Western Civilisation is at the end of its life-cycle . . . even though our enlightened leaders—whether spiritual or political—are advocating “progress” as the way forward out of the mess we’ve landed ourselves in: we could call it “The Matrix”?
But, progress only means a “better” version of the reality we’ve got at the moment . . . and being attached to progress only means being held back by ideas, beliefs and patterns that are dying, or at least past their “sell-by date”: current ideals of progress actually would mean that to engage with the concept is to be depending on acceptance and approval from the “thing” we’re trying to change . . . the Matrix. Progress is not radical change.
Think about the story of Gulliver’s Travels
A normal person with all his love of adventure, culture and abilities finds himself washed up on a beach and having been tied down by hundreds of tiny occupants of this unknown place. You can think of seemingly enlightened authorities tying you down with hundreds and thousands of tiny ideas, rules and expectations to keep Western Civilisation in “progress” mode. But all these tiny ideas, rules and expectations have been born out of dead culture, outworn social norms and unworkable energetic intentions: is this reminding you of the Matrix and its energy?
Now let’s think about the difference between “progress” and radical change. I don’t know, obviously, how aware you are of social revolution in Europe: well, at a time when peasants had to move from rural communities and villages to become city dwellers what happened was Bio-Social-Psychic change. The peasant of medieval Europe, so let’s say the 16th century, who under the pressures of the new type of national organization was transferred to the state of dweller in the metropolis of a large modern nation, had to experience a change in the character of his relationship to other men and to all kinds of factors in his new environment. This was radical change.
So, now think about transforming a way of life for Humanity on a Global level and what radical change would entail. The change from the national-cultural Western consciousness to an all-inclusive global or planetary participation in a world-society can certainly be expected to be as drastic as was the change for those medieval peasants.
But let’s back track a little . . . how did we get into this mess? The Matrix had a use: chaos doesn’t happen in a vacuum, nothing changes in a vacuum . . . our Universe operates an ordering system, a collective pattern.
The Womb of our Development
Just as we need a material womb under natural conditions for our growth as an embryo into a viable organism—a baby—our society and the culture constitute a “Matrix” which is needed for the early development of a mind. A mind, your mind, is an organized “field” of conscious activity operating according to functional principles of its own; but these principles obviously, inevitably have firstly a social-cultural character. And this early developing mind needed a “womb of development”.
Consciousness appears within the holistic field of activity of our human organism once its characteristic operations have become stabilized, structured and formed into a mind: but it represents another level of activity, and this new level can acquire a definite independence from the organismic field—our independence from the Matrix means developing awareness of “We”, a higher spiritual level of “I”, our collective Humanity Being, or the Humanity Soul.
So, we need the collective . . . or rather we needed it to develop and evolve us, and it also holds and nurtures us to a degree, a limited degree: because what I’m saying to you here is that the Matrix is the lower collective, and those of us able to live and function at the level of the “We” consciousness are tuned into the higher collective—as I’ve said, the Humanity Soul.
Once we leave the womb and draw our breath, we’re already on the path of developing our highest potential.
Evolving and Growing
As we’ve read in the story of the peasants and their need to change which led to transformaton of society and culture—and this would be 500-ish years ago in Europe—our consciousness started changing, it had to change. This abrupt change in consciousness meant that “we” as society were psychologically buying into the concept that the development of the Matrix was Western: starting with the changes in society and culture that led up to the Industrial Revolution, and most definitely pre-development of the North American culture and subsequent society, with its very dominant traditions in our world today.
Dominance is the issue . . . when certain ideas and behaviours are approved of because they make a society “work” then we as individuals are bound by unspoken, psychic rules and mores making sure we’re accepted and approved of: bringing us security and stability. Whatever thoughts, ideas, ideals and behaviours dominate, “cluster” in our minds as we develop and grow to maturity as individuals. Think about your ideas on money, for example . . . where did they come from? Are they healthy, or a bit confused and messy emotionally? Quite probably your money mind-clusters are mixed up with your society’s traditions on status and ownership, or your family’s expectations of education and work/career. These are not straightforward thinking habits, but they’re part of the unseen glue that fixes you in your place and time . . . to whatever is dominant at the time you grow to maturity.
Guilt . . . if we can’t measure-up, adapt and survive?
What has been dominant for the last 2,000 or so years is Patriarchy, or male domination in our world . . . and I’m going to say a better term to use is probably dominant weak masculine energy. Remember I said the Matrix is the psychic unity of the lower collective of Humanity? It’s not psychic unity at its highest vibration of Spirituality . . . and Patriarchy is certainly not the highest spiritual vibration of masculine energy!
When collective masculine energy is weak, feminine energy is weakened: suppressed and undervalued. So, many of us today sense we’re living with the negativity of the Matrix. I sense it, because of the Mother Wound. The Mother Wound describes a cluster of maternal abandonment effects that derive from “under-mothering”, from generational neglect or abandonment passed down as a result of weak feminine- caring-nurturing energy in our maternal lines.
One effect of Mother Wound is guilt. I also sense many, many people today are shouldering guilt because we can’t measure-up to Matrix expectations . . . leaving us with unspoken mind-clusters around adapting and surviving.
