes to everything. More to the point, is that when we say yes to everything we throw what we hold to have true purpose and value in the trash. This leads to confusion, passive aggressiveness and lack of purpose, meaning or any semblance of true power.

All these obstacles are destroyed when we say no.

One door opens and another one closes. When we close all the doors of lesser relevance and priority the true doors are given leave to open. The philosophy of saying yes to everything is ludicrous when we have purpose and meaning in our lives. Purpose and meaning is a direction, achieving these requires resistance and resistance is the holding back of specific elements that would limit us. In short resistance is saying no so that the aspect of life and experience that we would say yes to are allowed to manifest.

Personal and spiritual development is extremely logical. It is as solid as a rock and as down to earth as dirt. It lacks in clarity only when we try to force in-congruent elements, dogma and concepts onto it.

If we sincerely wish to achieve self-mastery we need to be honest first. We need to admit that we want this. Taking the spiritually politically correct route of saying “I’m fine with myself just the way I am,” doesn’t serve us well if it is not to the truth. We need to be honest and be done with it. So much better to say: “No I’m not fine with the way I am, and that’s why I’m going to move the universe to become fine.” This is the sort of motivation that achieves self-mastery. This is the sort of honesty that creates the inner strength and real personal development.

Once we choose what it is that we want then it’s just a matter of saying no to all that doesn’t help achieve this goal. We need to say “no”, and we need to learn to say “no” without shame or guilt.

The more we say “no”, the more in tune we get with what we want to say “yes” to. This “yes” is an indication and affirmation each and every time of what it is that we believe to be of value, meaning and purpose. It appears through the simple process of acknowledging the intentions of “yes” and “no.” As we create a life that is full of that which holds meaning there is no longer a problem with saying “no”, because we understand clearly why it is that deny these other experiences. We deny them because we have embraced our purpose.

.

Ascension, Enlightenment, Mastery, Meditation, Spirit, Truth, Unlimited Mind

Real Mastery – What is Self Mastery and How to Achieve It

Mastery needs to be recognized for what it is if it is to be reached. Many terms and concepts such as empowerment, enlightenment and mastery are bandied about these days and it seems almost popular not to define them at all, but to simply use them as romantic concepts. This is fine if we are to remain passive listeners to stories of spirituality. If on the other hand we wish to develop and experience spiritual understanding for ourselves, then we need to exercise our brains and refine and analyze exactly what these goals mean.

Real Mastery is about skill and ability. This statement encompasses the necessity that strength and discipline are also part of the skill set. Part of the romance of the later parts of the last century were that mastery has nothing to do with skill, but has more to do with being alright with being where we are. This mindset implies that whether we are growing or not, “it’s all good.” This is not real mastery. This is just passive acceptance and a reluctance to engage with perceptions of struggle, work and fear.

Real mastery is about control of the self. It is through skill and ability that we gain the opportunities to control the self. Without skill and ability we have no choice. We are like puppets. It is like a car with a broken steering wheel hurtling along the highway. The passengers have no choice, they must go where the car goes. Ability and skill, is development of choices. It is directly linked to control. When we have control we can move and act as we will. Control in itself is a subject in itself, but suffice to say for now, that what many of us mistake for control, is not control at all. Control is not repression or “keeping a stiff upper lip” this is just a reflection of inability or lack of skill. Control is not rehashing the same emotional patterns or personality traits over and over again. Control is choice. It is the ability and skill to choose this action or that action. With control, the higher consciousness actually gets a choice. Without control there is only the choice that seeks to avoid or repress fear.

It has been said that all babies are masters, but while this is certainly a romantic notion, it holds no logic in universal law. Babies for sure have an ability to learn and adapt at a fast rate, but they do not have control over their environment or survival. If they were left alone for a few days without food or water they would almost certainly die. If they were left without physical contact for too long then they fall apart emotionally. Babies are not masters, if they were we would not need to be so protective of them. If anything, babies are masters in the making. They are developing the abilities and skills necessary to have choices and control.

