8. Society and Conditioning

02/09/23 • 58 min

This Episode is the second of three looking at Conditioning: we discuss the idea that Familial (E7), Societal (this Episode), and Cultural (E9) versions form a sort of interlinked trinity.
Family vs Society
Although there are some similarities, Society isn't quite the same as one big Family, in terms of conditioning. For example, Society sets its own limits (e.g. laws), whereas Family norms can (usually!) only vary within a societally-acceptable envelope.
Conditioning: What is It Good For?
Liberation spiritualities and personal-growth modalities tend to be unanimous in decrying the limiting effects of conditioning. (And those effects certainly exist, and are usually associated with suffering.) But there's also a way in which conditioning is a repackaging of the effects of Split Will*, in a more tractable and ultimately constructive way.
Nevertheless, if all that Society does is suppress and look away from what's behind conditioning, we just live in a toxic smokescreen, without ever undoing its source.
Society-without-Illusion?
Ultimately, after the Total Awakening* of our Universe, society - and everything else! - will be free of the bondage of conditioning, and of the illusion of separation. As an intermediate step towards that Awakening, human society must begin to look more deeply at what's going on, in terms of Split Will, and (e.g.) the repackaging of Its effects in/as matter. That looking must be done with Intelligence (synonymous with living from a Heart of Wholeness and Oneness).
Community vs Society
Community (like E7's One True Cosmic Family!) is imbued with the Light of Communion, notably Communion with GoB*. But conventional society more than lacks that Communion: it actively suppresses it, via collective collusion in narcissism and fragmented scientific/spiritual reality-narratives (inherited from the cultural domain). To restore Communion, we need to strip out contradiction/conflict, while retaining distinct-and-differing perspectives.What Can Be Done/Said?!
Both what we need to look at societally (e.g. Split Will) and the resources we need, to look constructively (e.g. Intelligence), seem to be deeply buried. And things that are supposed to help us (e.g. spiritual traditions) often move in multiple contradictory directions ... So what's to be done?
If we can find the quality of consciousness that can smile at 'life is suffering', we can share it with like-minded others (and so strengthen it in everyone), and take action to liberate it, universally. And we can find that consciousness: it's the ARC*, and it's already literally everywhere (in both real- and alleged-Reality). Importantly, we must draw on the ARC's guidance in liberation-orientated societal-relating, because otherwise our best intentions may backfire in their effects.
Community in a Time of Societal Polarization
Overall, we propose that community can be an antidote to fragmented society, especially in a context of increasing polarization. At the same time, we support the creativity, value, and beauty of non-conflicting differences in society - perhaps as exemplified by our conversations!
*For more on Total Awakening, Split Will, GoB, ARC etc., please refer to E1 (c. 30 mins) or E18.

Thanks for listening!
Find out more:
For Oliver's Psycho-Spiritual work with Individuals, Couples and Groups, please visit http://www.oliverbaum.co.uk.
For Nicholas' In-Person work, please visit http://www.liveyourdeepestself.com.
For Nicholas' Scientific work, please visit http://www.cfdis.org.

