Observing the Sacredness of Daily Life
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
Spiritual knowledge must be severely tested in daily life,
in order to make sure it is not mere pretense or make-believe.
in order to make sure it is not mere pretense or make-believe.
*An absence of noise seems to surround all things beautiful.
* In the presence of silence, words naturally tend to be sincere and accurate. Happiness shines in the creative equilibrium between silence and sound, or contemplation and action.
* Peace exists in the absence of noise, and it flows according to the law of equilibrium. In the silence of one’s soul, truth can be heard without a sound.
* Right self-discipline and self-control lead to unconditional happiness.
* Students of theosophy learn to see short term events in the wider context of time eternal.
* Every moment in life is sacred and its divine substance can be consciously experienced, if we are prepared to that.
* The fulfilment of one’s duty is the safest path to bliss. The sense of duty is the best compass one may use. It is in one’s own heart. It speaks through the voice of the conscience.
* Each mistake, once it is corrected – just as every pain understood – corresponds to a step in the warrior’s path. Conquered imperfections become virtues.[1]
* The higher self or spiritual soul has unlimited resources on its own plane. By concentrating our hearts on it, we get in touch with universal life.
* Detachment, good will and confidence are necessary in order to develop a creativity that transforms every aspect of existence.
* A concentrated mind does not “exclude” that which is not its chosen object of observation. It includes all life: it also transcends each and each one of its manifested aspects.
* A strong will does not eliminate open-mindedness. One’s efforts must aim at obtaining a lasting victory which produces defeat to no one.
* Concentration of mind widens one’s horizons. It also purifies and elevates them.
* One-pointedness allows one’s mind to have wide horizons. A dispersive consciousness is narrow.
* Self-respect creates stability: you need a firm basis in order to observe the sky.
* Idle thoughts should be eliminated because of their negative magnetism. Any idea in one’s mind must have a purpose, and one must be consciously responsible for it, and for its results.
* Blessed are those who investigate beneath the surface of things, for most blessings are hidden under unpleasant appearances. On the other hand, many a harmful thing presents itself as nice and saintly.
* Students of philosophy must harmonize external activities with their most abstract dreams and projects. From the correct interaction between the objective and the abstract, a consistency of behaviour and inner happiness emerge.
* Mirrors produce images symmetrical to that which is reflected. An intimate relationship works like a mirror. It can be accurate, or it may distort the image of the other. It is necessary to keep in touch with the best in oneself, in order to stimulate the best in the other half of a marriage, and do this in a long-term process.
* Whether we pay attention to it or not, life on Earth develops in a close dialogue with countless aspects of the wider life in our solar system. There is a dance of billions of years in the sky. Each planet teaches our souls a particular set of lessons, and their wordless teachings and influences interact among each other all the time.
* Spiritual knowledge must be severely tested in daily life, in order to make sure it is not mere pretense or make-believe.
* Within one’s soul, as well as in outer circumstances, life combines stability and change. We need both factors. There is a time to choose continuity, and a time to provoke radical changes. The transformation must not be a jump into the unknown. It must be made with courage and prudence, while visualizing the goal we want to reach through hard work and on the basis of acquired merit.
* A few measures should be taken, in order to avoid unnecessary waste of time and energy. The first one is to have clear-cut, noble goals. The second is to develop our discernment regarding which actions lead to our goals and which ones don’t. Provided that we have the necessary strength of decision and of character, we will be able to save large amounts of time.
* Planning is as important as our ability to look at life as if there were no planning. Creativity renews our action plans, and we must include in our planning the need to look at life from new and different points of view any time, while persevering in that which is of fundamental importance in our roadmap.
* We are all learners. The practice of regularly questioning and re-examining our premises only makes them stronger and gives further power to the foundations of our daily action.
* Along the path to wisdom, the pilgrim is protected by his own accumulated good karma. Courage is good, but it must be exerted with prudence, for challenges renew themselves at each new step. It is not easy to know the precise strength of the good karma accumulated by the pilgrim thanks to his right action. For this reason, harvesting is dangerous and may lead to illusion. The most important thing is to persevere in sowing good karma at each moment, using courage when it is necessary and avoiding too much audacity.
* The Law of Karma is the Law of Symmetry. Whenever difficulties seem to expand, there is no need to become hypnotized by the obstacles. Positive opportunities and blessings get increased in equal measure as to challenges, and perhaps with an advantage, from the point of view of those who have eyes to see. While difficulties sometimes seem to dominate the external aspects of life, positive opportunities are decisive on the inner and highest planes, and this takes place in strict accordance with the Law.
NOTE:
[1] The idea corresponds to an axiom in “Light on the Path”. It is reproduced from the book “Três Caminhos Para a Paz Interior”, by Carlos Cardoso Aveline, Ed. Teosófica, Brasília, 2002, 191 pp., p. 26.
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The above fragments were first published anonymously in the October 2014 and November 2014 editions of “The Aquarian Theosophist”.
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On the role of the esoteric movement in the ethical awakening of mankind during the 21st century, see the book “The Fire and Light of Theosophical Literature”, by Carlos Cardoso Aveline.
Published in 2013 by The Aquarian Theosophist, the volume has 255 pages and can be obtained through Amazon Books.
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