Sunday, 5 August 2018

'0 = Love = 1' (Preface, Author's Introduction & Overture)

Preface

Inspiration for this book was derived from blessings afforded me by a dysfunctional childhood. If you find difficulty in reconciling with chaos as a charm, you might consider the relationship a rose has with manure. Outlined in the pages to follow, a journey to define the true spirit of love. From the angry perch of a social deviant to a miraculous state of absolute bliss, you will surely discover these pages hold a shocking metamorphosis of character.

In support of defining love, you are invited to enjoy snippets of wisdom accumulated from intellectual giants who, over millennia, have poked, sniffed, or tasted love. Tempering esoteric knowledge with modern-day science, whilst adding a healthy dollop of logic, I believe a comprehensive look at love has been realised.

Beyond an academic investigation, self-reflection encourages me to share amusing anecdotes for how to effectively eradicate irksome personality foibles or deal with the monkey mind who takes pleasure in disrupting our quiet moments. If a philosophical wave suits your fancy, better relations with the monkey are needed, or you simply imagine it fun to groove out on the topic of love, then this book is sure to impress. I invite you, join me on a wild, zany, philo-spiritual ride to love's front door.

Author's Introduction

This eve, cosily seated at my somewhat decrepit old desk, a fire crackling in the hearth, I am inspired to reflect upon the fruits of a life led in pursuit of love. With nothing more than flickers of a slow dancing fire to offer distraction, it is easy to appreciate diamonds whose light have so frequently coloured my world with spiritual joy. Adding flavour to this moment of counting blessings, I recognise love proved a stranger for a great swath of my life.

Throughout a troubled youth, love appeared more as an alien from a distant planet than simply a character whose name I occasionally failed to recount. Without love, a child ends up wielding an imaginary shovel, whereby daily the dark pit of chaos deepens. Each shovel load, another hit to a personality caught in a freefall of self-depreciation. Years of turmoil were coloured red by, Anger and Fear, my only trusty companions. Tightly holding hands, we three boiled with rage at innocent or convenient targets.

Childhood trauma had gifted me sufficient building blocks to manufacture considerable social dysfunction. Dissecting my troubled youth, I will attempt to share the emotional tenor of an angry young boy forced to endure the confusion of interfacing with all you 'normal people.' Incapable of loving the self, or benefiting from rewarding bonds with family or friends, life offered me an endless buffet of social indigestion.

Tragic are the many missteps awaiting the child who, for whatever reason, fails to fit in well with society.

By the time my chaotic teenage years had come to an end, a psychological breakdown, followed by a revelatory experience, enabled a metamorphic catharsis of personality. Reeling in the throws of a desperate night the timely emergence of pure love, in the form of a spiritual awakening, represented a warm light for this lost lamb. Where indignation, anger, and fear had hopelessly prevailed, within the beat of a heart, tranquillity, peacefulness, even undiluted joy, shed light upon my dark world.

Entirely lit up with unconditional love this, high test, introduction to the absolute purity of beingness had kick-started within me a lifelong search to define the true spirit of love. Slowly, my search to define love would reveal a stagnant falseness in everything I believed about myself, as well as, my reality. Before long, the awakening would fuel revelations enough to turn my perception of reality upon its head. Accordingly, this book will portray my journey from the depth of youthful despair to the bliss of unity consciousness. Powerful as the awakening was, I regretfully discovered my character would require many years of attention prior to successfully tipping scales of self-loathing toward self-love.

The trek up love mountain proved difficult, results slow to arrive.

Dedication to learning, a willingness to affect steady reflection, coupled with the persistence of an ass, were the requisite characteristics for self-emancipation. Finally, after a few decades, I found myself enjoying a life free from the shackles of fear. However grand was the sense of a greater self, without the hero of this tale, love, all efforts toward the ultimate salvation of my spirit would have been for naught.

Through the infinite power of love, I was reborn into the realisation of my true identity as an eternally divine child. With the speed and agility of a slimy slug, the awakening of self had unceremoniously chucked me off the hamster wheel of despair. Many years beyond my first spiritual reckoning, I was blessed by a second, more profound, glimpse into unconditional love. Through the lens of unity consciousness, the Atman whispered.

