Thursday, June 12, 2014

Existentialism versus Cosmic Unity

The psychologist Otto Rank perhaps stated the obvious when he said that a birth means the end of physical unity of mother and child just as death brings the end of the individual life. The question now is what to do with that insight. The psychologists maintain that our journey of growing up is all about claiming this individuality while being forced to face our eventual demise. From this perspective, the spiritual longing of cosmic unity is an infantile wish to climb back into the maternal womb and thus escape the fear of living and - eventually - dying.

You can embrace this view just as you can be open to the claim that there is cosmic unity that is ours to discover. From this spiritual perspective, physical unity of mother and child was just an appetizer of what is ours to experience if we open up to the Way later in life. We spiritual travelers claim that you can experience glimpses of this oneness wherever you walk; the love between people, the connectedness of our lives, and the harmony of the Way.

While there is little to talk about for these two disciplines, psychologists can help us to develop the maturity to get ready for our homecoming journey. Life is not easy, there is so much stuff we have to deal with: the fear to grow old, the anxiety to be over the hill professionally, the fear of separation and the dread of our eventual death. How easy is it to look for distractions instead: routines and escapes to shut out the fear. Addiction can do this, but even religion and spirituality can be opium for the soul.

A spiritual path is about falling in love with life, with the problems, the opportunities, with the friends and adversaries. Life can blow your mind, but only a child or a mature individual can experience the magnificence of the Way. Every temporary escape from this maturity with the help of alcohol, sex, chemicals, or whatever else it is that blows your mind artificially, is a step back on our homecoming journey. The same applies vis-a-vis people and organization. You have to be a mature individual to avoid the temptation to submit to gurus, groups and religions.

You can experience what it means to submit to the Way. Once you have grown up psychologically it will be the next natural step to take. It is a liberating journey and it is a lot of fun. Why don't you join us!

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