JANUARY 2021 - BLOG

 

 

A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

 

Dear Reader,

 

As we are coming to the end of an exceedingly difficult and critical time that began with a global pandemic and then huge fires in California and Australia, you are invited to reflect about what it takes to survive physically, mentally, and spiritually.

As I reflect upon the great events in Nature while walking in the park near my home, or just sit on my veranda watching the sunset, or experience the light of the full moon at night, I become aware that every living being (from a virus to a whale) is filled with organic change and movement.

In our human experience, we can go through loss, suffering, pain, and all sorts of difficulties that seem to be a constant everyday occurrence. Meeting these difficulties, whether big or small, it is imperative to understand that these are not only outer changes and shifts but also, they are in our own inner nature.

As a psychotherapist with the gestalt orientation, I meet many people in my practice that are full of grief, anxiety, fear, loss, and many turbulent emotions that are carried inside. It seems like the Soul itself is crying for a solution. Yet, most people simply want to run away, blame others, and feel unlucky because they are not healed.

Working with a therapist or taking time for some meditation, or simply walk in a park (preferably barefoot) connects us with the place within that has all the solutions necessary to resolve most if not all our difficulties.

This ‘Journey of the Soul’ offers us important lessons and even amazing “gifts” that in time, will transform our lives. We all have the capacity to heal. We are a self-regulated organism, but we must take time to discover that all experiences, may they be good or bad, are lessons that lead to healing.

As preparation for this blog, I came across a book sitting on my shelf called: A LAMP IN THE DARKNESS by Jak Kornfield Ph.D. Jack trained as a Buddhist monk for many years in Thailand, Burma, and India. I became a follower of Jack’s writings when I was interested in Buddhism some years ago. Now I am happy to connect with his teachings again. I remember what Buddha said: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”.

Here I will not comment on the book but do recommend all readers to purchase this book. The Kindle edition is only $12.34, and the paperback is $34.90. This is a great read for the new year and for your own ‘Soul Craft’ work. The paperback book has a wonderful CD of meditations that are coordinated with the teaching. Here are the titles of the meditations:

1.       SHARED COMPASSION – a guided practice for planting the seeds of Compassion and opening the heart to all living beings.

2.       THE EARTH IS MY WITNESS – a meditation to establish firm footing amid the darkness of the soul.

3.       THE PRESENCE OF FORGIVENESS - known as the only medicine that can release us from the past and begin anew.

4.       THE TEMPLE OF HEALING – a guided visualisation to meet your inner healer.

5.       EQUANIMITY AND PEACE – a meditation to maintain a balance and acceptance regardless of your situation.

I am very indebted to Jack Kornfield by reading his books and meditating on my own journey through the WII as a child in Europe, my learning and healing time during the immigration to Venezuela and then Canada. Finding a place of peace in Australia and a partner who is a great support and, I am grateful to my two sons for being well.

To finish this reflection, I am quoting Jack from his book:

“Every life is filled with change and insecurities, and every life includes loss and suffering and difficulties that arise regularly. We are all nomads in an everchanging world, and we need ways to ground ourselves and remain cantered no matter what happened.”

 

 I WISH YOU ALL THE VERY BEST FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON - HOPE FOR PEACE AND PROSPERITY.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

 

 

DECEMBER - 2020 BLOG

 

REFLECTIONS YARO BLOG - DECEMBER 2020

                                                                                                                             ODIN - THE NORSE FATHER

 

Dear reader,

Have you heard or read about the Canadian professor of psychology and author of the book “Twelve Rules for Life”? If not, go to YouTube and click on Jordan Peterson. Somehow, he has proven to be a tragic human even though he is highly intelligent and is incredibly involved in promoting the open and  diverse culture of free speech and writing and giving video presentations that are being “killed” by false intellectuals.

Like many great geniuses in history, they alone were able to do the ‘impossible’ and open the world to everyone. Christopher Columbus discovered what now we call AMERICA, GANDHI liberated India, SIMON BOLIVAR liberated South America, Nelson Mandela, and so on.

Jordan Peterson is another man who single handily is breaking the new PC (politically correct) movement that is shouting loudly in the media about the need to silence his words and want the Penguin publishers to cancel his new book.

