Healing by Dealing: Choosing Truth in the "SuperMal-Wart" of Way Stations
by Alternative Voice Staff
I'm tired of the New Age—but not tired of the truth within it. Have you been inspired, confused, or both by any teachings out there in the New Age realm? Just where is the fine line between New Age, world religions, and folk and indigenous spiritual traditions? Ever been to a group meditation at the local healing center, a reiki session? Ever used crystals for healing work, incorporated feng shui into your home? Do you read the Book of Revelation and apply it to the state of the world? Have you done this with the Keys of Enoch, A Course in Miracles, or The Celestine Prophecy…? Have you been led to where you are? Ever heard the voice of God? Seen or experienced celestial beings? Is it possible that we can have more than one life? Do you believe in God: as a Force, as an all-pervading Energy, a loving Father, Divine Mother, a Wrathful King, the Ultimate Head of the Catholic Church, the First Source and Center? What of this is “New Age” and what isn't?
One of the core teachings within the New Age is a vision of a better world to come, whether it is called Shangri-La, Camelot, New Jerusalem, Shambhala, or the Fifth World, to name a few. Along with the new world to come is a savior sent (some of them returning), such as Quetzalcoatl, the Messiah, Maitreya, Kalki, Gesar of Ling, and Christ, amongst others. Many have awaited them with faith and hope, generation after generation. These are old traditions that point to the instilled longing within every soul for this bright future to come, ushered in by a very advanced being sent here. At the heart of the New Age is hope, as conveyed in these visions. Our Creator won't let the planet fall into total destruction and allow His or Her beloved children to become meaningless dust.
The thread of truths that run through the New Age is the culmination of a continuous evolution preceding humankind's general consciousness that has been in the works for a looooong time and now is becoming mainstream. Always have the visionaries been one step ahead of the common mind-set of their days, keeping the fire burning for this future era to come.
Why then is the New Age also described as fluffy, ungrounded, erroneously relative, and superficial? Maybe there's truth there as well.
Seeking Substance
“Let the buyer beware” is an adage not just for consumers of material goods but also for truth-seekers. A basic, analagous understanding to be equipped with when surfing the New Age is: if you eat microwave quick-rice, it may fill your belly and distract you from feeling hungry, but it tastes like cardboard, and there's no nutrition. We can also liken it to a “SuperMal-Wart,” where everyone is looking for a cheap deal, and you're welcomed with a smile. The problem is that the true cost is hidden, and indiscriminate consumerism consumes the consumers. Think about that one.
We need to go further in our examinations of what we're getting into when it comes to the spiritual search these days. Those who jump in blindly and naively can get hurt and be delayed in real spiritual growth for a long time. People walk through doors and never return—some for the better and others for the worse.
Take healing, for example. We are a land of distorted and hurt personalities, as demonstrated by the massive institutions of hospitals and pharmaceutical firms; alcohol, painkillers, and anti-depressant use; and the thousand-and-one “alternative” healing modalities. One of the basic motivations for a person searching the New Age is that they seek wholeness; they seek healing.
There are so many techniques, therapies, styles, and approaches to holistic health and healing these days. Just go in to the big health food market in Sedona (or most other cities) and look at the wall of brochures and flyers. With all the shamans, avatars, masters, therapists, ascended masters, etc. offering healing services, you'd think everyone in the whole area would be completely healed and near-perfect. Is one of the reasons this hasn't happened because more damage is occurring faster than the healing? Is it because most people settle for, by lack of discernment and understanding, temporary cures over real healing? Finding oneself as a healed, completely whole personality is a life-long process and cannot be completed with innumerous sessions with the local “gifted-one,” consuming all the right substances, or endless hours of acupuncture.
Cultivating Discernment
At one point in my life God led me into the presence of people who
were more discerning than any I had experienced before. It took time to
grow in my own understanding of the fine line between judgment and
discernment. It's not always easy to see. They may overlap when a
person is imbalanced, and to the untrained eye there may be little
apparent difference. The reason I mention this is that a common
technique for deflecting the responsibility of being a witness to the
Truth—and the consequent actions often asked of us—is to fall back upon
the good ol' Bible saying (a concept also found in scriptures of many
other religions): “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged.” This can be
used as a passive excuse, which undermines one's own discernment and
thus higher calling of God to confront wrong-doing. Wise discernment is
an essential tool for the ascension path.
There are many valuable tools in the New Age to assist in
healing—valuable in the sense they have a sound foundation in absolute
Truth. Here are some questions that I've found have an important place
in moving towards wholeness, for those who seek it. (Note: teaching
can be interchanged with teacher(s), school, path, etc.)
- Does the teaching acknowledge human imperfection and the need to change? If we're “already perfect,” as some claim, why bother—just go find a hammock.
- Is the mind valued for its role in free-will decision and action? There are some ancient Eastern teachings that are misinterpreted to mean not thinking, or that the extremely passive, non-engaged mind and the way of non-action are higher ways of spirituality.
- Does the teaching assist you to raise your discernment? Does it help one to see the difference between true and false, higher and lower self, absolute and relative?
- Does the teaching promote isolation or integration and cooperation with others? Some paths take people out of availability to act when and where needed, permanently. Many teachings of value do acknowledge and encourage the temporary need for alone/quiet time to hear clearly.
- What is the God/Creator-concept? Does it even have one? If there is no foundation of a Divinity to begin with, it may be more a psychological mind-training path—e.g. forms of Buddhism, est, or a psycho-physical path (forms of yoga or martial arts) which could still have value but are incomplete.
- Are the teachings concrete and plain enough to apply to every-day life; can you raise children by them; can you take them into your work?
- What emphasis is there regarding service unto others? Service is invaluable in helping us move out of the stagnation of self-absorption.
- What is the mind/body/heart connection? If there is an over-emphasis on any one to the exclusion of the others, then imbalance can occur.
- How do the teachings relate to future revelation: is it open-ended (more may come), or is it finished and summed up in a collection, a single book, a final prophet?
- As painful as it may be to accept, do the teachings ask us to look at the error, evil, sin, and iniquity within ourselves and others? They must first be seen and acknowledged in order to be overcome—and thereby allowing the healing process to begin.
- Is there any eldership or form of godly leadership in the teachings? We need personalities more spiritually mature than us for guidance, example, and direction.
- Does it promote ascension by choice, as opposed to fate or erroneous conceptions of karmic debt that one's destiny is fettered to?
- Is there an understanding of the need for balanced Father, Son, and Mother circuitry?1
- Does it cultivate personal relationship with other humans? With the unseen but living spiritual ministering beings? With the personality who knows us best—our Creator, our Father/Mother God?
There are a lot more questions to ask in one's search for answers. A brief article can barely begin to touch on such a subject. Truly seeking a higher way leads individuals to what they need at that time for the next step, but there are many distractions and diversions also, and without sober assessment and clear discernment it's easy to stray in any given moment. The ultimate key provided us to real healing, to increased discernment, to cultivating wisdom, to ascending homeward, to finding one's way through the New Age pitfalls and onward towards the establishment of a truly new and wonderful world to come is actually living right within us—the Threefold Spirit. Finding that key and setting out on the path the Creator has set before us is the most difficult journey we can take, and certainly the most fulfilling, eternally.
1The Cosmic Family
volumes provide an introduction to this circuitry.