This life isn't meant to be torment, though admittedly not everyone agrees with that. For many people, suffering is a non-negotiable aspect of existence and only fools think they can overcome it. I've found that this way of thinking is a form of arrogance, deeply rooted in the fear of uncertainty, the inability to adapt to changing circumstances and the fixation with control.
Traditions such as Gnosticism and Zoroastrianism consider this physical world to be all there is. To them, creation is a form of prison and its creator, a jailor that only sees virtue in material wealth or knowledge. Death is final and nothingness awaits our souls, though exceptions may apply to the enlightened who have come closer to the divine, a strange contradiction that does very little to bring peace to troubled mortal minds that rarely hope to become as wise as these mystics, fully engaged as they are in the toils of materiality.
I can fortunately say that I live in growing joy not because I avoid pain, on the contrary, I have a conversation with it. I like going into the dark recesses of my mind, to explore difficult emotions and question my beliefs as regularly as possible. I enjoy speaking about my flaws and bask in my imperfect humanity. That, I think, is one of my greatest blessings, the source of my strength and flexibility. To me, eternity isn't a distant promise set in the future and I don't live in doubt of what may come after I die. I've cleared many of those questions already and new ones have opened up before me. This is why I can write of such things as reincarnation, ancestral knowledge, divinity and purpose with confidence; I've doubted and I've confirmed, I've stumbled and I've regained my footing; I've fallen and I've picked myself up; I've ignored and in ignorance, I've found knowledge.
In mysticism, the Sun isn't a deity and Light isn't a just a phenomenon, it's the example, description and ideal of self-awareness, that is to say, the increasing union with the source of all consciousness with whatever name and in whatever shape we might think of it. The proverbial Gold of Alchemy isn't the chemical element that we know on this earth, but that profound yet simple understanding that we're sustained by Love, that no fear may extinguish life but instead inevitably bows to its greatness. Gold is the happy realization that we are and have always been whole. Gold is an approximation to the Ultimate Truth well beyond the trappings of our bodies or the restrictions of our thoughts.
The Golden Sun is ever-present and summons us to be present as well. It's origin, path and destination all at once, the constant, inexorable reaffirmation of meaning, of Dharma. We're all bound to it not as slaves but as servants, forever free in the discipline required by our unique place in the world which none others can fit in. Suffering arises from the instinctive resistance that we have to our mission; the entire point of spiritual practices is to reduce that resistance and therefore increase both our awareness and our integration to that essential flow that permeates all things.
These times we're living in may seem horrendous, our world may seem on the brink of destruction, unsalvageable. The storm may appear inescapable. But like the Rune below says, new opportunities always arise, new possibilities are at the ready. The Sun always comes, the morning is as inevitable as nightfall, and everything we're experiencing now is the purging of old masks and limiting delusions behind which lies a truer way of life, a truer humanity, a more real society where union can grow. So, instead of lashing ourselves with guilt, shame, hatred, resentment and anxiety for the wounds all around us, let's accept them and prepare ourselves for the revelations that are coming through the clearing smoke and dust.
It's not the dark that we fear, but the light it conceals within. Funny thing, though, once we see that light, we realize there was never any reason to be frightened.
Rune of the Day: Sowelo
Profound sources of energy are released, revealing superior knowledge and lighting a path thus far undreamed of. Unforeseen opportunities bring joy and certainty in a moment of great confusion. An important truth is shared with the world to the benefit of those who decide to pay heed to it. Open your eyes and do not turn them away from the present experience, focus and you shall obtain very useful information; everything around you may teach you something valuable. Gold is merely an imitation of the sun, the real abundance resides in trust; temper your candor with kindness but remain firm, your authenticity is your wealth. Recognize yourself, receive the rewards for your effort, smile and be thankful, by elevating your spirits you elevate your surroundings.