Salvation at last!

Uninhibited by doubt of my spiritual identity, I was free to undertake the glorious task of releasing the deepest scars of self-hate. By the grace of serendipity, made available to me were the requisite tools to heal the trauma of a shattered past. Love, baking in the oven of time, had made me whole.

Love does conquer all!

My wish, with these words, is to share for your consideration a philo-spiritual map where X marks the singularity of beingness. Wisdom accrued from a wealth of great thinkers who eloquently espouse psychological, theological, spiritual, scientific, philosophical, and shamanic references to the character of love. Tempering traditional esoteric knowledge in the forge of modern science, I hope a generous dollop of logic might allow me to carve footholds up Love mountain. Although books provide beautiful gifts. Spiritual or psychological inroads are not always gleaned from literary references alone.

The process of searching for love requires considerable self-reflection. For example, my life drastically changed when finally I decided to pay attention to the mumbling of my mind, or shall I say monkey mind. Utterly flabbergasted were my sentiments when first realising how much fear covertly echoed in the backdrop of my subconscious. Faithfully tasking a part of my psyche as the steadfast 'ObserverSelf' of mind chatter, I finally found a reliable vehicle for muting the daily damage orchestrated by the little nameless voice.

Even while the ObserverSelf toiled, negativity escaping the darkened recesses of my mind still found a home in my subconscious. However persistent was the monkey mind, my ObserverSelf could now, at the very least, hold forth each rant as an opportunity to convert toxic waste into a learning lesson. Thus, where once my restless mind could only invoke upheaval, in time the cantankerous monkey, in service of the ObserverSelf, proved a valuable asset for navigating the road to heightened self-awareness.

Alchemy of the heart, manure raises the rose, vinegar magically transforms into honey.

How do you deal with the voice in your head?

Certainly, it is not easy to effectively manage the magical monkey as he or she paints a dramatic tableau upon the blank canvas of your perception. Trust me when I suggest, with patient awareness, you too can forge a positive working relationship with your monkey mind. Considering the power our derisive simian partner has to wreak maya in our lives, I find it incomprehensible how anyone could afford to idly ignore its presence.

Freshly paved psychoanalytic surfaces similar to encouraging a friendship with my monkey mind or introducing an observant ally each, in their own way and time, helped me calm rough emotional waters. In the event, a lesson was missed I could, at the very least, find myself present as the upheaval pours forth.

Chasing love with dreams for a better tomorrow.

The butterfly emerges from a cocoon to witness, for the first time, glorious rays of sunlight. Realising my good fortune, I can't help but imagine how my life might have turned out if I never escaped the angry, hateful pit of fear. Each day, as I discover a deeper acquaintance with love, my life sweetens.

Herein lies the primary reason I feel compelled to share my story of psycho-spiritual salvation. Appreciating the value of each tiny morsel of knowledge, I am excited by the mere thought of how, within these lines, a budding spiritualist might discover a sliver of light. Indeed, I would feel magically blessed if somehow this book offered a modicum of peace or hope to one who struggles with a severe personality disorder.

Moreover, if you hate yourself, I completely understand the depth of your plight. Unreservedly, I hope this book will illustrate for you how taming the beastly monkey can be managed by listening to its pernicious voice. When you hear it rant, try to remember the magical monkey is just dancing with you. The true glory of the monkey is found in its relentless desire to teach another lesson. We procreate that which we fight, surrendering to the teacher allows for a speedier path toward freedom.

For me, as for you, love promises a richer, more peaceful, tomorrow. I can't help but wonder what would the world look like if we all believed love was the core derivative of manifest reality? Join me at the esoteric intersection where the scientist, spiritualist, and philosopher meet for a coffee. Let's see if we can figure out a little more about this thing of ours, this thing we call love.

I dedicate this book to my dear mother Bernice, a beautiful spirit whose light forever brightens my path.

Overture

Dearest Mother

Love, your journey toward an indefinable destination.

Subdued voices echo the promise of a glorious oasis.

Mirages breathing life into intangible horizons.