Limitation
Saturday, July 18th, 2009
We all need to work within our limitations, despite what the proponents of infinite abundance might say. It is almost an article of faith in certain New Age circles that the bounty and abundance of Divine Spirit is infinite, and this extends to the physical conditions of one’s life – money, shelter, possessions, experiences and so on. The only limitation is in our our own minds, is the way such people construct their philosophy. This kind of idea, in my view, is born of the idea of an infinitely powerful and good God. If one is alligned with an infinite power, then the logical conclusion is that nothing is impossible, and if anything is found to be impossible, the fault is in the seeker, rather than the infinite power that they seek to allign themselves with. The idea of the infinitely powerful and good God is one side of a very old coin, that has its roots in the Gnostic conception of the world and existance – as created and controlled by two opposing principles – the principle of ultimate Good, and the principle of ultimate Evil. This philosophy is at the foundation of Western culture, and expresses itself through mainstream Christianity as the battle between Good (God) and Evil (the Devil).
However those who observe nature and its workings observe that there is never infinite abundance of any resource. All life works within limitations. When the limitations of any environment are reached, life must srtrike a balance. Likewise in our lives. The resources available to any one person are limited. Limitations of time, money, physical health and enthusiasm are obvious. More subtle limitations also arise, like whether others are willing to play along with you to bring about what you desire. Even the richest person in the world is not completely free, but must work within the limitations upon them, or soon lose their wealth, or their health, or their relationships. The art of life, and in my view, the art of magic, is about making the most of what is, and where one find’s oneself – even though it may fall short of the lofty ideals born of infinite immagination. Making the most of things requires a keen sence of the limitations one is working under.
Another important lesson that can be learned from observing nature is that what is good for the Lion is bad for the Zebra, and vice a versa. Yet together, the balance of nature is maintained, and life goes on. Good and Evil depend on one’s point of view, and are not absolutes, and cannot, in my opinion, be attached to their respective Deities of infinite Good and Infinite Evil. The pagan concenpt of Deity is much more complex – our Deities can embody the contradictions of life, and recognize and help one become attuned to the natural cycles of life – the times of abundance, and the times of scarcity, the times of felowship, and the times of isolation, the times of joy, and the times of sorrow.
When one observes nature, one observes that much of life revolves arround the union of male and female genders to create the new generation. So the Neopagan viewpoint sees the world as created from the womb of the Goddess, and fertilised by the seed of the God. God and Goddess are not a duality of good and evil, but a duality of male and female, seed and womb, cup and blade, or yin and yang to use the Taoist terms to denote these energy principles. What is born from the union, takes shape, grows, reaches its natural fulfillment, then fades and passes, making way for the new. The key here is that everything in this world, and everyone, has a nature, which we may grow into and fulfill. The acorn becomes only an Oak Tree, and never an Ash or a thorn. A pumpkin seed becomes a pumpkin vine, and never a tomato bush. Yet it seems that people make their lives revolve around becoming something at odds with their nature, taking to heart dreams and aspirations impressed upon them by parents, society, advertising or the latest fads and fashions.
The way of the wise is to seek to know and understand one’s true nature, to accept it, and allow one to grow into its fulfillment. To some, this may appear to be the way of limitation, accepting that we can’t be or do anything we want. To the wise, it is the way of freedom – for in fulfilling one’s true nature, one most truly makes connection with the deep magic of alignment, fulfillment, and becoming, the deep magic of allowing the child of promise, the off-spring of the God and Goddess, to fulfill its destiny. The way is to keep the mind, its goals, and its aspirations harnessed to the deep knowledge of self that is deeper than the thoughts, closer than the heart, and flows ever upon the cord that connects us to the Great Mother, so close as to be imperceptible, which recognizes no ‘otherness’, only life in its becoming and transformation in the ever whirling spiral dance of life.
Blessed Be
Robyn :)