The path of mastery ends when we decide that what we have is “good enough”. This is the reason why many people do not fully develop their abilities and skills. They simply believe that they are “good enough.” Mastery requires the cultivation of an extremely critical mind. This is not a mind that simply denigrates everything, rather, it is a mind that tests all things and searches for flaws. It does not stop here however, simply seeking flaws without also seeking solutions is what a pessimist really is. The true critical mind seeks flaws in order to seek solutions. It destroys in order to create something better. It is transformation with purpose and meaning. This is how ability and skill progresses, by seeing what is lacking or could be improved and making it better.

The mindset of mastery does not fit with the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mentality. The mindset of mastery fits more with the “let’s see if it breaks when I do this…and if it does, lets see if we can make it stronger.” Painful? More for the ego, than anything else, but it needs be understood that having regular scuffles with the ego keeps it in check. The ego needs to become accustomed to pain and bruising if it is to join the journey to mastery. The development of ability, skill and control will always be a thorn in the side of the ego, because it is only through being critical that conscious growth will take place. Denial makes many friends, truth is only interested in one. Luckily at the end of the day, this is the one friend that we will be able to count on to get the job done: our self. This is what mastery is about. It is about getting the “self” under control.

.

Ascension, Enlightenment, Mastery, Truth, Unlimited Mind

Real Manifestation – How to Create Your Reality

Manifestation is creation. It encompasses all that we create, from a single thought, to a breath, footstep or dollar. For each creation there is a transformation of energy, there is expenditure, destruction and creation of form. These days in metaphysical circles it is becoming popular to think of manifestation as existing without needing to expend any effort at all. There has become such a separation between body and mind, that people believe that if any physical effort or action is implemented at all, that this is not real manifestation. This way of thinking simply limits the potential and reality of manifestation.

Manifestation is not about creating things without lifting a finger. Manifestation is just about creation – period. Mental, physical, spiritual – it’s all the same to a consciousness that is intent on getting real and tangible results in life. The belief that says that all manifestation has to happen without any effort is simply limiting all the other ways that creation could happen.

It is our definitions and beliefs about work and effort that are getting in the way here. How can manifestation be working if I need to labor for 40 hours to get it done? The real question is: why is 40 hours for a manifestation wrong? Ah! Because I should be sitting on my couch waiting for enlightenment, a new car, fame and fortune to come knocking my door down!

The guiding principle of manifestation is to imprint the pattern of achievement into our consciousness. This pattern then communicates with our world with the language of achievement. If this language is saying: “I am master of my destiny, but only if I don’t need to do a thing,” then what is being broadcast loud and clear is that this goal really isn’t worth it. True intent is not about “I don’t want to lift to finger or get my hands dirty.” True intent is about “there’s my goal, let nothing not even heaven or hell stand in my way.” With an intention like that the language being communicated is entirely different. The world understands that we are serious about our goals, that sensations, emotions and feelings aren’t going to hold us back. More importantly, our own consciousness understands that we are serious. It is this kind of mindset that makes providence move mountains for us. It is also a mindset that cannot be faked. Denial is one thing – continual lack of results is hard to ignore.

We need to shift our minds from being attached to concepts and slogans, to looking at results. Legions of philosophy, spirituality and theory die in their very first steps when asked to provide results.

All manifestation, whether spiritual, financial, emotional, physical or otherwise has a logical process and practice that delivers it. If results are lacking, it is because the process is missing something. It may be something on the mental level, it may be something on the physical, it may be information and knowledge, it may be action and discipline. Real manifestation occurs when we recognize the process and structures that need to be linked and in place and then respond appropriately. The real reason that manifestation fails or is only partially realized is because limiting beliefs prevent us from seeing the opportunities and understanding that we can enter into them. This is all. Manifestation is simple. It becomes more complicated with each and every condition that we place on it. Being open to all the ways that creation may come, means that we need to destroy all the beliefs that would stand in creation’s way.

.

