It Takes Two To Tango
Breaking out of our shell takes a great deal more than just wish-full thinking. Since we are already immersed within our selves exterior thoughts and ideas become self-sacrificing in that the mind will not allow them to see the light of day. The mind's protection mechanism is used as an explanation of how materials unsuited for an individual at their current stage in life can be considered harmless. The mind's protection extends well beyond this idea and as always, can be considered to be detrimental to one's spiritual journey.
Since man is already consumed by the mind and lives by it's consent, if becomes very, very difficult to even see anything above and beyond it. The mind's protection is the monkey on our backs, ensuring that behavior conforms in thought, word and deed. Is it any wonder then that Scientology auditing requires role playing as 'pre-clear' and 'auditor'?
It takes a force outside of ourselves to help us to see our selves. This well known fact is extensively used on this planet in that propaganda of all sorts is used as an 'outside' force in order to create motivation along selfish ends. Yes, auditing does occur in life and it is not always a good thing.
Man has been conditioned to accept outside motivational influences without due regard. The reason why Scientology processing is such a powerful weapon becomes clear. It also becomes clear why this religion has been deemed dangerous and hence infiltrated and perverted. Since man is already conditioned it becomes quite easy to further cement the relationship.
As one may now notice, self-auditing is extremely dangerous to the individual since the mind will use whatever weapons are at hand in order to retain it's dominance over man. Solo auditing, on the other hand, can be safely tread to some degree but is still quite limited at best. The mind, no matter the amount of spiritual freedom gained, continues unabated in it's existence until it becomes no more. And that is the end result of walking the Bridge to Freedom. Becoming free of our thoughts, experiences and concepts requires much more than an ideology in goal fruition. It requires an outside force, an exterior manifestation and that manifestation typically becomes known and revered as a Teacher.
By whatever name one assigns to it, it takes a great being to bring freedom to another. Not freedom in action nor freedom in conquest, but freedom in realizing who or what we really are. It takes another who is above and beyond all tricks and traps of our own doing. It takes another who can circumvent our own devices in order to bring us to our selves. In other words, it takes someone who has a depth of caring much greater than our own.
And so, from time to time, we become blessed when someone shows up for us at the right place and at the right time to help us along the way and many times we may not even notice. When one is consumed in busy work in order to 'live' life, observation is not something we get to enjoy. But none-the-less, reality exists.
For the narrow of mind, these great teachers will become symbols of one thing or another. For the mind caught in existence, these great teachers become flawed and of ill repute. The mind, in it's woe-full existence sees danger everywhere it looks and so in it's infinite capacity to 'protect' reality fades into the background while an illusionary one comes to the fore. Creating a reality, any reality is better than the real thing for the mind knows it inhabits a very precarious position.
Despite our best efforts we must realize that unless and until we are called, we can only sustain a struggle for spiritual freedom and never completely achieve it through our own means. To go beyond ourselves we must break free of ourselves. The mind of man will never allow it and so we kill the messengers as often as we can. We entice others to accept thought-ideas and thought-concepts to keep the dream alive. The dream must live as long as the mind is our master and since we are well conditioned to be slaves, we duly act out our part.
But we need not do this.
There is no dearth of arm-chair auditors espousing to all who will hear the validity of their ideas and concepts. There is no lack of those who take great pleasure in sharing their own personal convictions, opinions and methodology. These wanderers in the Night of the Long Lost Soul will never provide salvation nor even a small salve of healing. Although many will give up to these people their own power in the hopes of achieving same, it never ever turns out that way.
Our power is our own and the force of mind ensures that it is so. Get the picture?
It is not an easy task to humble one's self before all others. It is not an easy task to relegate the mind to it's proper place but if this is not done, then what hope do we have of ever achieving a spiritual freedom rooted, not in a created reality, but in a reality that exists and has always existed despite the opposition. We create our own reality and you are living it right now. But one must exercise care in not creating an alternate reality where the idea of spiritual freedom exists. To do it right, we must achieve a Reality completely separate and apart from illusion.
The mind is a wonderful problem solver until it comes to solving the problem of the mind.
Escape is not an option as we cannot escape ourselves. Busying ourselves in processes and procedures will do nothing but waylay us. Compelling by force is useless and doing nothing is waste-full. We cannot run and we cannot hide but we can take steps to put an end to the cycle of life and death.
It takes two to tango but when one is short of a dance partner it can do no harm to dance anyway.