Talk:Alignment

Alignment is an incredibly important aspect of Authentic Spirituality, and you find discussions of it, more less, peppered throughout this planet's, and not so sacred, literature.

Philo

Moreover Palestine and Syria too are not barren of exemplary wisdom and virtue, which countries no slight portion of that most populous nation of the Jews inhabits. There is a portion of those people called Essenes, in number something more than four thousand in my opinion, who derive their name from their piety, though not according to any accurate form of the Grecian dialect, because they are above all men devoted to the service of God, not sacrificing living animals, but studying rather to preserve their own minds in a state of holiness and purity. [76] These men, in the first place, live in villages, avoiding all cities on account of the habitual lawlessness of those who inhabit them, well knowing that such a moral disease is contracted from associations with wicked men, just as a real disease might be from an impure atmosphere, and that this would stamp an incurable evil on their souls. Of these men, some cultivating the earth, and others devoting themselves to those arts which are the result of peace, benefit both themselves and all those who come in contact with them, not storing up treasures of silver and of gold, nor acquiring vast sections of the earth out of a desire for ample revenues, but providing all things which are requisite for the natural purposes of life; [77] for they alone of almost all men having been originally poor and destitute, and that too rather from their own habits and ways of life than from any real deficiency of good fortune, are nevertheless accounted very rich, judging contentment and frugality to be great abundance, as in truth they are. [78] Among those men you will find no makers of arrows, or javelins, or swords, or helmets, or breastplates, or shields; no makers of arms or of military engines; no one, in short, attending to any employment whatever connected with war, or even to any of those occupations even in peace which are easily perverted to wicked purposes; for they are utterly ignorant of all traffic, and of all commercial dealings, and of all navigation, but they repudiate and keep aloof from everything which can possibly afford any inducement to covetousness; [79] and there is not a single slave among them, but they are all free, aiding one another with a reciprocal interchange of good offices; and they condemn masters, not only as unjust, inasmuch as they corrupt the very principle of equality, but likewise as impious, because they destroy the ordinances of nature, which generated them all equally, and brought them up like a mother, as if they were all legitimate brethren, not in name only, but in reality and truth. But in their view this natural relationship of all men to one another has been thrown into disorder by designing covetousness, continually wishing to surpass others in good fortune, and which has therefore engendered alienation instead of affection, and hatred instead of friendship;

Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholic Anonymous encourages alignment, without ever actually using the word. The Big Book encourages honestly, fearlessness, selflessness, action to help others and self. They also recommend reflection (meditation and prayer) as part of a process to help fine-tune alignment:

Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Were we kind and loving toward all? What could we have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? Or were we thinking of what we could do for others, of what we could pack into the stream of life? But we must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to others. After making our review we ask God’s forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken.

On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives.

...

As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action.

Note, the AA stipulation to Right Thought and Right Action, two of the three LP components of alignment. The only thing missing is Right Environment. It should be noted, when it comes to facilitating alignment and encouraging connection, this is a big oversight, given that alcohol is recognized as a means of escaping a toxic world and a toxic environment. "I wasn’t afraid of anything or anybody after I learned about drinking, for it seemed right from the beginning that with liquor I could always retire to my little private world where nobody could get at me to hurt me."

Bill Wilson

Prior to the spiritual experience that instantly cured Bill Wilson of his alcoholism, Will had come into contact with the teachings of something called the Oxford Group, which, among other things, had at least four principles which clearly point to alignment as a thing necessary for connection.

Rowland impressed upon him the four principles of the Oxford Group: absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute unselfishness, absolute love. “He was particularly strong in advocating absolute honesty,” Ebby said. “Honesty with yourself, honesty with your fellowman, honesty with God. And these things he followed himself, and thereby, by example, he made me believe.

Bernard of Clairvaux

Bernard is aware of the need for alignment. As Jantzen says, "the whole aim of the Christian life is to come to union with God." But this only occurs after a three-step process of "purification or purgation" and the establishment of a "moral life without which spiritual insight was held to be impossible," followed by "illumination or enlightenment, insight into truth and values," and finally "union with God as described in the Song of Songs.

"The union with God of which he is about to speak, and which he sees as the goal of the Christian life, requires as its precondition purification and illumination."

William James

"Were one asked to characterize the life of religion in the broadest and most general terms possible, one might say that it consists of the belief that there is an unseen order, and that our supreme good lies in harmoniously adjusting ourselves thereto."