Life Purpose, Manifestation, Mastery

Work Smarter and Harder

Somewhere along the line the desire for achievement without effort came into play. “Smarter not harder” became a kind of motto. Nowhere is this more evident than in many of the metaphysical theories of manifestation that suggest that no physical action need to be implemented when the right mind set is in place. Ironically what actually needs to be injected into this mix is a healthy dose of “smart”. The truth of the matter is that “smart” has little to do with clinging blindly to phrases, concepts and theories. “Smart” is all about taking in the reality of the situation and observing the most appropriate way of action.

The best way is not always the easiest way, nor is it necessarily the hardest.

Essentially, the best way will often be the way that gets the job done.

Creating aversion to hard work has nothing to do with intelligence, smartness or positive results. Aversion is aversion and it is an unclear mind that seeks to justify this aversion through creating slogans and excuses. A smart mind is a critical and analytical mind. It is a mind of judgment and needs to be capable and ready of breaking down any obstacles that are limiting achievement. Nine times out of ten these obstacles are ones of our own making.

Intelligence only has real power if it serves a real purpose. Otherwise it is simply like a computer, a number cruncher but unable to create or find any real meaning or fulfillment. As soon as the mind believes that hard work is bad and needs to be avoided like the plague, then it has created its own stupidity. From this point on every time it sees hard work it doesn’t recognize it as a true opportunity for achievement. The limitations on potential become massive. Effective intelligence recognizes what needs to be done, then reflects on what resources are needed to get the job done. It is not about hard, it is not about easy – it is about results.

This perspective shifts the entire paradigm of hard and easy. The reason for this is because the mind understands the purpose. The shift goes from one of avoiding hard work and seeking the easy, to finding the path of results. Fulfillment then comes from achieving these results, rather than simply finding an easy way to achieve lesser or no results. This process purifies the mind also. “Hard” and “easy” are relative and they are perceptions. The more that we avoid hard work, the harder it becomes. The more that we just do it, the easier it becomes.

It is this shift that brings a realization of what “working smarter” is really about. “Smarter” truly is more about getting these beliefs of “its all too hard” out of our heads. These beliefs more than anything, are what make the work really hard.

.

Mastery, Unlimited Mind

Ability – Creating Tools for Wellbeing, Personal Development and Self Mastery

The technical level of self-mastery is about ability. Consistent progress requires ability and the inner strength and discipline to persistently use that ability. The world has been full of those who have rested on the laurels of their ability only to find that what was cultivated was a weak mind. In light of this all that ability becomes like a parlor trick. Strength is what carries ability from one step of development to the next. Having said this after the cultivation of some inner strength, ability and skill will make the journey to self-mastery more refined.

Ability and skill provides a structure for strength, discipline and focus to be channeled into. Rather than simply ritualizing practice it then has purpose – perhaps many levels of purpose. In all of this inner strength is never allowed to dissipate. This is one of the temptations that arise from the lazy and apathetic mind once it holds a little skill and ability. It believes that it can do some things and then the ego compares itself to others and says “Gee, I can do all this and other people can’t – well I’m so good I could do this with my eyes closed, hey I may as well relax.”

A dirty trick as usual – and it comes at a time when we are most vulnerable.

We must remain steadfast and true at these times especially. It is futile to compare ourselves with others. If our marker becomes dependent on the progress of another than we have already set a limitation for our progress. We need to keep our eyes on our purpose and destination. This is what is important.

One of the most powerful abilities is that of being able to maintain a solutions and results orientated focus. This cultivates a mind that acknowledge limitations, obstacles and mistakes, but then seeks to make good of them. It is a mind that becomes like water, hitting one obstacle, going around it and finding a way to its target. What really makes this mind state work however is persistent focus. Gaining knowledge and information in itself is not difficult. Maintaining the integration of this knowledge through mindfulness and action is what many people will find challenging – the magnetism of the old needs to be controlled in order to bring in the new. It is destruction at its finest. The failure to maintain new directions and structures is the number one reason that conscious transformation for many does not take place as they had hoped.

