Common Diseases > Stress > Separation

It is thought that the root of suffering, mental and emotional stresses in our lives come from the internal division of ourselves. In modern psychology there is discussion of ego and id, or the ego and consciousness, or multiple personalities. Another common description is that we each have a male and female aspects to our character and that these aspects when exercised take our lives in different directions and due to some biochemistry, the gender of the personality may not match the gender of the body.

Most likely you have experienced internal conversations - those where you ask something and the answer comes from somewhere inside. You may be aware and even worry sometimes that you seem to have at least two strong aspects to your own personality, a side that is kind and conforms to societal expectations and a side that is a little wild, that intuitively want to go out and just have fun.

I say that of these two sides, one is the cultured aspect that conforms to societies rules, passes exams, gets a job home and family, and this is the recognized 'normal' which is expected for us to live within society. Our second side is the rebel within us, this is the aspect that church and state would have us root out and destroy, yet in holism, this is a vital aspect of self that is often denied and when locked away slowly wrecks our minds. The rebel in us contains great wisdom, power and insight, yet we are taught to fear it, now this brings me to what may be termed religious elements to do with our make up:

We have:

1. The holy ghost which I see as the Kundalini and the staff of our medical symbol.
2. The father as represented by the first snake entwining the shaft
3. The son  as represented by the second snake entwining the shaft

In yoga philosophy the purpose of yoga practice and the destination of mankind is unity - a oneness within - in other words the three as above must become one. Interestingly in the Gnostic Gospels G.S Mead in Fragments of a Faith Forgotten (page 595) writes "When the Lord was asked by a certain man, When should His kingdom come, He saith unto him: When two shall be one, and the without as the within, and the male with the female, neither male nor female."

Here I believe the reference is to the two sides to our inner self, some may have several or even be schizophrenic, which have to come together as a functioning whole.

Now lets take a look at some old and controversial history. The story of Atlantis is common enough and billions of $$ have been spent researching this. However further back there is the story of Lemuria, this was a time when we were neither male nor female - in fact both male and female combined - and perhaps a time when there was a garden of Eden and the resultant fall from grace and separation from divine unity. This is an interesting idea, however I don't buy it and I hope by adding these thoughts, it may prompt your meditations.

I think the fall indeed was the separation from an individual unity of inner conscious in harmony with the universal or divine consciousness and our only lasting peace and true happiness will come when all the elements of each and every one of us re-unite in our hearts and minds. This will also bring about peace on earth and we may discover the real reason why we are here, after all there is more to life than then mess it's in now.

Dealing with and understanding 'inner voices"
Any inner voice or prompt to cause suffering is invalid and not to be taken seriously. What ever goes on in your own mind is under your authority, you are in charge and it is up to you to curb harmful thoughts. Many of us need to educate, to learn to grow positively in a way that is harmless to others and in Buddhism, this is known as walking the middle way.

One of  the biggest biblical separations is the separation or casting out of Satan or Lucifer. Most Christians and Islamists believe this story and use it to justify further horrors in the world. The bible has many stories of forgiveness and the accepting of the prodigal son - even after he has committed crime, yet Satan remains cast out, unforgiven and unaccepted. Of course Satan is represented in the world by those who exploit and oppress such as tyrants, governments, churches and corporations.

These elements keep us confused, maintain our separation, control our lives and keep us in a heightened state of anxiety (stress). However as we move into the Age of Aquarius, and our world transforms, it may be our ability to unite as individuals and create more equitable co-operative communities that our species may continue.