The Occidental (series in religious thought)

The Occidental, is probably a term, that many, have heard often, probably, in an ancient, Greek or Roman, text. Some think, its just, deep religion, others, a side branch, of spirituality, and others believe, it contains, some of the secrets, of life itself. While many, don't think much, about, what the Occidental, really means, there are some, who do, and the search, for its meaning, eventually, leads them, to Africa. Many often, associate, the search for self, with Asia. These kind of people, want to know, just about everything, about themselves, and they believe, that going, to Asia, and studying, spirituality, will help them, truly know, whom they are, in all the meaning, of the phrase. They however, discover, that Asian forms, of spirituality, are more, nature driven, than soul inspiring.

The Occidental, at its heart, is all about seeing, life, from the perspective, of three things: personal history, touching moments, and aspirations. Thats kinda what, it is, in a nutshell. Seeing life, from these perspectives, is what we think, to ourselves, when we are mostly, alone. It is the basis, of existence, itself. Seeing life, from personal history, is all about, simply steering oneself, on course, based on what, has happened, previously, in ones life. Its really that simple; look at ones personal history, and see, all mistakes and errors made, and try, to correct them. Living life, from aspirations, is also, pretty well known, as it forms, the core way, most people today, seek, to live life, privately. They simply, think about, their dreams, and what, they want, to see, happen [not achieve really], in their lives. Living life, from touching moments, is simply, living life, in the now, and the present. There is no future, and past really, just the now, and whats going on, right here. The goal, is to experience, as many, touching moments, from a hug, to a kiss, to a simple discovery, in the present. Thats kinda what, life, at its core, is all about.

In Africa, traditionally, some groups, have always lived life, from the Occidental. Brown skinned Africans, have traditionally, had a culture, based totally, on the Occidental. To many, who don't know them, they seem, like a group, of wanderers. Seeing life, from the Occidental, and not structures, of any kind, is at the core, of seeing oneself, as a spiritual being. People, who see themselves, from the viewpoint, of structures, see themselves, mainly, as physical/religious beings. They tend, to be obsessed, with how they look, and how others, see them. Those who live, based, on the Occidental, are obsessed, with the "Gods", and how, they 'mess' up, their lives. At its heart, the Occidental, is about, identifying, connecting, and linking oneself, with others, and ones world. Its about, developing, self-consciousness [feelings of nakedness]. In Africa, the Occidental, is lived, from the perspective, of touching moments. You kinda see this, in alot, of African literature. In general though, even, if, one lives, a life, based on structures, at its core, should be, the Occidental. Today though, this is not so, and structures, are very much, like systems, or prisons. Very much, like the prison system. In general though, touching moments, as an example, can also be lived, from the view, of personal history, and aspirations. They kinda all, merge, with each other, but are distinctively, separate. Brown skinned Africans, have lived life, primarily, based on the Occidental, and around three things: shocking experiences [touching moments], enjoying life to the max [touching moments-aspirations], and spiritual retreats [touching moments-personal history]. Thats kinda what, their life, was all about, traditionally. Time, does not really exist, in Africa. Shocking experiences, in Africa, differ. Thats inherently because, Africa, is a kind of, strange continent. People see things, all the time. This kinda hard, to explain. In Africa, if a person, was to visit, ones home, and sit around, in the living room, before leaving, that information, would be strangely recorded, in the room. What this means, is that, for a slight moment, you would basically see, make-out, where that person, was seated, and very much see, them, seated there. Its really strange, and some Africans, use this, as a basis, to practising, witchcraft. Generally speaking, people can leave, their presence, in a place. And if you visit, that place, not knowing much of it, you will sense, this presence. This seeing, of shocking things, as one could very much see, a murder committed, is associated, with ones hearing. You hear, such things, you don't really, see them. And the ability, to hear this stuff, is very much, associated, with neuromelanin, in the ear tracts. To attempt, to theorize all this, is to probably say, that a persons presence, is kind of, recorded, in the air[dust particles merging with heat], which can be sensed out, by the neuromelanin, in the ear tracts. Its basically, something, that can scare one, as one, not only sees things, that have happened, recently, but also very much, into Africas past. You can see, some very strange looking, creatures [dinosaur like], if you can sense, things this way, while in Africa. Thats kinda how, life at its basis, in traditional Africa, was lived; people seeing things, shockingly, happen, and attempting, to deal, with the outcomes. One can see this, in certain African literature, like in, the Famished Road, by Ben Okri.