Being internally strong and persistent is the engine that drives us to our goals. Ability and skill is what navigates the path, finds new openings and spaces and allows that engine of strength and persistence to be elevated to an even higher level.

.

Life Purpose, Mastery, Motivation, Unlimited Mind

The Integration of Power – Awakening Inner Mastery

Integration is the practice of aligning meaning and purpose into each facet of our mind, body and spirit. Each of these is reflected in the experiences, thoughts and actions that we manifest in everyday life, so this is the where integration is cultivated.

Knowledge, information and the ability to act on these resources is power. This power needs to be aligned and used toward our purpose, otherwise it is basically useless. For example psychic skills can be used simply to read that so and so has a friend who is talking about them, but to really push the level of personal and spiritual development these skills could be used to fathom why this individual is manifesting these experiences in the first place. Just as importantly these same abilities can be used to access the knowledge needed to reconcile and transcend the source of these experiences.

We need to look deeply and honestly at our goals and why we want them. At the core of our purpose is the desire to be free of fear – to stand fully in our power, complete in our knowledge that we are one hundred percent worthy to be standing on this planet. This will not come to pass unless we make ourselves worthy. We need to stand for what we know to be true and let go of that which is not.

It is easy to become confused when purpose is only expressed outwards. The world will change, our interactions with people and experiences will change. The relationships between these and ourselves will change.

Everything becomes clear when purpose is reflected inwards.

All skill, ability, knowledge, information and power is about self-mastery. Self-mastery is the ability to create the experiences that we want. From the spiritual, to the physical, to the mental, it is self-mastery that brings us step by step to what we want. Frivolous experiences have their purpose – they bring us release from the tension that is inherent in all practices of conscious expansion and stretching. They must be recognized however for what they are – a rest or a respite from the real journey. This truth will always be felt at the core of our being, and no other sensory entertainment will ever be able to hide from its call.

The integration of power occurs by making our lives revolve around our true purpose. Our true purpose becomes powerful when we focus our lives on revealing and expressing it. This is integration also.

Integration occurs at many levels, but essentially it is about action. If we are unclear of our purpose, if we are unclear of what has meaning, then we must prioritize reflecting on meaning and purpose. If we are unclear of how to align our skills and abilities with our every day lives, then we must prioritize reflecting on how our skills and abilities are able to help us – and by helping us, help the world. These levels of reflection and thought are integration in action. It begins with understanding the value of what we have and it then shifts into sharing what we have. Through out it all what keeps our intention moving in the direction of our truth is strength.

.

Mastery, Motivation, Unlimited Mind

Pride and Strength – Balancing your Inner Powers for Mastery and Success

Pride needs to be tempered with true strength unless it begins to think that it can run the show. Pride that is uncontrolled will give in to lapping up praise and seeking the path of glory. To this end it will do whatever it can to avoid looking at any truth that could be perceived as limiting or negative in any way.

While pride can encourage us to excel and reach our potential, it can also prevent us from looking at what it fears – namely, being wrong.

The deciding factor about whether we control pride or it control us is strength. Where pride will avoid looking at perceived weaknesses, emotional limitations and personal obstacles, real strength is honest. Real strength will not hold back from acknowledging weaknesses, limitations, mistakes, hypocrisy or flaws. Its goal is not the boosting or soothing of the ego. Its goal is truth and personal development. It is weakness that allows pride to pretend that there is nothing wrong and that we are in control. It is more interested in images and illusions. Strength on the other hand is interested in real control, not simply the illusions of it.

Real control comes from being honest and acknowledging both strengths and weaknesses. It is only through awareness of our weaknesses that we can improve them. Pride would seek to keep us ignorant of them to preserve an illusion of mastery.

As much as pride can encourage us to excel, it does so because of weakness. It acts to protect discovery of this weakness unconditionally. The result is that this weakness does not get a chance to become strong, rather it remains hidden.

Strength throws the doors open to weakness – this is what gives it the direct opportunity to become strong.