Like most religious movements in history the 'nice and positive' preaching is about spirit, togetherness, and community, but in reality, (when we check the facts) it is about power and control. Now the PC movement appears to promote ‘diversity’, ‘inclusion’, and ‘tolerance’ at the expense of controlling what we can read or listen to. Speakers, writers, and promoters of freedom and debate and understanding are shamed in public and even prosecuted for their ideas. They say: How they dare to write books that question the natural pattern of being man and woman, male and female? Today Shakespeare would be arrested for what he wrote because he represents the ‘patriarchy’ that has become a swear word for many.

I want to reflect, again, on the word PATRIARCH or PATRIARCHY. It has become a “swear” word in our culture. In analyzing the word, we become aware (note) that PATER is a Latin word for FATHER and in ancient Rome the man in the family was called with the respectful phrase as PATER-FAMILIAS. Here I quote from history: “The pater familias, also written as paterfamilias, was the head of a Roman family. The paterfamilias was the oldest living male in a household and exercised autocratic authority over his extended family. The term is Latin for "father of the family" or the "owner of the family estate"

Roman law and tradition (mos majorum) established the power of the pater familias within the community of his own extended familia. In Roman family law, the term "Patria potestas" (Latin: “power of a father”) refers to this concept. He held legal privilege over the property of the familia, and varying levels of authority over his dependents: these included his wife and children, certain other relatives through blood or adoption, clients, freedmen and enslaved persons. The same mos majorum moderated his authority and determined his responsibilities to his own familia and to the broader community. He had a duty to father and raise healthy children as future citizens of Rome, to maintain the moral propriety and well-being of his household, to honour his clan and ancestral gods and to dutifully participate—and if possible, serve—in Rome's political, religious and social life. In effect, the pater familias was expected to be a good citizen.” Now much of that authority has changed but the false interpretation of FATHER is being pushed as a negative title for a man.

Historically, the early humans did not have any separation of powers until the advent of agriculture and settlements of groups of families to work the land and contribute to the survival of the tribe or clan. Over time, the cultural shifts, religions, and the need to keep a society in control, the patriarch became a symbol of power out of necessity to survive.

Feminist theorists and writers have published extensively about patriarchy either as a primary cause of women's oppression or as part of an interactive system. Shulamith Firestone, a radical-libertarian feminist, defines patriarchy as a system of oppression of women. Firestone believes that patriarchy is caused by the biological inequalities between women and men, e.g. that women bear children, while men do not. Firestone writes that patriarchal ideologies support the oppression of women and gives us an example the joy of giving birth, which she labels a patriarchal myth. For Firestone, women must gain control over reproduction to be free from oppression. Feminist historian Gerda Lerner believes that male control over women's sexuality and reproductive functions is a fundamental cause and result of patriarchy. Alison Jaggar also understands patriarchy as the primary cause of women's oppression. The system of patriarchy accomplishes this by alienating women from their bodies.

However, in the latter half of the 18th century, clerical sentiments of patriarchy were meeting challenges from intellectual authorities – Diderot's Encyclopedia denies inheritance of paternal authority stating, "... reason shows us that mothers have rights and authority equal to those of fathers; for the obligations imposed on children originate equally from the mother and the father, as both are equally responsible for bringing them into the world. Thus, the positive laws of God that relate to the obedience of children join the father and the mother without any differentiation; both possess a kind of ascendancy and jurisdiction over their children”.

This idea of who is who keeps coming up in many cultures around the world, Today with the many ways to express our own beliefs and theories, we have the social network that instantly communicates to many about what is the “truth”. On one hand, we observe the PC groups that want to control the ideas and on the other, we have still evidence of religious practices that forbid women to show their face in public.

We have a lot to reflect upon and keep learning from every point of view and the internet is a good research tool if used wisely. Perhaps we are in the midst of ending the patriarchal culture of the past or maybe the female goddess that was worshipped in times of early human settlements will ‘give birth’ to a new awareness and a new path to unite the human race.

I am including here a podcast by my great gestalt teacher CLAUDIO NARANJO entitled: THE END OF PATRIARCHY AND THE DAWN OF WHOLENESS.

 

Please click on the link above

Your comments are very welcome.