Spirituality: Session Ten B
Session Summary - Fate
Linda began her presentation by having a slide show where the participants in the group were treated to slides of their parents. This helped to get us thinking about how our family of origin has affected us, how in some way they are our fate. It also got us to think about how we often fight against our family limitations and how all of our experiences of limitation are painful.When we talked about our first impressions of the Fate essay Dave mentioned that the essay seemed like a radical departure from most of what he has read within Emerson. This is because in the first part of the essay an older Emerson talks about the limits of fate and the bondage to the physical. It is only in the latter part of the essay that Emerson brings about a shift in consciousness and begins to talk about freedom and fate.
Linda commented that in the first part of the essay Emerson is talking about life "under the sun". This is where we come up against our limitations and where we find ourselves becoming like our parents. Emerson writes about these limits in the areas of matter, morals and mind. If we can begin to see in a different way we can connect with Mind and then we can begin to see "Above the sun". This is an experience of being able to see the Big Picture. This is the Transcendental point of view. But for the Transcendetal perspective to have meaning we need the experience of being hemmed in by our limitations.
How we deal with our limitations is important. Emerson says that even though he is limited he has hope. Paul commented that if we are teachable we can learn from our limitations. If, however, we respond to limitations in our 30's with despair it is unlikely that we are going to respond well to the limitations we will face in later life when the limitations of our physical bodies become more pronounced. As Paul so aptly quipped : "If you're in despair now, you're not going to hopeful when you're 80".
It became clear that is our attitude towards fate that is important. Either fate is fate and we can't do anything about it (despair) or fate is fate but there is something beyond this. This is the Transcendental perspective - the perspective that we are fated to have freedom. A practical way to view fate is to see it as an opportunity for character formation. The Universe is trying to work with you to resolve some of your issues. It is in this way that our weaknesses pay dividends for it is as we deal with our weaknesses and limitations that we become strong in this area. This is like Emerson's idea of compensation. It is also akin to the idea of mutation in evolutionary biology.
Our lives create the dynamics within which we change. To illustrate this Linda told a story of being locked out of her house as a child. Being "locked out" is now one of the central images of her life. She has struggled with trusting others and herself. This early childhood episode is the grist for her life's learning. Linda will often interpret herself in many experiences as being "locked out" but she will also have the opportunity to begin to learn to trust herself and others. This weakness pays her great dividends as she learns to be a more trusting individual.
It is being connected with Mind that allows us to change or alter Fate. Using our Mind is what helps us get unemmeshed from our culture and our limitations. All of us can access our Mind by seeing limits in a certain way. If we make no decision for Mind Emerson says that we are just drones and not really an individual. Without a deicison for our individuality we are just part of the mass collective of people. Carcasses.
The same power which is in God (or Mind) is in us when we are in synch with this Being. This is the Power that ennables us to overcome Fate. The only real decision we need to make is the decision to do what God wants, this is ultimately what we want as well. But making good decisions is a hard thing to do and we usually need help, either from a mentor or someone we love and respect.
Paul talked about Emerson being a mentor and that only when we can trust the mentor can we stop seeing things in the fate way and begin to see them with a view of Mind. We talked about the fact that it is very difficult to make conscious choices towards Mind. Usually we choose based on comfort and pleasure and not on the deeper needs of our soul. Paul related the story of how Bev helped him make the decision to stop seeing people for individual counselling on a regular basis. On his own he said he would have taken a long time to make the decision, if he would have made it at all, but with Bev's help and advice he could make the decision and move into a new part of his life.
The one question we need to ask in any decision making process is : "Is this the will of God?" When we've felt that it is then we're heading in the right direction.
Linda ended her presentation with a critique of Emerson. Part of this critique dealt with the fact that Emerson didn't make any personal application in the essay. He never speaks of his personal experience or mention the Universe as personal - whereas the Christian tradition talks about God becoming human in all it's limitations.
We also talked about the fact that even though Emerson struggled with his own limits, and with his own sexuality he never dealt with them consciously. His relationship with his first wife was quite passionate but when she died he settled for a lesser type of relationship with Lidian and then put all of his sexuality in writing. Paul called his writing "sublimated love letters to his wife".
The purpose of fate is to teach a fatal courage. Tucked inside our negativity is a truth which will teach us.
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