Vedism

"The truth of Brahman may be understood intellectually. But (even in those who so understand) the desire for personal separateness is deep-rooted and powerful, for it exists from beginningless time. It creates the notion, “I am the actor, I am he who experiences.” This notion is the cause of bondage to conditional existence, birth and death. It can be removed only by the earnest effort to live constantly in union with Brahman. By the sages, the eradication of this notion and the craving for personal separateness is called Liberation." [CJW]

Speaking of Right Action and Right Thought, "When a man follows the way of the world, or the way of the flesh, or the way of tradition (i.e. when he believes in religious rites and the letter of the scriptures, as though they were intrinsically sacred), knowledge of Reality cannot arise in him." [CJW].

Jainism

Samyaktva is what occurs when a spiritual seeker establishes Samyag Darshan (right perception), Samyag Jnana (right knowledge) and Samyak Charitra (right practice). When perfection/alignment is established, Connection may occur.

Judaism: The Jewish Torah contains extensive and detailed "laws" (i.e. statements of alignment) that God gave Moses indicating how the people were to behave in relation to God/Consciousness, and with each other as well (Ehrman, 2007).

Psychology: Alignment has also been a concern, from time to time, among psychologists. In a 1960 radio interview, Abraham Maslow suggest that there were "basic, underlying, human standards that are cross-cultural" (Maslow, 1961). These standards, which according to Maslow were universal, should be used to govern the social order.

Christ, in the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, discusses alignment in the context of adultry and sin, pointing out that "Sin as such does not exist. You only bring it into manifestation when you act in ways that are adulterous (i.e. out of alignment or disjuctive) in nature."

Jainism: Samyaktva or perfection/completion.

Aldous Huxley

Huxley notes

"But the nature of this one Reality is such that it cannot be directly and immediately apprehended except by those who have chosen to fulfil certain conditions, making themselves loving, pure in heart, and poor in spirit. Why should this be so? We do not know."

Edward Carpenter

In The Art of Creation (book) in the chapter six Carpenter intimates alignment when, in the context of discussing the relationship between Spiritual Ego and Bodily Ego using an organic analogy of bodily cells to bodily ego, he suggests that alignment of the "little egos" with the big Ego vitalizes the little ego, and is something to which they are attracted to, and, when "harmony" is achieved, leads to "pancakes and cream."

In these lights it does not seem difficult to think of the egos of the body-cells as one with the total Ego which represents the fusion of their separate consciousnesses—one with it, though each less adequately manifested than the whole. And indeed I believe they love to feel this affiliation; dimly they are conscious of it, and it vitalizes them, presiding over and directing their activities.

In the same chapter Carpenter also recognizes the reality of Disjuncture when he discusses the discrepancy that occurs when the cells "fall out" and "do not always do" what big Ego wants. Here he points vaguely to instincts, "hereditary thought and habits," and archetypes in the "Race Consciousness" as the source of "discrepancy."

Christianity

Theologia Germanica

Now see the meaning of these two sayings of Christ’s. The one, “No man cometh unto the Father but by me,” that is through my life. The other saying, “No man cometh unto me except the Father draw him”; that is, he does not take my life upon him and follow after me, except he is moved and drawn of my Father, that is, of the Simple and Perfect Good, of which St. Paul saith, ‘When that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.”

"Blessed are [sic] the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

The Christian term for alignment is "righteousness" or even "reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5: 19-20) "He who through faith is righteous (aligned) shall live." Romans 1:15. Several passages in the bible speak to the nature of alignment, including Mathew 5, Mathew 6, and a large swath of Mathew 7

Strict alignment (Mathew 5: 20). Even stricter than before (Mathew 5: 21-26),

Helping the weak Acts 20: 32-35

Mathew 19: 16-22 makes clear what Christ thought the parameters of alignment were.

Galatians 5: 16-26, Paul notes the difference between what "the flesh" wants" (i.e. the Bodily Ego), and what the Spirit (i.e. Spiritual Ego) wants.

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh" (Galatians 5: 24) meaning that those who are connected leave venal interests and desires behind.

Paul speaks of "righteousness, self control," (Acts, 27: 17) both of which are components of alignment, righteousness being a state of strong moral/behavioural alignment with Consciousness, and self control (i.e. control of the physical vehicle) a basic requirement of incarnated Consciousness. In Acts 10: 34-35 we are told that "...God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right." In this context, doing what is right means doing what is in alignment with your own highest self.

Colossians 3: 12-14. "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity"

In Galatians, Paul says that "whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Translation, "sows to please the Spirit" meaning those who act in alignment Galatians 6: 8-9.

Galatians 5: 13-26 is a short treatise on alignment.