The Occidental, at its basis, is associated, with what, the practitioners, of Hinduism, call, the Third Eye. The Third Eye, should not be confused, with the pituitary gland, and the all-seeing eye. The third eye, in Hinduism, is denoted, by a red mark, midway, between the eyebrows. What the third eye, is all about, is that, it makes one, see life, from the perspectives, of Duality [ying-yang], Polarity [highs-lows], and Desecration [beating down the body]. Thats what, the third eye, is all about, and one, cannot be said, to be living life, if, it is not opened. In Christianity, opening the third eye, was associated, with Baptism. Duality, in Christianity, can best be seen, in the Book, of Genesis. The story, of Adam and Eve, and the Garden of Eden. In the story, a serpent, is said, to deceive Eve, into taking, a bite [the bite that launched a thousand miseries], into an apple, and when she does this, she becomes, knowledgeable, as God, is said to be. In another version, Adam and Eve, perform, the forbidden, a sex act, that makes them, self-conscious [feeling naked], and their exposure, by God. This story, is not easy, to explain, but is very direct, in its meaning. Life today, for many, is very much similar, to life, in the Garden of Eden. People, are simply, linked, to one another; this means, they go through their day, interacting, with certain people, or things, never truly conscious, of themselves, and their world. The biting, into the apple, is associated really, with one, becoming, very conscious, of their world. They become, knowledgeable, like that; they identify, connect, and get linked, to things, in their world. They see, exactly, whats happening. And becoming conscious, of ones world, in this way, can bring, misery, and while, in the Bible, Adam and Eve, are said, to be made to toil, by God, in real life, they are tortured, in one way, or another. Simply by knowing, the truth, or having someone, do something, to them [just like when, a politician, exposes the truth]. With the other version, that of the sex act, Adam and Eve, fornicating, results, in them, becoming, self-conscious, and their, eventual, getting kicked out, of the Garden, of Eden, to wander around aimlessly, by God. In life today, this is similar, to people, chasing their aspirations, and on, attaining them, become, very self-conscious, of their own, strengths, and weaknesses. In this version, God, kicking out Adam, and Eve, to wander around aimlessly, is similar, to many, who, upon, attaining their aspirations, find themselves, somewhat, imprisoned, if not fully so. The tale, as said before, is kinda, direct, in its translation, as the above, is kinda what, happens, to people, today. Most out there, are simply, walking around, blinded, like Adam and Eve, were, in the Garden of Eden. They are not conscious, of anything much. The serpent, in the story, is really anyone, who makes people, conscious, of themselves, or their world. God, in the story, really represents, anyone, who is dictatorial, in nature. Thats kinda what, happens, in life today. Polarity, on the otherhand, is about, experiencing life, from the extremes, of highs and lows. What this means, is that life, can go, swing, from any, of these extremes: good/evil, good/bad and positive/negative. What Polarity, teaches us really, is that life, is very much, like three things: a rollercoaster [ups and downs], day cycle [light and darkness], and seasonal changes [strong bonds (summer) and weak bonds (winter)]. What you find really, is that most people, out there, are afraid, to live life, due to these, extremes. Whenever life, is going good, for one, you will eventually, experience, the opposite extreme. All this, has to do, with the issue, of attachment. Learning, to let go. This is the reason, why, when some, attain wealth, they never, really use it. If you start, enjoying your wealth, you will eventually, lose it, in one way, or another. Something happens, to it, or it simply, stops, becoming interesting, before you discover it, again. Thats kinda how, people, should know, about life; if you go through, really hard times, one should know, that the opposite extreme, will be attainable, eventually, if you hold on. Desecration, of the body, is very much, associated, with what, they call, Spiritual growth. Spiritual growth, should not be confused, with religious growth, which is about, attaining, what, they call, maturity. Spiritual growth, is very much, about, spiritual evolution. Spiritual growth, very much, has to do, with difficulties, in our lives. Anything that, basically, beats us down. Religious growth, on the other hand, is about, doing, the right thing. Spiritual growth, is also, very much, associated, with what, they call, energy levels, in our bodies. We all possess, certain, energy levels, and we are supposed, to rise up, in these levels, and as we do, we become, different beings. There are about, 5, of these levels; weakly, plain, normal, real, and sublime. At the weakly level, humans, are not too different, from animals. At the sublime level, they are like, higher beings, such as the Angels. The problem, with civilization today, is that, the energy levels, have fallen, from the past, in many places, of the world today. Today, most people, out there, are at, the plain level, of energy levels. That is old, very old, and is similar, to the energy levels, one saw, in the biblical times. Life for many, today, is not too different, from the bible, but the bible, is more interesting. This is the main, reason, many, feel disconnected, from the, recent past. They may listen, to a piece of music, from the recent past [Mozart], or read, a piece of literature, from such a past [Charles Dickens], and not identify, with them; it seems, a strange world. Thats because, the two above mentioned examples, operated, more or less, from the normal levels, of energy. They were just, normal people. Many today, watch, a good movie [the Devils Advocate], and view, the people, as being, somewhat, really different. Many, don't understand, the movie completely, and ask, all kinds, of questions, about the plot [not going ons], due, to being, at a lower, energy level. People, with a higher, energy level [real-sublime], watching the Devils Advocate [real], would question, the going ons. Others [plain], would find it hard, to understand, the movie. We attain, higher energy levels, by engaging, in acts, of desecration. Historically, the most famous, have been, fasting, isolation, worship, and learning. They are all, difficult, in one way, or another, and engaging in them, leads, to one, becoming, a higher being. The story, of the crucifixion, and the bearing, of ones cross, is all about, spiritual growth. At the heart, of it all, is dealing, with what they call, irritability, and excitability. Irritability, and excitability, are what, lead, to higher, and lower, energy levels, respectively. The story, of the crucifixion, suffering wise,is not, about, physical pain, as the, Mel Gibson movie, showed it to be, but levels, of irritability. When someone says or does, something, really dumb, and you just want, to smack them [or insult them (the N word)], thats irritability. Thats kinda what, Jesus, was dealing with. Physical, and emotional pain, are about, religious growth. Losing a loved one, is irritability; a loved one, harming one, is emotional pain. The danger, with irritability, and excitability, is in, simply, experiencing them, for what they are. If one tries, to block them, one can become, lifeless, and somewhat, dazed.