This is not a healthy mix. It’s certainly not a strong mental or emotional foundation for building a future for our world that needs new ideas, new thinking, spiritual growth . . . and spiritual audacity: balance.
Blame?
It might surprise you to read what I want to say here now that “everything is not bad about the Matrix”.
While we as individuals have been evolving from the peasant culture of medieval times to successfully functioning in our demanding world today with all it’s expectations of us, the Matrix does actually support us—until we realize we need a bigger life, with more growth and less dependence on small, rigid rules . . . less of having to develop our individuality while still experiencing new personal energies to emerge. Our society and culture, wherever-it-is, has acted like the womb we needed as the embryo and that is definitely not “bad” . . . but we’re grown up now, and realizing we need radical change in the way we live our lives causes us to need a different, bigger, higher perspective for our growth.
We’re here, right now and change is happening as humanity evolves, and some say “metamorphs” . . . this is not “progress” we’re experiencing but a call to those of us who can, to live a transformed life.
So, in living with zen, we don’t forgive . . . there’s no need for forgiveness because we’re all living in one-ness—each of us alive on this planet today is collectively growing a new consciousness for Humanity. There’s nothing to forgive, because there is no blame.
Living with acceptance and bigger spiritual vision is all the healing we need: compassion is vital. And, as I always say, zen is a sublime healing.
No solution . . . only an antidote
Where are we now? In a mess . . . but we do know we’re moving forward, as Humanity, into a new age with new thinking and people willing to be enlightened about being their own masters, having self-mastery and living their own truth.
The reason why I say there is no “solution” to the Matrix . . . is, because what we’re talking about here is a complex of psychic bonds that hold us together—the “glue” of ideas, beliefs, behaviours, cultural traditions, thoughts, hopes and dreams of our families, ancestors, heritage, unfinished business from past lives and the karma we’re living through from past group-think and national identity.
There is no solution to how the Matrix affects our lives . . . only an antidote. The “Maya” is the substance-less-ness of the Matrix: illusion . . . there is no solution to illusion.
In the tradition of the Eastern Wisdom Paths to Inner Freedom, the antidote to the Maya is Upaya: Upaya is the opposite of Maya. It’s a practice, we practice in silence—in the Mauna, the silence, which grows our brain power—and it’s an expedient or convenient way of sending illusion into the Void. In the Void, our guides, guardians, angels, ancestors and our higher being nature will take care of neutralising Maya . . . dismantling the Matrix and its psychic bonds.
The strong mind of Zen is important here, and the practice involves a lot of “ignoring” and not being bothered. Inner peace is essential: it leads to acceptance—we wouldn’t be here, here and now and evolving the way we are with so many people opening up more and more to their spiritual practices, especially meditation, without having had the Matrix as strong dominant and dynamic energy challenging us. And we are here now, living our own truths more and more, in a reality that can support us if we let it, in awareness and with the inner strength that peace brings us.
I have 3 steps to teach you leading to peace with Zen: detach and see with the eyes of your Soul, go into “don’t know” mind, and most importantly live with loving action in your heartspace. This will allow you to let go consciously, letting go of the effects of the Matrix, visualising them in any way that suits your mind, and letting the Void take care of it . . . trusting we’re all evolving in the most positive way possible and for the benefit of all.
And go slowly, taking time and being patient in your practice is essential . . . unclustering your living mind is a delicate process, and your mind is important to all of us.
As we say, “all is well” . . . Humanity will be okay as long as we “hold the space” with faith.
. . . we need a new “womb” to evolve in for a rebirth . . .
My sense is, it’s almost as if we need a new “womb” to evolve in while we metamorphose for a rebirth . . . because we’re just not ready yet for a rebirth of Humanity. I hold that simple image in my mind and in my heart constantly, and not only in my meditation time, and I affirm that we have infinite potential for our rebirth.
Change . . . and I mean radical change
Detaching from the illusion of the “reality” the Matrix has manifested, means no longer buying into the concept that “progress” is what we need . . . we recognise the need for radical change: remember the medieval peasants in Europe and how radically their lives changed?
What this means is that we change the way we relate, change our own perspective and move on. And changing the way we relate can be as simple as not reacting to negativity that doesn’t suit you, or toxicity that affects you in hidden ways.
For example, I grew up in a toxic family and when I was old enough to I moved away, focussed on my education and then my calling and self-healing, and I haven’t spoken to many of them for over 20 years. That’s how I changed the way I relate to them . . . I ignore them, and I got very good at ignoring.
And as we change the way we relate, for those of you having followed practices in the Eastern Wisdom Paths to Freedom—Tao, Zen, Yoga, Mindfulness—don’t get confused here with our Western needs and the Eastern needs to conform to cultural norms which formed their need for ego-less-ness: that could just be another mind-cluster that deadens your living mind. Our Humanity rebirth in the West probably is going to depend on us forming a new spiritual identity, with accelerated Spiritual Vision.
Retracing my own steps . . . on the path to being unbothered
To guide you to a place of healing, I’ve retraced some of my own steps here: going back through what helped me and teaching you what I learned on the path:
Stop Worrying and Learn Detachment
Zen Simple Steps to Peace
Simply Being Your Best
Healing Power of my Inner Cosmos
Namaste, SuZen
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