Previous Episode

7. Family and Conditioning

Well, this one's definitely an Episode of two halves!
Part 1: Conditioning Occurring in the Family Setting
We revisit the two-fold model of Glitch/Wound*, or AS/IF*+incarnation. Death, Guilt, Shame etc. deeply originate in psychospiritual territory, 'pre-dating' birth (and typically continuing until and even after death!). Then, fear-of-death, and guilt-and-shame, are powerful conduits for rules-of-belonging, conditioning children to think, feel, and act in family-specific, limited modes.
Yes, But ,,, Is That All Bad?!
This Universe can be seen in two ways. It's a perfect place to hide out from GoB*, intentionally forever. Or, it's a perfect place to gradually recover the GoB relationship. Analogously, 'damaging' family conditioning that creates separative veils can be seen as a useful way to dim an otherwise-triggering Divine Light. Similarly, if attachment in early-life is 'too secure', there can be a comfort that obstructs a movement away from ultimately-false family beliefs (the ultimately most-significant of these being about matter and local-reality!).
Recurrence of Family Conditioning: 'Transcend and Return'
Even after a first-pass liberation from family conditioning, on the way to transcending local-reality and conventional-identity, there are certain return-to-incarnate-life paths that can involve the recurrence of those same familial energies and constraints. The Veils framework can be uniquely helpful in understanding and navigating this recurrence, via the idea that matter itself contains potent forms of imprisonment, and a pointer to the ARC* (and 'Troot' - the origin-point of the ARC) as the reality-aspect designed to help us navigate matter and its Enlightenment!
Part 2: Conditioning Inherent in the Construct/Conception of 'Family'
In a switch of view, really standing in and for One Cosmic Family, without division, the second half explores a somewhat contrary view: 'Yes, Family really is essentially an unhelpful and pointless societal construct!' (For example - according to this view: current conceptions of 'family' always take us away from that One Family, and try to keep us away from relationship with the Ground.)
Family as Structure for Free Play, vs Obstructive/Divisive Construct
The Knowledge/Mystery frontier is one of humankind's crucial (and unappreciated!) challenges: how do we put structure (e.g. 'knowledge') together with un-structure (aka 'Mystery') in a way that simply expands Goodness? This doesn't happen when 'structure' means 'conditioned bondage'! Similarly, current 'family' conceptions might mean bondage, but future versions may offer structures for free play!
Soul Family
Souls emphasize specific aspects in One Being; emphases on relatively-similar aspects create Soul families. In one view, resonance between Soul-family members can help propel Souls out of material identification and towards astral realms. On the other hand, Souls can linger in the family level, mis-identifying that as real-Reality, or Heaven - once again, highlighting the double-edged nature of Family!
*To hear more about Glitch/Wound, AS/IF, GoB, ARC etc, please visit E1 (after about 30mins), and E18. Or, distil your own picture as you go!

Next Episode

9. Culture and Conditioning

Culture has many definitions: we discuss values/ethics, religion, and a non-contradictory patchwork of cultural components (art, morality, spirituality/religion, science).
Ethical Systems
What's right and wrong? What do these words mean - right/wrong for purpose, or morally good/bad? Is there an objective truth about moral action, or is it culturally-contingent? Are there universal 'moral laws' ?!
Without answering all these questions (!), we look at Split Will* as the source of suffering. One moral near-Absolute is that disinvestment from Split Will reduces separation, and therefore suffering. However, navigating this pointer in any actual context demands the Intelligence of the ARC* (whch is literally made-to-do-this!).
An Awakened Culture
Culture on a planet of Awakened Beings need not be monolithic. E.g., in terms of economic values, forms of both socialism and capitalism could be present. Moreover, 'Awakening' (at least currently!) describes a variety of different states, and so culture could contain a corresponding variety of religions/spiritualities. And - in fact! - science of a specific kind can also (implicitly!) be a path to Awakening. Finally, ethical behavior need not depend on any code or scientific/spiritual narrative: it can simply arise, in an undistorted Being.
A Non-Contradictory Patchwork
On the way to the Total-Awakening-of-the-Universe* - and a joyful firework-completion of this-Universe-as-'Game'! - humanity must at some point create an enduring/sustainable culture. This would be a patchwork quilt of components, non-contradictory 'horizontally' (with each other) and 'vertically' (with real-Reality!).
Obviously, what we have now, instead, is a fragmented, conflicting, jumble! Sometimes it seems the insanity will go on forever ...
Schism
The foundation of Veils' theocosmology is that Souls have creative freedom to induce separation from real-Reality. Separation as a transient Dream is called alleged-Reality*. Separation forever (in time) would be called Schism. Schism is one of the trickiest issues facing humankind - and almost completely neglected.
To illustrate a touch of a hint of the nuance: realization of Schism would correspond to the creation of an actual Hell, and is therefore impossible. Nevertheless, there are forces driving in that direction. What's to be done? Nothing, if Schism is impossible. Everything, to avoid the loss-of-everything that Schism would entail! Here's the Koan: Schism is impossible, but there are things we must do to ensure that impossibility!
Religion
Many forms of religion/spirituality are needed, to respond to separation. But not every form is a situationally-optimal contribution. We consider traditional ('punitive God') Christianity, and a 'cleaned up' version as a powerful cultural artefact. This must partner with a 'cleaned up' (and deepened!) science, open forms of non-dual Eastern spiritualities, shamanic/indigenous traditions, and various (non-contradictory!) systems-for-living. All this will be necessary, to found the next great phase of civilization, and avoid Schism in the kindest, most-Loving way .
*For more on Split Will, ARC, etc., please visit E1 or E18.