How people, have lived life, historically, from the perspective, of the Occidental, differs. In South America, it was always, based, on personal history. What this means, is that, ones trajectory, in life, is guided, by simply, what happened, yesterday, or before. There are no, plannings, really, just simply, going along, with what happened, yesterday. Small examples are, getting rejected, by someone, and one, going out of the way, to prove them, wrong. In North America, the Occidental, was always lived, from touching moments; someone, instigating, something, in ones life, and one, simply, dealing with it, as it happens. America traditionally, has been, a very social place. Things happen, in the now, one deals with them, and then, a period, of no activity. If something, great happens, the exact opposite, could happen soon. In Africa, it was also, very much, touching moments. Thats kinda what, makes Africa, partly similar, to America. The exception, is that, in Africa, touching moments, could also, be very much, generated, by the "Gods", and not just people. In Europe, life, was similar, to South America [based on personal history], only that, it was very much, about, enemity. People did, something wrong, to others, and life, simply unfolded, based on this. Thats why, it is a continent, whose, history, has often, gone, hand-in-hand, with war. In Asia, the Occidental, was very much, about aspirations. Asians, lived, to buy, that beautiful house, own that gorgeous car, or marry, that wonderful person. In the Middle East, the Occidental, was very much, an eclectic, mix, as people, generally, lived life, in three stages: youth [aspirations], adult [personal history], and elders [touching moments]. In the Middle East, touching moments, were kinda different, from Africa and America, as they were all about, sensing, crazy things, going on, around them. In the past, these crazy things, were based on, Islamic mysticism.