When we achieve alignment, we connect and achieve Salvation. Revelations 22:14 refers to "washing of the robes". "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city." Rev 22:14

When we are aligned, Consciousness recieves us (2 Corinthians 6: 17)

When we are aligned, we are "in step with the Spirit" Galatians 5:25

When we are aligned we have passed the test (2 Corinthians 13: 5) and Christ is "Formed" in us (Galatians 4: 19)

One who is aligned is perfectly "holy" -> "Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God" 2 Corinthians 7: 1

Acts of the Flesh a euphemism for misalignment (Galatians 5: 16-18)

In the Cloud of Unknowing, you are advised to "live according to your calling" which is to say live in alignment with Highest Self (Anonymous, 1981: p. 118-119).

Emanuel Swedenborg

In New Jerusalem chapter "Goodness and Truth" speaks about Alignment in terms of the Heavenly Marriage and Disjuncture in terms of the Hellish Marriage. For Swedenborg, goodness and truth together are alignment, while evil and falsity are unaligned, or disjunctive.

Absolutely everything in the universe goes back to either goodness and truth or evil and falsity. If it is in keeping with the divine design, or is becoming so, it goes back to what is good and true, while if it is in violation of the divine design it goes back to what is evil and false

In The New Jerusalem, Swedenborg elaborates on four "classes" of aligned people.

There are four kinds of people.

1. There are people who live lives based on falsity; some of them do so with evil intent, and some of them do so without evil intent.
2. There are people who live lives based on truth but lack good intent.
3. There are people who live lives based on truth who use that truth to focus on and move toward what is good.
4. And there are people who live lives based on truth who have good intent.

Swedenborg has an interesting way of describing alignment.

It is the inner self that is called a spiritual self because it is in heaven’s light, and that light is spiritual. It is the outer self that is called an earthly self because it is in the light of this world, and that light is earthly. Anyone whose inner level is in heaven’s light and whose outer level is in this world’s light is a spiritual individual in both respects, but people whose inner level is not in heaven’s light but in this world’s light, where their outer level is as well, are earthly individuals in both respects. Spiritual individuals are the ones called “living” in the Word, while earthly individuals are the ones called “dead.” SWEDENBORG, EMANUEL. New Jerusalem (NW CENTURY EDITION) (p. 34). Swedenborg Foundation Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Notice in the above how he suggests that the spiritual self, the "inner self" may exist in "spiritual light" or "world light." If it exists in a spiritual light it is a "Spiritual Inner Self." He suggests thus that the inner light, the soul, may be disconnected from The Fabric. Upon death, such a "disconnected" soul goes to hell, while a connected one (a "spiritual inner self") goes to heaven.

Seen in its own right, a spiritual inner self is an angel of heaven, and while it is living in the body it is also in the company of angels even though it is not aware of being so; and once it is released from the body it joins them. A merely earthly inner self, though, when seen in its own right, is not an angel but a spirit and is also in the company of spirits while it is living in the body. However, it is with spirits who are in hell, and after its release from the body it joins them.

Of course, this is not true. The Spiritual Ego is never disconnected because this is simply impossible.

Note the following strong statement of alignment by Swedenborg

The outer self needs to be subservient and subject to the inner self: The outer self was designed and created to serve the inner self: 5947. The inner self must be the master and the outer self a servant and in a certain respect even a slave: 10471.

Swedenborg sees the process of becoming aligned as a process of regeneration.

R. M. Bucke

To enter into a state of Connection (what Bucke calls Cosmic Consciousness, one "...must have a good physique, good health, but above all he must have an exalted moral nature, strong sympathies, a warm heart, courage, strong and earnest religious feeling.

Additional References

Maslow, Abraham H. 1961. "Eupsychia—The Good Society." Journal of Humanistic Psychology 1 (2):1.

Sui, Choa Kok. 2016. How to Safely Awaken the Kundalini! http://www.awarenessmag.com/julaug1/JA1_SAFELY_AWAKEN.HTML

Bourgeault C. (2015) The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Parabola. New York.[1]

Case Studies

"A good example is a friend of mine who is a physicist. He wrote a dissertation on the influence of the geomagnetic field on the trajectory of missles. His dissertation was classified and he was offered work with the Pentagon He told me that one day, he and his colleagues were working on a specific task--how best to distributethe elements of a multiple-head missle to totally wipe out a territory of 100 square miles. As they were working on the mathematics of this problem, he suddenly realized this was not an abstract issue. They were not talking about 10^2 square miles, but about human lives, mothers, children, families, schools, hospitals...He actually had a vision of what his activity would lead to. He got up as in a trance and walked out, never to return. He bacame a bodyworker and healer deeply interested in spirituality. (Grof in Lazslo, Groff, Russell, 1999: 59-60).