The Spiritual and the Material

Barry Rathner
Ecovillage Bhrugu Aranya, Poland

We’ve been told that there is no difference between the spiritual and the material, that it is just how the mind looks at it.

If one perceives so-called reality through the lens of Love, alleged differences between and among people can be filtered out.  What is left is a clear, unadulterated vision or version of, “life as we know it.”

Those tempted to accuse those who do this of looking at the world through rose-colored glasses—hinting at impracticality or naivety— best look in the mirror and try very hard to then look within.

Admittedly, this is easier said than done, but in today’s world, WHAT OTHER CHOICE DO WE HAVE?

One advantage or value of seeking and maintaining the positivity and relativity that Love bestows is that one may detect dross before it intrudes on truth. This can be simple, but likewise,rarely easy to do.

In 12-Step, it is suggested we look for the similarities and not the differences between us and others.

Nonetheless, when “push comes to shove,” if we are to be successful in doing Higher Power’s will and not our own, we must approach each and every situation with the specs, the eyeglasses—rose-colored or not— of Love. To do otherwise is to complicate, and obfuscate, such that the goal is so compromised as to be nearly forgotten.

And that seems to be where significant parts of humanity find themselves today. God’s will has been supplanted by gods of money, power, jealousy, anger, and, yes, lust.

If it feels like we are engulfed by a morass of illusions, stuck in the quicksand of ignorance—self-imposed or not—these are not delusions or unreal feelings. We are indeed surrounded by acts done and decisions made that scream of inequality, unfairness and downright evil.

And even the Roads of Best Intentions which we know lead to Hell, are lending too much benefit of the doubt to their perpetrators. They are the epitome of pacts made with the Devil! And we are not wishing to be Devil’s advocate.

“Love thy neighbor as thyself,’ seems to be suffering from an Achilles Heel injury these days. If self-love (and self-esteem and self-image…) is found to be lacking, it follows that my love for my neighbor will suffer—or, at the very least, be significantly compromised, if not irretrievably impaired.

So, we are back to “The Only Way Out is In.” Inexorable, isn’t it? Sooner or later we must do this. We can do it the hard way or the harder way.

Looking within carries with it the added advantage of curbing our tendency to look outside of ourselves. And that is a true blessing in these times as many wonder where have all the flowers of human decency and conscientious behavior gone?

Despite the challenges implicit here, Agnihotra and Homa Therapy make what seems impossible, possible, and what seems horrendously difficult, manageable.

This is not surprising as twice in Agnihotra Mantras comes the phrase, IDAM NA MAMA—not my will but Thy will be done.

Turning over our lives to Higher Power reduces or eliminates worry, stress, anxiety and fear. With these out of the picture, we can go about our lives reacting with love under all circumstances, which is the essence of Homa Psychotherapy and its Mind Training Program.