When asked about nobility, most people think about aristocracy. Yet nobility, a value of Spirit, does not equal social exclusivity, which is a value of matter. Rather, it is a state of consciousness that lives for a purpose larger than self, beyond ego aggrandizement and wealth accrual; a purpose that is a reflection of the power to do great things for the benefit of all, and for no other reason than being able to and feeling called to.
A noble mind is of high integrity and power, and high wisdom and love, a mind that seeks out and walks the path of Truth no matter the cost to self. Countless movies have been made with heroes portraying these traits, from Gladiator to Braveheart, all immensely successful stories as they touch on the deepest longing of the human Soul: to be worthy.
Yet the longing for worthiness does not need great national uprisings to be lived. Our lives are settings for our heroism, brimming with opportunities for nobility. Whenever we stand at crossroads between what is right and what is easy, we are in the middle of our own heroic tale. And whenever we choose the easy path, our Soul falls a little on the scale of self-worth, having sold out Truth for comfort and potency for pleasure, and having caved in to greed, need or fear. This fall of the mind, or path of moral decay, is the cause of the decline of both individuals and empires throughout history.
The reason mind falls from power is always the same: a lapse of purpose from a larger-than-self level into the depths of narcissism. In other words, the mind ceases desiring to share and begins desiring to receive. For once a Soul’s reason for engagement moves from manifesting benefits for all, i.e. ideas, solutions, products and services, to manifesting benefits for self, i.e. profit, pleasure, security, or power, its purpose will have dropped several levels in nobility and entrenched itself firmly in commonality and vulgarity. The signs may be subtle at first, but will be visible to all: a surge in entitlement at the cost of others; opaqueness in communication and statement of intent; avoidance of commitment and preference for keeping options open; increased indifference to injustice, both as perpetrator and observer; easier acceptance of ends justifying means; and failure to follow up on word with action in support of one’s principles.
The fall from nobility is often accompanied by changes in life circumstances such as a move in location, position or occupation, as an expression of the Soul’s desire for power or matter at the cost of Spirit. The consciousness and minds of the new people and groups surrounding the Soul will be defined by and confined to the scope of this lower purpose, often an initial shock and source of depreciative judgement for the fallen Soul. The Soul’s conversations and goals become limited by the consciousness, aspirations and vision of the new environment, while the standards of beauty and entertainment of this new community change the Soul’s options for fulfillment, usually growing in scope and pleasure while declining in quality and fulfillment. In short, by choosing power over Truth the Soul catapults itself out of potential and into the mainstream. In case of a heavy-weight life decision, such choice is always irreparable by the Soul. To get back onto the track of potential it will need Spirit help.
The impact on Spirit of a Soul’s lapse in nobility is deprivation. Spirit desires nothing more than to love the Soul and give it the very best of everything. Yet when the Soul rejects Spirit for power and ignores its potential, Spirit remains brokenhearted like a disparaged lover, deprived of its main vehicle of manifestation and effectively infertile. In consequence, the Soul begins to lose fulfillment, love and meaning on its new path, and rises in forcefulness, obtuseness and insensitivity.
Nobility is a state of sensitivity to Spirit, the ability to desire, experience and appreciate beauty, valor, Truth, love and selflessness in all beings and in the world around. It is also the capacity to feel grateful and uplifted by such acts and traits, and inspired to protect them from oneself as well as from others. A rejection of Spirit signals a lacking appreciation in the Soul for such gifts, and results in the loss of Spirit.
The loss of fulfillment and meaning is often wrongly experienced as betrayal, for the grab for power was decided under the impression that one could both eat one’s cake and keep it. Yet the forcing of Spirit into the realm of power equals a defilement of its sensitivity as well as a factual betrayal by the Soul, for Spirit cannot survive amidst such low vibrational frequencies. In other words, the Soul’s grab for power sentences Spirit to a sacrifice of life, and itself to suffering.
The Soul’s lapse in nobility is an act of will, always preceded by a perception of impotence that awakens its need for power. The circumstance in which the Soul finds itself and which gives rise to this perception is the proverbial apple offered to Adam and Eve by the snake. Once the Soul takes the apple, i.e. believes its perception of a situation and forces a solution, the fall is inevitable. The only way to prevent it is to attain full control over one’s perception, which means seeking the meaning behind one’s feelings and the lesson behind one’s experience, rather than reacting with force. This is the true power of the mind and the Soul’s only tool in its fight against evil.