It is the prideful mind that has the ridiculous notion that as long as it does not admit weakness, that weakness does not exist. This is as crazy a notion as closing our eyes and striving to believe that the rest of the world has disappeared. Crazy or not, this is how pride works. Pride is like a two edged sword, the solution is to develop a mind that can wield it skillfully. This is the difference between letting pride run the show, or letting the cultivation of self-mastery run the show.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying pride at a job well done, or a journey accomplished. The problem arises when we become so attached to the feeling of pride that we cannot let go of it in order to accomplish more.

Achievement and growth always involves effort and struggle in some way. This is part and parcel of stretching and expansion. It does not need to be something that we have aversion to. In fact when it is understood that our purpose has real meaning, this too can be a source of pride.

Essentially achievement is about priorities, and the reality of priorities is about strength. Inner strength will not allow any aspect that would prioritize limited gratifications to control the show. Inner strength has the ability to see and it also has the ability to deliver results. Pride on the other hand works well as an engine. It can be a great motivator – its weakness is in its inability to see things straight and true. Delegation of skills is the key here. Use pride as an engine and let strength steer the way. Recognize that pride, like a stubborn bull may quite often want to go its way and let strength show it who is in control.

.

Life Purpose, Mastery, Motivation, Unlimited Mind

Destroying Apathy – Conquering the Barriers to Your Success

The battle within the self is between apathy and purpose. Apathy kills purpose. Purpose kills apathy. Apathy is a terrible and poor companion for life, business or romance.

Why anyone would choose it deliberately is ludicrous. It is only when we seek to avoid effort that we find reasons to justify apathy’s apparent control over us. It is mediocre at making excuses, but even less satisfactory at creating inspiration or meaning. There is not much going for it really. Its only power lies in the fact that we would deceive ourselves into believing it has power at all. In actual fact purpose and discipline have nothing to do with the existence of apathy at all. Real discipline, purpose and drive moves forward regardless of obstacles.

Walking the easy path is not in itself disempowering. It is the reason for the choice that decides whether we have power or not. If we are choosing the easy path because we cannot face the feeling of putting in the effort, then we are playing a self-perpetuating game of running from effort and seeking ease. This patterning will take us from putting in whatever it takes to find meaning and purpose and replace it with the game of always seeking what requires the least effort.

A mind that gives in to its fear of expending effort will not move, stretch or expand. All movement, stretching and expansion takes too much effort for it, and quite frankly the apathetic mind is quite all right where it is thank you very much. What results is a mind that is clouded, confused and slow to make connections. Trying to work with an apathetic mind is futile. What needs to be installed is a new managing director. One of those hotshot upstarts that knows all the lingo and has productivity as number one. The mind of the director is about results – period. If straight out firing the apathetic mind doesn’t work, if cajoling and begging it to get in line fails, then the director consciousness must look to see what will work.

The fact is, in creating a managing director mind in spite of the apathetic mind, consciousness as a whole has already expanded. It’s a sneaky trick to play on the apathetic mind, but before it knows it energy has already been funneled into creating the director. Where before it seemed like there was only one mind to make choices, now there are at least two. By choosing the managing director every time, the apathetic mind doesn’t get a chance to run the show. This actually suits it just fine because it has no energy to run shows anyhow.

Apathy destroys all purpose except that of apathy itself. We need to avoid influences that would try to sell apathy to us, for in doing so we sell our own mastery and self-control. It may seem laughable that anyone would willingly choose apathy over mastery, but reality has and is illustrating this very fact. Our civilization has embraced a fast food “everything is too much effort” culture and this attitude is literally destroying our ability to connect to purpose and meaning. This is a fact. Without the ability to move our mind, to exert effort and discipline for creating clarity and control, we have no means to communicate or explore deeper meaning. We need to enter the battle, summon our resources and destroy the form that is apathy. Its control is destroyed when we no longer allow its presence to dictate our actions. Its form is destroyed when we move from a mind that chooses self-discipline and control. We need to remember that if we do not choose self-discipline and control over ourselves, then something else will.

.