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STAGNATION

Stagnation I remember back when I was creating this mosaic mural how I overestimated my grout-cleaning speed, helplessly letting grout just sit on the glass and cure while I struggled with its removal. In consequence I had to spend days painstakingly scrubbing every section with a small blade, piece by piece on this two-meter long artwork. My joy of self-expression and pride as an artist was all but gone during that process, my irritation with myself and the artwork at an all time high, and it took a major self-control exercise to not throw the whole thing overboard.

Such ordeals and worse ones, like being passed over in promotion, dismissed from an employment or relationship, stuck in travels or a dead-end career push all our buttons and make us feel powerless and victimized. Rather than being results of bad luck though, these irritations are in fact bearers of great wisdom. They are Spirit’s guidance to the Soul that it is on the wrong path, on a purpose contrary to that of Spirit. In other words, whatever the Soul is engaged in while experiencing irritations is enacted from an intent that is life-damaging, rather than life-inducing. Such is e.g. the seeking of knowledge for the sake of power, power for the sake of receivinglove out of need, and evil for any reason at all. In contrast, the seeking of wisdom for healing, love for meaning, and power for growing are intents that are in line with Spirit’s desire for life.

The aligning of one’s intent with Spirit desire is of paramount importance, akin to aligning one’s travel direction with a map or compass lest one be lost and exposed to danger, or in Soul terms, lose fulfillment and vitality. The loss of fulfillment and vitality might not seem like a big deal to Souls focused on material security and power, yet it is the first symptom of a disconnect from Spirit, emptying the Soul’s batteries and lowering its tolerance to irritations. A deeply irritated and lacking Soul will be more unloving and needy than one fulfilled in its path, and thus more likely to commit acts of evil, catapulting the Soul straight to hell. In contrast, a happy, vibrating and fulfilled Soul is filled to the rim with joy and potency, two major protectors in the karmic game of reactivity. It is likely to feel untouched and unchallenged in most situations, able to deal with facts cool-headedly, with poise, self-control and power.

Irritations are therefore Spirit’s guidance to the Soul, giving it Truth about its lack of fulfillment and thus the Soul’s exposure to evil. The Soul’s refusal to empower Spirit fulfillment, and instead slave to its need for self-worth and power, cause its eventual fall to force and into the cycle of karmic backlash. Then, its irritations will morph into outright sabotage and suffering, eroding its vitality and endurance to the point of utter impotence of body, and death of Spirit. On a heart-warming note, the presence of irritations and setbacks also denotes Spirit’s continuous interest in the Soul’s wellbeing and growth, for Souls who experience no obstacles at all on their path to fame and fortune are in fact sitting on Spirit’s death row, given up as not worth the trouble. Irritations, thus, are not only wisdom and guidance but also a blessing, a personal invitation by Spirit to survive.

Ignoring Spirit’s invitation for any reason implies the Soul’s lack of appreciation for life in general, and its survival in particular. In other words, the Soul has not yet suffered enough. Once the level of suffering drives the Soul to desire Truth more than anything else, including preserving its beliefs, perceptions, needs and entitlements, the Soul will welcome its experiences as means to learning and empowerment. Stagnation, thus, along with irritations and failures, is a statement of the Soul’s insufficient experience of evil and an expression of its desire to suffer more.